Therefore, after receiving the news from Xiao Zhan and others, Lin Xiao and Dugu Bo set out to the city to meet them.
As for the others, they will stay in the valley for the time being to continue their cultivation and consolidate their newly improved cultivation.
However, what surprised Lin Xiao was that when he and Dugu Bo arrived at the gate of Tiandou City, the person who came to greet them was not Xiao Zhan as expected.
Instead, they were Yang Wudi, the patriarch of the Po clan, Bai He, the patriarch of the Min clan, and... Niu Gao, the patriarch of the Yu clan, who shouldn't have been here.
What made Lin Xiao's heart even more depressed was the three patriarchs of the single-attribute sects.
At this moment, they all had gloomy faces and sorrowful eyes. Their expressions were complicated, as if they were suppressing unspeakable emotions.
Even when they saw Lin Xiao and Dugu Bo, the two backbones, appear in front of them, the heavy expressions on their faces did not ease in the slightest.
"What's wrong with you? Did something happen?"
"Also, why is Chief Niu here too?
Yang Wudi, Bai He and Niu Gao looked at each other.
In the end, it was Yang Wudi who stepped forward and spoke.
"Master... Your Majesty Dugu... This is not the place to talk. There are too many people and too many eyes. Let's return to our temporary base first and report in detail."
Lin Xiao exchanged glances with Dugu Bo beside him, and saw seriousness in each other's eyes.
"Okay." Lin Xiao nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
Afterwards, the three clan leaders Yang Wudi, Bai He and Niu Gao led the way in front, and Lin Xiao and Dugu Bo followed behind. The group walked into Tiandou City in silence.
The final destination made his doubts reach a peak - they were actually taken to the base of the Li clan!
However, when Lin Xiao stepped into the lobby of the residence, he found that Xiao Zhan, Tieshan and Lu Su were already waiting there.
The only missing person was Titan, the patriarch of the Power Clan who was supposed to be the owner of this place, and any other member of the Power Clan.
Lin Xiao found a random seat and sat down, while Dugu Bo stood half a step behind him.
Lin Xiao's eyes slowly swept across everyone's faces, taking in each of their expressions. Finally, he took a deep breath and spoke in a deep voice:
"Now, who of you can tell me what's going on?"
The next moment, under Lin Xiao's slightly surprised gaze, Yang Wudi, Bai He and Niu Gao all took a step forward and suddenly knelt on one knee.
Then, Yang Wudi, who had already officially joined Lin Xiao's forces, spoke up:
"Your Highness! I apologize... Before this, Bai He and I did not consult the Lord first."
"So I privately decided to contact the Yu clan and the Li clan, hoping to persuade them to join us."
"Things are going very smoothly here, Chief Niu Gao. Old Rhino understands the greater good and has agreed to join us and serve the clan leader."
As Yang Wudi finished speaking, Niu Gao, who had been silent all this time, immediately raised his head, looked at Lin Xiao, clasped his fists and said in a deep voice:
"Niu Gao of the Yu clan greets Sect Master Lin! From now on, the Yu clan is willing to obey the Sect Master's orders!"
Lin Xiao looked at Niu Gao calmly, nodded slightly, and said nothing more.
He knew that Yang Wudi had not finished speaking, and now was obviously not the time to place Niu Gao.
Sure enough, Yang Wudi's expression became even more serious, but he had no choice but to continue reporting:
"But...but when the three of us came together to the Power Clan's base a few days ago, preparing to negotiate with Titan about joining."
"But... unexpectedly discovered that their Li clan had already known about the Haotian Sect."
"Even, during the conversation, we still have to know."
"Over the years... Titan and the Heli clan have been secretly providing assistance and intelligence to the Haotian Sect in capturing independent soul masters."
As soon as these words were spoken, not only Lin Xiao, but also Dugu Bo behind him, had his eyes suddenly become sharp.
Yang Wudi's voice became increasingly low, filled with struggle:
"Things have developed to this point. We dare not let him leave to pass on the news to the Haotian Sect..."
"So...so the three of us have no choice...but to join forces...and take over the entire Li Clan..."
"Butchered."
The last two words seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and also expressed endless sorrow and helplessness.
After the words fell, Yang Wudi, Bai He and Niu Gao all lowered their heads deeply, their shoulders trembling slightly.
Their emotions were extremely complicated, including indignation, disappointment, regret and grief, as well as self-blame.
Lin Xiao was silent for a moment and turned his gaze to Xiao Zhan beside him.
Xiao Zhan felt Lin Xiao's gaze, but did not say anything. He just nodded slowly and heavily at Lin Xiao, confirming that what Yang Wudi said was true.
In an instant, Lin Xiao completely understood why Yang Wudi and the other three were like this.
After all, Titan and the other three have a friendship of decades. They are all from the four sects with single attributes and have supported each other for many years.
But now, because of his different positions, he had to personally slaughter the entire family of his former friend.
Even if the Li clan really brought this upon themselves, they deserved to die.
But the emotional entanglement involved is something that outsiders cannot understand. This heavy knot in my heart will probably take a long time to slowly dissipate.
However, understanding is understanding, but what follows is deeper worry.
Lin Xiao had actually anticipated that the Li Clan was secretly helping the Haotian Sect.
After all, among the four single-attribute sects, only their Li clan can take root in Tiandou City, and it can even be said that they are thriving.
Living next door to Yuexuan's owner Tang Yuehua, Lin Xiao would never believe that there was no connection between them.
But now, the Li clan was wiped out by Yang Wudi, Bai He and Niu Gao.
Titan, the Haotian Sect's secretly nurtured lackey, was eliminated. They would definitely guess that it was Yang Wudi and others who discovered the secret of the Li Clan.
What kind of reaction will the Haotian Sect have next?
They would think that the dog Titan is insignificant and choose to wait and see for the time being.
He would still be furious and send strong men to Tiandou City to kill Yang Wudi, Bai He and Niu Gao.
All of this has become an unpredictable variable, making the future situation instantly more turbulent.
But looking at the three people still kneeling in front of him, Lin Xiao could no longer afford to think about those potential threats.
He spoke slowly
"You know... if a sect wants to truly grow and gain a lasting foothold in the world, strict discipline is the primary condition."
"Especially at such a critical moment as now, if we take a wrong step, we could face an abyss."
Upon hearing this, Yang Wudi, Bai He, and Niu Gao were all shocked. They suppressed their sorrow and responded in unison:
"I know I was wrong! I accept the Sect Master's punishment!"