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Gasping, everyone was floored by this shocking revelation.
[This is an uprising, plain and simple. First you went to beat one sect into the ground and now coming back to beat your own.]
It was beyond what any of the Demon Scheming Sect experts imagined. They went out of the sect only to come back as rebels.
They were all demonic cultivators, sure, but their loyalties still laid with their sect. This was too much to take in.
Even outsiders like Han Qianying were speechless at Zhuo Fan’s brazen declaration. She walked over to Chu Qingcheng and whispered, “Junior sister, your man is truly brutal. He doesn’t just go against his sect, he wants all the other elders and venerables to be there with him! They must be regretting it now, for being toyed with by your man.”
“Senior sister, Zhuo Fan isn’t after wealth and glory. He’s only looking after himself.” Chu Qingcheng sighed.
Han Qianying nodded, “Maybe, since impersonating the Sect Leader and giving orders to attack another sect deserves capital punishment. If he doesn’t rise now, the Demon Scheming Sect would hunt him down forever. While everyone can see it, that doesn’t mean everyone would be so decisive. He is a man that knows what to do. Unlike my Kui Lang, who likes to boast, he’ll never do it in his life.”
Chu Qingcheng nodded. Looking at Zhuo Fan’s straight figure and confidence, her eyes swam in love.
Her husband was the boldest hero, doing everything without looking back. No matter what situation he was in, his eyes had always looked at things from a different perspective…
Looking coldly at those shocked faces, Zhuo Fan spoke, “Actually, I am all for a peaceful resolution and not revolting. You all know that I am about to leave the Demon Scheming Sect and don’t care for wealth and glory. However, there’s no way I’m going to let others take my life. This is as low as I’ll ever go.”
The crowd looked at each other with confusion in their eyes, not knowing what to say.
“I know what you’re thinking, to make me take all the blame.”
Zhuo Fan was quite calm despite having seen their intentions, “I had thought about this as well. Everything that happened so far is because of me, so taking responsibility is only natural. If my life can save everyone, I’m willing to give it. But just think for a second. Will Xie Wuyue let you go with his foul mood?”
They all shook at Zhuo Fan’s words, their last hope crushed to pieces.
Giving them a cold look, Zhuo Fan shouted, “Wake up! Stop resorting to petty tricks and dreaming for hopeless peace. Everyone knows of Xie Wuyue’s cruelty. Would he let you live after you used the sect’s name to attack another sect’s elders without his orders? This was a clear challenge to his authority. You of all people should know him better than me.”
“But this isn’t…”
“Yes, I faked his orders.”
Someone stood up, pointing a feeble finger at Zhuo Fan, but he cut him off, “You must understand, what difference would it make, when you’d be guilty by association. Why would the inner sect elders come along with me? Humph, as matters stand, Xie Wuyue has already lost his trust in you. While he won’t do anything to you for now, since the Demon Scheming Sect has ten thousand sacred stones, in a hundred years, there would be plenty of homegrown elders and venerables to replace you along the way.
“You best not forget who you are, my Labor Office’s elders. You have taken on my symbol for a long time now and can’t escape this. The minute Xie Wuyue labels me a traitor would be the moment you all will be taken care of. It’s only a question of time. In the Demon Scheming Sect it is the inner sect and Venerable Shi who have the true power. Working hard for so many years to seize power back, only to lose it all in the end. Would you be willing to accept that?”
A shiver went through them all, hearing Zhuo Fan’s passionate speech. They were now filled with regret and unwillingness.
Venerable Bai stood up, holding out his hands, “Listen to me, friends, Steward Zhuo is right. While it does look like he set us up, we should not forget that it was also Steward Zhuo that helped us earn so much in the Labor Office. We and Steward Zhuo have been on the same side from the start.
“Returning to the sect now, if Sect Leader does not pursue this and will overlook it, then we won’t have a civil war. But if he insists on holding Steward Zhuo accountable, then we will have to stand up. Steward Zhuo is our leader, and when he falls, we fall with him. If Steward Zhuo is gone, Sect Leader can finish us off whenever he wants to. We’re nothing to him and can’t fight him either. That’s why, Labor Office elders, we must assure that Steward Zhuo is alive and well.”
“Yes, Venerable Bai is right!”
Venerable Qi stood up as well, “We must not fall for Sect Leader’s delay tactics, because we have an overwhelming advantage. We’ve all seen the power the Luo clan displayed in the battle with the Mystical Heaven Sect, especially Steward Zhuo’s son. It can be said that at this moment, we hold the power. If Sect Leader won’t give us a straight answer, it’s time for a change in leadership. Being indecisive and stalling will only get us killed. Everyone here knows just how brutal Sect Leader can be.”
Hearts stirred with their speech and the people nodded as a fire lit in their eyes.
Just like Venerable Qi said, with such power on their side, taking the sect was a done deal.
But once the Luo clan left, they’d be nothing more than another neck on the chopping block when Xie Wuyue started hacking.
This was not the time to dawdle!
Seeing the looks they sported, filled with resolve, Venerable Qi looked from Steward Zhuo to the others, “Moreover, we’ve all seen the fight between Sect Leader Xuan and Zhuo Fan. They were evenly matched. That is why it is my opinion that if Xie Wuyue’s tyranny comes to an end, Steward Zhuo would make a fine Sect Leader, ha-ha-ha… “
“Hail, Sect Leader Zhuo!” All of them turned their heads and greeted as they got ready for an uprising. Just like in an imperial revolt, they called out their leader as the true emperor.
Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Venerable Qi. Zhuo Fan then laughed, holding his hand for silence, “Hear my order. Get ready for counter attacking Demon Scheming Sect!”
“Yes, sir!”
They all cupped their hands, filled with battle spirit. The morale was actually higher than when they set out for Mystical Heaven Sect. Because this was a civil war they couldn’t afford to lose.
Fiend Yang held his head and sighed, “Wuyue, you brought it on yourself. Look what your constant criticism of them has brought, they are revolting, while you are still dreaming of being a top middle-three sect. Just how am I supposed to help you?”
Fiend Yang shook his head, catching up with the others and in deep thought on how to solve this.
Zhuo Fan and Xie Wuyue were good friends with the fiends, but now, who were they to side with?
This was a true uprising against leadership, to take the crown…
Meanwhile, just outside the Demon Scheming Sect’s barrier, the door was opened and Xie Wuyue waltzed in beaming with joy, unaware his Sect Leader seat was hanging by a thread.
“The Sect Leader is back!”
“The Sect Leader is back!”
Two children ran to the inner sect to report. Xie Wuyue walked on, smug and happy. It was obvious from a mile his trip outside was one filled with flattery directed at his rear.
He barely took two steps before he frowned. He looked around puzzled, “Why is the sect so quiet? Where is everyone?”
“Sect Leader…”
Shouts came, Venerable Shi leading a hundred inner sect elders as they rushed over. They bowed at once, “Sect Leader, I’m ashamed for being so late in welcoming you, ha-ha-ha…”
Xie Wuyue looked at them in doubt, “What’s going on, why just you guys? What about the rest? The elders, venerables, and even disciples, where are they?”
“Sect Leader, didn’t you tell Steward Zhuo to take them out? They have yet to return.”
Venerable Shi faked.
Xie Wuyue was stunned, “Zhuo Fan? DIdn’t he leave? Why is he back? Also, when did I tell him to take out the sect’s elders?”
“It wasn’t your order? But he held your token!”
Playing his act till the end, Venerable Shi muttered confusedly, “This is bad. Steward Zhuo held your token and said that he wanted all the experts and disciples, even venerables to follow him outside. I found it odd and came with my inner sect elders to stop him, but Sect Leader knows how Labor Office is his. One word from him and they’ll all follow. I don’t know where they went. He can’t be using them, can he?”
Venerable Shi glanced at Xie Wuyue’s face and saw it dark and brooding. His fists clenched, his eyes shot with bloodthirst.
[It seems to me these tigers are about to claw each other, ha-ha-ha…]
