Purging Internal Threats, Steeling the Clan's Resolve

In the council hall, discussions on how to respond to the God Rank threat and reinforce the city's defenses continued amid a grave atmosphere. Everyone understood that what lay ahead might be the ultimate trial determining the family's survival.

At that moment, Li Yunming, who had been sitting with his eyes closed in meditation, his face still slightly pale, slowly opened his eyes. He shifted slightly closer to Li Yuanhui beside him and murmured a few rapid words in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Though Li Yunming's voice had been extremely low, everyone who had been watching this pillar of support closely still keenly noticed the movement. After hearing those whispered words, Li Yuanhui's body gave an almost imperceptible tremor, and an intensely shocked expression flashed across his face. It was even more obvious than when he had faced the siege of dozens of Titled Douluo!

However, as the head of the family, he was deeply composed. That shock was like a stone dropped into a lake, stirring only a fleeting ripple before he forcibly suppressed it. His expression swiftly returned to calm, though an indescribably complex look flickered deep in his eyes.

After speaking, Li Yunming clasped his hands slightly toward Dongyue Qingxuan, Su Qingyin, and the others. His voice carried just the right hint of weariness. "Everyone, the residual poison in my body has only just been cleared, and my Soul Power is circulating somewhat sluggishly. I need to return at once and meditate quietly for a while. Please excuse me for the moment."

Li Yuanhui also rose to his feet, an apologetic smile on his face as he explained to the Dongyue Family members, "Patriarch Qingxuan, Elder Qingyin, Elder Qing, I truly apologize. Elder Yunming fought three peak experts alone before this, suffering tremendous exhaustion, and was also poisoned by She Duyun's vile poison. He needs to recover through meditation to avoid any lingering complications. Please forgive this lapse in hospitality."

Though Dongyue Qingxuan and the others found this somewhat sudden, Li Yunming's injuries were indeed of utmost importance, so they naturally expressed their understanding. Dongyue Qingxuan said with concern, "Elder Yunming, please go ahead. Your treatment comes first. If needed, Qingyin can assist at any time."

Su Qingyin also nodded slightly.

Li Yunming said no more. He nodded to everyone, then turned and left the council hall at once, his steps appearing steady yet carrying a trace of barely noticeable haste.

His departure inevitably cast another shadow over the hall. Li Yunming was now the Li Family's greatest support. If he was not in good condition, the situation ahead would become even more difficult. Several Li Family elders also showed concern, and one could not help asking, "Patriarch, Elder Yunming... he is all right, isn't he?"

Li Yuanhui returned to the main seat, his expression already restored to normal. He waved a hand and reassured them steadily, "There is no need to worry. Elder Yunming is merely overly exhausted and needs secluded cultivation to recover. I believe he will be well again soon. Let us continue discussing the defensive arrangements."

His calm demeanor eased everyone's anxious hearts somewhat.

However, Li Xuansheng, who had been sitting silently in a corner as an observer, frowned slightly. He had keenly caught the fleeting shock on his father's face. That shock did not seem to have come from bad news, such as his injuries worsening. Instead... it seemed more like startled surprise, perhaps even mixed with a hint of delight? What shocked Father? What did Master Yunming tell him? Li Xuansheng's thoughts raced. And Father immediately regained his composure and even helped conceal it... That means what Grandpa Yunming said is important, but absolutely cannot be made public yet.

He suppressed his curiosity. Since his father and Grandpa Yunming had chosen to keep it secret, they must have had their reasons. Now was not the time to investigate.

The meeting continued, and everyone's attention returned to how they could shore up their weaknesses and combine the Nine Heavens Phoenix Flame Formation with several advanced defensive array plates brought by the Dongyue Family to enhance their overall defenses. The discussion lasted until nightfall before a preliminary plan was finally settled. Exhausted and burdened, everyone returned to their residences to rest.

The night was deep, with neither stars nor moonlight visible.

Li Yuanhui did not return to his own residence. Instead, he brought Li Tianwu, Chen Jianjun, and Li Xuansheng, whom he had specifically summoned, and followed two clan members at the Soul Sage level, their auras steady and gazes sharp, silently to a secluded independent courtyard in the family's rear compound.

Soundproofing and alert formations had clearly been set around the courtyard, making it exceptionally quiet. The two Soul Sages guarding the entrance immediately bowed upon seeing the patriarch and his group, solemnity in their eyes.

Li Yuanhui nodded slightly. One of the guards stepped forward and silently pushed open the heavy door.

The room was dimly lit, illuminated only by several flickering oil lamps. Six figures were bound by special Soul Power chains and slumped on the floor. Of these six, three men and one woman appeared middle-aged, one was an elderly man, and there were also two young clan members who looked only in their twenties. Their cultivation levels also varied. The elderly man possessed the strongest aura and was clearly a Soul Douluo-level expert! The two young people, meanwhile, had only reached the Four-Ring Soul Ancestor level.

When they saw Li Yuanhui and the others enter, all kinds of complicated emotions immediately surfaced on the six faces—fear, shame, despair, and a trace of barely perceptible resentment.

Li Yuanhui's gaze first fell upon the elderly Soul Douluo, his voice low and filled with pain and incomprehension. "Uncle Tianhao."

Li Tianhao was, by seniority, his granduncle. He was an old hand within the family. Though his cultivation had failed to break through to Titled Douluo, he had always overseen part of the family's businesses and held no small amount of status.

"You are a member of my Li Family. We share the same blood. Has the family ever treated you poorly all these years?" Li Yuanhui's voice carried a suppressed anger.

Li Tianhao raised his head, deep wrinkles etched across his face. His gaze flickered somewhat, but then became "frank" again. He sighed, his tone carrying a self-righteous sort of "clarity." "Yuan Hui, it is not that the family has treated this old man poorly. It is simply... the tide of events! The Qiu Family and Five Poisons Valley have joined forces, and their momentum is unstoppable! Our Li Family is merely a mantis trying to stop a chariot! This old man... this old man only wanted to leave the family a way out, to find a path to survival! Yuan Hui, heed your granduncle's advice. Surrender! Perhaps some of the clan members' lives can still be preserved!"

"And you!" Li Yuanhui's gaze swept over the three middle-aged men and the two young people. "Yuan Tu, Yuan Xia, Xuanguan... what about you? I ask myself, whether in distributing resources or in my usual treatment of you, I have never wronged any one of you. Now, when the family stands at the brink of life and death, why would you commit such an act of abandoning your ancestors and betraying your bloodline?!"

The middle-aged man named Yuan Tu craned his neck and said, "Patriarch! We simply do not want to die alongside the family! No matter how strong Elder Yunming is, can he defeat a God Rank expert? We passed on information only to show goodwill to the Qiu Family and secure a way to live for ourselves!"

The young man named Xuanguan cried out with a sobbing voice, "Patriarch, we are still young. We do not want to die! What is so bad about surrendering? At least we can stay alive!"

Li Yuanhui looked at their "righteously indignant" expressions, and the last trace of warmth in his eyes chilled away. He had still held a sliver of hope that he might hear their remorse, even if they had acted under coercion. Yet all he heard was cowardice and selfishness, abandoning everything merely to survive.

"Stay alive?" Li Yuanhui's voice was cold as iron. "Better to die standing than live on your knees! My Li Family has stood in Heavenly Phoenix City for four hundred years, and our backs have never bent! If everyone thought as you do, the family would have ceased to exist long ago!"

He did not spare them another glance. Turning to Li Tianwu and Chen Jianjun, he said in a grave voice, "The clan rules stand firm as mountains. Traitors to the family shall be dealt with according to those rules. Clean this up. Do not let word leak out and shake our people's resolve."

"Yes, Patriarch." Li Tianwu and Chen Jianjun answered simultaneously, a sharp glint flashing in their eyes.

Li Xuansheng watched everything in silence, feeling little turmoil in his heart. With the family's survival at stake, any wavering or betrayal was unforgivable. He merely activated the system in secret and confirmed once more the bright-red "Hostile" markers above their heads, along with the detailed records of their betrayal. At the same time, his determination to raise his strength as quickly as possible and help the family overcome this crisis grew even firmer.

Only by purging the internal parasites could the family's will become more united, allowing them to clench their fists and face the powerful enemy amid the coming storm!