Chapter 326: The Transaction Concludes
The moment the barrier shattered the Demon Power, Yang Haoran not only discovered its destructive capabilities but also sensed a fleeting power fluctuation on the barrier itself.
However, the power fluctuations he sensed, while not extremely faint, certainly weren't strong in his estimation.
Of course, Yang Haoran didn't conclude that the prohibitory barrier released by the formation before him was weak. In his view, the relatively subdued power fluctuations he'd just sensed were likely due to the barrier's full power not having erupted.
"Brother Underworld Official, you possess the Ghost Eye, allowing you to see things I cannot. Do you believe me now? I didn't lie to you, did I? " the snake demon asked Yang Haoran with a charming smile.
Yang Haoran withdrew his gaze, glanced at the snake demon beside him, and a smile appeared on his face. After a brief hesitation, he finally nodded at her.
Seeing Yang Haoran nod, the snake demon seemed exceptionally pleased.
"I've brought you to the location, and I've also led you to the Evil Spirit. What you do next is up to you, Brother Underworld Official. Our transaction didn't include me helping you subdue the Evil Spirit, you know," the snake demon continued to chuckle.
"That's right, our transaction concludes here," Yang Haoran said with a smile.
"Then I. . . " As she spoke, the snake demon extended her hand towards Yang Haoran, her palm open, revealing a Death God Seal.
Actually, according to the normal procedure, once the snake demon provided Yang Haoran with the Evil Spirit's location, their transaction should have been concluded.
However, Yang Haoran didn't trust the snake demon, which was why he kept her with him and demanded that she lead him to the destination. Only after confirming the Evil Spirit's presence would their transaction truly be concluded.
Now, with the Evil Spirit right before him, Yang Haoran, as per their agreement, should have reclaimed the Death God Seal and let the snake demon go. But when it truly came to this step, he hesitated.
It wasn't that he was reluctant to part with the snake demon, but rather he worried if releasing her would cause him undue trouble.
Seeing Yang Haoran merely wear a smile without making a move, the snake demon began to panic, and the smile on her face vanished accordingly.
"Brother Underworld Official, you. . . you wouldn't be trying to renege on our agreement, would you? You tricked me once, are you going to trick me a second time? That's too much! " the snake demon exclaimed, her face etched with displeasure and her voice full of resentment.
Hearing this, Yang Haoran shook his head with a wry smile, then said, "Since I agreed to it, I naturally wouldn't go back on my word. However, you must agree to one condition—"
The snake demon didn't rejoice at Yang Haoran's words; on the contrary, she grew even more worried, fearing he would propose some excessive conditions.
Though worried, Yang Haoran hadn't cut off all possibilities, still leaving her a glimmer of hope, so she cautiously asked, "What condition?"
"Leave Lecheng," Yang Haoran stated. "From this day forward, as long as I remain in Lecheng, you are not to appear in Lecheng again. Can you do that?"
"Ah? " The snake demon was startled. She hadn't expected Yang Haoran's condition to be like that. Immediately, she understood why he would propose such a condition.
She knew that Yang Haoran didn't want to attract unnecessary trouble because of her presence, so he simply wanted her to leave Lecheng. That way, even if she caused an uproar outside, it would have little to do with Yang Haoran, and no one would seek trouble for him because of her existence.
Having understood this, a surge of intense joy erupted in the snake demon's heart. Merely leaving Lecheng—that was simply too easy for her.
However, despite her inner happiness, excitement, and agitation, she felt that her outward appearance should still be maintained to the fullest.
Thus, she feigned a look of reluctance and said, "Leave Lecheng, never be able to set foot in Lecheng again. . . then won't I be unable to see you again, Brother Underworld Official?"
Hearing this, Yang Haoran seemed as if suddenly enlightened by her words, and with a similarly surprised expression, he said, "You're right, I hadn't even considered that. Since you're so reluctant to leave, then don't leave at all."
The snake demon's expression froze. She hadn't expected Yang Haoran to completely disregard the script. Once she recovered, her reluctance vanished completely, replaced by a look of utter urgency.
"Hold on, hold on! I was wrong, I won't pretend anymore! Brother Underworld Official, please let me go! I guarantee you, as long as you remain in Lecheng, I will absolutely not step foot within Lecheng's borders again! " the snake demon hastily promised.
A smile blossomed on Yang Haoran's face. To the snake demon, that smile was now full of mockery, but she dared not say anything, only offering an awkward, accompanying smile.
As Yang Haoran smiled, the Death God Seal in the snake demon's hand dissolved into wisps of Yin Qi. In the space of a single breath, the Death God Seal completely vanished, not a trace remaining.
Seeing the Death God Seal completely disappear, the snake demon leapt up in joy, incredibly excited.
Yang Haoran's Death God Seal had exerted immense pressure on her, a feeling akin to an ordinary person constantly having a gun pointed at their forehead, their life held in another's hands, with the other party capable of ending it with a single shot at any moment. It was imaginable how agonizing and desperate such a feeling was.
Now that the "gun" was gone, how could the snake demon not be pleased, how could she not be excited?
"Go," Yang Haoran said with a smile. "Don't randomly devour people from now on. Some people, though alive, have never truly lived a day for themselves; it would be too cruel if you mistakenly devoured them. As for scum, well, eat as many as you like."
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's words, the snake demon's face showed a peculiar expression. She asked, puzzled, "Didn't you promise that Spirit Police officer on the mountain that day? If I devoured people again, weren't you going to kill me?"
Yang Haoran's smile didn't falter as he replied, "My promise to Zhou Fudui at the time was contingent on you being by my side. Now that you're no longer by my side, what you do is none of my concern. As long as you don't cause trouble in Lecheng, what does it have to do with me? Besides, didn't I just say that as long as I'm in Lecheng, you are not to appear in Lecheng?"
Yang Haoran's words not only didn't make the peculiar expression on the snake demon's face disappear but rather intensified it a few degrees.
She looked at Yang Haoran, seemingly trying to understand his inner thoughts, but the more she looked, the less she could see through him.
To say Yang Haoran was an evil person, he didn't quite seem to be. But to say he was a good person, he didn't quite seem like that either. This left the snake demon truly unable to comprehend what kind of person Yang Haoran truly was.
Of course, she also knew that she had known Yang Haoran for too short a time, so it was normal not to see through him. If they had spent a longer time together, she would have had the confidence to understand him, but now, that opportunity was gone.
Although she truly wanted to understand what kind of person Yang Haoran was, compared to her freedom, the former paled in comparison.
"Rest assured," she said, "although I devour people, I only consume those who actively sought death. I'm not as utterly heinous as you might think."
As her words fell, Yang Haoran had assumed the snake demon would immediately choose to leave, especially since she had finally regained her freedom. However, the snake demon did not depart; instead, she did something that utterly perplexed him.
The snake demon rolled up her sleeve, revealing a snow-white arm. Her smile vanished, and then she actually thrust a finger into her own arm.
Yang Haoran's expression subtly changed. He didn't know what the snake demon was doing at that moment, but he neither stopped her nor cried out. Instead, his brow slightly furrowed, and he watched her quietly.
As her finger plunged into her arm, a hint of pain flashed across the snake demon's face. Then, gritting her teeth, she forcefully dug, actually tearing off a finger-sized piece of bloody flesh from her own arm.
Blood flowed from the wound, dampening the snake demon's arm. Yet, she didn't even glance at the wound; instead, her gaze was fixed on the bloody flesh in her hand.
A flash of green Demon Power flickered across it, and the bloody flesh transformed into a palm-sized Snake Scale.
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