Chapter 294 - 293: It’s All Excuses

Chapter 294: Chapter 293: It’s All Excuses

Huo Yunjing made no move to stop it. The Soul Power on his hand suddenly erupted, instantly suppressing Xian Yu Fei’s rampaging Soul Power as his hand plunged into Xian Yu Fei’s head without pause.

A flicker of astonishment crossed Xian Yu Fei’s eyes, followed by an inescapable terror. He opened his mouth, as if trying to say something.

Huo Yunjing had no interest in hearing it. With a casual tug, he brutally ripped the soul right out of the man before him.

Having its soul flayed from its body, it let out silent screams and roars with every passing second of separation. Its expression was savage and twisted, desperate to return to its vessel, but it was as helpless as a good-for-nothing in an impotent rage. Its meager strength wasn’t even enough to be considered an obstacle.

Huo Yunjing withdrew his hand at an unhurried pace, appearing completely at ease.

After pulling out the soul, Huo Yunjing shook it off as if it were dirty, then balled it up and put it away. He looked at Gu Qingyin and smiled. "All taken care of."

Gu Qingyin smiled as well, then looked toward Miao Yan. "You can open the Array now."

Miao Yan nodded, but after taking a single step forward, he froze in place. ’How do you open this Array again? Why can’t I remember?’

"What’s wrong?" Gu Qingyin gave him a confused nudge. "What are you frozen for? Let Yun Jing out so we can find a place in the village to rest for the night. Come on, hurry up."

Miao Yan remained motionless. Liu Ergou, standing beside him, saw everything clearly, and sweat began to drip from his temples.

Liu Ergou was completely bewildered. ’What’s going on?’ he wondered. He asked jokingly, "Don’t tell me you can’t open it?"

Miao Yan said nothing.

Gu Qingyin’s expression darkened. "What’s that supposed to mean? You really can’t open it? Then how were you planning to get Xian Yu Fei out?"

"That’s not it..." Miao Yan’s throat felt dry. "I just... suddenly can’t remember."

The moment he spoke, the forest fell even quieter.

The trapped Huo Yunjing suddenly let out a soft laugh. "And here I thought we came to hunt a culprit. I never expected that I was the final target all along."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Gu Qingyin’s voice had turned completely cold. Her gaze swept past the bewildered Liu Ergou and landed on Miao Yan’s back. "Turn around and look at me."

Miao Yan stiffened. When he turned around, his face was pale, and he looked as if he was about to cry. "Idol, you have to believe me. I really don’t know what’s going on. My memory... I think something’s wrong with it."

Realization dawned on Gu Qingyin, and she immediately scanned her surroundings.

At that very moment, a rustling sound came from the once-silent woods, as if a large group of uninvited guests had suddenly intruded.

’But how could their arrival be sudden? They must have been lying in ambush all along, just waiting for the right moment to show themselves.’

Figures gradually emerged from the shadows. The man in the lead was none other than the President of the Mystic Association, Tuoba Yan. The other elders and various famous Heavenly Masters from the Association were all there, along with members of several major Heavenly Master Families. A rough estimate put their number at no less than fifty people.

Gu Qingyin scanned the crowd, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "President Tuoba, quite the procession."

Tuoba Yan’s expression was complicated. "I didn’t want this either, but Huo Yunjing is too great a threat. We were forced to take this drastic measure."

"A threat?" Gu Qingyin’s face was dripping with scorn. "Then I’d love to hear exactly what threatening things Huo Yunjing has done."

Tuoba Yan choked on his words. After a two-second pause, he declared with an air of self-righteousness, "I cannot ignore a ticking time bomb right in front of me. I am responsible for the entire Mystical World."

"If you’re determined to find fault, you’ll never lack for a reason." Gu Qingyin’s emotions calmed. She held her Fire Burning Stick horizontally before her and said coldly, "If you want to fight, then fight. No one wants to hear your bullshit excuses."

Tuoba Yan rolled his eyes in frustration. ’Weren’t you the one who just asked?!’ He took a deep breath and tried to reason with her. "The Association has no desire to make an enemy of you. As long as you hand over Huo Yunjing, we will let you leave peacefully."

"What kind of bullshit are you spouting now?" Gu Qingyin found the suggestion absurd. "You want me to send my husband—my son’s father—to his death? With an imagination like that, why don’t you just ascend to the heavens yourself?"

Tuoba Yan sighed in regret and looked at Miao Yan. "Make your move!"

Miao Yan was stunned for a moment. His consciousness suddenly grew hazy, and his hand lifted uncontrollably. He flung out a talisman rope, which shot toward Gu Qingyin with incredible speed.

But Gu Qingyin was even faster. She had been wary of Miao Yan the entire time.

Unsure of the talisman rope’s function, Gu Qingyin didn’t dare to touch it. She dodged it nimbly, putting significant distance between herself and the rope.

She had dodged it, but Liu Ergou, who was standing nearby, became the unlucky victim. It was unclear what he was thinking, but he charged directly into the path of the talisman rope.

"Qing Yin! You have to believe me! I’m not a part of this!"

The next second, the rope bound Liu Ergou tightly. Once he was tied up, it projected a Barrier, completely cutting him off from the outside world.

Gu Qingyin: ’...Giving up first blood at the start of the match. Nice one!’

Miao Yan snapped back to his senses. Seeing Liu Ergou tied up, he was on the verge of tears. "I really don’t know what happened..."

Gu Qingyin was in no mood to determine whether he was telling the truth. She immediately gave him a taste of his own medicine, rapidly closing the distance and slapping a Lock God Talisman onto his body.

Miao Yan was immobilized, but judging by his expression, he was clearly relieved.

"Useless fool!" Elder Miao’s expression soured. He had been counting on Miao Yan to accomplish something, but aside from trapping Huo Yunjing, he had been utterly useless.

Tuoba Yan, however, was quite composed. He waved his hand, and all the Heavenly Masters stepped forward in unison, their collective presence overwhelming.

"Gu Qingyin, I’ll give you one last chance." Tuoba Yan’s face grew grim. "No matter how powerful you are, you can’t possibly be a match for this many Heavenly Masters."

"Heh." A cold sneer echoed.

Everyone froze and turned to look at the trapped Huo Yunjing.

"I’m only trapped, not dead." A smile touched Huo Yunjing’s lips, but his gaze was chillingly cold.

He slowly raised his hands, forming a series of complex hand signs.

"What is he doing?" one of the Heavenly Masters asked.

"Hmph. Whatever it is, it’s just a last-ditch struggle."

"Exactly. We have an absolute advantage in numbers. Our victory is guaranteed."

Tuoba Yan and the several elders thought the same. But very soon, they would change their minds.

Just then, the ground outside the Trapping Array began to crack open silently, several fissures splitting the earth. A ghastly, cold wind blew up from within them.

Everyone fell silent, staring at the fissures as a terrible premonition bloomed in their hearts.

The next second, a large hand, like white jade, gripped the edge of a fissure and struggled to pull itself up. It moved quickly, revealing its entire upper body in the blink of an eye.

It was only then that they realized what had climbed out was a skeleton. But the quality of its bones was so fine that they seemed to glow with a jade-like luster under the hazy moonlight.

Subsequently, more skeletons began climbing out of the other fissures, though none could compare to the first in either quality or size.

The crowd was not stunned for long. They quickly recovered and began to attack the horde of skeletons. But the skeletons seemed to pour out endlessly, continuously crawling from the fissures until they soon overran the area the Association members had surrounded.

The Heavenly Masters were forced to retreat. But after a few minutes, they realized with a shock that their numerical advantage had vanished into thin air.