Chapter 820 - 819: The Eight Great Clans’ Compromise? Making Gu Yuexi Cripple Her Cultivation!
Chapter 820: Chapter 819: The Eight Great Clans’ Compromise? Making Gu Yuexi Cripple Her Cultivation!
The people blocking the Jiang Family Elder were by no means defenseless ordinary citizens; they were all Cultivators with Cultivation bases. Furthermore, their friends and relatives were also Cultivators, forming a complex, intertwined network.
Though the overall strength of these bottom-rung Loose Cultivators was not even fit to shine the Eight Great Clans’ shoes, they had the advantage of being a wildly diverse motley crew. If pushed too far, these Loose Cultivators would throw caution to the wind and do absolutely anything.
For instance, they might camp outside a clan’s gates in the dead of night and self-detonate their Divine Souls, dragging clan members down with them in mutually assured destruction. Or they could lurk near the city gates and specifically target the weaker, younger generations of the families—an ambush completely impossible to defend against. In short, if the Loose Cultivators truly banded together for a war of attrition, even if they couldn’t drag the Eight Great Clans off their pedestal, they could still drive them to their wits’ end and strip them of all peace.
After all, Loose Cultivators accounted for over ninety percent of all Cultivators in the Spirit Realm. If they simply slaughtered every Loose Cultivator, Luoping City would instantly become a ghost town. Who would the Eight Great Clans be left to rule?
The Elders present were all shrewd old foxes who had lived for tens of thousands of years; they understood this logic perfectly. Thus, for a long while, no one could come up with a safe solution. Killing them all would invite endless repercussions and clearly wasn’t worth the cost. Yet, if they didn’t kill them, they would have no choice but to let Gu Yuexi and her Beast Pet leave safely.
She had killed Jiang Qingyao and Jiang Xinglan right in the middle of the street; if she walked away completely unscathed and word got out, all the Loose Cultivators who had ever been bullied by the Eight Great Clans’ descendants would likely be emboldened to strike back. Where would the Eight Great Clans put their pride then?
"How about... we talk to Gu Yuexi first?" the Ye Family Elder suggested, speaking up after a long moment of hesitation.
The Xiao Family Elder shot him a glance and asked via sound transmission, "You mean we force her to pay some sort of price just to settle today’s matter?"
The Ye Family Elder nodded. "Gu Yuexi likely killed them in a moment of impulse. There is no way she isn’t afraid of being hunted by the Eight Great Clans.
"After all, having a permanent bounty on her head from our families means she would live in constant terror every single day. No matter who it is, no one wants to spend their entire life on the run, hiding in the shadows.
"We’ll make her pay a certain price. As long as she agrees to hand over the Dragon Egg and cripple a portion of her Cultivation, we will spare her life.
"Compared to being endlessly hunted by the Eight Great Clans, she’ll definitely be thrilled to accept this deal. This way, we save face and also give the Loose Cultivators an acceptable resolution."
Before the Ye Family Elder could even finish, the Jiang Family Elder harshly interrupted. "No! Gu Yuexi must die!
"She killed Qingyao and Xinglan, and yet she expects to leave here alive? Where would our Jiang Family’s pride be?!"
The Ye Family Elder quickly continued his sound transmission to placate him. "Old Jiang, don’t rush. Let me finish.
"On the surface, we’ll let Gu Yuexi off the hook and sign a settlement agreement with her just to put on a show for the Loose Cultivators.
"In secret, we’ll wait for an opportunity to send assassins after her and her Beast Pet, killing them without anyone noticing. Once it’s a done deal and they are dead, the Loose Cultivators’ anger will be completely futile. They wouldn’t possibly risk their lives against us over a dead woman.
"From then on, without their rallying point, they’ll be at our mercy once again. I believe this is the safest approach for now. What do you all think?"
"I think it’s viable," Elder Chu was the first to state his stance.
The Elders of the other clans nodded in succession, agreeing to this stalling tactic. After all, murder and arson were best committed in the shadows. There was no need to cause unnecessary trouble in broad daylight.
Finally, the other Elders all looked toward the Jiang Family Elder. After all, the Jiang Family had suffered the heaviest losses this time.
The Jiang Family Elder gritted his teeth, his expression shifting rapidly. In the end, he helplessly nodded in agreement. He knew perfectly well that this was the method with the fewest casualties. It wasn’t as if they could genuinely afford to clash head-on with hundreds of Loose Cultivators and escalate the situation to an irredeemable point.
However, there was still one glaring issue. Elder Chu furrowed his brow and brought it up. "It’s a good plan, but who is going to negotiate with Gu Yuexi?"
The Ye Family Elder stepped forward, volunteering himself. "Since I proposed the idea, I will handle the negotiations."
But before he could even take a few steps, the Loose Cultivators opposite them immediately stopped their chatter. They turned their heads in unison, glaring with intense vigilance. Everyone simultaneously took a step forward, their Divine Power surging. They fully projected a stance that made it clear they would fight to the death if he dared to take another step.
The Elders froze in surprise but quickly understood why the Loose Cultivators were reacting this way. They had already made up their minds to protect Gu Yuexi and certainly wouldn’t allow anyone from the Eight Great Clans near her so easily.
"They’re completely stubborn and dead set on protecting Gu Yuexi. It’s obvious they won’t let us pass easily," the Ye Family Elder said, shaking his head with a bitter smile as he retreated.
Elder Chu pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Why don’t we just tell them straight out that we’re here to negotiate with Gu Yuexi?
"As long as we make it clear that we bear no ill will, they should let us through, right? Furthermore, the terms we’re offering are generous enough for Gu Yuexi."
This proposal was immediately met with collective opposition from the other Elders.
"No, absolutely not!
"Taking the initiative to sue for peace with Gu Yuexi is already degrading and humiliating enough. If we take the extra step of discussing things with the Loose Cultivators and begging them to make way, they’ll think we are bowing our heads in defeat.
"Once we set that precedent, the Loose Cultivators will undoubtedly grow even more arrogant and disregard our Eight Great Clans completely."
Elder Chu gave a wry smile and cupped his hands in apology. "Forgive me, I didn’t think it through.
"But under these circumstances, if they refuse to let us pass, how are we supposed to negotiate with Gu Yuexi? Even if we summon other members of our clans, they still won’t let them through!
"If we can’t make contact with Gu Yuexi, how can we negotiate? We can’t exactly shout our terms across the street—that would be even more degrading. But we can’t exactly find a Loose Cultivator to represent our Eight Great Clans either!"
The Elders exchanged helpless glances, completely out of ideas.
Just as everyone was deeply troubled, the Xiao Family Elder’s eyes suddenly lit up. He remembered that a junior from his own clan was actually present at the scene. This junior’s identity was undeniably perfect for the task.
"I’ve got it!" he declared.
Everyone immediately turned to look at the Xiao Family Elder, their faces full of confusion.
"We’ll have Xiao Feng go over and talk to Gu Yuexi.
"He’s the Law Enforcement Team Captain. With his official capacity, those Loose Cultivators won’t be able to find fault with him and naturally won’t block his path."
The other Elders’ eyes instantly brightened as they nodded in fervent agreement. Of course! How could they have forgotten about Xiao Feng?
Xiao Feng was both of the Eight Great Clans’ Direct Lineage and an official member of the Law Enforcement Team. His involvement was perfectly justifiable. Moreover, his long-standing reputation for being strictly impartial was relatively well-respected among the Loose Cultivators. Having him represent the Eight Great Clans in negotiations with Gu Yuexi was the most fitting choice. No one could find a reason to refuse him.
"Excellent. Let Xiao Feng handle the negotiations. We will entrust this matter to him."
The Elders of the Eight Great Clans unanimously approved the proposal.
The Xiao Family Elder didn’t waste any time. He immediately sent a sound transmission to Xiao Feng. "Xiao Feng, go negotiate with Gu Yuexi.
"Tell her to hand over the Dragon Egg and cripple a portion of her Cultivation. In exchange, our Eight Great Clans will let her off this time and let bygones be bygones."
Xiao Feng, who had been standing off to the side trying to make himself invisible, was utterly dumbfounded the moment he received the sound transmission.
His lips twitched as a stampede of a million Divine Beasts galloped across his mind.
"Why is it me again?!" he thought in absolute despair.