709: Chapter 710 Did I let you leave?

"What?!" Chu Yungui's expression finally changed, his pupils contracting violently.

The power contained in his finger, while not his full strength, was certainly not mundane.

How could Su Hanzhou neutralize it so effortlessly?!

A sharp light exploded in Elder Kurong's cloudy eyes as he stared fixedly at where Su Hanzhou's sleeve had yet to settle, his aged face twitching imperceptibly.

With the probe failing, Chu Yungui's killing intent and wariness surged simultaneously.

Inside his sleeve, an ancient Talisman, warm as jade and containing an endless sea of stars, began to heat up. This was the medium through which he could channel more power from the Taixuan Star Map, a supreme treasure of the Holy Land, and one of his ultimate trump cards.

He didn't believe Su Hanzhou could take this so easily as well. The person he wanted to kill had to die!

However, just as his mind stirred and he was about to grit his teeth and activate the Talisman at the critical moment—

Behind Su Hanzhou, the middle-aged Cultivator who had been cradling a simple longsword as if resting with eyes closed, slowly raised his eyelids.

Hum—!

Chu Yungui's entire body shook violently, as if struck by lightning!

An ice-cold shadow of death that pierced straight through his Divine Soul instantly enveloped him completely.

He had no doubt that if he made the slightest move, or if the thought of activating the Talisman even arose, the owner of that gaze could sever his life force and dao foundation before he could even activate it!

Elder Kurong let out a muffled groan, the phenomenon of alternating life and death around him fluctuating violently, as if countless invisible sharp swords were cutting through his Dao laws.

He was forced to use the vast majority of his focus to defend himself, finding it difficult to spare any power to protect Chu Yungui's safety!

"Chu Yungui, you can try and see if you can activate the Star Induction Talisman and summon a sliver of the Star Map's true power faster..."

Su Hanzhou turned slightly, gesturing toward the sword-cradling middle-aged man behind him, who had already half-closed his eyes again but still made Chu Yungui feel like thorns were at his back.

"...or if the sword of my Myriad Immortals Sect can sever your Divine Soul faster."

Chu Yungui's face turned ashen. He hadn't expected the Myriad Immortals Sect to protect these few people so fiercely.

In a flash, countless thoughts crossed his mind. Rage, humiliation, resentment, and killing intent intertwined and shifted on Chu Yungui's face.

Ultimately, all these intense emotions were replaced and forcibly suppressed by an icy chill as deep as an abyss.

He took a long, deep breath. The boiling starlight around him slowly retracted, and the brilliant projection of the Star Map behind him gradually dimmed.

With great willpower, he forcibly suppressed the heating Star Induction Talisman in his sleeve.

He raised his eyes to look at Su Hanzhou. Those glazed star-eyes now held no warmth, only a nearly indifferent calm.

And at the deepest part of his gaze was a bone-deep, firmly frozen malice.

"Good. Well done, Myriad Immortals Sect. Well done, Su Hanzhou."

He spoke each word slowly, his voice terrifyingly calm, yet it seemed to make the surrounding temperature drop significantly.

"Today, I, Chu Yungui... have been outmaneuvered."

He admitted his current disadvantage, but his tone held little defeat; instead, it felt like a cold statement of fact.

His gaze swept past Su Hanzhou and fell upon the uncertain Xiao Ruobai and the other five below. That gaze was like a high-and-mighty deity examining a few ants that had accidentally jumped off their predetermined path.

"Su Hanzhou, you can use the might of the Myriad Immortals Sect to protect them for a moment."

Chu Yungui's voice was flat, yet it carried a certain malice. "But can you tether these young friends within the mountain gates of your Myriad Immortals Sect forever, sheltering them under your wings?"

"The Immortal Path is long, Secret Realms are many, and Opportunities are countless... Some things are not meant to be had. Forcing them into one's hands only turns them into death warrants."

"We have a long time ahead of us."

He said those last words very softly, yet they seemed to carry some cold curse and prophecy. Then, he prepared to turn and dissolve into starlight.

"Wait!"

Su Hanzhou's voice rang out again, this time with a hint of a playful smile, interrupting Chu Yungui's departure.

Chu Yungui's figure froze. Brows furrowed, he turned back with a cold glare. "Su Hanzhou, what more do you want? Do not push things too far!"

Su Hanzhou ignored him, instead turning his head slightly to look at Xiao Ruobai nearby.

"Friends, it seems our Saint Chu still intends to kill you."

As he spoke, he held up two fingers.

"One: I can keep this Taixuan Saint here right now. Whether he is crippled or killed is up to you. I will settle this grudge for you completely today."

"Two: Let him go. This grudge will be recorded on your own account. In the future, you can personally collect it back with interest."

With a cold curve at the corner of his mouth, he looked at Chu Yungui, whose face had suddenly become incredibly unsightly.

"Choose. This Saint's patience is limited."

Boom!

These words were like a thunderclap dropped into the tension that had just slightly eased!

"You dare?!"

Chu Yungui's expression changed drastically. Starlight surged around him, and the projection of the Star Map behind him flickered again. A terrifying rage was almost ready to erupt!

He, the dignified Taixuan Saint, was actually being treated like meat on a chopping block, allowing a few boys he saw as ants to decide whether he lived or died?!

A great humiliation! A monstrous insult!

Elder Kurong's aura also sank. His chaotic eyes stared fixedly at Su Hanzhou as he said hoarsely, "Saint Su, this move crosses the line!"

In the distance, Immortal Emperor Ziyan and Sword Emperor Wuji were even more frightened, their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. They had no doubt that this lunatic Su Hanzhou truly dared to do such a thing!

Once Chu Yungui was "kept," dead or alive, the heavens would collapse! Every single person present would likely be crushed into powder by the wrath of the Taixuan Immortal Palace!

All eyes instantly focused on Xiao Ruobai.

Pressure bore down like a collapsing mountain or a tsunamic wave.

When Su Hanzhou mentioned the first option, Xiao Ruobai's heart tightened. An indescribable heat and impulse almost clouded his mind.

But then he shook his head. He looked at Su Hanzhou, cupped his fists, bowed, and said clearly, word by word:

"Saint Su's intervention to save us is a kindness my fellow disciples and I are deeply grateful for!"

He straightened his body, his gaze like an unsheathed sharp sword, fearlessly meeting Chu Yungui's murderous eyes.

"However, the humiliation of Chu Yungui's coercion today, and the grudge of his attempt on our lives..."

Xiao Ruobai's voice suddenly rose, carrying a soaring blood-spirit and pride:

"We will remember it ourselves! In the future, we shall personally settle it with our own hands!"

As his voice fell, Fang Hanyu, Ling Xi, Wang Xiaopang, and Mo Wu all stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Xiao Ruobai.

"Good!"

A flash of undisguised admiration finally crossed Su Hanzhou's eyes as he clapped and laughed.

"What backbone! What ambition!!"

He turned to look at Chu Yungui, whose face was now so dark it looked like it could drip water. His smile instantly became cold and mocking.

"Chu Yungui, did you hear that? Your life is temporarily deposited on your neck by them. Cultivate well, live well..."

"Don't go dying in some corner before they can find you to collect their debt."

"Now, you can get lost. Remember who left you your life."

Chu Yungui's chest heaved violently. He stared fixedly at Xiao Ruobai with a gaze that could no longer be described as merely poisonous; it was as if he wanted to suck out and crush his Divine Soul.

He then looked at Su Hanzhou and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth:

"Fine! Very well! Su Hanzhou, and you few... this Saint will be waiting!"

Without another word, starlight flashed, and the figures of Chu Yungui and Elder Kurong vanished without a trace. Only the humiliation and killing intent permeating the air lingered for a long time.

This time, he was truly driven away by anger, carrying an unprecedented and singular humiliation—that his life had been granted by ants.

Seeing this, the last bit of hope in the hearts of Immortal Emperor Ziyan and Sword Emperor Wuji completely shattered. How could they dare to stay for even a moment longer?

The two didn't even dare to leave any harsh words. They only wanted to take their remaining, terrified subordinates and hurriedly tear through the Void Realm to flee this place of trouble, getting as far away from that calamity as possible.

However, just as they began to circulate their power and ripples appeared in the void—

"Stop."

Su Hanzhou's cool, flat voice rang out once more. It wasn't loud, yet it acted like a binding spell, causing the figures of Immortal Emperor Ziyan and Sword Emperor Wuji to freeze abruptly.

The spatial rift that had just been torn open also instantly solidified and closed.

Their hearts went cold as they slowly turned around, looking pale-faced at the figure in the green clouds above, inwardly lamenting their luck.

What did this calamity want now?

Su Hanzhou's gaze swept over them indifferently, as if looking at two items waiting to be processed.

"Did I let you leave?"