Novel Full Chapter 457 Fear Appears in a Sect Leader's Eyes
Chapter 457 Fear Appears in a Sect Leader's Eyes
Elder Han's face darkened.
"What are you two doing?"
He barked, irritation flaring in his voice.
From where he stood, all he saw were two elders kneeling before Bai Zihan- backs hunched, heads lowered-as if paying respects.
His brows knit together.
"Have you lost your mind?" Elder Han snapped. "Why are you bowing to him?"
The two elders trembled violently.
Their mouths opened, but no sound came out.
Their faces were deathly pale, veins bulging at their temples as sweat poured down like rain.
It was as if an invisible hand had seized their hearts and crushed them mercilessly.
"Stop playing around!" Elder Han roared, anger surging. "Get up! Capture him!" Still-
No response.
The kneeling elders could not even lift their heads, let alone stand.
A faint sense of unease crept into Elder Han's heart.
But he crushed it instantly.
"Hmph! Useless trash!"
His gaze snapped toward the remaining elders, who stood frozen in shock, eyes wide as they watched the scene unfold.
"What are you standing there for?" Elder Han shouted. "Take him down! Now!"
The remaining elders hesitated only for a heartbeat.
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
They moved together this time-three elders stepping forward at once, their auras erupting as they circulated their cultivation.
One of the elders snorted coldly as he stepped forward.
"I don't know what trick you used," he said, his voice sharp and disdainful, "but don't think it will work on us as well."
His eyes gleamed with confidence.
They spread out slightly, forming a loose triangle around Bai Zihan, each step measured, each breath controlled.
Their auras surged without restraint.
Qi roared through their meridians as they circulated their cultivation to the limit-no holding back, no hesitation.
They advanced.
Slowly and carefully.
But the moment they came close to Bai Zihan-
All three stiffened.
Their faces twisted in shock.
A sharp, crushing pain detonated in their chests.
"-PUFF!"
Blood sprayed from one elder's mouth as his eyes rolled back.
"ARGH!"
Another clutched his heart, fingers digging into his robes as if trying to tear the pain out.
Before any of them could even come within arm's reach-
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
All three collapsed heavily to their knees, stone cracking beneath them.
Their swords slipped from their grasp.
Their auras shattered like glass.
They couldn't even lift their heads.
They couldn't even scream.
They had not touched a single strand of Bai Zihan's hair.
Silence swallowed the hall.
A suffocating, deathly silence.
Bai Zihan stood there calmly, hands behind his back, robes unmoved.
He glanced around at the kneeling elders-one by one-then shook his head slowly.
Every single one of them had cultivated the Heavenly Mandate Assimilation Art.
But he didn't think it was their fault or mistake-after all, who could resist the temptation of such a technique?
But that was precisely why one should never take candy from a stranger.
Who knows what is really inside?
Elder Han's pupils shrank violently.
Han Shenwu's breath hitched.
They stared at the scene before them-five elders collapsed on the ground,
faces ashen, bodies trembling as if on the brink of death.
Not one.
Not two.
Five!
And Bai Zihan had not even lifted a finger.
"What... what did you do...?"
Han Shenwu muttered under his breath, disbelief creeping into his voice.
He couldn't even tell what method had been used.
No spiritual fluctuation.
No formation.
No artifact activation that he could sense.
Just-
Collapse!
On the other side of the hall, Kong Zhanghong-restrained by Han Shenwu's lackey-who had been tense to the point of suffocation, finally exhaled.
His clenched fists loosened.
A faint, bitter smile tugged at his lips.
Of course...
It really is him.
Bai Zihan!
How could nameless elders like these ever deal with him?
Relief washed through Kong Zhanghong's heart.
Elder Han, however, felt the opposite.
Fury burned in his chest-but beneath it, something colder stirred.
Caution.
His gaze locked onto Bai Zihan, sharp and probing.
No...
This isn't brute strength.
It must be a trick.
An artifact!
Something that activates only when people approach him.
That had to be it.
Otherwise, none of this made sense.
Elder Han inhaled deeply, forcing his rage under control.
He did not advance.
Instead, he straightened, his voice turning cold and authoritative.
"Bai Zihan," he said slowly, "your tricks end here."
He sneered.
"Surrender now!"
"As long as you kneel and surrender, I won't treat you badly."
The hall was silent.
Then-
Bai Zihan laughed.
"Spare my life?" he repeated, tilting his head slightly.
His eyes curved faintly, filled with mockery.
"If you're scared," Bai Zihan said calmly, "you should just say so."
"Better yet-"
"Why don't you beg for forgiveness?"
The temperature in the hall seemed to drop.
Elder Han's face twisted.
"You-!"
His teeth ground together audibly.
"So that's how you want to play it," he said, voice low and venomous.
"I've already seen through your little trick."
He raised his hand.
A sharp clang echoed as a sword leapt from its sheath, landing firmly in his
grasp.
Spiritual light surged along the blade, qi condensing as Elder Han poured his
cultivation into it.
"A proximity-based method," he sneered. "As long as I don't approach you-" "I'll see how you block this."
He drew the sword back, qi gathering violently.
The air screamed.
From across the hall, Bai Zihan looked at him-and shook his head.
"I wouldn't," Bai Zihan said lightly.
The warning was calm.
Almost bored.
Elder Han's lips curled.
He took it as fear.
As confirmation of what he thought.
"Hmph!"
With a cold laugh, Elder Han readied to swing his sword.
But-
Before the attack could even fully form-
Elder Han's body stiffened.
His eyes widened.
A sharp, suffocating pain exploded in his chest.
It felt as if something invisible had clenched around his heart.
"T-This-?!"
His sword trembled violently.
(How?)
He didn't know-Bai Zihan was still where he stood, meters away, and he didn't
seem to have done anything.
The sword qi dispersed midair, shattering into motes of light.
Elder Han staggered, blood surging up his throat.
"PUFF!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face draining of all color.
His knees buckled.
And for the first time-
Fear surfaced unmistakably in Elder Han's eyes.