Chapter 422: Singing Another Tune
Whoosh~
Three figures flashed on the battlefield, ignoring the wails below and going in Zhuo Fan’s direction.
Zhuo Fan mocked, “Humph, such guts to come at me instead of running.”
“He-he-he, I think they are instead coming here to die.” Li Jingtian snickered.
The three Venerables appeared in their sights.
They all came with clear thoughts of becoming martyrs while holding the enemy back. But seeing the two savages had them shaking still.
High Venerable scrutinized them, gulped and found any word lacking in this situation.
The other two sighed.
[Scared before even fighting. Now what?]
[Brother, we have to buy the old third some time…]
Recalling his mission, High Venerable took a deep breath and scrounged up the sc.r.a.ps of courage within to shout, “Zhuo Fan, you’ve gone too…”
Zhuo Fan had no time to indulge in this guy’s pedantic style and asked, “Weren’t there four senses? Where’s the other one?”
High Venerable’s courage got stuck in his throat. Zhuo Fan’s haughty and obnoxious att.i.tude, like a big kahuna, lorded over them with such pressure that their heads jerked back.
This was called the power gap. They were like 1st level spiritual beasts facing a 6th level spiritual beast, with no chance whatsoever at coming out alive.
The three threatened to burst out in tears.
They were Radiant Stage cultivators, h.e.l.l Valley’s Venerables, but they couldn’t even get a worthy death?
Li Jingtian cracked up, jarring to their ears.
Zhuo Fan shook his head, “Not like one missing person would make a difference.”
Zhuo Fan took out a gourd and let Bloodworms wiggle out. They looked downright eager to get out of that darkness they had known all their lives, ready to enjoy the big outdoors.
“Here’s the deal. Eat it and you’re one of us, becoming Luo clan’s elders. Don’t, and I’ll just have to take you back as corpses.” Zhuo Fan was like a tyrant in his demands.
The three jerked and panicked. Zhuo Fan had actually come to them to offer an olive branch.
With Zhuo Fan’s ill.u.s.trious reputation of a savage demon – and the bad blood between the houses – they had the impression that he had come here to cull them. They were even ready to lay down their lives. So why were they so happy?
To a dead man, a glimmer of hope would blossom in his heart, the instinct of self preservation with a force that couldn’t be denied.
It was like jumping off a cliff and then finding out that there was an extra rope beside you. Would you capture it, or let it slip?
[What kinda dumb choice is that? Who’s so r.e.t.a.r.ded to take splattering as an upside to life?]
But the life veterans that the old fogies were, agreeing so quickly would net them what, a lower status?
Hence, ergo and propter hoc, High Venerable stroked his beard, held his head high and put on airs, “Zhuo Fan, if you’re going headhunting, isn’t it a bit thin? We are, after all, h.e.l.l Valley’s…”
“Elder Li, kill ’em.” Zhuo Fan deadpanned.
Li Jingtian grinned, cracking his knuckles as a fire lit in his eyes.
The three jerked like mice, waving around in panic, “Let’s be reasonable. D-don’t resort to violence…”
“Humph, you old coots, I’ve already said my piece. One more or less will hardly make a difference. Yet you dare posture before me? It’s to the afterlife with you!” Zhuo Fan snorted.
The three jerked and bobbed their heads like cute children.
Holding out the gourd, Zhuo Fan watched them each swallow a Bloodworm.
And so, easy peasy lemon squeezy, Luo clan gained three more Radiant Stage elders. Though Zhuo Fan didn’t give a flying fig about them, they were of even less value than Yan Song, a peak Profound Heaven expert.
But every penny counted, even if those pennies were so thin and corroded that you wanted to throw them, they all had their use sometime… in the long future.
And the newly baked elders? Now they were clued in as to why a die-hard expert like Li Jingtian fell in with Zhuo Fan. Besides Bloodworms’ control, Zhuo Fan’s att.i.tude left no room for dissidence.
“S-Sir Zhuo…”
“Steward Zhuo!” Zhuo Fan’s icy tone warned.
High Venerable jerked and nodded, “Steward Zhuo, we have another elder sneaking out to report. He is still close. Should I call him to join Steward Zhuo’s camp?”
The other two bobbed.
The four of them were a clique. With three of them coerced into working under Zhuo Fan, the day would come when they’d have to kill their brother.
So having the old third join the gang in one big happy family worked out smashingly.
Zhuo Fan shook his head, “No need, one less won’t make a difference.”
The three looked downcast. [Steward Zhuo never gave a hoot about us.]
It was best to play it safe and not get on the young master’s nerve.
They reckoned not even Li Jingtian could take his punishment if he did. While they would downright breathe their last in the process. [Better wag my tail at every order.]
[Luo clan is a den of monsters. We are three Radiant Stage experts here, yet this young master doesn’t bat an eye.]
Tears welled up again, the fond times of being at the top seemed so far away…
“You three, the fighting isn’t over. Go lend a hand!” Zhuo Fan glanced at the slaughter below and ordered.
They shuddered.
The fighting was one-sided to begin with and them going would only speed things up. Zhuo Fan was having them go for another reason, to make them kill their own disciples.
A second ago they were still h.e.l.l Valley’s Venerables, yet in the next moment they were ordered to go kill their own clansmen. It was a little hard to take.
“Steward Zhuo, a man of power should look after the ones below him. How about I try and get h.e.l.l Valley’s disciples to join the Luo clan?” High Venerable looked on pleading.
Li Jingtian nodded, “It’s not a bad idea, Steward…”
“Kill!”
Zhuo Fan snapped, “Your status in Luo clan is based solely on merit. With no merit, we’ll be off with your head. Luo clan does not raises pansies!”
Sss~
Zhuo Fan clearly wanted h.e.l.l Valley dead to the last man, dog and weed.
If the three Venerables dragged their feet any longer, they’d soon join the b.l.o.o.d.y mud.
This wasn’t as simple as turning coats, but was cutting off any relation with h.e.l.l Valley. And these three were demonic cultivators, without shame or remorse. Now that they had grasped a lifeline, would they let it get cut over something as insipid as integrity?
The three swooped in without preamble.
They had tried their best to plead the kids’ case to Zhuo Fan. [It’s not our fault Zhuo Fan wants us to kill you.]
“Kill, brothers. Stand your ground!”
One tall disciple shouted, waving his sinister sabre, pushing back the five enemies around, “I’ve already notified the Venerables. They will soon provide help. Just hold on!”
Whoosh~
A grey robe appeared before him,
The disciple shouted in joy, “High Venerable, you’re finally…”
Pff!
The bright smile froze on his face as his chest gained an extra large breathing room, with blood seeping out.
The High Venerable flashed to his next target. Just that this one, who had been holding on for the better part of an hour, froze on his spot as happiness was replaced with doubt.
[What the h.e.l.l? Why is the High Venerable attacking us?]
In this moment of greatest doubt in his life, he lost his life.
Each Venerable flitted across the battlefield, across every corner.
Because they were Radiant Stage experts who were h.e.l.l Valley’s Venerables, once they joined the war effort, they mowed down the disciples by the scores.
Zhuo Fan watched it all with a cold critical eye and a snicker.
Li Jingtian didn’t get it, “Steward Zhuo, why did you shoot down that old guy’s proposal…”
“In times of war, one needs to avoid surrendering before even battling. We are on the brink of clashing with Regent Estate and I can’t have unknowns left in our midst. If anything, I don’t have enough Bloodworms to control them all.”
Zhuo Fan’s eyes flashed, “Besides, what Luo clan lacks is experts. These three coots got invited to cover this weakness. Letting them come on board with their entire clan will make this harder, maybe even capsize us.”
Li Jingtian shuddered inside and cupped his hands, “I am in awe of Steward Zhuo’s impeccable scheming.”