"Zhengfa, let me ask you a question — is our Chu Heavenly Clan more important, or is the truth more important?" Chu Hanpeng asked.
"Grand Elder, why do you ask such a question?" Chu Xuan Zhengfa replied.
"Zhengfa, you're a smart man. You should already know why I made this decision."
"Even if it were the Clan Master making the call, he would have come to the same conclusion as I did."
"Chu Feng is dead. Regardless of how he died, the point is that he's dead — he can no longer contribute to our clan. But Chu Ruoshi and Chu Zhiyuan are different," Chu Hanpeng said.
"But at the very least, we should give Chu Feng justice. I'm sure you've noticed that something is off about all of this," Chu Xuan Zhengfa pressed.
"Justice? What good is justice? Can it ensure the continued prosperity of our Chu Heavenly Clan?"
"Justice alone cannot, but outstanding successors can. Right now, Chu Ruoshi and Chu Zhiyuan are both among our clan's finest successors. What we should be doing is protecting them — not harming them," Chu Hanpeng declared.
"But…" Chu Xuan Zhengfa tried to argue further.
"There is no 'but.'"
"Ever since Chu Xuanyuan offended the Starfield Master Realm all those years ago, the Starfield Master Realm has been pressuring our Chu Heavenly Clan, and the other Heavenly Clans have never given up their ambition to claim our position as the overlord of the Great Thousand Upper Realm."
"While I and the others still live, they wouldn't dare act rashly. But if our clan has no one to carry on after us — do you have any idea what kind of situation we would face?"
"Setting aside the loss of our status as the overlord of the Great Thousand Upper Realm, our entire Chu Heavenly Clan could face total annihilation."
"To ensure that our clan continues to thrive, we must nurture outstanding successors. In the face of that, all talk of fairness, justice, and righteousness is empty words."
"Because only when our clan has successors can its survival be guaranteed. If our clan ceases to exist altogether, what use would justice be?" Chu Hanpeng demanded.
Chu Xuan Zhengfa lowered his head in silence.
He was unwilling to accept this. His heart ached for Chu Feng, and he desperately wanted to see justice served on his behalf.
But he also understood the current situation the Chu Heavenly Clan found itself in.
Within the Great Thousand Upper Realm, the Chu Heavenly Clan remained the undisputed overlord, commanding unmatched glory and prestige.
But behind the scenes, the currents had already begun to stir. Within the Ancestral Martial Starfield, the Chu Heavenly Clan had made countless enemies over the years, and many forces — no weaker than the Chu Heavenly Clan themselves — were eager to seize control of the Great Thousand Upper Realm.
Just as Chu Hanpeng had said, with the current Clan Master and Chu Hanpeng and the others still around, those enemies wouldn't dare make a move. But time was ruthless.
The Clan Master and Chu Hanpeng's generation were already aging.
The day would come when they passed on. And when that day arrived, who would stand up for the Chu Heavenly Clan? Who would fend off the enemy?
Chu Xuan Zhengfa and his generation?