Lin Jiangxian, Caisangzi, and the other elders could no longer take it.
They could not open two battlefronts at the same time, especially not an all-out war with Tianwu here.
Their side had kept a large number of forces in reserve just in case, precisely because they feared Tianwu or the other families might suddenly turn on them, leaving themselves some room to maneuver.
But that was meant to handle sudden, uncontrollable crises, to make sure they were not completely unprepared if someone stabbed them in the back—not because they were truly ready to fight two colossal enemies at once.
To put it plainly, it was deterrence.
It was their trump card.
For an operation this large, such a trump card was indispensable. The Elder Council was not so naive that it would leave its back exposed to this dangerous jianghu.
Now Tianwu had clearly obtained intelligence and was taking advantage of their weakness to finish them off.
Just when their side was locked in a fierce, tangled battle that neither side could break away from, Tianwu had come to their rear to wave spears and clubs around.
This was a major decision for both sides.
For Tianwu, guarding its own interests was imperative, but the greater political ambition was to let the Tianwu Clan rise completely!
This was an opportunity they might not see in decades, a once-in-a-thousand-years chance. The Old Ancestor had even thought he would never see such an opportunity in his lifetime.
But the Old Dean had died suddenly, the new dean had launched a war to annihilate the Jiang Family, and a chain reaction had already been set in motion. Every family and sect was watching like a tiger eyeing its prey.
If they did not negotiate now, then once the Elder Council stabilized its