Chapter 924: Successful Cooperation

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Zhuo Fan's eyes shone with disdain, his face skewed in the most condescending way possible, "Shangguan Clan Head, that's quite a fact twisting. It's no different than saying that I and my son ended up causing your heavy casualties. Even with saving your precious daughter, it pales to the hundreds of lost lives. But ask yourself this, was your clan's losses the result of my design?"

Shangguan Feixiong shook, winced and became solemn.

"Humph, your clan fell for the scheme, one, because of Baili Jingwei's deliberate and devious ploy and two, because of you, Shangguan Feixiong, due to your narrow minded view and your shaky decisions. Take me out of the picture and the Shangguan clan would have suffered all the same. You'd still have your traitor. You'd still be jumping at the chance to send Shangguan Yulin to the Pill King Convention Baili Jingwei set up just for you. That punk would still turn on his clan. And, of course, your clan would still suffer and die in Baili Jingwei's trap. You can't blame this one me, not when I had no hand in it. It's all you, Shangguan Feixiong. It's what the incompetent and greedy Shangguan Clan Head brought to fruition. I was only there for the ride, a mere passenger. Your disaster has not a thing to do with me!"

Zhuo Fan shouted, filled with mockery and disdain, "Quite the contrary, if you think about it. It's my very existence that stirred things at the falls and caused Baili Jingwei to panic into breaking your trap and allowing you stragglers to be standing here. You might even say that I'm not just your daughter's savior, but everyone's. You're spitting on another's favor and going as far as poisoning the well by throwing all your incompetence on me. Talk about being ungrateful. Is this how the righteous number one clan in eastern lands operates? I spit on you, hypocrites!"

Zhuo Fan's roars rang into their ears, cutting them deep. Some were so overcome with realization that they hung their heads in shame.

[He didn't care about us, but he only used both of the parties' fight for his benefit. He has not endangered Shangguan clan at all.]

[As he said, is there no one who wouldn't play the third party and kill the remains of the first two? How can we just blame our shortcomings on an outsider?]

[This isn't how the best clan in eastern lands takes responsibility!]

[He did offer us a fake map, but even if it was real, Baili Jingwei would still have trapped us.]

When all was said and done, their fight with Flying Cloud manor was only on them.

[Like he said, if not for his involvement, we'd remain mere fish in a barrel, awaiting our demise. We have no right to blame him.]

[He really is the Shangguan clan's savior...]

The elders behind Shangguan Feixiong were chattering, forcing him to shake his head. The imposing stance he had was now crushed.

They were Genesis Stage experts and would not pick on the weak, especially with their righteous reputation. They always had to find the moral high ground for their every action.

This was why excuses were everything. Even if one was up to no good, they had to find a good explanation first. This... righteousness was like a chain holding his clan's experts back.

Their original plan was to come out in force and flex a bit in hope they'd scare Zhuo Fan enough to fork out the sword as to gain absolution. Now that he tore their groundless excuses to shreds, they had no right to demand it.

They were not vile, or hypocrites to such a degree. If they could use the proper means to get their wish, good. They would never stoop so low as to stain their beliefs, they didn't have the nerve to.

Seeing them stuck, Zhuo Fan stared at their conflicted looks. Shangguan Feixiong was looking gloomier than ever, not knowing what to do as the whispers behind him continued.

The Shangguan clan's position had been crushed from the start.

Shangguan Feixiong pondered and this time regarded Zhuo with seriousness, "Gu Yifan, you may be right. This loss was on us and not you. But to have us rescue your son, I'm afraid that's not possible. We've suffered heavy losses and can't even fight the Flying Cloud manor. As a Clan Head, I cannot unjustifiably risk my people's lives. You may be our savior, but I'll still have to refuse..."

"Faker!"

Zhuo Fan mocked him, "Shangguan Clan Head, a true man doesn't talk behind another's back. You've come to the central area with so many people yet had not once considered the risk, how many you would lose? Humph..."

Shangguan Feixiong regarded him in silence.

Zhuo Fan scoffed, "Death is either heavy or worthless. Every life has its value. Hasn't that value been long established for all of you?"

"Soaring Sword!" Shangguan Feixiong's eyes shone.

With an evil smirk, Zhuo Fan nodded, "Right? Shangguan Clan Head, let's be honest for once. You all came to the central area for the Soaring Sword but now it lies with me. In other words, I can use it to buy your lives for my purpose, right?"

"Of course not, even with so many of us here, we still have our principles. With excessive losses."

"Oh, right, my bad. I wasn't talking about all of you, just a few experts. I mean, there's no point in using some weak fools like these two here. They'd just die anyway, ha-ha-ha..."

Zhuo Fan cut Shangguan Feixiong's off, dispelling his misgivings while driving his point by kicking the beaten and helpless guys on the ground.

Shangguan Feixiong approved.

[That's reassuring.]

This was his limit. The pain of just letting these youths die in the central area instead of going back home was too much for him to accept.

These kids were the future of the Shangguan clan. Their deaths meant the crippling of Shangguan clan's power and a bleak fate.

Regardless of times, the greatest power of a clan or a sect would always be its heritage. With just some awesome experts at the helm, one just had to wipe them all out and your faction would crumble by itself.

While this intermediate part would in a couple of decades turn into heroes. The clan would flourish and it would be glorified.

As for the experts, they could enter the enemy camp no problem. So long as they weren't trapped like before, escaping couldn't be easier.

When Zhuo Fan offered the Soaring Sword to some experts, he instantly weighed the pros and cons, agreeing to the deal. Though some skepticism remained, "Gu Yifan, I can lend them to you, but how are you going to handle Flying Cloud manor's overwhelming force? Do you have any guarantees?"

"Who do you take me for, you? Humph..."

Zhuo Fan scorned, "Lighten up, I'm not going brain dead like you and won't incur heavy losses. The chances are not one of them might even die while you'd be getting a bargain with the Soaring Sword, Shangguan Clan Head, ha-ha-ha..."

Shangguan Feixiong shook. The biting words entered his ears yet didn't get a rise. All he did was stare at his confident eyes before nodding.

[We've seen just how shrewd he is. I just hope it's the case. Since he's only asking for some experts, they could react to anything.]

Not how he was always passive and ended up with sacrifices...

Shangguan Feixiong frowned. Agreeing was one thing and his restless mind was another. Though unlike him, second elder's rage could not be quenched, "Humph, so now we're supposed to listen to some brat?"

"Yep, got a problem?"

"Damn right! Shangguan clan's elders follow the Clan Head, not some rotten punk."

Second elder's fury peaked as he regarded the disciples at Zhuo Fan's feet, "Moreover, we're not about to just turn a blind eye to you harming our disciples without a reason!"

Zhuo Fan sported a crafty smile, egging him on, "Senior, you're welcome to step forward and I'll be more than happy to justify myself for these two juniors' predicament."

"Humph, you had your chance to apologize!" Second elder huffed and stomped before Zhuo Fan, shouting, "These two are my disciples. Harming them means..."

Pa!

The crisp and snappy sound of the slap rang in everyone's ears. Second elder's thin cheek now sported a very conspicuous mark.

Zhuo Fan waved his hand around, "What are you waiting for, for a face slap?"

Sss~

Everyone else gasped in stupefaction. Second elder was a Genesis Stage expert that warranted Clan Head's respect when being addressed. Now though, a mere Radiant Stage brat slapped him, shaming and humiliating him in the worst possible way...