The elder at the highest position in the grand hall, Bai Tianxia, the patriarch of the Bai family, was the most powerful person in the Bai family!
"Li Xiaotian, who established the Dragon King Hall in the war zone and is known as the Dragon King, a top War God. The Dragon King Hall has at least twenty War Gods. It must be said that he is the most formidable opponent our Bai family has encountered in centuries!"
Bai Tianxia cast a faint glance at Bai Cangmang, who subconsciously lowered his head. He then spoke at a leisurely pace.
Upon hearing Bai Tianxia's words, everyone present changed their expressions. To be honest, they hadn't thoroughly investigated Li Xiaotian's identity. They only knew that he was a top War God with immense strength!
However, after hearing Bai Tianxia's words, everyone's hearts stirred. To have at least twenty War Gods under him? If that were true, they would indeed find him difficult to deal with.
"Patriarch, the opponent is powerful, but this is Da Qin! Li Xiaotian's influence is in the war zone, and our Bai family also has quite a few War God experts. Li Xiaotian is not enough to make us admit defeat!" someone said, unconcerned in their heart.
"Our Bai family has family martial arts inheritance, and every War God expert is an outstanding individual among their peers. What use does Li Xiaotian have for having more War Gods? I don't believe every one of his War Gods is as powerful as Li Xiaotian!"
"Patriarch, in short, the Bai family cannot be provoked. Even if we can't eliminate Li Xiaotian, we must make him pay a price!"
Bai Tianxia gave the crowd a faint look, chuckled softly, and then continued to speak.
"The main lineage only has Bai Hao. He was pampered and spoiled by you since childhood, successfully turning him into a good-for-nothing!"
"Don't think I don't know about his actions outside. If he didn't have the blood of my Bai family flowing through him, I would have fed such a good-for-nothing to the dogs long ago!"
"Father!!" Bai Cangmang looked up at Bai Tianxia, his face filled with disbelief. How could a grandfather speak about his grandson like this?
"Patriarch, your words are too harsh. Our Bai family's main lineage only has Hao'er. He is still young, and a little bit of troublemaking is fine," someone in the grand hall said softly.
"Big Brother, no matter what, Hao'er is your biological grandson. Regardless of what he has done in the past, he is, after all, a member of our Bai family. Li Xiaotian provoking our Bai family like this is truly bullying us!" the elder beside Bai Tianxia said. He was Bai Tianxia's younger brother, who had never married in his life and therefore doted on Bai Hao exceptionally.
"Heh heh, the Bai family has become too comfortable, to the point where you look down on everyone. Hasn't Bai Hao made enemies for our Bai family quite a bit in recent years?" Bai Tianxia's tone was mocking as he looked at everyone in the hall. Everyone instinctively lowered their heads when they met his gaze.
"Big Brother, let's not talk about Hao'er anymore. Let's discuss how to deal with Li Xiaotian," the second elder Bai said, his brow furrowed slightly.
"Hmph!" Bai Tianxia let out a cold snort, then stood up directly. Terrifying malevolence erupted from his body, making everyone present tremble with fear and shock. They couldn't understand why Bai Tianxia was so enraged.
"From today onwards, Bai Hao is stripped of his title as Young Patriarch. From now on, any member of the younger generation of the Bai family is eligible to compete for the position of the next Bai family patriarch. As long as he is outstanding, the Bai family belongs to him!" Bai Tianxia suddenly declared, immediately astonishing everyone in the hall, their faces changing dramatically.
"Father!!" Bai Cangmang's face was filled with horror. Although his son was already crippled, he was still alive, and there might be a chance to cure him in the future. But if his father's decree was enforced, Bai Hao would truly be finished, and his main lineage would also begin to decline.
The Bai family was an entity. In terms of the main lineage, the second elder Bai had no heirs. However, the third elder Bai did, and he had five grandsons. Not to mention the collateral branches of the Bai family, there were dozens of people among the younger generation. With so many people competing, given Bai Hao's condition, he would be at the very bottom.
"Big Brother, this is unacceptable. This will make the Bai family unstable!" the second elder Bai said, his face grim.
"Yes, Big Brother. The position of Patriarch must belong to Bai Hao. No matter what Hao'er's future holds, as long as we are here, the Bai family will not regress if handed over to Hao'er!" the third elder Bai also spoke, though a hint of excitement lay deep within his heart.
Others in the grand hall also voiced their opinions, but the glint in their eyes exposed their true thoughts.
Who wouldn't want to contend for the position of Bai family patriarch if they had the chance? After all, becoming the Bai family patriarch meant becoming the master of the Bai family, and all the Bai family's assets would belong to him alone, just like Bai Tianxia now.
"Our Bai family can afford to support a good-for-nothing, but the position of patriarch must not be handed over to a good-for-nothing!" Bai Tianxia said sternly, then looked at the crowd and continued.
"I want the Bai family to remain strong and prosperous for thousands more years! This rule will be included in the Bai family's tenets from today onwards. Every generation, anyone capable can contend for the patriarch's position!"
"Boom!!!" Everyone's eyes widened, staring at Bai Tianxia in disbelief. Such a rule was equivalent to selecting the most capable person of each generation in the Bai family through a process of simulated combat, which would indeed allow the Bai family to prosper.
However, such a method, if not handled carefully, could lead to the Bai family's rapid decline, even its demise!
"Father!!! Think thrice!!!" Bai Cangmang said with tears streaming down his face.
The others also spoke out to persuade Bai Tianxia.
"Enough! My words are the rules! Do you still recognize me as your patriarch?" Bai Tianxia's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he looked at everyone coldly. Instantly, everyone in the grand hall fell silent.
Bai Tianxia's authority was not only due to his status as patriarch but also because of his terrifying strength. Therefore, the Bai family members always held Bai Tianxia in awe.
"Furthermore, send someone to tell Li Xiaotian that it is impossible for our Bai family to compensate him. The Bai family cannot be provoked!"
"Tell him to come to our Bai family in person to apologize, otherwise, he will face the wrath of our Bai family!"
"Although the Dragon King Hall is powerful, it is not invincible!"
Bai Tianxia commanded coldly, a deep fury flashing in his eyes. Bai Hao was his biological grandson, and he felt anger in his heart as well. If Bai Hao hadn't been crippled, why would he have stated the aforementioned rules? It was all for the Bai family, for his own lineage to survive properly!