Chapter 2156: Fate's Judgment

Death comes in many forms, some good, some wretched.

Lu Zhensheng feared Helian Chuan would torture him and wanted to retain what little autonomy he had left.

"You remain unrepentant even in death!" Lu Lianqing cursed, pointing at the former clan head's nose. He then turned to Emperor Jiuyou and bowed, saying, "Clan Head, what are your thoughts?"

"I have always championed fairness," Emperor Jiuyou declared, raising a hand. The Golden Serpent Ring reappeared, floating towards Lu Zhensheng. "The suffering you inflicted to cause my grandfather's death is precisely the torment you shall endure today. This is inescapable retribution."

Lu Zhensheng watched the golden ring approach, his eyes wide as an ox's, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

He had personally witnessed Lu Xuanyuan's agonizing death back then.

He tried desperately to dodge, but Luo Xie forcibly grabbed his arm and thrust it into the Golden Serpent Ring.

The moment the Golden Serpent Ring touched his body, Lu Zhensheng flinched violently, expecting his bones and sinews to break, just like Lu Xuanyuan years ago, or the two black-armored guards earlier today.

However, nothing of the sort happened.

The Golden Serpent Ring merely rested on his arm. He felt perfectly fine, without any pain, as if he had simply put on an ordinary brass ornament.

Lu Zhensheng's expression shifted from terror to confusion, then quickly to secret delight. He even shook the bangle several times. "What's so special about this? Haha, could it be... could I also be a child of destiny?"

The onlookers were equally astonished.

"You?" Helian Chuan laughed even harder than Lu Zhensheng. "Previous individuals who touched it were executed because they ultimately bowed and knelt before destiny. As for you, destiny has a different plan."

With that, he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly.

"Judgment."

As he uttered these words, the snake eyes of the Golden Serpent Ring glowed red once more, and Lu Zhensheng's gaze instantly became vacant.

Everyone else was bewildered, but only Helian Chuan knew that the Golden Serpent Ring had initiated the death game for Lu Zhensheng as well.

Just two or three breaths later, Lu Zhensheng suddenly began to shiver as if with malaria, his facial muscles contorting like a nightmare in thin air. Yet, he couldn't open his mouth or utter a sound.

The spectators shivered, feeling as though his soul was imprisoned, unable to break free.

After a full fifteen minutes, Lu Zhensheng's face turned ashen, golden light suddenly seeped from his seven orifices, and he collapsed.

Regrettably, he had failed the challenge.

Only then did the Golden Serpent Ring slowly return to Helian Chuan's hand. As it flew back, the black-armored soldiers hastily moved away, fearing any contact with it.

Luo Xie stepped forward, checked Lu Zhensheng's neck pulse, and confirmed his death.

Lu Lianqing and the others watched, holding their breath.

In fact, for someone like Lu Zhensheng, committing three concurrent crimes according to clan rules would warrant a beating to death. However, Emperor Jiuyou's use of the Immortal Ancestor's relic to dispatch him was undoubtedly a far more brilliant move, leaving everyone both inside and outside the ancestral temple utterly convinced.

Only then did the black-armored army bring over Commander Huang and the other ten individuals. They had been left on the stone steps beside the ancestral temple, given a prime, front-row view of the entire sequence of events.

Helian Chuan had set up this entire spectacle and put on this elaborate show precisely to use their eyes and mouths as witnesses.

"You are very fortunate; you may return to Mu Nation," Helian Chuan told Commander Huang. "Please convey a message for me."

"From this day forward, Bailie is a part of Cangyan Nation."

"From this day forward, Bailie's affairs are Cangyan Nation's affairs!"

Every word resonated with authority.

The Lu clan members who were watching listened in silence, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

For countless years, Bailie had been bullied by surrounding powers, forced to shamelessly seek protection from Mu Nation.

Bailie knew better than anyone how difficult it was to beg for help.

How much "tribute" had Mu Nation demanded from Bailie? It was utterly disproportionate to the protection it offered.

Even so, Mu Nation's appetite grew larger each year, becoming increasingly difficult to satisfy.

The Lu clan members could never have imagined that one day a powerful figure would descend from the heavens and declare, "Bailie's affairs are Cangyan's affairs."

Mu Nation had never said anything of the sort.

Nor had Mu Nation ever cared so much about Bailie!

From this day forward, would they no longer suffer exploitation? Would they finally be able to hold their heads high?

Staring at the bloodstains on the ancestral temple wall, Commander Huang gritted his teeth. "Emperor Jiuyou, you will certainly pay for today's folly!"

"We shall see," Helian Chuan replied, never taking a defeated opponent's empty threats seriously. "Send them back."

Wanqiu Feng immediately dispatched men to take the ten captives, along with Lu Qingan, and escort them to Bailie's border.

Emperor Jiuyou specifically ordered that the bodies of Commander Wu and the three hundred Mu army soldiers who had died in battle be coffined and sent to Bailie's border for return to Mu Nation.

After these matters were concluded, Helian Chuan summoned Lu Lianyun and the other clan elders to his side, pointing to the Golden Serpent Ring hovering in mid-air. "This treasure is too malevolent; keeping it in the ancestral temple could easily harm lives. I will take it with me for now. Even the Immortal Ancestor couldn't control this artifact, which is why he forged it into the incense burner to prevent accidents."

After the events of the day, the elders nodded repeatedly. "Reasonable, reasonable. Only the clan head can touch this treasure."

Given how many people the black-armored army had killed today, and with the residual bloodlust still lingering in the ancestral temple, the elders would not object to anything Helian Chuan said now. Moreover, the Golden Serpent Ring was indeed a dangerous, life-taking artifact.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhenxian personally searched Lu Zhensheng's body for a long time, not even overlooking his storage ring.

He wasn't searching for money or valuables, but for the seal and treasures that symbolized the clan head's authority.

Afterwards, Lu Zhenxian presented these items with both hands to Emperor Jiuyou.

There was no better time than the present. Since all Lu clan members were present and had been completely convinced, the inauguration ceremony for the new clan head began immediately.

Under the guidance of the clan elders, Helian Chuan personally added oil and incense to the ancestral temple, then bowed to the ancestors and made a grand vow, smoothly assuming the position of clan head.

From that moment forward, he also became the ruler of Bailie.

Helian Chuan turned to the Lu clan members, first delivering a set of admonitions, then calling for unity among the clan, and finally assuring everyone that their future would undoubtedly be prosperous.

He disliked lengthy speeches, opting instead for concise explanations of key points. His address lasted barely fifteen minutes.

He then entered the ancestral temple, closing the doors to meditate.

According to tradition, this was a period of meditative communication between the new clan head and the ancestors, with no outsiders present.

However, the clan members who had all attended felt a complex mix of emotions.

The new clan head had barely taken office when he orchestrated a bloody display at the ancestral temple. Mu soldiers' bodies were carried out one by one, leaving the Lu clan members outside utterly terrified.

They had once dreamed that their ancestors would bless them, allowing their clan head to be more assertive with external powers. It was unclear if the ancestors had exerted too much force at once, but a formidable figure had descended to become their clan head. On his very first day in office, he had nearly massacred the entire guard contingent sent by the Mu Emperor.

Perhaps from now on, they wouldn't have to worry about Ya Nation, but would Mu Nation let this go quietly?

What would become of Bailie's future?

Lu Zhenxian looked at the worried expressions of his clan members and secretly sighed.

He had known before the operation that things wouldn't end peacefully today. However, the intensity of this clan head transition had still far exceeded his expectations.