stonecrandall 609. Eldar Decision
609. Eldar Decision
Two hours before the Danta incident.
The setting sun was like blood. Ling Haonan, the Supreme Elder of the Spirit Clan, stood alone in the courtyard, watching the setting sun fall, a trace of longing appearing in his eyes.
Ling Yu quietly came up behind Ling Haonan, but seeing Ling Haonan's appearance, she did not dare to interrupt the Supreme Elder's thoughts.
"Is everything ready?" the old man suddenly asked, his voice as soft as withered leaves rubbing against stone steps.
"The thirty-six spirit guards and eighty clansmen have all assembled and are awaiting the Supreme Elder's command!" Ling Yu replied respectfully, bowing her head.
"Alright." Ling Haonan shifted his gaze from the sunset over Saint Pill City and looked at Ling Yu, who was waiting for his orders not far away, and instructed, "Ling Yu, you can go now."
Upon hearing this, Ling Yu abruptly looked up, and upon seeing Ling Haonan's gaze, he instantly understood the Supreme Elder's meaning. He then suddenly kowtowed heavily, the dull thud of his forehead striking the bluestone echoing in the twilight, and asked, "Supreme Elder, Ling Yu doesn't know what he did wrong."
"You did nothing wrong. Since it is your brother Lingluo's request to let you live, I want to grant it."
Ling Yu was also startled, and then fell to the ground, pleading, "Elder, not a single member of the Spirit Guard is afraid of death. Please give me a chance."
Ling Haonan forced a smile, the intense headache relentlessly affecting him. He finally walked slowly to Ling Yu and helped him up, saying leisurely, "Of course I know you're not afraid of death. None of the spirit guards I personally trained are afraid of death. It's just that the situation of the spirit race is not what it used to be."
Upon hearing this, Ling Yu fully understood Ling Haonan's meaning, and tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke: "Elder, why must it be like this! With our entire clan working together, we will surely overcome this difficulty!"
Upon hearing this, Ling Haonan slowly shook his head, not answering Ling Yu's question, but saying in a solemn tone, "Letting you leave is not only an explanation to your brother, but also a truly top-secret mission I have given you."
"This is far more important than fighting in Saint Pill City! Spirit Guard Ling Yu, obey my command!"
"Lingyu is here!"
"I now command you, in my capacity as the Supreme Elder of the Spirit Clan, to immediately leave Holy Pill City, conceal all your cultivation, and establish your own lineage. If any major upheaval occurs within the Spirit Clan..."
At this point, Ling Haonan sighed, looking up, "...Then your descendants will be the future bloodline of the Spirit Clan!"
Ling Haonan spoke with utmost solemnity, and Ling Yu, as a member of the Spirit Guard, naturally could not refuse such an order. However, he also understood what this order, which was akin to entrusting one's fate to another, meant. His voice choked with emotion as he replied, "Ling Yu, I obey!"
"Hidden identity means that you must never reveal your Spirit Clan identity, and from then on, there will be no information about you among the Spirit Clan."
At this point, Ling Haonan's tone softened: "If the Spirit Clan can safely overcome this crisis, then naturally someone will bring you back."
Upon hearing this, Ling Yu gritted her teeth, knelt down, and kowtowed three times to Ling Haonan. Then, noticing that Ling Haonan had barely drunk any of the tea meant for calming the soul, she finally advised, "Elder, your headache must be taken seriously and not treated carelessly..."
Ling Haonan, growing impatient, ordered, "Hurry up! That was the last task I gave you. Don't let me down!"
Upon hearing this, Ling Yu left without a word. After leaving Saint Pill City, in order to complete the task given to him by Ling Haonan of the Ling Clan, he went to the outskirts of Sound Valley, found a restaurant, destroyed his appearance, and completely hid his identity. Staying there, he would tell a different story altogether.
After Ling Yu left silently, Ling Haonan picked up the soothing tea that had been sitting on the edge of the chair for a long time and drank it all in one gulp.
Ling Haonan then left his courtyard and went to the main hall of the Ye family, one of the five great families of the Pill Tower. The Ye family hall was now very lively, with more than a hundred people gathered there, but none of them were the original masters of the Ye family.
The moment Ling Haonan stepped into the Ye family's council hall, more than thirty combat boots struck the blue bricks in unison. The elite members of the Ling clan straightened their spines, expressing the simplest and most sincere respect to Ling Haonan.
The once noisy hall fell silent immediately after Ling Haonan arrived, with not a single sound audible.
Everyone stared silently at the single chair. Even the Holy Spirit He, the Dou Sheng, wasn't entitled to sit down; he merely stood to the side. Within the Spirit Clan, the power of the Supreme Elder was no less than that of the Clan Chief—this was no empty statement.
All the members of the Spirit Clan were clearly divided into two groups. One group had fewer people, but everyone was dressed in sleek, silver-black armor that fit their bodies perfectly. Each person's aura was perfectly concealed, like a sharp blade hidden in its sheath. Once drawn, it would take a life!
On the other side, there were more people, but their auras seemed somewhat scattered, and the expressions on their faces varied. However, these people displayed a degree of disdain towards the Ye family's main hall. They were all true descendants of the Spirit Clan, and the pride of a Dou Di family in their bones imbued their actions with an air of arrogance.
"Reporting to the Supreme Elder, all thirty-six Spirit Guards have arrived." The silver-armored commander's voice shattered the deathly silence of the room, sounding as if it came from the depths of an ice cave.
Seeing this, a nine-star Dou Zun from the Spirit Clan immediately appeared and respectfully said, "The eighty-one Dou Zun of the Spirit Clan respectfully obey the orders of the Supreme Elder."
Ling Haonan glanced at everything, nodded slowly, and then told the two to return to their positions.
"Gentlemen, although you have only just arrived, you must already know what has happened in Saint Pill City." Ling Haonan's tone was very soft, but no one dared to ignore him.
"Our Spirit Clan's prodigy, Ling Zhuo, has lost. He failed to personally win the Pill Gathering championship!"
The results of the Pill Gathering had naturally already spread. For the Spirit Clan, who had originally considered the Pill Gathering championship a sure thing, it was extremely difficult to accept that the championship had slipped through their fingers despite such extensive preparations.
If Ling Haonan hadn't been there, and Elder Ling He, who supported Ling Zhuo, hadn't been present, someone would probably have already taken the initiative to denounce Ling Zhuo. Although the members of the Ling Clan share the same bloodline, they are by no means a monolithic group.
Ling Haonan continued, "Failing to win the Pill Gathering championship has made it impossible for us to continue with our original plans. Now, the future of the Spirit Clan depends on everyone here!"