"What? He actually went after Xiao Gang?"
"This is fratricide!"
"And I always thought that child was a good one. I never imagined he could be this kind of person!"
The crowd below the stage erupted in outrage, their voices rising as they argued among themselves.
Watching their reaction, Yu Yuanzhen's eyes flickered with a hint of satisfaction, barely noticeable. His face, however, remained stricken with grief.
"As clan head, I failed to discover his problems in time. That was my dereliction of duty. For the safety of the clan, I have no choice but to make a difficult decision..."
He raised his voice and announced, "Effective today, Yu Tianlong is expelled from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan! He is no longer a member of our clan! Anyone who sees him may capture or kill him! The clan will richly reward anyone who brings back his head!"
His words sent a commotion through the entire hall.
Several elders exchanged glances. Though they found the matter somewhat suspicious, the clan head had already made his decision, and Yu Tianlong indeed hadn't returned. They didn't feel they could say much more.
Only one white-haired old man, the third elder, Yu Yuanqing, furrowed his brow slightly.
He was the oldest elder in the clan and rarely took part in its affairs anymore, but he had been invited here today.
He looked at Yu Yuanzhen's self-righteous face, then at Yu Xiaogang standing behind him, head lowered and too afraid to speak. A glimmer of thought flickered in his cloudy old eyes.
But in the end, he said nothing. He only sighed softly, rose slowly with the aid of his cane, and silently left the Council Hall under everyone's gaze.
The Council Hall of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was brightly lit and filled with people's voices.
After Yu Yuanzhen announced his "decision" regarding Yu Tianlong, the entire hall erupted. The clan's core members whispered and argued among themselves, each wearing some degree of shock, anger, or regret.
"I never thought Yu Tianlong could be this kind of person!"
"Exactly! He always seemed honest and polite. Who knew that behind our backs, he was plotting to devour his own clansmen!"
"You can know someone's face but not their heart... Thank goodness the clan head found out in time. Otherwise, those of us with children would all have been potential targets!"
"What a waste. Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls—such a remarkable gift... How could he have gone down the wrong path?"
Among the crowd, some were sincerely regretful, some were gloating, and others were quietly relieved. After all, Yu Tianlong consumed a staggering amount of resources every month. If those resources were saved, they could be distributed among the others, at least to some extent. Human nature rarely withstood the test of self-interest.
But not everyone fully believed the story.
The second elder, Yu Yuankun, frowned and stroked his beard, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
He had watched Yu Tianlong grow up. Though they hadn't interacted much, the boy had always struck him as composed, clever, and measured. He didn't seem like someone who would do something as insane as "devouring his own clansmen."
"Clan head," Yu Yuankun said. His voice wasn't loud, but the surrounding chatter quieted a little. "Could there be more to this? That boy Tianlong... From what I've seen of his conduct, he doesn't seem so extreme. Might there have been some misunderstanding?"
Yu Yuanzhen's heart tightened, but he gave nothing away. Instead, he put on a pained expression. "Second Elder, I don't want to believe it either. But the facts are right before us. I saw it with my own eyes. Do you think I would lie?"
He turned to Yu Xiaogang behind him and gave him a look. "Xiao Gang, tell them. You were there. You know best what happened."
Yu Xiaogang's body stiffened slightly. Feeling his father's gaze and the attention of everyone present, his heart raced and his palms began to sweat.
But he knew there was no turning back. Now that he had come this far, he had to keep up the act.
He drew a deep breath and raised his head, his face now a mixture of hurt, fear, and anger.
"Elders... Uncles... I, I didn't want to say anything..." His voice trembled, his eyes reddened, and he looked as though he might burst into tears at any moment. "But things have come to this. I can't keep covering for my cousin anymore."
He wiped at tears that weren't there and continued:
"Actually... my cousin changed a long time ago. Ever since he awakened Twin Luo Sanpao, he's grown more and more arrogant, more and more conceited. He told me many times in private that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's bloodline was too low-level for him. He wanted to devour stronger Martial Souls and make himself even stronger..."
"At first, I thought he was joking and didn't take him seriously. But later, he started pressuring me to give him my Luo Sanpao to 'study,' saying it could help me evolve. When I refused, he threatened me, saying that if I didn't cooperate, he'd go after the other children his age in the clan..."
Yu Xiaogang's voice broke into sobs, and his body trembled slightly. He played the part of a victim who had suffered bullying for a long time but hadn't dared to fight back to perfection.
"I never dared tell Father because I was afraid my cousin would take revenge on me... But this time, in the Star Dou Forest, he really did it! He tried to devour my Luo Sanpao! If Father hadn't arrived in time, I, I might have..."
At this point, he was "sobbing uncontrollably," his face covered as his shoulders hitched.
His performance was nothing short of masterful, moving everyone to the depths of their souls.
After hearing him out, most of the doubts in the crowd's hearts vanished.
Surely an eight-year-old child wouldn't lie, would he? And Yu Xiaogang looked so utterly heartbroken that he didn't seem to be putting on an act.
"Outrageous!"
"I can't believe Yu Tianlong is that kind of person!"
"And I always thought he was the clan's future hope. I was blind!"
"The clan head did the right thing! Someone like him deserves to be expelled! He deserves to die!"
The crowd was furious, and public opinion had swung completely to Yu Yuanzhen and his son's side.
Watching the crowd below, Yu Yuanzhen felt secretly pleased. His expression remained sorrowful as he waved a hand.
"Enough. It's over now. I gravely wounded Yu Tianlong, and he fled into the Star Dou Forest Core Area. In his condition, there's no chance he survived. From this day on, the clan will act as if he never existed."
He paused, then added, "Also, Xiao Gang was badly shaken by this incident and needs time to recover. Starting next month, his monthly resource allowance will be raised to the same level as that of the clan's core direct descendants. In addition, the Mimicry Cultivation Ground will be fully open to him, and he'll have access to every text in the Library Pavilion."
This was both compensation for Yu Xiaogang and a declaration to everyone present: even though Yu Tianlong was gone, he still had a son, and he would spare no effort in raising him.
Naturally, no one objected. They all voiced their support.