Star Trace Gate

Chapter 916 Sealing the Clan Hall, Stepping into the Hall of Immortality

Clan Hall.

At the advanced age of several hundred years, Elder Qian suddenly made an application to Sun Michen, stating that he wanted to sleep with everyone in the Sun family; and six of the twelve elders sitting in the hall also stood up collectively, clearly expressing their disagreement with opening the Divine Tomb Immortal Palace, and agreeing with all of Elder Qian's "proposals".

Their series of actions were too direct and brutal, instantly turning this pleasant meeting into a tense and volatile situation, as if a fierce battle between tribes could erupt at any moment.

Sun Michen was not unaware that Qian Zhongge would disagree, because in his eyes, the other party was an inflexible old stubborn. The other party might have some wisdom and persistence, but it was absolutely not suitable for this "eternal golden age" that was about to awaken.

Which of these illusory former masters throughout history was not a hero of heaven and earth, a supreme being of the human race?

Each of them paid the price of their lives, using the will of the Great Dao to break through the path to their homeland, staining eternity with their crimson blood, and attempting to lead their descendants out of this sealed land with the supreme divine will...

But what happens in the end?

They are all dead! They have vanished into the heavens and earth, leaving no trace of their bodies. Perhaps only a few traces remain in the Divine Tomb and Immortal Palace, but this is merely speculation by later generations.

Open your eyes and see what happened to their descendants after these former masters passed away.

There are no immortal monuments, no supreme glory, only the deaths of most of the former masters' descendants, the decline of the tribe, and after endless years, their descendants will only be called wild dogs, at the mercy of others for slaughter and bullying.

Their glorious achievements have long been forgotten. Who would remember that those former masters once used the divine laws of the Great Dao to open up the world and stood tall with their flesh and blood, protecting this place for an entire era!

The Huang family is the most typical example. Before Huang Xiaozi was taken out of the coffin, everyone here believed that he had inherited the legacy of the old master and would surely amaze the world, so they naturally gave him great expectations and respect; but when everyone saw that he had no eyes and no legacy, they immediately regarded him as a chamber pot and kicked him away.

If Zhao Mi hadn't been so preoccupied with the little blind man's three thousand secret treasures, he wouldn't have even been able to get a job as a jailer.

Is perseverance useful? Is faith useful?!

Shit!

If your Qian family weren't so prosperous and powerful, and if your Qian Zhongge family weren't so refined and cultured, who the hell would listen to your cursing here?! Rules and fairness are fine to those stray dogs below, but you're stupid enough to actually believe they exist?!

Not only did you believe it, but you also fooled those six senile old men into believing it... This is truly ridiculous and utterly foolish.

Sun Michen was trembling with anger. He was utterly baffled by Qian Zhongge's actions, and he never expected that the other party would not only contradict him this time, but also overturn the table.

He opened his mouth by saying he would curse every member of the Sun family and his ancestors for eighteen generations. This extreme attitude was meant to tell everyone here that the Qian family would never hand over the Dragon Key unless all of his clansmen were dead.

There was no room for discussion or negotiation on this matter... Most importantly, Sun Michen watched as Qian Zhongge forcibly pried open the legs of all his ancestors, only to find that he had no way to back down.

To take action? To kill him?

This is tantamount to declaring war on the Qian family, a war to the death.

If we don't kill him, how can we vent our anger and shame at having our ancestor's legs broken in public? How can we regain our dignity?

Furthermore, those six elders who support Qian Zhongge are also formidable and undeniable figures. As everyone knows, the highest governing body in this illusory village is the Clan Hall, which is centered around the four major families and twelve resident elders. These individuals express their opinions and make the final decisions on all matters, large and small, in the village.

The twelve elders who sit in the hall have no blood relation to the four major clans. They were born from the common people, and may have been wild dogs in the past, but now they are all extremely powerful rogue cultivators with their own offspring, and they have a great deal of influence in the Void Village.

Take Qin Yanting, for example. He's not only a resident elder but also the dean of the top-ranked Enlightenment Academy. His teachers and students are the backbone of the Void Village. Other resident elders also hold multiple positions, such as the Elder in charge of public funds, or the Elder in charge of public grain, official business, and commercial circulation, etc.

To put it bluntly, these people are the highest representatives among independent cultivators, and their influence within the clan hall is undeniable.

The fact that six people have now come forward to oppose opening the tomb is enough to show that Sun Michen's proposal has crossed the line of the clan hall.

Inside the hall, Sun Michen stood awkwardly in place, unsure whether to make a move or not.

"Shh!"

At this critical moment, Qin Yanting stood up like a savior, looking at Qian Zhongge with a gentle expression and refined manner: "Old Qian, we are gathered here to discuss important matters. No matter what, you shouldn't open your mouth to insult other people's ancestors and women... That's undignified."

"Moreover, personally speaking, I think that although Chief Sun's suggestion is a bit rash, it is a last resort. The Huang family aunt and niece have most likely already escaped to the Divine Tomb Immortal Palace. If we don't go in and capture them, who knows what kind of trouble they will cause? If we damage the ancient coffin in the Divine Tomb, then we will all be sinners."

At this point, he solemnly advised, "Elder Qian, I urge you to calm down and hand over the Dragon Key to help my clan hall...!"

"I'll hand over your mother!" Qian Zhongge responded calmly.

"Damn it, you don't even spare my family..." Qin Yanting was stunned by the insults. After a long pause, he finally snapped back, "Mad dog! Utterly uncivilized! Absolutely unreasonable...!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he clasped his hands slightly towards Sun Michen, making his attitude clear: "I agree that the four clans should gather the Dragon Keys and jointly open the Divine Tomb!"

Sun Michen looked at his savior and his goodwill towards him instantly soared. He then nodded kindly and found a way to back down: "What do you other elders think about this matter?"

Not far away, the five elders who had not yet expressed their opinions exchanged glances before stepping forward and replying in unison, "We also agree to open the tomb...!"

In the southwest corner, Li Jialiu's sixth grandfather, who had been sitting and watching the show, now smiled and nudged the flames, saying, "Of the four clans, three have agreed to open the tomb; half of these twelve elders have also agreed. In that case, the Qian family should hand over the Dragon Key...!"

“You muddle-headed old drunkard have no right to represent Li Taishan.” Qian Zhongge would lash out at anyone he could catch: “Shut your stinking mouth.”

"Qian Zhongge! Try cursing me again?!" Sixth Grandfather stood up excitedly.

"I'll say it again, I'll give it to your mother!"

"Qian Zhongge, since you're spewing filth, I have to mention that your second aunt ran off with some other man back then...!" Sixth Grandfather wasn't a good person either; he was always ready to argue, and he started with the most offensive and hurtful things.

“Li Yidou, holy crap!…!” Qian Zhongge pointed at his sixth grandfather and began a verbal battle with him.

Both are highly skilled individuals, their cursing is unique, their vocabulary is extensive, and they speak very quickly.

They argued back and forth, refusing to give an inch, their noise nearly tearing the roof off the ancestral hall. This left the group of "highly virtuous" old monsters dumbfounded and wide-eyed with astonishment.

This perfectly good clan council meeting was completely ruined by two top-tier trolls, which is utterly absurd. Everyone almost forgot that the topic of discussion was reopening the Divine Tomb.

Not far away, Zhao Han of the Zhao family, seeing that the meeting was about to end in a muddled argument, became extremely anxious and shouted, "You are all elderly people who have lived for hundreds of years, and your descendants could fill the inner hall. How can you insult each other like shrewish women? Don't you have any shame? What kind of behavior is this?!"

The shouts were thunderous, which brought a brief moment of silence to the hall.

Zhao Han subtly amplified his aura and added with an extremely cold expression, "According to the clan council's rules, since half of the twelve elders agree to open the divine tomb, and three of the four major clans also support this matter, then the Qian family should hand over the Dragon Key."

"However, since Qian Zhongge has so clearly refused, and the Dragon Key is indeed the private property of the Qian family, the clan hall cannot force him to do something against his will."

He stared at Qian Zhongge with a gloomy gaze and said, word by word, "Since you are unwilling to pay, then you don't have to. The clan hall of my Xuwang Village will not stop moving forward even without anyone."

"Without a Dragon Key, we indeed cannot open the Divine Tomb, so... I have a suggestion. That is, the Clan Hall should make the decision and then send experts to completely surround the Divine Tomb Immortal Palace, and wait for the Huang family aunt and nephew to emerge from the tomb. They have no clothes or food, and they also have to resist the pressure of the Great Dao in the Immortal Palace. Sooner or later, they will not be able to withstand it. In this way, as soon as they come out, they will inevitably be captured and brought to justice, and they will not have the opportunity to reveal the secrets of the Divine Tomb to the outside world."

"There is only one way to get out of the tomb, and that is through the gate of the celestial palace. So, no matter what they did in the tomb, they can't escape it."

Zhao Han knew perfectly well that Qian Zhongge would never hand over the Divine Key, so he suggested bypassing the Qian family and directly blocking the Huang family aunt and niece outside the Divine Tomb Mountain. Although this plan might lead to unforeseen complications, it was the only option available out of desperation.

Upon hearing his proposal, everyone expressed their support, including the six elders, including Qin Yanting, as well as the Sun and Li families.

The other six elders, along with Qian Zhongge, resisted in silence.

With things having progressed to this point, the situation is basically clear. Qian Zhongge's reason for refusing to hand over the Dragon Key was actually to buy time for the Huang family aunt and niece, and to hope that they could find the Origin Eyes as soon as possible. Otherwise... they would be unable to shake off their status as serious traitors, and the Qian and Li families would also be plunged into conflict.

Since the agreement was to uphold the rules, then the people of the Illusionary Village must be given a reasonable and legal explanation, instead of stubbornly resisting and making unreasonable arguments.

Only when the Huang family aunt and niece obtain the original eye and find the truth about how they were schemed against and had their opportunities stolen, can they stand firm on the level of law and the rule of the winner takes precedence.

Sixth Grandfather naturally saw this very clearly. He stirred up trouble, cursed, and muddied the waters, all in an attempt to make the meeting end without a trace, to drag it out as long as possible... But he didn't expect Zhao Han to change the subject so quickly, bypassing the Qian family and bringing the conversation back to the main topic.

This time, the "real issue" can no longer be effectively blocked by him and Qian Zhongge putting on a show. The Dragon Key is the Qian family's private property; nobody knows where it's hidden, so if Qian Zhongge doesn't hand it over, there's nothing anyone can do…

However, sending people to besiege Shenmu Mountain is something that can be done in no time as long as there are people, especially Black Qi level experts who can be mobilized. Therefore, even if he jumps out to oppose it, he certainly cannot stop the determination of the Zhao and Sun families; it will only cause the conflict to break out prematurely, leading to the situation spiraling out of control.

The ancestral hall fell into complete silence.

After a long pause, Zhao Han added, "The siege of Shenmu Mountain should rightfully be overseen by the Dharma Hall and the Patrol Hall. I think the specific personnel can be chosen by Clan Chief Sun. Furthermore, in the three major cases, there is clearly a lingering force with ulterior motives, attempting to take advantage of the chaos. For example, the five rogue cultivators, including Jiu Han, wanted to secretly eliminate the Huang family aunt and niece; and the three rogue cultivators who previously infiltrated the Huang family to commit crimes… This force has not yet surfaced, and may also hinder the capture of the Huang family aunt and niece…!"