“What’s wrong, Sir Leng? The enemy’s morale is weakened. How can we retreat now?” You Wanshan asked.
Leng Wuchang’s mood was heavy, pondering before speaking, “I am not too clear myself, but this situation reminds me of the fight in the Esoteric Debate.”
The house lords’ hearts seized.
“You can also feel it, right? Zhuo Fan was on the ropes, with no way out but we all know how that turned out.” Leng Wuchang’s heart thumped.
You Wanshan stood dumbstruck and fearful, “Turning utter defeat into complete victory! Sir Leng, are you saying this time as well he… No! He’s clearly wounded, defenseless, routed…”
You Wanshan refused to believe, but still droned, “Though the same happened to him in the Esoteric Debate. No, he had it far worse then. Yet he still won, breaking Huangpu Qingtian’s team and torturing them to death…”
“Sir Leng, do you mean today’s defeat is a trap?” Yan Bogong shuddered.
Since the Esoteric Debate, Zhuo Fan’s savagery had left him traumatized.
In any case like this one, the enemy was left for dead, waiting for them to take their head. But everyone knew Zhuo Fan was an anomaly.
As long as there was breath in his body, anything could happen.
They’ve seen it far too many times how Zhuo Fan flipped the tables in the worst cases, and ways imaginable.
Leng Wuchang sighed, “I am not sure. The kid is one of the few I can’t see through. But one thing is certain, Zhuo Fan was defeated today, but even so, he fled. This is a trap to lure the tiger!”
Everyone shuddered and looked at the two armies. Without Huangpu Tianyuan to back them, they were losing ground.
In this war, they would end up defeated.
With both sides’ experts around the same level, only Luo clan’s fiends stood apart. Not to mention the power couple could waste a Regent Estate Venerable in a blink, each.
While the Four Scheming Demons could keep twenty of them busy and suffering.
If the fight started, they would have heavy casualties. And even if Huangpu Tianyuan made a lucky return, they would only get a bitter victory.
And to think that they still had to fight the imperial family, they all found it not worth it.
The house lords glanced at Leng Wuchang and nodded.
But they had to get the Luo clan’s approval first.
Qiu Yanhai and Xue Qingjian showed a creepy smile.
Qiu Yanhai roared, “Brothers and allies of the Luo clan, together now! Let’s crush them!”
“Elder Qiu, our morale is low, how…” Grandmother cried.
Xue Qingjian waved, “They say Lady of Steel fears nothing, so why are you so shaky? Don’t you see, with the superpowers gone from each camp, the situation is in our favor. Even if it’s a bitter victory, it’s still a victory, hi-hi-hi…”
Grandmother looked at everyone to find it was true.
She and the other house lord were too caught up in their despair over Zhuo Fan’s loss to see with fresh eyes. With those two freaks out of the mix, they were the strongest…
Grandmother eyed her allies, “Was it… Steward Zhuo’s plan?”
“Uh…”
The two looked at each other, then nodded.
The couple was out of the loop just as well though. Zhuo Fan would never do things half measured. His loss had to be real, but that wasn’t the issue here, instead turning it into a chance at victory.
Something Zhuo Fan gave them.
To get their spirits up, the power couple had to say it’s Zhuo Fan’s idea.
Grandmother and company got fired up, “They fell for Steward Zhuo’s trap. Attack!”
Roar!
The depressed Luo clan faction perked up on the fly and roared.
In a war, the losing side would technically be down in the dumps.
But led to believe it was all part of Zhuo Fan’s ingenious and foolproof scheme, and reminded of his sly character, none took his defeat as real and stormed the enemy.
The enemy froze, like sitting ducks.
[Does that mean we fell for his trap?]
Regent Estate’s side turned to the powers that be. But they were now listening to Leng Wuchang’s conjecture. They knew it was not like Qiu Yanhai painted it, [So how can they still get their spirits up?]
Those leaders joined them in putting on the same dumbstruck face.
Regent Estate faction’s morale hit rock bottom, with some even believing that the Estate Lord was now Zhuo Fan’s punching bag in a convoluted scheme of his.
Estate Lord was tough, but nothing could stand Zhuo Fan’s freaky mind games.
[Wasn’t the eldest young master toyed to death in a four versus one battle?]
Everyone paled, their hearts sinking and losing all hope.
While the other side was roaring to go. Looking at them like a bunch of sheeps waiting for the axe to fall.
You Wanshan cursed, “For gods’ sake! How the hell did it come to this? It’s too late to fall back now. They’ll hunt us down. It’s better to fight. Is Estate Lord Huangpu so dull as to not see such a simple trick?”
“Yeah, how did he get duped by such an old trick?” Leng Wuchang sighed.
But he knew the truth. Huangpu Tianyuan was never duped, but was only taking a calculated risk.
Zhuo Fan was a bigger threat than the fate of this battle. Regent Estate’s experts might die here today, but as long as Zhuo Fan fell, it was a win in his book.
He was overconfident in his Nine Dragons Diamond Body, thinking of himself as unstoppable.
[Estate Lord, has the taste of victory gone to your head? Did you forget about Gu Santong three hundred years ago?]
Leng Wuchang sighed…
The armies clashed.
“Rainbow Cloud Palm!”
Yan Bogong in the lead unleashed his poisoned mist to gain the advantage.
But his efforts were met with another poison mist from the Luo clan, pushing it back.
“Nine Poison Fantasy Palm!”
Yan Song roared. The mist vanished and appeared every now and then, making defense useless.
It not only absorbed the Rainbow Cloud Palm, but even poisoned many experts, to the point that even Radiant Stage experts took a breath of it at some point, getting their power cut.
“W-what poison art is that?” Yan Bogong stammered.
Yan Song snickered, “He-he-he, Hall Lord, time sure flies, eh? Do you perhaps find Steward Zhuo’s Nine Poison Fantasy Palm a bit stronger than Pill King Hall’s Rainbow Cloud Palm?”
“Damn traitor, you dare show your face to me?” Yan Bogong cursed.
Yan Song grinned, “Yan Bogong, I never fought you out of respect, but after leaving Pill King Hall, how did you treat my disciple? Today, we’ll settle all debts!”
“Debt? The both of you are Pill King Hall’s traitors. I will kill you where you stand and cleanse my house!”
Yan Bogong shot for Yan Song, who did the same.
Boom!
Two palms clashed and the poison spread so far that everyone moved a thousand meters away. They knew the Rainbow Cloud Palm all too well and had no trouble dodging it.
But in Nine Poison Fantasy Palm’s case, with its endless variations, it was impossible to defend all 81 poisons from seeping in. In seconds, Yan Bogong was riddled with five colored spots, poisoned and in pain.
As a fellow poisoner, he knew the hellish power this move had.
But with how this move was stronger than Pill King Hall’s, along with its eerie movements, he failed to stay clear, ending up losing power as he was poisoned.
The more he fought the worse it got, and the tears welled.
[Where the hell did Yan Song get this art? Wasn’t Pill King Hall the best in Tianyu when it comes to poison and pills?]
His face fell as he recalled every Luo clan’s experts’ unique and amazing art. Yan Bogong knew Zhuo Fan was a monster, [Is he a living library or what? How the hell does he come up with so many cultivation methods and even a poison one at that?]
[A damn conniving deceiver…]
Yan Bogong cursed as his face fell. He knew the poison ran deep within him…
