Chapter 785: Overclock! (2/2, Request Subscription)

The black-robed man's face darkened. Though his strength far surpassed this youngster, he had been repeatedly thwarted—this was outright contempt! "No matter how mysterious your recovery method is, you absolutely cannot withstand the fourth, fifth, and sixth layers of Thunder Sword Net! I advise you to surrender peacefully, or when I unleash my true abilities, you won't even keep a whole corpse!"

As the black-robed man spoke, he noticed Fang Yue was staring up at him, fixed and silent, slowly whispering four words.

"Still World!"

Hum!!

The black-robed man panicked—he found his Internal Breath had suddenly halted, its flow slowed to an excruciating crawl.

And not just him—everything around him, from sound to motion, from the Thunder Sword Nets to the airflow of air itself, everything was nearly frozen!

What kind of devilish technique is this!?

In this nearly absolute stillness, the black-robed man's mind still turned clearly, thinking normally—as if only external manifestations were frozen, while his own thoughts continued at normal speed.

That meant he could plainly, vividly observe everything after the stillness!

And within this still world, he watched as Fang Yue's back suddenly sprouted a single massive black wing with a hiss!

The single black wing seemed unstable, burning like flame, while Fang Yue himself effortlessly slipped past the fourth Thunder Sword Net, then the fifth and sixth, like a black thread slicing through all, racing straight toward the black-robed man!

How bold!!

Internal Breath surged violently within him!

The previously sluggish Internal Breath suddenly broke through some restriction, surging wildly—flowing through his entire body, restoring control, and erupting in a furious aura that shot skyward!

The palpable, overwhelming killing intent surged toward the oncoming figure like a tidal wave.

Crack! Crack!

His right hand, which had nearly frozen while gripping the sword, suddenly emitted a brilliant glow—Internal Breath surged through his entire body, sword intent exploded, and his body instantly returned to normal, breaking free from the Still World's influence!

"Come then!!"

With a roar, the black-robed man raised his sword—violent killing intent and overflowing sword qi spiraled and merged above him, then, infused with Internal Breath, coalesced into a visible, hundred-meter-long blood-red great sword!

His right hand slashed downward—and the blood-red great sword above him synchronized, descending at light speed, striking directly upon the black dot racing toward him!

Bang!!!

A deafening explosion rang out, and the flow of time fully returned to normal.

Invisible ripples surged through the air.

As layers of shockwaves exploded outward, they flattened the surrounding terrain, kicking up massive clouds of dust.

This sword strike was earth-shattering.

This sword strike was heaven-rending.

But—this sword strike was blocked.

The black-robed man stared at the black dot before him, holding a blade to block the blood-red great sword, his eyes filled with awe, admiration, shock, and deep envy.

Truly… a prodigy beyond measure!!

Lost. This job was a total loss.

This boy's potential was no longer worth any price!

Had they not fought to this extent, the black-robed man might have even apologized, begged forgiveness, and sought friendship.

But… there's no cure for regret in this world!

Having offended a peerless genius to this degree, the only way to rest easy was to ensure the genius perished utterly.

Looking at the figure before him, nearly dead, nearly turned into a bloody rag, the black-robed man's face darkened, his killing intent surging.

The boy now seemed to lack even the strength to lift his hand—his clothes were shredded, hanging in tatters; the black silk covering his body had thinned to threadlike strands, clinging only to a few drops on his right hand, as if protecting something.

Upon closer look, it was clearly a handkerchief tied to his right hand.

The black-robed man saw nothing special about the handkerchief, but to the boy, it was clearly an object of great value.

Without hesitation, the black-robed man raised his sword and slashed through empty air.

A hum of sword-song—Fang Yue, on the brink of death, had no time to react; his hand wrapped in the handkerchief was cleanly severed and flung high into the air.

The black-robed man moved instantly, appearing behind Fang Yue, catching the falling severed hand with calm precision, sneering at Fang Yue.

"Your time is up. Any last words?"

Fang Yue blinked, and only then did blood gush violently from his severed arm—he was dizzy, his vision blurred, consciousness fading, nearing his limit.

At this moment, Fang Yue fully understood: against a true Rain Realm expert, his strength was still woefully inadequate!

The parchment's enhancement was merely external—his own foundation was too weak; forcibly boosting it could not let him stand toe-to-toe with a Rain Realm expert!

The Guizhi and parchment's power could somewhat offset the vast gap in Origin Power—but only somewhat. To forge steel, one must be steel oneself. Without raising his own strength, it was still impossible.

Fang Yue clearly realized: if Bai Xiaoya's state back then was like a novice Rain Realm expert, then the black-robed man before him was a veteran monster who had fought for years within the Rain Realm!

The gap between them was so immense, it could not be measured by mere beginner, intermediate, or advanced tiers—it was like two different dimensions, separated by an absolute, uncrossable chasm!

All strength, spirit, Internal Breath, Guizhi… everything was nearly exhausted.

The black ring above his head, as if kicking him while he was down, suddenly intensified, crashing down upon him with a rattling sound.

At this moment, Fang Yue understood: the only thing left he could do was utter his final four-word last words…

"Still… World!!"

【Overclock… Amplification!!】

Fang Yue and the parchment roared simultaneously.

Under the berserk power amplification, a visible, semi-transparent circle erupted from Fang Yue, rapidly spreading outward.

On the flattened ground, layers of frost exploded outward, freezing the earth into ice and snow, turning distant trees silver-white.

The speed of frost spread perfectly synchronized with the circle's expansion—wherever both spread, everything synchronized into stillness!

The black-robed man had just taken one step forward when he was engulfed by the dual circles.

His mind paused for an instant.

Time, consciousness, everything—seemed frozen in this moment.

By the time the black-robed figure came back to his senses, the surroundings were a vast expanse of white, snowflakes drifting down, and within a radius of ten li, everything had transformed into a world of ice and snow!

As for Fang Yue, his whereabouts were unknown, his traces long vanished.

"My… mind was frozen for how many seconds?"

A terrifying, even chilling thought rose in his mind—the black-robed man now felt a deep wariness toward Fang Yue.

(End of this chapter)