22: Chapter 22 Re-establishing Rules

Everyone was stunned by this blatant betrayal. Selling out Family intelligence and colluding with a mortal enemy—in any Family on the Tianxuan Continent, this was an unforgivable capital offense!

"No... No... Yuan'er... You foolish child!" Third Elder Ling Haichuan wept, tears streaming down his face as he beat his chest in despair. He knew it was over; everything was over.

Ling Hao stood up, ignoring man in black, and turned to face the high platform and all the clansmen. His voice rose abruptly, like a drawn sword, slicing through the heavy silence:

"Everyone has heard it! And you have seen it!"

"Ling Yuan, as a member of the Ling Family, did not seek to serve the Family. Instead, driven by selfish desires, he colluded with external enemies, betrayed the secrets of the Family's assets, and even intended to harm the Family Head! The evidence is conclusive, and he has confessed without reservation!"

His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept across every face in the crowd:

"I ask you, what is the punishment for such a traitor to the Family?!"

After a brief silence,

"Kill him!"

"Kill him!"

"Traitors to the Family must die!"

Angry roars erupted first from the younger generation, then spread rapidly throughout the entire audience! The members of the War Hall and the collateral clansmen, who had long suffered under the oppression of external enemies, were particularly incensed. Traitors were even more hateful than external enemies!

Ling Hao raised his hand, silencing the roar.

He looked at Third Elder Ling Haichuan, who was pale and devastated on the high platform, and asked in a cold voice, "Third Elder, Ling Yuan is your son. What do you have to say?"

Third Elder Ling Haichuan shuddered. He looked up into Ling Hao's emotionless eyes, then at the angry glares of the clansmen below. He knew that if he dared to shield his son again, he would likely drag himself down with him.

He struggled to his feet, knelt deeply toward Ling Zhentian and the Grand Elder, and pressed his forehead to the ground. His voice was hoarse and desperate: "My wicked son... deserves to die a thousand times! This old man... failed to teach his son properly, failing our ancestors and the Family! I implore the Family Head... to uphold the Family laws! This old man... is unfit to remain an Elder and is willing... to accept any punishment!" He was cutting off his own tail to survive, sacrificing his son to preserve his branch of the Family.

Ling Zhentian watched the Third Elder kneeling in confession, his heart filled with complex emotions. They had been of the same Family for many years, but the crime of betraying the Family was simply too grave.

Great Elder Ling Shanhe sighed and looked at Ling Hao: "Young Lord, how do you think we should handle this?"

He handed the decision-making power to Ling Hao.

Everyone's gaze once again focused on the youth in green standing in the center of the martial arts arena.

Ling Hao walked slowly to where Ling Yuan lay slumped on the ground.

Feeling the shadow of death looming over him, Ling Yuan was covered in tears and snot, kowtowing frantically: "Young Lord! Young Lord, spare me! I know I was wrong! I truly know I was wrong! For the sake of my father's years of hard work for the Family, please spare my life! I am willing to be your slave and servant! I beg you!"

Ling Hao looked down at him without a hint of pity.

"Family law is like a mountain; clan rules are like iron."

"Traitors to the Family..."

His voice was not loud, but it echoed like thunder in everyone's heart:

"Execute!"

"No—!" Ling Yuan let out a desperate scream.

Ling Hao did not do it himself but instead looked at Ling Xiao: "Cousin, execute the Family law!"

Ling Xiao, who had been unable to hold back, stepped forward at these words. He shook his long spear, the tip shimmering with a cold glint!

Without hesitation or wasted words, the spear struck like a Dragon, shooting out like lightning!

"Puchi!"

Blood splattered!

Ling Yuan's pleas for mercy ceased abruptly. His head rolled to the ground, his eyes still wide open, filled with endless fear and regret. The headless corpse twitched twice before crashing to the ground.

The scent of blood instantly filled the air. The entire arena was deathly silent, with only the sound of heavy breathing.

Many clansmen turned pale, and some women even covered their eyes. But more people looked on with satisfaction and awe. This was the fate a traitor deserved!

Ling Hao didn't even glance at the corpse on the ground, turning his gaze to man in black, who was scared to the point of fainting.

"As for this spy from the Wang Family..." Ling Hao's voice was cold. "Destroy his cultivation, break his limbs, record his confession with an Imprinting Stone, and send it back to the Wang Family along with his head!"

"Tell the Wang Family—"

"If you dare to stretch out your claws, I will chop them off!"

"If you are not satisfied, let them come and fight me themselves!"

Overbearing! Sharp!

"Yes!" Ling Xiao, his blood boiling, shouted in agreement and waved for the members of the War Hall to carry it out.

After dealing with the traitor and the enemy spy, Ling Hao turned around to face all the clansmen again.

His body was still stained with the lingering scent of blood, and as his gaze swept over them, no one dared to meet his eyes.

"Let today's events serve as a warning to you all!"

"The Ling Family may not be what it once was, but our spine cannot be broken! Our bones cannot be soft!"

"From this day forward, every member of the Ling Family must remember—"

His voice resonated like a great bell, striking everyone's heart.

"We obey the Young Lord's command!" Ling Xiao was the first to kneel on one knee, cupping his fists and shouting.

"We obey the Young Lord's command!" The ten members of the War Hall knelt down in succession.

Following that, more and more clansmen, shocked by the scene and won over by Ling Hao's Aura, bowed in salute. The sound grew from sparse to dense, eventually converging into a uniform roar:

"We obey the Young Lord's command!"

The roar rolled on, soaring straight into the clouds!

On the high platform, Ling Zhentian watched his son's back, standing tall like a pine tree, and looked at the clansmen kneeling below in heartfelt submission. Tears welled up in his tiger-like eyes. Su Qingyue held her husband's hand tightly, smiling through her tears.

Great Elder Ling Shanhe stroked his beard, the last trace of doubt in his eyes vanishing, leaving only deep gratification and determination.

Thus, Ling Hao used thunderous means to purge the traitors and re-establish the rules, instantly cementing his unshakeable authority within the Family!

The first fire he lit was bloody, but it also burned out the long-dormant fighting spirit and cohesion of the Ling Family!

Ling Hao's gaze had already crossed the eaves of the ancestral hall, casting toward the direction of the enemies eyeing them covetously outside Qingyun City.

He knew that the real storm had only just begun. But he had already gripped his blade.