"Sect Master, please show mercy! For the sake of our Han Family's years of unwavering loyalty to Greenwood South Forest, I beg you—give us one more chance."
Those words struck Han Qingyu and the other members of the Han Family like a hammer weighing several million pounds dropping from the sky, leaving them utterly stunned.
Every member of the Han Family expelled from Greenwood South Forest, with no descendant of the Han Family ever permitted to set foot in Greenwood South Forest again—this was utterly ruthless. Not only did it eradicate in one fell swoop all the influence the Han Family had built within Greenwood South Forest, but it also cut off their family's future prospects entirely. It was something the Han Family simply could not accept.
"Sect Master, the Han Family may have committed offenses, but they have rendered countless contributions over the years and have sent a great deal of talent to Greenwood Mountain on our behalf. Surely they could atone for their mistakes—please give them another chance." In truth, it wasn't only the Han Family members who were desperately pleading for mercy. Even some of the other elders had begun to intercede on their behalf.
Though the Han Family had lorded it over Greenwood South Forest, trampling anyone they pleased and earning the enmity of many, the truth was that they still served an important function for the Southern Forest.
The Han Family was a large clan. While they had certainly leveraged Greenwood South Forest's cultivation resources to nurture their own descendants, they had also provided the Southern Forest with a great number of talented individuals.
For instance, among Greenwood South Forest's most outstanding disciples, nearly a third were members of the Han Family. Before Chu Feng's arrival, the strongest disciples in the entire Southern Forest had all been from the Han Family. That alone spoke volumes about how important the Han Family was to Greenwood South Forest.
No matter how much they had abused their power, they had genuinely made significant contributions to the Southern Forest. If the Han Family were truly expelled and all ties severed, it would be an enormous loss for Greenwood South Forest.
For that reason, despite many of the elders personally disliking the Han Family, they still did not want to see them driven out—for the sake of the bigger picture. In the Martial Holy Land, there were countless factions. Even if the Han Family left Greenwood South Forest, they could easily join another power. If they ended up joining a faction hostile to the Southern Forest, the losses would far outweigh any gains.
"All of you—silence!" However, the Southern Forest's Sect Master was incandescent with fury at the elders' pleas. As he spoke, his voice boomed forth with a force that shook heaven and earth.
The sound was deafening, as though the sky itself might shatter, and everyone present felt the full brunt of its impact. After that thunderous shout, every mouth fell shut. Not a single person dared utter another word, for they had all felt the Sect Master's iron resolve to expel the Han Family from Greenwood South Forest.
"I have spoken. Those who disobey will be killed without mercy. Must I repeat myself?" The Southern Forest's Sect Master swept his piercing gaze across the crowd. This time, no one dared speak again, for they knew the Sect Master of the Southern Forest was a man of his word. Anyone who defied him a second time would truly face annihilation.
And so, the Han Family—which had reigned as kings and tyrants within Greenwood South Forest—was driven out of the Southern Forest in its entirety on this day. Whether it was Han Qingyu himself, who had served as Elder of Punishment, or those outstanding disciples whom the family had spent years cultivating and planned to send to Greenwood Mountain this year, every last member of the Han Family was expelled.
Some had long anticipated this day. After all, no matter how powerful the Han Family was, their conduct in recent years had grown excessively brazen. They had begun to overstep their bounds, treating themselves as the true masters of Greenwood South Forest—and that was something the Southern Forest's Sect Master could never tolerate.
But before this day, no one had imagined that the spark which ignited the Han Family's expulsion would be a young man who had come from the Southern Sea. It had to be said—after today, Chu Feng was destined to become famous overnight across the vast expanse of Greenwood South Forest, for he had truly accomplished something remarkable.
At that moment, Chu Feng was inside the Sect Master's grand hall. His injuries had already fully healed, yet sitting alone within that resplendent hall, he looked rather forlorn.
It was the Southern Forest's Sect Master who had invited him here. However, because the expulsion of the Han Family had required the Sect Master's personal attention, along with the reassignment of the Punishment Department's elders and various other matters, a great deal of time had passed, and the Sect Master had yet to make an appearance.
Creak—
Finally, the tightly shut doors of the hall swung open, and a weathered figure appeared—it was none other than the Southern Forest's Sect Master.
"I must apologize, young friend Chu Feng. Urgent matters demanded my immediate attention, and I've kept you waiting." Upon seeing Chu Feng, the Sect Master offered an apologetic smile, his face full of contrition.
"Sect Master, there is no need for such words. Your disciple would not dare presume." Chu Feng hurriedly rose and bowed. Regardless of anything else, he had joined Greenwood South Forest and was now a disciple of the Southern Forest—how could he be discourteous toward the Sect Master? Moreover, this Sect Master was the very person who had saved his life.
"Ah, there's no need to be so formal, young friend Chu Feng. Don't think of me as a senior, and certainly don't treat me as a Sect Master. If anything, I'd rather you think of me as a friend."
"My name is Sikong Zhaixing. Young friend Chu Feng, you may call me by my name directly," the Southern Forest's Sect Master said with a smile, his manner exceptionally cordial.