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**
Hearing the faintly threatening tone in her voice, the elders of the Small Pill Tower's Grand Elder Court were filled with anger, yet at the same time, a strong sense of fear welled up in their hearts.
Although they could disregard Gu Xun'er's strength as merely that of a One-Star Dou Zun, the power backing her was something they could not afford to provoke.
Even more troublesome was the fact that the Grand Elder was still in seclusion refining pills. They had no way of contacting their ancestor for help.
Even those who had been the most hardline earlier could only grit their teeth in silence now. From their heaving chests, however, it was obvious that Gu Xun'er's intimidating words had truly enraged them.
"Miss Xun'er, this matter concerns the internal affairs of our Pill Tower. Isn't your interference a bit inappropriate?"
After a moment of silence, one of the elders finally spoke again.
"Second Elder, this is an agreement established by our Gu Clan's ancestors. I have no authority to change it. If the Pill Tower insists on killing Xiao Yan, then our Gu Clan cannot just stand by and watch."
Though Gu Xun'er knew the man was already displeased, she pretended not to notice and continued speaking calmly.
At her words, the Second Elder's fist tightened slightly.
He very much wanted to refuse her outright, but then he recalled what Gu Xun'er had said earlier — that Xiao Yan was once an ally of the Gu Clan, a descendant of the Xiao Clan, and the last surviving member of the clan leader's direct line.
A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes.
At this point, even he couldn't be sure whether the Gu Clan would truly go all out to protect this final heir of the Xiao Clan. After a moment of thought, the old man loosened his fist. His gaze swept past Gu Xun'er and landed once more on Lin Feng.
The meaning was clear.
Seeing this, Gu Xun'er's fine brows furrowed slightly.
Lin Feng was her brother Xiao Yan's sworn enemy. To now have to offer him benefits was something she could hardly stomach.
"Forget it, let this bastard have his moment of triumph. Once I rescue Brother Xiao Yan, I'll find a way to kill Lin Feng and take back all the Heavenly Flames and treasures on him in one go."
After silently resolving herself, Gu Xun'er said aloud, "Lin Feng, how about this—if you agree to drop this matter here, I'll personally guarantee that we won't pursue the things you took from Brother Xiao Yan. Moreover, we'll compensate you with one Heaven Class cultivation technique. How about that?"
Worried he might demand more, she quickly added, "This is already a very generous offer. Even within the Small Pill Tower, very few strong experts possess a Heaven Class cultivation technique. If you miss this chance, you won't get another."
Hearing this, Lin Feng's gaze swept across the other elders.
The old man seated at the highest position met his eyes with a helpless look, silently signaling him to just accept.
"Sigh~"
Lin Feng let out a deliberately weary sigh, then said, "Since that's the elders' decision, I have no objections. However, I'd prefer the cultivation technique to be of the poison attribute."
At this point, he had no intention of pushing Gu Xun'er and Xiao Yan too far.
After all, if Xiao Yan completely lost hope, he might reach out to Gu Xun'er and offer the Tuo She Ancient God Jade to the Gu Clan in exchange for their help to rescue him from the Pill Tower—or worse, have them send experts to kill Lin Feng outright.
That was also one of the reasons why Lin Feng hadn't forcibly taken away all of Xiao Yan's Heavenly Flames. After all, cornering a capable opponent with no way out was nothing but foolishness.
Encircle on three sides, leave one open—let the opponent believe there's still a path to retreat. Only when one possesses absolute confidence of victory should the strike be made, ensuring a single decisive kill. That was the wisest course.
Upon hearing his demand, Gu Xun'er frowned tightly, cursing him in her heart for his greed. Giving him a Heaven Class cultivation technique was already an enormous concession. Yet this man still dared to choose the attribute!
"I agree."
But after thinking about it—since what she was offering could always be taken back later—Gu Xun'er still accepted his demand.
The other elders of the Grand Elder Council were also quite surprised. They had expected Lin Feng to ask for a Heaven Class fire-type cultivation technique, but to their surprise, he had specifically chosen a poison-type art instead.
Though unexpected, they quickly understood his reasoning. Ever since the incident with Xiao Yan, everyone knew that Lin Feng had a wife who was a Dou Zun specializing in poison techniques.
"In that case, we've made our decision," the Second Elder said solemnly.
"Xiao Yan has indeed committed a grave offense. The death penalty can be forgiven, but the living punishment cannot be avoided. Effective immediately, he is expelled from the Pill Tower!"
His gaze then swept toward the Three Leaders. "As for you three—you were Xiao Yan's guardians and failed to fulfill your duties. Each of you will compensate Lin Feng with two eight-colored pills within a month. The same goes for all other compensations."
"Meeting dismissed!"
With that, the old man's figure vanished from his seat.
Judging from his demeanor, he was clearly displeased—he didn't even spare a single glance at Gu Xun'er. Seeing that her brother Xiao Yan had finally escaped this ordeal safely, Gu Xun'er exhaled a long sigh of relief.
As for the expulsion from the Pill Tower—she couldn't care less.
"Hehe, don't forget about the compensation," some of the elders who had previously quarreled fiercely with the Three Leaders sneered sarcastically before vanishing as well.
"Hmph!"
Hearing their mocking tones, the Three Leaders could only snort coldly.
They understood very well that this punishment stemmed from their earlier efforts to rally outside forces to rescue Xiao Yan, which had thoroughly angered the Second Elder.
"Looks like we'll have to be more careful next time. If this continues, Lin Feng might not even have to kill us—we'll end up being stripped of our positions first."
Thinking of the heavy price they'd paid to save Xiao Yan, the three could only smile bitterly and shake their heads.
As for Gu Xun'er, once the matter was settled, she rose to leave.
As she passed Lin Feng, she turned her head slightly and said coldly, "I'll have someone deliver your things later. And remember this—the Dou Qi Continent is vast. Don't think that just because you've formed a connection with some ancient clan, you can act as you please."
"Hehe, judging by how those elders addressed you, you're from the Gu Clan, aren't you?"
Lin Feng's lips curved into a cold smile as he continued, "Then allow me to remind you—back in the ancient era, there were countless Dou Di families, yet all of them eventually vanished into the river of time. Seeing your arrogant 'heaven first, others second' attitude, I wonder just how long your Gu Clan can last."
Finishing his words, he turned and walked away. Now that the issue was resolved, there was no reason for him to linger.
He had originally planned to speak with some of the elders afterward—to strengthen relations a bit and perhaps inquire why only seven of the ten Grand Elders had attended today's meeting.
But since they had already dispersed, that would have to wait until next time.
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