Chapter 982: Half a Cigarette
Yang Haoran wanted vital blood, not ordinary blood, and moreover, he wanted it dripped into the ghost head adorning the token. Xiang Chuan knew then that this matter was probably even more dangerous and sinister than he had imagined.
"Emissary Yang, I, Xiang Chuan, am no longer a child. You expect me to drip my vital blood into the ghost head on this token without explaining yourself? Do you think that's possible?"
Xiang Chuan's expression was grim. His gaze shifted from the black token back to Yang Haoran as he spoke.
"You're right. Explaining it clearly isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, some things only truly resonate when they're thoroughly explained."
Yang Haoran chuckled, then began to explain the black token hovering before him to Xiang Chuan.
"This item I brought back from the Underworld is called a 'Life Token'. Its function is very simple: it's used to bind people. As soon as you drip your vital blood into the ghost head of this Life Token, your very life will be under my control. If I wish you dead, it won't matter if you run to the ends of the earth; I simply need to activate this Life Token, and your soul will instantly dissipate. Heh, have I explained it in enough detail now?"
Xiang Chuan, whose face was already grim, heard Yang Haoran's words and his entire countenance instantly darkened. At that moment, he no longer wanted to pretend to be dejected or forced into submission in front of Yang Haoran, because he knew it was utterly pointless. Yang Haoran had clearly seen through his pretense of genuine surrender, which was why he had now produced such a deadly Life Token.
"Yang Haoran! You're too vicious! If I actually do as you say, then you'll be able to take my life whenever you wish!"
"If I merely wanted your life, I could achieve it in the blink of an eye; why bother with a Life Token? The reason I went to the Underworld to bring you this item is, ironically, to save you. Because only with it can I trust you, and only when I trust you can you live. To put it bluntly, this item is a treasure that can save your life, so don't be so repulsed by it."
Yang Haoran spoke with a smile, his tone unhurried, as calm and composed as before.
"You! ! !"
Xiang Chuan trembled with rage at Yang Haoran's words. He wanted to retort, but for a moment, he couldn't think of any potent arguments.
"I've been observing you closely this past while, so I have a certain understanding of your character, and I can probably guess some of your thoughts. Based on my analysis, I knew you definitely wouldn't obediently follow me, unless I spent a great deal of time constantly working on your ideology, which might change your mind. However, I have many other things to do. I've already spent a significant amount of time on you, and I can't afford to waste any more, which is why I went to the Underworld to retrieve the Life Token."
At this point, Yang Haoran lit another cigarette for himself, took a puff, and then continued with a smile.
"When you previously said you were willing to follow me, I actually didn't believe you. In my opinion, you were lying. Your main goal was merely to mislead me and gain my trust, so that once I removed the seal within you, you would most likely look for an opportunity to escape. At that point, finding you would probably be difficult. After all, the New Beginning Realm is so vast, and without special means, trying to find one person would be like looking for a needle in a haystack."
Yang Haoran took a drag from his cigarette, then slowly exhaled. Seeing Xiang Chuan's face still contorted with rage, with no intention of speaking, he continued with a smile.
"While I can't be certain that my conjectures are absolutely correct, I'm unwilling to gamble. If there were no other options, taking a gamble might be acceptable, but with a better method available, I naturally prefer not to risk it. So, to save both our time, I simply took out this Life Token and brought it forth as the link between us."
Although Yang Haoran couldn't be certain if his analysis and judgment were correct, Xiang Chuan knew that Yang Haoran had analyzed him perfectly. He was indeed just as Yang Haoran described, planning to gain Yang Haoran's trust before finding a way to shake him off.
His plan exposed, not only had it failed to achieve the desired effect, but Yang Haoran had instead turned the tables on him, leaving Xiang Chuan in an exceedingly foul mood.
He remained silent, merely glaring at Yang Haoran through gritted teeth, his eyes as if about to spew flames.
Yang Haoran took in all of Xiang Chuan's reactions at that moment, chuckled, and then spoke.
"As I just said, this matter has already consumed a fair bit of my time. I don't want to waste any more on it. So, I apologize, but you don't have much time left to consider."
Speaking of which, Yang Haoran paused, then gestured with the half-burned cigarette in his hand.
"Once this cigarette burns out, I'll need a definite answer. I won't say another word until then. The choice is yours."
After speaking, Yang Haoran said nothing more. Instead, he crossed his legs and leaned back on the sofa, smoking leisurely.
He didn't deliberately speed up his smoking, nor did he intentionally slow down; he simply maintained his usual pace.
Compared to Yang Haoran's leisure, Xiang Chuan was under immense psychological pressure, for half a cigarette's worth of time was truly too short. He knew that Yang Haoran had definitely lost his patience with him, which was why he had made such a decision.
Watching Yang Haoran take each puff, causing the half-smoked cigarette to burn down a small segment, the pressure in his heart intensified. He knew that with every moment, he was one step closer to death.
He knew clearly in his heart that if he refused Yang Haoran again this time, it wouldn't be as easy as before. Yang Haoran wouldn't give him any more time to consider; only death awaited him, with no other possibilities.
An intense struggle raged within him: to compromise, or to choose death over submission? For a moment, he didn't know how to decide. He didn't want to be controlled by another, but he also didn't want to die just like this.
Time ticked by. Under his watchful gaze, the half-smoked cigarette in Yang Haoran's hand quickly burned down to its end. He knew he couldn't drag it on any longer. If he didn't make a decision soon, he would lose not only the chance to choose, but also his very life.
He took a deep breath. Just as Yang Haoran was about to extinguish the cigarette butt in his hand, he finally made his decision—a decision he didn't want to make, but had no choice but to.
"Alright, I agree!"
Xiang Chuan said, his voice revealing a deep sense of helplessness.
"Heh, you're not lying to me this time?"
Yang Haoran chuckled as he pinched out the cigarette butt, then asked Xiang Chuan.
Given Xiang Chuan's foul mood at the moment, he had shed his usual frivolous demeanor. His face was stern, his expression exceedingly grim. He did not answer Yang Haoran's question, and from the look of him, he didn't seem prepared to answer at all.
Xiang Chuan didn't answer him, but Yang Haoran wasn't angered, for he understood Xiang Chuan's mood at that moment.
"Heh, if you don't speak, I'll take that as your tacit consent. Next, I need to extract a drop of vital blood from your body. No need to be nervous."
Extracting a drop of vital blood from one's own body was a trivial matter. Normally, Xiang Chuan could accomplish this with ease. However, at present, he was unable to do so because the power within him was sealed. Without his power, he was not much different from an ordinary person, and naturally, he couldn't extract vital blood from within himself.
Therefore, Yang Haoran had no choice but to do it himself.
As his words fell, Xiang Chuan still ignored Yang Haoran. Yang Haoran paid no mind to Xiang Chuan's current reaction, and with a light wave of his hand, a mass of black Yin Qi condensed before Xiang Chuan, then churned violently. A ghost hand, formed from condensed Spirit Power, emerged from within this mass of Yin Qi and reached towards Xiang Chuan's body.
Xiang Chuan subconsciously tried to dodge, but then, realizing the futility, he gave up and allowed the ghost hand to penetrate his chest.
The ghost hand left no wound on Xiang Chuan's chest. The moment it touched him, it melted into his body.
In the span of a single breath, the ghost hand withdrew from Xiang Chuan's chest, bringing with it a drop of vital blood, which hovered above the hand.
As this drop of vital blood was extracted, Xiang Chuan's face momentarily turned pale. Although the ghost hand had caused no physical injury, forcibly taking a drop of vital blood still had a certain impact on his body.
Under Yang Haoran's control, the ghost hand transformed into Yin Qi and dissipated. Xiang Chuan's drop of vital blood, meanwhile, was sent into the ghost head on the front of the Life Token.
As the vital blood entered the ghost head, a flash of blood-red light flickered in its scarlet eyes, as if it had been activated.
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