Chapter 414 - Betrayal right before the battle! (2/2)

Gu Heng’s relationship with those elders had been established through money. Since Gu Bei had offered a high price, of course they’d stir.

Gu Tianlong, Gu Ya, and the other elders all exchanged looks. No one needed to say a word. Their actions were already equivalent to waving flags and shouting battle cries. Each one had an expression of gratified on their face. It looked like Gu Bei had secretly made preparations to get so many elders on his side. It was enough to prove that Gu Bei possessed the power to control the clan!

As for the still neutral elders, of course they’d choose Gu Bei over Gu Heng.

Even though Gu Bei had destroyed someone else’s Deity’s Lake, at least he was doing it in the light. He was completely unlike Gu Heng, who’d poisoned another simply to reduce the competition! Gu Lan was Gu Bei’s sister; of course Gu Bei would harbor such hatred towards Gu Heng!

But even under such circumstances, Gu Heng hadn’t expected this to go this way and felt quite dazed. How did things turn out like this?!

He’d been planning for so many years, and he thought that the Patriarch’s position was already in his grasp. He never imagined such an outcome!

“Since the matter has gotten here, then I’ll go ahead and declare punishment!” Gu Tianlong announced. “Gu Bei was indeed being inappropriate for destroying Gu Heng’s Deity’s Lakes. However, that’s pardonable and I will exempt you from punishment. However, you must reimburse the Divine Feathers Sect with five hundred thousand spiritual stones, and the Gu Clan with one million spiritual stones. You must repay the sum within three years; delays are not permitted. As for Gu Heng, you didn’t repent your wrongs, but dared to be the first to cry thief. You are sentenced to thirty years facing the wall[1. Sort of like an extended time-out in the corner, but with a Chinese “meditate and reflect” connotation. Wuxia version of house arrest.]!”

“Patriarch, wait…” The Third Elder opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Gu Tianlong.

“I’ve already made my decision. If anyone wishes to stand out for him, consider the consequences!” Gu Tianlong announced.

Gu Heng’s expression showed that he was at a loss. He still couldn’t figure out why things had gone the way they did.

Gu Tianlong had fined Gu Bei quite a sum of spiritual stones. You could say it was to reimburse the Divine Feathers Sect. But Gu Tianlong also knew that Gu Bei was loaded. It was just an excuse to fill the clan’s treasury. But Gu Tianlong didn’t know exactly how rich Gu Bei was. Otherwise he wouldn’t have issued such a light fine.

A hundred and fifty thousand spiritual stones. To an ordinary person, that was indeed a shocking wealth!

True, Gu Bei had been fined a pretty sum of spiritual stones. However, that was light punishment as far as he was concerned. Meanwhile, Gu Heng had been sentenced to face the wall for thirty years. A cultivator’s most important time was their youth — thirty years of training and rank-ups. But instead, he had to face the wall. By the time Gu Heng’s punishment ended, his cultivation would be so far behind that he’d never be able to catch up to Gu Bei or the others!

Gu Heng was no longer a threat to Gu Bei. The majority of the elders already stood on Gu Bei’s side. What did Gu Heng have to compete against him?

In thirty years, when Gu Heng finished his sentence, Gu Bei will probably be sitting in the Patriarch’s seat!

But regardless, the transactions were done. Gu Heng had summoned so many elders to impeach Gu Bei, but his attempt had backfired and doomed himself instead. If instead, those elders had chosen to support Gu Heng, then even Gu Tianlong wouldn’t be able to do anything against him. But who would’ve expected all those elders to turn to Gu Bei?

Gu Heng had been too arrogant and overlooked things. He thought that his relationships with the elders, cultured over so many years, was something that would never crumble; the reality was outside of his expectations!

The Third Elder, Gu Yu, stood up, swept an eye at Gu Bei, and left the room.

Gu Bei watched Gu Yu’s retreating silhouette and his expression turned deep as he was thinking.