Chapter 253: The Truth

“Hehe. I’m just acting on someone else’s request!” Hearing the words of the Grand Elder of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles, the elder leading the Scorpion King clan said with a bitter smile. Their clan had always hoped to stay out of such conflicts and remain neutral, which was why they chose not to join either alliance when the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles allied with the Demon Clan—this remained true even today.
Hearing the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles speak in such a manner made him feel uneasy, especially since the Mi Jiao clan and the pro-war faction were also present. With all six major factions gathered here, saying such things was no simple matter.
“Hmph. You’ve already allied with the Dragon Clan? Do you want to make war with my Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles clan and fight to the death?” The unaware Grand Elder still asked coldly, seemingly failing to realize how unfavorable the situation was for them.
“We dare not. We’re just here to check things out. How can we ignore a threat to our clan’s Honored Elder?” The elder said calmly, clasping his hands slightly. His expression was not as good as before—clearly, the other party’s words had angered him.
“Honored Elder? Who is it? You may take him now, but it’s best for your Scorpion King clan not to get involved in this matter!” Another elder from the Mi Jiao clan said sternly. With both sides now facing off, the situation was extremely unfavorable for them.
After the battle, ten of their own people were injured, leaving only twenty-three capable of fighting. Three died in the battle, and losing thirty-seven members was truly embarrassing and disheartening.
On the other side, excluding the Scorpion King clan, nearly twenty people were still able to fight. Adding the Hope Clan brought the total to as many as forty. From any perspective, dealing with the Scorpion King clan was a surefire way to gain an advantage.
Upon hearing the Mi Jiao clan elder’s words, everyone on Rod’s side had strange expressions! Was it really that easy? Just take away the Scorpion King clan’s Honored Elder as if nothing had happened? If they knew the Honored Elder mentioned by the Scorpion King clan elder was Rod, would they agree so easily? Rod was their main target today—if he were taken away, wouldn’t all their efforts be in vain? It would also intensify the hostility.
Everyone suppressed their laughter, looking at the speaking Mi Jiao elder with a smirk.
“What, Lorraine, you don’t want to?” Seeing that the elder leading the Scorpion King clan still had no intention of leaving, the Grand Elder of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles asked sternly, becoming more vigilant at the same time.

Looking at Rod and his group, he really couldn’t figure out which one was the honorary elder of the Scorpion King clan. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on the person beside Rod—Melon. Could it be him? It was the only possibility. Among those at the Yin Huang realm, only he had the qualifications to become the honorary elder of the Scorpion King clan, and only he had the strength to hold the position of elder in one of the four major clans. Not only him, but everyone else also focused their attention on Melon, believing that this peerless warrior at the Yin Huang realm was the honorary elder of the Scorpion King clan. This was great—if the Scorpion King clan agreed to let them leave, it would not only save face but also reduce a formidable enemy. Instantly, their moods lightened.

Listening to the words of the Grand Elder Purple Wing Thunder Eagle, Lorraine tried hard to hold back his laughter. He gave Rod a strange look and then glanced at the group across from them. He really didn’t want to reveal the truth, fearing it might anger them to death!

“Really? I can just leave with my people? You won’t stop us?” Taking a deep breath and suppressing his laughter, Lorraine asked again.

“We won’t stop you at all. You can leave right away with your people from the Scorpion King clan. I, Purple Wing Thunder Eagle, swear on my honor that I will never hinder you.”

“My Mi Jiao clan does the same!” An elder from the Mi Jiao clan immediately added.

What a joke! The Scorpion King clan had nearly fifteen god-tier warriors. Of course, everyone wanted them to leave as soon as possible. Who would want them to stay and become enemies? It was obvious even to fools. Was it just an honorary elder? Just take them away. Anyway, they didn’t want to kill them. Killing them would only make them enemies of the Scorpion King clan, which wasn’t what they wanted.

“Cough, cough, cough…” Sognar couldn’t hold back his laughter and started coughing.

The others also stared at the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle group in shock, wondering how they would regret this later. At this thought, some couldn’t help but laugh, especially when they saw the confused expressions on the other side, which triggered even more laughter.

“Cough, cough, cough… Then I won’t be polite. Elder Rod, come with me!” Finally, even Lorraine couldn’t stand it any longer. Under their urging, he spoke to Rod.

He had to say something shocking. Before his words faded, the smiles on the faces of the Purple Wing Thunder Eagle group stiffened. Their faces gradually turned red, then blue, and finally deep black.

They stared at Rod with wide eyes—it was really him. How could that be? It was absolutely impossible. How could he be the Honorary Elder of the Scorpion King clan? How could he be connected to them? He was just a mid-level divine warrior—how could it be possible…?

Countless doubts erupted in an instant. No one believed it, but the truth was right before their eyes. The members of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan’s eyes turned red with rage, feeling mocked. Thinking of the strange expressions on the opponents’ faces earlier only fueled their anger even more.

“Elder Lorraine, does your Scorpion King clan intend to be our enemy? Rod? Is he your elder? Are you trying to cause trouble?” Doubt filled their minds. Who would believe such a coincidence? Who would believe that Rod was that Honorary Elder? Weren’t their words earlier just trying to provoke them?

Even the members of the Mi Jiao clan looked extremely displeased at this moment.

“That’s right, it’s Elder Rod! Don’t you know?” With a slight smile, maintaining a calm expression, Lorraine continued, seemingly finding it amusing to see them flustered.

“Impossible! How could he be!” The third elder, who had planned this ambush, shouted loudly from the foot of the hill. He would never believe such a thing.

“That’s the truth. We all came here because we sensed the Elder’s order. I believe more people will arrive soon!” Lorraine shrugged lightly, stepped forward, and placed himself in front of Rod. Seeing Rod severely injured, he must also be worried about a surprise attack.

“I am indeed the Honorary Elder of the Scorpion King clan. You surely recognize this, right? Murdering an honorary elder of a clan is equivalent to declaring war on that clan—everyone knows that!” Rod stepped forward, came next to Lorraine, and calmly held up the token he had been gripping tightly, showing it to the group ahead.

The Honorary Elder’s token—yes, it was indeed this. Everyone saw it clearly; it couldn’t be fake. Suddenly, everyone was stunned!

Especially the members of those small families, their faces were ashen. Things were becoming increasingly complicated. Initially, it was just the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan, but now the Scorpion King Clan had joined in as well. What were they doing now? They were actually laying an ambush to murder the honor elders of the Scorpion King Clan. What did that mean? It meant declaring war on the Scorpion King Clan. Perhaps the Mi Jiao Clan wasn’t afraid, perhaps the pro-war faction wasn’t afraid, and perhaps the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles weren’t afraid either, but what about them? They were afraid. The Scorpion King Clan’s revenge could utterly destroy them.

Glaring fiercely at the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles, they seemed to be waiting for an explanation.

“How… how could this happen? It’s impossible. You… how can you be an honor elder of the Scorpion King Clan? When did this happen? Why didn’t we know anything about it? Why didn’t you show this before…” The third elder arrived at the group in a dazed state, speaking with a hint of madness.

This was completely beyond the plan. If they had known about this earlier, perhaps the plan wouldn’t have been carried out, or at least not in such a chaotic manner. The biggest mistake in their calculations was not knowing this identity.

An honor elder was someone who could mobilize the entire clan’s strength to help them. Was such a person that easy to kill? Could they really withstand the Scorpion King Clan’s fierce revenge?

“Did you all plan this? You knew we were setting an ambush. You planned to deal with us, didn’t you?” Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he spoke with a desolate expression.

Yes, he finally understood. Under his words, the eldest and the others’ expressions changed drastically as they also realized that everything had been planned. In fact, it wasn’t Rod who had fallen into the trap; it was them. They were the ones truly trapped.

These people had long planned to use Rod’s group to lure them out, with others surrounding them from behind. What a simple plan—now it had succeeded!

“As you wish. I’m part of your plan. How about that?” With a slight smile, Rod denied nothing. Since the other party had guessed it, what did it matter if he told them?

Could this have succeeded so easily if it hadn’t been planned? If it hadn’t been planned, would the Scorpion King Clan, along with the Dragon Clan and the Black Phoenix Clan’s reinforcements, have rushed over so quickly and known they were here? Obviously not.

This reminded Rod of that night three days ago, when he had learned many things and came up with this plan. He contacted the Scorpion King Clan’s people and finally informed them to come and discuss the plan. The honor elder’s token served as the best medium. All of this was within their expectations.

If it were to be called an accident, the only one might be that the support team encountered some trouble halfway and arrived a bit late. Yet it was precisely this delay that nearly cost them their lives. Thinking about it, one can’t help but feel a sense of dread.
“As expected, you all colluded from the start. Haha, how could I have missed that? How could I have failed to see it…” Upon confirmation, the Third Elder seemed to lose his soul, murmuring blankly with hollow eyes while laughing wildly—a sound so desolate that it made others feel worried just by hearing it.