The Prodigies War-Chapter 2858 Her Past
Lin Xun was dumbfounded, and only after half a second did he say, “Works for me.”
He also had a vague idea why Ji Shanhai would challenge him to such a competition. It was not about winning or losing but instead to test his strength.
A distance away, Tan Liuyun, Pu Songzi, and Le Youfeng were secretly relieved. They had been making an inventory of the loot along the way, and if they really had to calculate the final exact number of kills and make a comparison, then it was hard to say who the winner was.
The truth was that after Lin Xun had utilized his five dao bodies at the last minute, the number of Desolate Law Power Beasts that he had killed had instantly skyrocketed.
Li Zhen also quietly sighed in relief. No one knew better than him about Lin Xun’s battle result as his loot picker all the way here, but even he wasn't sure if it was a victory over Ji Shanhai. Fortunately, none of that mattered anymore.
“Give us some room to talk privately,” said Ji Shanhai as she walked to the edge of the Earth Demon Abyss. The skirt of her plain-colored, wide-sleeved dress fluttered in the wind, while she looked as serene as an orchid.
Li Zhen exchanged glances with Tan Liuyun’s trio before both parties tactfully left the area to Lin Xun and Ji Shanhai. This made Lin Xun more and more curious about the secret Ji Shanhai wanted to tell him.
After a while of silence, Ji Shanhai started to speak, “A long time ago, in our clan once existed a woman whose aptitude was more outstanding, whose foundation was stronger, and whose intelligence was more striking than mine. The elders regarded her as an heir capable of shouldering the responsibilities of a future leader, and every member took pride in her.”
Lin Xun was a bit surprised, but he patiently listened on.
“When a tree rises above the forest, the wind seeks to destroy it. Similar things have happened countless times since the beginning of humanity, and that woman was not exempted. Perhaps, it was because she was so perfect that she had to face unexpected distress.”
“What kind of distress?” Lin Xun was surprised.
With the power of the Divine Ji Clan, how could they possibly not be able to protect a woman who had the qualifications to inherit the position of clan leader?
The corners of Ji Shanhai’s lips rose into a mocking arc. “It’s a rotten cliche that takes place on a daily basis, and every clan has it.”
Rotten cliche!
Such a description instantly informed Lin Xun that this distress, while sounding like nothing earth-shattering, was destined to be something quite special and rare.
Ji Shanhai’s voice was melodious and clear as a spring, “There are thirty-six divine clans in the Ninth Heaven Domain: twelve Eternal Divine Clans and twenty-four Immortal Divine Clans. My clan is one of the twelve Eternal Divine Clans.
“And since the Ji Clan produced such an extraordinary, eye-catching woman, the other Eternal Divine Clans naturally would know about her existence as well.
“During those years, many old things came to our door to propose marriage, hoping that their clan’s divine sons could marry her. To compete for her, the Eternal Divine Clans behind them even came forward and fought each other.
“It became a sensation in the Ninth Heaven Domain, bringing the matter to the attention of the whole world. The marriage competition fiasco also spread the woman’s name far and wide, and everyone wondered how beautiful and dazzling she must be to make all the big Eternal Divine Clans go out of their way to compete for her.”
At this part, the look in Ji Shanhai’s eyes became complicated. Immediately, she lamented, “But no one knows that it also sowed serious discord within the Ji Clan.
“Some hoped that she would marry into another Eternal Divine Clan, thus further consolidating the status of the Ji Clan. Others were unwilling to do so, even accusing the opposite party of harboring ill intentions, that they wanted to kick her out of the clan so that they could plot for the position of future clan head.
“Amusingly, those clansmen who wished to marry her off also faced internal conflicts: some wanted her to marry into the Eternal Divine Ye Clan, some the Jue Clan, some the Taihao Clan... The list goes on. For this reason, they heatedly disputed and made a ruckus.”
When Lin Xun heard this, he couldn’t help but frown. “In that case, your clan must have been a real mess at the time. Why wasn’t there anyone to quench it?”
Ji Shanhai said, “When it comes to the core interests of the clan, even the Eternal relics have differences in opinion, so how could anyone possibly suppress all of this? What’s more, that woman is ultimately a woman, and since forever, there has never been a female clan head in the twelve Eternal Divine Clans.
“Although that woman had the support of many elders who viewed her as the next clan leader, it’s not as if there weren't voices of opposition.”
Lin Xun sighed softly and asked, “And what did she think of it?”
The question seemed to deeply touch Ji Shanhai. She looked straight at him and said, “That’s the saddest thing right there. From start to end, all of them had been imposing their own wills and ideas on her in the name of doing what's good for her, but no one had ever asked a single question about how she thought...
“Even her father, patriarch of the Ji Clan, only told her that no matter what the outcome was, she should accept it because the greater good of the clan comes first.”
Ji Shanhai’s lips curled into a sneer. “Over a woman, the entire Ji Clan refused to have a moment of peace and even fell into infighting. Don't you think that's funny?
“There has been an age-old saying that a woman who is too beautiful is the root of disasters. But if that woman hasn’t done a thing, is she at fault?”
Lin Xun didn't have to think. “Of course not. On the contrary, those old timers in your clan...are too disappointing.”
Ji Shanhai continued, “If none of it had happened, she would still be the clan’s brightest star and pride. But it did, so she was nothing more than a pawn. For the sake of the so-called big picture and the collective interests, she could only be at the mercy of others.”
“What happened after?” asked Lin Xun. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
Ji Shanhai said, “She left, alone. The chess piece left the board, leaving those old ‘players’ on both sides dumbfounded.
“Those who wanted for her to marry out rebuked her for ignoring the big picture and wasting their efforts. Those who pushed for her to be the future head were enraged, believing that she wasn't qualified for this great responsibility, that she was a disappointment for being unable to withstand the hard time.
“In short, the whole clan dumped all their grievances on her. Those Eternal Divine Clans who wanted her to marry into them also stopped mentioning it.
“After all that fuss, those old relics’ calculations fell through one by one, and even more so, they lost face in front of the world. The matter was regarded as the Ji Clan’s shame, and it's now rarely brought up.
“Regarding that woman, she became a taboo for the Ji Clan. To this day, there are still some old timers brooding over her actions.”
As Lin Xun listened, his emotions were stirred. Only after a long time did he comment, “In this matter, it was like your clan tried to scoop water using a wicker basket. That woman’s departure instead benefited the other Eternal Divine Clans. After all, she was so famous and dazzling that she was destined to become an unfathomable existence in the future. They're naturally happy to see your clan lose her.”
Ji Shanhai said, “That’s right. That's what the Ji Clan also understood after they all reflected on it, but things were already irreparable.”
Lin Xun shook his head. “Even if there is a chance of redemption, history will just repeat itself and such a woman is destined to remain just a pawn.”
Ji Shanhai was stunned. “You...also think so?”
Lin Xun said, “It’s not that I think so, it's just the reality. In your clan, a woman like that will block the path of those who have ideas about the position of patriarch, while the other Eternal Divine Clans will take advantage of that to propose a marriage, ostensibly to establish a relationship with the Ji Clan, but in reality, it’s to take away your most dazzling pearl. If these two issues are not resolved, don’t talk about trying to salvage anything.”
Ji Shanhai sighed deeply, "Many elders came to realize this as well, but trying to resolve it is another story. It isn't easy at all.”
Lin Xun asked, “I’m sorry but, is this the secret you wanted to tell me?”
Ji Shanhai said, “Aren’t you curious who that woman is and where she went after leaving the Ji Clan?”
Lin Xun raised his brows. Something then dawned on him. “She's someone I know?”
“Correct.” Ji Shanhai didn’t deny it. “Worried about being found and dragged back after leaving the clan, she used a forbidden art to seal her cultivation and memories, and then snuck into the Fortune Dominion in a way that let no one notice.
“All because she knew that while the world is big, the Ji Clan could easily find her, and the only way to avoid such a possibility was to enter the Fortune Dominion.”
Hearing this, Lin Xun’s heart trembled, and something struck through his mind. “Are you talking about...Xi?”
Ji Shanhai said, “Her name is Ji Xi, and she is my older sister.”
An inexplicable wave of emotions surged within Lin Xun. He never knew any of that.
Xi actually came from the Eternal Divine Ji Clan. She had once been renowned throughout the Ninth Heaven Domain. She had been seen as the heir to the position of leader and the pride of the entire clan. Many Eternal Divine Clans proposed a marriage and fought over her...
How dazzling should she have been back in those days? Unfortunately, such a peerless woman had been reduced to a mere pawn in a storm, her fate put at the mercy of others!
How frustrated and disappointed should she have been to leave her clan so decisively? Sadly, what she got in return for her departure was her kins’ angry accusations and disappointment in her!
How ridiculous that was. Countless moons had passed, and her name was still a taboo in the Ji Clan, rarely mentioned, and many old timers still held a grudge over it even!
All of this made Lin Xun angry and feel pity for her. After a long silence, he said, “If I had known all this, I would have paid everything I had to stop Jun Fenglie from taking her away!”
Back in the Kunlun Dominion, Jun Fenglie had arrived across the sea of stars and taken Xi away. Even now, his appearance was still vivid in Lin Xun’s memory: verdant armor, a silver spear slung across his back, and long, snow-white hair tied into a topknot that framed his incomparably handsome face.
Jun Fenglie was the first Immortal expert Lin Xun had ever seen, but in front of Xi, he had acted like a servant, showing absolute respect in his every word. At that time, Lin Xun had figured that Xi’s identity was bound to be extremely extraordinary, but he had never thought that her past would be so rough and heartbreaking.
