286: Chapter 286 Upon seeing the Taihu Cauldron, a group of old monsters were moved to tears.

At the foot of Qingtian Peak, the starlight and moonlight had not yet fully dissipated, and the lingering charm of the heavenly and earthly phenomena still echoed through the Tianyin Mountains.

As Xu Ruyu bathed in the faint glow of dawn and walked down the mist-shrouded mountain path step by step, the gaze of the long-waiting Taihu Clan members was already completely different from before.

In those eyes, there was shock, awe, fanaticism, and curiosity, and even more so, a sense of submission and worship that stemmed from the depths of their Bloodline, almost instinctive.

Everyone's gaze involuntarily fell upon him, as if he were no longer that youth in thin green robes, but a walking totem carrying some ancient and sacred will.

The Clan Chief, Supreme Magician, Grand Elder, Lady Qingli, and other core figures came forward to meet him.

The Clan Chief's figure under the moonlight bowed slightly, her tone more solemn than ever: "Xu... Tripod Bearer, congratulations on reaching the summit, gaining the recognition of the ancestors, and obtaining the allegiance of the sacred object."

The crowd behind her also bowed in unison.

Xu Ruyu quickly took a step forward and supported the Clan Chief: "Clan Chief, please do not do this; it is too much for this Junior to bear.

This time reaching the summit and entering the Taihu Divine Temple, I indeed gained something, and it is of great importance. I need to discuss it in detail with the Clan Chief, the Supreme, and everyone."

Seeing his solemn expression and that he wasn't faking, the Clan Chief nodded: "Please move to the main hall of the Moon Fox Palace."

The main hall of the Moon Fox Palace was heavily guarded at this moment. Only the Clan Chief, Supreme Magician, Grand Elder, Elder Lan Yi, Lady Qingli, and a few highly respected Late Nascent Soul Stage Elders were present; even Core Disciples were not allowed entry.

Xu Ruyu stood in the center, looked around at everyone, and recounted how he sensed the entrance to the Taihu Divine Temple after reaching the summit, how he entered that strange space, how he saw the mutation of the crystal wall reflections in the temple, and how he spoke with that ancient existence calling itself the remnant ancestors mark of the Taihu Ancestor...

From beginning to end, he told the whole story exactly as it happened, without any reservations.

When he mentioned the Taihu Ancestor saying the Taihu Clan was not native to this world but a branch of the "Starry Sky Spirit Fox" from the distant starry sky, stranded here due to a catastrophe; when he mentioned the Taihu Ancestor stating the Taihu Clan's potential was buried and their Legacy incomplete; when he mentioned the Taihu Ancestor's recognition of his "Dao" and "Heart," and admitted to seeing a glimmer of possibility for the Taihu Clan's future...

Everyone in the hall held their breath, their expressions shifting constantly.

Shock, realization, excitement, sorrow... all sorts of emotions intertwined.

When he finally mentioned the ancestors mark gifting him the dark gold, starry-sky-patterned, vast and sacred "True taihu tripod," and stating that this tripod was the core fragment of the Legacy's sacred object, carrying the clan's destiny and choosing its master to serve, and that the Tripod Bearer was the "Tripod Bearer" of the Taihu Clan, possessing supreme authority—

"Thump!"

The Grand Elder was the first to lose control, actually kneeling directly on the ground, tears streaming down his old face as he kowtowed repeatedly toward Qingtian Peak: "The ancestor has manifested! The ancestor has not forgotten our clan! The sacred object has reappeared! Our clan is saved! We are saved!"

Elder Lan Yi and the others were also trembling with excitement, looking at Xu Ruyu in disbelief.

The Clan Chief's figure shrouded in moonlight fluctuated violently, her voice carrying an irrepressible tremor: "The ancestors... mark... actually existed in the temple all along... We... we, the descendants of past generations, were completely unaware! Only the Saint Master... only you, Saint Master..."

The phantom of the Supreme Magician also fluctuated incessantly, his ethereal voice filled with emotion and excitement: "So that's how it is... so that's how it is... No wonder the Saint Master could trigger all sorts of phenomena, complete the saint tablet, and gain the recognition of the Forbidden Array... Everything has a reason!

This is the guidance of the ancestor, the direction of the clan's destiny!"

Lady Qingli gazed blankly at Xu Ruyu, her beautiful eyes sparkling with brilliance, filled both with joy for his acquisition of such a heaven-defying Opportunity and a hint of worry about that heavy entrustment.

Xu Ruyu paused, and once everyone's emotions had slightly calmed, he continued: "Before the ancestors mark dissipated, he entrusted this Junior to look after the Taihu Clan if I achieve success in the future.

This Junior has already agreed."

The hall fell silent once again. The ancestor's entrustment, the sacred object's recognition of its master—the volume of information was too large and the impact too violent, leaving these high-ranking members of the Taihu Clan, who were accustomed to storms, dazed and lost for a moment, as if they were in a grand and ancient dream.

After a long time, the Clan Chief took a deep breath, trying hard to calm her mind, and asked: "May I ask, Saint Master... Tripod Bearer, that True taihu tripod..."

With a thought from Xu Ruyu, a streak of dark gold light flew out of his Dantian, transforming into that simple and clumsy three-legged small tripod, hovering above his palm.

The starry sky patterns on the tripod's body flowed, with seven-colored dawn light contained within, emitting a supreme aura that suppressed the heavens and commanded all spirits, while simultaneously blending perfectly with Xu Ruyu's Qi as one.

Although it was just quietly hovering, that vast and sacred pressure, and the resonance stemming from the Bloodline Origin, made all the Taihu Clan members present, including the Clan Chief and the Supreme Magician, feel their Souls tremble, involuntarily giving rise to an urge to prostrate themselves in worship!

"It's it... it's really it!

Exactly as described in the ancient Bloodline memories!

The true taihu sacred tripod!"

An extremely aged Elder cried out with a trembling voice, nearly fainting.

The Clan Chief suppressed the urge to kneel and worship, her eyes burning as she looked at the small tripod, then at Xu Ruyu, her gaze complex to the extreme.

There was excitement, awe, relief, and also a hint of... unspeakable emotion.

Just as the atmosphere was solemn and excited, Xu Ruyu seemed to remember something and suddenly asked: "Clan Chief, Supreme Magician, doesn't this Nine-Aperture Exquisite Array still have a ninth level, the 'Heart of Dao-Seeking'?

Since this Junior has already come out of the temple, should we proceed with this final level?"