Chapter 563: Fighting the Divine Envoy (Two-in-One)

Yan Jing knew absolutely nothing about what was happening Within the Great Curtain.

He only knew that the trait gifted by the Great Curtain was remarkably useful.

Right now, he was already in his cabin on the ship, testing the limits of this trait.

First was the sheer size of the world inside the Screen.

It was massive—even larger than the Great Prison.

Then there was its capacity to hold entities. There were no restrictions, save for one: their Tier could not exceed his own.

Dead, alive, or even in the half-soul state Xiao Yu was currently in—none triggered any sense of rejection when they entered.

Furthermore, if a target's Tier was much lower than his, he could pull them into the Screen without needing their consent.

This meant Yan Jing could absorb the entire ship into the Screen at any moment.

Of course, taking in too many people still came with certain drawbacks.

While he could manipulate the world inside the Screen to a degree, focusing that control on a single target drained a tremendous amount of focus and energy.

He could bring down a natural disaster, for instance, but with too many people inside, tracking everyone's movements in real time would be difficult. If someone secretly caused a minor disturbance, he might not even notice.

Still, managing the mere few thousand people on the Cat Ship would be simple enough.

In short, unlike the trait of Space, which created an extra spatial dimension, this was much closer to a true world.

Both had their advantages.

Having finished testing the Screen's abilities, Yan Jing walked straight out of his cabin.

His other abilities were all combat-related; testing them by himself wouldn't yield much.

"Director Wen."

Seeing Yan Jing step up beside him, Weng Lingxiao, who was on duty, bowed slightly. "There are currently no signs of any other entities approaching."

"Yeah." Yan Jing nodded. "Deputy Warden Weng, go get some rest. I can keep watch here."

"It's fine, Director Wen. I've only been on guard for a little while—"

Weng Lingxiao tried to decline, but fine runes had already begun to spread across Yan Jing's palm.

"No. I can feel him approaching already."

Yan Jing looked up, gazing in a specific direction.

"Then I definitely can't leave. I'll go call—" "No, there's no need. Tell everyone to retreat into the cabins and activate the contracting defense protocols."

Yan Jing's tone was perfectly calm, leaving Weng Lingxiao stunned.

The contracting defense protocols meant tightening the coverage area of the Cat Ship's defense mechanisms, thereby drastically increasing their strength.

And this newly tightened range did not include the deck.

Clearly, Yan Jing intended to stay behind and face the enemy alone.

Moreover, this enemy had to be absolutely formidable—so formidable that Yan Jing felt the Ninth Tier guards would be of no help and might even become a burden.

After half a second of thought, Weng Lingxiao gritted his teeth and shouted to the department heads, "Everyone! Retreat into the cabins within one minute! Activate the contracting defense protocols! No one is allowed to leave the cabins without permission! Violators will bear the consequences!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd on the deck, though panicked, executed the defense retreat procedures they had drilled multiple times.

Soon, the deck was completely empty, leaving only Yan Jing and Weng Lingxiao.

"Director Wen..."

Watching the one-minute countdown near its end, Weng Lingxiao looked at Yan Jing and pursed his lips. "I look forward to your triumphant return."

Yan Jing smiled. "Thank you."

Weng Lingxiao said no more and immediately retreated into the cabin.

Yan Jing glanced at a corner, smiled, and raised his hand to snap his fingers.

Hiding in the corner, Wen He's expression changed. A severe tearing sensation washed over her, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a boundless, pitch-black space, with only a faint glimmer of light where she stood.

Wen He pouted. "I'm doomed, he found me. I'm definitely going to get a scolding..."

Yet the more Yan Jing acted like this, the more uneasy she felt.

If the opponent was someone he couldn't even let her watch from the sidelines, it pointed to a very grim possibility—the enemy was likely at the Tenth Tier.

"It's just a clone, just a clone..."

Wen He consoled herself.

There was no one left on the deck.

For a moment, Yan Jing felt the entire world go quiet.

The emptiness felt like a silent tide, slowly washing over him.

"So reaching this stage comes with this kind of feeling..."

Yan Jing smiled, found a chair, and sat down. He gazed at the "sky" filled with chaotic aura, finding this lonely sensation exceptionally familiar.

Back when he was alone in the orphanage, he had often felt exactly like this.

There were always people coming and going around him back then, yet it felt as though there was no one at all.

He would often stare at the slanting evening sun, wondering in its fading glow if all those billionaires were universally loved—surrounded by stars and the moon, never to feel lonely.

But now that he had truly reached this stage, he realized that being lonely and being needed were two entirely different things.

"Yiya, yiya..."

Xiao Xin darted out from who knew where, hugging Yan Jing's neck and rubbing against his cheek.

Yan Jing broke into a smile.

"Xiao Xin, why did you come out?"

"Zhu Leng is all alone, so Xiao Xin came out."

Xiao Xin hugged Yan Jing's neck tightly.

"Thank you."

Yan Jing pinched Xiao Xin's chubby face. "But I'm not alone."

He stood up, an apple materializing in his palm, and took a bite.

A green-gold leaf mark quietly unfurled on his forehead.

Fear Stance, Third State.

This was Yan Jing's first time confronting a Tenth Tier entity. He needed to do everything flawlessly; he could not afford the slightest carelessness.

Almost the instant he entered the Fear Stance, a figure crossed hundreds of miles in a flash, appearing directly above the Cat Ship.

The man wore a black dress shirt. A mask completely concealed his face, obscuring his age and appearance, as well as his supposed Tier.

Hermit.

True to his title.

The man stood right in front of Yan Jing, yet his aura felt no different from the surrounding air.

It was as if Yan Jing only needed to blink for the man to vanish out from under his eyelids.

"You people are quite good at running."

The man chuckled. "Quite smart, too, knowing to head elsewhere. I just didn't expect this ship of yours could resist the aura of chaos for so long."

At the thought, the man's eyes lit up.

This was no simple feat.

A Domain capable of moving freely within a Space Rift.

It was practically a natural-born rapid-assault weapon.

"We got lost."

Yan Jing smiled. "I am the director of this ship, Wen Xu. And you are?"

"One of the ten leaders of the Gods' Association."

The amusement in the man's eyes gradually faded. "You should have run into our people earlier. Why didn't you report to our spatial station? Why go out of your way to flee?"

"I told you, we got lost."

Yan Jing's gaze was incredibly calm.

"Excuses."

The Hermit's gaze turned practically freezing, completely different from the man he had been just moments ago. "According to the rules of the Gods' Association, Domains that evade our inspections must face punishment."

"What punishment?" Yan Jing remained calm.

The Hermit's eyes flickered. "Everyone must accept a contract."

"Become a second-class citizen of another Domain."

He rephrased it, changing the word 'brand' to 'contract', and 'inferior' to 'second-class citizen'.

In truth, there was little difference.

He just conveniently omitted the fact that, aside from the people on this ship, everyone else would be a first-class citizen.

"That doesn't sound too bad."

Yan Jing smiled faintly. "But we prefer to be independent, sir."

"Independent?"

The Hermit's eyes, visible through the mask, gleamed with amusement again—this time carrying obvious mockery.

"I already told you, this is the punishment resulting from the mistake you made. You have no choice but to accept it."

"Are there relevant legal statutes for this?" Yan Jing asked.

"Yes, of course there are." The Hermit spoke softly. "Look—"

Before his words even finished, he moved.

Facing someone who was at most a Ninth Tier, he had no intention of wasting any more breath or time.

Yan Jing only felt something invisible and unfathomable flash past his eyes. In the next second, four massive icebergs instantly materialized around him.

"Boom!"

The Dagger in the Hermit's hand plunged into one of the icebergs, shattering it in an instant. The pause in his movement was nearly impossible to catch with the naked eye.

But it was enough.

Yan Jing gently tapped his fingers.

A melodious tune rang out in the air.

Sonata.

Deceleration, up to ten times.

Ten times was obviously not enough. But behind Yan Jing, an illusory Compass quietly emerged, its pointer spinning.

Universal: All Techniques. Abilities related to techniques were elevated by one Tier.

Which meant—

A Tenth Tier Sonata.

The Hermit suddenly felt as though he had plunged into a thick, viscous quagmire. His body jerked to a violent halt. Just as he looked at Yan Jing in sheer disbelief...

In Yan Jing's left hand, a Paintbrush emerged amid fine runes. A figure identical to him was instantly painted into existence, plucking its fingers lightly.

This time, it was also a song.

Only it was slower—much slower than the Sonata...

The Hermit instinctively sensed something was wrong, but it was already too late.

He hadn't prepared his defenses in advance, and his speed had been reduced nearly a hundredfold. He could only listen helplessly as the eerie, lilting notes of the Piano played.

March.

Time pause.

Because it was an ability related to techniques, the Compass's pointer didn't even need to tick into the minute or second zones. It went straight to a Tenth Tier March.

The Hermit seemed to see countless gray runes manifesting in the air, falling vertically, rising, and plunging over and over.

His consciousness gradually stalled as well.

What snapped him awake—

Were countless pitch-black thorns piercing into his body.

Universal: Fear and Dread.

This time, it was a Tenth Tier Fear Thorn.

And it was a Tenth Tier Fear Thorn unleashed under the Fear Stance, Third State.

Agony flooded the Hermit's mind. He finally realized he had made a colossal mistake.

The opponent was absolutely not some Ninth Tier.

He was a bona fide Tenth Tier.

And in a clash between Tenth Tiers, he had not only surrendered the initiative but also committed an unforgivable error: underestimating the enemy.

In a battle of this caliber, underestimating the enemy exacted an irreversible toll.

And his toll was an excruciating pain that nearly paralyzed his body. Fortunately, at the very last moment, he raised his hand and spoke with tremendous effort: "Hide..."

Instantly, the searing pain receded like an ebbing tide.

But the crisis wasn't over. Although the pain itself vanished, the Hermit felt as if his head were going to explode. He could feel countless blood vessels bulging on his face, violently throbbing, trembling, ready to burst open.

Yet opposite him, Yan Jing stepped forward again.

"Hide!"

The Hermit's scalp went numb. He hastily activated another ability, and his figure vanished from the spot. Along with it, his aura disappeared entirely.

Had he run?

Yan Jing could no longer perceive the opponent's existence.

But he had a nagging feeling the man hadn't left.

It had nothing to do with abilities; it was pure intuition.

If he possessed that kind of ability, he absolutely wouldn't flee. Even if he had to cling like a leech, he would harass the opponent to death.

Of course, he could sweep the surrounding space with a carpet bombing.

But the opponent's speed was unimaginably fast. Even if he retreated thousands of miles away, rushing back for a surprise attack would take no effort at all.

As long as he had patience, he could eventually wait out a flaw.

This was a bit troublesome.

Yan Jing chuckled. He really should have just punched the guy in the face while time was paused.

If he had used the move the Old Man gave him, even if it couldn't end the battle outright, it probably would have put the guy in bed for a while.

"But there should still be some options."

Yan Jing smiled. He raised his hand, and a blood-red mark surfaced in the light.

In the sky miles away, the Hermit hid behind a cluster of chaotic aura. Realizing the opponent currently had no means of finding him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at his completely riddled body, hatred erupted in his eyes.

Not just toward Yan Jing, but also toward Luo Zheng and Mo Yinling.

Especially Luo Zheng.

The moment he thought that the bastard might have deliberately prepared that list and handed it over to him, he wanted nothing more than to slice Luo Zheng into a thousand pieces.

In his eyes, this was a blatant frame-up.

Otherwise, how could those two have survived facing a Tenth Tier entity and returned to the station?

They must have been beaten half to death and then agreed to act as bait to lure him out!

He was so furious his hands shook uncontrollably, nearly tearing open his slightly healed wounds.

How many years had it been?

As an existence walking a Pathway under the Dao of Speed—a Divine Envoy—how many years had it been since he suffered an injury this severe?

If he hadn't recently gained new insights into his own path and managed to hide his pain, he really might have died here today!

A Divine Envoy, dying in a Space Rift!

He glared in the direction of the Cat Ship, his gaze freezing cold.

That guy was dead meat.

No one targeted by him had ever met a good end.

If one surprise attack didn't work, he'd launch two. If two failed, he'd try three.

As long as he succeeded just once, the opponent would be finished.

Of course, he also couldn't let the opponent defend against him.

But now that he knew the opponent's tricks, the abilities used earlier were no longer a threat to him.

His speed was far faster than sound.

Dodging those noises was merely the work of a blink.

"Just you wait. Just you wait..."

Even the mask on the Hermit's face was trembling.

He began to regulate his aura, preparing to undo his Hide state bit by bit to treat his wounds.

This process was destined to be agonizingly long; there were simply too many Fear Thorns embedded in him.

"Aargh!!!!"

Having pulled out just three Fear Thorns, he couldn't hold back a wretched scream.

This kind of agony was worse than having flesh carved from his bones. The hand gripping his thigh squeezed so hard it nearly tore a chunk of meat off.

And that pain wasn't momentary. It was continuous, carrying an aftershock that stabbed right into the brain, paralyzing him with the fear of moving again.

Thinking that he had to endure this agony dozens more times, the Hermit's body shuddered involuntarily.

"I'll kill you. I will definitely kill you!!!!"

Veins bulged violently on the Hermit's forehead.

But in the next second, his eyes flew wide open.

Because the bleeding simply wouldn't stop.

The wounds inflicted by those thorns couldn't fully heal!!!!

Drop by drop, fresh blood fell from his body and, under his almost deranged gaze, drifted toward the Cat Ship in the distance.

Staring at the drifting blood vapor, his mind went entirely blank.

Only a single thought remained.

It was over.

It's all over.