CHAPTER 266
The Purest Holy Blood
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The family responded in kind to Li Shiyu's mother's attitude.
Xu Nuo promised that once Li Suyao became the Holy Maiden, she would ensure Suyao was treated even better!
Perhaps constrained by so-called "big picture thinking," or perhaps she herself had backed down, she knew she had wronged Shiyu, yet she still nodded in agreement. She promised not to interfere when the Holy Mountain came to fetch Li Shiyu.
This was the absolute limit for Li Shiyu's mother—she chose to avoid confrontation.
But that was enough. As long as Li Suyao succeeded in replacing Li Shiyu as the Holy Maiden, the family's prosperous days would finally arrive!
Yet the family had clearly forgotten one crucial thing: the Holy Maiden of the Sacred Mountain was the chosen one.
She either was or she wasn't. No one could ever truly replace the Holy Maiden.
The position of Holy Maiden on the Sacred Mountain had remained vacant for four hundred and seventy-three years. Though no living person had ever seen a Holy Maiden, the method for identifying one still existed.
Li Suyao did possess cultivation talent, truly exceptional by any measure.
But compared to a true Holy Maiden, the gap was vast.
What kind of talent did Li Shiyu possess?
Even if she were a fool, a flawed being!
Even if she were playful and greedy for food, always wanting to run away when it came time to cultivate!
Yet her cultivation and prowess among peers left countless prodigies in the dust!
Even the elders of Ling Mountain, at Shiyu's age, could never have reached her level of cultivation!
Among her peers, only Ye Qinghan and Shangguan Rou could stand against her in combat!
If it ever came to blows, even without Su Cheng's cultivation techniques and magical treasures, Dongfang Jue wouldn't stand a chance against Li Shiyu.
It was just that Li Shiyu was timid, always seeing others as stronger than her.
Precisely because of this, Li Shiyu fared well initially. Yet after serving merely three years as Sacred Maiden, her flaws were exposed!
The Holy Mountain's investigation swiftly descended, yet they could not locate Li Shiyu!
At that time, Li Shiyu had only just learned to speak.
Her mother passed away from illness. Without her mother's protection, her father abandoned her.
As for why he didn't sell her to recoup the costs? Well, it was because Li Shiyu was a simpleton—no one wanted to buy her…
When the Holy Mountain's people found Li Shiyao, she was in a hunter's home, devouring meat with gusto.
The hunter, in his fifties and childless, intended to raise her as a child bride.
Sure, she was mentally disabled, but at least she was physically sound, right?
The Holy Mountain people had saved Li Shiyao once. Yet after arriving at the Spirit Mountain, she wept incessantly, demanding to go home! To find her mother!
But her mother had already passed away from illness, and her biological father had abandoned her. Where was her home now?
The elders of Holy Mountain were at a loss, so they brought Li Shiyao back to take a look and figure something out!
Unexpectedly, the moment Li Shiyao returned home, she pointed at a bracelet on a "woman's" wrist and began screaming.
She mumbled, "Mother! Her hand! Mother!"
Upon inquiry, the elders learned it was her mother's bracelet.
When the Holy Mountain elders spoke, obedience was expected. Before even becoming the Holy Maiden, Li Shiyu had already returned home to flex her authority.
She had retrieved her mother's bracelet, worn it on her own wrist, and even slept with it tucked beneath her pillow.
Thus, Li Shiyao finally agreed to follow the elders back to the Sacred Mountain.
After hearing her master's words, Ye Qinghan felt sympathy for Li Shiyu's plight, yet also experienced a certain…
"Has Shiyu never seen that Li Suyao again since then? If what Master says is true, then Li Suyao should be on the Sacred Mountain too."
"Ever since Li Suyao was taken by the Sacred Mountain at the age of one, she has remained under the tutelage of the Grand Elder. Li Shiyu has never seen her younger sister."
Ye Qinghan nodded thoughtfully. Having not seen her since the age of one, it made perfect sense that Li Shiyu had no memory of having a younger sister.
But…
"Why would the Holy Mountain conceal the fact that the Holy Maiden has a younger sister?"
Su Cheng sighed helplessly. The conversation inevitably circled back to this point.
Shiyao was the Holy Maiden, and the Holy Maiden was naturally irreplaceable. But the Holy Blood was different. Li Suyao and Li Shiyao were twins, sharing the same Holy Blood flowing through their veins.
The Holy Maiden herself could never be sacrificed, yet those coveting that holy blood were far from few.
Exchanging the holy blood for gain was impossible in principle, but if a substitute were available, it would be a different matter.
Li Suyao was promised to a lord in the Eastern Realm to serve as… a vessel…
Shortly after Li Shiyu's return, this arrangement was finalized. The Holy Mountain pledged to the lord that once she came of age, she would be delivered to him.
In exchange for the maiden, they offered an immortal pill—one capable of greatly enhancing the Holy Maiden's power, forged from the flesh and blood of the previous Holy Maiden.
Yes, another immortal pill forged from a child—the Holy Maiden's very flesh and blood. Its value was beyond measure.
Legend held that consuming it could enable one to make a direct breakthrough of three major cultivation realms!
But Su Cheng refused to believe such claims. It was merely an immortal pill—unless it came from the System, he absolutely refused to believe it could be that powerful!
As far as he knew, the fate of the previous Holy Maiden had been even more tragic than Li Shiyao's!
Even a Holy Maiden was ultimately just a mortal woman. To true immortals, she was merely a beautiful shell—one who happened to carry sacred blood within her veins.
The Holy Maiden loved the world, but the world did not necessarily love her. Trials did not transform her; they only pushed her step by step toward the abyss.
The authenticity of that so-called sacred bloodline remained uncertain. Even if genuine, Su Cheng held no interest in it and saw nothing particularly divine about it…
"Master, why didn't Li Suyao go complain to Shiyu…"
But the words had barely left his mouth when Ye Qinghan understood.
How could the Sacred Mountain possibly tell Li Shiyu about this?
That immortal pill was originally exchanged by the Holy Mountain for Li Shiyu. If Li Shiyu discovered it was obtained by her own sister, how could she possibly agree to take it?
But… Li Shiyu seemed quite interested in the eldest senior sister's child…
"Uh… Qinghan understands."
To be honest, after hearing this, Ye Qinghan didn't dwell on it much. Instead, her thoughts turned to another matter…
Why doesn't the Master need a furnace vessel?
Her fox demon king bloodline wasn't exactly inferior, was it?
If the Master wanted it, Qinghan could make a sacrifice, hehe~
It wouldn't be impossible~
"What are you thinking about, Qinghan?"
Ye Qinghan blurted out without hesitation: "Qinghan was wondering if Master needs a furnace… ahem, Qinghan was thinking about helping Shiyu's sister. Surely Shiyu wouldn't stand idly by if she knew."
【That definitely wasn't what she meant to say just now… Don't be afraid, relax. Your master won't harm you!】
【Thanks to Yulan, my daily routine consists of three things: hunting dragons, taming dragons, and training dragons.】
"You're right, but meddling isn't my style. Wait a bit longer—the Sacred Mountain will send word."
Ye Qinghan nodded outwardly, but inwardly she had already sliced Yulan a hundred times over!
That slut Yulan, sneaking around eating behind her back every day while she was gone. If she wasn't watching for even a second, she'd try to crawl into her master's bed!
Without her, Lingxian Hall would crumble sooner or later!
"Oh, Qinghan, I've already accepted Jue'er as my third direct disciple. What do you think?"
Ye Qinghan thought: You've already accepted her—what's my opinion?
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