Chapter 19: Ten-Thousand-Word Mega Chapter!
When?!
The moment he heard the voice, Yue Lan spun around, looking in every direction.
Nothing.
He saw only the grim face of the black-robed figure. Scanning around, he couldn’t find the youth!
He saw the masterpiece he and Qing Yu Chen had created, the walls like an impregnable fortress completely enclosing them, the icy snowy space he had crafted.
Everything blocked out the sunlight, sealing them in a dark box.
Indeed, indeed, this couldn’t be domain-type!
Domain-types were limited by space and could never withstand his freezing!
It was just that it wasn’t domain-type.
The gap between A-rank and A-rank was still vast, and Yue Lan, battle-hardened, believed he wouldn’t lose.
Even now, he didn’t take the youth seriously—after all, he was the branch leader of a city’s Ability Guild.
But just as he turned his head, the black-haired youth stood one meter away, facing him, the corners of his mouth slightly curling upward.
That face had sharp brows and eyes, the red mark at the corner of his eye seeming to flare.
He suddenly appeared before him,not controlled by the frozen space!
Yue Lan saw it, he saw the youth’s pitch-black pupils, saw himself reflected in those eyes.
The instinct to attack made him subconsciously summon ice spikes, directing them to pierce toward the youth.
“At this distance, you can’t escape!” He was just about to mock his opponent’s reckless trap.
But the moment they made contact, the air rippled with a wave.
The ice spikes passed through the ‘youth,’ yet that figure still wore that infuriating smile!
“An illusion?!” Yue Lan exclaimed in shock.
Yue Lan told himself it was just a petty trick, utterly incapable of causing any harm.
Though he was indeed startled, it was merely a bluff.
“Hmph, all you can do is skulk and hide.”
Then he saw that figure again, saw the youth’s leisurely and carefree expression.
The youth leaned forward, whispering in his ear: “Look at what you’ve done. Aren’t you supposed to be on the same side?”
What did that mean?! Yue Lan didn’t understand at first.
The next moment, he looked around. The only people standing nearby were the youth beside him and that still-lingering ‘illusion.’
Just the two of them, and a shadow.
But he hadn’t been standing here alone.
He realized.
It wasn’t an illusion—it was the black-robed man from Qing Tong, who had been standing so close to him!
In that instant, he saw the illusion dissipate, cold air spreading to reveal the C-rank black-robed man pierced by his own ice spikes.
The black-robed man was pinned to the ground by him, blood mixing with the melting ice water from his body heat.
The black-robed man stared at him, eyes wide, almost all whites, as if filled with confusion and hatred.
This C-rank ability user, who had run rampant in Qing Tong, who had killed countless under Qing Yu Chen’s orders.
He died so simply at the hands of the reinforcement Qing Yu Chen had brought.
Yue Lan felt as if he’d been struck by a heavy hammer.
Why had he mistaken this black-robed man for the black-haired youth?!
“Suddenly attacking your ally isn’t very nice, is it, Branch Leader?” The youth dragged out his words, those black pupils like an abyss.
And Yue Lan was being stared into.
“You deceived my eyes…” His blue hair was gradually soaked with sweat, despite being in a freezing space.
He could no longer trust his own eyes!
“What’s wrong? Not attacking me anymore?” The youth circled behind him, unhurried. “Didn’t you say you can’t escape at close range?”
He drew out his words, as if teasing, or perhaps just finding it amusing.
His brows relaxed, revealing a carefree ease.
The hem of his black trench coat traced an arc through the air, the rhythmic sound of his Martin boots on the ground like the tolling of Death’s doorbell.
“Tap, tap, tap.”
But Yue Lan didn’t act immediately.
Something was wrong. Yue Lan thought.
An illusion, it must be an illusion! He was luring him to attack!
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and suddenly, a spark of realization hit Yue Lan.
When the illusion appeared earlier, the youth hadn’t spoken—he had just stood there, smiling.
His eyes, his ears—his eyes were deceived, but his ears were not. Illusions couldn’t make sound!
And now, perhaps the youth had anticipated his hesitation, so he was staging this empty-city ruse.
The one pacing and speaking behind him now was the real person, the youth’s true body!
But Yue Lan hesitated.
Was this real, or another of the youth’s misdirections?
The first time, he’d deduced from the youth’s ability that he was a domain-type, and the youth had acted as if he were restrained.
But he wasn’t—within the frozen space, he still moved freely.
The second time, he instinctively thought the youth had merely moved to his side, as he had dodged attacks before.
But he hadn’t—it was just an illusion.
The third time, he thought it was an illusion.
But it wasn’t—it was the C-rank ability user on his side.
Three mistakes made him suddenly unable to trust his own judgment.
This youth was a phantom, an inscrutable illusionist, a lofty game-player, playing a game of cat and mouse.
And he, Yue Lan, was the mouse.
He regretted it.
He shouldn’t have come. How nice it would have been to quietly remain the branch leader in Four-Way City.
There was a vast gap even among A-ranks—why had he thought he was the stronger one?!
Was the person beside him real or fake? An illusion or reality?
And in the midst of his hesitation, he still chose to act, because whether real or fake, it would only mean striking an illusion.
Floating ice spikes and ground-piercing spikes surged forth in an instant.
Yue Lan’s eyes widened, watching as his attacks seemed to pierce the ghostly youth.
The cold air mingled with the scent of rust at his nose, the ice spikes piercing the youth’s body.
In that moment, the youth’s gaze was light and fleeting, offering no resistance.
Yue Lan’s first reaction was: impossible.
Had he really hit him? No, how could he!
It must be another false illusion, it must be another mistake!
How could that youth be killed so easily? This had to be another trick to toy with him!
And in that instant, he indeed heard that devilish voice.
“Oh my, Branch Leader, what are you doing?”
Before him, the black-haired youth narrowed his eyes, blood staining the red mark at the corner of his eye, lightly curling upward. He was pierced by ice prisms, his black trench coat hanging down, dyed red, yet he remained so nonchalant.
Specks of blood bloomed like flowers at the corner of his eye, those black pupils seeming bottomless, devouring Yue Lan’s soul.
"Why did you kill yourself?" he said unhurriedly.
Yue Lan was stunned.
Right, the person pierced by the ice cone, the person fused with the glistening ice, the person with eyes wide open, looking up at the black-haired youth ahead—
That was clearly himself!
And the one looking down at him, standing in the place where he had originally been, the one who had completely reversed their positions, was his nightmare.
A black, inescapable nightmare.
In the final moments of his fading consciousness, Yue Lan seemed determined to etch the youth’s face deeply into his mind.
He was a demon.
He would surely change this world.
...
In the manga, someone summarized that mimicry-types were generally outgoing and optimistic, spell-types were mostly cold and introverted, domain-types would cheat in games because they played dirty, and concept-types were a bunch of lunatics.
Li Li had never imagined that she, too, was counted among those lunatics.
The path she had chosen from the start was one covered in thorns, arduous to the point of madness.
For the sake of her real world, she placed her hard-won life on the gambling table.
Just like now.
Li Li’s black eyes swept emotionlessly over the blue-haired man who had pierced her, glancing at her Red Dot Map before turning to pursue the sole red dot.
She began to hum a song.
A flood of emotions crashed against her mind, chaotic lines surfacing before her eyes.
Was it real? Was it fake? She looked at those lines and curled her lips into a smile.
The ability: Illusion and Reality.
She would toy with truth and illusion, carrying her lies through to invert reality and falsehood.
Qing Yu Chen’s red dot was fleeing, heading toward the back door of Qing Tong.
The interior of Qing Tong, already cleared out by several people, was eerily empty, the corridors echoing with the lingering sound of her song as it faded.
The black-haired youth’s black trench coat was stained with blood, swaying lightly by her calves.
Li Li was, of course, not A-rank—she was merely lucky enough to reach C-rank.
And rank suppression was always in play. Illusion and Reality had a 100% success rate against lower ranks, but only a 5% chance against those of higher rank than her.
However, Illusion and Reality was the most unique type of ability, primarily affecting human subjective perception.
Thus, as long as her lies were believed, the success rate would increase.
If her lies were fully believed—
Then the probability would still be 100%!
Induce, deceive, use words to strip away their confidence.
When the ice pierced her body, the bone-chilling cold only made her more exhilarated.
She didn’t resist at all, because she knew the one who would ultimately survive would definitely be her.
The opponent had already fully believed her words.
The lingering chill seemed to cling to her body as she passed through the corridor, following the red dot’s route and opening Qing Tong’s back door.
The sea breeze blew in, carrying a salty, damp scent.
Having stayed in the darkness for so long, Li Li squinted uncomfortably.
“Found you,” she said with a smile.
Troublesome B-rank—they were undoubtedly enemies, with no possibility of reconciliation.
Still only C-rank, she couldn’t resist mental manipulation, so she had to deal with him while she could still use items.
[Deducting 300 popularity points, current account balance: 2282]
[Item [Immunity to Abilities] purchased successfully, countdown: 3:00]
...
Qing Yu Chen was fleeing.
The moment the C-rank he controlled was killed by Yue Lan, he realized things had gone terribly wrong.
After seeing Yue Lan’s tragic state through the surveillance, he immediately chose to escape.
“That Branch Leader, the one who could freeze space, Yue Lan, actually failed!” he said in disbelief.
Yue Lan wasn’t just a Branch Leader.
The Ability Guild was controlled by nobles, and Yue Lan was, in fact, a noble himself.
He died just like that?!
An A-rank spell-type, an ability user who dominated an entire city’s combat power, died in Jiao Huang, during an ordinary outing.
The Yue clan’s nobles didn’t just control Four-Way City; the four cities north of Four-Way City were all their domain.
They wouldn’t let this go—absolutely not.
Even noble ability users highly valued A-rank ability user resources, and Yue Lan’s death also meant the Ability Guild in Four-Way City had lost control.
And Qing Yu Chen, who had called Yue Lan to Jiao Huang out of personal motives, leading to his death, would certainly face consequences.
But right now, he had to survive that youth’s pursuit!
That person wouldn’t let him go, Qing Yu Chen was certain.
The youth, repeatedly provoked, would never let him go!
“He’s a lunatic, a lunatic!” Qing Yu Chen ran frantically toward the port.
“The Former Ability Guild is full of lunatics! That guy is the craziest of them all!”
The gray, overcast sky above felt like a thousand-pound weight on his shoulders.
He moved his legs, his ability spreading out to manipulate his subordinates into preparing a ship for his escape.
Five hundred meters more, and he’d reach the port.
Just then, a familiar low, hoarse voice sounded in his ear.
“Where are you going?”
Like a nightmare, the pitch-black youth appeared before him.
Hands in the pockets of his trench coat, as if he’d just happened to pass by, he greeted him casually.
But Qing Yu Chen felt no trace of friendliness.
Though it was daytime, though it was spring, he felt a bone-chilling cold, far surpassing the effect of Yue Lan’s ability.
His movements froze.
“Don’t rush off,” the youth said, slowly walking toward him.
His black eyes, framed by lowered lashes, narrowed slightly, a red mark at the corner of his eye dotted with blood.
He tilted his head slightly, the smile on his lips never fading. “Don’t we still have things to settle?”
In the next instant, Qing Yu Chen manipulated a black-robed man in the shadows to activate an ability, flames aimed at the black-haired youth.
He quickly retreated, but he saw the black figure standing leisurely amidst the flames, walking toward him step by step, as if on level ground.
The youth raised a hand and casually snapped his fingers.
The rising flames froze, like a photograph with the shutter pressed at that moment.
The real flames instantly transformed into illusions, their lingering shadows dispersing abruptly after that sound. The burnt dry grass turned into specks of star-like embers, dancing in the air, circling around the youth’s black trench coat, illuminating those unfathomably deep eyes.
Dark clouds stained the sky behind him with ink, and in the endless gloom, this firelight was the only bright color.
It was like a beautiful fireworks magic show, performed before Qing Yu Chen.
But it only filled him with fear—whether it was the understated ease or the casual nonchalance.
“What kind of ability are you?!” Qing Yu Chen’s hands and feet trembled.
He had initially thought it was a domain, but that guess had already been overturned.
Could it be—
“I told you long ago.” The youth lightly raised an eyebrow, saying carelessly, “I’m a concept-type.”
Yes, that’s right. When he had asked if the other needed goods, he had said concept-type.
The same as him, a concept-type capable of same-type predation.
“Impossible!” Qing Yu Chen shook his head, the chain on his glasses swinging. He rejected the answer. “Absolutely impossible!”
“There’s a hunter among high-rank concept-types. There can’t possibly be an A-rank concept-type now!” He denied the answer.
The beneficiary of same-type predation, a powerful ability user who hunted concept-types everywhere—he would never allow an A-rank to exist outside his targets!
Even Qing Yu Chen, a B-rank, had once been hunted by him.
That was his nightmare.
He still remembered the scene from back then.
He was defeated, crushed, his body rigid with fear, his voice lost in trembling.
He had met the nightmare that stole his hope.
He still remembered the fear in his heart, and he remembered his hoarse, desperate collapse.
Ruins, bloodstains, everything in shambles.
The sun had just risen, dawning over the sea’s horizon.
He could never forget.
At that moment of light’s arrival, that nightmare, with his back to the rising sun, destroyed everything and turned around carelessly, not sparing him a single glance.
In the end, he survived because his ability couldn’t control ordinary people—a limitation he had always found useless but which saved his life against a high-rank.
And now, he could see the sea’s horizon behind the black-haired youth, the overcast sky behind them. Today, with no sunlight visible, it was cloudy.
Yet he felt as if he were once again in that state of being suppressed to the point of collapse, as if he could see blinding light behind the black-haired youth.
Slowly, trembling, he spoke, abandoning the pursuit of useless information: “What do you want? Qing Tong? Or information about the Ability Guild? I know a lot, I can give you anything, please spare me.”
He wanted to live!
“Your opponents are the high-rank concept-type, the Ability Guild, the Yue clan nobles. You need help!” He pitched his value, bowing low with an obsequious posture, gesturing animatedly. “I can help you control many ability users. All of Qing Tong can be yours. You could have a faction all to yourself!”
Then he saw the black-haired youth raise an eyebrow as if interested, so he continued even more fervently: “Even the Ability Guild and nobles have low-rank ability user members. I can help you control them directly to become your allies. No matter which noble or which city’s guild you want to take on.”
“If that high-rank comes for you, I can help you control low-ranks to use as shields! All of Qing Tong can fight to the death for you! No matter what you want to do!”
He saw the youth tilt his head, the smile on his lips deepening.
Just when he thought he had a chance, he heard the youth say: “Is Qing Tong that powerful?”
“Powerful…” Qing Yu Chen was momentarily stunned.
He heard the youth’s brows carry a trace of disdain: “What can an organization with just one B-rank do?”
Qing Yu Chen suddenly seemed to understand something.
Right, just a small faction in Jiao Huang—why had he thought his conditions could sway an A-rank?
And why had he forgotten the pain of being crushed before, arrogantly thinking he could take down an A-rank?
Was it because he had gone unchallenged in Jiao Huang, acting tyrannically for so long?
He had placed himself in the role of an exploiter, oppressing low-ranks in Jiao Huang, disregarding others’ lives, seeing himself as superior, as if he could control everyone’s fate.
But in reality, he was just a mid-rank. In the eyes of high-ranks, he was nothing but an ant.
Just like now, facing this A-rank ability user, what could he do?
He controlled others, but he was still controlled by someone stronger.
This was a world where the strong ruled.
Almost pleading, he spoke to the one who could decide his fate: “Please, even if you want my ability, just let me live.”
“No need,” the youth said indifferently.
Those dark pupils reflected Qing Yu Chen’s face, and the youth’s curled lips seemed utterly cold.
“I’m getting a bit tired of this,” he said, lightly lifting his eyelashes.
His gloved hand casually swiped, snapping his fingers. “Talking to you is really boring.”
In the next instant, darkness surged over his vision.
In his final moment, Qing Yu Chen suddenly realized.
This person didn’t care about the Ability Guild or the nobles.
He had always been like this—acting on his whims, unrestrained and flamboyant.
He was too foolish to try negotiating with him.
…
The gloomy weather seemed ready to unleash rain at any moment.
Yiming ran with his head down, Tang clinging to his shoulder, her eyes red.
“We’re almost there,” Yiming said, turning into a small alley.
With his uninjured arm, he knocked on a gate. “Boss! Boss! Hua Yizhi!”
After what felt like ages, the boss’s voice came from inside: “In the middle of the afternoon, what’s this about?”
The door opened. Hua Yizhi, dressed in a Tang suit, his narrow eyelashes carrying a hint of weariness.
“If I need your help to go to Qing Tong to save someone, how much will it cost?” Yiming said directly.
The brown-haired youth’s face was filled with anxiety, and even the emerald green-eyed girl on his back looked at Hua Yizhi with pleading eyes.
The only C-rank on this street, an intelligence vendor who might be persuaded to act through a monetary deal, was also the only help Yiming could find.
Though his attitude was ambiguous, he had indeed provided Yiming with significant assistance.
Yiming couldn’t think of anyone else.
Jiao Huang was too unfamiliar to him; the people he knew seemed few and far between, and the most important among them was Li, who had driven them away with harsh words, staying behind alone in Qing Tong.
Hua Yizhi showed a hesitant expression, and at the same time, Yiming, fearing rejection, hurriedly added: “Qing Yu Chen isn’t in Qing Tong!”
Hearing this, Hua Yizhi shook his head and stepped aside to let them in: “Come inside and talk.”
But the brown-haired youth stubbornly kept his gaze on him, with no intention of entering: “Please, you’re the only C-rank I know here.”
Those blue eyes were filled with earnest pleading; he truly had no other options.
“Tang has already been saved, so what else could there be?” Hua Yizhi feigned confusion. “Didn’t you say you were only saving one person?”
When Yiming had previously sought information from Hua Yizhi, Hua Yizhi had mentioned that a D-rank like him saving someone from Qing Tong was impossible, but Yiming had insisted he was only saving one, so there was still a chance of success.
“Why the change of heart?” Hua Yizhi asked, his eyes carrying a trace of scrutiny.
“I can’t…” Yiming gritted his teeth. “I can’t stop myself from doing something unnecessary.”
He knew Shuang Buyan was right—for a low-rank like him, self-preservation was the most important thing.
Even if he went back, it would be futile, only burdening Li further.
But he wanted to go back, he desperately wanted to go back.
He didn’t want to flee; he wanted to stay and face the danger with Li.
He had promised that after getting out, they would become family.
He still remembered the glint in the black-haired youth’s eyes at that moment.
He wanted to pull Li out of that loneliness, but he hadn’t succeeded.
The heart in his chest was shouting, roaring, telling him he wanted to fight side by side with Li! He didn’t want to escape!
Why hadn’t he stayed? Why had he chosen to turn and leave?
“Please, boss,” Yiming said, his nose stinging. “Help me.”
But Hua Yizhi refused: “Sorry, I really can’t help with this.”
“I worked with Qing Yu Chen for a time, and I deeply understand the strength of his ability,” Hua Yizhi explained. “Even if he’s not in Qing Tong, I can’t save anyone from his territory.”
Yiming suddenly said: “Then what about protecting Tang? Can you protect Tang for a while?”
“That’s no problem,” Hua Yizhi nodded. “You want to go alone?”
Yiming set Tang down. The little girl stood on the ground, reluctantly clutching his sleeve: “I can help, my ability can help!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring him back,” Yiming said, patting Tang’s head and standing up. “I won’t let him be alone.”
No matter what, this time he would stand by Li.
Even if it went against Shuang Buyan’s words.
Hua Yizhi leaned against the doorframe, watching Yiming’s actions, his gaze deep and unreadable.
…
The sky seemed even darker, the clouds seemingly congealing, descending toward the earth.
Li Li lowered her hand, silently turning to look at the gathering dark clouds in the distance.
The spot where the ice cone had injured her earlier throbbed faintly.
Li Li had swapped her position and state with Yue Lan, but the A-rank’s formidable ability still left its mark on her body.
At this moment, she was thinking.
Though the role she played didn’t need to consider enemies, she still had to.
The unknown same-type hunter, the noble factions, and after this battle, she had thoroughly offended the Ability Guild.
Even someone as fond of smiling as her couldn’t muster a smile now.
The shop would close in a few hours. She calculated her popularity points, wondering if she could squeeze out one last haul in the remaining time.
She had just renewed her Red Dot Map, leaving her with 2182 popularity points.
The [Immunity to Abilities] item had long since timed out.
As her gaze swept over the Red Dot Map, she suddenly noticed a red dot appear out of nowhere beside her.
At the same time, she heard footsteps—the sound of high heels clicking on the ground.
Li Li raised her alertness to the maximum. She turned her head and saw a stranger.
Dressed in a beautiful black puff-sleeve dress, white knee-high socks, and round-toed leather shoes, the figure had a distinctly anime-inspired ‘girl’ aesthetic.
“Hello.” But the voice that came from their mouth was a low, masculine tone.
It was a boy. Li Li noticed his Adam’s apple.
The boy in the dress had short, wavy white bobbed hair and heterochromatic cat-like eyes—one gold, one blue.
He held a one-meter-long white rabbit plushie, his face as delicate and lifeless as a doll’s.
He looked like an Alice who had wandered into this place by mistake, exuding an exaggerated anime style.
But Li Li felt the heart she had just relaxed tense up again.
She didn’t believe for a second that this person was a harmless lamb who had stumbled here.
The earlier firelight was enough to drive away irrelevant people.
Moreover, the other had appeared suddenly—he was definitely an ability user.
“Hello,” she replied, her face showing a hint of intrigue, as if she were slightly curious about the sudden arrival.
A thought crossed Li Li’s mind, but she dismissed it as too coincidental.
It couldn’t be that right after Qing Yu Chen mentioned that high-rank concept-type hunter, she’d run into them, could it?
If it really was that high-rank…
As a C-rank, she definitely couldn’t resist.
She still remembered the story she’d heard while eating squid-pork xiaolongbao.
If that wasn’t an exaggeration, she had a chance of escaping unscathed.
If it was false, she’d use a shop item to flee immediately.
“Concept-type, Error Correction,” the high-rank ability user suddenly said, without even a furrow of his brow. “Name’s Dan.”
"You are a concept-type. What kind of ability is it?" Dan asked.
His heterochromatic pupils stared straight at Li Li, his round eyes resembling those of a cat.
He seemed to want to exchange ability information with Li Li, but what normal person would do that?
"Why should I tell you?" Li Li's mind was racing with thoughts, but on the surface, she maintained her usual composed demeanor.
Dan's heterochromatic eyes flickered slightly, and upon hearing her response, his expression darkened.
"Then I'll take it and see for myself," he said.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Dan's white hair was lifted by the wind, and a tremendous force radiated outward from them.
Dust and fallen leaves spiraled into the air, and nearby tree trunks bent under the pressure, emitting sounds like wailing cries.
The sharp wind made Li Li's black trench coat flap wildly behind her like a flag, and at the same time, a red mark appeared on her cheek.
[400 Popularity Points deducted, current account balance: 1782]
[Item [Illusion Space] purchased successfully, countdown: 3:00]
She isolated the space around her from the outside world, shielding herself from the piercing gale.
Concept-type, ready to strip abilities at the slightest disagreement.
Li Li was certain—this was definitely the high-rank Qing Yu Chen had mentioned.
How did she end up running into him directly? Was it a coincidence? Or did this guy have some kind of concept-type ability user radar?
High-rank ability users could easily cross a thousand meters in an instant; mere distance was no obstacle for them.
Li Li's gaze darkened slightly.
Since the other party had already come knocking, she had to respond.
She wouldn’t fight him head-on—that was a losing battle.
Her Popularity Points would run out, the shop items had time limits, and against a high-rank, she didn’t think she could hold out for long.
But she already had a plan.
She couldn’t beat him, but surely someone could.
The rumored city lord of Jiao Huang, who two years ago had stepped in to kill a troublemaking high-rank.
However, an attack of this magnitude was far from an earthquake; it likely wouldn’t be enough to draw that person out. Li Li thought.
She needed to add fuel to the fire.
Amid the raging wind, the black-haired youth’s bangs fluttered, revealing sharp, bold brows.
Let her think—what were the weak points of someone who liked to plunder others’ abilities?
She suddenly let out a mocking smile, drawing out the end of her words.
"Even if you take more abilities, you still won’t be able to do it."
The red mark at the corner of her eye made her bright eyes stand out even more.
"Forever doing useless work."
The next moment, the space around her vanished, and Dan’s heterochromatic pupils blazed with anger.
He said, "The pressure here should be 1.3 billion pascals."
Dan deemed the pressure here an error and made his ‘correction.’
A crushing pressure, equivalent to 13,000 meters beneath the deep sea, hit instantly, as if squeezing her organs together.
[300 Popularity Points deducted, current account balance: 1482]
[Item [Ability Immunity] purchased successfully, countdown: 3:00]
The pressure vanished in an instant, and Li Li’s lips straightened as her figure flickered like a phantom, disappearing from the spot to put distance between her and Dan.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Everything in sight was collapsing—trees by the roadside, ships at the port, the bronze Square ding building a hundred meters away, with the destruction spreading even a kilometer out!
"Boom!"
Li Li heard the sound of the earth splitting apart.
The white-haired ability user standing at the center of the rubble exuded an invisible pressure, and cracks spread, tearing the entire road apart in an instant.
Amid the dirt and stones, Li Li watched a rock flung into the sky by the pressure, her dark pupils reflecting the sky behind it.
Dark clouds gathered, and at that moment, a bolt of lightning flashed.
A roar suddenly came from the sea’s horizon.
Li Li turned her head and saw it.
A black dragon broke through the sea’s surface, soaring straight into the sky.
The splash it created reached ten meters high, falling quickly under the pressure, the sea’s surface slicing like a sword.
Thunder roared, mingling with the black dragon’s bellow, deafening.
Jiao Huang City, the city lord whose ability transformed into a dragon.
The next moment, the black dragon’s golden eyes loomed large before her.
"Dan...!!!" A grown man’s voice came from the dragon’s mouth.
Facing the black dragon that arrived in an instant, Dan frowned in displeasure: "Jue Hui Shen."
Almost instantly, the dragon’s massive jaws opened, as if to swallow the white-haired ability user causing trouble in his territory.
But he missed.
As his jaws snapped shut, the white-haired ability user appeared on the tip of his nose, holding a one-meter-long white rabbit plush.
Dan turned around, his heterochromatic eyes sweeping over Li Li.
"We’ll meet again," he said.
Then, his skirt traced an arc, and Dan vanished from the spot in an instant.
The dragon raised its head, its golden pupils shifting toward Li Li.
Li Li stood in place, the smile on her face seemingly innocent.
The beast’s pupil locked eyes with Li Li for five seconds before turning back to the distance.
"Splash!"
The dragon dove back into the water, and after the pressure normalized, the sea’s surface stirred with ripples, like a light rain.
Li Li looked up, feeling as though it had indeed started to rain.
The dark clouds in the sky seemed almost within reach, and a raindrop fell on the tip of her nose.
At that moment, the item’s usage time hadn’t even reached one minute.
...
This incident ended in a very short time, leaving only a shattered, torn earth and ruins scattered across the ground.
She dropped the innocent smile she’d worn in front of the Jiao Huang city lord, her face, for once, expressionless.
The conflict had been set from the start.
As long as that hunter wanted her ability, there was no reconciling between them.
The days ahead would be tough. Li Li thought without emotion.
Her gaze swept the surroundings—Qing Yu Chen’s body was nowhere to be seen, perhaps crushed under some crevice of stone. She glanced at the Red Dot Map again.
She saw the green dot gradually approaching.
It was Yiming, Yiming had rushed over.
Li Li’s black pupils quietly gazed at that green dot, her index finger twitching as if tapping the air.
The predatory stare of a high-rank same-type hunter, the various abilities of the Ability Guild that might trace her as the one who killed Yue Lan, plus the uncertainty of how many people Qing Yu Chen had told about her so-called “Former Ability Guild member” identity.
She was right about that statement—she and Little Corgi were not on the same path.
Facing enemies of this caliber, if she dragged Little Corgi into it, she was a bit afraid that Extreme Black and White would suddenly end.
After thinking for a moment, she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.
Ability, Illusory Reality.
In an instant, the face of the black-haired youth standing in place changed, becoming more sinister and strikingly handsome.
Her height shot up, and the trench coat she wore transformed directly into white.
Her hair lengthened by a finger’s width, her ability activated to change her eye color, and a half-silver mask appeared in her hand.
She slowly covered her injured left eye and the bloodstain with the mask.
Let her give this A-rank big shot a formal name.
...
Yiming was running.
When the ground began to shake, he hadn’t yet reached Qing Tong’s position, only seeing the Square ding building ahead suddenly collapse.
His heart constricted.
Yiming sped up, as if his legs were swinging into a blur, racing toward the ruins.
The convenience of his ability allowed him to quickly move large pieces of bronze debris, but his overexerted ability was sending warnings.
The edges of his arms, transformed into metal, caused the veins to gradually turn black.
But he seemed oblivious, tirelessly searching the ruins for that familiar figure.
“Li, are you there! Are you here!” he called out loudly.
He uncovered several black-robed men’s corpses—those he and Li had knocked out while escaping hadn’t withdrawn in time and died unknowingly under the collapsed ruins.
Beyond that, he found the corpse of that C-rank ability user, as well as Yue Lan’s body, still frozen in ice.
But he didn’t find Li, he couldn’t find her.
Just then, he saw a few drops of blood on the ground ahead in the ruins.
Only a few drops, but to Yiming, it was as if he’d found a direction, and he sprinted toward it.
“Li! Are you there!” His voice was hoarse. “Li!”
He didn’t know if this direction was right, but it was the only one where he could pray for a miracle.
“Li!”
He saw the ruins along the way, the cracked ground indicating what kind of brutal battle had taken place here.
Yiming nearly tripped over a stone, then stumbled again but quickly continued running.
“Li”
“Brother!”
In the next instant, his blue pupils widened slightly.
In a pile of ruins, he saw that black-haired youth.
The cracked ground was piled with stones, and in the center of the rubble, a bloodstained head was visible.
That familiar face had its eyes tightly closed, covered in dirt.
Blood spread through the stones.
And on the stone pressing down on him, a leather shoe rested.
Looking up, a strange man in a white trench coat turned his head.
A silver mask covered his left eye, and a pair of beautiful red pupils, like pomegranates, swept over him.
This was a strikingly handsome man, even with half his face covered, like a beautiful white flower under these dark clouds.
Hearing him, the stranger gave a casual smile and said nonchalantly, “Oh, are you calling me?”
“Getting chummy so casually isn’t good, you know.” He spoke in a tone Yiming didn’t understand, as if he weren’t standing on someone’s brother’s corpse.
Li was dead.
Killed by this man before him.
In that instant, a bone-chilling cold enveloped Yiming.