Chapter 497: 497, (first update)

The atmosphere in the air seemed to quiet down in an instant.

The Elder looked at the long knife, now just inches away, brought to an abrupt halt right in front of his head, mere millimeters away. The sharp edge of the blade, under the illumination of the crystal lamp, flashed with a chilling glint that made one’s heart tremble.

He took in a sharp breath.

A moment later, and he would have become a soul beneath the blade.

Fortunately, heaven doesn’t seal off all paths.

Mo Qingyi’s hand, gripping the hilt of the knife, was slightly trembling. She closed her eyes and finally retracted the long knife into a whip, then hooked it onto her waist. Only then did she look up and see that a woman in black had appeared inside the room at some point, holding a burning lantern. The pale blue flames reflected off her face, casting an eerie glow.

She wore a grotesque mask on the left half of her face, which at a fierce glance, was enough to send a shiver down someone’s spine.

The woman in black looked at everyone, her lips slowly curving into a smile, her gaze finally settling on a specific location, her body exuding a strong aura of death, "Junhuang, it’s been a long time."

Her voice, incredibly aged and hoarse, was like the grinding of ancient stones, ’squeak squeaking’ as if just listening would make one’s scalp tingle.

Chu Jin stepped out from behind Zhou Xunian, a faint smile playing on her lips, "Indeed, it has been a long time. It looks like you’ve forgotten what happened a thousand years ago?"

Chu Jin walked slowly, looking no different than usual. Yet in reality, each step she took required a tremendous amount of spiritual power, as if she were walking on knife’s edge, enduring immense pain.

But now, she couldn’t fall, and she couldn’t let the woman in black see anything out of the ordinary.

She had to buy Mo Zhixuan time, even if it just meant another minute or a second.

Those who had been packing up also stopped at this moment to look towards the two.

Everyone present knew that this woman in black was no easy opponent.

Just as one wave had settled, another arose.

The heart that had been set down was once again hoisted up.

What happened a thousand years ago?

Upon hearing these words, the color drained from the woman’s face, her hands clenching into fists. How could she possibly forget! It was an indelible humiliation!

She had barely clung to life until today, all for the sake of avenging that ancient grudge!

But today, she was not yet ready to confront Junhuang head-on. With her current strength, she was no match for Junhuang.

So, she had orchestrated for Zheng Chuyi to go first, only to find that Zheng Chuyi was no more than a paper tiger, impressive in appearance but useless in fight.

Now, it was most important to rescue Li Chi.

She had to take advantage of everyone’s ignorance that Li Chi was the Elder of the Superpower World. Otherwise, it would soon be too late.

Upon this thought, the woman in black looked up once more at Chu Jin, "Enough talk, Junhuang. If you don’t want Mo Zhixuan to die so soon, then release Li Chi at once."

Mo Qingyi was always impulsive, and seeing that the woman in black held only a lantern, she assumed the woman was bluffing, "Chu Jin, don’t bother with her. Such a person is a scourge if left alive. Let’s just kill her first and talk later."

As she spoke, her hand reached for the whip at her waist, ready for a fight.

Chu Jin held down her whip-wielding hand and whispered, "Don’t be rash. The lantern in her hand is kindled with Hellfire, which is bound to extinguish Mo Zhixuan’s soul. If the lantern goes out, Zhixuan will never wake up. And besides, you’re no match for her."

Those calm words caused Mo Qingyi’s brows to knit together in sudden shock, "What?"

The color drained from the faces of those around her.

Chu Jin nodded lightly, "It’s true. However, I had Uncle Mo watch over the lantern earlier, and if I’m not mistaken, Mo Feixue should be with him..."

Mo Fengxu and Mo Feixue’s abilities were not weak; how could such people lose track of the lantern?

Could it be that the lantern... was fake?

Chu Jin’s brows furrowed slightly.

Seeming to notice Chu Jin’s confusion, the woman in black gestured to the air, "Bring them here."

As soon as the words fell, two masked figures dressed in black appeared out of thin air, both wearing menacing masks, and with two people in their grip.

The two hostages were none other than Mo Fengxu and Mo Feixue.

"Jun Huang, my time is running short, please make your decision quickly!" the woman in black spoke again, the lamp in her hand flickering bright and dim.

Seeing Mo Fengxu and Mo Feixue held hostage by the woman in black, everyone’s hearts tightened once more.

"If you dare touch that lamp, I’ll ensure you come in standing but leave lying down!" Mo Qingyi lashed her whip, and a piercing sound echoed through the air.

"Hehe," the woman in black let out a cold laugh, "What big words! Then come and try, let’s see if you die first or if Mo Zhixuan dies first."

"You!" Mo Qingyi, out of desperation, was about to lash out with her whip to confront the woman but was stopped by Chu Jin, "Do not act recklessly."

Mo Qingyi glanced at Chu Jin and ultimately lowered her whip; in such times, she truly couldn’t gamble with Mo Zhixuan’s safety.

"I agree," Chu Jin looked up at the woman in black, "release Li Chi, but you have to give the lamp back to me first."

"Jun Huang, do you really think I’m a fool?" the woman in black snorted coldly, "Right now, the lamp is in my hands; you are not in the position to negotiate terms with me. Release Li Chi now, or else when the wind gets stronger, I can’t guarantee the safety of the lamp!"

The last sentence carried an implicit threat.

Chu Jin looked at Mo Qingyi and uttered two words with a calm demeanour, "Release him."

"Jin, brother..." Mo Qingyi looked helplessly at Chu Jin; the woman in black clearly seemed the deceitful and cunning sort, what if they released Li Chi and she didn’t keep her promise?

After all, Li Chi was their only trump card at the moment, and judging by the woman’s demeanor, she seemed to value him greatly.

Chu Jin was also aware of Mo Qingyi’s concerns, yet in the current situation, they had no other choice.

Even knowing there was deceit involved, she had no option but to follow the woman in black’s demands.

If it weren’t for her extreme weakness at this moment, the woman before her would not have been her match!

"Jun Huang, rest assured, I am a woman of my word. Just release Li Chi, and I will immediately return the lamp to you. It’s you I have a grudge against, not Mo Zhixuan," the woman in black continued, "However, there will come a day when I will come back to claim your life and fight you in an open and fair battle—wait for that day."

The words of the woman in black were half true and half false; they could not be fully trusted nor completely disregarded.

"Release him," Chu Jin repeated, willing to try even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance.

Mo Qingyi looked at Chu Jin helplessly and then walked over to the Elder, beginning to untie him.

Upon seeing this, a trace of triumph flickered in the eyes of the woman in black.

At the same time, a doubt flashed in her mind; she didn’t expect Jun Huang to give in so easily, which was completely out of character for Jun Huang.

Could there be trickery at play here?

The woman in black squinted her eyes—what was Jun Huang afraid of?

Given her normal character, she would never submit so readily. Today’s Jun Huang was too out of the ordinary!

Or was it possible that she had fallen so deep into the vortex of love that she had become unable to extricate herself and think clearly?

Isn’t there a saying in the mortal world, "Love is blind"?

It seemed that even a mighty Empress could not avoid the commonality in the face of romantic feelings.

Mo Qingyi efficiently untied the Elder and escorted him with his hands clasped behind his back, moving towards Chu Jin. Since the Elder’s face was covered with a mask, the crowd was unaware that this Li Chi was the Elder from the Superpower World.

"Don’t try anything funny!" Throughout the process, the Elder struggled ceaselessly, only to be subdued by a chop from Mo Qingyi, which left him seeing stars.

Chu Jin glanced coldly at the woman in black and said in a cool tone, "Hand over the person, and I hand over the lamp."

The woman in black retorted coldly, "You send the person over first, or I will smash this worthless lamp right now, causing Mo Zhixuan’s soul to scatter!" She then gestured as if to smash the lamp she held.

"Dare to touch that lamp and see what happens!" Mo Qingyi immediately gripped Li Chi’s throat.

"Let him go," Chu Jin looked at Mo Qingyi; at this juncture, she had no other options. Depleted of spiritual power and with just some agility remaining, she was no different from an ordinary person now. The situation had to be resolved quickly; any further stalemate would reveal her weaknesses to the woman.

Mo Qingyi bit her lip, realizing that the lamp was still in the possession of the woman in black, and reluctantly followed Chu Jin’s command. Holding Li Chi’s throat with one hand and his arm with the other, she walked towards the woman in black.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read