High Martial Arts: Invincible Starts from Basic Archery Chapter 793 - 617: Let’s Get Rid of Them First_2

Yet, every matter comes with its dual nature.

Should Chen Fan get taken out, might the Su Family strike back at them?

Su Ming ended the call. He pondered briefly before punching in a different number.

The connection clicked open quickly, and a chilly woman's voice rang out, "Grandpa, how’s the mission going?"

Right then, Su Ming, unlike his usual frosty front with everyone else, beamed broadly and leaned forward, replying, "Xiaochan, I’ve dispatched those two fellows to handle that boy. We should hear back within two days at the latest."

"There won’t be any surprises like the previous occasion, will there?"

"Absolutely not." Su Ming shook his head vigorously, "Xiaochan, what happened before was purely bad luck. Nobody saw that boy coming with such power."

"Fine then. That boy represents an unpredictable factor in our scheme and has to be removed."

"Got it."

Su Ming gave a nod, paused briefly, then added anyway, "Xiaochan, on top of that, I sense those two aren’t fully reliable. Even now, they’ve gone ahead and wiped out several family members without orders."

"That’s fine." The woman’s tone remained detached, "We’ll dispose of them once the job’s done; no rush."

"Huh?"

Su Ming froze in shock.

Doesn’t this stray from the original strategy?

The initial blueprint involved using the Beast Emperor to wipe out the Thunder Emperor and the War Emperor, followed by Gong Bo and his crew finishing off the injured Beast Emperor, allowing a seamless seizure of their roles.

Both individuals carried restrictions imposed by the Su Family, forcing their compliance and turning them into mere marionettes.

Getting rid of them wasn’t out of the question, but surely not at this juncture?

"Naturally, I didn’t mean for this assignment." The voice clarified, "I meant those two individuals."

"You mean them?" Su Ming’s gaze sparked with realization.

Those two, of course, pointed to the Thunder Emperor and the War Emperor.

Only their removal would place the whole of Yan Country firmly in the Su Family’s grasp.

"That’s all for now, Grandpa. Update me right away on any developments."

"Sure."

Once the line went dead, Su Ming let out a long exhale, his features then lighting up with thrill.

Nothing could surpass the pride and joy of seeing his granddaughter ascend as Yan Country’s Empress.

By then, the Su Family would stand as the unchallenged premier clan across Yan Country!

...

Jiangnan City.

Martial Arts Association.

Shi Tao and his group had caught wind of the whispers too.

Truth be told, these rumors had only made their position in Jiangnan City more precarious.

Prior to the Elder Council dispatching reinforcements, most insiders leaned toward sympathy for them.

For instance, Jiangnan City’s City Lord, who had arrived amid heavy pressure.

However, upon learning Chen Fan was a lunatic, these folks grew terrified. They shunned not just Chen Fan but the entire Jiangnan Martial Arts Association.

"Utter lies! Complete fabrications!"

Chang Fei pounded the desk, "How could Chen Fan possibly be someone who slaughters innocents without cause? This has to be the Elder Council’s scheme to smear Brother Chen’s name!"

Shen Si drew in a sharp breath, stating, "If things are truly as you describe, aren’t they being excessively ruthless? Apart from the Song Family, the remaining three clans served them. How could they pull that off?"

"What’s so hard to believe?"

Chang Fei scoffed, "The Elder Council folks have forsaken all humanity long ago. They’re mere addicts to power. Touch their control, and you’re signing your death warrant. Remember last time? They summoned us straight to confess our guilt without hearing a single word of defense."

Shen Si fell silent.

"Brother Chang, debating this further seems futile since those victims are gone, and nearly everyone assumes Brother Chen did the deed."

"Whatever we claim, they won’t buy it. They’d never accept the Elder Council as the culprit."

"Exactly, exactly."

The others nearby agreed with nods.

"I’m curious if Brother Chen’s aware of this mess."

"He must be, no? Didn’t the president step out just to ring him?"

"True, though it’s uncertain how he’ll handle it. Tough spot to navigate."

In a separate chamber, Shi Tao placed a call to Chen Fan.

The line connected almost immediately.

"Hello, President."

Chen Fan’s voice transmitted, "The Elder Council hasn’t caused you issues, has it?"

Shi Tao’s heart warmed at Chen Fan’s concern.

Even now, he prioritized their well-being.

"Chen Fan, we’ve stayed trouble-free since yesterday, all thanks to you. But you, Chen Fan, could be facing some heat."

"You mean the impostor posing as me to massacre the Song Family and the other clans?"

"You’re already informed."

Shi Tao offered a bitter smile.

"My gut says it’s the Elder Council’s doing. To ruin your standing and claim the righteous side, they slaughtered thousands. Yet, it’s tough to swallow that they’d commit such an atrocity."

"Truth is, the Elder Council didn’t orchestrate this directly, or at least not by their design."

Chen Fan explained, "Still, it ties back to the Elder Council somehow."

"Care to elaborate?"

Shi Tao blinked in surprise.

"President, you’re familiar with the operative known as Ogre, correct?"

"You referring to Yu Jianqiao?"

Shi Tao creased his brow, "Word is that guy devours people and shows no mercy. But with all those drained corpses left behind this time, could it really be him?"

"It was him. And he had company—another codenamed Devourer. The Elder Council unleashed these two to take me down."

"What?"

Shi Tao could hardly trust what he heard.

Did the Elder Council really dispatch these two after Chen Fan?

Unless he misremembered, weren’t they infamous outlaws? The Awakened Association had pursued them for years. How would they serve the Elder Council’s commands?

Wait, could it be?

A chilling thought dawned on him, sending tremors through his body.

"Precisely, President, that’s the situation you’re imagining."

Chen Fan affirmed, "However, these pair aren’t fully compliant. They resist total obedience to the Elder Council. Thus, they targeted those family members deliberately—to bolster their own strength and to pin the blame on me."

"In that case, they’re truly..."

Shi Tao trailed off uncertainly.

Still, confusion lingered for him.

If Chen Fan’s account held true, how had he uncovered such details?

This was no trivial affair. Should it leak out, the Awakened Association would launch a full probe.

After all, those two had slain numerous awakened beings, among them several A-level ones who might have risen to S-Class someday.

"Chen Fan, what’s your next move?"

"Take out those two first."

Chen Fan declared.

Based on his visions, they’d track him down within two or three days.

That’s how he’d gleaned all this intelligence.

Though his current experience points fell short of maxing out every martial art to Perfection Realm, they sufficed to handle that duo.

That said, advancing on Baijiang City to wrap everything up for good posed a greater challenge.

For he’d confront the elite forces of the five clans plus the Ice Emperor, and potentially clash with the Thunder Emperor and War Emperor too.

He required another two or three days to prepare.

Admittedly, for caution’s sake, ignoring those two made sense. Their upcoming victims weren’t his concerns and bore no connection to him. If retribution was due, it ought to target them and their Elder Council patrons.

Yet, the Elder Council’s lack of morals didn’t justify him forsaking his own. Otherwise, he’d risk becoming the very beast he opposed, as the old warning went.