Chapter 786: Hanjiang Wharf (1/2, Requesting Subscriptions)

The black-robed man had seen many geniuses who challenged higher ranks.

But such terrifyingly potent rank-defying ability as Fang Yue's—he had never heard of anything like it!

"One misstep, and even I might have my head cut off!"

The more he understood Fang Yue's terrifying potential, the stronger his killing intent became.

Click-click-click!

At that moment, he suddenly noticed the severed hand he was holding was trembling violently.

What had originally been only the thumb, resembling parchment, now spread like a viral infection—starting from the parchment-like thumb, the entire severed palm was being consumed and transformed.

In no time, the entire palm had turned completely papery, giving off an eerie sensation.

The black-robed man was startled, thinking it some kind of cursed technique, until he saw the severed hand, after this transformation, rapidly disintegrate into countless granular fragments, rising and swirling swiftly toward a certain direction.

In just that short while, the severed hand had completely disintegrated and vanished, leaving only a dirty black handkerchief.

Gazing at the direction the severed hand's fragments had flown, the black-robed man's face turned as dark as water; he tucked away the handkerchief, picked up the Linglong Baxiang Flute at his waist, pressed two holes, and blew softly…

Crack-crack-crack!

With just one note, the Linglong Baxiang Flute shattered into seven or eight pieces; before the black-robed man could react, it shot off like falling stars—zoom-zoom-zoom—hurtling at incredible speed toward the direction the severed hand's fragments had gone.

The black-robed man stared dumbly as the shattered Linglong Baxiang Flute vanished into the distance, his mind utterly blank, frozen in place.

What the hell just happened?!

He was stunned—his precious flute had run away!

This was unheard of! Did this thing have its own consciousness?? No one had ever mentioned anything like this!

Coming to his senses, the black-robed man erupted in uncontrollable rage.

Failing to kill the target was his own mistake, but for the flute to flee—that was worse than death! This object's importance far outweighed any mission objective!

The black-robed man felt himself nearing madness, nearing insanity!

Without a moment's thought, he dashed after the direction the flute and the severed hand's fragments had vanished, chasing frantically.

He pushed his speed to its absolute limit, like a primordial beast sprinting across an ice plain—each step shook the ground, deafeningly loud, crushing every obstacle in his path!

…

In a world of ice and snow, a black line shot like lightning, piercing straight through all surrounding scenery—the frozen Han Jiang River was now faintly visible ahead!

"Faster! Faster!"

Fang Yue dragged his nearly collapsed body, running purely on sheer willpower.

The wounds left by a Rain-level cultivator could not be suppressed even by 【Night's Breath】; those sword wounds, infused with sword intent, were identical to the injuries he'd suffered when facing Tian Ruichi—only 【Time's Reversal】, a power that defied heaven and earth, could truly heal them.

But now, 【Time's Reversal】 presented a problem.

"Parchment, hold on! We're almost there!"

【…Zhi Zhi… I'm fine…】

As Parchment spoke, another image surfaced in Fang Yue's mind.

In a white, three-dimensional space, a cute girl was drenched in blood, bleeding from all seven orifices; her snow-white skin peeled off like old paint, revealing beneath it a strange parchment-like texture.

As her skin peeled away, the girl suddenly lost the ability to maintain her human form, collapsing to the ground, her body liquefying and deforming—her head and shoulders melting together, her entire body flattening into a pile of sludge.

"Parchment!! Hold on!!"

【…Overclocking boost… consumed too much… I think I'll have to fall asleep…】

In the pile of layered parchment-liquid, only the face remained barely recognizable, but it bore unmistakable exhaustion—eyelids so heavy they seemed ready to shut forever.

Fang Yue panicked—he had never seen Zhi Zhi in this state before.

"Stay awake! We're almost at Hanjiang Wharf—according to the premonition, once we board the ship, we'll be safe, safe!"

Fang Yue couldn't help roaring—his voice echoed alone in the desolate ice wasteland.

But Zhi Zhi seemed to have reached her limit; slowly, slowly, her eyes closed…

"Zhi Zhi!! I'll give you stones to eat! Don't sleep!"

【It's no use… this time, my core is damaged… stones can't restore it…】

【Fang Yue… survive! This is my final… Time's Reversal!】

The severed right hand seemed to form some kind of connection with his body.

His own time began to reverse; at the stump of his arm, an extremely potent special force emerged, as if pulling time and space back to the very moment his arm was severed, rewinding time to when the injury had not yet occurred.

His remaining lifespan began burning rapidly; from the wound caused by the Rain-level cultivator, strange air distortions formed. As his lifespan burned, the temporal-spatial force grew stronger, stronger still!

【Fang Yue… don't hand me over… to the old witch…】

In his mind, the liquid face had shrunk to just the mouth, whispering faintly as if from a mosquito.

As the voice faded, the entire image began to darken like a film ending.

"Zhi Zhi!! Don't sleep—we can see the wharf now, we can see it…"

Fang Yue's face twisted in fury as he roared through gritted teeth.

Yet the image in his mind accelerated—suddenly plunging into total darkness.

The image shut down completely; no matter how Fang Yue screamed, there was no response.

Fang Yue's heart sank; his left fist clenched tightly, and his speed increased again.

Black-robed man, whoever you are—I remember this grudge. One day, I will make you pay back a thousandfold, ten thousandfold!

Meanwhile.

Ahead, at Hanjiang Wharf, among a cluster of small boats, one large ship towered above them all.

Standing atop that large ship were none other than Jing Yan and the others—they had boarded long ago, waiting for Fang Yue to arrive so they could leave together.

As if sensing something, everyone spoke up at once.

"Ye Ge! It's Ye Ge coming!"

"That's wonderful, Brother Ye is still alive! Great kindness needs no words of thanks — if you ever need my help, Tian Ruichi, just say the word!"

"Everyone shut up! Haven't you noticed Ye Ge is running toward us like his life depends on it? That black-robed man must still be chasing him from behind — we set sail immediately!"

"Set sail? But Xiao Ye hasn't arrived yet…"

"That's right, this Han Jiang is no ordinary thing — ordinary methods simply can't…"

A dispute seemed to have broken out over there, and Fang Yue himself at this moment shouted from afar: "Set sail and depart immediately!!"

Fang Yue had once sprinted across the open sea on foot in reality, so naturally he could do the same in the game!

It was the black-robed man behind them instead — no one knew when he might catch up.

(End of chapter)