The elder's expression faltered under Ying Chen's questioning. "I… I had no choice… After all, that artifact was too powerful…"
"If I didn't hand over the Soul Locking Gu, I would have died on the spot. And after I died, the Soul Locking Gu would still have been taken by him. I would have died for nothing!"
"So, I could only hand over the Soul Locking Gu. I believe that even the ancestors of the Chi You Banner would forgive me for my actions. After all, the Soul Locking Gu is inanimate, while I am the last descendant of the Chi You Banner, a living being. As long as I am still here, the legacy of the Chi You Banner remains. If I perish, the Chi You Banner will completely vanish from this world!"
The elder was quite adept at self-consolation, finding an excellent justification for his actions.
Unfortunately…
Ying Chen cast a cold glance at the elder, then suddenly opened his five fingers and pressed them against the elder's forehead.
"Did you never consider that by using the Soul Locking Gu to save your life ten years ago, you might not be able to save your life ten years from now?"
The elder turned pale with shock.
Sweat beads, large as beans, streamed down his forehead.
He stammered, "Have mercy, have mercy! I… I didn't know ten years ago that you would come ten years later, and also be seeking the Soul Locking Gu!"
"If I had known, I would have definitely kept it for you! Compared to you, that guy is nothing, just boasting with an artifact!"
The elder attempted to appease Ying Chen.
However, Ying Chen was unmoved, merely stating coldly, "No matter what you say, you no longer have the Soul Locking Gu. In that case, I can only take your life in exchange!"
With that, Ying Chen exerted force with his five fingers, preparing to crush the elder's head!
The elder was terrified, his face ashen, lamenting, "No, no, no… Although that Soul Locking Gu is the last one in existence, it doesn't mean I have no way to recall it!"
"In fact, when I handed over that Soul Locking Gu, I was cautious and made adjustments to the mother Gu. As long as I perform the summoning ritual, the mother Gu can return on its own."
"However, I've been afraid to do so all these years because I'm old and frail, and my cultivation has declined. Back then, I wasn't a match for that artifact, and now I'm even less so. If I were to recall the mother Gu, I would inevitably be killed by that artifact."
"But now it's different. Now that you've appeared! You can definitely subdue that artifact and ensure my safety."
"Right?"
The elder tentatively glanced at Ying Chen.
Clearly, he wasn't confident, unsure if Ying Chen was a match for the artifact.
Ying Chen sneered, "Whether I can ensure your safety is uncertain; however, that artifact, once it comes, won't be leaving."
Let alone the Cold Crow's Fate Disk, which was merely an unremarkable artifact among Ying Chen's master's many treasures.
Even among the top-tier ones, Ying Chen was confident he could subdue them!
The reason was simple: the current spiritual energy is depleted. Even top-tier artifacts could only wield limited power.
It was like a boss afflicted with all sorts of negative buffs and with only one bar of health left. If Ying Chen couldn't handle it, then he shouldn't even dream of becoming a supreme mage again!
Upon hearing Ying Chen's words, the elder breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good, that's good. As long as Master Immortal can subdue that artifact, as for my life, I will definitely use practical actions to impress Master Immortal and make you willing to spare my life!"
With that, the elder suddenly staggered to his feet.
He walked towards a corner of the cave dwelling.
He had lost both arms, so he could only bend down with effort and use his mouth to pick up something from the corner.
As he returned to Ying Chen, Ying Chen finally saw what he had brought.
It was a tattered corner of a banner!
The elder placed the banner corner down and sheepishly explained, "This banner corner is the treasured artifact of our Chi You Banner lineage – the Nine Li Witch Banner. However, it was burned by that so-called Fate Disk, leaving only this small piece."
"And the adjustments I made to the Soul Locking Gu originated from the Nine Li Witch Banner. I secretly fed some of the ashes from the burned Nine Li Witch Banner to the mother Gu. This way, a remote connection was established between the mother Gu and this remnant banner corner."
"As long as I perform the ritual, the mother Gu will sense the banner corner's summons. Then the mother Gu will return on its own, unhindered by vast distances or deep oceans."
"Master Immortal, I will now perform the ritual."
The elder finished his explanation.
He carefully placed the banner corner down and began to chant words.
After chanting, he suddenly bit his tongue, drawing blood, and sprayed it onto the banner corner.
The next second, the banner corner began to burn fiercely.
Within the flames, indistinct shadows of spirits and gods flickered, and faint ancient voices seemed to call out from afar.
However, both the spirit shadows and the ancient calls were too blurry, only causing the surrounding Elder Guo and Grand Shaman to fall into fear and confusion, unable to affect Ying Chen in the slightest.
From this, Ying Chen concluded that the so-called "Nine Li Witch Banner" of the Chi You Banner was by no means a true ancient artifact.
Let alone one used by Chi You.
It was likely just borrowing Chi You's name, and in reality, it was refined by some unknown shaman.
It was not surprising that such a thing could be burned by the Cold Crow's Fate Disk.
Drip, drip…
Sweat kept dripping from the elder's body. It was evident that his spellcasting process was difficult and arduous.
Time ticked by, and after more than ten minutes.
The elder's summoning was still not complete.
There was no sign of the mother Gu flying back at all.
"Can you do it, you weakling!" Master Gui, influenced by short videos, blurted out.
Elder Guo gave Master Gui a disgusted look, wanting to find a more refined way to put it.
However, after thinking for a long time, he ended up with the same words: "The nickname 'weakling' really suits you! You make a big show of effort, but your score is 0-5!"
The elder was clearly provoked by Master Gui and Elder Guo. He exerted more force, veins bulging in his neck, and more sweat pouring down.
At the same time, the sound of gurgling blood could be heard from within his body.
It was clear that he was giving it his all this time.
But…
The result was still the same.
There was still no sign of the mother Gu flying back.
Plop!
The elder collapsed onto the ground, completely drenched as if he had just been fished out of a river, gasping for air.
And the corner of the Nine Li Witch Banner, along with the elder's fall, began to show hairline cracks.
It was rendered completely useless!
Ying Chen glanced at the elder and asked, "What happened?"
Although it was only four short words, the chilling intent contained within them made the elder's body involuntarily tremble!
As if disaster was imminent!
"I… I don't know…"
"I really didn't lie to you! I truly gave it my all to summon! But for some reason, the mother Gu didn't respond…"
"When this happens, there are usually only two possibilities."
"One is that the opponent detected the anomaly with the mother Gu and suppressed it immediately! Forcibly keeping the mother Gu by their side."
"The second possibility is…"