Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 535 - 297 The Curtain Rises_2

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"Lao Han, I'm truly disappointed," the middle-aged man said, devoid of his previous confidence and authority, his words heavy with deep weariness and disillusionment.

"I once believed they, like us, had seen the suffering of all living beings and thus wished to change the world, to give the people a different way to live. I never expected that as time passed, they would become no different from those Noble Families and Clans, even greedier and more brutal."

Lao Han suddenly stood up and after quite some time, he finally said, "You can't blame yourself. How many people in this world can actually see clearly? You've done your best. Even if we all die, the lives of the common folk will eventually improve—not because the Noble Families and Clans have suddenly become charitable, but because we were here."

"Perhaps this is the meaning of our existence, to let these greedy, conscienceless bastards know that what goes around comes around, and retribution is inescapable."

Perhaps Lao Han's words had an effect, as the middle-aged man gradually cast off the look of despair on his face and regained his spirited expression, excitedly saying, "Maybe you're right. We might not be able to change the world, but we can make these bastards know fear, know the price of driving us to a dead end. Maybe the lives of these pitiful people will get a little better in the future."

"Then let's proceed as we originally planned. You take those still hopeful and uncorrupted seeds with you, and I will lead the rest of the greedy lot to sweep across the Central Plains, making the Noble Families and Clans tremble with fear," the middle-aged man said resolutely.

After finishing, he spoke again with sarcasm, "They're all smart people, yet fail to see that charging into the Central Plains, seemingly bright with promise, is actually a path to certain death. Only by heading deep into the mountains is there a sliver of a chance for survival. It's a pity that their eyes are now clouded by greed."

That night, all the Rebel Army's leaders gathered their troops together, allowing Lao Han to select members for the suicide squad. Of course, these men were no fools; they naturally excluded their own direct kin. But Lao Han didn't mind. He simply chose according to his own desires.

Most of those selected were young, their eyes still sparkling with ideals. Lao Han squeezed their shoulders, smiled, and knew that these were their true treasures, their real successors.

"Lao Han, take me with you," boomed a somewhat robust voice. It was Lao Lee, whom Lao Han had previously stopped from killing.

"Lao Lee, are you sure? You do know that this is no different from going to your death," Lao Han said with meaningful depth.

A loyal smile appeared on Lao Lee's face as he replied, "This worthless life of mine was saved by the boss. I've lived long enough to be content; let me charge into battle for the boss one last time."

"But you are still the leader of an army. What about your brothers?"

"Don't worry, I've arranged it all. Those willing to follow me continue, while those who want to go home get travel expenses. For those with nowhere to go, they can break through with the boss," Lao Lee said confidently.

Lao Han, moved, clapped him on the shoulder, and laughed, "Haha, since you're determined, come and fight alongside me. With you, a fierce warrior, in our ranks, I feel more confident."

The next day, Lao Han mustered his men and led the army, mighty in its march, toward the northeast. Lao Lee was at the forefront of the column, while the middle-aged man watched them leave from atop the city walls. Once the army was sufficiently deployed by Lao Han, they would break out in another direction, where the strongholds of the Noble Families were located.

The Noble Families' army quickly noticed the commotion within the city and immediately took action. However, Lao Han's forces, composed largely of vigorous young men full of ideals, were exceedingly powerful in combat; within a quarter of an hour, they had broken through the encircling troops and dashed out. Such formidable combat strength made the Noble Families' generals realize that this must represent the Rebel Army's main strength.

Consequently, the main body of troops began to converge on Lao Han's unit. As the mighty army pursued Lao Han, the middle-aged man, with a grave expression, issued commands, leading the remains of his force to break through toward the Central Plains.

Their emergence immediately threw the Noble Families' army into chaos as they suddenly realized that they might have been pursuing the wrong target.

As a result, in the Noble Families' Allied Army's tent, a fierce argument erupted. Everyone debated which force was the main one, sticking to their respective views, unwilling to yield, because all knew that whoever annihilated this Rebel Army would dominate the future; thus, each argued until their faces turned red.

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Just then, a young man suddenly said, "It seems everyone has forgotten something." His voice immediately drew everyone's attention.

"What thing?" someone asked.

"Regardless of whether the army behind us is the main force, the direction they are breaking through is the Central Region. Don't forget where our families are," the young man said softly.

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This statement struck like a bolt from the blue, echoing in everyone's minds. Only then did they realize the severity of the situation. Whether or not this army was the main force, once they burst into the Central Region, their families would be threatened. Given the Rebel Army's nature, annihilating an entire family would be just a flick of the wrist for them, after all, the downfall of the Chen Family was right before their eyes.

So they had no choice but to pursue the troop marching toward the Central Plains. These were elite forces raised by the Noble Families, and upon realizing this, they quickly reached a consensus and began giving orders in an orderly manner.

Therefore, all the armies stopped chasing Lao Han's unit and turned to head towards the Central Plains instead.

"Lao Han, those sons of bitches seem to have figured it out and are changing direction," Lao Lee said, as if he had been soaked in blood, his whole body stained red, and he was panting heavily.

Lao Han also sighed in relief. These were the successors he and his boss had chosen. The loss of even one would pain him for a long time, but thankfully, everything was proceeding as they had speculated.

Looking around at the young faces filled with fiery determination, he suddenly made a bold decision, "They've chased us for so long; we can't let them off easily. Let's turn around and strike back at them before we make our exit."

Upon hearing this, Lao Lee burst into laughter and said, "I've been waiting for you to say that. The lads are already itching to go at them."

After that, he rallied the exhausted soldiers to begin their pursuit of the Noble Families' army. When the Noble Families received this news, they didn't get angry but instead laughed, deducing that the forces breaking into the Central Region must be the main body; this army was indeed just a pawn. Thus, they didn't tangle with them and swiftly left the battlefield.

However, this immediately increased the pressure on the middle-aged men's side, as they quickly realized that the Noble Families and Clans had caught on to their ruse.

"Damn it, these bastards are quick to react, actually giving up on chasing Lao Han and the others," someone cursed.

"Stop complaining. Lao Han has done well enough, buying us a lot of time. Once we break into the Central Plains, the gold and silver treasures, wine, and women will all be ours," another said.

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of those around lightened up. They were seasoned veterans, and so-called ideals were nothing but nonsense to them. Only gold and silver could be trusted, and some had already become bloodthirsty, eager to invade the Noble Families' territories to start their massacre.

Therefore, this army exploded with fierce combat power in that moment. They broke through the defense in an instant and burst out of the encirclement, to the shock of those chasing after them.

The middle-aged man galloped on his horse, looking towards the vast Central Plains and said coldly, "Break out, cancel all prohibitions; you are free to do as you please!"

Immense shouts erupted from the army. At that moment, the force completely turned into Bandits, beginning to spread the flames of war over the Central Plains.

The curtain of chaos was fully drawn open. The storms of the era began to sweep across the land, changing the destiny of every individual.