Realms In The Firmament

”Back to the days when you were leading the clan, we had nine groups, seven of which all supported you! No matter what decision you made, the entire clan endorses it!

”No matter how evilly ambitious Ye Shuxin was, if he dared to forcibly take over the Chief’s chair without your permission, he would only get death!

”When he found fault with you and forced you off the chair for the sake of the clan, he was risking the lives of all the men in his group!

”However, he actually won the gamble that he was bound to lose!

”Because you stepped back without any discussion with any of us!

”Ye Shuxin had everything in his favor because he had the guts to gamble. He won. The power he got was the reward. If the kid Ye Xiao didn’t do it today, we may all die in this place. Brother, your are always irresolute but caring for the family. Even when you got the upper hand, you wouldn’t kill the opponent. What about Ye Shuxin? Since he decided to stand against you, he wouldn’t show mercy to us!

”You are confused why we wouldn’t mind Ye Xiao’s viciousness. Have you ever thought about what would be our end if Ye Xiao didn’t get himself involved? We would die in a much worse way than what happened to them! Ye Xiao was saving our lives! Why would we have different views against him?

”Sometimes, I feel it’s too hard to understand your thoughts. Brother, just how do you see things?

”When you held the clan in your hands, you were profound, wise, dominant… Ye Clan was rising day by day under your lead…

”Did you completely lose your ambition just because of what happened to Nantian? All you have in mind is how sorry you are and how much you owe the clan!

”You were decisive and strong, but at the same time, you are also weak and indecisive. Maybe in your mind, you think all you have done is for the sake of Ye Clan. Maybe you decided to ignore everything except the clan!

”Have you ever thought deeper about it? You feel guilty, so you step back. You feel ashamed, so you decided to bear the insults. What about us, who have been following you for all these years?

Ye Shuzhan looked emotional. ”We have been supporting you with loyalty. When you gave up, we lost our backbone! We don’t even have a person who can make decisions for us.

”That was when we became a state of disunity.

”Do you know why the second group and fourth group left for Ye Shuxin? They were angry and disappointed by your self-surrender! You failed them! You chilled their hearts down. The seventh group and ninth group have moved out. Nobody knows where they are now! Weren’t they disappointed? They left for their survival!

”Six groups out of nine were left, yet we even fought against each other all these years. After today’s massacre, we lost three groups!

”However, your self-surrender is what led to the current situation!

”You let Ye Shuxin win the combat that he was never meant to win. Your decision eventually killed three groups of the clan!

”I didn’t have to be among the three groups that supported Ye Shuxin. The other three that supported you might die instead if not for Ye Xiao. Our groups might die! It was bound to be them or us. Ye Clan was bound to lose three groups today!

”Do you know how many of our talented children have lost their opportunity to get the cultivation resources they deserve all these years? They are all wasted now. Do you know how Ye Shuxin and his people, including their children, bullied our people?

”Do you know that we have lost patience to endure it anymore for a long time?

”Do you know that even when we were coming to get together, we were thinking… maybe it was better to die together today since there was no hope for us? Do you know we were having such thoughts when we came?

”No, you don’t. How do you know? Nantian was expelled to the lower realm. Nanyang was dead. You almost never cared about anything else. You don’t know!”

”Today’s fight, if Xiao Xiao didn’t put on such a lightning massacre and kill them instantly, it would be the tomb of us all here!

”However, because of Xiao Xiao, the desperate situation of us was changed!

”Xiao Xiao’s marvelous cultivation and martial art were not the keys to the sudden turn of events! At least, it is not the most important thing!

”The most important thing is his cruelness! He killed when he had to! There was no hesitation!

”He did it just like all the people who achieved greatness!

”A man of great ambition does not bother about trifles!

”Ye Shuxin made use of your loyalty to the clan to win the fight he was meant to lose. Today, Xiao Xiao used the ruthlessness toward the clan to rewrite the result of the clan!

”We are excited, not only because we won our survival, or Xiao Xiao’s incredible power, but also for the hope we regain from Xiao Xiao’s cruelness!

”Ruthlessness!

”One who is weakhearted won’t stand firmly on the ground of this world ruled by strength!

”A weakhearted and irresolute leader will never achieve greatness! Not to mention lead his men to a stronger and better future!

”We are still here supporting you, not because of the memory of the old days, or your power, but because you have this grandson, Xiao Xiao!

”We believe no matter what happens next, our clan will rise greatly! Our interests will be protected! We can even get more than what we want!

”When we rise, we rise under a brilliant leadership! When we reach the clouds, we fly with the wings you give us! Even if we meet a crisis that we won’t survive, we die with a great leader!

”That’s what we need!

”We need a head of the clan, not a man who surrenders! Not a man who endures! Not a head that leads us to suffering!

”We are just a clan in the martial world!”

…

The hall was in silence.

Everybody showed a solemn face while quietly listening to Ye Shuzhan’s speech.

Ye Shuzhan coughed from time to time when he was excited. His face was all red.

What he said, he said it fast and robust like a rainstorm, but in a clear and steady enunciation. Apparently, these words had been practiced in Ye Shuzhan’s heart for countless of times.

He had thought of saying it out many times, and because it was buried in his heart for a very long time, when he finally got the chance to let it out, he couldn’t hold it back anymore. All the words he sincerely spoke were running out smoothly, in spite of what consequence it might lead to!

…