novelraw Chapter 1396 1394: When Endurance Becomes a Habit...
Chapter 1396 1394: When Endurance Becomes a Habit...
Xiao Qiwen's pupils immediately shook. He glared hatefully at Zhu Sui and shouted loudly.
"Pursue!"
The Crimson Cloud Army behind him surged like a tide toward the rear gate.
However.
Just as they took a few steps forward.
Swish!
A cold light sliced through the void, blocking their path.
"Whoa!"
"Holy shit..."
The formation of the Crimson Cloud Army was instantly disrupted. The soldiers at the front nearly had their heads cut off by the cold light, scaring them out of their wits.
A dozen soldiers were forced to stagger backward, unable to move forward even a single step.
Taking a closer look!
They saw Zhu Sui holding a bright red long spear, the tip pointed at them, his face calm but his aura violent.
"Let's see who dares to pursue."
Xiao Qiwen and Lu Bai were stunned. They didn't expect Zhu Sui to make a move.
After all.
Zhu Sui hadn't made a move in nearly a hundred years!
People seemed to have forgotten that before Gong Wenya appeared, Zhu Sui was always the top expert of the Fire Clan.
Nearing a century of restraint, people began to assume Zhu Sui was a toothless tiger, fierce in appearance but incapable of resistance.
Yet, unexpectedly.
Today, after a century, Zhu Sui actually made a move again!
And it was the Zhu Family's iconic skill, the Leaving Fire Spear Skill!
Zhu Ruoling learned this spear skill, imperfect though it was, and it already amazed the world.
Zhu Sui mastered this spear skill to perfection, relying solely on the Leaving Fire Spear Skill to shake the world, invincible and renowned!
"Leaving Fire Spear Skill?!"
"Oh my goodness, that was terrifying, I almost lost my life just now!"
"The Clan Leader actually made a move..."
"I thought the Clan Leader didn't know anything..."
"What a joke! That Leaving Fire Spear Skill could take your life in the blink of an eye!"
"So what do we do now?"
Swish.
All the Crimson Cloud Army soldiers turned to Lu Bai and Xiao Qiwen, as both were among the five great Elders under Gong Wenya. In such a critical moment, they had to follow their arrangements.
Unexpectedly.
Lu Bai and Xiao Qiwen also wore ghastly expressions, their faces grim.
They had long grown accustomed to Zhu Sui's non-resistance, but today he suddenly attacked them, which was quite unfamiliar.
Yet, the violent and fierce aura emanating from Zhu Sui made them feel suffocated.
Lu Bai was the first to thunderously roar, pointing at Zhu Sui and shouting.
"Clan Leader! You better accept the drink I'm offering instead of forcing me to give you a penalty drink. I still respect you as the Clan Leader right now and hope you don't bring trouble upon yourself. You know that those who oppose the High Priest don't meet a good end! Think about why you've survived all these years. Isn't it because you don't fight or argue, and the High Priest let you go? Don't overstep your bounds!"
He could only try to suppress Zhu Sui by invoking Gong Wenya's name.
However, he didn't know that Zhu Sui was already aware Gong Wenya was imprisoned below the dungeon.
Zhu Sui sneered and said calmly, "Gong Wenya? Are you talking about the Gong Wenya that's imprisoned below the dungeon? We don't even know if he can come out alive. Using his name to pressure me doesn't seem convincing."
Lu Bai's face turned extremely ugly immediately. He didn't expect the news to have spread so fast, nor that Zhu Sui knew.
His intelligence wasn't high to begin with, and being rebutted by Zhu Sui left him at a loss for words.
Sparring with words wasn't Lu Bai's forte, but Xiao Qiwen was up to the task, making Zhu Sui's face turn serious in an instant.
"If I'm not mistaken, the ones who escaped should be Zhu Qilue and Zhu Ruoling, right?" Xiao Qiwen said with a sinister grin.
Zhu Sui's eye twitched fiercely. He took a deep breath and gripped the long spear in his hand, pointing its tip at Xiao Qiwen.
Xiao Qiwen shrugged, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender, and took a step back.
"Clan Leader, please don't take it out on me. I'm just speaking in your interest."
"Nonsense."
Swish!
Xiao Qiwen pulled out a fan from his pocket and opened it instantly. The fan shimmered with cold light; upon closer inspection, it was crafted from Mystic Iron, and every rib was sharpened, as sharp as a blade.
This was his weapon, at the ready both to defend against Zhu Sui's attacks and to counterattack at any time.
"Clan Leader, there's something you might not know. Although the High Priest is currently imprisoned below the dungeon, do you know there's a secret passage?"
"..."
Not only was Zhu Sui shocked, but Lu Bai also expressed great astonishment.
"There's a secret passage?!" Lu Bai exclaimed with joy and shouted aloud.
Xiao Qiwen rolled his eyes, ignoring Lu Bai, and continued to speak to Zhu Sui in an eerie tone, "Moreover, considering the High Priest's skills, do you really think he would be harmed in a collapse? Absolutely not. The High Priest will surely return safely. If he comes back and finds Zhu Qilue and Zhu Ruoling have escaped, in his wrath, he might send the entire Crimson Cloud Army to hunt them down."
"Do you think the Crimson Cloud Army won't catch them? Even if they have to search the entire Five Elements Realm, the Crimson Cloud Army will definitely capture them. So, why not just stay here honestly, and when the High Priest returns and sees them, he might be pleased and think you haven't betrayed him, and perhaps he'll let you go."
His eloquence was unmatched, not even Lin Fan could compare. He could make the dead seem alive, and the living seem dead.
There was no secret passage beneath the dungeon; it was all a fabrication to shake Zhu Sui's resolve.
Once Zhu Sui's resolve was shaken, he would be more inclined to listen to whatever was said next.
Clearly.
The determination in Zhu Sui's eyes diminished slightly, replaced by a hint of hesitation.
A century of restraint had become his habit.
Like when he first met Lin Fan, instead of thinking about the Zhu Family's rise and resistance, he thought of the Zhu Family's downfall and disappearance.
If faced with a choice between fleeing or not.
He would unhesitatingly choose the latter because not fleeing might still offer a chance of survival. He had survived these past centuries by this philosophy; to change overnight just wasn't realistic.
Xiao Qiwen saw Zhu Sui begin to waver and knew his plan was successful.
He swung his fan, pretending to be casual and harmless, and slowly approached Zhu Sui. Although one of the five great Elders, Xiao Qiwen didn't hesitate to use sneak attacks and take advantage of others, feeling no shame whatsoever.
"Clan Leader, if you prevent our passage, let me assure you that when the High Priest returns and sees this, both Zhu Qilue and Zhu Ruoling will undoubtedly die! Do you really think you can rely on that Lin Fan to save them? Don't be naive, he's probably already dead beneath the dungeon."
Xiao Qiwen's Mystic Iron Fan gently rested on Zhu Sui's long spear, gradually pressing it down, while simultaneously undermining Zhu Sui's resolve.
His actions were light and slow, careful not to arouse any suspicion in Zhu Sui.
However.
Xiao Qiwen hadn't anticipated that the instability in the room was not Zhu Sui, but Lu Bai.
Seeing Xiao Qiwen pressing down Zhu Sui's long spear, Lu Bai couldn't hold back any longer. He swung a large blade and charged forward without hesitation, aiming a strike at Zhu Sui's head.
"Damn it, get out of my way!"
Xiao Qiwen was astonished!
He wanted to stop it but it was too late, and he cursed fiercely in his heart.
Damn you!