infodatos Chapter 197 I Didn't Say I'd Let You Go
Chapter 197 I Didn't Say I'd Let You Go
Chapter 197 I Didn't Say I'd Let You Go (4000 words)
Liu Xuanyin raised his lifeless, gray-white eyes, calmly looking directly into Gu Qingwan's blood-red double pupils behind the thin mist, and slowly said, "Let me go, and leave with Hu Huhu."
"The Tiger family has no deep connection to this matter; they were merely coerced and used by me."
"In exchange—"
He paused, his tone still unsettlingly calm: "As the head of the Liu family, I will activate the pre-set 'Soul Preservation' restriction within the formation to temporarily stabilize Li Xiuye's soul and slow down the soul refining process."
"And I will inform you of the safe method to remove the Nine Nether Soul Refining Chains and take him away from this place."
"After this, the Liu family will never cause you any more trouble. This matter is now closed."
"otherwise----"
Liu Xuanyin's voice was completely flat, yet it carried a cold, unquestionable resolve.
"I will now make him—vanish into nothingness."
The cave fell silent once again.
Only Liu Xuanyin's slightly heavy breathing due to weakness, and the faint sound of the "Mother of Ten Thousand Bones" wriggling and secreting mucus could be heard.
Hu Huhu huddled in the corner. When he heard Liu Xuanyin mention him, his body trembled violently, and his eyes flashed with a complex light of fear, hope, and disbelief.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but dared not. He just kept his head down, nervously observing Gu Qingwan and Lu Yuan's reactions out of the corner of his eye.
Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat the moment he heard Liu Xuanyin's words.
Liu Xuanyin must not be let go; letting him go would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains!
I'm afraid I'll never have a peaceful life again; who knows when this guy will suddenly reappear?
To cut the weeds, you must pull them out by the roots!
only----
Old man —
The old man must be saved too!!
Lu Yuan seemed to want to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.
Given the current situation, it is not the time for Lu Yuan to make a decision, nor is it his place to make a decision.
After hearing Liu Xuanyin's conditions, Gu Qingwan did not react immediately.
She remained suspended there silently, the darkness at her fingertips slowly rotating.
Behind the thin mist, the blood-red double pupils calmly "watched" the seemingly calm but actually betting-the-old man's life as the head of the Liu family below.
Is Qingwan deep in thought?
Is someone weighing the options?
Or is it that they simply don't care?
Lu Yuan's heart jumped into his throat.
Lu Yuan believed that with Gu Qingwan's strength, she might be able to save the old man before Liu Xuanyin activated the restriction.
But—what if?
What if the "Nine Nether Soul Refining Chain" and the formation are too deeply connected to the evil god, and the activation is too fast?
The old man is at his limit and can't afford any more risks!
Lu Yuan would never gamble with the old man's life.
But the problem now is—
This Liu Xuanyin is cunning and treacherous. Even if we let him go, he might not keep his promise!
He might activate the restriction as soon as he leaves this place!
Or there might be other ambushes outside!
Gu Qingwan remained suspended in mid-air, quietly gazing at Liu Xuanyin below.
There was not a trace of emotion in her beautiful eyes, and no one could tell what Gu Qingwan was thinking.
At this moment, after looking at Gu Qingwan in mid-air for a while, Liu Xuanyin looked down at Lu Yuan beside him.
The situation is delicate.
Judging from the scene, Gu Qingwan is currently the strongest, so strong that it's outrageous and inexplicably powerful.
However, Liu Xuanyin was able to see it and make the decision.
It's Lu Yuan.
Although Gu Qingwan hadn't spoken to Lu Yuan since she appeared, they had only exchanged a brief glance.
However, Liu Xuanyin could see that between Gu Qingwan and Lu Yuan, Lu Yuan was the one who made the decisions.
And now—Lu Yuan remained silent—
Finally, Liu Xuanyin looked at Lu Yuan and said coldly, "Daoist Lu, whether you believe it or not is up to you."
"But this is the only option you can currently use to ensure Li Xiuye's 'temporary' safety."
"Kill me, or attack me by force, and Li Xiuye will surely die."
"Let me go, he—may still have a glimmer of hope."
His tone was calm, but he emphasized the words "temporary" and "a glimmer of hope" with exceptional clarity.
The harsh reality of the choice was laid bare before Lu Yuan.
Is it a gamble to risk the old man's life on whether Gu Qingwan can save people before the restriction is activated?
Or should we let the culprit go for now in exchange for a "temporary" safety and a chance to save lives on the front lines?
Lu Yuan clenched his fists tightly, his mind racing.
Although Lu Yuan believed in Qingwan's abilities, he dared not gamble on the old man's life or death, nor could he afford to.
The difficult part isn't releasing the tiger back into the mountains, but rather the old man's fate.
When it comes to the old man, this isn't a choice.
That would definitely kill the old man!
Lu Yuan was afraid that Liu Xuanyin would go back on his word in the end.
After all, Liu Xuanyin now holds all the initiative.
What Lu Yuan feared was that Liu Xuanyin would eventually kill the old man.
"Master Lu, time is running out."
"If you keep dawdling, your master won't be able to take it anymore."
Liu Xuanyin's voice came like a death knell.
Lu Yuan raised his head and looked at the moon-white figure in mid-air.
Lu Yuan hoped that Gu Qingwan could give him a look or a hint at this moment.
Even a slight nod tells her, "Don't worry, with her here, Liu Xuanyin can't touch the old man."
But Gu Qingwan simply hovered there quietly, her blood-red double pupils behind the thin mist calm and still, like an emotionless statue of a deity.
Quietly observing the struggles and choices of ordinary people.
Lu Yuan couldn't understand her thoughts or guess her plans.
Time passed second by second under Liu Xuanyin's calm yet oppressive gaze.
Like a dull knife cutting flesh, it slowly and painfully tore at Lu Yuan's nerves.
Finally, Lu Yuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The cold, damp air, thick with a chilling aura and the stench of blood, stung his lungs.
When he opened his eyes again, all that remained was a kind of almost numb resolve.
"it is good."
Lu Yuan's voice was dry and hoarse.
no way.
Now, Lu Yuan has no means to counter Liu Xuanyin.
Not at all.
Lu Yuan couldn't gamble with the old man's life.
Or rather, this can't really be considered gambling.
The old man's life was in Liu Xuanyin's hands.
Although I know that Liu Xuanyin might not keep his promise in the end.
However, Lu Yuan had absolutely no way to solve the problem.
Now, there is absolutely no other way but to agree to Liu Xuanyin's request.
"I promise you. I'll let you go, and you and Hu Hu Hu will leave, but you—"
Lu Yuan stared intently at Liu Xuanyin, his eyes filled with undisguised killing intent and warning.
"We must immediately activate the 'Soul Preservation' spell to stabilize my master's soul!"
"And tell me exactly how to safely remove the Nine Nether Soul Refining Chains!"
"If there is even the slightest falsehood, or if anything happens to my master—"
"I, Lu Yuan, swear that even if I chase you to the ends of the earth, until your soul is scattered and your spirit is shattered, I will ensure that your Liu family is utterly wiped out!"
These are harsh words that are of little use, but they have to be said.
The last four words were squeezed out by Lu Yuan through gritted teeth, one word at a time.
When Liu Xuanyin's lifeless gray-white pupils heard Lu Yuan say "good," they flickered almost imperceptibly, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief.
He nodded, his tone still calm: "Okay."
"I swear in the name of the Liu family ancestors that as long as you keep your promise and let us leave safely."
"I will definitely activate the 'Soul Preservation' restriction and inform you of the method to lift it."
"As for whether the Liu family will seek revenge afterward—after today, I will leave the pass and flee to a distant land."
After saying that, Liu Xuanyin stopped looking at Lu Yuan and turned to Gu Qingwan in mid-air: "Daoist Lu has agreed."
"Please be kind enough to open the passage and let us leave."
"I will activate the restriction immediately."
Upon hearing this, Hu Huhu's face instantly lit up with ecstatic joy.
He scrambled to his feet from the corner, hunched his shoulders, and cautiously moved closer to Liu Xuanyin, his eyes filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.
Walk."
Gu Qingwan's clear and calm voice, like a final pardon, broke the oppressive silence in the cave.
A glint flashed in Liu Xuanyin's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately shouted to the two weakened phantom figures of evil gods behind him, "Gods, come with me!"
Having said that, he forced his weak body to take the lead and walked towards the passage that Gu Qingwan had opened with a wave of her hand.
Although his steps were a little unsteady, his goal was clear and his movements were decisive.
The phantom of "Mother of Ten Thousand Bones" let out a low hiss.
The filthy sac writhed with difficulty, carrying the remnants of the "Thousand-Faced Nightmare," which was even more severely injured and could barely maintain its form, and slowly merged into the darkness at the entrance of the passage, following behind Liu Xuanyin.
Outside the passage, the surging blood-red ghost energy and the howls of evil creatures seemed to have quieted down for a while.
Hu Huhu, who was huddled in the corner, saw the passage open and Liu Xuanyin take the lead. The suppressed fear in his eyes was instantly replaced by wild joy!
He seemed afraid that Gu Qingwan would change her mind, and also afraid that Liu Xuanyin would abandon him.
Almost at the same time Liu Xuanyin moved, he used all his strength to unleash an unprecedented speed.
Like a frightened wild dog, it rushed headlong toward the entrance of the passage without a care in the world!
Lu Yuan watched as Hu Huhu scrambled to his feet, looking utterly dejected and only concerned with escaping for his life, and felt a mix of emotions.
There is hatred for Hu Huhu's betrayal, and resentment at letting the tiger return to the mountain.
But more than anything, it's a sense of powerlessness stemming from having to compromise for the sake of the old man.
However, just as Hu Huhu's figure was about to rush out of the passage, half of his body was already bathed in the faint, blood-stained light from the outside world!
Gu Qingwan, who had been silently hovering as if she had tacitly approved of the deal, moved.
Her movements remained elegant and slow, yet carried an unquestionable indifference that transcended the rules.
She didn't even look at Hu Huhu, who was about to disappear out of the passage; she simply turned her head slightly to the side.
Those blood-red, double pupils, shrouded in a thin mist, casually—lightly—turned towards Hu Huhu's disappearing figure.
— I glanced at it.
Just a glimpse.
There were no energy fluctuations, no flashes of light, and not even any killing intent.
I just glanced at it.
However, just as her gaze settled...
Hu Huhu, whose body was already more than halfway out of the passage and whose face was even showing the ecstatic joy of surviving a disaster, suddenly stopped in his forward rush!
It was as if they had crashed into an invisible and intangible barrier, which was even more solid than ten-thousand-year-old black iron!
No, it wasn't a collision.
Yes, it has solidified.
His expression shifted from ecstasy to astonishment to bewilderment, and finally to an extreme, deep-seated fear and despair.
It was as if the pause button had been pressed, freezing the moment in time.
He opened his mouth wide, as if he wanted to exclaim, beg for mercy, or question, but no sound came out of his throat.
Only the futile, hoarse friction of the airflow.
Immediately afterwards, in Lu Yuan's suddenly contracted pupils.
Liu Xuanyin abruptly stopped and turned around in shock as he stared at him.
The two illusory figures of evil gods suddenly stopped writhing, their "gazes" radiating terror.
Hu Hu Hu's body was frozen at the entrance of the passage, bathed in the eerie light and shadow between the inside and outside.
Like a fragile clay doll being slowly squeezed by an invisible giant hand.
Pfft—
A muffled sound, so faint yet incredibly clear, that made one's teeth ache and nauseate, as if a soaked wad of cotton had been forcibly squeezed and burst.
There was no blood splattering, no flesh and bones flying everywhere.
Hu Huhu's entire body, along with his tattered clothes and the frozen expression on his face.
The remaining power of the Tiger Clan bloodline within him connects with the fragmented spiritual senses of the "gods".
All his vitality, soul, existence—everything—was annihilated by that soft sound, by an invisible, intangible, yet overwhelming and irresistible pure force of "annihilation."
At the most microscopic level, in an instant—kneading, compressing, and then—
thorough----
Explode!
It wasn't an explosion, but an annihilation-like "explosion" that completely erased existence.
It remained in place, leaving only a small wisp that quickly dissipated, a mixture of colors, like a faint mist made from cheap paint.
And a faint, lingering scent, carrying the unique aura of the Tiger Clan, which was instantly dispersed by the Yin energy of the cave.
And then, nothing was left.
Hu Huhu is the current head of the Hu family.
A figure who could be considered one of the ten prominent families outside the Great Wall, a conspirator who meticulously planned and led Lu Yuan into a desperate situation.
And just like that—quietly, he died.
He died cleanly and completely, leaving not a single decent trace behind.
It was as if he had never existed in this world.
At the entrance to the passage, the light that he had briefly blocked shone back in, as if the terrifying scene from just moments ago had never happened.
The cave was frozen in a deathly silence, colder than ever before.
Liu Xuanyin stood frozen in place, one foot inside the passage and the other outside, maintaining an extremely strange posture.
The remaining phantoms of "Mother of Ten Thousand Bones" and "Thousand-Faced Nightmare" trembled wildly in the darkness.
They exuded an unprecedented fear and a sense of submission, and dared not move forward even an inch.
It was as if the path ahead was not a way out, but the entrance to an even more terrifying purgatory.
Lu Yuan was completely stunned, his mind blank.
no! !
What does this mean?!
At the same time, Gu Qingwan turned her head slightly, and her blood-red double pupils looked through the thin mist once again at Liu Xuanyin, who was completely dumbfounded below.
A cold, calm voice, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, rang out again, like icy spring water flowing over smooth jade: "I never said I would let you go."