Before the black jade box hit the ground, a stream of dark teal Soul Power shot out of the darkness, caught it with unerring precision, and held it in midair. The box turned slowly as it drifted deeper into the shadows.
The Soul Power was so concentrated it looked solid. A faint green glow traced its graceful arc through the air.
That wicked, devil-may-care voice rang out from the darkness again, lazy but edged with a chill that brooked no argument.
"I'd advise you not to try anything... If you dare attack me, I guarantee they'll die before I do..."
Elder Ma choked back the attack he had been about to launch in that direction.
The Soul Cannon barrels around him had just begun to glow red. Now their light flickered twice and faded, as though someone had pinched out their fuses.
His gaunt fingers clenched, loosened, then clenched again. His knuckles cracked.
His expression shifted between fury and dread, his face turning blue, then white. It was as if someone had thrown cold water in his face, then doused him in hot oil. All that remained was a bellyful of humiliation.
Those two children were still in the other party's hands.
Xiao Hongchen. Meng Hongchen.
Jing Hongchen's own grandson and granddaughter.
If he made a move and either of those precious children lost so much as a hair, Jing Hongchen would turn the entire Sun Moon Empire upside down. And Elder Ma would be the first one made to pay for it...
Elder Ma drew a deep breath and slowly let it out. His chest rose and fell several times before he forced down the fury threatening to burst through the top of his head.
He unclenched his fist.
"Heh..."
A soft, careless sneer came from the darkness, laden