Hearing Shi Shaoshuo’s words, Rock Solid was stunned.

Surprised, he said, “Patriarch, isn’t this a bit too much?”

“Too much? If our Stone Race is exterminated, what use is it to still hold the Supreme God Hammer?”

Shi Shaoshuo asked in return, “How many of our people has Yu Shaoqing killed? Cutting him down is a way to mourn for the dead. It’s not too much at all.”

“Alright, I’ll go tell Junior Brother Xu right away,” Rock Solid quickly nodded.

After parting ways with Shi Shaoshuo, Rock Solid hurriedly passed the message to Xu Zimo.

Naturally, Xu Zimo agreed to fight tomorrow.

He then spent the entire day quietly waiting in the Stone Heart Pavilion for the arrival of the next day.

...

The night was thick as ink, dead silent, when a figure could be seen darting swiftly within the Stone Race’s grounds. This figure moved as fast as lightning, and in just a few breaths, arrived in front of a small courtyard.

The black-clad figure raised his head slightly, then followed the courtyard’s outer wall and stepped inside.

Within the courtyard, there was a stone table, and seated before it was an elderly man.

In front of him was a pot of hot tea.

The old man was sipping tea, gazing at the moonless night sky.

This elder was Elder Shi Yan.

Now, within the Stone Race, due to the war, most of the core elders had already perished.

So much so that, apart from the Patriarch Shi Shaoshuo, he was the one with the highest prestige in the Stone Race.

Seeing the black shadow arrive, Elder Shi Yan was not surprised.

Instead, he calmly asked, “Young Master Lu, visiting me so late at night and arranging to meet here, what is it you want?”

The shadow stepped out of the darkness, his face faintly visible under the dim night light.

It was Lu Ze.

“I’m here as a persuader,” Lu Ze said with a smile.

Without being polite, he sat directly at the stone table and poured himself a cup of tea.

“What sort of persuader is Young Master Lu supposed to be?” Elder Shi Yan asked with a frown.

“That’s not important,” Lu Ze smiled. “I’ll just ask one question, does Elder Shi Yan want to be Patriarch?”

At these words, Elder Shi Yan’s right hand, which was holding the teacup, paused slightly.

He turned his head to look at Lu Ze and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“How much longer does Elder Shi Yan think the Stone Race can hold out?” Lu Ze asked.

Elder Shi Yan fell silent for a moment.

How much longer they could hold on depended entirely on the Feather Race’s mood.

If the other side wasn’t in a hurry, they could still hold on for a while.

But if the Feather Race decided to attack tomorrow, they would be wiped out tomorrow.

“I’ve always believed in one saying: a wise man submits to circumstances. History will not remember the losers; it will only revere those strong enough to survive to the end.”

Lu Ze smiled.

“What do you mean?” Elder Shi Yan seemed to realize something and asked with a frown.

“Pledge allegiance to the Feather Race, and I will guarantee you the position of Stone Patriarch,” Lu Ze said, lightly sipping his tea.

“In your dreams,” Elder Shi Yan stood up, slapping the table in anger.

He scolded, “If the Patriarch hears you say this, you’ll be arrested on the spot.”

“You won’t tell Shi Shaoshuo,” Lu Ze chuckled. “Even if you don’t think about your own future, what about your family? You’re not going to consider them at all?”

“You want me to be a traitor to my people?” Elder Shi Yan snorted coldly.

“I think your visit to the Stone Race wasn’t to help Yuyan at all, but for ulterior motives.”

“Elder Shi Yan, don’t make it sound so ugly. What do you mean ‘traitor’? You would be saving the Stone Race, you should be hailed as a great hero.”

Lu Ze smiled and said, “As for Shi Yuyan, I’ve been quite good to her, but unfortunately she doesn’t appreciate it. That’s why I can’t be blamed if I take her by force.”

“Hero?” Elder Shi Yan sneered. “Turning your own race into a subordinate race of someone else, put bluntly, that’s being a lackey. And that’s supposed to be a hero?”

“Elder Shi Yan, don’t get agitated. Hear me out. First, the continuation of a race, whether as someone’s lackey or flourishing independently, all hinges on one thing: survival. Only if the people live will there be endless possibilities. If Shi Shaoshuo leads the entire Stone Race to a glorious death, perhaps it will be moving in the short term. But in time, everything will be forgotten, and no one will even remember the Stone Race. If you can lead the Stone Race to submit to the Feather Race and keep the people alive, even if you have to live under others for a while, that doesn’t mean you’ll be under them forever. One day, the Stone Race might become strong enough to make the Feather Race your lackeys. All of this is only possible if you live, only then is there a future.”

Lu Ze went on at length, “Second, I don’t think Elder Shi Yan wants to die, nor see your family die. Being able to survive, and even become Patriarch, that’s killing two birds with one stone, isn’t it? Third, you don’t have to fear being criticized for betraying your people. Because when you rule the Stone Race, history will be written by you. If I have the Feather Race play along, everything will end happily.”

Hearing Lu Ze’s words, Elder Shi Yan was silent for a long time.

The night seemed like a soundless giant beast, devouring everything.

Unknown insects chirped from unseen corners.

“Was it the Feather Race who sent you to persuade me?” Elder Shi Yan asked in a low voice.

“They specifically told me to find you, they want to work with you, and their sincerity is real,” Lu Ze said earnestly.

In fact, here he told a lie.

The Feather Race only told him to find someone to turn, without naming Elder Shi Yan.

But after arriving at Sacred Stone Mountain, Lu Ze chose Elder Shi Yan himself.

First, apart from the Patriarch Shi Shaoshuo, Elder Shi Yan had the highest seniority in the entire Stone Race.

Second, with the Stone Race having no one left to use, most core elders already dead, when Shi Shaoshuo even wanted to take the field himself, Elder Shi Yan still hadn’t volunteered to fight.

That showed he feared death.

All in all, he was the most suitable candidate.

The reason Lu Ze lied was to make Shi Yan feel that the Feather Race valued him highly.

In truth, they were nothing but a bunch of petty clowns, hardly worth the Feather Race’s attention.

“What about Shi Shaoshuo? How will you deal with him?” Elder Shi Yan asked.

“If he doesn’t die, the clansmen won’t listen to me.”

“Of course, the plan was to have him duel Yu Shaoqing tomorrow and kill him then. After that, we’d support you as Patriarch,” Lu Ze said with a frown.

“But that kid from the Heavenly Dao Academy got involved. Still, it doesn’t matter, tomorrow we’ll kill that kid, and the day after we’ll kill Shi Shaoshuo.”

“Will that work?” Elder Shi Yan asked.

“I know Yu Shaoqing is strong, but Shi Shaoshuo isn’t simple either.”

“That’s not your concern, it’s the Feather Race’s business,” Lu Ze said with a smile.

Then he extended his right hand and said, “Pleasure working with you.”

Their hands met in the air.

“Pleasure working with you.”

...

The sky gradually grew brighter, the east turning pale, but the sun did not arrive as expected. The sky was oppressively overcast.

It was a cloudy day.

Thick clouds piled overhead, weighing down on the heart.