All struggles were ultimately futile.
Zi Lingling smiled proudly, watching the pathetic state of the Gou family members with silent amusement.
The spiritual and elemental energies within the Four Symbols Sealing Heaven Array were continuously channeled outward, rapidly draining the very essence from the Gou family members trapped inside.
Soon, the array became a "vacuum," leaving the Gou family utterly devoid of any connection to spiritual or elemental forces.
The struggling Gou family elders and ten Divine Kings not only failed to break free but also squandered vast amounts of their strength.
Zi Lingling's voice echoed serenely, "Submit? Or continue?"
Gou An, the First Elder of the Gou family, spat forcefully and cursed, "Hmph! You insolent girl, you dream if you think our Gou family will ever submit to you!"
A hint of coldness flashed in Zi Lingling's eyes as she smiled, "Very well! Then we shall continue!"
"Four Symbols Sealing Heaven Array! Suppress!"
As her words fell, Long Er, Xiao Hu, Huang Yi, and Xuan Wu roared once more, and the positions of the Four Symbols beasts shifted.
A terrifying pressure permeated the Four Symbols Sealing Heaven Array.
This was no ordinary pressure, but the might of heaven and earth, locked down by the array. Su Dan Novel Network.
The Gou family members in the Emperor, Minor God, and Great God realms stumbled and fell to their knees, their faces etched with horror.
The nine elders and ten Divine Kings, while not immediately collapsing, narrowly maintained their footing just before bowing down.
Even so, their legs trembled violently.
Without the support of spiritual and elemental energies, they could only rely on their physical strength.
However, despite being Divine Kings, none of them had cultivated any specialized body-refining techniques.
Thus, they could only struggle to hold on.
But if this continued for too long, even they would break.
Zi Lingling stated with a frigid expression, "This is your last chance to choose: submit or be annihilated!"
Honestly, she hadn't even unleashed the true power of the Four Symbols Sealing Heaven Array. Otherwise, the mere techniques of temporal erosion and four-symbol annihilation could have eradicated all the Gou family members within the array.
Gou Shiren, already suffering from internal injuries due to his rage, was now further injured by the heaven and earth pressure within the array, a sliver of fear creeping into his heart.
Consequently, he did not directly answer Zi Lingling's question, his gaze flickering with indecision.
But Gou An, the First Elder of the Gou family, remained obstinate.
In his mind, the Gou family's integrity could not be compromised.
Therefore, while Gou Shiren hesitated, he preempted him, saying, "Members of my Gou family, are there any who fear death? Kill us if you must, flay us if you will!"
Zi Lingling was amused to the point of anger.
It seemed some individuals mistook her leniency for an unwillingness to kill.
Did she truly not possess the capacity to kill?
Of course, she did!
While Zi Lingling harbored the desire to use the Gou family as a stepping stone to conquer the entire Crimson Blood City and build up her forces for the impending world-ending conflict, this did not serve as a shield for the Gou family.
Zi Lingling was not a rigid person and understood that extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures.
Since the Gou family refused to surrender, she would not waste any more time here, nor would she create a mortal enemy for herself.
Thus, she declared with chilling intent, "Very well! Since you are intent on seeking death, I shall grant your wish! Four Symbols beasts, heed my command: return to your positions, temporal ero—"
"Wait!"
Before Zi Lingling could utter her final word, she was interrupted by Gou Shiren, the patriarch of the Gou family.
One had to admit, in terms of reading people, Gou Shiren, the patriarch of the Gou family, was leagues ahead of Gou An, the First Elder.
Gou Shiren had perceived that Zi Lingling's patience had worn thin and that she had clearly decided to kill them.
As the patriarch, he could not stand by and watch the Gou family perish under his leadership.
Therefore, he cut off Zi Lingling's words and said, "Miss Zi, the Gou family is willing to submit. I implore you to show mercy!"
As soon as Gou Shiren spoke, Gou An, the First Elder, flew into a rage and cursed, "Gou Shiren, you spineless scoundrel! How could you hand over the Gou family so easily?"
Gou Shiren responded with a bitter smile, "First Elder, compared to the thousands of lives in the Gou family, what is mere backbone? When my father passed the Gou family into my hands, he strictly charged me to ensure its continuation. Therefore, I cannot, for the sake of supposed backbone, bring about the demise of the entire Gou family!"
"You…"
Gou An was so enraged his senses were ablaze, "Nonsense! Our Gou family's integrity has been passed down for a thousand years, leading to our current standing. If we lose that integrity, the Gou family would be better off erased from the river of time!"
Gou Shiren's expression turned cold, and he rebuked, "Utter folly! To sacrifice the lives of thousands of our kin for some nebulous concept of integrity, what face will we have to meet our ancestors?"
"First Elder, I have always respected and honored you, but that does not give you the right to be unreasonable! In this moment of life and death for the Gou family, your stubbornness is unacceptable!"
"I am the patriarch, and the decision rests with me. If you disagree, you may hold me accountable through the Elder Council after this matter is resolved!"
Gou An, the First Elder, was reprimanded into silence.
At this moment, Gou Tong, the Second Elder, also spoke, "I concur with the patriarch's decision!"
Gou He, the Third Elder, stated, "First Elder, if you are not afraid of death, you are free to embrace martyrdom. However, please do not treat the lives of thousands of our kin as a game! I, too, agree with the patriarch's decision!"
Gou Qi, the Fourth Elder, added, "Third Elder speaks wisely! I believe the integrity our ancestors valued was for the Gou family to flourish, not to be driven to ruin. Therefore, I also agree with the patriarch's decision!"
Gou Ke, the Fifth Elder, Gou Bai, the Sixth Elder, Gou Le, the Seventh Elder, Gou Song, the Eighth Elder, and Gou Huan, the Ninth Elder, all echoed in unison, "We also agree with the patriarch's decision!"
In reality, no one was unafraid of death.
The higher one's position, the more they feared death. The longer one lived, the more they feared death. Those who possessed fame and fortune feared death all the more...
Therefore, when faced with life and death, eight of the Gou family elders chose to live.
It seemed only the stubborn and pedantic eccentric, Gou An, the First Elder, held the notion that integrity outweighed life.
Seeing that his eight brothers opposed him, Gou An, the First Elder, felt a profound sense of disappointment and desolation.
His disbelieving gaze swept across their faces, eventually settling into a look of self-mockery.
"Fine. You have chosen to live in ignominy, and I have nothing more to say. However, regardless of what happens, I will not trample the integrity passed down by our ancestors underfoot."
"Perhaps you all consider me pedantic, ridiculous, and stubborn, but some things are etched into our bones and souls; they transcend life and death!"
"Therefore, our paths diverge, and I shall depart first. I hope you can live on with a clear conscience!"