"Master Dragon King, you jest. I am far from your equal. You are the truly mighty one. Without the Invincible Bloodline, you've already reached the late Emperor stage. You know, many in this generation look up to you as a role model."
Kong Wenbin scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
"Hahaha, Wenbin's talent is a rarity even in ancient times. However, he is right; you are far superior to him. Your cultivation speed is something few could match, even in antiquity."
Gu Qing walked over with a hearty laugh, followed by people from Gu Village, most of whom were those Li Xiaotian had previously saved.
"Master Dragon King, we've been eagerly awaiting your arrival. Now that you're here, we must repay you well."
Someone behind Gu Qing spoke, their face full of gratitude. If not for Li Xiaotian, they wouldn't be here today.
"Indeed. Wenbin mentioned you're sending your family over. Rest assured, your family are our benefactors. Here, they will not suffer any grievances."
Others chimed in, their greetings warm.
"Master Dragon King has brought glory to our Great Qin this time. Those sects like the Beast Taming Sect deserved to be annihilated. They treated human lives like dirt; they deserved to die!"
Li Xiaotian smiled as he greeted everyone, introducing Ye Qingmei and the others.
"Elder Gu, I'll have to trouble you this time."
Li Xiaotian spoke with genuine sincerity.
"Trouble? Don't mention it. Rest assured, it's not boasting when I say there are few places safer than our Gu Village in this world. Entrust your family to us, and our village will certainly protect them."
Gu Qing said with a smile, glancing at Ye Qingmei and Tian Tian, then continued.
"Moreover, your wife and daughter both possess the Invincible Bloodline. Coming here, they will not only be safe but also rapidly enhance their own strength."
As they walked towards the village, Li Xiaotian noticed most of the people he saw were elders. The younger faces were mostly those he had saved before.
Seeing this, Li Xiaotian couldn't help but be surprised by the scarcity of young people. However, he soon understood. The Invincible families' lineages had been broken in later generations, and many descendants had likely been lost to history.
"Li Xiaotian, I told you last time that you are always welcome here. You have no idea how much you've helped us. After many elders here awakened, they had no descendants with them. Despite numerous searches, they found nothing. They were filled with disappointment for this era and planned to die in the village."
Gu Qing spoke beside him, sighing with emotion.
"Fortunately, you saved Wenbin and the others. They are all young people. After I brought them back, many elders in the village were overjoyed. Some even found their own descendants among them, hahaha."
Gu Qing laughed, though he didn't mention some details. The reason those elders were disappointed was their fear of their family lineages being broken.
The innate power and talent of Invincible descendants were due to the protection of their ancestors. However, this was a symbiotic relationship; stronger descendants could also nourish their ancestors.
Bloodline itself was a source of power!
Once the bloodline of an Invincible family completely vanished, their ancestors would surely sense it. Without the feedback from their descendants' bloodline power, their own strength would be affected.
Among Kong Wenbin and the others, there were six descendants of Invincible families. Three of those six Invincible families were on the verge of losing their lineage. If Li Xiaotian hadn't saved these people, those three families' lineages would have been entirely severed.
Within Gu Village, Gu Qing's clan was the most powerful, with the largest number of members. A dozen or so among Kong Wenbin's group were descendants of the Invincible Gu family.
Beyond that, the situations of the other Invincible families were progressively worse. Some had already definitively broken their lineages, while others had only one or two living members, all of whom were elderly. Once they died, their families' inheritances would be completely lost.
The inheritances of Invincible families were passed down through bloodlines, which were rather peculiar. Even if one learned the cultivation techniques of a particular family, it would provide no nourishing effect to those Invincibles. Therefore, only descendants of the same Invincible could continue their family's lineage.
Suddenly, a terrifying aura erupted from the depths of the village, followed by an aged figure swiftly rushing towards Li Xiaotian and his group.
"Grandma Yue!" Gu Qing's expression changed slightly upon seeing this. He recognized the person, who was considered an ancestor-level figure in Gu Village. However, the issue was that she had a very bad temper, and because her family lineage was broken, this made her temper even more volatile.
Since her awakening, whenever she was enraged, she would venture deep into the endless desert to wreak havoc until the overlord-level experts of the endless desert joined forces to attack her, only then would she retreat.
More importantly, she harbored intense hatred and disdain for anyone who was not a descendant of an Invincible.
Gu Qing grew anxious. Before Li Xiaotian's arrival, he had specifically explained the situation to her and received her promise not to take any drastic actions. But now, her aggressive approach clearly indicated she was angered.
The terrifying pressure from the newcomer swept over everyone. Many weaker individuals on the scene could not resist and were forced to the ground.
Li Xiaotian's expression turned solemn. The aura she exuded was no weaker than that of Dao Xuan and Jian Chen; she was an overlord-level expert.
"Grandma Yue, these people are honored guests of our village!"
Gu Qing shouted, fearing that she might casually kill Li Xiaotian and the others, given Li Xiaotian's contributions to their village.
"Silence!" The newcomer's scolding was met with Gu Qing being directly suppressed by the terrifying aura, forcing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
At this moment, Li Xiaotian's expression was grim. He exerted all his strength to protect his wife, daughter, and Butler Fu behind him, glaring fiercely at the newcomer.
She was an old woman, extremely frail, with white hair, leaning on a cane, her body hunched over.
"Senior, what is the meaning of this?" Li Xiaotian struggled to speak, looking at Gu Qing for an explanation.
"I'm not entirely sure, but don't worry, other elders have awakened, and you will be alright."
Gu Qing spoke, standing beside Li Xiaotian to shield him and his group.
At this moment, several terrifying auras also erupted from within the village.
"Yue E, what is going on? That young friend is our honored guest!"
A voice rang out.
Yue E completely ignored the voice and approached Li Xiaotian, reaching out to grab his wife and daughter behind him.
"Senior!" Li Xiaotian's eyes immediately turned red at this. His long saber appeared, and without a second thought, he slashed at her.
"Grandma Yue, please calm down!" Gu Qing also shouted, gritting his teeth as he joined Li Xiaotian in blocking the newcomer.
"Yue E, stop!" Simultaneously, another terrifying figure rapidly approached; another overlord-level expert.
However, to everyone's surprise, Yue E suddenly retracted her hand. By this time, Li Xiaotian and Gu Qing's attacks were already aimed at her.
"What?!" Li Xiaotian and Gu Qing were filled with confusion. But their attacks were about to land on the old woman.
With a gentle tap of her cane, Yue E instantly nullified the attacks that Li Xiaotian and Gu Qing had unleashed with all their might.