Jiang Chen was having a good time chilling on the sides as the battle was way above his level. He therefore retreated far out of the way once heâd paved the road to victory for the Vermillion Bird.
He was certain Senior Vermillion would gain the upper hand, but whether itâd be able to kill the forefather would depend on luck. After all, the forefather was a divine cultivator. A godâs rise and fall were both monumental on the Divine Abyss Continent.
His speculation was proven right. The Vermilion Bird held the upper hand, but the forefather was strong enough to stay alive.
Three days passed...
The bird had no troubles with the prolonged fight, while the forefather struggled to keep up. Him being kept from his clan was the worst thing that could happen to House Xiahou.
Another three days passed...
The forefather had exhausted all options, but still wasnât able to escape from his opponent.
On the sixth day, the sacred land finally broke into House Xiahouâs fortress.
At first, the clan members had fought with great conviction since they were told their forefather was already on his way back. They believed everything would be fine as soon as he returned.
Day after day, however, the forefather was still nowhere to be seen.
The sacred land recognized that the forefather was House Xiahouâs only remaining hope. Therefore, they turned to psychological warfare, claiming that the forefather had been trapped and would soon die.
In the beginning, House Xiahou denied and even scoffed at the claim. They didnât think anyone from the sacred land would be able to trap their forefather.
However, the sacred land boasted that the Vermilion Bird had led the attack itself. The forefather was on his own and had fallen into their trap. He was on the brink of his death and could die anytime.
Such statements might not work if made only once or twice. However, after a few days of repeats, on top of the fact that the forefather still hadnât shown up, House Xiahou started to waver.
On the fifth day, morale in House Xiahou had plummeted despite the senior executivesâ effort to maintain it. Even without the sacred landâs further prompting, the clan members had come to believe that their forefather was trapped and dying.
Otherwise, why hadnât he returned long after Duke Xiaoyaoâs claim that he would soon? The only explanation was that he couldnât.
House Xiahou was able to hang on for so long mainly because of their drive.
The head of the Cloudwave Sect and House Tian had come to heavily doubt House Xiahouâs ability to turn things around. The thought of defecting briefly crossed their minds a few times.
If Duke Xiaoyao hadnât told them that Forefather Xiahou was going to return soon, they wouldnât stay put and keep fighting for the house at the risk of their own lives.
They were fighting for a spark of hope, for a winning chance.
The longer it was since the forefatherâs promised arrival, the antsier they became.
On the fifth day, even House Xiahouâs two most devoted supporters had lost their hope. As despair spread through the alliance, their defenses cracked.
Meanwhile, every wave of sacred landâs attack was more powerful than the last.
On the sixth day, House Tian finally lost all confidence in the alliance. Their senior executives made the radical decision to defect and give up their post, welcoming the sacred land army with open arms.
The area they were stationed at wasnât particularly important, but their action had opened the floodgates, which struck a serious blow at House Xiahouâs defenses.
The sacred landâs army swarmed to the opening House Tian made. The fortâs great formation cracked and inched to collapsing.
As soon as House Tian betrayed the alliance, the Cloudwave Sect followed suit. The war was lost already. There was no reason for them to stick with House Xiahou and get themselves killed as well.
The sacred land had promised to execute only members of the imperial family and House Xiahou - the two main culprits. The other factions could surrender and have the red wiped out from their ledger.
As a result, members of House Xiahou were left to defend themselves while their will dwindled.
Like wind sweeping away the clouds, the sacred land army charged into the fortress, eliminating everything and everyone in their way.
Duke Xiaoyao barely had any time to prepare himself mentally before he came face to face with the three primes. Other top empyrean experts in the capital followed after the primes, including the head of the Starlight Sect and the patriarch of House Beigong.
Large swathes of House Xiahou experts were crushed like ants. Duke Xiaoyao felt a sharp pain in his chest. He knew his house was going to fall.
Their multiple attempts to break out of the siege failed, having been met by aggressive counterattack and besiegement from the factions re-defected to the sacred land. They fought recklessly and mercilessly in order to prove their worth to their new masters.
It wasnât so much a battle as a one-sided slaughter. Each of House Xiahouâs members was pitted against several enemies equal to or above their level. One after another, Duke Xiaoyaoâs confidantes died in battle.
He had no way to retreat, himself. The three primes pursued him like hounds. In their eyes, House Xiahou was the real force and foundation behind the uprising, and Duke Xiaoyao the head of the usurpers. The emperor had been executed, which left the patriarch of House Xiahou the only evil they must exterminate.
Duke Xiaoyao lost his air of superiority as he surveyed his surroundings. Experts within the family who were powerful enough to help him were either trapped, surrounded, or killed. He was truly on his own.
âHouse Xiahou was still basking in our glory a few months ago. To think that we would fall from grace in such a short period of time and end up on the brink of destruction! Is it the heavenâs will for us to be eliminated??â
His expression was dejected and sorrowful. The abruptness of the clanâs fall made it impossible for him to calmly face cruel reality. How could a powerful and prospering family fell apart in only a few months?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
He couldnât identify the reason. Was it chance, perhaps?
He thought carefully and traced their decline to the death of Xiahou Zong. The family fortunes had gone downhill ever since.
At first, it seemed impossible that the uprising could fail, but that was only an illusion. The tide turned immediately after Shao Yuan and the Vermilion Bird showed up.
Duke Xiaoyao had started out as a patriarch who would go down in history as a great leader, but was now one of the biggest failures among all of House Xiahouâs patriarchs.
âThereâs no way for you to go, Duke Xiaoyao.â The three primes had left him with no option.
âWho wouldâve thought that the sacred land would have the last laugh?â Duke Xiaoyao sighed. âI wonât accept this!â
âHouse Xiahou deserves your fate for the atrocities youâve committed. Youâre a prominent figure in the capital, Duke Xiaoyao. This seat will give you a chance to take your own life and die with dignity.â
Duke Xiaoyao flew into rage. âTake my own life? Iâll rather die in battle than kill myself! Come at me together! Iâll fight back with all Iâve got. Iâll consider it a fair trade if I can get one of you. Itâs a great bargain if I get two!â
The first primeâs expression darkened. âThen be prepared! My fellow daoists, House Xiahou is a millipede. Even after its death, the legs continue to move. We must eliminate the house once and for all this time!â
The second prime was just as furious, if not more so. Heâd been severely injured and almost died. If the sacred land hadnât reclaimed the vault of spirit herbs and treated him in time, his injury would have left him permanently crippled.
His resentment to House Xiahou ran deepest out of the three primes.
Duke Xiaoyao felt overwhelmed as soon as the three primes attacked him. Moreover, a few other figureheads who could almost rival the three primes were watching the fight closely, ready to join at anytime. Duke Xiaoyao was essentially facing seven opponents at his level at the same time.
He was about as powerful as the first prime, but with the other two primes joining the fray, it was only a matter of time before he was defeated.
......
While House Xiahou engaged in intense warfare, House Yan was embroiled in another one of their endless arguments.
The patriarch had changed his tune and rejoined the sacred landâs side. But, not every one of House Yanâs most powerful members had joined the assault against House Xiahou. There wasnât even an overall consensus within the family yet.
Yan Wanjun wasnât there to give advice, and Yan Wanchong had had a falling out with the patriarch after receiving his punishment. WIthout the two venerated forefathersâ guidance, House Yan had trouble coming to an agreement.
âPatriarch, the sacred land is now neck and neck with House Xiahou. In this subordinateâs opinion, the battle will end in less than three days. If we donât seize the opportunity to prove ourselves to the sacred land, there may be no House Yan in the future. The other factions are atoning for their wrongdoings with real action, while we stay here and do nothing. How are we going to earn the sacred landâs forgiveness this way?â
âHmph, House Xiahou is no easy prey. Besides, I hear that their forefather is going to return.â
âThatâs right. Once the divine forefather returns and reclaims the battle, itâs not impossible for them to strike back at the sacred land. Who knows how it will end for us after rejoining the sacred landâs side?â
House Yan was now split into three groups. One supported the patriarch in his decision to defect to the sacred land for the houseâs survival, which accounted for about forty percent of all of House Yan.
A small group of people remained neutral.
The rest were on friendly terms with House Xiahou and stubbornly insisted on supporting the house.