<b>Chapter 1272: Drawn Swords and Bent Bows</b>
His speech silenced the entire chamber. None of the members here wanted to talk.
As for the ancestors themselves, they didn't think Tianzhu would suddenly act so tough and openly revolt against them by challenging their authority.
“You traitorous disciple, daring to bluster like this!” A Lin Ancestor shouted: “Go, tie this traitor up and punish him.”
No one moved after this command came out. All the elders, protectors, and supervisors remained still.
“First Elder, what are you waiting for, go capture this traitor.” The ancestor raised his voice.
Among the section for elders, one elder looked at the Lin Ancestor and Tianzhu before answering with apprehension: “Ancestor… about this…”
In fact, no one wanted to take action in this matter. Capturing Hong Tianzhu was one thing, but handing his head over to Wyvern was something no one wanted to do.
Not to mention that cutting off the head of their sect master and giving it to their enemies was an act that would cause their lake to never be able to lift its head again, none of the members here wanted to bear this infamy.
Whoever cut off Tianzhu's head would be recorded in the annals of history. Strictly speaking, Tianzhu didn't quite violate any laws from the lake. Under such circumstances, the one who decapitates him would be remembered and reviled by the future generations for an eternity.
Thus, who would be willing to carry out the order of these ancestors? The members here weren't fools. The ancestors were willing to kill Tianzhu for their own gains — this meant that no matter who became the next sect master, their head could fall if they went against the interests of the ancestors in the future as well.
These ancestors were in control at this moment, so they used the lake's resources as their own. The members needed someone who could contain the ancestors so that they wouldn't be able to do as they please, so that they can't sacrifice the lake for personal gain.
Tianzhu's upheaval was a good beginning. If he could accomplish his goals today, then the juniors from the lake could stop the ancestors from their dictatorial nature later on.
However, if Tianzhu were to be killed today, the lake would completely belong to the ancestors and they would become mere pawns. The regulations and laws of the lake wouldn't be able to stop these ancestors any longer.
“All of you want to rebel as well?” The Lin Ancestor shouted after seeing the First Elder staying still.
Li Qiye commented out of nowhere at this time: “At least Dongting Lake can still be saved with some people who can see the big picture. They understand that the lake doesn't belong to you.”
The Lin Ancestor furiously shouted: “Shut up, junior, we'll deal with you in a second—”
In a flash, Li Qiye disappeared. Before the ancestor could finish his words, he was sent flying from Li Qiye's punch while spurting blood. He didn't even have the chance to stand before Li Qiye had him by the neck.
“Junior, don't be crazy!” A different ancestor from the Lin Clan instantly stood up and screamed, but he didn't dare to do anything while his peer was in Li Qiye's grasp.
The ancestor in his clasp cried out: “Junior, if you, you even dare to hurt half a hair of mine, don't even think about leaving the lake alive.”
“I could have spared your life out of consideration for your ancestors. Unfortunately, you are too stupid.” Li Qiye glared at this ancestor.
“Crack!” He easily crushed his neck then threw the corpse to the side like trash.
All this happened incredibly quickly. The other ancestors could only watch the death of their fellow ancestor.
When their minds returned, Li Qiye was already back in the high chair. In an instant, all the ancestors from the clans surrounded him.
A Hong ancestor sternly stated: “Junior, you think you can do whatever you want just because we want to capture you alive?”
A Xu ancestor exclaimed: “Capture and hand him over to Miss Shangguan!”
Li Qiye glared at these ancestors and spoke with contempt: “Just a bunch of Virtuous Paragons, yet you dare to bluster in front of me? Are you all too stupid to gather information? Shangguan Feiyan is a God-Monarch, yet I took her down with one fist. What can any of you do?”
The ancestors shuddered after hearing this. They exchanged glances and immediately took out their best weapons. The group was still eager to try with an imposing momentum.
A Lin ancestor retorted: “Junior, even if you are powerful, don't forget that this is Dongting Lake. Since you're here, don't even think about leaving.”
They weren't willing to back down at this moment since their lake still had an ace up its sleeve. Their great formation was still dormant; once they activated it, they would be able to trap a powerful God-Monarch like Li Qiye.
Li Qiye coldly declared: “If you had half this courage when facing the enemies outside, your Dongting Lake wouldn't have been reduced to this pathetic state of bending over and scraping for favors. Only a bunch of idiots who can only bully their own nest. Very well, I will massacre all of you today and eradicate your ancestors' unfilial descendants in their stead.”
Hong Tianzhu's heart skipped a beat after hearing this. He quickly interjected: “Young Noble Li, please show mercy.”
Even though he was going against the ancestors, he never thought about killing all of them. After all, they were still his seniors. It would be a huge sin if he was part of the reason why they were all killed.
Li Qiye dismissively countered: “They're just a group of fools, leaving them behind will only cause more trouble for the lake.” His eyes revealed a murderous glint.
The ancestors' hearts jumped after seeing the terrifying murderous glint in Li Qiye's eyes. They received a wake-up call of just who they were dealing with and immediately cried: “We beseech the Virtuous Ancestors.”
“Such arrogant words!” A heartless voice emerged. It had a hint of stateliness that prevented others from resisting.
At this time, four old men were carried inside. They were sitting on big chairs with tiger fur linings. They were extremely hoary and gave off the feeling of death. Their eyes were half closed; it was as if the moment they closed them completely, they would bid farewell to this world.
Moreover, their blood energies were essentially non-existent. Nevertheless, their half-closed eyes still emitted flashes as sharp as swords capable of tearing through all things.
“Virtuous Ancestors!” Hong Tianzhu was completely shocked after seeing the four ancestors and had to take a step back to calm himself. The other members were astonished as well and bowed their heads.
These four were the strongest ancestors that currently presided over Dongting Lake and had been living reclusively. They were also the ones behind the old reformation that abandoned the old creeds and unions. In the end, they forced the Zhang Clan away and divided all the properties of the lake.
Even though they rarely showed themselves, the direction of the lake was entirely under their control. All of the ancestors here were either their disciples or direct descendants. It could even be said that in order to prolong their lives, they kept a vast amount of resources from the lake for themselves.
The ancestors made way for the four old men. They quickly formed a formation to surround Li Qiye.
At this moment, no one dared to say anything. The elders and protectors dared to challenge the other ancestors, but they lost their courage in front of these four Virtuous Ancestors.
Some of the elders who were privy to past information were even more fearful of these four ancestors. They were aware of the four's cruelty. Any disobedience would result in either banishment or house arrest. Nothing good would come from opposing them.
Hong Tianzhu's face paled; he secretly winked at Li Qiye to let him know how bad the situation had become.
“First, capture that traitor Tianzhu.” The four ancestors didn't bother glancing at Tianzhu. They had absolute power and controlled the life and death of the lake's disciples.
A younger ancestor immediately came closer to capture him. At this time, Hong Tianzhu could only stand there with an austere demeanor. He knew that resistance would be futile due to his lack of strength.