Helplessness welled up in the gray-robed old man's heart. He was weaker than the other man, and his entire family's lives lay in that man's hands. He wanted to resist, but his opponent's methods were certainly not limited to those of Ma Yaoqi and his companion.
They would only be crueler and more cold-blooded.
Seeing the gray-robed old man hesitate, Li Yan's expression darkened.
"What, you refuse to speak?"
At those words, the gray-robed old man immediately snapped out of his daze. He heaved another long sigh inwardly.
He had guarded against every possibility. Even when selling puppets to make ends meet, he had only dared offer low-grade ones.
That was how they had stayed out of trouble for so many years, never drawing anyone's covetous attention.
Yet a single, tiny oversight in the past had driven his entire family into a dead end.
At that thought, he glanced sidelong at the cultivator surnamed Ma's mutilated corpse, boundless hatred filling his eyes.
Ancestor, your descendant has failed you. If your spirit watches from heaven, you must have seen what happened today. I did everything I could to protect our legacy.
But now a cultivator above the Golden Core realm has set his sights on us. How could I resist a Soul Search? Weighing everything, I can only put the survival of our bloodline first.
His heart churned like rivers overturning and seas surging. All he could do was silently murmur those words in sorrow.
"Father..."
Before the gray-robed old man could speak, Shuang Lianzhou, standing to one side, was already staring at Li Yan, his face filled with grief and indignation, his eyes blazing with anger.
But before he could say anything more, the gray-robed old man cut him off harshly.
"Zhou'er, shut your mouth! Senior is asking how this