Indeed, Elder Hua Geng continued, "Restoring a congenital spiritual land requires not only an abundance of heavenly treasures but is also a feat that cannot be accomplished overnight. The nurturing of the spiritual land requires at least tens of thousands of years. Furthermore, five Golden Immortal Venerables must remain stationed there, unable to depart, and a large number of personnel are needed to search for heavenly spiritual materials."
Upon hearing this, all the clan members understood their clan leader's intentions. Once the spiritual veins were restored and nurtured, Xi Mountain would lack the strength to launch a genocidal siege during the Myriad Beasts War. It would only be a common Myriad Beasts War below the Earth tier.
Below, some of the crowd remained silent, some frowned, some's eyes twitched as their thoughts raced.
The pain from the previous Myriad Beasts War had brought them immense hatred. Countless serpents living outside Xi Mountain had been wiped out. Behind the numbers of hundreds of thousands, lay the lives of spiritual snakes and the corpses in countless snake dens.
Many of these clan members came from snake dens where their closest kin had fallen in battle. Yet, though their hearts burned with hatred, they also understood the clan's grand strategy; individual interests must submit to the interests of the clan!
Venerable Yu stepped forward and said, "Therefore, Xi Mountain will have no surplus strength to conduct offensives in the next Myriad Beasts War."
"Fellow clan members, if anyone has any objections, please voice them. We elders and the clan leader have already discussed this matter. You will now choose whether to continue fully engaging in the Myriad Beasts War or to fully focus on constructing Xi Mountain's congenital spiritual land."
"Those who choose the former, raise your left arm. Those who choose the latter, raise your right arm. Each Heavenly tier clansman represents one vote, each elder represents thirty votes, and the clan leader represents eighty votes. We will then tally the total votes, and the minority will obey the majority!"
As these words were spoken, the clan members below became hesitant. After all, they were accustomed to following their clan leader and elders and had never opposed them before.
Thus, after much deliberation, many raised their right arms. Only a handful of clan members uneasily raised their left hands, as in a way, this was an act of defiance against the authority of the clan leader and elders.
However, Elder Hua Geng, standing at the head, smiled at those who raised their left arms and said, "Please express your thoughts freely. This is a right granted to you by Xi Mountain's clan rules. No one can obstruct it, and no one will be reprimanded afterward."
At these words, those who had raised their left arms no longer hesitated and held them high, expressing their desires. Some who had raised their right arms also lowered them and raised their left arms again.
After all, every word and action of Elder Hua Geng was deeply trusted by the Xi Mountain clan members.
Venerable Yu immediately declared, "Good! Stop now." With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he tallied the results. "Among the clan members, one hundred and sixty-five votes are in favor of constructing Xi Mountain's spiritual land, and only fifty-three votes are in favor of continuing the full engagement in the Myriad Beasts War. Coupled with the clan leader's..."
"Excuse me, how many clan members do I count as in favor?" At this moment, a sudden voice came from behind Venerable Yu.
Not only Venerable Yu but also the clan members below were stunned. The Golden Immortal Venerables also remembered that the Saint Child had not yet voted.
It wasn't that they had forgotten his existence, but they had subconsciously assumed that Qing Ling would stand with the clan leader and elders.
Venerable Yu also faltered, hesitantly saying, "This... this... the clan rules don't seem to specify..."
Elder Hua Geng suddenly spoke, "The Saint Child's status is noble and supreme, thus he shall represent fifty clan members' approval!"
The clan members below were shocked, never expecting the Saint Child's opinion to carry such weight, second only to the clan leader.
Qing Ling nodded and then raised his left hand.
Venerable Yu's eye twitched again, and he repeated, "Those in favor of fully engaging in the Myriad Beasts War, raise your left hand. Those in favor of constructing Xi Mountain's spiritual land, raise your right hand."
As the words fell, Qing Ling still held up his left hand, not changing sides.
At this point, Venerable Yu choked, and only then did he react. He truly hadn't expected Qing Ling to cast a dissenting vote. He hurriedly recalculated the votes and then said, "Three hundred and sixty-five votes are in favor of fully constructing Xi Mountain's spiritual land, and one hundred and three votes are in favor of fully engaging in the Myriad Beasts War. The minority obeys the majority, therefore..."
"Venerable Yu, wait a moment."
Venerable Yu frowned, then asked, "Saint Child, do you have any objections?"
Qing Ling smiled, "Article eight of the clan's nineteen policies stipulates that if the clan holds a decision-making vote where the minority obeys the majority, a presentation may be made, and based on the factual report, participants may be persuaded to change their choice."
Venerable Yu's mind raced before he recalled, "This policy indeed exists. What is it you wish to report?"
Qing Ling stepped forward and said, "As the Saint Child, I propose to veto these two decisions and select a new resolution!"
Venerable Chi Li frowned slightly but respected and trusted Qing Ling enough to say, "Saint Child, what is your intention? Please elaborate."
Qing Ling replied, "Thank you, Venerable Chi Li, and thank you, Venerable Yu, for your understanding."
"The reason I propose this appeal is that I have inadvertently learned of the actions of some of the surrounding clans."
Elder Hua Geng's eyes flickered slightly as she asked, "Saint Child, please proceed."
The Xi Mountain Serpent Clan today no longer dared to call him Little Qing. In the past, the most frequent address he received while walking through Xi Mountain was "Little Qing," making him think he was truly named Qing Ling, with an older sister named Bai Su Zhen and a brother-in-law...
But now he had become a great figure, and no one dared to easily utter his given name.
Qing Ling bowed to Elder Hua Geng and continued, "I have used special means to observe that the Black Lizard Clan has appeared in the territory of the Red Fire Toad Clan. Moreover, not only the Toad Clan, but also in the territories of the Spotted Hyena Clan, the Spiritual Centipede Clan, the Spirit-Evading Honey Badger Clan, and the Flying Mantis Clan, and among several clans behind the Red Fire Toads, members of the Black Lizard High Clan have appeared. The emissaries of the Black Lizard High Clan have been treated as honored guests in the clan territories, yet they have not come to Xi Mountain. Coupled with the past grievances between our Xi Mountain Serpent Clan and the Black Lizard High Clan, and the current development momentum of Xi Mountain, the Black Lizard High Clan has harbored a desire to exterminate our clan!"
At these words, the expressions of the clan members below changed drastically. After all, the Black Lizard High Clan was ranked eighth among the thousands of clans subservient to the Dragon Clan, only below the seven super-clans! To destroy a small clan like Xi Mountain would be far too easy.
Even the four Golden Immortal Venerables' faces changed slightly, their minds churning with various speculations. Only Elder Hua Geng looked at Qing Ling with approval, remaining silent.
Qing Ling, taking advantage of everyone's daze, continued in a softer tone, "From this, it is evident that the Black Lizard High Clan indeed intends to move against our Xi Mountain. However, given the strength of the Black Lizard High Clan, to directly attack a weak race would not only invite ridicule from other races but would also violate the rules of the Dragon Clan's Twelve Edicts. High clans cannot easily slaughter small clans to expand their spiritual territories, and even if a high clan were to launch a war of extermination, their Da Luo Golden Immortals cannot intervene."
"Therefore, our Xi Mountain is not without the power to resist. For this reason, the Black Lizard High Clan has harbored the intention of enlisting other clans to weaken or even destroy Xi Mountain."
"In this Myriad Beasts War, our Xi Mountain will face not only the Spotted Hyena Clan and the Red Fire Toad Clan, but a joint army of eight surrounding clans!"
"Even if our Xi Mountain is powerful, facing an army of eight combined clans will inevitably lead to defeat. Therefore, before the Myriad Beasts War concludes, Xi Mountain's spiritual land absolutely cannot commence construction."
Venerable Du nodded and said, "In that case, we can only go all out in this Myriad Beasts War?"
"No, we will not fight in the Myriad Beasts War, nor will we move. We will recuperate!" Qing Ling's voice gradually became more imposing, his words more inspiring. "For a long time, we have been bound by the rules of the Dragon Clan's Twelve Edicts, and our obsession with the Myriad Beasts War has clouded our judgment."
Venerable Qi inquired, "What do you mean by that?"
Qing Ling turned, raised his arm, pointed to the southwest, and his voice boomed against the wind, "Since they harbor intentions to offend our Xi Mountain, they must be prepared for the annihilation of their clan and the destruction of their dens.
The Spotted Hyena Clan and the Red Fire Toad Clan have grievances accumulated over generations. We should seize this opportunity before the Myriad Beasts War to launch a war of extermination, annihilating these two clans in advance, thereby deterring the other clans and showcasing Xi Mountain's strength. This will also alleviate the pressure during the Myriad Beasts War and expand our clan territory, creating strategic positions for defense and offense. We can retreat for a long time and attack for a long time, seizing the initiative and advantage!
Let the traces of our Xi Mountain Serpent Clan be found in the homes of our enemies, let their blood and corpses forge our clan's glory. Across the ages, and across the eight directions, behold Xi Mountain, its banners flying across the nine provinces!"
This pronouncement shook the heavens, its clear tones resonating in every clan member's ears, stirring every sincere serpent heart. Below, the hundreds of Heavenly tier clansmen were deeply moved, their serpent nature surging, their eyes filled with excitement.
Elder Hua Geng's eyes gleamed brighter and brighter. She smiled with satisfaction.