Chapter 1009: Feigning Ignorance
The yellow-clothed man didn't dare to act rashly, for he knew very well that the moment he made a move, the Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, hovering before him would certainly slice off his head with lightning speed. While this wouldn't claim his life, it would undoubtedly injure him.
“Where is it? ”
Yang Haoran's form flickered, and he appeared before the yellow-clothed man. With a faint smile on his face, he asked the yellow-clothed man in a gentle tone.
“It? What 'it'? ”
The yellow-clothed man displayed a look of confusion, as if he hadn't understood what Yang Haoran was saying.
“The Quicksand Four-Leaf Flower. I'm sure you know that's what I'm asking about. ”
Yang Haoran said with a smile, the expression on his face unchanging, but the yellow-clothed man continued to feign ignorance.
“What Quicksand Four-Leaf Flower or Quicksand Five-Leaf Flower? I don't know what you're talking about. ”
“Stop playing dumb with me! If the Quicksand Four-Leaf Flower wasn't taken by you, then who? If you're smart, hand them over right now, or I can promise you, you'll wish you were dead if you fall into our hands. ”
At this moment, Xiang Chuan was already seething with anger. Not only had he failed to obtain the Quicksand Four-Leaf Flower, but he had also suffered a loss at the hands of the yellow-clothed man, making him lose face tremendously in front of Yang Haoran. In such a situation, it was only natural for him to have no pleasantries when facing the yellow-clothed man, and his impolite tone was to be expected.
“Hmph, a defeated wretch. You're not qualified to speak to me. ”
The yellow-clothed man glanced at Xiang Chuan and spoke flatly, his tone full of disdain.
Xiang Chuan was thoroughly enraged by the yellow-clothed man's words, especially the disdainful tone, which seemed to dismiss his very existence. How could he not be furious?
“In a life-and-death struggle, who knows who wins or loses until the very last moment? I was merely temporarily trapped by you just now; that doesn't count as a defeat at all. Don't go gilding your own face by calling me your defeated opponent! ”
Upon hearing this, the yellow-clothed man gave a cold laugh and then spoke.
“If you're not convinced, we can have another match. Do you dare? ”
Xiang Chuan, in the heat of his anger, wouldn't consider such things. Without even thinking, he accepted the yellow-clothed man's challenge.
“What's there to not dare! You pick the time and place! I'll be there anytime! Whoever loses will be. . . ”
Yang Haoran waved his hand, stopping Xiang Chuan from continuing. He looked at the yellow-clothed man before him with a broad smile, then spoke.
“I'm not interested in who is stronger or weaker between you two, and I also don't want to see anyone secretly slip away during a fight. So, there's no need for a match. The only thing I want to know right now is where you've hidden the Quicksand Four-Leaf Flower. ”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Yang Haoran seemed to suddenly recall something, and thus added another sentence.
“Don't be in a hurry to answer me. Let me give you a reminder first. If your answer doesn't satisfy me, I won't waste any more time on you. I will extract your soul and find the answer myself. ”
The yellow-clothed man had intended to continue feigning ignorance, then seek a suitable opportunity to escape the area. However, upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, he immediately abandoned that idea.
Although Yang Haoran maintained a smile throughout his speech, and his tone was exceptionally gentle, devoid of any hint of malevolence, the yellow-clothed man firmly believed that what he saw was merely the surface. Beneath that surface, a far more terrifying murderous intent must be lurking. If he ignored Yang Haoran's warning and continued to feign ignorance, he had no doubt that Yang Haoran would truly extract his soul.
“If I hand over the Quicksand Four-Leaf Flower, will you let me leave? ” the yellow-clothed man asked in a deep voice.
“Heh heh, I'm sorry, I can't make you that guarantee. ” Yang Haoran replied with a smile.
The yellow-clothed man's brows furrowed deeply. Then, without another word, his body suddenly transformed into a mass of quicksand and shot towards the sandy ground below.
Yang Haoran couldn't give him a guarantee, so he naturally had to flee for his life. The reason he hadn't escaped earlier was that he felt it hadn't yet reached the point of a desperate struggle. Yang Haoran not directly striking to kill him indicated that there might still be a turn of events.
However, Yang Haoran's current answer left him dissatisfied. He felt his previous guess was likely wrong. The reason Yang Haoran hadn't immediately moved to kill him might have been that Yang Haoran was worried the Quicksand Four-Leaf Flower had already been entirely taken into his spatial dimension. If he were killed, and the spatial dimension didn't burst open, then Yang Haoran and the other person wouldn't be able to obtain the Quicksand Four-Leaf Flower. That's why Yang Haoran's previous strike hadn't been a killing blow.
From the current situation, he felt that even if he handed over the Quicksand Four-Leaf Flower, he would still inevitably die in the end. Since death was certain either way, he naturally refused to surrender, so he chose to flee without hesitation.
Whether he succeeded or not, he had to try, because he had no other choice.
The instant the yellow-clothed man's body transformed into quicksand and shot downwards, Remnant Moon, which had been suspended in front of him, reacted immediately.
A buzzing sound rang out. The quicksand that the yellow-clothed man had transformed into had only just covered a short distance when Remnant Moon caught up to him. Remnant Moon's speed was truly too fast; he didn't even have time to dodge before the quicksand of his body was split in two by Remnant Moon, one mass of quicksand becoming two, then falling like ordinary loose sand towards the ground below.
The moment they landed on the sand, these seemingly ordinary grains of sand suddenly seemed to come alive again, burrowing with a rustling sound into the ground beneath.
This scene not only startled Xiang Chuan but also momentarily surprised Yang Haoran, though Yang Haoran quickly understood what was happening.
“Heh heh, I nearly forgot. You're a Monster, not a Demon. Even if I chop your body into pieces, it might not be enough to kill you. ”
Yang Haoran said with a chuckle. Beside him, Xiang Chuan's face immediately showed anxiety at the sight.
“I say, big brother, you still have time to waste words here? He's already vanished! ”
As Xiang Chuan reminded Yang Haoran, he himself wasn't idle. He channeled his inner power to conjure two colossal hands, reaching out to grasp the yellow sand that the yellow-clothed man had become.
With two resounding booms, Xiang Chuan's move created quite a stir, but it had no effect. The two massive hands plunged deep into the yellow sand, and aside from grabbing a good amount of ordinary sand, they failed to find the yellow sand transformed from the yellow-clothed man's monster body.
“Heh heh, calm down. With me here, he won't escape. ”
Yang Haoran said with a smile. Then he slowly closed his eyes and quickly formed hand seals.
“Ghost Art, Ghost Fiend Soul Chain! ”
His eyes snapped open, and a low shout emerged from Yang Haoran's mouth. Immediately, several ghost-headed chains materialized in the air, emitting a bone-chilling spectral laughter.
Under Yang Haoran's control, the Ghost Fiend Soul Chains plunged into the sand below like dragons entering the sea, vanishing without a trace in an instant. One could only see the sand below occasionally quivering slightly, or the yellow sand violently churning.
Seeing Yang Haoran take action, Xiang Chuan dispersed the two colossal hands he had conjured. If even Yang Haoran couldn't drag the yellow-clothed man out from under the sand, then he certainly couldn't either. Moreover, the previous scene had already explained everything: he truly didn't have the ability to stop the yellow-clothed man from leaving.
After roughly the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, a ghost-headed chain burst through the quicksand and shot skyward. In its mouth, it held a mass of yellow sand. The sand thrashed violently within its maw, seemingly attempting to escape, but a visible layer of Yin Qi was wrapped around its surface. This Yin Qi restrained the sand's movements; no matter how much the sand struggled, it couldn't break through this layer of Yin Qi, let alone escape from the ghost head's mouth.
As the first ghost-headed chain broke free from the sand, the other ghost-headed chains followed suit, emerging from the yellow sand and hovering in the air. Like the first chain, each of them held a moving mass of yellow sand in its mouth.
Yang Haoran, with a faint smile, waved his hand gently. All the ghost-headed chains simultaneously spewed the yellow sand from their mouths towards a single spot. These masses of sand converged, rapidly wriggled and merged, reforming into the yellow-clothed man who had escaped earlier. However, compared to before, the yellow-clothed man's aura was significantly weaker, and the power fluctuations emanating from his body were not as strong as they had been.
“Trying to leave without even a word? You truly have no manners,” Yang Haoran said with a faint smile, looking at the yellow-clothed man who had reformed his monster body.
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