Chapter 113 – 130. Tai Tan: Kneel Before Me
Tai Tan led the wounded remnants of the Strength Clan away from their ravaged homeland after hastily tending to their injuries. Their destination was the ancestral shrine—the birthplace of their lineage.
This was where their ancestors were worshipped. Though none had achieved anything glorious, it was still sacred ground. After pledging loyalty to Tang Hao, Tai Tan had even ordered his people to craft a mighty clay statue of Tang Hao himself and place it at the top of the ancestral altar, above all forebears. Beside it were inscribed the words:
"Majestic Clear Sky Sect, peerless Battlehammer Spirit."
And on a plaque beneath: "Master of the Strength Clan — Tang Hao."
Standing before the shrine, Tai Tan looked up at the imposing statue. His weathered eyes filled with tears. So much pain, humiliation, and faith warred within him.
One of his clansmen, Tai Ming, finally dared to ask, "Clan Chief, why couldn't we just join the Body Sect? Wouldn't it have been better to be under their protection, rather than suffer so much?"
Before he could even finish, Tai Tan's remaining arm lashed out in fury, striking Tai Ming hard across the face and sending him sprawling.
"Tai Ming!" Tai Tan barked. "How many times must I say it? Since the day our clan pledged itself to Tang Hao, every generation of the Strength Clan must serve him and his descendants with honor! How dare you even think of betrayal?!"
He turned his gaze on the gathered tribesmen, his one-armed silhouette radiating fury. "Anyone who said they'd leave the clan and join the Body Sect, step forward now. Don't force me to drag you out myself."
Even maimed, Tai Tan was still a Contra-level expert, and his authority over the clan was absolute.
Under his crushing glare, a few hesitated, trembling—then shuffled forward.
"Anyone else?" he boomed.
Another two stepped out, unable to bear the pressure.
Tai Tan's eyes turned cold as he scanned the rest. His burning gaze made even the boldest cower. Then, wordlessly, he strode into the crowd, grabbed a man by the collar like a child snatching a chick, and threw him down onto the ground.
"Kneel," Tai Tan roared.
They shuddered, then dropped to their knees facing the shrine, their foreheads bowing toward Tang Hao's clay effigy.
Tai Tan followed, kneeling before the statue himself. He slammed his forehead to the ground three times, tears streaming down his face.
"Master," he cried, "your servant has sinned. This old slave failed to oversee the Sharp, Sensitive, and Defense Clans—they've joined the Body Sect. I failed to restrain my own men. I allowed ungrateful cowards to sully your name. Master, this is my fault!"
He struck himself across the face repeatedly with his one broad palm, the sound echoing off the shrine walls.
"Rest assured, Master," he said, blood mixing with his tears, "today your servant will chastise these unworthy fools on your behalf!"
He rose, summoned his spirit, and pulled from thin air a heavy whip studded with iron spikes.
Marching toward the kneeling dissidents, his presence radiated pure menace. The cruel glint of the whip made them sweat profusely.
The first man broke, sobbing. "Clan Chief, please! I was wrong! I'll never defy you again—don't hit me, I beg you!"
"It's too late," Tai Tan said coldly—and swung.
The whip cracked through the air and tore into flesh. Blood sprayed, and screams split the hall.
"Urrrghhh—ahhhhh!"
Soon, the ancestral shrine of the Strength Clan resounded with the endless chorus of weeping, as the iron whip lashed down over and over. When it finally ended hours later, several lay dead, beaten to pulp, while the rest hovered near death.
Tai Tan pointed at the mangled corpses and snarled, "Remember this well! This is the fate of those who betray their master! If anyone dares disobey again, I won't show even this much mercy!"
The surviving clan members shrank back, murmuring, "Yes, Clan Chief," their hatred burning quietly in their hearts.
When the punishment ended, Tai Tan returned home—and heard muffled sobs from within.
He entered to find his son Tai Nuo and grandson Tai Long weeping.
"What are you crying for?" he snapped. "You're men! It's just a lost arm—no need for tears!"
Tai Nuo lifted his head, eyes bloodshot. "Father, do you not see? Tai Long and I suffered the same fate as you—we've been castrated! Our lineage… it's over!"
"What?" The words struck Tai Tan like thunder.
He froze on the spot. In his rush to punish the clan, he'd never considered that his son and grandson had been mutilated just as he had—both emasculated, left barren.
"Let me see," he said, rushing toward Tai Long. Pulling down the boy's trousers, he stared in disbelief.
"Gone… it's gone!" Tai Long sobbed. "Grandfather, everything's… gone!"
"Our bloodline is finished!" Tai Nuo said bitterly, his voice trembling in despair.
Pain twisted Tai Tan's face. He had accepted his own emasculation as an old man—he'd thought it a small sacrifice for loyalty. But his son and grandson? Their future destroyed, their legacy severed forever? The thought broke something inside him.
"Grandfather," Tai Long cried through his tears, "why? Why must we be Tang Hao's slaves? If we had joined the Body Sect, this never would've happened! We wouldn't—"
Tai Tan's reflex answered before thought did—his palm struck Tai Long hard across the face, knocking him to the ground.
"Father! What are you doing?" Tai Nuo shouted in fury.
Tai Tan's eyes softened as he looked down at his weeping grandson, torn between pain and conviction. "I'm teaching him," he said quietly. "Our clan exists to serve Tang Hao and his descendants. To question that is blasphemy."
Hearing this, Tai Long cried even harder.
Tai Tan's heart ached at the sight, but his faith would not yield. He clasped his grandson's head gently and spoke in a trembling voice. "Tai Long, one day you'll understand. When you meet Tang Hao, you'll see—our master is a man of unimaginable greatness. Serving him is the highest honor our clan could ever know."
Yet as he spoke, despair curled in his chest. He thought of his maiming, his shattered lineage, and the humiliation his clan had endured. The words felt hollow. Still, he held onto one thing—faith in his master.
He led his son and grandson outside beneath the moonlight, facing the distant mountains where Tang Hao had last been seen. Grabbing Tai Long's head and forcing Tai Nuo beside him, he made all three of them kneel.
One, two, three solemn strikes of their foreheads echoed through the night.
Under the pale moon, Tai Tan wept and cried to the heavens.
"Master… if you still live, would our Strength Clan ever have suffered like this? I beg you—one day, avenge us! Bring justice to your loyal servants!"
The scene was pitiful—a broken old man howling at the cold sky like a wounded hound, calling for a master who would never answer.
(END CHAPTER)
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