Chapter 962: A Trace of Fear Emerges
Bai Xue’s words were laced with deep grievance, as if she had suffered the greatest injustice under heaven. Any man with a normal sexual orientation, upon seeing her in such a state, would have been utterly heartbroken.
Although Yang Haoran was a man with a normal sexual orientation, he had long been immune to Bai Xue’s tactics, so they had no effect on him. Moreover, he could tell that Bai Xue was merely feigning distress, which naturally made him even less affected.
“Heh heh, if your acting skills were truly as good as you claim, then this friend here would surely have called for backup by now. But the outcome is quite the opposite. Not only did this friend not call for backup, it seems to me he no longer even has the thought of doing so. Do you know why? ”
Yang Haoran asked with a chuckle. Bai Xue, hearing his words, offered a charming smile. She knew what Yang Haoran meant and why, but she pretended ignorance and replied with a laugh.
“Heh heh, it must be because this fellow is too smart and saw through some flaw, so he isn’t planning on calling for help, and even destroyed the Communication Talisman. ”
Yang Haoran shook his head with a smile. He didn’t argue with Bai Xue about this, nor would he. In his heart, Bai Xue had long become one of his own; as long as it wasn’t an issue of principle, he wouldn’t bicker with his people.
Furthermore, the Black-Robed Man not calling for backup didn’t mean that his accomplices were safe. As long as the Black-Robed Man was captured and his soul extracted, Yang Haoran would have plenty of time to slowly figure everything out.
Initially, he didn’t know if the Black-Robed Man had accomplices, so when devising his plan, he added an extra step: to draw out as many people related to the matter as possible and then net them all in one go, so he could be at ease.
Although this step failed, he at least gained one piece of information: the Black-Robed Man definitely had accomplices. He had heard the Black-Robed Man’s conversation with Bai Xue clearly from inside the room. From the circumstances at the time, the Black-Robed Man had indeed intended to call for backup and even deliberately provoked Bai Xue a little. However, the Black-Robed Man quickly realized something was amiss and personally shattered the Communication Talisman.
A power fluctuation suddenly emanated from Yang Haoran’s body. Although this fluctuation wasn’t particularly strong, it still made the Black-Robed Man tense up, as he thought Yang Haoran was about to attack him. His grip on his Soul Armament involuntarily tightened, like a ferocious beast ready to retaliate at any moment.
However, Yang Haoran’s target was not him, but the Pharmacist Xiang Chuan, whom Yang Haoran had already controlled.
Without any discernible movement from Yang Haoran, two black chains, as thick as an adult’s arm, appeared out of thin air. Like two black snakes, they coiled around Xiang Chuan. Xiang Chuan tried to resist, but before he could react, his body was trussed up like a zongzi by the chains.
Yang Haoran paid no attention to Xiang Chuan, nor did he bother with the Black-Robed Man. He redirected his gaze back to Bai Xue.
“Notify Old Master Wu to come over. Some people are better off being killed by him personally. ”
Yang Haoran spoke these words with an air of calm indifference. Since when had killing a person become like killing a chicken to him, devoid of fear or guilt? Of course, he didn’t feel it was cruel either, for some debts simply had to be paid with life.
The Black-Robed Man’s grip on his Soul Armament tightened even further. He naturally understood what Yang Haoran meant. "Some people are better off being killed by Old Master Wu personally" — this "some people" naturally referred to him, as Old Master Wu’s son had died by his hand.
He usually felt nothing about such matters; after all, he had killed many people and was truly a professional. He had heard countless threats, but his heart had never been shaken.
Yet now, Yang Haoran hadn't shouted furiously or pointed a finger at him with threats and intimidation. Instead, he had merely said that one calm sentence to Bai Xue, and his heart couldn’t help but turn cold, as if he had suddenly plummeted into an ice cellar.
The doubt in his heart made the Black-Robed Man’s mood incredibly complex. He, who had never feared death, now felt a trace of fear emerge in his heart. He had forgotten how many years it had been since he felt such dread.
There were only four people present. No one cared what the Black-Robed Man was thinking at that moment. Xiang Chuan was preoccupied with finding a countermeasure and paid no mind to the Black-Robed Man’s thoughts. Yang Haoran and Bai Xue likewise ignored him. Although the Black-Robed Man was still alive, in their eyes, he was already a corpse, and it was normal for them to be indifferent to a corpse.
Bai Xue responded with a charming smile, then retrieved a Communication Talisman from her independent space. The talisman turned to ash, successfully sending the message.
Seeing Yang Haoran’s confident, cornered-him look, the Black-Robed Man’s anger overcame the trace of fear that had emerged. He felt an urge to fight Yang Haoran to the death, but as he was about to, he suddenly realized that Yang Haoran and Bai Xue’s disregard for him was an excellent opportunity to escape. Although the success rate wasn’t high, there was still some chance, which was far better than no chance at all.
So, he abandoned the thought of a desperate fight with Yang Haoran, transforming into a black streak and shooting towards the distance.
But unfortunately, just as his body surged forward, arm-thick black chains appeared out of thin air. The chains clattered against each other, and in the blink of an eye, they formed a unique barrier, blocking his path.
Seeing this, the Black-Robed Man changed direction, preparing to escape from another way, but he was half a beat too slow. Just as the thought crossed his mind, chain barriers appeared all around him, including above him. He was completely trapped within them.
Faced with this situation, the Black-Robed Man decisively swung the Soft Sword in his hand. A black sword qi whistled out, fiercely slashing at the chain barrier in front of him. By his actions, it was clear he intended to use brute force to forcibly break open a path to escape this place.
Boom! ! !
The sword qi struck the chains, erupting in a loud bang. The chain barrier was forcibly torn open with that single slash.
This scene filled the Black-Robed Man with joy. The chain barrier had an opening, meaning he could escape through it. There was another reason for his elation: he had broken through the chain barrier with just one strike, indicating that Yang Haoran’s strength was not as formidable as he had imagined. This meant his chances of successful escape had increased even further.
But in the next instant, the joy in his heart completely vanished like smoke. Before he could even rush out through the opening, the chains re-condensed and extended, repairing the damaged area in an instant, with a speed far exceeding his imagination.
The Black-Robed Man was furious. He swung several more swords consecutively, the black sword qi carrying a fierce aura, continuously bombarding the chain barrier in front of him. But the result startled him greatly. The chain barrier, which he had broken with a single strike before, had now become incredibly sturdy. Several consecutive slashes produced only a series of sparks, failing to harm the chains in the slightest, let alone sever them.
With shock in his heart, the Black-Robed Man suddenly realized that the power fluctuation emanating from Yang Haoran was significantly stronger than before. It was precisely because of this that the chain barriers in front of him had become much sturdier than before.
“I can’t believe he was hiding his strength before. To have such power without even opening his Heaven Soul—his strength will only be even more formidable after opening it! ”
The Black-Robed Man thought to himself. This outcome was truly difficult for him to accept, because the stronger Yang Haoran was, the slimmer his chances of survival today became.
Moreover, besides Yang Haoran, there was also Bai Xue, whose strength was equally terrifying, watching like a tiger eyeing its prey.
Just as despair emerged in the Black-Robed Man’s heart, the space near Yang Haoran suddenly fluctuated violently. A spatial rift appeared, and a figure stepped out from it. This person was none other than Old Master Wu, who had rushed over immediately upon receiving the Communication Talisman.
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