# 390
Chapter 390 – Jialan vs. Cao Yuan
Elsewhere.
Atop a towering skyscraper, Lin Qiye stood alone in the darkness, one hand gripping his blade.
A violent explosion suddenly thundered in the distance; he started, whipping his head toward it.
“That’s…”
“They’ve run straight into Team 017,” An Qingyu said, drifting down from the night sky to land lightly beside him. He frowned in the direction of the blast.
“How many?” Lin Qiye asked.
An Qingyu’s eyes half-closed; through the mental link of his rat swarm he watched the scene unfold.
“Two,” he answered calmly. “But their Forbidden Ruins counter Baili Pangpang and Cao Yuan perfectly, and they’re strong. Things look bad.”
“The Night Watch team stationed in Gusu won’t be pushovers…” Lin Qiye pondered, then turned. “Give me odds—do I jump in now?”
The original plan had been to save that reverse-summon, east-noise-west-strike gambit for the final clash with Bell Cranel. If Lin Qiye teleported now, the whole setup would unravel and they’d flip from hunters to prey. Worse, An Qingyu would be left alone—easy pickings for Bell Cranel. Unless absolutely necessary, Lin Qiye had to stay put.
An Qingyu hesitated. “Without Jialan, their chance drops below thirty percent.”
Lin Qiye blinked. “And with her?”
An Qingyu lifted his gaze, the corner of his mouth curling.
“Eighty.”
……
Silver-Rooster Lakeside.
Cao Yuan’s fingers slowly closed around the hilt of his Straight Blade. Invisible threads wrapped every joint; eerie force flowed through them, seizing each muscle.
He clenched his teeth, sweat beading and falling, yet the pressure in his grip only grew.
“Get out of here… Qiye’s gone—you can’t hold me back!” he rasped at Jialan.
She regarded him calmly, sliding the pale-yellow hardwood bow from her back, nocking an arrow toward the rooftop figure.
Her sidelong glance found Cao Yuan. Lips parted: “Don’t… worry…”
Sensing her killing intent, the rooftop puppeteer flicked a finger; the force on Cao Yuan’s hand multiplied several-fold.
Crack—!
The Straight Blade slid half an inch from its sheath.
Black flame erupted, coating Cao Yuan in an instant. Murderous aura shot skyward—he became a fiendish engine of slaughter, eyes devoid of reason, black-flaming Straight Blade in hand.
“Heh-heh-heh…”
With a maniacal laugh he locked onto the only living thing in sight and lunged.
The instant Cao Yuan’s Forbidden Ruins awakened, the rooftop controller spat blood, stumbling back. All ten fingertips bled; every thread binding Cao Yuan had snapped—shredded by the backlash of that killing aura.
But the rampage continued.
Jialan felt the whirlwind beside her, expression hardening. She slung the bow, raised her hands, and assumed an ancient combat stance.
The black-flamed blade slashed straight for her throat. She never flinched, eyelids unwavering as steel met flesh.
Clink—!
The edge struck her slender neck with a chime. Neither fire nor sharpness broke skin; it might as well have cleaved iron.
In the same heartbeat her hand flashed, clamping the mad Cao Yuan’s throat; the other seized his collar, and she hurled him overhead into the ground.
Stone shattered and flew.
Roaring, Cao Yuan rebounded the instant his back hit, springing like a cannonball. They tore through several walls in a blur; Jialan was finally embedded in the last.
Dust billowed. Cao Yuan reversed his grip and hacked wildly, black flames devouring everything.
“Heh-heh-heh-heh…”
Crack—!
A pale hand shot from the smoke, catching the blazing Straight Blade by the edge.
Jialan stepped from the ruined wall, side-kicked Cao Yuan a dozen meters away. He stabbed the blade into the earth, carving a long furrow before stopping.
Blue Han-style robes pristine, she walked from the dust, brows knitting—anger finally kindled.
She beckoned. “…Come!”
Bang—!
Both shattered the flagstones beneath them, turning to blurs that collided head-on.
Nearby, Baili Pangpang finally poked his head above the lake, gulping air.
His sidelong glimpse caught the two human beasts tearing into each other; his face froze.
“Dear mother… this girl’s a monster?!”
Slosh…
A pleasure boat drifted up. Baili Pangpang looked up, stunned. A beauty stood at the bow, vacant eyes fixed on him.
“You all must die… Church of the Ancient Gods must die… if not for you… Captain Han wouldn’t have left…” Mumbled words slipped from her throat.
She produced a suona from her back and lifted it to her lips…
Baili Pangpang: …The hell?!
Good thing this young lord came prepared!
He thrust a hand into the air and clenched. A muffled boom erupted beneath the boat; blinding fire burst amid-ships, spearing skyward.
The bow lurched; the beauty staggered. Baili Pangpang flicked his wrist—【瑶光】 sent the suona spinning from her grasp.
The boat split; lake water surged, swallowing instruments and woman alike.
“Think I was just floating down there doing nothing?” Baili Pangpang stood atop 【瑶光】, hauling her out.
He whipped out a 【Scroll of Sealing】, stuffed her mouth, and began tying her up tight…