Chapter 593: The Fate of the Tiance Clan!

Wangduan Mountain, or rather the Tiance City, was indeed huge.

With the sparse population, you could walk for thousands of meters without seeing a single person. The entire city had the eerie atmosphere of a ghost town, filled with desolation.

According to Tuoba Cheng, the Tiance Clan once had a population of over a hundred thousand in the early days. However, as of today, the number has dwindled to less than five thousand. Living in such a vast city would naturally feel rather lonely.

As they walked, Tuoba Cheng began to explain some of the history of the Tiance Clan.

In short, their ancestor, Great Emperor Tiance, had left behind a prophecy:

When the imperial tomb reopens, the great emperor shall return

.

The sharp decline in population, the sudden drop in birth rates, and the decreasing probability of newborns in the Tiance Clan awakening to the power of Tiance—these were all foreseen in Great Emperor Tiance's prophecy.

So, whether it was the grand elder's faction or Elder Hei Yu's faction, everything they did was solely to reopen the imperial tomb.

As they conversed, they arrived at a rather grand hall in the eastern part of the city. This was where the grand elder of the Tiance Clan usually meditated in seclusion.

With Tuoba Longchuan leading the way, the group encountered little resistance and smoothly arrived at a quiet courtyard.

"There's the smell of herbs..."

Ling Feng touched his nose. The grand elder wasn't receiving them in the main hall, and there was a strong herbal scent coming from his residence. As a physician, Ling Feng instinctively sensed that the grand elder was probably ill, and not lightly so.

"

Uh...

" Tuoba Cheng's face changed as he realized this. He quickly turned his head towards Tuoba Longchuan with some agitation. "Longchuan, how is the Grand Elder's condition?"

"The year after you left, his illness worsened. He has been holding on just to wait for you to bring back the prophesied one."

Tuoba Longchuan clenched his fists. "Let's go, Cheng. I'm sure that the Grand Elder has much to say to you."

"

Mhmm!

" Tuoba Cheng nodded heavily, his eyes slightly reddening.

"Tuoba Cheng, what kind of illness does your grand elder have?" Ling Feng asked curiously. "Given your strength, you've already reached the Spiritual Element Realm. Your grand elder must be at least a king-tier expert. With the vitality of a king-tier expert, he shouldn't be troubled by ordinary illnesses."

"We call it an illness, but it's not really a sickness."

Tuoba Cheng clenched his fists, biting his lip. "This is also the fate of our Tiance Clan."

"Fate?"

"When the members of the Tiance Clan are born, we are blessed with the innate ability to perceive a glimpse of heavenly secrets. However, the price of this insight into the heavenly secrets is that the lifespan of the Tiance Clan is short. No matter how powerful our cultivation becomes, our lives rarely exceed forty years."

"Forty years..."

Ling Feng touched his nose. Ordinary martial practitioners, even those in the Qi Formation Realm, could typically live up to around 120 years due to the tempering of their bodies. Experts above the level of a human emperor typically had lifespans of nearly five hundred years.

Forty years was indeed too short.

"Do you know that even the Great Emperor Tiance of our clan, despite possessing emperor-tier cultivation and astonishing everyone with his Great Prophecy Art, couldn't extend his life beyond fifty years? A dignified Great Emperor, unable to live past fifty... How laughable,

hahaha...

"

"Cheng, enough." Tuoba Longchuan also gritted his teeth. This was the fate that the Tiance Clan had to bear, and it couldn't be changed.

"Tuoba Cheng, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," Ling Feng said apologetically.

Tuoba Cheng looked up and smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Master. I've long come to terms with it."

Ling Feng gently patted Tuoba Cheng on the shoulder. All this time, Tuoba Cheng had always seemed exceptionally optimistic, even somewhat carefree. However, after learning about the fate of the Tiance Clan, Ling Feng couldn't help but feel deep respect for him.

Knowing that you couldn't live past forty must be a terrifying realization.

Ordinary martial practitioners cultivated to defy fate and extend their lifespan, but the Tiance Clan, even if they reached the level of a great emperor, only had a lifespan of fifty years at most. It was truly tragic and lamentable!

Considering this, the grand elder's life was likely nearing its end. Such an illness was beyond the power of medicine to cure. The only thing that could barely extend his life would be rare treasures that increased life essence, but once his vitality was completely depleted, even those treasures would become useless.

The door creaked open. Inside, an elderly man with white hair and a withered face sat at a desk, appearing extremely frail.

According to Tuoba Cheng, this grand elder was only forty-one years old!

For the Tiance Clan, once they reached thirty-five, their bodies would begin to age rapidly. The fact that this grand elder had managed to hold on until forty-one was no small feat.

"Little Cheng..."

The grand elder slowly opened his eyes, his voice weak.

"Grand Elder!"

Tuoba Cheng gritted his teeth and knelt before the grand elder. "I've returned!"

"You... didn't... disappoint me..."

The grand elder's trembling right hand reached for a medicinal pill on the desk. Slowly placing it in his mouth, the shaking of his body subsided slightly, and his spirits lifted a bit. He looked at Ling Feng and said slowly, "Young Master Ling Feng, I'm relieved that you have come. My heart is at ease now."

"Grand Elder, you should rest. Leave everything... everything to me and Longchuan!"

Seeing the grand elder struggling to maintain his composure, Tuoba Cheng's eyes reddened. After three years apart, he should have realized that the grand elder wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

"Rest...?

Hehe...

" The grand elder let out a bitter laugh. "Soon, I will rest forever. But not just yet."

"Grand Elder, don't say that. You... you will..."

Tuoba Cheng clenched his fists tightly, wanting to say something, but he couldn't even convince himself.

Ling Feng sighed softly and glanced at the medicinal pill on the desk. He asked, "Senior, are you taking the Spirit Void Creation Pill?"

"

Oh?

" The grand elder smiled weakly. "Young Master Ling Feng, you recognize this pill?"

Ling Feng nodded and said calmly, "The Spirit Void Creation Pill, an ancient pill formula that has long been lost. It's not surprising that it would appear in the Tiance Clan. However, while the Spirit Void Creation Pill can extend life essence, it actually drains the user's life force in the process, making it a pill with severe side effects. Given your current condition, Grand Elder, it's not advisable to continue taking it."

"Nonsense!"

At that moment, a middle-aged man with a small mustache entered from outside, glaring coldly at Ling Feng. "What does a young brat like you know about ancient medicinal pills? I am the most outstanding physician of the Tiance Clan. How dare you question the pills I've refined?"

The middle-aged man approached the grand elder and took his pulse, and then said indifferently, "Grand Elder, rest assured. As long as you continue taking the Spirit Void Creation Pills, I can extend your life by at least another year."

"Another year?" Ling Feng scoffed. "He might not even last a month!"