Su Yunhao's expression was equally gloomy, as dark as still water.
For the Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand to act so arrogantly within the Su family's territory was already a blatant challenge to their authority.
Now, committing such a crime at a banquet hosting an honored guest was tantamount to slapping both the Su family and the senior in the face at the same time.
Murderous intent boiled in his heart, but his first reaction was to subconsciously look up toward the highest seat, where Gu Changyuan sat.
He wanted to know how this unfathomably powerful senior would react. Would he be furious? Would he strike personally?
Or... would he feel that the factions of Fengling City were incompetent, unable to handle even this basic level of security?
However, when his gaze fell upon Gu Changyuan, he couldn't help but freeze in surprise.
Gu Changyuan maintained his lazy posture, resting his chin on one hand. There wasn't a trace of anger on his face, only a bottomless, profound calmness.
It was as if what had just been snatched away wasn't a set of priceless Five Elements spiritual items, but five insignificant stones.
He merely used his left index finger to gently tap the small table in front of him.
"Tap."
The sound was not loud, yet it entered the ears of every cultivator present with extraordinary clarity, as if echoing directly from the depths of their souls.
This abrupt, soft sound caused the chaotic and noisy plaza to instantly fall dead silent.
Everyone's gaze was involuntarily drawn over, focusing on that highest seat.
They wanted to see how this mighty figure, who had been publicly provoked and robbed of the treasures he had bestowed, would respond.
Would it be thunderous rage? Or...
Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Gu Changyuan's left index finger rose and fell once more.
"Tap."
The second sound.
This time, as the tapping sound rang out, the space within the entire plaza seemed to undergo some indescribable change.
The flow of air became sluggish, the transmission of sound felt as if separated by a curtain of water, and even the circulation of spiritual energy within the cultivators' bodies felt somewhat stagnant.
An invisible, heart-palpitating sense of stagnation enveloped the entire venue.
"Tap."
The third sound.
The figure of the Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand had already fled the plaza. Having transformed into a phantom that almost blended into the light, he was frantically fleeing toward the outside of Fengling City at the fastest speed of his life!
He was ecstatic in his heart; the spiritual energy and Dao rhythm radiating from those five spiritual items made his very soul tremble!
He had hit the jackpot this time!
As for offending the Su family and the Chen family? And that so-called senior who looked quite intimidating?
Hmph, as long as he escaped a hundred miles away and entered his pre-set teleportation point, who could possibly catch him, the Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand?
"Tap."
The fourth sound.
The Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand had already rushed near the city walls of Fengling City, on the verge of crossing over and escaping to freedom.
"Tap."
The fifth sound fell.
At the exact moment the fifth tap echoed, Gu Changyuan, who had been sitting motionless, finally moved.
His left hand, which had been tapping the table, suddenly spread its five fingers. With his palm facing outward, he made a grabbing motion at the empty air.
Then, with a twist of his wrist, his five fingers instantly clenched into a claw, yanking fiercely in the direction of the Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand.
The Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand, who had already fled to the edge of the city wall with a smug, sinister smile on his face, suddenly froze!
He felt that the surrounding space was no longer a medium he could travel through, but had transformed into solidified, indestructible amber.
His proud, extreme speed that was enough to tear through the air became utterly meaningless in this solidified space.
He couldn't even move a single finger, completely frozen in mid-air while maintaining his forward-charging posture.
Immediately after, a terrifying force that was entirely irresistible and overwhelmingly powerful squeezed in from all directions, firmly locking onto him.
"No!!!"
The Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand let out a despairing roar in his heart, his eyes filled with extreme terror.
He wanted to struggle, wanted to execute any life-saving secret arts, but under that absolute suppression of power, he couldn't even blink.
The next moment, the world spun.
Under the absolutely horrified gazes of everyone in the plaza, the black shadow that had already fled thousands of meters away and was about to disappear over the horizon was suddenly yanked back as if by an invisible rope, flying backward at a speed even faster than his departure.
"Boom!!!"
The black shadow smashed heavily into the open ground at the center of the plaza like a meteorite, cratering the hard jade floor and sending dust billowing into the air.
When the dust settled slightly, the crowd finally saw clearly into the deep pit.
A skinny middle-aged man in a tight black suit, bleeding from his nose and mouth, his aura withered, and his face full of terror and disbelief, was slumped there in a miserable state.
It was precisely the notorious Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand.
And the five treasures, flashing with various colors of spiritual light, floated perfectly intact beside him.
Gu Changyuan retracted his left hand and resumed his posture of resting his chin on his hand. His calm gaze looked down at the Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand, who was like a dead dog in the pit, and he slowly spoke, his voice spreading clearly to every corner:
"I gave you five breaths of time to flee."
"But in the end, you still failed to escape my range of control."
"For your impending death, you can only blame your own incompetence and your attempt to snatch things that do not belong to you."
His tone was flat, but the icy killing intent and absolute dominance contained within it sent shivers down the spines of everyone who heard it, making their hair stand on end.
Five breaths of time... so those five taps were not meaningless actions, but... a countdown to death?!
This senior had actually been in control of everything from the very beginning?!
Allowing the other party to flee for thousands of meters, and then... casually snatching him back?!
What terrifying strength, what astonishing control was this?!
The entire plaza was dead silent.
Everyone was so shaken by this thunderous yet seemingly effortless display of power that they lost their composure, even forgetting to breathe.
Su Yunhao, the Su family members, Chen Qianzhen, and the Chen family members felt their pupils contract and their hearts pound wildly. The gazes they directed at Gu Changyuan were filled with unprecedented awe and... a trace of indescribable fear.
They knew this senior was very strong, but only at this moment did they seem to truly catch a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of his terrifying power.
The Thousand-Faced Ghost Hand was a slippery grand thief who caused endless headaches even for the Su family's ancestor, having returned empty-handed from multiple encirclement attempts.
With an early Mahayana realm cultivation base, combined with his unparalleled speed and stealth, he was considered one of the most troublesome enemies.
Yet, in front of this Senior Gu...
Five breaths.
A single motion.
Like snatching back an annoying bug.
Relaxed and effortless, yet revealing a despairing gap in absolute power.