...
At this moment, the gazes of all the deacons and elders turned toward Yu Luomian were filled with undisguised awe.
This was something Yu Luomian could never have commanded during the time Yu Yuanzhen was the Sect Master!
This greatly satisfied Yu Luomian's vanity.
It also made him realize even more clearly that he had to stay in Luo Nan's good graces—that was the only way to secure benefits!
Many even lamented in private that if not for the fact that Yu Luomian's current cultivation was merely at the level of a Rank 79 Soul Saint—still a fair distance away from becoming a Soul Douluo...
...given the strategic acumen and political savvy he had displayed, along with the monumental service he had rendered to the sect...
...he would already be the rightful new Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect!
Even the current Sect Master, Yu Xiaolie—seated in the position below him—no longer looked at his second uncle with the arrogance and disdain of the past.
In their place was a sense of profound admiration.
Yu Xiaolie finally understood that in this cruel world, brute force and impulsiveness alone were not enough for long-term survival.
The methods of a formidable leader—like his second uncle—who could endure in desperate situations, survive in the tightest of straits, and ultimately turn the situation to his advantage to return in triumph...
...that was the true path to preserving and strengthening the sect.
"Second Uncle... we owe this all to you."
Yu Xiaolie stood up, raised a cup of wine with his few remaining fingers, and bowed deeply to Yu Luomian, his tone filled with heartfelt gratitude and shame.
"If you hadn't turned the tide, I, Yu Xiaolie, would likely be nothing more than a corpse by now and our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect would have been utterly ruined. I toast you!"
Yu Luomian looked at the nephew before him—who had finally been tempered into maturity by the harsh blows of reality—nodded slightly, raised his wine cup, and drained it in one gulp.
"Xiaolie, the fact that you understand this principle means the clan didn't pay such a heavy price to rescue you in vain."
Yu Luomian set down his cup, his gaze sweeping across the room like a lightning bolt.
"However, this is not yet the time for us to celebrate our victory."
The atmosphere in the hall instantly quieted; everyone held their breath, waiting for Yu Luomian's instructions.
Yu Luomian cleared his throat. "I have summoned everyone here today to announce a matter of utmost importance."
"I propose that all the assets, property deeds, and shops we seized from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect—both within Heaven Dou City and in the surrounding hundred-li radius..."
"...be handed over—without keeping a single bit for ourselves—directly to Moon Pavilion and placed into the hands of His Excellency Luo Nan!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in an uproar.
"What?!"
"Second Brother, what do you mean by this?!"
The Third Elder, Yu Tianci, was the first to jump up, his face full of bewilderment.
"Those assets we snatched back in Heaven Dou City were the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's core, most profitable businesses..."
"...accounting for nearly forty percent of our total gains from this operation!"
"Why should we hand over for free to Luo Nan the things we won through our own skill, blood, and sweat?!"
"Exactly! Second Elder, Luo Nan has already extorted so much from us—he even took the Nine Crowns of the True Dragon."
"We don't owe each other anything anymore; why should we go out of our way to curry favor with him?"
"Our strength has surged, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has sealed itself off; Heaven Dou City is the perfect place for us to make our move. How can we spit out a piece of fat meat that's already in our mouths?" "
The elders and deacons were in an uproar, voicing their strong dissatisfaction one after another.
In their view, although Luo Nan was formidable, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect had regained its footing; there was no longer any need to be as subservient as they had been before.
*Bang!*
Yu Luomian slammed his hand onto the table, abruptly silencing everyone's complaints.
"Fools! Short-sighted idiots!"
Pointing at the elders who were still fretting over the loss of wealth, Yu Luomian laughed in sheer exasperation and lashed out:
"Who do you think you are?"
"Do you really believe our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect seized these assets through our own merit?"
"Let me tell you: bullshit!"
"The only reason we were able to tear such a huge chunk of flesh from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is because of Luo Nan!"
"If Luo Nan hadn't sent Dugu Bo to poison them—crippling the sect and forcing Ning Fengzhi to seal off their mountain—would our clan, with its current strength, have dared to beard the lion that is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
"With just a flick of a finger, Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin could have slaughtered every single person we sent out, leaving not a soul alive!"
Yu Luomian paced back and forth in the hall, his eyes sharp as a hawk's:
"Luo Nan is the male lion that brought down the prey, while we are merely the hyenas trailing behind to scavenge the scraps!"
"Now that we've snatched the juiciest cut of meat from the lion's territory, you actually want to keep it all for yourselves?"
"Are you tired of living? Do you want to test just how sharp Luo Nan's blade is?!"
Yu Tianci shrank back under the verbal lashing, yet he still muttered in a somewhat resentful, low voice:
"But... Luo Nan never actually asked us for it. Maybe he doesn't care about such worldly possessions at all?"
"He might not want it, but we cannot fail to offer it!"
Yu Luomian cut Yu Tianci off: "It's a matter of attitude!" "
"We must make it clear to Luo Nan that our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect has absolutely no intention of encroaching upon his core interests!"
"By simply handing over our assets in Heaven Dou City to him, we are essentially paying a protection fee."
"From now on, as long as we don't cross him, not only will he leave us be, but he will—in a way—become our greatest shield within the Heaven Dou Empire!"
At this point, Yu Luomian's tone softened slightly, and a complex look flashed across his eyes:
"Besides... don't forget that over twenty years ago, Luo Nan was a disciple of our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect."
"Although he was eventually expelled due to a martial soul mutation and certain misunderstandings, the blood of our clan still flows in his veins."
"Even though he left, blood runs thicker than water; we must carefully nurture and preserve that lingering bond."
"If we can use these assets to secure even the slightest bit of protection from Luo Nan—or simply ensure he no longer views us as enemies—then we've come out ahead!"
Yu Luomian's words acted like a sudden wake-up call, instantly snapping the elders—who had been blinded by greed—back to reality.
Indeed, in the face of a terrifying figure like Luo Nan, who possessed absolute, overwhelming power, any petty cunning or greed could prove fatal.
Sacrificing wealth to avert disaster, paying for peace, and seizing the chance to latch onto such a towering figure—this was the only path to the clan's long-term stability and security.
"Second Uncle is truly far-sighted; I have learned much today."
Yu Xiaolie took a deep breath and was the first to voice his agreement.
"I agree with Second Uncle's proposal. Let us hand over all our assets in Heaven Dou City to His Excellency Luo Nan!" "
Since the Sect Master had spoken, and coupled with Yu Luomian's earlier analysis, the other elders had no choice but to suppress the pangs of regret in their hearts and nod in agreement.
...
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