CHAPTER 597: FIVE HUNDRED NINETY-SEVEN, IT’S YOUR CHOICE!

Bang!

Once again a loud crash sounded, as Yu Shu relentlessly pressed his advantage. His strike forcefully pushed Song Family Head, Song Hao, back several feet, making his complexion grow even uglier.

"Yu Shu, this is the Xuanyue Imperial City, do you dare kill me?"

Song Hao, realizing the direness of his situation, bellowed with an inner panic despite his threatening tone. His eyes darted around, seeking an escape from his current predicament.

"Heh heh, Family Head Song Hao, if the Royal Family were truly determined to protect the Song Family, then Yan Chun and his ilk wouldn’t have left. You might as well give up hope!"

Yu Shu had not spoken yet when a hearty voice sounded from behind Song Hao. Shortly thereafter, a young and slender figure stepped forward, rapidly closing the distance to just a few feet behind Song Hao.

Hearing this voice, Song Hao’s body slightly trembled because he knew that Yun Xiao had arrived, and it was this teenager—merely sixteen or seventeen—who was responsible for the destruction of the Song Family today.

"Yun Xiao, this time... I admit defeat. As long as you spare my life, I, Song Hao, swear that I will never show my face in the Xuanyue Empire again!"

Trapped between the Sect Master and many Elders of the Jade Pot Sect in front, and the god of death, Yun Xiao, behind, Song Hao finally dared not act tough any longer. As he spoke these words, the surrounding crowd showed contempt.

You were once the dignified Family Head of the Song Family, the former leader of the three great families in the Imperial City; how can you be so spineless? But who in the crowd could understand the bitterness and smothered rage in Song Hao’s heart at this moment?

The feeling of being forcefully held down is awful, especially for someone like Song Hao, who, since birth, had been nourished in luxury as an elite. He secretly vowed that if he escaped with his life today, he would inevitably seek retribution against Yun Xiao and the Jade Pot Sect for today’s humiliation.

"If Family Head Song understands the gravity of the situation and behaves accordingly, then sparing your life is not out of the question!"

Just when everyone thought Yun Xiao would never let the tiger return to the mountain, the young man revealed a bizarre smile, making Yu Shu and the others nearby grow anxious.

Even though Yu Shu and his group had not witnessed the earlier events, they knew that Family Head Song was a genuine Peak of Spirit Vein Realm powerhouse, whose combat strength might not be much inferior to Yu Shu’s.

The best strategy is to strike at your enemy when he’s down. Despite the Elders of the Medical Pulse, including Lu Zhan, usually showing compassion, when facing a sworn foe like Song Hao who threatened their sect’s existence, they would show no mercy.

But now, with Yun Xiao saying such things, it was clear he was considering releasing Song Hao back to the wild. Once Song Hao recuperated, the Jade Pot Sect could face no small amount of trouble.

Not to mention Song Hao might not be able to rebuild the Song Family, but just with his Peak of Spirit Vein Realm cultivation, assassinating young disciples or Elders of the Jade Pot Sect from the shadows would be a serious concern, with perhaps only Yu Shu and Lu Zhan capable of contending against him.

"Yun Xiao, how can you...?"

"Elder Six, let’s hear him out first!"

Elder Six, Su He, was somewhat impatient and hastily spoke up to remind Yun Xiao, but just as he spoke, Yu Shu interrupted him, and his eyes shone with heightened expectation.

It turned out that in an instant, Yu Shu remembered the information he had received and based on his understanding of Yun Xiao’s usual behavior, knew this young man was likely much craftier than a few old timers like themselves.

Having destroyed the Wang and Guan families in one fell swoop, Yu Shu believed Yun Xiao would never let Song Hao off so easily. This kid was probably too cunning and surely had something up his sleeve.

"In that case, I, Song Hao, shall take my leave!"

Although Song Hao was somewhat puzzled by Yun Xiao’s words, he was undoubtedly overjoyed at the moment. Without hesitation, he intended to take the opportunity to escape and be free as a bird in the sky.

"Family Head Song, don’t be hasty. I haven’t finished speaking yet!"

However, as Song Hao made his move, Yun Xiao also turned, blocking his path. The words spoken with a hint of a smile made Song Hao’s heart skip a beat.

"As long as Family Head Song swallows this pill, then you can wander freely across the Nine Dragons Continent, and I, Yun Xiao, will no longer pursue you!"

As he spoke, Yun Xiao had already taken out a pitch-black Jade Bottle from his Waist Storage, which seemed to emit a faintly unusual aura.

"What is this pill?"

Song Hao did not reach out to take it but instead asked with a gloomy tone. In truth, he needn’t have asked, as he suspected it to be some highly poisonous pill.

"It’s no High-Rank Elixir, just a small Poison Pill. However, once you’ve taken it, no matter where you are, I’ll be able to find you!"

Yun Xiao stepped forward and pushed the Black Jade Bottle forcefully into Song Hao’s hand, and with his words, the onlookers finally realized his intentions.

Just now, many people were somewhat puzzled by Yun Xiao’s words and thought that releasing Song Hao was an extremely foolish act. It turns out they had underestimated this young lad far too much.

Although Yun Xiao did not disclose what the poison pill was, given the young man’s means, even Fu Du, a Spiritual Rank Poison Vein Master, was no match for him, and he could easily neutralize the highly poisonous substance from Ran Xing, a Low-level Earth Rank Poison Vein Master. No one would believe that he does not possess the Poison Meridian Skill.

As for Lu Zhan and Li Shan, they naturally came to their senses at this moment and let go of their concerns. Compared to outright killing Song Hao, perhaps this method would make him less likely to act rashly.

"How about it? Song Hao, Family Head, swallow this elixir to preserve your life, the choice is yours!"

Yun Xiao gracefully took two steps back, the smile on his face undiminished, but at this moment, Song Hao was extremely conflicted. His right hand, holding the Black Jade Bottle, was bulging with veins, struggling intensely.

Of course, Song Hao wanted to escape with his life, but as the former Family Head of the Song Family, his purpose in preserving his life was to make a comeback and to annihilate Yun Xiao and the Jade Pot Sect to avenge the destruction of his clan.

But now, as soon as he swallows this poison pill, he would fall into Yun Xiao’s control. He did not believe that the poison pill was merely a tool for Yun Xiao to sense his location; there must be some unknown and hidden attributes.

Taking the pill would mean being controlled by Yun Xiao. Any future actions would need to be carefully weighed, casting a lifetime shadow over Song Hao.

A once mighty Family Head of the Song Family, destined to be controlled by others in his remaining years, and even until death unable to escape Yun Xiao’s grasp. Such a life might truly be worse than death.

"Fine, I’ll take it!"

A trace of resentment flashed in Song Hao’s eyes before he popped open the bottle cap, apparently intending to pour out the elixir inside, while everyone kept their eyes unblinkingly fixed on him.

In the eyes of the onlookers, facing such a desperate situation, Song Hao finally compromised. After all, "as long as the green mountains are there, one need not worry about firewood" — to seek revenge, one must first preserve their life.

It was but a single highly poisonous pill. As long as it did not cause instant death, finding a high-rank Meridian Refining Master, or even an Earth-rank Meridian Master like Ran Xing, could potentially detoxify the poison.

However, what neither Song Hao nor the onlookers saw was that, the moment the bottle cap was opened, a hint of mockery flashed across the eyes of the young man in coarse clothes.

Whoosh!

Just when everyone, including the Elders of the Jade Pot Sect, believed that Song Hao had no choice but to compromise given the circumstances, the Family Head of the Song Family made his move, attempting to flee in another direction.

"Hmph, dreaming of controlling this Family Head!"

With a cold snort, everyone was caught off guard as they watched Song Hao dash more than ten feet away, on the verge of disappearing behind a pavilion.

"Quick, after him!"

Seeing this, Yu Shu and the others were a mixture of shock and rage. They did not expect that under such circumstances, Song Hao would choose to sever his own lifeline. Now, seeing the speed at which Song Hao fled, they were not entirely confident they could catch up.

"Tsks, I knew it would turn out this way!"

However, as Yu Shu and the others had just started to move, a quiet sigh from somewhere suddenly came, causing them to freeze for a moment. With a perceived sense, they halted in their tracks.

This remark was, of course, uttered by Yun Xiao. When everyone turned their gaze towards him because of his words, they saw that the smile on his face had not faded, but at this moment, his right hand clenched fiercely.

Boom!

The moment Yun Xiao closed his right hand, a not-so-loud bursting sound was heard by all. Then they saw the Family Head of the Song Family, Song Hao, who had bolted out twenty or thirty feet, with his right hand seemingly shattered.

It turned out that the jade bottle in Song Hao’s hand had exploded at that moment, throwing blood-red flames from the shattered pieces of the Black Jade Bottle, enlarging with the wind and enveloping Song Hao’s whole body.

Many in the crowd were all too familiar with this blood-red flame, knowing it was Yun Xiao’s Ancestral Vein Fire, and once touched by such a powerful flame, the result was predictable.

When the crowd saw Song Hao transformed into a fireman, they couldn’t help but inhale sharply and reverence surged up for the lean young man who had not moved an inch.

It seems that what Yun Xiao had placed in the Jade Bottle was not a poison pill, as he claimed, but rather his Ancestral Vein Fire compressed by a special method.

That being said, Yun Xiao must have predicted that the Family Head of the Song Family would not compromise; otherwise, he would not have been so confident at the moment when Song Hao turned to flee.

Such intellect, such temper, even compared to older generations of powerhouses like Lu Zhan, was probably not inferior. Before the gates of the Song Residence today, it seemed as if everyone was reacquainted with the monstrous intellect of the Hidden Dragon Conference champion.

A genius with astonishing cultivation talent and fighting ability is not terrifying; what’s terrifying is a genius with such formidable cunning.

Many people thought to themselves that starting from today, the Xuanyue Empire might come to be dominated solely by the Jade Pot Sect, because this sect had a genius named Yun Xiao.