There are differences even between black and black.

Without waiting for the two behind him to exchange words, Fu Qian quickly crossed the boundary of the Ashfall.

Although nothing too strange happened, the feeling in that instant was deeply impressive.

It was night on both sides, but one side could somewhat remind you of nightlife, while the other only sparked endless contemplation about what comes after.

The spreading wasn’t particularly fast, but it had undoubtedly already consumed many people.

The surrounding population density wasn’t too high, but the tavern’s location made it a good ignition point—

There was fuel, which wouldn’t immediately arouse too much attention from Demigods, and the distance to the Prophet wasn’t too far, so it would likely expand over soon.

Moreover, being at the edge, more than one person observed this dramatic change.

However, the people of the Unseen Hillock didn’t scatter and run away.

On the contrary, a sense of relief appeared on more than one face, as if after a lifetime of toil, they were finally diagnosed with an incurable disease.

Was the torment of this time too long after the Prophet vanished?

There was no mockery of numbness. On the contrary, in that moment, Fu Qian fully understood this display.

The courage to run toward "freedom" was battered repeatedly and failed to materialize, always twisting and fermenting into something else.

What’s more intriguing is that the outcomes of the two choices looked subtly similar.

"Why rush off?"

Unfortunately, not everyone thought this way. The next moment, an erratic voice came through, as if eagerly awaited.

Even before Fu could respond, the tall spire of a nearby building suddenly snapped off.

And as if guided, this massive object came crashing straight at Fu Qian.

...

Fu Qian’s speed wasn’t slow, but the object crashing down was perfectly homed in on its target.

As long as both kept their direction, the spire would accurately pierce through the chest.

Even if Fu Qian’s pace abruptly changed in the next instant, it still couldn’t alter the result, and it maintained its lock.

Crack!

Fu Qian didn’t make any other moves but reached out and directly pinched the spire already near his chest.

Although dense, the material was still ordinary.

For Fu Qian, nullifying the momentum of this thing wasn’t an issue, but by rights, under such action, it should have instantly shattered—unless Fu Qian used more than one hand.

At that moment, numerous tendrils surprisingly burst from his arm, supporting the incoming object from all directions.

The force distribution was so scientific that it didn’t disrupt the structure at all.

"Thank you, but this is too precious."

After performing such an astonishing move, Fu Qian even remembered to express gratitude the next moment.

Until now, they had only heard the voice but not seen the person, and the voice sounded very unfamiliar.

But for certain, it was waiting for him; Fu Qian believed they hadn’t mistaken him for someone else.

Or perhaps, this person was waiting for any Demigod escaping from Ashfall, no matter who it was.

It’s too common for the movements in Ashfall to be noticed, but lacking the courage to venture in and check while wanting to understand the situation is an utterly normal operation.

"Oh? No need to be polite."

Seemingly surprised by Fu Qian’s politeness, the interceptor fell silent before speaking again, the voice still coming from all directions.

At the same time, amidst booming sounds, more than one massive shadow boomed in, continuing to retain Fu Qian.

Rumble!

For Fu Qian, spreading more tendrils to catch them was naturally no problem, but there’s no merit without hard work; he didn’t do something so mundane and instead performed a little talent show on the spot.

The caught spire turned back on the spot, in the next moment crushing a shivering figure nearby with terrifying speed.

Heh, petty tricks, and you thought you could escape my radar of sight?

...

To be fair, the disguise was quite good, and the strategy had some merit.

Instead of hiding to play hide and seek, it just changed appearance and stood openly there, trying to conceal its presence as much as possible.

Unfortunately, on one hand, there was no presumption, and on the other, this just happened to be a professional domain.

Didn’t even need effort to distinguish; under Fu Qian’s radar of sight, this guy was that conspicuous.

In summary, he made a wrong decision, and he really should have chosen to go in and take a look.

After all, from Fu Qian’s assessment, Ashfall might have a negative impact on Demigods but not as significant as now.

"Sorry—"

The new flying objects were casually slapped away by Fu Qian, as the spire exploded into fragments when it hit the ground.

And the figure engulfed emerged tenaciously, with blood splattering, hastily uttering words of reconciliation.

Unfortunately, it couldn’t finish as the body was torn apart by three invisible impacts.

Fu Qian had no interest in chatting with him at all, and the following Air Bullet directly delivered him off.

Perhaps there was sincerity in the apology, but reacting like this in the current situation almost meant he wasn’t even an outskirts member like a Lord, with little potential to bring valuable information.

So, the present was instead a better way to utilize it, triggering intense conflict and execution, to see the Unseen Hillock’s reaction—there indeed was one.

Seeing the unscathed onlookers, in the next moment, someone had already collapsed headlong, black and white gray spreading from their body.

...

Indeed, it was fragile.

Ashfall instantly had a new infection point, faintly spreading like wildfire.

Rather than believing that the man stationed here was behind it, affected by the Lord’s trickery, causing contamination like Holle, Fu Qian tended more to believe this once again proved his special constitution as an outsider.

From a certain juncture, to the Unseen Hillock, he was like a walking brand, capable of scorching a hole anytime, anywhere.

If not for this being right on the initial Ashfall edge, already blended at the blink of an eye, when Brother Hower arrived and saw, he might suspect the frame-up ahead.

Of course, that wasn’t an issue; the core element reflected by this change still needed observation from a "Doctor’s" perspective—

If the previous judgment of Ji Feng’s active degree was correct, could the present scenario be understood as patients resisting treatment, constantly shouting, "I’m beyond saving"?

Though no worries, generally knowing "beyond saving" means there’s still hope.

The only problem was the time left for him was running short.

The prior unsuccessful decisive action beyond the door, directly destroying the unlit Unseen Hillock, resulted now in a suspected active seepage here through such a way.

By common logic, when Ashfall completely shrouds the Unseen Hillock, the task will unquestionably fail.

Believing this process would become faster, after completing preliminary diagnostics, the subsequent treatment window might be very brief.

Without stopping, Fu Qian once more crossed the boundary between Ashfall and the night.