Chapter 826: Seclusion Meeting (1/2, Request Subscription)

With just one glance, Fang Yue excitedly cried out.

The cultivation breakthrough rate surged straight to 97%??

If things go smoothly, after listing a few more anomalies, I'll be able to break through to the 【Human-Level High Tier】 realm!

Even my lifespan has been fully restored.

The only minor issue is that the cost of Still World seems to have increased—it drained 0.5 from my Comprehension.

It seems that as my strength grows, the resource cost of all my skills also rises when facing stronger foes.

Still World is Fang Yue's anomalous Spirit Root ability, and also one of his trump cards.

This time, resolving the anomaly went smoothly, but it felt a bit like cheating.

After all, in direct combat, Fang Yue couldn't keep up with the 【Food Mist Anomaly】's movements—he relied entirely on the fact that the creature couldn't defend against Still World, then seized the chance to unleash his full power and cut it down in one strike!

This is entirely different from being able to fight a 【Malevolent-Level Anomaly】 head-on.

Fang Yue was well aware of this.

A Malevolent-Level Low Tier Anomaly corresponds to a Cloud-Level Low Tier Martial Dao cultivator.

Looking at it this way, I'm still far from being a Cloud-Level powerhouse.

No! Malevolent-Level Anomalies are inherently stronger than cultivators of the same level, so my gap with Cloud-Level cultivators might not be that large—but there's still a gap when compared to Anomalies.

Regardless, surviving this time involved a touch of luck. Fang Yue himself had to admit that.

He realized he'd become complacent.

This is Han Jiang—the danger here far exceeds that of the land.

"From now on, I must proceed with caution. If I keep acting this recklessly, I'll end up losing my life."

Crack-crack.

The lake surface beneath his feet gradually thawed from its frozen state.

Fang Yue understood he couldn't stay here any longer.

The only thing he regretted was that he hadn't had the chance to retrieve the 【Food Mist Anomaly】's corpse—it had sunk to the lake bottom.

The 【Sea Mist Anomaly】 had been completely eradicated; the surrounding thick fog dissipated visibly and rapidly.

Fang Yue didn't hesitate—he immediately ran toward the Han Jiang giant ship.

Strength, strength, still strength!

It seems that even in the perilous Han Jiang, I need to consider entering seclusion to cultivate—the sword techniques from Lord Han's legacy still need to be fully comprehended, and I must complete the Three-Strike Unification.

Otherwise, even if I now rise to Human-Level High Tier, I won't feel secure.

In one motion, Fang Yue vanished from his original spot.

The thick fog rolled away; the lake surface returned to its usual calm, with only scattered shards of ice floating on the water, testifying to the fierce life-or-death battle that had taken place here.

Fang Yue returned to the Han Jiang giant ship; the vessel immediately added two turbojet propulsion units, and its speed surged, accelerating away from the area.

Shortly after the Han Jiang giant ship departed, the scent of blood drew more Anomalies converging toward the spot.

Large shadows beneath the lake rushed toward it, with the primary target unmistakably the 【Food Mist Anomaly】's corpse.

"The strong devour the weak; the more powerful the Anomaly, the stronger its corpse's nourishing effect on other Anomalies."

At the stern of the Han Jiang giant ship, Chen Qing watched the shadows beneath the lake—ignoring the ship entirely, like college students rushing to a cafeteria—vying to pounce toward the 【Food Mist Anomaly】's corpse, and couldn't help but sigh.

Fang Yue's heart stirred.

"So does that mean I could also…"

"No, they are pure Anomalies, while you and Lin Ling are half-Anomaly, half-human—you can't be treated the same."

Fang Yue immediately felt disappointed.

He had thought he might also enjoy the privileges of Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu.

He knew he wasn't as picky as Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu—if he could grow stronger by consuming Anomaly corpses, he'd have devoured that 【Food Mist Anomaly】 whole in an instant, without a second thought.

"By the way, I heard someone was brought to you after inhaling the mist—how is he doing?"

"He won't die, but recovery is nearly impossible—he's effectively cut off from the Martial Dao. But with the several Sea Mist Anomaly corpses you brought back, I can still study them; maybe there's still a chance for revival."

Fang Yue nodded slightly. Once everyone else arrived, he announced his decision to enter seclusion.

"What?! You want to enter seclusion—on Han Jiang?"

Tian Ruichi widened his eyes, thinking he'd misheard.

Han Jiang's dangers are so great that even constant vigilance might not save you.

Yet Fang Yue still wants to enter seclusion—isn't that suicide?

But Lin Ling fell silent for a moment, then said: "If Xiao Ye spoke up, there must be a reason. Go ahead and enter seclusion—I'll guard you even if it costs me my life!"

Jing Yan unconditionally supported any decision Fang Yue made; Chen Qing frowned, hesitated, and said nothing—but it was clear he didn't agree.

Although Chen Qing and Fang Yue were close, he always thought rationally and wasn't easily swayed by personal feelings. Had anyone else proposed this sudden idea of seclusion, he would have flatly refused a thousand times over. The fact that he didn't oppose it now was already a concession.

"Don't worry—I have my reasons. And even if I call it seclusion, if anything happens, you can come to me immediately—I'll come out right away." Even so, disturbing someone in seclusion could cause Qi Deviation; no one wanted Fang Yue to suffer, so naturally, no one would consider interrupting him.

Just as their opinions were about to align, the helmsman's voice suddenly boomed from the bow.

"I think this is unwise. You just killed the Sea Mist Anomaly. From what I know, places where Sea Mist Anomalies gather usually harbor another Malevolent-Level Anomaly—the Food Mist Anomaly! Of all on this ship, only you have the ability to handle a Malevolent-Level Anomaly, and you're precisely its target.

If you enter seclusion now, it's equivalent to suicide—you're handing your own head to the Food Mist Anomaly!"

After observing Fang Yue's performance, the helmsman fully understood the power distribution on the ship.

In simple terms: one supreme, four useless, plus a bunch of useless guard ornaments.

If Fang Yue doesn't act, no one else can handle Han Jiang's crises.

Therefore, Fang Yue must remain present at all times to ensure Tian Ruichi's safety, guarantee the ship's normal voyage, reach Jingcheng sooner, and fulfill his long-held wish—to break free from the Anomaly Curse and regain his freedom.

The Han Jiang giant ship assumed that after saying this, Fang Yue would never dare to enter seclusion.

Yet to his confusion, faced with the threat of the Malevolent-Level Anomaly, Fang Yue and the others grew strangely expressionless.

Just as it was about to ask in confusion, Fang Yue suddenly spoke.

"Um, the Fog-Eater Wraith that Elder Duo mentioned — I've already slain it. The strange thing that swam past the bottom of the boat earlier was most likely coming for the Fog-Eater Wraith's corpse."

What?!

(End of chapter)