Yefutidaolu

Chapter 415 Interaction with Aristocratic Families (Bonus Chapter!)

Gao Jian knew perfectly well that any hesitation or pause at this moment meant certain death!
So he suddenly sprang up from the ground, not bothering to brush off the scorched mud from his head and face, and frantically poured every last bit of strength he had left into his legs. He chose a direction completely opposite to where Wang Gang and Shui Wuyai were, and ran away!
Its speed far exceeded the limits of his own cultivation level, even leaving a faint, distorted afterimage behind him.

Behind them, the experts from the Cangzhou aristocratic families, like hungry wolves that had smelled blood, pounced on them in droves!

There were indeed many of them. More than ten cultivators at the eighth and ninth realms displayed their supernatural abilities, transforming into streams of light of various colors, relentlessly pursuing them. Their powerful auras merged into one, surging in like a tide of death!

However, one of the ninth-realm cultivators, dressed in a brown robe, had a cold and stern face, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes. Instead of directly pursuing, he suddenly stretched out his right hand and grabbed at a rugged hill several hundred feet high in the air!
A bizarre scene unfolded! On the hill, the part near the summit seemed to be devoured by an invisible giant jaws, instantly creating a huge gap! And this gap was expanding and spreading wildly downwards and in all directions at an alarming speed! Rocks and soil collapsed and dissipated silently like sandcastles, as if their internal structure had been completely destroyed by some force!
In the blink of an eye, the entire mountain peak vanished completely from the point he had grabbed, leaving only a smooth, mirror-like foundation! It was as if the mountain had never existed!

His move, seemingly a grappling technique involving taking objects from a distance, is actually an extremely mysterious and ancient witchcraft called "Mountain-Moving Whip"! Its principle is not simply the absorption of power, but rather the use of witchcraft to instantly enlarge and lengthen the basic structure of a hill, destroying its overall structure and causing it to disintegrate from a stable solid state back into "earth energy"!
As this mountain peak disappeared, the surrounding mountain ranges seemed to suddenly darken several shades, becoming dim and hazy, as if some of their charm had been taken away.

But then, the ninth-realm cultivator saw countless pure, earth-yellow earth energies frantically gathering in his clenched palm, instantly condensing into a semi-transparent, winding, twisting whip that seemed to possess life! The whip's surface faintly revealed the patterns of mountains and the illusory flow of earth veins!
He gripped the "Mountain-Moving Whip," forged from an entire mountain peak, his arm hanging behind him, muscles bulging, drawing a perfect, powerful arc before suddenly whipping it forward—*crack!*

The whip ripped through the air! It wasn't a simple lash, but rather a rapid, surging extension, as if it were alive! It carved a clear, long-lasting, terrifying whip mark in the air, emitting a piercing sonic boom! The tip of the whip, moving at supersonic speeds, violently rubbed against the air, even generating countless crisscrossing, twisting, and leaping pale static electricity. Then, pulling all this electricity along, like a maddened, giant python of lightning, it slashed the earth in front of it, drilling towards a rapidly moving target underground—Takami!

As we all know, there is a physical phenomenon called the "whip tip effect"! When a wave moves along the whip, the speed and displacement of the tip are several times that of the main body! Even a master whip user among mortals can use this to create a sonic boom. And at this moment, this divine whip, condensed from the earth's energy of an entire mountain and driven by the sorcery of a ninth-realm cultivator, possesses power that is terrifyingly unimaginable!

This long whip was like an ancient divine bow that had been fully drawn and suddenly released. The dense earth energy that made up the whip emitted a clanging hum, as if a heavenly king was playing a pipa in the heavens above, and the sound of killing was shocking!
All the fluctuations condensed into one in an instant, the surrounding sounds seemed to be sucked away in an instant, the air pulsation was like millions of hemp ropes being twisted into one, and a highly condensed energy wave could be seen rapidly sliding along the whip to the tip!
Boom! ! ! !
With a deafening roar, the earth was easily torn apart like fragile cloth! A terrifying canyon, ten miles long, bottomless, and with smooth, mirror-like edges, suddenly appeared as the whip swept across! The power of this single whip had altered the very landscape!

However, once the dust and lightning subsided, Gao Jian's figure was still fleeing for his life, seemingly... completely unharmed?!

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that his running path had taken an extremely abrupt, almost 90-degree right-angle turn at the last moment! It was this incredible sharp turn that allowed him to narrowly avoid the direct impact of the deadly whip tip!
The moment the opponent raised his hand and the earth's energy began to gather, Gao Jian's extraordinary divine sense had already perceived the deadly threat and its general trajectory. So, disregarding whether his body could withstand it, he forcibly changed direction to dodge!

Another ninth-realm cultivator, shrouded in dense corpse aura, let out a low, inhuman roar. He formed hand seals, and the surrounding corpse and ghost auras rapidly combined with his own magical power to form an egg-shaped shield about the size of a house, as black as ink! The surface of the shield was covered with strange, ever-flowing golden, red, and green incantations. The golden characters were the largest, like a skeleton, while the red and green incantations filled all the gaps between the golden characters like flesh and blood, intertwining and layering, leaving almost no gaps!

This is a secret technique from the ancient corpse-refining lineage, called "Crimson Fire Bone-Forging Shield." Originally, it was used to cover corpses, tempering them with underground yin fire and secret incantations into bronze heads and iron bones, making them invulnerable to swords and spears. Now, however, he has refined and improved it, using it to trap enemies. Once trapped, the yin fire, baleful energy, and demonic power contained within will instantly erode the body and imprison the soul!
With a casual wave of his hand, the pitch-black egg-shaped shield ignored spatial distance and instantly appeared ten miles away, crashing down on Gao Jian's head!
However, the next moment, Gao Jian didn't even turn his head, and slashed backward with his sword! The rusty blade struck with perfect precision a very subtle and fleeting point on the surface of the protective shield where countless incantations flowed!

Snap—Bang!

As if a giant glass eggshell had been shattered, the seemingly indestructible "Crimson Fire Bone Forging Shield," densely covered with incantations, trembled violently at the light touch of this blade. All the magical runes on it flickered and shattered rapidly, like bubbles popped by a red-hot iron needle, leaving not a single one behind! The entire shield instantly collapsed into its most primal malevolent energy, scattering and disappearing in all directions!

There were too many flaws, the methods were too complicated, and the energy circulation was far from smooth and pure! Under the observation of Gao Jian's divine will, which was blessed by the Heart Lamp and could see through the smallest details, it was full of loopholes and its weaknesses could be seen at a glance!
Having broken through the interception techniques of two ninth-realm cultivators, Gao Jian's performance was nothing short of astonishing, but he also paid a price. Such intense exertion on his body and the circulation of his divine will caused him to groan violently, a sharp pain in his chest, his breathing becoming erratic, and he stumbled, nearly falling to the ground! His body had truly reached its limit!

How could that ninth-realm cultivator wielding the earth energy whip let this opportunity slip by? With a slight flick of his wrist, the ten-mile-long earth energy whip, like a giant python with life, swung violently, its body undulating like waves! The length of the whip actually continued to extend, becoming even thinner and more flexible!

The whip tip, like a venomous snake probing for food, plunged into the ground and sped away underground, moving like a dragon or a snake, swaying its body, relentlessly pursuing Gao Jian. Wherever it passed, a straight wave of earth rose up!

Then, he suddenly yanked the whip tip—Boom! The long whip burst out of the ground, like an earth dragon turning over, cutting through the soil and rocks again, forming a long trench. The whip tip, carrying an incomparably sharp killing intent, pierced straight for Gao Jian's head!
At this critical moment, Gao Jian's body, which seemed about to fall, suddenly contracted in a way that defied human biomechanics, like a startled raccoon, as if he were about to pounce on the ground again to avoid this deadly attack.

Sure enough, the long whip suddenly sank down, its tip like a leech, relentlessly burrowing into the ground!

However, this was actually a feint by Gao Jian! He pushed off the ground with both hands, and the force of his downward lunge was instantly transformed into an upward and leftward propulsion! In this contraction and extension, his body completed a rapid and fierce change, his joints even made a teeth-grinding grinding sound, and fine blood cracks appeared on the surface of his skin, almost breaking his bones and muscles!
But in the end, thanks to his almost self-destructive reaction and advanced prediction, he narrowly escaped the insidious and vicious pursuit. His body drew a strange zigzag line and bounced into the air to the left, continuing his escape!
The other cultivators at the ninth and eighth realms also used various methods, such as summoning magic weapons to strike from the air, using spells to bombard from a distance, or setting up formations to try to slow down his movements.

However, relying on his powerful divine will that far surpasses his own realm, Gao Jian, with his inner lamp shining brightly, can always discern the energy trajectory, the gaps in the exertion of force, and the slightest flaws in the opponent's methods at the last minute, and then avoid them with the least cost and the most unbelievable way!

His movements were so exquisite, his predictions so precise, and his responses so swift that he seemed less like a critically injured and dying seventh-realm martial artist and more like a battle-hardened martial saint who had seen the heavens and the earth!

Such an incredible maneuver left the dozen or so top experts from Cangzhou who were hot on their heels speechless, their sense of horror growing stronger with each passing moment!

Seeing that Gao Jian was like a slippery eel, repeatedly evading everyone's interception in unbelievable ways, another ninth-realm cultivator who had been observing coldly spoke up:

“This boy’s movements are unpredictable, and his mental focus is extraordinary. Ordinary methods would be insufficient to lock him down. Let me try using my ‘medicinal ginseng’.”

As he spoke, he carefully took an object from his robes. It wasn't some magical weapon, but a lifelike little doll, no bigger than the palm of his hand!
The little baby was chubby and fair-skinned, with limbs like lotus roots and a delicate and adorable face. Its eyes were closed, as if it were fast asleep. If it weren't for the two lush green leaves on its head, full of vitality, anyone who saw it would think it was a shrunken human infant, and might even feel pity for it.

However, this thing is not a cute doll at all, but an old ginseng with a climate of two thousand years. By chance, it became spiritual and transformed into a ginseng doll!

It was originally a spiritual root of heaven and earth, and if it could continue to cultivate, its future would be limitless. However, it was captured by this ninth realm cultivator, who used a secret method to stifle its newly born intelligence, retaining only its instinctive talents as a spiritual ginseng. It was then soaked and nurtured for decades with various rare medicinal liquids and strange secret methods, which is why it was finally refined into this form.

The Ginseng Baby is most adept at earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magical technique), concealment, and escape. Capturing a thousand-year-old ginseng requires immense effort and extraordinary methods. However, once refined into this sinister "medicinal ginseng," it can reverse its nature, no longer fleeing but becoming the world's most powerful tracking tool!
The ninth-realm cultivator who made the move was the patriarch of the Tong family, a prominent clan in Cangzhou. The Tong family was renowned for its medical expertise, and he himself was a top-tier pharmacist, most skilled at tracking and capturing various plant spirits. This refined ginseng was one of his most prized possessions. He usually acted as the "Medicine King," coordinating and blending the medicinal properties of various herbs to refine elixirs.

However, its performance is also top-notch when used for tracking!

At this moment, the patriarch of the same family no longer held back and activated his full power! He forced out a drop of essence blood from his fingertip and placed it on the ginseng doll's brow, chanting incantations as obscure spells merged into the essence blood.

The ginseng doll, which had been sleeping with its eyes closed, suddenly opened its eyes!
What eyes they were! Empty, lifeless, devoid of any emotion, containing only the purest, beast-like instincts, yet deep within them lurked a trace of resentment and numbness born from the forced erasure of their intelligence! The two leaves atop its head moved without wind, emitting a faint, strange medicinal fragrance.

"Go!" the patriarch of the Tong family shouted, throwing the ginseng doll to the ground.

The moment the doll touched the ground, it vanished instantly, like a drop of water merging into the ocean! It didn't cause the slightest ripple, not even a trace of energy!

The next moment, Gao Jian, who was fleeing for his life dozens of miles away, suddenly felt an extremely strange aura lock onto him!
He looked down sharply, only to find nothing amiss. But the feeling of being locked on was incredibly clear, like a leech clinging to his bone; no matter how he changed direction, accelerated, or even briefly burrowed underground and emerged again, he couldn't shake it off in the slightest!

The artificially created "ginseng doll" is following him closely from deep underground! It is already a spiritual ginseng with an extremely high affinity for the earth. However, its intelligence has been erased and it has been refined into an evil artifact. When it tracks him, it shows no emotional fluctuations and does not emit killing intent or energy fluctuations like human cultivators. It is as if nature itself is tracking him!
Gao Jian's alarm bells rang loudly. He tried several sharp turns, changes of direction, and even deliberately circling around, but that cold, locked feeling remained firmly pinned to him, and he couldn't shake it off at all! The way this thing tracked him was completely beyond his previous experience.

"Damn it!" Gao Jian cursed under his breath, his face turning even paler.

This means his whereabouts are completely transparent to his pursuers! No matter where he escapes, they can pinpoint his location precisely!

I can't get rid of it!

Gao Jian's heart sank. This meant that all his previous detours and evasions had been meaningless.

The pursuers behind can completely disregard losing them; they only need to follow the directions provided by the ginseng doll, pursue in a straight line, or even outflank them in advance!
His desperate escape, under the relentless pursuit of the ginseng doll, instantly transformed from a high-difficulty dodging game relying on superb divine will into a naked, desperate contest of endurance and speed!
Gao Jian, in his exhausted state, clearly wouldn't last much longer!

Through his mysterious connection with the ginseng doll, the patriarch of the same family clearly sensed Gao Jian's every subtle movement and precise location. He snorted coldly and said to the others, "He has nowhere to hide! Everyone, there's no need to test him anymore. Go all out and force him to stop!"

In an instant, the pursuers behind them became even more ferocious and aggressive! Various attacks lit up again, and this time, with clear guidance, they became more precise and deadly than ever before!

Gao Jian no longer has the opportunity to rely on his foresight and resourcefulness to maneuver!
"Draw a circle on the ground and imprison it!" A ninth-realm cultivator skilled in formations pressed his hands to the ground, and countless runes spread and intertwined on the ground in front of Gao Jian at a speed far exceeding that before, instantly forming a dazzling and confining formation. Although it was not as powerful as Shui Wuya's Thunder Pool, it was enough to slow down his movements.

"Hundred Ghosts Binding Spirit Rope!" Another cultivator at the peak of the eighth realm who cultivated the Ghost Path summoned a jet-black chain composed of countless wailing ghost faces. Ignoring space, the chain directly wrapped around Gao Jian's ankles, its chilling aura penetrating to his bone marrow, aiming to freeze his blood circulation!

Another ninth-realm martial artist pointed his fingers like a sword, and a finger force condensed to the extreme broke through the air and arrived. Its power was enough to pierce through mountains and go straight for Gao Jian's vital point in the back, forcing him to either take the hit head-on or dodge by moving sideways!
Gao Jian gritted his teeth, his heart lamp burning wildly. In that split second, he twisted his body again, narrowly avoiding the vital points of the finger strike. With a flash of light, he shattered the ghost face chain at his ankle. However, although the chain was broken, the chilling aura had already invaded. At the same time, he had to forcefully change direction to avoid the brightest part of the binding array on the ground.

But just as his old strength was exhausted, his new strength had not yet arisen, and his body slightly froze—

"town!"

The other ninth-realm cultivator, who had been observing coldly and waiting for his chance, finally made his move! He summoned an ancient seal, which grew in the wind and became the size of a small mountain. The bottom of the seal was engraved with the four ancient seal characters "Mount Tai Pressing Down". It emitted a vast and heavy earthy yellow light. Instead of crashing down directly, it was suspended high above his head, and an extremely heavy gravitational field suddenly descended!
Gao Jian felt the air around him suddenly become as heavy as mercury, every movement required tremendous effort, and his speed plummeted! It was as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on him!
That moment of hesitation determined the outcome.

Countless attacks came one after another, and it was no longer possible to completely avoid them!

Bang! Bang! Boom!

A blazing fire spell struck his shoulder, causing him to stagger and his skin to tear open!

A sharp sword aura grazed past his ribs, leaving a trail of blood!
The gravitational field of that large seal continued to exert pressure, making it difficult for him to move!
Finally, under the relentless onslaught of more than a dozen eighth and ninth realm cultivators, Gao Jian, whose condition was already extremely poor, completely lost his ability to resist. He was slammed to the ground by a massive hand of condensed Yuan Qi, sending dust billowing everywhere!
Before he could struggle, the others swarmed him like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey!
"Dragon Lock!" Specially crafted chains, as fine as steel, wrap around the limbs, locking the joints!

"Sealing Needles!" More than ten long needles, shimmering with runes, precisely pierced his major acupoints, completely sealing off the flow of blood and qi and his internal martial arts energy!
"Soul-Suppressing Talismans!" Golden talismans were affixed to his forehead, chest, and back. The powerful sealing force was like ice water poured over his head, forcibly suppressing and imprisoning his strong spiritual power!
"Suppressing Divine Power Spell!" The incantation was like an invisible shackle, layer upon layer encasing his sea of ​​consciousness, isolating his inner light, and suppressing his will!
His body, blood and qi, joints, soul, and even the most subtle flow of internal energy were all completely locked up by layers upon layers of various seals! At this moment, Gao Jian was almost no different from an ordinary person, except that he could still think. He didn't even have the strength to bite his tongue and commit suicide.

The patriarch of the same family slowly walked forward, cradling the now-dull ginseng doll in his palm. Gently stroking his beard, he looked at Gao Jian, who was pinned to the ground in a sorry state, and said, shaking his head, "Although it is full of secrets and indeed has many miraculous aspects worth noting, he is still young and lacks sufficient foundation. Lacking protective treasures and timely assistance from elders, how far can he go relying solely on his personal talent?" Gao Jian was completely subdued, his body wracked with pain, and all his strength gone, yet he merely frowned tightly, staring coldly at these people without uttering a word.

Before long, two powerful auras rapidly approached from afar.

Wang Gang and Shui Wuyai also arrived.

Wang Gang seems to have completely quelled the backlash of that move, "Annihilation of All Directions".

Shui Wuyai still looked like a young man, with deep eyes.

The two stood before Gao Jian, who was bound hand and foot, covered in talismans, and looked like lambs to the slaughter.

“Insightful,” Shui Wuyai slowly walked over, looking down at him with a calm yet undeniably authoritative voice, “Now you have nowhere to escape, nowhere to fly. Are you still unwilling to hand over your secrets? Telling them might lessen your suffering.”

A powerful expert from a prominent family immediately chimed in, "That's right. It won't hurt us to tell you secrets. Your knowledge and cultivation won't disappear. Why be so stubborn and suffer like this? If you suffer the torment of soul-searching and spirit-refining later, wouldn't you be indulging in sin for nothing?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Jian scoffed. Despite his weakness, his laughter was full of sarcasm: "That sounds nice. Why don't you first publish all your core cultivation techniques and insights to the world? If you publish your techniques, you won't lose your current cultivation levels, and you might even gain a reputation for 'benefiting all living beings.' Why don't you do it? Hmm?"

This sentence, cold and harsh like an icicle, instantly killed the conversation.

Because everyone knows it.

Knowledge and technology, by their very nature, can indeed be copied, shared, and disseminated.

But power and status are different. They are limited, exclusive, and require monopolies to maintain.

The fundamental purpose of blocking core knowledge and technology is to monopolize power and resources and maintain their superior position!
The reason why aristocratic families are aristocratic families and divine dynasties are divine dynasties lies largely in their monopoly on upward mobility and core power!

Another person frowned and spoke up, trying to persuade from a different angle: "Even so, reason is reason, and reality is reality. For the sake of your own life and fortune, you should humble yourself. Is it really necessary to give up your life to protect those illusory things? If you lose your life, you lose everything."

For the sake of power and status, one must keep secrets.

But if life is lost, power and status become meaningless. Therefore, in the face of life, abandoning secrets seems to be the "smarter" and "correct" choice.

But Gao Jian scoffed at this.

He knew that if he yielded now and revealed the secrets of the technique to open the divine gate, it would only make the already powerful divine dynasty and aristocratic families even more unshakeable, and their exploitation and rule over hundreds of millions of ordinary people would only become more stable and cruel.

He could certainly say so to save his own life.

But if it's for that tiny, perhaps existing hope that could give more people a chance to escape this heavy burden, then not a single word can be uttered.

Once he says it, the Divine Dynasty will truly be impossible to overthrow.

Looking at Gao Jian's stubborn and cold eyes, Wang Gang shook his head. He seemed to appreciate Gao Jian's talent: "Why bother? Why risk your life? Kid, I admire your talent. How about this: if you're willing to confess those secrets, I, Wang Gang, will guarantee your safety and even allow you to continue enjoying wealth and status. What do you say?"

Gao Jian simply closed his eyes, shook his head, and said no more. Clearly, he didn't believe in the promises of these aristocratic families at all, or rather, what he pursued couldn't be measured by wealth and status.

“I don’t understand,” Shui Wuyai sighed softly, a genuine look of confusion on his face. “What is it that gives you such conviction, that makes you willing to give up your life to stop us? Is it because of… Li Jun’s actions?”

They were well aware of the turmoil Li Jun had stirred up in Cangzhou. It was also common knowledge that Gao Jian had been Li Jun's employer. Perhaps, behind Li Jun's seemingly unorthodox and self-righteous actions, Gao Jian's support and instructions were present.

Gao Jian finally opened his eyes again, looked at Shui Wuyai, shook his head and said, "You selfish people would never understand."

Of course they didn't understand, since everything these powerful families did was ultimately for their own benefit, for their family, and for consolidating their power.

If you die, all of this is gone, so life is very important.

The actions of those with lofty ideals are on the right path. Where morality lies, even if there are thousands of people, I will go. The path to heaven cannot be separated from this heart by thousands of dangers.
Seeing Gao Jian's attitude, someone nearby immediately jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, pointing at Gao Jian and angrily rebuking him: "You scoundrel! How dare you! You lawless wretch, without a ruler or father, dare to claim to be just and criticize us for being selfish?! Let me tell you, the only righteous path in the world today is the Emperor, the Son of Heaven, the master of all people! To worship the Emperor, to serve in the court, to be loyal to the Emperor and love the country, is the only righteous path!"

Gao Jian spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. Despite his weakness, his tone was full of contempt: "Treacherous officials fill the court, and the people are suffering! Powerful clans and wicked gentry prey on the villagers! You can still speak of the word 'righteous path' with such righteousness and pride. It is truly a wonder of the world and the most ridiculous thing ever!"

The man's face flushed crimson instantly, whether from anger or shame, it was hard to tell. He let out a cold snort and retorted, "Hmph! It is the duty of us officials of the court to regulate local powerful clans and clean up local corruption! If there is corruption in the localities, it is up to us high-ranking officials of the court to manage and investigate! The suffering of the people is a matter of great importance for the emperor and the officials of the court to consider! What official position do you hold? You are nothing but a commoner, yet you dare to interfere and act recklessly? And even dare to call yourself a righteous person?! This is simply outrageous!"

The more this man spoke, the more convinced he became of his own reasoning, and the angrier he grew, his face turning crimson. "The current Divine Dynasty, though occasionally flawed, is as prosperous and flourishing as a blazing fire! Under His Majesty the Emperor's rule, it is a peaceful and prosperous world! The western barbarians dare not invade our borders, the eastern dragons bow down in submission, the major clans are thriving, and many immortal sects are flourishing! It is because of you treacherous and rebellious people who do not understand the difficulties of the court, do not respect the hard work of the officials, and cause trouble every day, corrupting the atmosphere, that we, the loyal and virtuous ministers who work day and night, suffer!"

"If you continue to argue your way out of this place, you are courting death!"

"Die!" More than a dozen eighth and ninth realm cultivators were stirred by his "righteous" words and were filled with righteous indignation. They shouted in unison, and their voices formed a powerful spiritual resonance. The sound waves mixed with pressure and vibrated outwards, with extraordinary momentum! If an ordinary person were here, they would probably be scared to death by this rhythmic momentum!

Shui Wuyai and Wang Gang watched coldly from the side, their last shred of patience about to run out. If Gao Jian still wouldn't speak, they wouldn't waste any more words and would directly activate their secret technique to begin the soul search!

Looking at the group of people in front of him, who were speaking righteously and seemed to be standing on a moral high ground to rebuke him, Gao Jian felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity and powerlessness.

He suddenly felt... a little funny.

He had been scheming and calculating all along, even using Yuan Lu, a true Earth Immortal, against him and ultimately killing him. He had faced countless life-or-death crises and ventured into countless dangerous places, yet he had ended up falling into the hands of such a group of... insects.
These people are far inferior to Yuan Lu. If it were a one-on-one fight, apart from Shui Wuyai and Wang Gang, no one else could possibly defeat him.

However, after a futile debate, he truly felt powerless.

That's just how these people are. Their mindset, their stance, and their interests are deeply ingrained, forming a solid closed loop that's difficult to penetrate with any external reasoning or facts. What else can be done?

He never considered giving up; as long as he had a breath left, he would search for a way to survive. But... where exactly was that chance? His physical body was sealed layer upon layer, his soul suppressed by talismans, he was surrounded by powerful enemies, and a ginseng doll clung to him like a leech. This cage of despair seemed to have no flaws.

Thinking this, a hint of dejection flashed across Gao Jian's eyes. Was this really the end?
Outside, the group of powerful family experts were still swaggering around, joining forces to exert their spiritual pressure on Gao Jian, trying to make him lose his composure and make it easier for them to interrogate or search his soul later.

However, Gao Jian didn't care at all; he couldn't possibly be overwhelmed by such an aura. He didn't even need the rusty knife; the men's imposing manner seemed laughable and pretentious in his eyes.

However, at this seemingly hopeless moment, just as Shui Wuyai's eyes turned completely cold, as if he had finally made up his mind, he raised his hand, and dark, profound magical light, specifically used for soul searching, began to gather at his fingertips—

Gao Jian's eyes suddenly lit up!
He seized an extremely subtle, yet potentially unique, opportunity!
The next moment, something happened that shocked and completely baffled everyone!

Gao Jian, who was tightly bound and covered in talismans and should not have been able to move even a finger, suddenly lowered his head, opened his mouth, and bit down hard on his chained wrist with a resolute and chilling gesture!
Click!

That was the sickening sound of bones being bitten through!

puff!

Hot blood spurted out instantly!

Gao Jian actually bit off one of his hands right off the wrist!

But that wasn't all! His Adam's apple bobbed, and he actually... swallowed the severed hand whole!
He ate it! He ate his own hand!!

(Bonus chapter! There will be double monthly votes on the 28th, so remember to save up and vote then!)

(End of this chapter)