Chapter 782: I'll Hold Them Off! (1/2, please subscribe)

The black-robed figure blocking the road seemed to have just arrived on horseback, precisely cutting off the group.

This was evident from the horse beneath him, panting heavily, drenched in sweat.

But why had the other party suddenly appeared and intercepted them so precisely… Fang Yue couldn't help but think of the parchment.

Could it be that while the parchment was foreseeing, its location had already been locked down by the other party?

【It's not me! I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!】

Ignoring the parchment's words, Fang Yue carefully observed the black-robed figure.

Although the person was entirely shrouded in a black robe, his face was also half-hidden by a conical hat that covered the upper half.

Still, from the other's patchy stubble, Fang Yue managed to deduce the visitor's general appearance.

Slightly rough skin, stubble on the face, and a black mole beneath the right cheek — judging by the face shape, he should be a somewhat handsome middle-aged man.

And this person was unmistakably the one from the foresight image shown by the parchment!

Looking around at the surroundings, Fang Yue only now noticed that, at some unknown point, they had already arrived at the very scene from the parchment's foresight image.

Everything matched up perfectly, and Fang Yue felt a slight relief in his heart.

At this moment, the parchment excitedly popped up with text.

【It's it, it's the old witch's flute! the Exquisite Eight-Elephant Flute!】

【Good thing it's already severely damaged, otherwise we'd never have had the chance to stand here!】

The Exquisite Eight-Elephant Flute?

What does it do?

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

With the parchment around, Fang Yue naturally wanted to get the full picture first.

【It can seal off abilities like my fate-foresight qi currents, and counter them.】

【Simply put, special abilities like divination, fortune-telling, and heavenly mandate will be shielded and sealed, rendered useless, and can even be reversed to precisely locate the immortal who wields such abilities, then transmit whatever content the wielder wishes to transmit.】

【If I use myself as an example, my foresight would be interfered with, and the information it wants to give would appear instead!】

It sounded a bit confusing at first, but Fang Yue quickly understood how terrifying this thing was.

This thing is a bit like a hacker.

Normally, Fang Yue relied heavily on the parchment's foresight content, and once hacked into without knowing it, he would be misled by the altered content and led down a dead end.

For those skilled in divination and fortune-telling, this was almost a fatal blow.

And on his own side, the greatest advantage was that the parchment had its own consciousness.

Once tampered with, she could react on her own and resist.

Of course, this was also related to the fact that the Exquisite Eight-Elephant Flute itself was damaged.

【Never thought I'd run into the old witch's gadget here! Back in the day, I fought side by side with it, offense and defense as one, helping the old witch resist countless attacks and escape death countless times!】

【If my foresight is the strongest shield in the world, then it is the sharpest spear in the world!】

【Having both me and it is like having both the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix at once — gaining one lets you summon wind and rain, gaining both, what difficulty is there in ruling the world!】

【Hoo hoo hoo — I'm such an awesome existence! Hey, whoever you are, still conscious? Hey hey hey, old friends meet and you don't even say hello? Oh, forgot I haven't come out yet. Fang Yue, take me out quick, show it to him, maybe it still remembers me and will go easy on us!】

Fang Yue:???

Is there a need? The other party came here to kill us…

Just as Fang Yue was thinking this, the black figure ahead seemed to have finished sizing up the group, his gaze lingering a few extra seconds on the black ring atop Fang Yue's head before he slowly spoke.

"Among you, who accepted the imperial edict?"

Imperial edict?

As expected, they came for me!

Fang Yue's heart chilled, and the others instinctively glanced at Fang Yue, none daring to make a sound.

"Quite the loyal bunch…"

"Who are you! Why block the road? I am a disciple of Lord Tianjian, Sect Master of the Qing Cheng Tianshan Sword Sect! Block my path and delay my return to the capital, and when my master comes to hold you accountable, watch that your life isn't forfeit!"

Tianjian was no mild-tempered man.

The reputation he built in Jingcheng back in the day still made people's blood run cold at the mere mention of his name.

If something happened to Tian Ruichi today, he would surely unleash a storm of blood in Jingcheng, pursuing his enemies to the death.

Yet even so, the man before them did not care in the slightest.

And upon careful observation, Fang Yue could faintly sense from his micro-expressions… this person didn't even seem to take Tianjian seriously!

Realizing this, Fang Yue's heart sank.

Tianjian — who was he!

For many years at the Rain rank, he had delved deep into Sword Dao, and with a single sword could shatter all things!

Such a figure, and yet he was looked down upon by the man before them!

This person, who exactly was this person…

"Hehehehe! Tianjian? A man whose head is only temporarily stored on his neck — and he has the qualifications to bring pressure on me? When 'she' returns, Tianjian's head will fall to the ground… Enough, there's nothing to say to a junior like you. This one here is Yese Liming, the one who accepted the imperial edict?"

The black-robed figure let out a strange laugh, a cackling sound, as an invisible qi wave spread outward from him as the center, thick as if condensed into solid internal force, surging outward with this person as the epicenter!

Boom—

The qi wave blasted outward, and aside from Fang Yue, everyone was sent tumbling off their horses on the spot!

Fang Yue's horse beneath him was blown by the Internal Breath qi wave until only its skeleton remained, held fast in place by Fang Yue using internal force.

Sitting atop the horse's skeleton, Fang Yue's face was dark as water.

This internal force was so thick it made one tremble.

To this day, he had never encountered a martial artist with such profound internal force!

Even the memory of Lord Han paled in comparison!

Rain Rank! This person is absolutely a Rain Rank powerhouse!!

A shiver rose from his heart; Fang Yue couldn't help swallowing hard, his breathing quickened, and he rasped out through his constricted throat: "Go! I'll hold him off—you leave first!"

Of all present, only Fang Yue, aided by the sheepskin parchment, could barely match his Rain Rank combat power.

But the terrifying side effects and immense energy drain ensured Fang Yue could only strike a few times, and the battle would last an extremely short time.

Once he safely bought time for the others to escape, he must flee immediately!

Facing this man, Fang Yue never once considered fighting to the death—he chose to flee without hesitation!

At this moment, the others had also risen from the ground; their horses, though not reduced to bare skeletons like Fang Yue's, had long since died of Heavy Injury and lay motionless.

"Ye Ge!"

"Xiao Ye, I'll stay behind..."

"No! Don't you understand what he just did? He's not an opponent we can handle!"

"Go! Don't make trouble for Ye Ge!"

Everyone instantly grasped the gravity of the situation; they exchanged glances and scrambled to their feet, except Tian Ruichi, who hesitated a moment.

Tian Ruichi's eyes widened, utterly confused—what did that mean? Who was he? Who was she? How could she kill his master?

(End of Chapter)