âClan Head, half of our men are dead! We canât hold on much longer!â
âClan Head, we canât make a breach! The enemyâs too strongâŠâ
âClan Head, weâre surroundedâŠâ
âClan Head, the venerables canât take much moreâŠâ
Every shout was urgent and disastrous as it reached Shangguan Feixiongâs bloody ears.
[I was wrong, completely wrong.]
He shouldnât have risked it for greed after he knew Baili Jingwei and Danqing Shen were around. But he still went in for the Soaring Sword and look where that got him.
The Shangguan clan wouldnât be in this mess if it werenât for him. The venerables wouldnât be so hard pressed.
It was all the Clan Headâs fault for not analyzing the situation, for disregarding the signs.
He turned from the exhausted venerables to the bodies of his men on the ground as more were added with a pitiful cry and a spray of blood. Their screams jarred his ears and tears of blood fell from his eyes.
âBrothers, Iâve let you all down!â
âClan Head, donât say that, itâs all that cunning Baili Jingweiâs fault for trapping us!â One Genesis Stage expert rushed over and held his exhausted, bloodied and faltering form as he spat, âWe just have to get hold of him and Shangguan Feiyun will have to let us go!â
The man led the others, âBrothers, follow me! Take Baili Jingwei and help Clan Head in escaping!â
âTake Baili Jingwei! Help Clan Head escape!â
Shangguan clanâs men roared like man beasts in their charge for Baili Jingwei. The man in question still stood calmly behind hundreds of guards, leaving no gap for them to exploit.
A group rallied under cries of killing, using nothing but reckless bravery and suicidal actions in attempt to push through. But the tight group of guards were ruthless.
As the howls consumed the air and limbs were flying every which way, the small charging group fell defeated and Shangguan Feixiong slumped to the ground in despair.
Those dead eyes saw only blood, his heart in the grips of tortureâŠ
âPrime Minister, the thieves lost their will and the fight will end soon.â A guard reported as he saw Shangguan Feixiongâs spirit fading, mocking, âSirâs planning is brilliant and invincible!â
Baili Jingwei nodded with a stony face, yet frowned instead of smiling. He looked in the distance, at the quiet ahead and said, âThe fight had been going on for a couple of hours now, so why isnât there anything coming from Sword King Feiyun? Is something going on here?â
âHa-ha-ha, Prime Minister is too worried. What could be going on when the whole of Shangguan clan is stuck here?â The guard bowed, âMoreover, victory is within our grasp. Even without Sword King Feiyun joining, itâll be fine. These thieves are going nowhere, he-heâŠâ
Baili Jingwei pondered and nodded, âThat may be the case, but with Sword King Feiyun around, it would save us the troubleâŠâ
Boom!
A loud explosion drowned his voice, shaking the air not too far away. Baili Jingwei jerked and looked overâŠ
Whoosh!
The cold moonlight shone down like a pillar upon this mortal domain, in all its glory. The sudden display put a halt on the bloody massacre, forcing the men to cover their eyes.
A few minutes after, the moonlight faded, but not the shock on the menâs faces.
[What was that?]
Baili Jingwei raised an eyebrow at the sudden disturbance. He looked around and cried, âThatâs where the Jade Falls are! The Soaring Sword!â
âWeâve been played!â Baili Jingwei shook and looked appalled at the discovery. He turned to the Shangguan clan, on the verge of dying and was filled with indecision. But then he snapped, âOpen the barrier and follow me to the fall to protect the divine sword!â
Startled, the guards bowed at once, âPrime Minister, we canât! The thieves are about to fall. If we open the barrier, theyâll escape!â
Pa!
Baili Jingwei slapped him hard in anger, âDamn slave, since when are you the Prime Minister? Humph, thereâs nothing more important than the Soaring Sword. Itâs the Patriarchâs desired item. If we lose it, I canât take the fall and neither can any of you. Donât just stand there, open it!â
Shuddering, the man bobbed his head and made signs along with the others to open the barrier.
Hum~
The space cleared with a ripple and the cool evening air blew across their faces.
The Shangguan clan never felt so alive as each new breath felt so precious. Having not been through such desperate fighting before, only now they did realize how good it felt to be alive.
âDragon Cleaving Sword King, stop fighting and come with me to protect the Soaring Sword!â
The Shangguan clan might relax now, but Baili Jingweiâs group was agitated. The Prime Minister, always calm and shrewd, lost his bearing, shouting at the top of his lungs.
He took the lead for the falls, his men following right after to provide safety.
All the guards were soon gone, leaving Shangguan clanâs battered men like they didnât exist.
Danqing Shen paused and waved at the three, âSeniors, letâs stop. I have to go over there. Do what you want now.â
He flew for the falls and grinned inside.
[That boy did it? Ha-ha, heâs really something to do it under the noses of two factions, ha-ha-haâŠ]
Danqing Shen didnât know what Zhuo Fanâs planned, but he knew he did itâŠ
âDanqing Shen, donât you dare run! We still have thousands of moves to take you-, coughâŠâ One venerable shouted but was soon forced to stop from a coughing fit.
The other two sighed, âThird, just stop. Itâs clear weâre the ones losing so far. Fighting any longer will be the end of us. Donât brag or itâll look foolish.â
The man turned to the two and sighed.
[The first in western lands isnât a pushover at allâŠ]
They rushed to Shangguan Feixiongâs side to see to him, âHow are you feeling, Feixiong?â
âClan Head, are you alright?â
The clan was around him, looking at him with worry.
His eyes still held some fear as Shangguan Feixiong looked at their faces, âDid we just survive?â
âSomeone went to steal Soaring Sword while we fought. They panicked and rushed to protect it. It can be counted as surviving.â
One venerable sighed, âJust who could this third party be? He must be really shrewd to play us both for fools. Feixiong, should we go see? Soaring Sword is right there. Maybe we can use this chance to take it?â
Shangguan Feixiongâs face shook with desire but refused, âNo, our greed made us suffer many casualties so far. We canât go through another disaster. I want all of the Shangguan clan to retreat, leave this dangerous place! With Baili Jingwei around, it wonât be easy taking chances. Itâs best not to fall for another trap!â
âBut the Soaring Sword is so close. Are we leaving it just like thatâŠâ
âNo, I and the venerables are the strongest and can escape with ease. We will go!â
A venerable was dissatisfied but Shangguan Feixiongâs stance was firm, âThe rest are to leave Flying Cloud City and meet up with the others outside!â
âClan Head!â
âMy mind is made up!â
Shangguan Feixiong cut at their protests, âIâve made one mistake and wonât make another. Shangguan Feixiong is important but I wonât ruin Shangguan clanâs future for it.â
The men had no choice but to give up at their Clan Headâs insistence.
The venerables nodded.
Shangguan clanâs main force easily got away with Zhuo Fanâs map while Shangguan Feixiong and the venerables went for the falls.
Unaware the precious Soaring Sword both factions were fighting over had been so easily taken, taken by the same person they regarded as a mere pawnâŠ
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