"Ruining someone's Divine Pool —
Hearing Gu Bai's words, the corner of
"But!" Gu Bai's tone took a sharp turn. "There were reasons behind this, and I believe all the elders of our Gu clan already understand the full picture. We've all witnessed Gu Heng's conduct over the years, and judgment will naturally follow. Although I've always stood on Gu Heng's side, this time, I cannot defend him!"
Gu Bai's words left everyone stunned.
Gu Bai and Gu Heng had close ties — the entire Gu clan knew that. Among the elders who had jointly impeached Gu Bei, Gu Bai was one of them. How had he suddenly switched sides?
Hearing Gu Bai's words, Gu Heng was furious. He glared at Gu Bai. He never imagined that Gu Bai would go this far, turning on him so suddenly.
Third Elder Gu Yuntian furrowed his brow. What was going on with Gu Bai? Why was he suddenly siding with Gu Bei?
As soon as Gu Bai finished speaking, Ninth Elder
Gu Feng also stood up and said, "I agree with Gu Bai's assessment. Gu Heng's conduct over the years has indeed been excessive. While Gu Bei's retaliation may have been somewhat extreme, it demonstrates the fighting spirit of our Gu clan's younger generation — he is the rightful candidate for heir to our clan!"
"Besides, the killing and rivalry in the Greater World is something all of our Feather God Sect recognizes. To come crying over a minor loss — what kind of behavior is that?" Gu Feng snorted, a note of disdain in his voice.
"Elder Gu Feng, weren't you among those who jointly impeached Gu Bei? You two-faced schemer!" Gu Heng was so angry he could practically cough up blood. Gu Bai's and Gu Feng's words were literally making his blood boil!
He never expected that after years of carefully cultivating his relationships with these two elders, they would both turn against him at the same time — for reasons he couldn't fathom!
Third Elder furrowed his brow. He hadn't expected Gu Bai and Gu Feng to both defect at the critical moment. It seemed Gu Heng's cause was lost. As Gu Heng's master, he would naturally support Gu Heng, but he also knew that Gu Heng's reputation within the clan was poor. Now that the elders who backed Gu Heng had all defected to Gu Bei, there was no longer any hope for Gu Heng to compete for the clan leadership.
"Gu Heng, watch how you speak!" Gu Feng's expression darkened. "I impeached Gu Bei before, and that wasn't wrong — Gu Bei had indeed made some mistakes. But the mistakes Gu Bei made pale in comparison to yours!"
Gu Heng was so furious his lungs were about to burst.
Several elders from the side stood up.
"I also support Elders Gu Bai and Gu Feng."
"As do I!"
The elders who had jointly impeached Gu Bei all began declaring their positions. A few whom Gu Bei hadn't even visited saw which way the wind was blowing and immediately swung to his side. With the way things were going — even the eighth and ninth elders had been swayed — it was clear Gu Bei was dead set on the clan leadership. At a time like this, they naturally knew how to read the situation.
Gu Heng was like a crumbling wall that everyone rushed to push.
The relationships Gu Heng had built with these elders had all been based on money. Once Gu Bei offered a higher price, it was easy to win them over.
As for the neutral elders, if they had to choose between Gu Heng and Gu Bei, they would naturally choose Gu Bei.
Gu Bei had indeed destroyed someone's Divine Pool, but at least he had fought Gu Heng openly and honestly, rather than secretly poisoning his own clansmen to seize power the way Gu Heng had! Gu Lan was Gu Bei's sister — his hatred toward Gu Heng was entirely understandable!
This turn of events was somewhat unexpected for Gu Heng. He was utterly devastated. How had it come to this?
He had spent years building his position, believing the clan leadership was as good as his. Never had he imagined it would end like this!
"Since matters have come to this, I shall announce the verdict!" Gu Tianlong said in a deep voice. "Regarding the internal conflict between Gu Bei and Gu Heng, and Gu Bei's destruction of the Divine Pool — while Gu Bei's actions were indeed improper, considering the mitigating circumstances, formal punishment is waived. However, to account to the Feather God Sect, Gu Bei is required to donate five hundred thousand Spirit Stones to the Feather God Sect and one million Spirit Stones to the Gu clan, to be paid in full within three years without any delay. As for Gu Heng — he was at fault first yet refused to repent, instead playing the victim. He is sentenced to thirty years of wall-facing confinement!"
"Clan Head, wait—" Third Elder was about to speak, but Gu Tianlong cut him off.
"This matter is decided. Anyone who wishes to stand up for him should consider the consequences," Gu Tianlong said gravely.
Gu Heng stared ahead in a daze. He could never understand how he had ended up here.
Gu Tianlong's fine on Gu Bei served two purposes — on one hand, it was an accounting to the Feather God Sect; on the other, he knew this kid Gu Bei was loaded, and this was a perfect excuse to fill the clan treasury. However, he didn't know exactly how much money Gu Bei had. If he did, he would think the penalty was far too light.
One and a half million Spirit Stones — for an ordinary person, that was an astonishing fortune!
Though Gu Bei was fined Spirit Stones, for him this was actually the lightest possible punishment. Gu Heng, on the other hand, was sentenced to thirty years of wall-facing confinement. The best years of a cultivator's life — those thirty years that should have been spent gaining experience and honing his skills — Gu Heng would spend staring at a wall. When he finally emerged, his cultivation would have fallen irretrievably behind Gu Bei and the others!
Gu Heng could no longer pose any threat to him. The vast majority of the clan's elders now stood on his side. What leverage did Gu Heng have left to compete?
Thirty years from now, when Gu Heng finally emerged, the clan head would most likely already be Gu Bei!
No matter how you looked at it, the deal was worth it. Gu Heng had rallied so many elders to impeach Gu Bei, but instead of bringing Gu Bei down, he had only managed to destroy himself. If those elders had all supported Gu Heng, even Gu Tianlong wouldn't have been able to touch him. But who could have predicted that these elders would collectively defect to Gu Bei?
Gu Heng had been far too arrogant, believing that relationships built over so many years couldn't possibly collapse all at once. But the reality had been entirely beyond his expectations!
Third Elder
Gu Bei watched the retreating figure of Third Elder Gu Yu, his gaze deep and unfathomable. (To be continued.)