"Clan Leader Tai Tan, I advise you to think carefully before you open your mouth. I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said before and give you one chance to answer again!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo said mildly:
"Your grandson will go to Spirit Hall, and Spirit Hall will nurture him well. For your Strength Clan, this is an honor."
"I refuse..."
Tai Tan gritted his teeth and stubbornly raised his head.
Bang!!!
Golden Crocodile Douluo intensified his pressure again. Tai Tan was crushed flat against the ground, blood pouring incessantly from his mouth.
Chen Qianqiu lay nearby, watching the scene with cold eyes.
He could honestly say he had not the slightest fondness for the Four Great Clans.
To put it nicely, they were loyal. To put it bluntly, they were slaves.
The Clear Sky Sect had handed them over as bargaining chips, yet they still defended it with unswerving devotion. What was that if not slavishness?
"Your Eminence Golden Crocodile,"
Perhaps afraid of being implicated, Yang Wudi suddenly stepped forward:
"The Breaking Clan is willing to serve Spirit Hall wholeheartedly. As a token of our loyalty, my grandson Yang Zhong can be sent to Spirit Hall tonight, to await Your Eminence's commands!"
"Yang Wudi! You traitor!"
Even with blood streaming from his mouth, Tai Tan could not help cursing when he heard Yang Wudi yield.
"Shut up!"
Yang Wudi turned and looked coldly at Tai Tan:
"I am the leader of the Breaking Clan. I have to answer to my clansmen! The Clear Sky Sect abandoned us. Are we supposed to throw our lives away with them?"
"Not everyone has such a miraculous way of thinking as you!"
"You!"
Tai Tan was so furious that he could not speak.
Golden Crocodile Douluo nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Niu Gao:
"Clan Leader Niu Gao, what about you?"
"I..."
Niu Gao's face was ashen. Seeing Tai Tan's current plight, he felt sympathy, but could not muster even the slightest thought of resistance.
Spirit Hall's heavy-handedness far exceeded his expectations. He had originally harbored the delusion that the Four Great Clans' capabilities would at least let them maneuver against Spirit Hall for a while. He had never expected reality to smash his imaginings so brutally.
"The Defense Clan is willing to submit to Spirit Hall."
Niu Gao spoke with difficulty, his voice filled with helplessness and surrender.
"Very good."
Golden Crocodile Douluo nodded in satisfaction, not caring in the slightest whether Niu Gao was willing, then turned to Bai He:
"Clan Leader Bai He, what about you?"
Seeing that the tide had turned beyond recovery, Bai He immediately answered,
"The Speed Clan is willing to submit to Spirit Hall."
"My granddaughter Bai Chenxiang can be sent to Spirit Hall as a token of our submission."
"You are wise indeed, Clan Leader Bai He."
Golden Crocodile Douluo nodded approvingly, then looked at Tai Tan, who lay on the ground:
"Clan Leader Tai Tan, it seems you're the only commander left without an army."
"I will never..."
Tai Tan gritted his teeth, his voice weak but still stubborn:
"The Strength Clan's word is worth a thousand pieces of gold. We have followed the Tang Clan for generations, and we will never betray them!!!"
"What about your grandson, then?"
Golden Crocodile Douluo said coldly:
"Even if you won't think of yourself, won't you think of your grandson?"
"Tai Long will understand me. To die for the Clear Sky Sect is an honor. He will be proud."
Tai Tan closed his eyes, looking like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.
Lying nearby, Chen Qianqiu watched the scene, surprise flashing through his eyes.
He truly had not expected Tai Tan to forsake even his grandson for the Clear Sky Sect.
Wasn't this a little too twisted?
Chen Qianqiu even suspected that Tai Tan might have some special feelings for Tang Hao. Otherwise, this made absolutely no sense.
"Second Worship!"
Seeing Golden Crocodile Douluo's temper rising, Chen Qianqiu spoke again:
"If you kill him now, word will spread that 'Tai Tan, leader of the Strength Clan, bravely laid down his life for the Clear Sky Sect.' You would only be helping him make that fine tale come true."
"Why not cripple him instead?"
A trace of coldness flashed through Chen Qianqiu's eyes:
"Let him live. Let him wait and see when his master will come to save him."
At these words, an endless chill rose in everyone's hearts. If having them send their descendants to Spirit Hall as hostages had been a normal stratagem, this was a truly vicious scheme.
"Hahaha, what a little fellow."
Golden Crocodile laughed. Killing Tai Tan would bring Spirit Hall no tangible benefit; instead, it would secure his reputation.
But crippling him and letting him live, letting him look forward to the Clear Sky Sect's arrival day after day, slowly, slowly sinking into despair-that would be true torment.
It would also warn the other three clans, letting them see how the Clear Sky Sect treated the unwaveringly loyal Tai Tan!
The Clear Sky Sect did not care about them at all. This was the fate of blind loyalty. No one would come to save them. Other than submission, they had no choice!!!
"You vicious little beast!!!"
"You still dare talk back!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo raised his hand and struck Tai Tan with his palm.
Boom!
Terrifying Soul Power surged straight into Tai Tan's body, churning through the meridians in his limbs!
"Ah!"
Tai Tan let out a piercing scream and collapsed on the ground, his entire body convulsing, his limbs limp. He had been reduced to a cripple!
"Clan Leader Tai Tan, make sure you stay alive and see just what sort of people you've pledged your loyalty to."
Golden Crocodile Douluo sneered:
Lying atop Chen Qianqiu's head, Qian Renxue whispered:
"Xiao Hei, you've turned bad."
Hearing this, Chen Qianqiu replied mildly:
"This isn't being bad. Mercy toward your enemies is cruelty toward yourself."
"Is that so?"
Qian Renxue looked thoughtful. Her Xiao Hei always managed to come out with a sentence or two she could not understand, and she had to think for a long time before she understood.
Golden Crocodile Douluo turned to look at Chen Qianqiu, appreciation flashing through his eyes.
"Interesting. You really do have ideas, little fellow."
He walked up to Chen Qianqiu.
"To tell you the truth, before we left, the Great Enshrined gave special instructions concerning you."
Golden Crocodile Douluo began slowly:
"Big Brother's intention was that, after taking over the Four Great Clans this time, we could put their people at your disposal."
"You can consider this a gesture of goodwill from Spirit Hall. Of course, to put it more practically, Spirit Hall thinks highly of your future prospects. This is an investment in you."
A pie had fallen from the sky.
Chen Qianqiu had only planned to stop by along the way and eat some of the Four Great Clans' treasured collections. He had never expected Qian Daoliu to be so generous as to hand him the Four Great Clans in their entirety.
"You will have full authority over all the specific arrangements from here."
"You may deploy them according to your needs. Spirit Hall will not interfere."
Chen Qianqiu's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
This was far more valuable than simply giving him things!
Heavenly treasures were one-use items. Once he ate them, they were gone.
But this workforce meant an endless source of supplies!
The Strength Clan could collect rare metals for him.
The Breaking Clan could help him cultivate medicinal herbs.
Although the Defense Clan and the Speed Clan were relatively less useful, they could still help with miscellaneous tasks.
He could have a steady supply of energy just by lying around.
"Thank you, Your Eminence Golden Crocodile!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo waved a dismissive hand. This was his first time seeing a little beast so wise immediately after birth.
"Grow well, little fellow. Big Brother thinks very highly of you."