Yesterday's battle had thoroughly impressed the Ouyang family with Zhang Yang's terrifying strength, filling them with immense relief that they hadn't truly antagonized the Zhang family, or else the Ouyang clan would have been forced to retreat underground into their high-tech shelters and never re-emerge.

In Ouyang Jiankang's estimation, Zhang Yang’s overwhelming attacks were now unstoppable by anyone.

It could be said that, in their hearts, Zhang Yang ranked among the very elite powerhouses of the Great Perfection realm.

For such a powerhouse, forging any amount of connection was worthwhile.

In the living room, Zhang Yang, Zhang Pinglu, and Master Shi Ming were already present, while Ouyang Jiankang and Zhang Daofeng sat close together, conversing in low tones.

They couldn't comprehend the words spoken by the three Great Perfection masters, nor did they try to eavesdrop; both were mid-stage Level Four, and having known each other previously, they used the time to catch up, preventing sheer boredom.

“Senior Zhang Pinglu, Senior Zhang Yang, Senior Shi Ming!”

Entering the living room, Long Haotian bowed deeply in greeting.

“Clan Leader Long, there’s no need for such formality; I am a very good friend of Long Feng!”

Zhang Yang immediately rose, speaking with a hearty laugh. Zhang Pinglu and Master Shi Ming remained seated firmly, looking down at Long Haotian.

Zhang Yang, after all, was not an established Great Perfection master; he failed to realize that to all Level Four experts, any Great Perfection master was a senior deserving of utmost respect.

To Zhang Pinglu and Master Shi Ming, Long Haotian was a junior in every respect, thus the title of 'Senior' was fitting.

“Your friendship with Long Feng is Long Feng’s great fortune, but one matter is separate from another. You are Great Perfection, and moreover, the great benefactor who saved my entire Long family; you must accept this bow from me!”

Saying this, Long Haotian bowed deeply toward Zhang Yang once more. Zhang Yang projected a burst of energy to block Long Haotian’s movement.

Unexpectedly, Long Haotian gritted his teeth and drove his internal energy downward, pressing against the block. If Zhang Yang continued to obstruct, Long Haotian risked injuring himself from the backlash between his own internal energy and this influx of celestial power.

Having no other choice, Zhang Yang withdrew his energy and accepted the full weight of Long Haotian's prostration.

Long Feng, standing nearby, remained silent. Long Haotian was currently representing the entire Long family, and Zhang Yang deserved this level of gratitude and respect from them.

Everyone present knew that without Zhang Yang yesterday, the entire Long family would truly have been ruined.

“Long Feng, escort the Clan Leader to a seat,” Zhang Yang spoke softly only after Long Haotian had finished his thanks. From the tone of his voice, it was clear his relationship with Long Feng was much closer; he treated him entirely as family.

Long Feng nodded, made no ceremony of it, and led his father to sit down beside him.

“Senior Zhang Yang, for the kindness you have shown our Long family this time, every disciple of the Long family will engrave it in their hearts. Starting today, you are our Long Family’s Honorary Grand Elder, entitled to utilize all of the Long family’s resources. Should any of our disciples offend you, or err in any way, you possess absolute authority to deal with them, myself included!”

The moment he was seated, Long Haotian stood up again and stated this softly to Zhang Yang.

Upon hearing this, both Zhang Pinglu and Master Shi Ming looked up, exchanging a glance of astonishment.

Ouyang Jiankang and Ouyang Hao’s mouths dropped open.

An honorific title like ‘Honorary Elder’ was nothing new; major powers had long established such titles—Honorary Elder, Guest Elder—for powerful figures affiliated with other clans or sects.

However, such an honorary title offered zero protection if a conflict arose between the title-holder and the main faction; they remained enemies nonetheless.

But the honorific bestowed upon Zhang Yang was different. He wasn't just an Honorary Grand Elder; he could also access all of the Long family’s resources. This meant that anything the Long family possessed, Zhang Yang could demand at any moment, even the entirety of the wealth the family had accumulated over many years.

This was tantamount to gifting the entire Long family to Zhang Yang.

It was no wonder even Zhang Pinglu and Master Shi Ming looked so shocked.

Furthermore, Zhang Yang’s absolute authority to act was formidable. If anyone in the Long family offended him or disobeyed his orders, he could execute them on the spot, and no one would dare object.

This absolute power of disposal was the right of life and death, the absolute control.

With these two entitlements, Zhang Yang’s power within the Long family was in no way secondary to that of their former Guardian. Even Zhang Pinglu had not anticipated the Long family elevating Zhang Yang to such heights.

If things truly stood this way, the few items he had desired earlier would be easily obtainable; Zhang Yang only needed to speak, and the Long family would deliver them.

If they failed to comply, it would mean everything they had said previously was a deception, and Zhang Yang could turn around and annihilate the entire Long family, and no one would say a word against it—in fact, they would condemn the Long family for their deceit.

Deceiving a Great Perfection master—the current Long family did not possess the audacity for such a gamble.

“Clan Leader Long, please do not joke like this!”

Zhang Yang was momentarily stunned, then gently shook his head. He was fully aware of the power he would wield within the Long family with these two privileges granted.

If that were the case, the entire Long family would effectively be under his command.

“Senior Zhang Yang, I am not joking. This is the result of extensive discussion among many within our Long family. We sincerely hope you will accept it and become our Long Family’s Honorary Grand Elder!”

Long Haotian vehemently shook his head; his expression grew intensely serious, showing no hint of jest.

Zhang Pinglu looked at him in surprise, then his eyes brightened slightly, regarding Long Haotian with a measure of admiration.

He had been startled initially, but upon deeper consideration, he swiftly grasped Long Haotian’s true intention.

The Long family was currently ragged and broken, their Guardian position vacant, several Level Four elders lost in battle, and the family's prestige had plummeted.

Especially the recent coordinated action by the Five Great Powers had served as a stark warning bell.

At this juncture, without a powerful figure to support them, the Long family could not continue its lineage. Even if they survived this crisis, they might not survive the next; eventual demise was inevitable.

Unless they completely abandoned the Long Family Plain, found an undisclosed location to live in seclusion, and only returned after cultivating another Great Perfection master.

But if they returned then, the Long Family Plain would surely be occupied, and to avoid another major conflict, the Long family would have to retreat.

This was the normal course of events, but one scenario could avert all of this, allowing the Long family to retain this territory and continue developing robustly.

That scenario was finding an immensely strong Guardian to protect them once more.

Zhang Yang was the optimal candidate for this Guardian role.

Firstly, the Saint of Medicine Zhang family members were few; there was no chance of them staging an invasion to take over. The Long Family Plain was vast; even if all the Zhang family members moved in, the space would appear overwhelmingly empty.

Secondly, there was Zhang Yang’s relationship with Long Feng. As long as Long Feng remained, Zhang Yang would certainly dedicate his full support to the Long family, a fact evident from the recent crisis.

Coupled with the awe-inspiring power Zhang Yang had already displayed, once he accepted this title of Grand Elder, he would effectively become the Long family’s protector.

The Long family’s role would simply shift to providing Zhang Yang with everything he required and all the resources, much like how they had honored their previous Guardian.

Once Zhang Pinglu understood all this, a smile touched his lips.

Despite grasping the reality, he still admired Long Haotian’s sheer audacity to make such a move.

This action transformed the relationship between the Long and Zhang families from mere allies to something akin to vassalage. At Zhang Yang’s command, every Long family disciple could be made to fight and die for him; this was equivalent to placing the entire fate of the Long family into Zhang Yang’s hands—a decision only someone with immense fortitude could make.

Yet, their gains were substantial. At the very least, during this gap in Great Perfection cultivation, they secured a new Guardian, one capable of protecting them for at least several centuries.

Within those centuries, should they manage to cultivate another Great Perfection master, the Long family would have the opportunity to rise again.

Zhang Pinglu was not the only one to grasp the implications; Master Shi Ming likewise understood.

Master Shi Ming displayed a slight smile. He too admired the Long family for making such a decisive choice and was happy for Zhang Yang.

Shaolin held a good relationship with the Zhang family, a result of Shaolin’s timely investment in the past. Looking back now, their investment proved extremely worthwhile and would surely yield returns in the future.

“Clan Leader Long, I will certainly help the Long family should troubles arise, but…”

“Yangyang, agree to it, it’s fine, agree to it!”

As Zhang Yang was about to refuse, Zhang Pinglu’s voice suddenly resonated in his mind. Zhang Yang looked at Zhang Pinglu, startled.

He was not Zhang Pinglu; he did not possess the profound understanding of a Guardian’s true role and had not fully grasped Long Haotian’s underlying strategy. He only perceived the immense burden of responsibility.

Zhang Yang did not understand why Zhang Pinglu pressed him so, but he knew one thing: Zhang Pinglu would never wish him harm.

After a moment’s thought, Zhang Yang altered his response and simply nodded: “Good. I agree. I am willing to become the Honorary Grand Elder of your Long family!”

“Truly?!”

Long Haotian looked up sharply, surprise still evident on his face.

“Clan Leader Long Haotian, Greetings to the Grand Elder!” A second later, he stood straight, knelt on the ground, and formally executed a profound ritual salute to Zhang Yang.

His objective was indeed exactly as Zhang Pinglu had surmised: a strategy of indirect salvation, offering the entire Long family as the price to secure Zhang Yang as their definitive Guardian.

Such a decision carried both advantages and disadvantages.

The benefit was obvious: once Zhang Yang became the Long family’s Grand Elder, their future would be impregnable. After witnessing his devastating attacks, no other faction would dare plot against the Long family again.

The drawback was equally significant: the entire future of the Long family became subservient to Zhang Yang; they could only obey his commands.

There is always a trade-off. The Long Haotian and his elders made this decision based on the Zhang family’s circumstances, Zhang Yang’s personal character, and his affection for Long Feng.

Had it been anyone else, the Long family would sooner choose mutual destruction than surrender their entirety.

Every outcome is decreed by fate. Zhang Yang had only helped the Long family out of loyalty to Long Feng, never expecting such a reward; unexpectedly, he had harvested an entire major clan.

Although the Long family was not nominally his property, he now possessed absolute command authority, and the relationship between the Long and Zhang families was fundamentally altered.