As he spoke, the Earth Demon Clan ancestor also released his energy aura, directly repelling the Qin Family's Grand Elder a dozen or so steps back.
"He's an Intermediate True God!"
Both the Qin Family Patriarch and the Grand Elders, sensing the Earth Demon Clan ancestor's energy, were startled and hurriedly withdrew their own energy auras. No one wanted to confront an Intermediate True God for no reason.
"Strange, who exactly is this young man? Why does he have so many True Gods with him? He even has an Intermediate True God. Could he be a core disciple from one of the most powerful super factions in our Sixth Void? But why would those super factions come to interfere in our Qin Family's affairs?"
The Qin Family Patriarch and the Grand Elders were all filled with doubt and suspicion.
"Young man, and you other esteemed friends, this is an internal matter of our Qin Family. We must ask you to not intervene," the Qin Family Grand Elder who had been forced back spoke, his tone comparatively mild. It wasn't that he didn't want to be forceful, but the other side had a full nine True Gods—strength that already surpassed the Qin Family's.
"Since it involves the Autumn Wind Group, then it has to do with me," Ye Yunfei said indifferently.
The Autumn Wind Group and the Guardian Faction were allied; the Autumn Wind Group was practically a subsidiary force of the Guardian Faction. Ye Yunfei suspected that the Autumn Wind Group's involvement in the Qin Family's affairs was to win the Qin Family over for the Guardian Faction. Naturally, he had to step in.
Upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the Qin Family Patriarch and the Grand Elders were taken aback. "It seems this young man has some grudge with the Autumn Wind Group," one Grand Elder sent a Sound Transmission to the others.
"It's strange. I just ordered our Qin Family's spies to investigate this young man's identity and background, but all the replies we've gotten so far are that 'no such person can be found'," the Qin Family Patriarch said with deep puzzlement, glancing at Ye Yunfei as he transmitted his words to the other Grand Elders.
"Patriarch, Esteemed Grand Elders! I demand the execution of Qin Haoxuan and all members of his branch! Conspiring with external enemies and slaughtering one's own kin—if such crimes can be forgiven so easily, then whenever conflicts arise within our Qin Family in the future, everyone will imitate Qin Haoxuan's actions, and our Qin Family will be in grave danger!" Qin Hongyi took a step forward, raising his voice to declare loudly.
"Execute Qin Haoxuan and all members of his branch!" The moment Qin Hongyi finished speaking, all the people behind him shouted in unison.
The members of Qin Hongyi's branch had been hunted and attacked by Qin Haoxuan and his people, watching their family members fall one by one into pools of blood. Such a deep-seated hatred was impossible to forget. Now, it finally erupted collectively.
In fact, the people of Qin Hongyi's branch harbored resentment towards the Patriarch and the Grand Elders because during the earlier massacre, not a single one of them had stepped forward to stop it. Now they suddenly appeared, demanding that Qin Haoxuan be spared. No one could accept this.
"We beseech the Patriarch and the Grand Elders to execute Qin Haoxuan and all members of his branch, to avenge the wrongful deaths of our people!" Seeing the Patriarch and Grand Elders standing there in silence, the members of Qin Hongyi's branch, filled with anger, once more shouted out in unison.
The other Qin Family clansmen watching from the sidelines observed this scene, wanting to see how the Patriarch and Grand Elders would handle the matter. Everyone could clearly see the rights and wrongs of this affair.
Ye Yunfei stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression impassive and silent. The True God experts from the Earth Demon Clan and others behind him also watched the scene with cool indifference.
Qin Hongyi dared to stand his ground directly against the Patriarch and Grand Elders precisely because he had the backing of Ye Yunfei and his entourage. In his heart, he was sure his daughter must have a close relationship with Ye Yunfei; it was highly likely this young man was pursuing her. Otherwise, why would he come to the Ancient Qin World Cluster at this time? Besides, Qin Xiaoyu had secretly assured her father that Ye Yunfei would lend a hand if anything happened.
"Hongyi, do you truly intend to disobey the Patriarch's command? Hongyi, I think you should heed the Patriarch's order. Rest assured, the Patriarch will certainly compensate your branch for its losses," after a tense standoff, a Grand Elder finally spoke.
Upon hearing this, Qin Hongyi's heart sank. He knew the Patriarch still intended to protect Qin Haoxuan.
"Qin Hongyi, do you hear that? That is the Patriarch's command! Why haven't you released me yet? You dare to disobey even the Patriarch's command? Is this your open declaration of betrayal against our Qin Family?" Qin Haoxuan also sensed the Patriarch's intention to spare his life and immediately burst into triumphant laughter, shouting towards Qin Hongyi.
Hearing Qin Haoxuan's words, though filled with unwillingness, Qin Hongyi stood there momentarily at a loss for words. Because within the Qin Family, the Patriarch's commands were absolute law. The Patriarch was the sky of the Qin Family; defying the Patriarch was equivalent to betraying the Qin Family itself. Even though everyone in the Qin Family now knew Qin Haoxuan was at fault, it appeared the Patriarch wanted to protect him. Not only Qin Hongyi was speechless, all the other Qin Family clansmen present fell silent.
"Patriarch, I want to know the reason," Qin Hongyi asked through clenched teeth, his fists tightly clenched, veins bulging on his neck, filled with intense unwillingness.
So many people from his branch had died, and now the Patriarch didn't intend to seek justice? Of course Qin Hongyi was unconvinced.
"Didn't the Patriarch just explain? Too many Qin Family members have died in this conflict; it must stop. Continuing this way will severely weaken our Qin Family. The situation in the Sixth Void is changing rapidly; a major upheaval could erupt at any moment. For our Qin Family to survive such chaos, we must ensure we have sufficient strength," the Grand Elder who had spoken earlier said again.
"Hongyi, I know you are angry. But you are to become one of the main high-ranking figures of our Qin Family in the future. For the sake of the entire family's interests, sometimes sacrifice is necessary. A family must prioritize the bigger picture. The conflict between your two branches cannot continue," another Grand Elder chimed in.
Qin Hongyi listened to the words of these two Grand Elders and was momentarily speechless. Their words repeatedly emphasized prioritizing the family's overall situation, leaving him with no clear way to respond.
All the people behind Qin Hongyi, though seething with indignation, also didn't know what to say. The scene descended into silence once more.
"Hahahaha…"
Suddenly, wild laughter rang out. An elder stepped forward from the crowd behind Qin Hongyi. Stretching out his hands, he produced a blood-drenched corpse—that of a young man.
"'For the family's interests,' indeed! 'Prioritizing the bigger picture,' indeed! 'Our Qin Family must preserve its strength,' indeed! Esteemed Grand Elders, I have one question. Since the Patriarch and all Grand Elders understand that our Qin Family must preserve its strength, do the members of our branch not count as members of the Qin Family? When nearly half our branch was slaughtered, does that not count as weakening the Qin Family's overall strength? Why, when Qin Haoxuan brought people to hunt down our branch, did the Patriarch and Grand Elders never once intervene to stop it from beginning to end? Does the grievous loss of life and limb among our branch not constitute a loss for the entire Qin Family?"
"My grandson was just eighteen this year. He has always been a renowned young talent within our Qin Family, ranking in the top twenty in the last clan competition. The Patriarch himself awarded him his prize then. But not long ago, this beast Qin Haoxuan personally killed my grandson. I ask you: does the death of a young Qin Family talent like my grandson not constitute a loss for the Qin Family?"
"Qin Haoxuan, this beast, killed nearly half the people in our branch! Are his actions not weakening our entire Qin Family's strength? Why is it that now, when our branch has turned the tables and Qin Haoxuan, this old beast, is slated for execution, the Patriarch and Grand Elders suddenly decide he cannot be killed, or else it would 'harm our Qin Family's overall strength' and 'disrupt our family's larger situation'?"
"I want to ask the Patriarch and the Grand Elders: Is it that no matter how many casualties our branch suffers, it doesn't harm the Qin Family's overall strength or affect its bigger picture? But if Qin Haoxuan's branch suffers any casualties, it immediately affects the Qin Family's strength and its larger situation? Is that the logic here?"
The elder poured out his grief and indignation while holding high the blood-soaked corpse of the young man cradled in his arms. Fresh blood continued to stream from the boy's body, already dyeing a large patch of ground around the elder crimson. The stench of blood rose into the sky. The elder's voice, filled with righteousness, echoed throughout the small world.
"How dare you! How dare you speak to the Patriarch and to us in this manner!" Halfway through the elder's speech, the Qin Family Patriarch and the Grand Elders' expressions had already darkened drastically. One Grand Elder, with an enraged look, stepped forward, intending to release his energy pressure to suppress the speaking elder.
But at that moment, the Earth Demon Clan ancestor standing behind Ye Yunfei snorted coldly and stepped forward as well. A torrent of furious energy rolled forth, immediately forcing that Qin Family Grand Elder back several steps.
"Speak if you wish to speak, but don't think you can rely on your seniority to bully others. I don't care for such tactics," the Earth Demon Clan ancestor said coldly.
The Grand Elder glared at the Earth Demon Clan ancestor, a flash of anger in his eyes that vanished instantly. In the end, he chose to retreat. He lacked the courage to go head-to-head with an Intermediate True God; even the Qin Family Patriarch wouldn't want to provoke a conflict with an Intermediate True God.
After the elder finished speaking, the entire small world fell silent. Although his words had ended, they seemed to produce rolling, invisible, and silent echoes reverberating in everyone's hearts. This was especially true for those following Qin Hongyi; every one of them was filled with blazing indignation.
Not only this elder—almost every person in Qin Hongyi's branch had personally witnessed their kin falling into pools of blood during the previous conflict, and the main culprit was this Qin Haoxuan before them.
"Patriarch, Esteemed Grand Elders! This was my wife. She was an Intermediate Virtual God. For the sake of the Qin Family's interests, my wife and I led our family's hunting teams year after year deep into the Black Demon Forest, slaying valuable demonic beasts and monsters. For hundreds of years, we risked life and limb countless times without complaint, accumulating a vast amount of valuable demonic beast materials for the Qin Family. Yet not long ago, my wife was killed by Qin Haoxuan's branch. I want to ask: does the tragic death of my wife constitute a loss for the entire Qin Family? Why did no one step forward to stop it?"
A middle-aged man suddenly walked out from the ranks behind Qin Hongyi. He retrieved a female corpse from a spatial treasure, holding it tightly. Raising his head, he looked at the Qin Family Patriarch and the Grand Elders and challenged them loudly. As he gazed upon his wife, his companion for most of his life, now devoid of any vital signs, tears streamed down his face, and towering wrath erupted from him, startling all present.
With someone leading the way, members of Qin Hongyi's branch began to follow suit one after another, stepping forward. Some took out the remains of their loved ones; some produced fragmented limbs or shattered flesh left behind after their kin's tragic deaths; others took out magic treasures or personal items stained with blood. They all began to question the Patriarch and the Grand Elders.
Originally, as Qin Family members, they held deep reverence and fear for the Patriarch and Grand Elders. But now, with their loved ones slain and the Patriarch intent on sparing the main culprit, a mental barrier had been crossed for each of them. They disregarded all else, stepping forward to accuse and question.
The Qin Family Patriarch and the Grand Elders stared at the bloodstained corpses, the horrifying fragmented remains, and the blood-smeared relics and were momentarily at a loss for words.
The other Qin Family clansmen watching from the sides, seeing so many of their own clan's corpses or remains, were also deeply moved.
"What Qin Haoxuan's branch did is truly too much!" Many Qin Family members couldn't help but think to themselves.
"Rebellion! Rebellion! Qin Hongyi, it seems your branch truly intends to rebel! How dare you treat the Patriarch and the Grand Elders with such an attitude? Do we no longer have any rules regarding respect for elders and hierarchy within our Qin Family?!" Sensing the unfavorable shift in atmosphere, Qin Haoxuan immediately began to roar in anger, trying to disrupt the mood.
"Qin Haoxuan, you beast! No matter what, you will die today. No matter who tries to protect you, I will avenge my grandson this very day! My son fought and died for the Qin Family's interests in foreign lands, making immense contributions for our clan. And now, his son, my grandson, was killed by a member of his own Qin Family! I cannot swallow this injustice! Even if my entire line—grandfather, father, and grandson—is wiped out, I must have this revenge!"
The Qin Family elder who had first stepped forward to challenge, holding his grandson's corpse, suddenly began striding towards Qin Haoxuan's Soul Body.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Qin Haoxuan's Soul Body, seeing this, was horrified. His Soul Body had been sealed by Ye Yunfei using extremely skillful techniques. He had exhausted all means trying to break the seal earlier but to no avail. In his current state, anyone could easily kill him.
"You will not be so disrespectful! The Patriarch has commanded that his life be spared!" Seeing this, a Grand Elder's face darkened.
*Rumble…*
Suddenly, he extended a large hand, lightning-fast, grabbing towards Qin Haoxuan's Soul Body, intending to snatch it away.
With a True God making a move, the elder holding his grandson was immediately forced back.
"Hahaha! Patriarch, Esteemed Grand Elders! Very well! It seems our branch's lives are utterly worthless in your eyes. No matter how many of our branch die, it has no impact on the Qin Family's interests or larger situation! But the lives of Qin Haoxuan's branch are pricelessly precious to the Qin Family, especially this beast Qin Haoxuan—he simply cannot die!"
"I am not convinced! Since the Patriarch and Grand Elders hold our branch in such contempt, fine! Such a Qin Family is not worth staying in. From this moment on, I withdraw from the Qin Family. Grandson, let's go. Grandpa will take you away from this Qin Family that no longer deserves our attachment. Qin Haoxuan, you beast, if you don't die today, I will make you pay in blood someday."
The elder gave a sorrowful laugh while holding his grandson's corpse, turned to leave, and shot a fierce glare at Qin Haoxuan's Soul Body before departing.
"Rebellion! Rebellion! Qin Hongyi, your branch truly wants to rebel!" Qin Haoxuan began shouting loudly.
"Qin Haoxuan, weren't you earlier convinced our branch had already betrayed the Qin Family? And wasn't that exactly the excuse you used to bring people and slaughter our branch? You can't be realizing this only now, can you?" Qin Hongyi had been somewhat hesitant about whether to continue pursuing Qin Haoxuan's responsibility. But now, seeing that practically everyone in his branch refused to accept this injustice, he knew he couldn't show weakness at this moment or risk losing their hearts. His resolve immediately solidified.
"Patriarch, Esteemed Grand Elders! Our branch refuses to accept this. We demand the execution of this beast Qin Haoxuan! Let him atone for the lives of our innocent clansmen who died tragically!" Qin Hongyi took a deep breath and then announced firmly.
"We demand the execution of this beast Qin Haoxuan! Let him pay with his life!" All those behind Qin Hongyi roared in unison once more.
The elder holding his grandson also turned back and joined the others in shouting.
Witnessing this scene, the Qin Family Patriarch and the Grand Elders' faces finally grew completely somber.
"Qin Hongyi, I warn you. Your branch's actions are tantamount to betraying the Qin Family," a Grand Elder slowly declared.
"It seems the Patriarch and Grand Elders are dead set on protecting Qin Haoxuan this beast. Since that's the case, then from this moment on, our branch withdraws from the Qin Family," Qin Hongyi's gaze bore intensely into the Patriarch and Grand Elders. After a moment, he slowly announced.
He knew the Patriarch and Grand Elders had completely sided with Qin Haoxuan. Perhaps all of Qin Haoxuan's actions had been undertaken with their tacit approval or even direct orders. Under these circumstances, if his branch continued to stay within the Qin Family, they might very well suffer a similar fate in the future.