Chapter 151: The Box Left Behind by the Ji Clan Ancestor

When Jiang Li went to find Ji Zhi, the latter, quite unusually, wasn’t burning the midnight oil reviewing memorials, but was instead telling Ji Kongkong a story.
“When the Outer World Demons invaded, the Nine Provinces were in grave danger. Your Uncle Jiang and I fought them together. At the time, he had just reached the Mahayana Stage—not yet the unbeatable force he is today—so he needed a powerful helper like your Father Emperor.”
“With the Nation’s Fortune upon me, sword of ancient and modern in hand, I unleashed the Dao of Time, disrupting the flow of time and space, leaving the demon dazed and disoriented. I held it off for twenty breaths, giving your Uncle Jiang the perfect chance to strike.”
“Your Uncle Jiang just acted a little too early. Otherwise, I could’ve taken care of the demon myself.”
Since it was a story, of course it had its share of fiction and exaggeration. Jiang Li understood.
After all, you can’t tell your daughter: Your father was all hype and no bite, ran in and got beat like a dog for twenty breaths straight. If it weren’t for your Uncle Jiang, the Great Zhou would’ve gotten a new emperor that day.
“To be honest, your Father Emperor was once a Human Sovereign candidate too, but considering how the Great Zhou couldn’t do without me, I painfully gave up the Human Sovereign position that was within easy reach… and let your Uncle Jiang take it instead…”
Seeing Ji Zhi going further and further off the rails, Jiang Li decided to step in.
“Cough cough, sorry to interrupt.”
The guard nearby jumped, immediately going on alert. Anyone who could appear so silently could kill the emperor just as silently—this was definitely an extremely dangerous cultivator.
Oh—it’s the Human Sovereign Jiang? Never mind, then.
“…You heard all of that?” Ji Zhi was a little embarrassed.
“You mean the part about holding off the Outer World Demon for twenty breaths, or the part about giving up the Human Sovereign throne?”
“Uncle Jiang!” Ji Kongkong kicked her little white legs and ran over to Jiang Li.
“Kongkong, good girl.” Jiang Li scooped her under her arms and spun her in the air before setting her down. Ji Kongkong laughed like a little hen.
Ji Zhi quickly changed the subject: “What did you come to me for?”
Jiang Li didn’t expose Ji Zhi in front of the kid: “Right now, the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal, Brahma Tower, Four Seas Dragon Pearl, Other Mountain Stone, Great Scholar’s Manuscript, and Ruyi Gourd have all been found. Only your Zhou family’s Ancient and Modern Sword remains unaccounted for. Any clues?”
Ji Zhi thought for a moment before answering, “From what I saw in that battle, the Ancient and Modern Sword must have entered the River of Time, trying to launch a surprise attack from the future. But you tore space with the Desolate Heaven Halberd and struck it, knocking it upstream in the River of Time.”
Jiang Li recalled—in that chaotic fight with the many Immortal Artifacts, he did feel something trying to ambush him. The sensation was vague, but he reacted on instinct and hit something. Now that he thought about it, that something was probably the Ancient and Modern Sword.
“So it’s still in the River of Time?” That did align with Jiang Li’s own thoughts. Only if it were hiding in the River of Time would the system be unable to locate it.
“That does make things tricky.” Jiang Li clicked his tongue. If it were in any other world, he could chase after it—but in the River of Time, he was completely out of his depth.
“Not necessarily in the River of Time,” Ji Zhi said. “The Ancient and Modern Sword might have jumped out, into a different moment—like five thousand years ago, or five thousand years in the future. Maybe we’re living in a version of history that it’s already altered.”
For those versed in the Dao of Time, altering the future wasn’t that hard. Ji Zhi, for example, could use his double pupils to glimpse the future, dodge danger, and revise decisions based on what he saw.
The Dao of Time was obscure and mysterious. Those without talent couldn’t grasp even a bit—people like Jiang Li and other high-level cultivators, not just him, but also Bai Hongtu, Immortal Changcun, Commander Liu, and others—all failed to learn the Dao of Time.
Even the talented might not master it. Most Ji clan members only learned a rough understanding, relying on bloodline advantages to pick up a little Time Dao—just superficial tricks. Some couldn’t even grasp that.
But altering the future was one thing. Moving freely through the River of Time, traveling through time—that was something else entirely.
Ji Zhi, despite being proficient in the Dao of Time, was only in the Soul Formation Stage. Plus, the effects of Nation’s Fortune didn’t work inside the River of Time, so he couldn’t travel to the past or future.
Ji Kongkong, on the other hand, might be able to. She had the deepest connection to the ancestors and was undoubtedly talented in the Dao of Time. She was a prime candidate for high-level cultivation, and achieving Fusion Stage or passing Tribulation wasn’t out of reach.
Ji Zhi had been a Human Sovereign candidate himself—naturally, his talent was top-tier. But when the Old Zhou Emperor suddenly passed, his siblings fought fiercely for power, leading to chaos and a breakdown in governance. Ji Zhi, still in the Soul Formation Stage, gave up the Human Sovereign bid and took up the throne instead.
Ji Zhi was the best of his generation in the Zhou clan. With Jiang Li’s help, none of the other contenders could compete.
But after ascending the throne, he faced the same issue as Empress Yu Yin: the drag of Nation’s Fortune.
His situation was worse. Yu Yin became Empress after reaching the Fusion Stage and could still cultivate to its peak while carrying the Nation’s Fortune. Ji Zhi only had Soul Formation-level strength, and his talent wasn’t as high as Yu Yin’s, so his cultivation stalled and he remained stuck at the Soul Formation Stage.
“I might have a clue about where to find the Ancient and Modern Sword.” Ji Zhi looked odd as he spoke.
“What?”
Ji Zhi didn’t answer but brought along the well-behaved Ji Kongkong and walked toward the national treasury.
As they passed by the Hall of Nurturing Heart, where Ji Zhi usually worked, Jiang Li saw a wolf-hair brush writing diligently, reviewing memorials.
Ji Zhi explained, “I’ve used that brush to review documents for so long it’s familiar with how I think. After it developed sentience, I let it handle the workload while I just do final reviews.”
“…You sly little fox.”
The Great Zhou, being one of the top three dynasties among the Nine Great Dynasties, had a national treasury full of heavenly treasures and sacred items—enough to drive any cultivator mad. Jiang Li noticed that near the treasury, there were three Fusion Stage cultivators guarding it, both openly and in the shadows—a terrifying level of security. A top-tier sect might only have this many Fusion-level ancestors.
This wasn’t Jiang Li’s first visit to the Great Zhou treasury. After helping Ji Zhi secure the throne, Ji Zhi had let him pick out a treasure as thanks.
The collection was dazzling, illuminated by deep-sea night pearls—proof of the treasure quality inside.
There were prayer beads forged from eighteen star cores, ancient ice from the far north that hadn’t melted for millions of years (which could change spiritual roots when consumed), parasitic Moth Mother Worms that absorbed cultivation—each item fit to be the centerpiece of a top auction house.
But none of it was useful to Jiang Li. He had plenty of similar treasures in his storage ring.
And besides, Ji Zhi hadn’t brought him here to look at that stuff.
Ji Zhi led him to the deepest part of the treasury, where he took out a small wooden box and said solemnly, “This is something only the Zhou emperors of each generation know about. Inside is something Emperor Shun left behind. He instructed that no descendant must ever open it—only give it to someone who wishes to find the Ancient and Modern Sword in the River of Time.”
Emperor Shun, the Zhou ancestor—that fish who came out of the River of Time.
Jiang Li didn’t look at the box. He looked at Ji Kongkong. If this was a secret only passed down to Zhou emperors, then Ji Zhi bringing Ji Kongkong said it all.
“The one our ancestor spoke of is probably you.”
Jiang Li opened the box. Inside was a single slip of paper that read:
I’m having a great time in the River of Time. Don’t come looking for me!!!
Ji Zhi looked at Jiang Li expectantly. “Well? Any clues now?”
Jiang Li silently closed the box and handed it back to Ji Zhi.
“Take good care of your ancestor’s legacy. Don’t look.”