Drip, drip...
The entire cave dwelling fell into a deathly silence.
All eyes were fixed on the old man.
Ying Chen's patience was limited. If the old man couldn't come up with a solution in a long time, Ying Chen would undoubtedly crush his head without hesitation.
Firstly, Ying Chen was no benevolent soul.
Secondly, the old man had already sealed his own doom when he activated the Myriad Ghosts Totem earlier.
This was his only chance to survive.
If he couldn't seize it, he had no one to blame but himself.
The old man clearly understood this.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he was extremely anxious.
He muttered to himself, seemingly reciting everything about the Life-Locking Gu from the Chiyou Banner classics.
Unfortunately, after reciting it once, he found no way to remove it.
In the end, he resigned himself to his fate.
He straightened his neck and said, "Kill me! I genuinely don't know any other way to remove it! From its creation, the Life-Locking Gu was designed to be impossible to remove."
"This is its destiny! Otherwise, why would this Gu worm be named 'Life-Locking'?"
Faced with the old man's surrender, everyone present was stunned.
Ying Chen's expression remained impassive, only a chilling glint slowly appearing in his eyes.
His five fingers, gripping the old man's head, tensed, ready to exert force.
He truly intended to kill him!
The old man continued to mutter, "Even the Han Crown Prince had no solution back then, so how could I? I am superficially a successor of the Chiyou Banner, but in reality, I am just a stray dog! I haven't inherited even one percent of the ability of the Chiyou Banner's ancestors. Your actions are no different from forcing a monkey to fly a fighter jet!"
"Come on, kill me quickly!"
"Don't hesitate! If you hesitate, you're my grandson!"
The old man grew more animated as he spoke, and by the end, he was even taunting Ying Chen.
Ying Chen, of course, would not indulge him.
His five fingers bent at the knuckles!
A tremendous force instantly traveled along his joints, reaching the old man's head!
Crack!
A crisp sound reached the ears of everyone present.
They all turned their heads away, unable to bear witness.
They could already imagine the scene.
The old man's skull would explode like an overripe watermelon, splattering red and white matter everywhere.
The old man's headless body would fall straight to the ground, like a severed log.
The scene would be as tragic as it could be, and as gruesome as it could be.
However, just as they were imagining the moment of the old man's death.
They heard an urgent voice: "Grandpa, don't kill me!"
"I've thought of a way, Grandpa!"
It was the old man!
Just moments ago, he was boastfully claiming "if you don't kill me, you're my grandson," but now, without any psychological burden, he directly changed his tune and called Ying Chen "Grandpa"!
The cracking sound was not Ying Chen crushing his head, but the sound of his knees hitting the ground heavily, shattering a stone slab!
It was no wonder he was the ultimate successor of the Chiyou Banner; his shamelessness alone was beyond ordinary people.
Ying Chen's five fingers, which had already reached the tips of his knuckles, were like a fired bullet in flight.
In such a situation, no one could possibly pull back.
Yet, Ying Chen astonishingly vibrated his fingers a few times, and in an impossible manner, dissipated the force directly!
"Hiss!"
The old man felt the vibrating force on his skull and gasped.
On one hand, he was relieved to have escaped death; on the other, he was shocked by Ying Chen's terrifying strength!
Ying Chen's mastery in arts was already so profound, yet he could also possess such attainments in martial arts?
Was this even human?
He was simply a monster!
Such a person should not have been born in modern times; he should have been born in ancient times to torment the great figures of the ancient mystical world!
His existence in modern times was a crushing defeat for all modern martial artists and mystical cultivators.
Little did the old man know, Ying Chen had already tormented the great figures of the ancient mystical world.
To those great figures, Ying Chen was, in fact, a dimensional crushing force.
"I hope you are not lying to me this time."
"Otherwise, your death will not be so easy; I will make you taste the agony of having your bones scraped and your soul searched before you die."
Ying Chen looked at the old man coldly and said.
The old man quickly assured him, "Don't worry, I would never lie to you! At such a critical juncture, how dare I speak carelessly? I have a clear objective!"
"Old man, didn't you just emphatically say that from the beginning of its creation, the Life-Locking Gu had no possibility of being removed? Why have you changed your tune now? I think you're just trying to stall for time to save your own life!" Master Gui scoffed.
The old man glanced at Master Gui and said nothing.
But the meaning in his eyes was very clear: as mystical practitioners, what right does a mortal like you have to interrupt our conversation?
Master Gui understood the meaning in the old man's eyes and immediately became furious.
If it weren't for Elder Guo's repeated dissuasion, Master Gui would have definitely... spat at the old man!
"Immortal Master, the reason I could think of this method is also thanks to you. Earlier, when your fingertip was on my head, it instantly stimulated blood flow to my brain, allowing me to recall something that had been buried deep in my memory..."
The old man said, flattering.
Ying Chen ignored him, giving him only a cold look.
Seeing Ying Chen's gaze, the old man immediately shut up, "I understand, I understand. I won't waste any more words; I'll get straight to the point!"
"Didn't I mention the Han Crown Prince earlier? In fact, the Han Crown Prince wasn't without a method to remove the Life-Locking Gu. The Han Crown Prince, being second only to the emperor and holding immense power, summoned a large number of top alchemists. After collective discussion, they came up with a method."
"That is to use a magical artifact, and with the artifact's special power, externally shock and kill the Life-Locking Gu!"
"A magical artifact?" Ying Chen's brow furrowed upon hearing this.
Using a magical artifact to shock and kill the Life-Locking Gu was similar to Ying Chen helping Nannan remove the Life-Locking Gu; both involved external intervention.
If it were possible, Ying Chen would have acted long ago. Why would he go through all this trouble?
Was the old man talking nonsense just to save his life?
Seeing Ying Chen's doubt, the old man quickly explained, "Immortal Master, please listen to me. I am absolutely not speaking nonsense or intentionally deceiving you. If the records are accurate, that magical artifact can indeed shock and kill the Life-Locking Gu without harming the host's brain."
"That magical artifact is called the Twelve Yuan Chen Xuan Yin Bell."
"It is rumored to have been created by an ancient great shaman who heard the rhythms from heaven from the wind. If it is hung under the eaves, it will sway with the wind and produce twelve different melodies."
"And each melody corresponds to a different power."
"The sound of the 'Zi Shi' (midnight) within it, like the germination of earth's energy and the arrival of spring rain, is silent and nurturing. It can silently penetrate the brain and shock and kill the Life-Locking Gu without damaging brain tissue!"
"This object is the best tool for removing the Life-Locking Gu!"