Chapter 868 Decay of the major families (6)

Chapter 868 Decay of the major families (6)

Yang Qing slightly raised his eyebrow when he saw the eight Zhang clan members show emotion, and it was one of relief when Zhang Guiren acquiesced to whatever Zhang Su wanted to say.

"First of all, just like I've just told our vice clan leader, whatever punishment the court deems fit, we wholeheartedly accept.

We all knew what we were doing, and we didn't necessarily go to great lengths to hide it either, otherwise, there'd have been no witnesses if we were looking to hide it.

I say this with utmost sincerity if the war with the Five Clover Kingdom ended today or even tomorrow, or whenever it ended, we would have voluntarily turned ourselves in.

I don't excuse what we did, but what we did, we did out of necessity.." Zhang Su calmly said.

"Judge, can I ask you something?"

"You can.."

"Why do you cultivate? To you what do you think the purpose of cultivation in its whole, especially when it comes to cultivation arts?"

"You want my personal opinion on the matter?"

"Yes, I would..."

"For me, it would be.." Yang Qing paused as he held his chin, his eyes and mind seemingly going elsewhere before clarity colored the eyes again.

"For me, it would be to live, and if I was to boil it down, it would be survival.." Yang Qing said as the memory of his younger years flashed in his mind when he was desperately clinging to dear life trying to survive his grandfather's experience, and later when he joined the Order, it was to survive the fiendish instructors, and presently it was surviving the storms raging outside the Order, within the Order, and within himself.

At the core of it, what fueled him was the desperation to survive.

Zhang Su was slightly surprised by Yang Qing's response which prompted him to smile as he nodded.

They've completely ignored the wolf that is already at our doorstep, waiting to lunge at us and devour us whole.

Whatever is happening at the border, leave it for those brute bloodthirsty Zhangs to handle, they murmur in contempt..." Zhang Su paused as he took a deep breath to calm the erupting emotions raging within him, his emotions mirrored by his fellow clansmen who looked to be seething in anger too.

"We are continually paying the price for the Empire's greed, selfishness, and foolishness. Our cultivation base thrives in war but it doesn't mean we want to live there forever. I don't want to stay constantly surrounded by the death of my relatives and clan members, but that is what the so-called Red Maple Empire has consigned us to.

Before when the war started, the entire empire rallied as one united force and bared its fangs against its enemies, but now,.. but now those fangs are turned to each other.

The war would not have lasted this long had the Empire acted collectively and not entirely left the burden to us. The Five Clovers Kingdom even with the support of the Zou family would have never been able to gain the ground it did, as fast as it did, if we didn't give them the opportunity to, when we let our greed dictate our actions.

But look where we are now, struggling to maintain a stalemate with a kingdom we would have conquered years ago if only we did what we were supposed to.

The Chen Clan, a clan born from a peerless swordsman hides within its walls as they fight amongst themselves, instead of baring their edge against the empire's enemy. No wonder their sword hearts have rust, and are now moving to alchemy.

The Gui clan no longer supplies the potions needed for the war front, instead choosing instead to sell their wares to the highest bidders to rapidly amass their wealth and influence. They're more merchants than alchemists now, and it surprises them why they have never produced a blue-grade alchemist to date. If we all die out, and the border is lost, will they even be able to protect that wealth they are hoarding?

The Mo Clan spending all its time and effort trying to compete with the Duan Royal family for dominance and heritage, instead of trying to establish their prestige at the border.

The Gong family....they are the only ones who remained uninvolved in the rot, and while they still support the borders with armaments they provide, with the way the wind is blowing and how they have been distancing themselves from the other families including the royal families, I wouldn't be surprised if some time tomorrow there is news of them leaving the Red Maple Empire for good..."Zhang Su paused to relax his tense body as his presence turned tranquil.

"The Empire isn't called the Zhang Empire, but we are the ones bleeding for it. I stopped fighting for that empire a long time ago and started fighting to ensure my clan members don't die for that dying tree.

Left with no other option, we turned to blood-fiend arts. We didn't do it so we could grow our strength, we only did it because it was the only option in front of us that would help us protect our fellow clansmen.

It is why in as much as I feel sad for bringing the shame of being a blood fiend cultivator to my clan, I don't regret it. I would rather be a villain and ensure my clan members don't die a thankless death in that place.

Neither do they. Thank you for your time. I needed to explain why we did what we did and we gladly accept the punishment deserved for our acts. Be it death or any other form, we willingly accept it.." Zhang Su said as he solemnly cupped his fists.