Chapter 326: False and Ending (15/15, Autumn Subscription)

Bai Xiaoya turned her head to look at Fang Yue, who was holding her, and suddenly tears poured down her face; she burst into loud sobs, burying her face against his chest.

There was no hidden motive, no secret behind it—only a pure transaction.

She herself, and all these people who called her home, were raised well simply to be sold for a high price—that's all! That's all!!

Bai Xiaoya cried even harder, while ahead, Bai Shixiong slowly broke into a cold smirk.

"What are you laughing at?" Fang Yue frowned.

"I laugh at your ignorance! You can't even touch a single hair of hers—right now, right before your eyes, I'll make her completely different!"

Saying this, Bai Shixiong sneered and raised the Soul-Hosting Jade Pendant high.

"Summon… the soul!!"

Bai Shixiong roared loudly, his aura formidable!

Yet…

One second passed.

Three seconds passed.

Ten seconds passed.

One minute passed.

Nothing… happened.

Fang Yue had been slightly startled at first, wondering what Bai Shixiong was up to.

But in the end… nothing happened.

"That's it?"

Fang Yue couldn't help but sneer.

Bai Shixiong's expression froze.

"How could it… how could it be empty?? Where's the soul?? Where did you put the soul?!"

"What soul?"

"The soul inside the Jade Pendant! The soul!!"

Bai Shixiong was frantic, sweat drenching his forehead.

"What do I do, what do I do… if I can't deliver the 【soul】, 【Shadow Line】 will kill me!"

Shadow Line?

Fang Yue paused slightly, then his face twisted into a vicious snarl.

He lunged forward, still holding Bai Xiaoya, and kicked Bai Shixiong square in the chest.

In his panic, Bai Shixiong dropped the Jade Pendant—it flew high into the air, and Fang Yue snatched it out of midair.

Planting his foot on Bai Shixiong's chest, Fang Yue sneered: "I don't know if 【Shadow Line】 will kill you—but if you don't spill something now, I'll kill you myself!"

"Fool! Fool! You know absolutely nothing, absolutely nothing!!"

Bai Shixiong immediately flew into a rage.

The next instant, Fang Yue's pupils shrank sharply.

He saw Bai Shixiong suddenly appear high in the sky, plummeting rapidly—about to smash into the ground and turn to pulp!

His face changed; Fang Yue instantly burned his lifespan to gain one second of invincibility…

And the next instant, he saw himself still standing in place, one foot still pressing down on Bai Shixiong.

Everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

"You?!"

Bai Shixiong stared wide-eyed, disbelief in his gaze: "How could you… be so fast…"

"Don't say I'm fast—I'm very sturdy!"

Fang Yue stomped down hard on Bai Shixiong, then asked: "What just happened? You used some trick to plunge me straight into an illusion—was Bai Su'e's phone call also fabricated by your illusion?"

"Hehehehehehe! That wasn't an illusion—Bai Su'e has been cooperating with our 【Shadow Line】 for years. How did he build his power in Jianghai City? Didn't he rely on 【Shadow Line】's support? Now he refuses to obey and won't stay obedient—【Shadow Line】 naturally must teach him a lesson."

Reality strikes harder than any lie.

The faint hope Bai Xiaoya had just clung to was utterly shattered.

His eyes turned numb; he became utterly lost, as if nothing mattered anymore.

"... Then what do you mean by 'supply'?"

"【Shadow Line】 has quotas—every member must complete their assigned task. Bai Su'e recently suffered a major setback and needs a big job to recover. The task he took was to find a body perfectly suited to the Soul-Hosting Jade Pendant. My task is to receive the Jade Pendant, awaken the soul inside, and possess the body!"

Bai Shixiong answered without hesitation, but what he revealed still stunned Fang Yue.

"Possession… if it succeeds, won't Bai Xiaoya die?"

"Yes, but possession causes no pain, and the process is usually over in an instant—so what's the big deal? Besides, judging by her condition, she doesn't want to live anyway—this state is perfect for possession."

Everything now connected—Bai Su'e had even calculated Bai Xiaoya's mental state into his plan.

To sell his daughter, he truly spared no cruelty.

Fang Yue's face darkened as he asked: "Has the Soul-Hosting Jade Pendant ever succeeded in possession?"

"No." Bai Shixiong stated firmly.

"Never?" Fang Yue was stunned: "Not even once?"

"Never once—every single attempt has failed."

"Then why…"

"If you fail, do you give up? The theory is already solid—why not keep trying?"

"Theory? Where did you get this theory? The Soul-Hosting Jade Pendant isn't…"

Fang Yue was about to say "game," but hesitated, fearing he might reveal too much, and fell silent.

But the Bai Shixiong pinned to the ground beneath their feet wore a mocking smirk.

"Say those two words — ga-me—"

Fang Yue's expression shifted slightly: "You know?"

"Of course I know. Where else do you think the theory came from?"

"... Who gave you people the theory?"

"Naturally, those who played the game's closed beta... 【Cheaters】."

Fang Yue's pupils contracted sharply.

He had... never heard of such a thing.

"Blue Sea" had a closed beta? What happened during the closed beta? Were all the closed-beta players called 【Cheaters】?

Were they still playing the game now? What did they know? And through the closed beta, how many schemes had they laid against reality?

For a moment, Fang Yue felt his head start to throb.

But before Fang Yue could press further, Bai Shixiong suddenly began to laugh.

"Truly perfect, a perfect vessel. Too bad the Soul-Infusing Jade Pendant wasn't chosen well — but even so, the number of Soul-Infusing Jade Pendants in 【Shadow】 is pitifully scarce. Only a mere three. Two are sealed away, and the third is the one in your hands right now — and it's broken too!"

Vessel?

Fang Yue looked at Bai Xiaoya in his arms, only now noticing that Bai Xiaoya was laughing one moment, dazed the next — just like someone who'd gone mad!

*Smack!! *

A slap, delivered straight across Bai Xiaoya's face.

"Pull yourself together! You're not dead yet!"

Bai Xiaoya was silent for a moment, then said in a hollow voice: "... What difference is there between what I am now and being dead?"

"Dead is dead, alive is alive! That's the difference! You're still breathing — that means you're alive. Don't torment yourself over something like this."

Hearing Fang Yue's words, Bai Xiaoya froze for a beat. Her mind, it seemed, regained the ability to think, and her expression gradually settled into calm.

"You're right... let go of me."

"What?"

"Let go of me. I have something to ask him."

Fang Yue released her. Bai Xiaoya walked over to stand before Bai Shixiong.

Just as Fang Yue was still wondering what Bai Xiaoya meant to ask, Bai Xiaoya raised her phone and slammed it down right onto Bai Shixiong's face.

*Thud! *

*Thud! Thud! Thud! *

One smash, one bloody crater. Within a few blows, Bai Shixiong's face was unrecognizable, enough to make one's stomach turn.

While Fang Yue stood there dumbfounded, Bai Xiaoya tossed the phone aside and brushed past him.

"I wanted to ask him what it feels like to be dead. That's all."

PS: Going to sleep now. Looks like the max I can do for daily updates is 10 chapters — any more and I can't handle it.

(End of this chapter)