Everyone avoided his gaze, refusing to look him in the eye.
However, Xu Tianran could tell that they were not guilty—they were afraid.
As the old saying went, when a common man raged, blood splashed three feet; when a Son of Heaven raged, a million corpses fell.
Xu Tianran's current prestige had been carved out with slaughter, step by step.
The few who dared to speak up were imperial clansmen from the same generation as his great-grandfather.
They had little ability, yet exceptionally long lives.
And that seemed to confirm another old saying: good people did not live long, while scourges endured for a thousand years.
Now that they had led the imperial clansmen here to force his hand, Xu Tianran was not surprised in the slightest.
Because if Xu Tianran were in the elders' position, he himself would certainly have done the same.
Xu Tianran lowered his head, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.
"But things are different now... I still have a chance!"
"Hehe, may I take those words as your answer?"
The black-robed man who had silently stood behind Xu Tianran all along suddenly spoke.
Only then did the imperial clansmen notice that there was actually a black-robed man behind Xu Tianran.
Before they could say anything, Xu Tianran spoke first. "I accept every one of your conditions!"
"And I have only one condition: take me with you!"
"Deal!"
The black-robed man agreed readily, then immediately looked ahead.
"What about them?"
"They are the first batch of goods. You can deal with them personally, or... I can do it myself!"
As he spoke the final sentence, Xu Tianran abruptly rose from the throne.
His aura was completely different from his previous dejected state.
Even though he was dressed in rags.
Even though he was seriously wounded.