This pleasure boat, appearing from unknown origins, floated on the water, facing “Dongting Autumn Moon” across the water.
Wen Weilan could still see the enormous vortex on the island, soaring to the sky, filled with Guai Qi and an unknown number of weird objects restrained within it.
At the very front of the pleasure boat stood a middle-aged man wearing a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat.
He held a fishing rod that gleamed with a subtle black luster, looking very Advanced, and he was continuously fishing people out of the vortex.
Wen Weilan stared blankly for a while before going to find her teammates.
There weren't many people on the deck, so she found everyone after walking around once.
However, their situations were not good.
Kuang Bowen’s chest and abdomen had taken a heavy blow, Yu Jinling’s head bandage had come undone, revealing a wound deep enough to see her brain, and Chen Shanyuan’s waist wound was bleeding profusely, almost unstoppably. Lu Junan had disappeared completely, his whereabouts unknown, perhaps still in the vortex.
Several other Yugui, like Wen Weilan, hadn't sustained too many injuries, so they exchanged glances and, with unspoken understanding, began feeding Medicinal Pills and bandaging wounds for those on the deck.
By the time the middle-aged man with the fishing rod rescued the last person from the vortex and put away his rod, Wen Weilan and the others had almost finished their rescue efforts.
Regrettably, Lu Junan truly hadn't emerged.
“You’ve arrived,” the middle-aged man suddenly spoke, though it was unclear to whom he was speaking.
Wen Weilan looked up and happened to see someone approaching from “Dongting Autumn Moon,” walking on the water.
Only when he drew closer could she see him clearly.
The person wore coarse cloth clothing and straw sandals, looking as simple as an old farmer from the mountains.
Even stranger, his face was covered by a light, fluttering piece of Xuan paper. Though light, the Xuan paper stayed firmly on his face, revealing not a single bit of his true appearance.
Behind that person, the vortex on “Dongting Autumn Moon,” which contained countless weird objects, began to lose its shape. The weird objects struggled, roared, and crashed within it, hoping to regain their freedom.
“Fisherman, your fishing skills are indeed unparalleled,” the person approached the pleasure boat, leaped aboard, and landed beside the middle-aged man.
Wen Weilan found the voice to be gender-ambiguous and very familiar; it was likely the person who had spoken to them last in the private room.
Moreover, judging by what this person had said at that time, he was likely deeply involved with Xiao Xiang House.
Indeed, the “Fisherman” responded, “Thank you for the compliment, House Master.”
Wen Weilan concealed the shock on her face, pretending to treat the wounds of the person closest to the front of the pleasure boat, while quietly listening intently.
The Fisherman then lowered his voice and said, “However, helping is one thing, but don’t let the General Office know…”
“I understand. If it weren’t for your unique weird objects, which are perfectly suited for this situation, I wouldn’t have bothered you or caused you trouble,” the House Master patted the Fisherman’s shoulder.
“What do we do now?” the Fisherman asked.
He was, of course, referring to the weird objects on “Dongting Autumn Moon” that were about to escape.
The vortex on the island grew thinner and thinner, increasingly unable to restrain those unruly weird objects.
Some paper fragments covered in eyes even detached from the vortex, flying towards the pleasure boat, while others flew towards the sky, seemingly aware that the pale yellow sky was very fragile and planning to break through the Void Realm.
Everyone who encountered this weird object knew that its contagiousness was extremely strong. If it truly escaped, who knew how many people would be harmed and become its “companions.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already thought of something.”
The House Master patted the Fisherman’s shoulder, then forcefully tore at the air with both hands, actually ripping this piece of “Dongting Autumn Moon” from the rolling river!
A massive black hole pierced through the river and the sky. The river water flowed through the hole, forming a waterfall that cascaded downwards, its destination unknown, for beneath the hole was only endless Void Realm, bottomless.
And in the sky, the night sky outside was faintly visible, and one could even see half of god's face’s eye, its pale eyelid slightly open, looking to an unknown place.
And that piece of “Dongting Autumn Moon” floated in the air, losing its three-dimensional shape, transforming into a small ink painting. On it were small islands, docks, a distorted vortex, and within the vortex were slender blood corpses with their skin torn off, multi-headed ghouls, bloody unicorns, and so on, all depicted with a few strokes of ink, yet incredibly vivid.
These many weird objects, surrounded by fragments of eyeballs fluttering like butterflies, clawed and bared their fangs at the outside of the painting, as if still unwilling to be trapped within it. And those eyeballs were restless, rolling around on the paper, very lifelike.
Although these weird objects were already bound on the paper, it was clearly not permanent. Just like the vortex earlier, the surface of the paper continued to bulge, and those flat images would occasionally protrude a part of their bodies from the paper, showing their determination not to be confined to the paper and to enter the real, three-dimensional world.
But the House Master ignored them, only staring intently at the paper with the eyes beneath the Xuan paper, secretly exerting his Qi to suppress the energy on the paper. His entire body trembled, and the Xuan paper on his face was soaked with sweat.
The Fisherman watched from the side with a worried expression, knowing that the House Master was at the end of his strength. For the House Master, with his Dongxuan Realm cultivation, to suppress such a dangerous, even catastrophic, weird object was truly a struggle.
Although its characteristics had been weakened due to previous purification, its Aura remained, and it could not be easily eliminated.
Indeed, the paper became increasingly three-dimensional, and the weird objects on it continuously struggled, extending hands and feet, poking out heads, grinning menacingly at the pleasure boat.
Everyone on the pleasure boat knew that this meant they would rush over mercilessly as soon as they broke free.
The Fisherman didn't know what the House Master meant by “thought of something,” but he could only stand and watch, unable to help.
At this moment, the House Master, sensing something unknown, suddenly shouted, “Now! Retreat!”
At his command, oars extended from the bottom of the pleasure boat, controlled by invisible hands, rowing forcefully and in unison.
Under this strange power, the pleasure boat rapidly retreated. The people on board were thrown forward by the immense force, almost flying off, but thankfully the Fisherman timely cast out his fishing net, firmly covering everyone on the deck.
The House Master, meanwhile, used all his strength to crumple the paper into a ball, leaving it in its original spot.
Then, he no longer exerted force to suppress it; instead, he pinched his hands together, folding the mountains and rivers before him, enveloping the pleasure boat.
Wen Weilan saw a strange sight: the sky was also river water, and beneath the pleasure boat was also river water. The distant continuous green mountains were also folded into an upper and lower opposing shape, with the sky instead sandwiched between the river water and mountains.
And through the sole opening, she saw that the paper ball was exposed outside the painting, floating alone. Guai Qi rose from it, and the weird objects were about to break through the Restriction, wreaking havoc without restraint.
It was still unknown what would happen to these weird objects, but this opening was also folded by the House Master, revealing no further gap.
“You’re just leaving it outside? Aren’t you afraid of widespread suffering?” the Fisherman asked anxiously.
The House Master shook his head, waved his hand, and conjured a massive mist mirage. On it, the paper ball was still floating alone in its original spot. The outside was an unknown place, only a desolate sandy area with vast sand dunes in the distance.
It was very quiet at this moment, with only the sound of rapid heartbeats.
Everyone stared with wide, fearful eyes at the continuously deforming and struggling paper ball, wondering when those weird objects would break free from their bonds and escape.
“What is that?” Suddenly, someone pointed at the mirage and cried out in alarm.
Everyone saw it.
In the deep night sky, a dazzling light streaked across god's face, leaving a silvery trail, shattering all tranquility and tearing through the entire night sky.
“Is it a meteor?” another person asked, wide-eyed and uncertain.
No one had time to reply, just as no one had time to see clearly.
The light came at extreme speed, from far to near, descending from the sky.
With an unstoppable Aura, with a will to destroy everything, with an irresistible might, it descended towards the paper ball!
“Close your eyes,” the House Master softly reminded them.
Before his words finished, an extremely terrifying flash of light exploded. Blue-white electric arcs twisted and flickered within the light, seemingly freezing even time and space at that moment.
On the mirage, there was only a vast expanse of blinding light. Those who hadn't managed to close their eyes now felt a sharp pain in their eyes; when they opened them, all they saw were blurry white afterimages.
Not long after, the light finally receded.
The paper ball was no longer in its original spot.
Nor was there any trace of weird objects.
Only an inconspicuous longsword was stuck in the sand, still vibrating from the aftershock.
Around the longsword was a thousand-mile expanse of scorched earth and ashes.
And endless silence and the desolation of destruction.
Three chapters today!