Chapter 123 123: Nothing But A Pawn



The Duan Clan Ancestor was excited as soon as Xu Shan agreed to his invitation to stay at their house. This allowed them an added advantage over the other. And for that, he was really grateful to Duan Mu.

He had already decided to reward Duan Mu heavily, including giving his mother a really high position in the clan. 

He didn't know how people behaved with him. If they knew, he would even be willing to kill all those people himself, just to please Duan Mu. 

The Duan Clan Patriarch stood in the back, with his head down. He didn't even think about the fact that his son Duan Yang was nowhere to be found. 

The Duan Clan Ancestor laughed heartily, as he invited the Ancestors of the other Major Clans to attend the banquet at night. 

Xu Shan walked next to the Duan Clan Ancestor as he continued on his journey towards the Mansion of the Clan. 

The other Ancestors only watched them leave, with an ugly expression on their faces. However, they still hadn't given up. They could see that Xu Shan was still a young man! So what if the Duan Clan had a lead? 

They still had many talented people in their clans. There was no lack of beautiful ladies from the direct Bloodline. 

All the Clan Ancestors returned to their clan to prepare to attend the banquet of the Duan Clan! They left no stone unturned to select the most talented and beautiful heirs from their direct Bloodline to win Xu Shan's favor in the banquet. 

Before the Ancestor brought Xu Shan to the clan mansion, the Patriarch of the Clan had already reached there, informing every clan member that a very important guest was coming and no one was allowed to offend that guest!

It was the first time the clan members had seen the Patriarch so scared. 

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Xu Shan entered the clan, only to be greeted by most of the Duan Clan Members, as if he was some kind returning to his kingdom after winning a war. 

Dressed in luxurious robes, Xu Shan observed everyone in the surroundings. His attention was mainly on Duan Mu, since he wanted to see just who his mother was. 

It wasn't hard either since the Duan Clan Patriarch had kept Duan Mu's mother next to him, like she was also on equal footing to him. 

"Mother!" Duan Mu's eyes became a bit wet. Just a few hours ago, he didn't even know if he could return alive... Even his mother's life was in danger. However, now the entire clan was giving so much importance to his mother. 

He glanced at Xu Shan, feeling eternally grateful. In this entire world, no one had done so much for him. 

"Go and spend some time with your mother. I'll be resting until the banquet..." Xu Shan told Duan Mu, revealing a compassionate smile. 

As soon as he mentioned resting, the Clan Ancestor personally brought Xu Shan to the most luxurious courtyard where he could rest. 

"Senior, if you need anything, please tell that to the servants outside. I'll be right here to personally do any task you may need done!" The Ancestor of the Duan Clan exclaimed, before he left to prepare for the banquet to make sure that nothing was lacking at night. 

He had to show the entire city and beyond that he was welcoming a guest who was so incredible. 

Xu Shan lazily nodded, before he closed the door. 

He walked to the bed and sat down. However, he wasn't in the mood to rest either. 

He raised his right hand, bringing out three tattered black flags. 

He had given up on these flags to bring down the Celestial Palace. However, when he was coming up with a strategy to win the war, he used some excuse to ask for this treasure from the Celestial Palace Master and these three flags came back to him. 

"Are you really going to do it?" Xinren asked, sitting next to Xu Shan. "I don't see a need to go that far."

Xu Shan placed the three flags aside, before lying down on the bed. 

"Do you think it's too much?" Xu Shan asked. Personally, he didn't feel much emotion anymore. It was even worse than it used to be in the past. 

In his mind, there were only benefits and losses. There was no right or wrong when it came to things that could give him benefits. 

"He's always loyal to you. Then why...?" Xinren asked, slightly curious. 

It wasn't that she was feeling pity or going soft. However, she was genuinely curious as to why they were doing something so unnecessary. 

"You underestimate a Child of Destiny..." Xu Shan shook his head lightly. "I can't leave anything that might come back to harm me in the future, even if it's the thing most precious to him."

"I don't need a friend... I don't need a companion... I don't need a nice guy who might resist my plans... What I need is a sword... A Sword that is broken to the extent where it doesn't differentiate between right or wrong... A Sword that's broken even more than me..."

Xu Shan closed his eyes. The entire room turned silent for a little while. 

The silence was broken when Xu Shan further spoke, "I might be called a demon or a monster, but so what? I became one the moment I inherited this role... I already have so much blood on my hands... What's one more going to do to me?"

"And lastly... I want him to walk in the darkness with me. For that, I need to get rid of his light... How else can I awaken the monster hidden deep inside him?" 

Xinren silently heard Xu Shan's words. She could only nod at the end. However, she also had a feeling that it had something to do with the fact that Xu Shan didn't have any knowledge of his mother because of the cost... 

He had forgotten what it was like for a person to have a mother and lose her... To him, Duan Mu's mother was nothing but a pawn... And he knew how to use that pawn to break a hero completely...