So, it begins.
The leaders of the Four Great Clans—already fuming with anger after Tang San brought in the Clear Sky Clan disciples without consulting them—found themselves further outraged. Word of the conflict between their disciples and the Clear Sky Clan had reached their ears, and Tang San's response only added fuel to the fire.
Tang San had gone to great lengths to summon the Nine Heart Begonia healers for the injured Clear Sky Clan disciples, but left the injured members of the Four Great Clans to fend for themselves, offering no such care.
Even the typically mild-mannered Bai He was incensed.
But when the clan leaders confronted Tang San, asking him why he had shown such blatant favoritism, Tang San remained unfazed.
His reasoning was simple: the Clear Sky Clan disciples had come of their own accord to help the Tang Sect during its struggles. The Four Great Clans, he argued, could not allow their old grudges to cloud their judgment. The Four Great Clans were now part of the Tang Sect, and as such, they should put aside their grievances for the greater good.
"If you hate the Clear Sky Clan so much, go after the main branch! Why take it out on their younger disciples?" Tang San declared, placing the blame squarely on the Four Great Clans for their inability to let go of past hatred.
He made it clear: the Clear Sky disciples had done nothing wrong, and the responsibility for the conflict lay entirely with the Four Great Clans.
Though, on the surface, Tang San was right—this particular fight had been provoked by the Four Great Clans—the real issue was much deeper.
The root of the problem wasn't simply the fight but Tang San's decision to bring the Clear Sky Clan disciples into the Tang Sect without consulting the Four Great Clans. This had sparked discontent from the top down within the clans.
Tang San's argument—that the Four Great Clans should take their revenge on the main branch of the Clear Sky Clan rather than the young disciples—was the last straw for the clan leaders.
"Are you kidding?! If we had the power to take on the Clear Sky Clan, we would've done it already!"
Both Yang Wudi and Niu Gao were furious. The leaders of the Four Great Clans all shared the same frustration. Despite Tang San's insistence that he hadn't technically broken his promise—he hadn't brought the Tang Sect under the control of the Clear Sky Clan—his actions still felt like a betrayal.
As Niu Gao furiously pointed out, Tang San had known about the deep-seated hatred between the Four Great Clans and the Clear Sky Clan. By allowing their disciples to join the Tang Sect, Tang San had, in their eyes, broken his word.
In the eyes of the Four Great Clans, Tang San's actions weren't just a breach of trust—they were outright treason.
Their disciples had simply acted to defend their dignity. Wasn't it justified?
Incensed, Niu Gao accused Tang San directly, insisting that the real betrayal lay in Tang San's failure to uphold his promises.
"How could our disciples just stand by and let the people we've hated for years walk all over us?" Niu Gao demanded.
Tang San's face darkened at the accusation. A man of the old world, a warrior from a martial society, Tang San's pride was immense—especially now that he was a god. If it weren't for the help Niu Gao and the other clan leaders had provided him in the past, he would have shown them the consequences of crossing him.
Of course, Tang San couldn't tell them the truth—that it was Tang Hao who had requested that the Clear Sky disciples join the Tang Sect. So instead, Tang San clung to his earlier argument: he hadn't promised to exclude Clear Sky disciples from joining the Tang Sect.
He was still abiding by his word.
But no matter how much Tang San tried to explain himself, the Four Great Clans saw it differently. To them, Tang San had broken his promise, and no amount of justification could undo that betrayal.
However, even though the leaders of the Four Great Clans were brimming with rage, none of them dared openly accuse Tang San of being a liar or a traitor—not even Yang Wudi, who had always been the most hot-tempered of the lot.
Instead, the four clan leaders banded together, demanding that Tang San immediately expel the Clear Sky disciples from the Tang Sect.
But Tang San had no intention of agreeing to their demands.
The Tang Sect needed the Clear Sky Clan's support for its continued growth, and on top of that, it had been his father who requested their involvement. As far as Tang San was concerned, the Four Great Clans were nothing compared to the Clear Sky Clan and his father's wishes.
A family came first.
When Tang San flat-out refused to expel the Clear Sky disciples, the clan leaders threatened to withdraw from the Tang Sect entirely.
But there's a saying: "It's easy to invite a god, but hard to send him away."
Though the situation was different, the analogy held. The Four Great Clans were the backbone of the Tang Sect. Without them, the sect would fall apart. Even if it didn't collapse, it would be greatly weakened.
There was no way Tang San could allow the Four Great Clans to leave.
And so, feeling that this was the right time to assert his authority and curb the arrogance of the Four Great Clans, Tang San coldly stood up and addressed the clan leaders.
He reminded them that he had never broken his promise. As such, the Four Great Clans had no right to leave the Tang Sect.
And if they tried… well, they'd better be prepared to face the consequences.
Upon hearing this, the leaders of the Four Great Clans were livid. They realized they had grossly misjudged Tang San. He wasn't the grateful benefactor they had once thought him to be. He was nothing more than an ungrateful traitor!
Tang San had turned his back on the people who had helped him build the Tang Sect, choosing instead to side with the Clear Sky Clan.
But despite their anger, the leaders of the Four Great Clans knew they couldn't leave the Tang Sect. Tang San had backed them into a corner.
Realizing that the Four Great Clans were growing restless, Tang San began to scheme. He started making plans to wean the Tang Sect off its reliance on the Four Great Clans, ensuring the sect could survive without them.
More and more Clear Sky disciples began to arrive at the Tang Sect.
And, as expected, the conflict between the disciples of the Four Great Clans and the Clear Sky Clan continued to escalate.
Each time, Tang San sided with the Clear Sky disciples.
After all, his father, Tang Hao, had made it clear where his loyalties lay.
In the end, blood was thicker than water. Tang San's favor would always be with his father and the Clear Sky Clan.
And, as time passed, the resentment in Tang San's heart toward the Four Great Clans only deepened. He had never forgotten the challenges they had posed when he first tried to bring them under his control.
Now, their increasing defiance made him remember those old grudges all the more clearly.