Upon hearing the words of the Jade-Faced Emperor Venerable:
The Great Emperor Linggan was invigorated and immediately spoke:
I have two proposals.
"First, I would like to request that the Dongfang Clan settle on my Spirit Communication Island. As the saying goes, cooperation benefits both sides, and we can become allies and advance and retreat together in the future."
As for the second one...
He paused for a moment, a hint of regret in his eyes:
"The second option is for the Dongfang Clan to leave Parasol Tree Island, and for the Zhou Clan and other sects and clans on Sanhe Island to provide the Dongfang Clan with certain compensation."
"To be honest, I don't want the Dongfang Clan to go down this path."
Before he could finish speaking:
Dongfang Lie and the others' expressions changed drastically!
Without a doubt, this reveals the true intentions!
The Great Emperor Linggan personally came to their door to coerce them: either the Dongfang Clan should merge into Spirit Communication Island and obey the Great Emperor Linggan's orders, or they could only leave in disgrace!
They could not accept either of these options!
Merging into Spirit Communication Island would mean abandoning the long-standing tradition of the Dongfang Clan, forcing them to live a subservient and dependent life. How could they possibly tolerate that?
As for giving up Parasol Tree Island, that goes without saying!
Parasol Tree Island is the first territory established by the Dongfang Clan after crossing over to other realms. It is the true ancestral land in the Chuanming Dao Domain and has extremely important symbolic significance!
If even Parasol Tree Island is lost, it would be as if the backbone of the entire Dongfang Clan has been broken, and the Lineage's cohesion and centripetal force would dissipate!
They might even lose their status as the direct lineage, and even the branches of the Dongfang Clan that have split off will no longer recognize their position!
This is simply unacceptable to them!
As for the compensation from the Zhou Clan of Sanhe Island and others, that's a joke—what compensation could a bunch of small sects and Lineage from the local archipelago possibly offer?
"Ancestor..."
Dongfang Lie was extremely nervous and turned his gaze to the Jade-Faced Emperor Venerable.
He seemed to want to say something, but after his lips moved a few times, he ultimately remained silent.
If he were in the position of the Jade-Faced Emperor Venerable, he wouldn't know what to do.
"..."
The Jade-Faced Emperor Venerable remained silent for a moment, seemingly unperturbed by the Great Emperor Linggan's unreasonable demands.
Or perhaps she had foreseen this situation long ago; over the centuries, her anger had long since dissipated, leaving only exhaustion and helplessness.
" The Jade-Faced Emperor Venerable..."
The Great Emperor Linggan gazed at her, a playful expression on his face:
What do you think?
The Jade-Faced Emperor Venerable lowered his eyelids and said, enunciating each word clearly:
"Thank you for your kindness, Great Emperor Linggan, but my Dongfang Clan has a history of over a million years and has its own set of rules, which may not be compatible with Spirit Communication Island."
"We will move away from Parasol Tree Island within a month."
As she finished speaking:
The Great Emperor Linggan glanced at her in surprise, then clapped his hands and laughed loudly:
"Excellent! As expected of the Jade-Faced Emperor Venerable, your decisiveness is second to none among men!"
The Jade-Faced Emperor Venerable's reply pleased him greatly.
He never considered that he had to completely wipe out the Dongfang Clan, as that would not only cause unforeseen complications but also severely offend the other branches of the Dongfang Clan.
His goal, from beginning to end, was simply to occupy Parasol Tree Island.
It's important to know that many secret treasure lands and fixed secret realms cannot be moved; possessing these is a huge gain in itself.
"Ancestor!"
"Ancestor, you mustn't!"
"We can't abandon Parasol Tree Island, Ancestor!"
"I hope the Ancestor will reconsider!"
Dongfang Lie and the many elders' expressions changed drastically, and they all tried to dissuade him, their eyes reddening.
"Well..."
The Jade-Faced Emperor Venerable sighed softly, a hint of sorrow finally appearing on his face:
"There's no need to say anything more now..."
She didn't want to give up Parasol Tree Island, but what could she do?
As long as the Dongfang Clan can survive, and as long as she, the Emperor Venerable, remains, she can always seize territory elsewhere, maintain her existence, and wait for that one slim chance— Dongfang Jinglong's successful return.
If they were to fight to the death with the Great Emperor Linggan for the sake of Parasol Tree Island, leading to the destruction of the Dongfang Clan, that would be utterly foolish.
"..."
Hearing the helplessness in her tone, Dongfang Lie and the others gradually calmed down.
But that feeling of stifling frustration and immense humiliation was stuck in his heart like iron and stone, and he couldn't shake it off no matter what.
A descendant of Half-Step Heavenly Lord, a member of the royal family of a divine dynasty that ruled a region, was forced to abandon his ancestral land and become as pitiful as a stray dog.
The Jade-Faced Emperor Venerable, Dongfang Lie, and the others remained silent, and the atmosphere in the main hall became oppressive and deathly still.
"Cough cough..."
The Great Emperor Linggan coughed twice and casually said:
"Now that this matter is settled, I, Yang, should bid farewell..."
He hadn't finished speaking:
"Report!!"
A loud shout rang out, and a steward from the Dongfang Clan hurriedly flew over, landing in front of the main hall with a face full of joy:
"Reporting to the patriarch and the ancestor!"
"Elder Jinglong is back!"
"Real?"
The Jade-Faced Emperor Venerable suddenly lit up, and a surge of excitement and anticipation welled up in his heart.
Behind her, Dongfang Lie and the many elders were both surprised and excited.
Dongfang Jinglong is finally back!
Now that she has successfully returned, the turning point they have been waiting for, the savior they have been waiting for, is about to appear!
"The Grand Elder is finally back!"
"Yes, you came back so promptly. If you had been a month later, it would have been troublesome!"
"The fact that the Grand Elder was able to return means the plan must have succeeded, and he must have brought back the King of Creation, the Heart of Myriad Realms, and the other supreme treasures!"
"Good! Now it's our turn to hold our heads high! Those old bastards, the Great Emperor Linggan and the Zhou Clan of Sanhe Island, will be the first to die!"
Dongfang Lie and the others suddenly felt a surge of courage, and even turned their hostile gazes toward Great Emperor Linggan.
No one knows the power of the King of Creation better than they do!
This Great Emperor Linggan, seemingly renowned throughout the Boundless Sea, is nothing more than a dog before the King of Creation, who could obliterate him with a single punch.
Even the Jade-Faced Emperor Venerable narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing a dangerous glint.
"Someone come here!"
She gave a low shout and said, enunciating each word clearly:
"Quickly welcome the Grand Elder!"
"Promise!"
The steward from the Dongfang Clan glared fiercely at Great Emperor Linggan and the others before turning and hastily flying away.
What happened?
The Great Emperor Linggan was no fool; he quickly sensed the change in attitude from the Jade-Faced Emperor Venerable, Dongfang Lie, and others, and a bad premonition arose in his heart.
"Isn't this Grand Elder of the Dongfang Clan just a Peak Quasi-Emperor?"
"Why does her return seem to have given these people so much confidence that they even dare to harbor such obvious malice towards me..."
His brow furrowed slightly, and thoughts raced through his mind:
"Could it be that Dongfang Jinglong went north to seek outside help?"
"That doesn't make sense. None of the branches of the Dongfang Clan in the Northern Continent seem to have any renowned experts who have shaken the Dao Domain..."
Faced with this sudden change:
The Great Emperor Linggan decided not to take his leave and instead waited there.
"What's meant to be will be, and what's meant to be will be!"
"I want to see what trump card this Grand Elder of the Dongfang Clan has brought back that has suddenly given the Dongfang Clan such courage!"
You provided the starting sign-in rewards for the legendary Zhuang Shisan, featuring Chen Qingyu from the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Transformations Zhuang Shisan.