Chapter 469 - 475: The Deterrence of the Time Rune

No one could accept losing five hundred years of their lifespan in an instant.

Huo Yang’s brows furrowed. He had been about to strike, but now he had to hold back. If Song Wanning truly had a way to reverse the effect, he had to make her do it first.

But Song Wanning simply spread her hands, feigning innocence.

"I don’t know how to reverse it, either."

The mysterious runes from her legacy were all extraordinarily powerful and shocking.

She had deliberately chosen the Time Talisman to fill them with fear and apprehension. It was the only way to ensure a successful escape.

The effect was quite satisfactory. The way they looked at her was now filled with apprehension.

They were clearly terrified, especially the Huo Family disciples. Who among them would dare gamble their future for a mere bounty?

’In the chase that follows, I bet many of them won’t give it their all.’

The thought flashed through her mind, and a cold glint touched the smile playing on Song Wanning’s lips.

"You—! Impossible! You must be doing this on purpose!"

The Divine Separation Cultivator’s heart sank. His last shred of hope vanished.

He grew agitated, even considering taking Song Wanning down with him. But he was terrified she would use the talisman on him again and end his life right then and there.

’If that happens, my life is really over!’

Huo Yang saw his hesitation and silently cursed, ’Useless fool.’

"Song Wanning, reverse it for him now! Or don’t blame the Huo Family for what comes next!"

Huo Yang was trying to threaten her. He wanted to deliver a killing blow, but the current situation wouldn’t permit it.

Capturing Song Wanning alive, however, seemed impossible. Her bizarre Pill Furnace alone was more than enough to handle.

’I never imagined I’d have such a headache trying to kill a mere Out-of-Body Stage Cultivator. It’s all that damn Pill Furnace’s fault.’

"Hah. As if you’d let me go if I saved him,"

Song Wanning scoffed, finding Huo Yang’s words utterly laughable.

"For your own selfish desires, you forcibly resurrected the dead. Trying to kill us to silence us was one thing, but then you mobilized the entire Huo Family to come after us."

"Do they even know the reason?"

A mocking smile touched her lips as she unhesitatingly tore away the last veil of his deception.

The Huo Family disciples had already heard rumors about this. Now, hearing Song Wanning’s public accusation, their suspicions were confirmed, and all eyes turned to Huo Yang.

In particular, two of the elders stared at Huo Yang with astonishing intensity, their eyes betraying a hint of excitement.

’The worse his reputation gets, the better. It’ll make overthrowing him that much easier.’

"Shut your mouth! What nonsense are you spouting?"

A chill went through Huo Yang as he roared.

He no longer cared about forcing Song Wanning to heal the Divine Separation Cultivator; he lunged at her, desperate to attack.

’I have to silence Song Wanning and Baili Shang before they completely disrupt morale and destroy my image.’

However, he didn’t know that "Huo Jinchuan" had already revealed everything. He had no secrets left.

Now, with Huo Jinchuan having fled with the family treasures, the situation had gone from bad to worse. The loyalty of many disciples was starting to waver.

A glint appeared in Song Wanning’s eyes. With a casual wave of her hand, another Time Talisman materialized and shot toward Huo Yang, moving too fast for the naked eye to see.

Huo Yang, who had been charging forward menacingly, was startled and dodged instinctively.

That one flinch made everyone look at him with profound meaning. The disciples from the other families, in particular, watched him with eyes full of mockery and derision.

Huo Yang’s breath caught in his throat. To make matters worse, Song Wanning and Baili Shang seized the opportunity to hop onto a Flying Magical Treasure, turning into a streak of light as they sped away.

He was so angry he could have ground his teeth to dust. Any semblance of composure he had possessed completely shattered.

All that remained was boundless rage and the humiliating fury of being played for a fool.

"Get after them! Now!!!"

He roared the command and immediately shot after them, no longer caring what anyone else thought.

The other Huo Family disciples exchanged glances before tacitly following. However, none of them dared to get too close, nor did they press forward with the reckless abandon they’d shown at the start.

People are inherently selfish. Who would risk their entire future on a single order from Huo Yang?

Only the Divine Separation Cultivator, the one who had been forcibly aged, moved much faster than the others. After all, he was still counting on Song Wanning to change him back.

Even so, he only dared to trail behind Huo Yang.

He was truly afraid. Terrified.

The pursuers departed swiftly, leaving behind a crowd buzzing with discussion. Many rushed to send messages to their respective families to report the incident.

At the same time, news that a Cultivator had comprehended the Time Attribute and could perform Void Talisman Painting spread like wildfire.

...

"Huo Jinchuan, hand over all the treasures at once, or don’t blame us for what we’re about to do!!"

Several Huo Family elders were in hot pursuit of Huo Jinchuan, shouting threats as they chased him.

After hearing Huo Yang’s explanation, they had initially suspected that someone was impersonating Huo Jinchuan. But the moment he saw them, he fled. If that wasn’t a sign of a guilty conscience, what was?

’He’s definitely the one who stole the treasures. Does that father-son duo really think they can play mind games with us?’

’How ridiculous!’

Before coming to the Immortal Palace, they had already taken inventory: Huo Jinchuan had absconded with every last one of the clan’s most precious treasures!

It was utterly despicable.

’Even we elders don’t have enough points to exchange for those treasures. How dare he?’

"What treasures? I have no idea what you’re talking about!"

Huo Jinchuan was completely bewildered and deeply confused.

’I thought that with the elders here, Father wouldn’t dare to act against me. Who would have guessed the elders would be the ones to attack me, while Father went after those two!’

He also didn’t understand what they were shouting about treasures. He hadn’t taken any.

’Could it be that they think I have the inheritance?’

Huo Jinchuan’s brow furrowed. ’But even so, that’s no reason to hunt me down!’

’Did Father say something to the clan? Did they abandon me?’

The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt. The vicious glares from the elders sent a chill down his spine.

’Something is terribly wrong!’

"Still playing dumb?"

"Stop this instant! Hand over the treasures, and we can discuss this civilly. We won’t make things difficult for you!"

"Otherwise, don’t blame us for what comes next! Even if the Clan Leader were here, we wouldn’t hold back!!"

The elders were seething. The more Huo Jinchuan ran, the more enraged they became.

’We’ve already got it all planned. The crimes Huo Jinchuan has committed are enough to force Huo Yang to step down—unless he’s willing to get rid of his own son!’

The elders exchanged a look and increased their speed.

’We absolutely cannot let him get away.’

Huo Jinchuan felt his pursuers accelerating, and the unease in his heart intensified.

He knew something had gone terribly wrong, but he had no way of knowing exactly what it was.

’But should I really go back to the Huo Family with them?’