When the Yan family patriarch heard that the scholar's questions touched upon all the key points, a look of approval could not help but appear on his face. He answered each one in turn:
"As for the Blood Spirit Great Art, although our Yan family ancestors did not bring this technique out with them, they wrote with the highest praise about it in their personal records, calling it the supreme demonic art recorded in the Myriad Spirits True Scripture. Once mastered, it would be more than enough to dominate the Six Sects of the Demonic Path, making it one of the most terrifying secret arts in the entire world. However, this technique is far too overbearing. To prevent backlash, both a man and a woman must cultivate it together through dual cultivation. And one's spiritual root quality is absolutely crucial to determining how many levels one can reach. If the talent is lacking, one can only push through two or three levels before hitting the ceiling, at which point it becomes a worthless technique with no real power to speak of. Therefore, with Ruyan's Heaven spiritual root, she would absolutely be the dream dual cultivation partner for the other side. And the Young Sect Master of this Ghost Spirit Sect happens to possess an extremely rare Dark spiritual root, which is also the ideal physique for cultivating the Blood Spirit Great Art. With both of them possessing top-tier talent, if they were to truly dual cultivate the Blood Spirit Great Art, they would definitely be able to push this secret art to extraordinary depths. Sweeping through all six sects would be well within reach. That is precisely why the Ghost Spirit Sect has been willing to spend so much to win us over—even leaking the secret that the Six Sects are about to invade the State of Yue, at considerable risk, all in exchange for an opportunity for the Ghost Spirit Sect to dominate the entire Tiannan region."
"As for how they learned about our Yan family's origins, that is even easier to explain. Before our ancestor passed away, he once sent people to make contact with the Ghost Spirit Sect. It is likely that from that point onward, our Yan family entered their field of vision. As for Ruyan's matter, they have probably been plotting it for a very long time. Only now, seizing this favorable opportunity, did they try to force our hand with both threats and incentives to make the Yan family agree to this arrangement." The Yan family patriarch let out a bitter smile when he reached this point. He clearly felt a deep sense of helplessness over his ancestor's reckless decision to contact the Ghost Spirit Sect in the first place.
"As for the invasion by the Six Sects of the Demonic Path, they did indeed inform us of that. But the fact that the State of Jiang and the State of Cheqi have already been seized—we had actually already noticed that something was wrong several days before they told us. The agents we had placed in both countries should have sent their regular reports long ago, yet we have heard nothing but silence. It seems what they said is likely true. As for why they were able to take both countries so easily? According to them, it was because several sects within those two states had already been bribed by the Six Sects in advance. Under the combined force of a surprise attack backed by immense power, plus the betrayal from within, both countries fell in a single stroke. So right now, the Six Sects should be mopping up the remaining cultivators in both states who have yet to submit, as well as resting and preparing before their invasion of the State of Yue. After all, they did suffer some losses."
"As for the Righteous Alliance in the State of Fengdu, don't count on them anymore. Shortly before this meeting, I received word that the Righteous Alliance has already invaded and nearly conquered a medium-sized neighboring state. It appears the two great powers have struck some sort of secret deal, which is why both have launched large-scale expansion campaigns at the same time."
The Yan family elder laid everything out in a clear and organized manner, leaving the people below with faces full of astonishment and shock.
"If the Demonic Path and the Righteous Path are both expanding their influence at the same time... heh, if that truly is the case, then things are getting interesting!" After hearing everything the Yan family patriarch had to say, the scholar wore a faint smile as he made an enigmatic remark.
"Xuan Ye, what exactly do you mean by that?" A white-faced elder sitting across from the scholar could not help but speak up, his composure wavering.
"Second Uncle! It's nothing—it's just a small speculation of mine. This guess has nothing to do with our Yan family right now. Let's talk about our current situation first!" The scholar waved his hand casually, dismissing the matter without a care.
"Hmph!" The elder ran into a wall of polite deflection and glared at the scholar with some irritation. However, with the Yan family patriarch present, he had no choice but to sit back down in his seat, disgruntled.
"Oh? Then after the meeting, may I hear this little speculation of yours?" The Yan family patriarch, on the other hand, had grown quite interested.
"If the patriarch wishes to hear it, Xuan Ye naturally would not hide anything." The scholar hurriedly bowed respectfully upon hearing this.
"Good! But let's discuss the matter at hand first. This time, our Yan family's single wrong choice will either amount to doing the work for others and being swallowed up, or it will offend the other side and lead them to use the power of the Six Sects to wipe our entire clan from existence." A trace of helplessness crept into the red-haired old man's voice. After all, the Yan family's strength was still far too weak—even with their hidden reserves factored in, there was not the slightest thought of putting up a hard fight.
"You're right, Patriarch. The Yan family truly is caught between a rock and a hard place right now! If we agree, we risk being devoured by them at the first opportunity. If we refuse, their strength is far too great, and the consequences would be endless!" A thoughtful glint flashed through the scholar's eyes.
"But my recommendation is still to accept their conditions and join the Ghost Spirit Sect!" The scholar declared with firm resolve in the end.
Then, before any of the Yan family members could voice their objections, he continued:
"All this time, everyone has been thinking about what terrible consequences would follow if we refused their conditions. But have we considered whether we could actually extract any real benefit from the Seven Sects if we did refuse? From what I know, the Seven Sects put on a friendly face toward us in public, but in secret, they fear our Yan family's continued growth, which would threaten their own interests. In recent years, they have already been subtly suppressing us on virtually every front. Even if we refuse the Ghost Spirit Sect's demands—or even if we go so far as to reveal the news of the Demonic Path's invasion to the Seven Sects—we still wouldn't be able to extract much benefit. After all, the interests of the State of Yue have long since been divided up among the Seven Sects. Why on earth would they spit out what they've already swallowed for our sake? Moreover, with the Six Sects invading the State of Yue all at once, even if the Seven Sects bring in cultivators from several other states to resist the Demonic Path together, I still don't think their chances of victory are particularly high. Climbing aboard the winning side—that is the way for our Yan family to survive. After all, being on the losing side means that even the most generous promises beforehand will go unfulfilled."
"At the same time, if we agree to the Ghost Spirit Sect's demands, we shouldn't only look at the downsides—the advantages should be discernible as well! By joining the Ghost Spirit Sect, setting aside the deputy sect leader position and the fact that Ruyan will be able to learn the Blood Spirit Great Art, the Demonic Path is currently in the golden age of expanding its influence! That means our Yan family, once we've joined, would also be able to openly develop our own power. Of course, we still need to be a little careful—don't let the Ghost Spirit Sect use us as disposable pawns towaste our manpower for nothing. But once we grow strong enough to stand as equals with them, they naturally won't be able to devour us. And if our strength should eventually surpass theirs—who knows, perhaps we could make the Ghost Spirit Sect take the Yan family name!"
The scholar spoke at great length, painting a magnificent picture of a promising future for everyone, which lifted the spirits of not a few people in the room.
Of course, there were also some more seasoned individuals who remained deeply worried. After all, would the Ghost Spirit Sect really be so generous as to give them the time to gradually grow stronger?
But the scholar's next words put those doubts to rest as well.
"Naturally, we cannot simply walk over there naked, with absolutely no leverage against them! If they truly wish for our Yan family to submit, then let the Young Sect Master and the two Core Formation stage cultivators who came with him exchange Life-and-Death Oaths with Ruyan and two of our family's uncles. In this way, they will at the very least be unable to move against our Yan family for the next two to three hundred years—and time is exactly what our Yan family needs to grow strong. If the Ghost Spirit Sect isn't even willing to pay this much, then we should not even consider the notion of joining them. It would prove that everything they said beforehand was nothing more than a trap set for our Yan family." The scholar proposed this final method for verifying the other side's sincerity, and the Yan family patriarch and everyone present nodded repeatedly, feeling that this approach was indeed very reliable.
"Ruyan, Yan Wen, Yan Qi! Go to the guests from the Ghost Spirit Sect who are still in the reception hall and sign the Life-and-Death Oaths. If they refuse, activate the grand formation in the hall immediately and trap them there until death." After closing his eyes in thought for a moment, the Yan family patriarch opened them and issued his orders.
"As you command, Patriarch!"
The stunningly beautiful young girl at the patriarch's side smiled sweetly, then gracefully walked to the front of the hall to receive her orders. She was joined by two middle-aged men.
"Ruyan, be careful. If something goes wrong, prioritize escaping first. I'll have people waiting outside to cover your retreat!" The Yan family patriarch was clearly doting on this girl of the Yan family beyond measure, his face full of concern.
"Don't worry, Patriarch! I have the Purple Cloud Banner to protect me—I'm quite confident in my ability to escape!" the young girl replied obediently in a reassuring tone, then walked out of the main hall with the two middle-aged men.
The red-haired old man watched his most beloved great-granddaughter leave, and worry still lingered in his heart. Without a second thought, he issued a rapid string of orders, deploying an airtight net of defenses around the reception hall to provide cover for Yan Ruyan and to prevent the others from breaking through the formation and fleeing.
In the time that followed, the council hall fell into a tense silence, with everyone anxiously awaiting the reply from Yan Ruyan and the two others.
After roughly the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, a voice transmission talisman suddenly flew into the council hall from outside, heading straight into the Yan family patriarch's hand. He gently pinched the talisman, and Yan Ruyan's sweet voice rang out.
"Patriarch, it's done. The moment my two uncles and I made the request, the other side agreed. The Life-and-Death Oaths were exchanged very smoothly. I am now escorting them toward the main hall, as they say they have something more to discuss with the patriarch. Please prepare yourself."
When the Yan family patriarch and the other members of the Yan family heard that the Life-and-Death Oaths had been completed, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief. But the moment they heard that the other side was coming to the council hall, everyone was stunned once more.
"Everyone else, leave immediately! Only Xuan Ye will stay with me!" After a brief moment of deliberation, the Yan family patriarch made a decisive command.
Instantly, the numerous elders and stewards in the hall obeyed without hesitation and dispersed in a flurry.