He changed Tiwat

This shows that physical abilities cannot be brought into this space, and their current conversation is also taking place in their consciousness. This is, after all, a space of consciousness; even if there's a distinction between strong and weak, it depends on whose will is more resolute.

He calmly stepped forward, facing Ye Mingxiang's imposing presence, like a reef parting the waves.

“I think you’ve made a mistake, Mr. Ye—I’m a civil servant from Liyue, not from Kanria.”

A dangerous red light flashed in Ye Mingxiang's eyes. Han Fulai noticed that there was a star-shaped iris in his eyes, symbolizing the bloodline of Kanria.

When they first met, Ye Mingxiang had black hair and black eyes, a Liyue native. But now, sitting on the throne, Ye Mingxiang has turned into a white-haired, red-eyed woman, resembling the "One-Eyed King Illmin" engraving that Dain gave him.

Either his body underwent some changes during this period, or his former appearance was disguised in some way—or both.

"Why do you think I spared your lives back then?" Ye Mingxiang asked in a deep voice.

Han Fulai simply shrugged and replied with Jiang Xue's original answer: "Should I thank you for your kindness, Mr. Ye?"

“They came to kill us on their own, and then let us go on their own. Do they expect us to be grateful? These days, even landlords don’t use the rhetoric of ‘You’re only able to eat because I’m so merciful that I let you farm.’”

Ye Mingxiang snorted and ignored Han Fulai's sarcastic retort.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Ye, you should put down your airs and be frank with me about your terms—when asking me for a favor, you should know your manners. Even if you don't offer gifts... you should at least have the attitude of asking for a favor." Han Fulai chuckled and rubbed his fingers together. "Or do you only agree to admit that you're a 'prince' who has lost his country if I call you 'Irming'?"

Ye Mingxiang narrowed his eyes. This was the third time he had heard this title from someone else. The first time someone called him that was hundreds of years ago, when Krodal Jarbrić, the founder of the "Abyss Order".

The second time was five years ago, on the day his family was massacred, when a man claiming to be the "Apostle of Fate" found him.

"You seem to know something you shouldn't know?" This was the first time Ye Mingxiang had truly felt curious about Han Fulai.

In response, Han Fulai quoted a maxim of the Sumeru scholars: "We know more than we can say."

"Oh." Ye Mingxiang nodded. "Then you should know what I want you to do."

“Barecloth,” Han Fulai smiled. “We are the bait you put out for the ‘Abyss Order.’ You want us to draw the ‘Abyss Order’s’ attention away from you, so they’ll be less wary of you—and you’ll seize that opportunity to do what you want. I suspect you want revenge on some people in the ‘Abyss Order’ who framed your family in order to get you to join the order.”

"Continue," Ye Mingxiang said expressionlessly.

Han Fulai didn't mind the audience's lukewarm reaction and continued, "With your status and strength, you still can't take revenge on your enemies. This shows that your enemies are very powerful and hold high positions in the 'Abyss Order,' so they don't usually appear in the outside world."

"But this matter of the Layered Rock Abyss is worth your enemies personally taking action. You've always been very punctual, and you immediately told me that I came at the wrong time, which shows that your enemies haven't arrived yet. In addition, you also know about the countdown—your enemies will only come after the countdown ends... or rather, after the 'Layered Rock Nail' is completely corrupted."

"By the way, would you mind telling me the name of your enemy? Is his name 'Kong'?" Han Fulai asked casually.

If he could, he wanted to avoid conflict with the traveler who had plunged into the abyss—not because of his feelings for his own character as a player, but because… he was clearly no match for Kong Ge now.

“He is known as the ‘Apostle of Destiny’,” Ye Mingxiang said calmly.

"Apostle of Destiny?" Han Fulai heard a term he had never heard before.

In his memory, there didn't seem to be any examples of Abyss Apostles with "fate" as a prefix.

The name sounds like that of a leader of the Abyss Apostles.

In addition... Han Fulai also knew that the "Abyss Order" had a plan about "destiny".

"Is it related to the 'loom of fate'?"

Upon hearing this term, Ye Mingxiang showed a rare expression of surprise.

"Did Daines Reeb even tell you something like this?"

“He is my friend,” Han Fulai said with a slightly proud tone.

Ye Mingxiang raised an eyebrow. "It's a pity your friend doesn't seem willing to go to great lengths for you. I thought he would come with you. You can leave now. Don't let me see you until the countdown ends."

“I refuse,” Han Fulai replied.

"If you insist on going your own way, I will have no choice but to become your enemy now." Even when threatening others, Ye Mingxiang's voice remained largely unchanged.

“I’ve said it before, you have to have the right attitude when you ask for a favor. What good would it do me to leave now?” Han Fulai’s attitude was very firm.

"Isn't being alive a good thing?" Ye Mingxiang retorted.

“If you were willing to kill us, you should have done so when you found us. Obviously, your forces are insufficient to complete your revenge, and now you need my help.” Han Fulai pointed out this fact. “Besides… you may not even be able to kill me.”

Ye Mingxiang's voice turned cold: "You seem to have become a bit arrogant."

“No, I’ve always been like this.” Han Fulai reached up and tapped his forehead. “You said I’m a ‘stupid person.’ But… have you ever heard of ‘great wisdom appears as foolishness’?”

Ye Mingxiang stared at Han Fulai, while Han Fulai met her gaze without backing down.

After a few seconds, Ye Mingxiang spoke again: "What else do you know?"

“I know that what you’re up to is more than just revenge. I also know that the ‘True Art’ is a technique that requires burning one’s life force. How much time do you have left?” Han Fulai said.

Ye Mingxiang raised his hand, seemingly wanting to touch his full head of white hair, but he ultimately lowered his hand again.

He chuckled.

“Heh, I forgot that only the form of the soul can be shown in this space, and the appearance cannot be hidden... But the ‘Curse of Immortality’ has one advantage—even if I use the ‘True Technique’ to the maximum extent, I will not die.”

"The 'Curse of Immortality' cannot withstand 'wear and tear,' and even Dainesreb, the 'Sword of the End,' cannot use the power of 'True Arts' without limit... Your sanity won't last much longer," Han Fu replied.

"That's enough for me to do what I want to do," Ye Mingxiang said calmly.

"Even if you kill that 'Apostle of Fate,' your task is not finished, is it?"

Han Fulai clapped his hands.

“Continuing to talk like this is just a waste of time; without a foundation of trust, there can be no cooperation.”

"What do you want?" Ye Mingxiang finally asked.

Although his tone was still not very friendly, the fact that he asked Han Fulai for his thoughts represented a softening of his attitude.

“It’s simple. We’ll cooperate and do what we each want to do. Since you’ve been able to enter this space, you should know that I have the authority to communicate with the ‘Wishing Stone.’ I’ll help you summon that ‘Apostle of Fate,’ and you’ll be responsible for taking care of those lackeys from the ‘Abyss Order.’ Once that’s done, we’ll each rely on our own abilities, how about that?”

There was only the possibility of mutual exploitation between him and Ye Mingxiang; the possibility of sincere cooperation never existed from the beginning—Ye Mingxiang didn't trust them at all, and he didn't trust Ye Mingxiang either.

If Ye Mingxiang had talked to Jiang Xue properly from the beginning, there might have been a possibility of cooperation between them, but Ye Mingxiang chose to turn against her.

Cooperation without trust is purely about interests. Since it's all about interests, why bother with pretense?

Ye Mingxiang gave Han Fulai a deep look.

Then, the main hall, the throne, and Ye Mingxiang all vanished without a trace.

At the other end of the rock hall, Ye Mingxiang released the "Luminous Stone" she was holding.

Han Fulai returned to reality.

Chapter 268 Why Not Go Mad in This World? Why Not Be Absurd in This Life? [4k]

When Han Fulai entered the consciousness space, Jiang Xue and Ye Lan had already begun their actions.

Jiang Xue raised the Thousand Rocks Ancient Sword high and leaped down from the tunnel exit. His mission was to draw the enemy's attention, and to accomplish this, the more attention he drew, the better.

The sound of his landing had clearly attracted the other party's attention.

The "dark shell" patrolling the perimeter was already rushing towards him.

Jiang Xue showed no fear and strode towards the "Layered Rock Nail". At his speed, he quickly approached the outer defense line of the "Abyss Order".

Jiang Xue's longsword flashed across the battlefield, and for a moment, the sounds of weapons clashing and angry shouts filled the air.

Although the "Abyss Mage" on the periphery and the "Dark Shell" who had arrived were fearless, they had no choice but to temporarily retreat under Jiang Xue's fierce offensive and could only form a defensive line to try to slow down Jiang Xue's advance.

Meanwhile, in the inner circle near the "Layered Rock Nail," the gazes of the three Abyss Apostles were also drawn to the commotion in the distance.

For a moment, most of the attention in the entire rock hall was focused on Jiang Xue.

Meanwhile, under the cover of the "Hidden Form and Concealed Radiance" technique, Ye Lan had already quietly crossed the outer defense line.

She arrived at a high ground, less than half a mile from the "Layered Rock Nail." At this distance, even if Yelan fired an arrow with her eyes closed, she could accurately hit the "Layered Rock Nail."

Moreover, the location offers a wide field of vision, allowing you to see everything around you, making it an ideal sniping position.

Ye Lan quietly summoned her Ruoshui Bow and began searching for a suitable angle to fire.

A ring of rocks of varying sizes floated around the "Layered Rock Nail," and the arrow was likely to collide with these obstacles in flight. In order to accurately hit the "Layered Rock Nail," Yelan quickly calculated the trajectory of the arrow in her mind while adjusting the angle and force of her draw—for an excellent archer, these were just basic skills.

Ye Lan's calculation speed was incredibly fast. From finding the location to completing the trajectory calculation, and then drawing her bow and firing the arrow, it only took her a few seconds.

Blue water elemental power had begun to gather on the water bow. At that moment, a sudden warning arose in Ye Lan's heart!

Ye Lan immediately performed two consecutive side rolls, narrowly avoiding two deadly blue lights.

—Those were two water arrows that came from a blind spot behind Yelan!

Although Ye Lan was still in stealth mode, someone had already detected her movements and even used a high-altitude projectile technique to shoot arrows out of her sight. If Ye Lan hadn't experienced many life-or-death missions and possessed a far greater sense of danger than ordinary people, she might have already died under the enemy's arrows without even knowing why.

But the enemy's attack did not stop. As if they had anticipated that Yelan would dodge the two attacks, the enemy fired not just two arrows in succession, but three arrows in quick succession!

The first two arrows restrict Ye Lan's movement, forcing her to dodge to the predetermined attack position, while the third arrow is the fatal one!

These techniques are so exquisite that both the archery skills and the anticipation of the opponent's reactions have reached the highest level of martial arts – "the first to act".

In martial arts, there is a saying about "three priorities".

The first level is "the first after the last," emphasizing "defense and counterattack." After numerous battles, martial artists accumulate rich experience, instinctively discerning attack paths and weaknesses in their opponents' attacks, thus enabling them to launch counterattacks while defending and dodging. When the opponent's attack misses and their moves become stale, the martial artist can seize the initiative and gain the upper hand.

The second level is "preemptive strike," which emphasizes "striking first after the opponent has moved." When a martial artist reaches this level, they can often discern the opponent's intentions from their initial movements. Even though they move later than their opponent, they can preemptively attack the opponent's weaknesses before the opponent completes their movement, and by then it is too late for the opponent to make an attack.

The third level is "Before the First," which emphasizes "acting before the intention." This is the highest level that all martial artists pursue. Martial artists who reach this level are often grandmasters of their respective schools and can directly anticipate their opponents' thoughts. Even if the opponent only reveals a glance or a hint of an intention to attack, it is already a fatal flaw in the eyes of a martial artist at the "Before the First" level.

For an opponent to launch such an attack, they must first anticipate the timing of Ye Lan's arrow shot and launch an attack from a blind spot using a projectile technique before Ye Lan can draw her bow and fix her posture. Next, they must anticipate Ye Lan's dodge path. If Ye Lan's reaction is even slightly slow, these two arrows alone could take her life. The final fatal blow takes into account even the distance Ye Lan dodges, ensuring that she has no way to avoid it.

If there's no way to avoid it, then stop trying to dodge it.

As Ye Lan dodged twice, she looked up and fired an arrow into the sky!

Even during her dodge, the water arrow she had condensed did not dissipate at all, and she shot the arrow without aiming, as if she knew there would be a third arrow waiting for her.

The two water jets collided in mid-air, exploding into a shower of water.

Although Ye Lan was not injured, her "Hidden Form and Concealed Radiance" technique had been broken, losing the advantage of being hidden in the shadows and the initiative.

She was mentally prepared to endure the next wave of attacks and injuries.

But to her surprise, the opponent's next attack did not come.

Not only did the attack not continue, the other party even brazenly appeared in front of her, calmly waiting for her to adjust her posture—the attack just now seemed to be just "greeting" her.

Ye Lan does know someone who would do something like that.

"Hahaha, that's great! That's how it should be!" A hearty laugh came from the other side.

Standing before Yelan was a “dark shell” clad in heavy armor and wielding a longbow.

The other person's voice sounded muffled under the helmet, but as an intelligence agent, Ye Lan never forgot the voice she had heard before.

“‘Young Master’ Dadalia… It’s been so long, your archery skills have certainly improved.” Ye Lan coldly revealed the other party’s identity.

“What a delightful reunion, Miss Nightlan. That guy promised me a thrilling battle, and I never expected to meet you here.” Tartaglia’s voice was cheerful as he strummed his bowstring and laughed, “I told you last time that the bow is actually my least favorite weapon. That’s why I’m determined to conquer it.”

“But an archer should never be so close to the enemy,” Yelan calmly pointed out.

D'Artagnan waved the "Winter Star" in his hand nonchalantly and retorted, "Who says archers can't fight in melee?"

Ye Lan retorted sharply, "Then it seems you still have a lot of room for improvement in your archery skills."

"Hehe, I wonder if you'll still be able to say that later." Dadalia laughed again, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

A good opponent is more precious than a friend. Last time, when she fought Yelan in Liyue Harbor, the two did not reach a conclusion due to time constraints, and Tartaglia has been eager to teach this arrogant woman a lesson in defeat.

"What I said before was just a greeting. Don't think that my 'Rain-Severing Arrow' is only this powerful. If you value your life, surrendering is not a bad option. I will treat you, my defeated opponent, very gently."

“You can give it a try.” Ye Lan’s fingers twitched slightly.

The moment she uttered the word "try," D'Artagnan's attack had already begun.

The dialogue was also a test; the confrontation between the two had actually begun the moment D'Artagnan opened his mouth. The so-called "predicting the opponent's mind" refers to anticipating one's opponent's thoughts. If two martial artists have both reached the "predicting the opponent's mind" level, their confrontation will be an endless cycle of "I predicted your prediction" until one of them can no longer keep up with the opponent's prediction.

When masters clash, victory or defeat often hinges on a single moment; that's the truth of the matter.

—Because a master only needs his opponent to show a slight weakness, and then the opponent will have no chance to fight back.

Night Orchid has two disadvantages.

Firstly, she was at a disadvantage from the start. Although D'Artagnan didn't continue to pursue her due to his "fair competition" principle, it didn't mean he would give up the initiative.

Secondly, D'Artagnan was wearing a helmet, which made it impossible for Yelan to predict his movements from his micro-expressions or eyes. In fact, the Fatui fighters usually wear masks, partly to conceal their expressions and attack intentions.

D'Artagnan was not exaggerating; the moment Yelan's fingers twitched, his "Rain-Severing Arrow" was already launched.

The arrows that could accurately sever raindrops possessed a terrifying speed and precision that were beyond human reach. In a single breath, Datalia's bowstring had already plucked five times—and he had fired six arrows.

The previous three arrows were not Tartaglia's limit; his "Rain of Arrows" is a six-hit combo launched in an instant.

He threw the last arrow directly from his hand—if a person's arm strength is comparable to that of a powerful bow and crossbow, then there is really no difference between shooting with a bow and throwing by hand.