The moment these words left his mouth, the middle-aged man in white was utterly stunned. Even Old Priest Zong Ling standing behind Zong Shou opened his mouth in surprise. "Today I inherited the position of the Heavenly Demon King of Qian Tian, so why should I, Zong Shou, take on this damned position of Clan Head of the Celestial Fox?"

To truly grasp the implication sent a chill down one's spine. For so long, in almost everyone's mind, the Lord of the Qian Tian Mountain City was naturally ranked alongside the Clan Head of the Celestial Fox Clan—one entity, indivisible.

But judging by Zong Shou’s meaning, he seemed intent on separating the two.

Thinking further, there was indeed logic to it.

Zong Weiran built his foundation from nothing; the hundreds of thousands of core confidantes and personnel within and outside the city had, in truth, little connection to the Celestial Fox Clan itself.

The Clan Headship was only forcefully seized by Zong Weiran years after establishing the foundation of Qian Tian Mountain City.

Now, his son was inheriting the City Lordship upon his father's death. He declined the Clan Head position, so why should they insist on forcing it upon him? And why should he even be allowed to refuse? Delving deeper, Zong Shou's move was devastatingly ruthless. In terms of righteousness and legitimacy, he was entirely cleaving the connection between these two roles!

In the future, only the direct bloodline of Zong Weiran and Zong Shou could inherit the City Lordship. But whoever became the Celestial Fox Clan Head might not necessarily become the Heavenly Demon King of Qian Tian.

Yet, holding the armies of a city and a realm in his grasp, who within the Zong Clan could maintain the position of Clan Head? Who would dare challenge Zong Shou? Any connection to the supposed direct lineage of the Zong Clan was now severed.

It was not just a sharp verbal rebuttal; it preemptively solved all future complications.

Over there, Zong Lan blinked, thinking over the Heir Apparent’s words and finding them profoundly meaningful. He too adopted an expression of feigned confusion: "Exactly. Our Heir Apparent only inherited the City Lordship today. What Celestial Fox Clan Head? Who cares? Zong Bo, does that concern you?"

Hu Qianqiu and Qiu Wei exchanged knowing, half-smiles, looking entirely relaxed. Chai Yuan even showed a hint of admiration.

Using a small force to overcome a massive obstacle—he had effortlessly settled the matter of title. Their Heir Apparent’s methods were certainly unexpected, yet pleasingly effective.

The middle-aged man in white clearly understood the nuance as well. His body trembled as if winnowed by wind, his face ashen, dark as stagnant water. After a long pause, he didn't rage, but laughed instead: "Good! Good! Good! Zong Weiran certainly bred a good son. Since the Heir Apparent holds no regard for the eight hundred thousand souls of my Celestial Fox Clan, then do not blame my Zong Clan if we offer no aid when the Heir Apparent faces trouble in the future. As long as this old man, Zong Zheng, draws breath, Zong Shou, you will never inherit the position of Clan Head! Your entire line is truly the blight of our Zong Clan. Being allowed to hold the Clan Headship despite being descended from a collateral branch, you should be endlessly grateful. Yet you are so ungrateful..."

Zong Shou had initially prepared to let this matter pass, choosing not to haggle with these people. If they had backed down, a few kind words would have sufficed to let them save face. Since he had already gained the upper hand, magnanimity was easy.

Hearing these words now, however, his chest suddenly tightened. An inexplicable surge of malice rose from somewhere deep within, rushing straight to his mind. Rage, furious and pent-up, threatened to tear his very consciousness apart.

He couldn't help but grit his teeth and sneer coldly. Since entering Qian Tian Mountain City, he had never been so incensed.

Even earlier on the Altar of Heaven Sacrifice, surrounded by enemies, he remained utterly calm, confident that the situation was entirely within his control.

But only this so-called 'Zong Bo' had managed to truly enrage him!

"Collateral branch bloodline? A blight, am I? You old degenerate, you truly won't let this go. The eight hundred thousand children of the Celestial Fox Clan, Hmph—"

The utterance of 'old degenerate' made Zong Zheng’s face contort further. Zong Shou let out another cold, mocking laugh. With a sudden flourish of his Nine Group Swords, he reopened the wound on his wrist that had already begun to clot. His tone was flat: "Today, I, Zong Shou, swear here! I call upon the Azure Heavens as witness: from this day forward, I, Zong Shou, sever ties with the Celestial Fox Clan, establishing my own lineage, taking 'Qian Tian' as our title—we shall be the Qian Tian Clan! And I swear that within my clan, there shall be absolutely no distinction between direct and collateral descent; only merit shall be judged. Bloodline status holds no superiority; only capability matters. I vow to ensure my people are provided for in old age and cared for in youth, free from hunger and want, free from worries of clothing and food. Should I violate this oath, may Heaven and Earth punish me..."

When Zong Shou spoke the four words "establish my own lineage," the expressions of everyone on and around the Altar of Heaven Sacrifice shifted dramatically.

And when he uttered the lines, "The Qian Tian Clan shall have no distinction between direct and collateral descent; only merit shall be judged. Bloodline status holds no superiority; only capability matters," Zong Zheng seemed to grasp something, and the refined elegance on his face suddenly twisted into something terrifyingly grotesque!

For a moment, the entire field fell silent. Every person held their breath, hearts surging, digesting Zong Shou’s earth-shattering words.

Zong Yuan remained silent, then simply turned sideways toward Zong Shou and knelt on one knee: "Your subject, Zong Yuan, pledges allegiance to Your Lord's clan!"

Zong Lan snapped out of his trance, startled by Zong Yuan’s action, then let out a wild, roaring laugh: "My Lord has made a grand move this time! Establishing a new clan, I like it! It’s been boring being in the Celestial Fox Clan anyway. Why should our collateral branches always be kept subjugated? Qian Tian Clan—a fine name! Count me in, Zong Lan! As for the Black Fox Iron Cavalry, My Lord need not worry; we’ve long been fed up with their arrogance!"

Zong Ling’s eyes flickered as he gazed up at the sky. Then, his aged face filled with emotion: "Decades ago, I always found these direct-line descendants irritating. Why should a better birth place entitle them to look down on us and act so haughty? Why were the spirit techniques and secret martial arts left by our ancestors forbidden to us collateral branches? Even now, though my temperament has been smoothed, I still resent it. Since the Heir Apparent possesses the ambition to forge his own clan, I, Zong Ling, must lend a hand!"

With a sweep of his sleeve, he also knelt: "From myself, Zong Ling, down through my family of forty-six souls—we pledge to join the genealogy of the Qian Tian Clan!"

After the three of them, the scene below the Altar of Heaven resembled dominoes falling. Almost every collateral branch of the Zong Clan swiftly bowed down. The voices rose one after another, overlapping.

From the great generals at the rank of Commander and Leader, down to the mid-level officers like Battalion Leaders and Captains—nearly a thousand individuals, almost without exception, displayed flushed, excited faces.

It wasn't just the collateral descendants; even some true direct-line descendants of the Zong Clan showed a peculiar light in their eyes, bowing with utmost calm.

Hu Qianqiu watched this scene, mouth agape. Seeing Zong Zheng’s face completely distorted, he let out a derisive 'Tch' and unhesitatingly decided to kick the man while he was down, rubbing salt into Zong Zheng's wounds and plunging another knife into his heart! His voice was sickly sweet with praise: "Not a single one is willing to stay. My Lord’s move to drain the foundation is truly brilliant! Old Chai, tell me, after today, how many of the eight hundred thousand Celestial Fox Clan members will remain?"

Chai Yuan shot him a glare, knowing Hu Qianqiu's nature was never to show mercy when proven right.

However, he truly felt no compunction toward Zong Zheng. Zong Shou's action was indeed draining the foundation. Without his clansmen, without his wings, Elder Zong, even with his Spirit Master cultivation at the Return-to-Life Realm, was nothing more than a tiger with pulled teeth, a hawk stripped of its feathers.

He also smiled, picking up the conversation: "Who knows? The direct descendants of the Celestial Fox lineage number just over thirty thousand. But perhaps only he will remain, a solitary figure. What a pity for the great Eastern Lin Clan, the Royal Fox lineage, to wither thus..."

Hu Qianqiu immediately burst into loud laughter, clapping Chai Yuan hard on the shoulder. These words greatly pleased him; his assessment of the situation was perfectly aligned with Chai Yuan's.

Zong Zheng was already close to being utterly demoralized, looking vacant and lost at the scene unfolding before him. A succession of shocks had nearly caused his mind to collapse completely, stripping him of all his previous domineering air.

After a long while, his face contorted again. He suddenly stepped forward, speaking incoherently and shaking his head with nervous energy: "You cannot do this! You are destroying my Celestial Fox Clan! Who gave you the authority to establish a new clan? I will never acknowledge it—"

Before his words finished, Zong Lan, Hu Qianqiu, and Chai Yuan all instinctively placed their hands on their weapons, killing intent flashing in their eyes.

Previously, this was an internal matter of the Zong Clan, making it hard for them to intervene. But now that Zong Shou had established a new clan, he could naturally be treated as an enemy!

"Why would I need your acknowledgement? Simply being the Demon King of Qian Tian, the Master of the Fox Tribe, is enough!"

Zong Shou faced the rising sun, shaking his head. His fury had somewhat subsided now; the impulse had passed.

Though the event felt strange, it was done, and there was nothing to regret.

He then calmly strode forward, pacing down toward the area beneath the Altar of Heaven Sacrifice.

"I remember that before Zong Shi died, he said one thing: in this chaotic era, the strong are respected, and the fist speaks loudest! While those words were annoying, they held immense truth. You say I wrongfully executed Zong Ming and Zong Hao.

You call the slaughter of those thousand direct-line disciples cruel, bloodthirsty, and tyrannical. I won't bother arguing with you. Today I will only say this: Yes, I, Zong Shou, am cruel, bloodthirsty, and tyrannical. So what? Those thousand people—I can kill them if I wish, and I need no reason whatsoever."

As his words concluded, Zong Shou abruptly paused his movement, standing next to Zong He, and smiled faintly: "A mere cripple with a dual-vein body, yet daring to be so arrogant relying on his father’s influence. Truly, one only enjoys fleeting glory. It’s a pity for my Celestial Fox Clan that those nearly thousand elite disciples died for nothing! This bastard deserved to die; truly, he deserved to die. Were those the exact words you just spoke?"

Zong He's eyes contracted; his lips parted as if about to explain. Zong Shou couldn't be bothered to listen. With a direct, sweeping upward strike of his sword!

The sword light flashed, and Zong He’s head flew high into the air! Blood spurted like a fountain, soaring several zhang high.

As the mist of crimson droplets scattered, the dozen or so Zong Clan Elders present did not dare even to dodge, allowing the blood to splatter upon them.

They felt an absolute chill deep in their hearts. Zong Shou's undisguised killing intent pierced their spirits, chilling them to the bone marrow.

"Look around you. In this Qian Tian City, my fist is the biggest now. What I say is reason, it is law, it is the Imperial Edict! I don't know how Father treated you all before. But I, Zong Shou, am not Father. So you all had better not mistake my courtesy for weakness."

He took several more steps forward, and this time, Zong Shou stood before Zong Rui. (To be continued)