"Liu Clan, you absolutely must not fall for his trap. Right now, you and I must join forces to deal with him. Otherwise, if my Ji Clan is destroyed, your Liu Clan will have no hope of escape either." Seeing the Liu Clan Old Ancestor actually waver, the Ji Clan Old Ancestor hurriedly began to persuade him with all his might.
"But I cannot simply disregard my son's life!" Seeing this, the Liu Clan Old Ancestor replied with a look of helpless anguish.
"You have so many sons — is it really that big a loss to lose just one?" the Ji Clan Old Ancestor roared.
"Of course it matters! This is my finest son, the one I have carefully nurtured for years," the Liu Clan Old Ancestor shot back.
"You — you — you—" The Ji Clan Old Ancestor was so furious he could barely contain himself. Only after repeating "you" three times did he manage to steady his emotions. "Liu Clan, you are truly foolish — utterly foolish!"
"Is one son's life worth more than the tens of thousands of lives in your Liu Imperial Clan? More important than the mission of avenging your ancestors?!"
"I…" At that moment, the Liu Clan Old Ancestor fell silent once more.
"Liu Clan, stop hesitating. Lose the Imperial Lord, and you can raise another. Lose the entire Imperial Clan, and there will be nothing left. Do you want to become the eternal sinner of the Liu Imperial Clan?"
"Right now, that old thing from the Zhao Clan is dead, and all the experts of the Zhao Imperial Clan have perished as well. If the two of us join forces and then destroy the Jiang Imperial Clan too, we can simply split their two clans' assets and territories between us."
"All you have to do is sacrifice this one son. Not only will you preserve the Liu Imperial Clan, you'll become the greatest hero it has ever known. Future generations will hold you up as a role model, a paragon of valor." Seeing the Liu Clan waver, the Ji Clan Old Ancestor quickly pressed on.
"Father Emperor, do it! For the sake of our Liu Clan's people, what does it matter if one person is sacrificed?" Just then, the Liu Clan Imperial Lord — the one being held captive by Jiang Hengyuan — actually shouted out as well.
"Liu Clan Old Ancestor, listen to my Father Emperor! That brat called Chu Feng is full of tricks. Even if you stand aside and do nothing, he will never let you go!" At the same time, the Ji Clan Imperial Lord also shouted.
"Very well! Ji Clan — you and I join forces, and we cut this little brat down!" At last, the Liu Clan Old Ancestor gritted his teeth, made his decision, and was the first to go charging toward Chu Feng.
"Ha ha ha! Liu Clan, now that's the right choice!" Delighted by this, the Ji Clan Old Ancestor wasted no time either and followed close behind.
"Fine then. Today I'll take on two opponents at once and spar with you both."
"But hear me well, Ji Clan members and Liu Clan members — while I spar with your Old Ancestors, you had better not lay a hand on anyone of the Jiang Imperial Clan. Otherwise, your Imperial Lords will lose their heads." Chu Feng showed no fear. After letting out a loud shout, he gripped the Shura Ghost Axe and engaged the two Old Ancestors in battle.
At first, seeing the two Old Ancestors make their move, Jiang Hengyuan had been prepared to act immediately and execute the two Imperial Lords.
But after hearing Chu Feng's words, he hesitated. And seeing the experts from both clans — who had been eager to attack but were now held back by Chu Feng's warning — Jiang Hengyuan completely abandoned the idea of killing the two Imperial Lords.
"Chu Feng really is remarkable. That kind of shrewdness — even I have to admit I'm outmatched."
At that moment, Jiang Hengyuan's admiration for Chu Feng grew immensely. Chu Feng was simply too clever. Though his attempt to use the two Imperial Lords to threaten the two Old Ancestors had failed, he had swiftly shifted tactics and used those same Imperial Lords to hold the armies of both clans in check.
And if Chu Feng hadn't spoken up just then, and Jiang Hengyuan had killed the two Imperial Lords, then while Chu Feng was fighting the two Old Ancestors, both clans' armies would certainly have launched a desperate assault against the Jiang Imperial Clan as well.