At dawn the next day, Song Changsheng sat high upon the main hall's dais. Disciples of the Hall of Enforcement stood in two rows, clad in black battle gear, exuding killing intent. Outside the hall, a crowd of Song clan members had already gathered.
However, many were puzzled none of the clan elders were present. Even Xia Yunxue, the head of the Hall of Enforcement, was nowhere to be seen.
"The hour has arrived. Bring up the traitor, Song Xiandu," Song Changsheng declared, trying to make his voice sound more commanding.
Before long, Song Xiandu whose meridians and acupoints had been sealed was escorted into the hall. Many in the crowd glared at him with fury. After all, if he hadn't betrayed the Clan Leader back then, would the family have ever fallen to such a state?
Feeling the hatred and disgust in their stares, Song Xiandu suddenly burst into wild laughter. "Well, well everyone's here. Come, watch this brat humiliate the eldest son of the main branch. What a spectacle."
Song Changsheng snorted coldly and shouted, "You ungrateful traitor! How dare you still bring up the main branch? Ancestor Yun'gui was a paragon of virtue who devoted his life to the clan, only for it to produce a disgrace like you! You've brought shame to his name!"
With a sneer, Song Xiandu replied dismissively, "And who are you, a snot-nosed brat, to lecture me? If Song Xianming hadn't stolen the Clan Leader's position from me, things would never have come to this. He forced my hand!"
"The Clan Leader's position goes to the capable, not the entitled. It was appointed by Ancestor Yunhan and approved by the Council of Elders Yungui himself supported it. What right do you have to question that?"
"'Capable'? What capability did he have? He just seized the position through luck and suppressed those who opposed him."
Enraged, Song Changsheng laughed in disbelief. "Abuse of power? Suppression? What did he ever seek for himself? Who did he suppress? The Clan Leader gave his all for the clan for decades, and you dare slander him?"
"He didn't abuse power? You're not even thirty, yet you got a Foundation Pill and were made the clan's first Young Leader in a century! If that's not favoritism, what is? The Foundation Pill that was meant for me he gave it to his son, Song Luyan!
Fifteen years ago, when the main house sent a batch of Foundation Pills, one of them was supposed to be for my son, Lusheng. And what happened? It went to Xia Yunxue that outsider, that wench! What right did she have?!"
His rant grew increasingly hysterical.
Song Changsheng could feel his blood boiling. The man had not only slandered his grandfather but insulted his parents as well. If he weren't seated in the position of authority today, he might've torn the man limb from limb on the spot.
"Absurd! That pill my father received was a reward for placing in the top ranks of the clan tournament. You didn't even make the top four when did it ever belong to you?
As for my mother, she earned her pill through decades of contribution accumulating over 30,000 clan merit points through her winemaking alone. Your son only had a bit over 10,000 what gives you the right to claim it was his?
And the pill the clan awarded me? That was a decision made by the Council of Elders it had nothing to do with my grandfather. And for the record, I never even used it, feeling unworthy of it."
Song Changsheng stood up and stared coldly at Song Xiandu.
"What?"
That single sentence from Song Changsheng landed like a boulder thrown into a calm lake instantly sending waves of shock rippling through the crowd.
"No way! You didn't use the Foundation Pill? Then how did you form your foundation?" Song Xiandu roared, eyes bloodshot.
Song Changsheng glanced at him like he was a joke. "Have you never heard of the ancient cultivators' foundation methods?"
"I don't believe it!"
"Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. That Foundation Pill will soon find its rightful owner but you won't live to see that day." With a wave of his hand, Song Changsheng signaled for the disciples to take him away.
As Song Xiandu was dragged out, the crowd erupted into chatter. Everyone was speculating whether what Song Changsheng had just said was true.
"Hey, do you think what the Young Leader said is for real?"
"I think he's bluffing. Forming a foundation through ancient methods? Come on over the generations, only Ancestor Yungui managed that. It's way too difficult."
"Exactly. Not using a Foundation Pill when you have one? That's just plain stupid."
"But by what he said, he'll have to produce that pill now. He wouldn't joke about something like this in front of all of us, would he?"
"Well, I believe in the Young Leader and the Council of Elders."
...
Some questioned him, others believed but Song Changsheng paid them no mind. The truth would silence them all soon enough.
"Silence. Bring the others forward."
Before long, twelve traitors led by Song Lusheng were brought into the hall. Most of them belonged to the main branch of the clan.
The patriarch Song Taiyi had many wives and concubines and over a hundred children. Thanks to his high cultivation level, several of his children were cultivators five in total.
Ranked by birth order, they were Song Chuyi, Song Chuer, Song Chusan, Song Chuhe, and Song Chuwu.
Song Xiandu was a descendant of Song Chuyi's line, which was traditionally referred to as the "main branch." However, the clan had never differentiated between main and collateral lines, nor was there any rule stating that the Clan Leader must come from the main branch.
The only Clan Leader to ever come from the main branch was Song Yungui.
Perhaps it was resentment at not receiving special treatment that fueled their discontent. Secretly nurtured by Song Xiandu, they eventually became parasites, selling out the family for personal gain.
Except for Song Lusheng, the others immediately broke into tears, crying out their supposed "injustices" before Song Changsheng. But he wasn't some naïve child how could he be fooled by their act?
A few sharp questions later, they quickly confessed.
The more the crowd heard, the more shocked they became. What these people had done couldn't be described with mere words it was downright monstrous.
Soon, the crowd was in an uproar, with cries demanding their execution growing louder and louder. The traitors, now trembling and pale, were terrified.
Song Changsheng was seething with rage. Even killing them ten times over wouldn't quell his fury. With a wave of his hand, he motioned for the disciples to take them away, then said coldly, "Now, I will pronounce the clan's judgment."
The hall instantly fell silent. All eyes were on Song Changsheng.
"Song Xiandu, Song Lusheng, Song Lubai... these seven individuals are beyond redemption. They are sentenced to complete soul annihilation. All of their direct mortal descendants are to be exiled to the Great Wastes to serve as a warning to others.
As for Song Changchun, Song Lucheng, and the other six given the severity of their crimes, they are to be stripped of their cultivation and, along with their immediate family members in the mortal world, sent to the mines. Their fate will depend on their behavior."
In just a few simple sentences, Song Changsheng determined the life and death of nearly a thousand people.
The punishment was undeniably harsh, sending a chill through the crowd. At that moment, everyone mentally labeled Song Changsheng as ruthless.
Just like that, Song Changsheng's name became as feared and respected within the clan as Song Luyao's.
"Wasn't Changsheng's judgment a bit too harsh?" In the Hall of Whispering Winds, Xia Yunxue frowned and asked Song Luyao. Despite her deep hatred for those traitors, she couldn't help but soften when she saw how many people were affected.
Holding her wine cup calmly, Song Luyao replied, "I think he did the right thing. Kill one to warn a hundred anyone who dares betray the clan in the future will have to think long and hard about the consequences."
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