Chapter 53: Executing the Mother to Keep the Child

Two disheveled figures walked up to the exterior of the Young Marshal’s mansion. When they reached the entrance, one of them stepped forward to knock on the door.

Hearing the commotion, the doorman came out and sized up the two women—one old and one young. With soiled clothes and sallow complexions, they looked just like refugees.

"Who are you looking for?" the doorman asked.

"Please announce us. Tell him that Liu Zhen, the benefactor of the Young Marshal, has arrived."

The doorman had never heard of any benefactor of the Young Marshal, but since they claimed as such, it was probably true.

The two had no choice but to lean against the rock wall to take temporary shelter. Suddenly, they felt a tightness in their bodies. Looking down, they saw themselves bound by vines, tightly secured against the cliff face.

From the window above, they could even see two opposing factions engaged in battle down below.

Lin Xiao could not see Hong Guang's condition inside the ward; otherwise, he certainly would have felt the man's overwhelming tension.

The match was about to officially begin, and Lao Chu returned to the large screen on the first floor to continue watching the broadcast. The spectators here were also buzzing with discussion.

At this point, he had no desire to argue or bicker with the young man before him who looked identical to Ji Youning.

"Calm down! The astrolabe formation is extremely profound and complex. If you rush in now and destroy the core of the formation, you will only end up killing him!" Ji Ruchen finally rebuked Ji Youning sternly, grabbing her arm.

However, seeing that Lin Xiao possessed so many magical treasures and divine artifacts, the Azure Spirit Demon King was consumed by greed, desperately wishing to seize all these treasures for herself immediately.

She gripped the weapon in her hand tightly, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on the cage held by the Azure Wolf.

Not a single arrow dared to be shot anymore. The entire valley seemed frozen in time, save for the howling wind and snow, and a lone figure carrying another on his back, still struggling upward.

Listening to this, everyone wore grave expressions, likely recognizing the terrifying consequences that would ensue if the news leaked.

After finishing his stirring and passionate speech, Tian Zhong hurriedly instructed his attendants to summon all the officials present. Once everyone had gathered, he solemnly conveyed the imperial decree of the ruler of the Yi State. Following repeated admonishments, they slowly dispersed with the crowd.

Chaos erupted within the military camp. Many soldiers stumbled out half-dressed and brandishing weapons, but they were clearly no match for the army of Liangcheng, especially since the elite cavalry led by Ye Yang—trained by generals such as Wang Lie and Zhao Yun—possessed formidable strength and exquisite armor. They were simply not forces that the mediocre and frail Qin soldiers could withstand.

"I wonder how the young lady came to be in such a state," Xiao Tian asked curiously, his tone tinged with a hint of pity.

The next moment, the Panther waved a single hand, and before the eyes of the hundred-odd men, Asura, the fiercest among them, collapsed to the ground without a sound, a horrifying wound on the top of his head gushing with blood.

This subjected Ye Xinghun's nerves, which had only just begun to relax, to yet another severe test. One must know that among these people, there were well over a handful of ministry-level officials, and even an elderly man standing at the very peak of the Republic.

It did not look as towering as it had appeared from a distance; its actual height was no more than 1.6 meters, and it only appeared immensely majestic because it was enveloped by surrounding dark forces.

However, Zhou Yuanqiang did not care. He was free to come and go; at worst, he could just leave directly and abandon his possessions in the apocalyptic world.

Along this journey of seeking immortals and inquiring about the Dao, having witnessed the fickleness of the world and the warmth and coldness of human relationships, he finally understood how wonderful the days on Flowers and Fruit Mountain had been.

"If he dares to touch her, chop off his paws directly," Gu Nuan said as she looked at the still-extended hand.

The fat man leading them was called Zhao Haizhu. With his father serving in the Heavenly Court, he was a typical "immortal second-generation."

Yet, he did not panic in the slightest. He smiled faintly, acting as if the silver needle did not exist at all.

Originally, the Flying Immortal Tower only intended to dispense medicine for ten days, but they did not anticipate the arrival of so many people who came seeking their reputation.

Because Old Man Zhang had just passed away, visitors were not particularly numerous. Inside this room, only members of his family were talking, and outsiders had no idea what had happened.

Whether it was due to a larger number of sellers, goods this year were generally cheaper than in previous years, at least far cheaper than the year before last.

Upon hearing what the Xu family had to say, Ming Rong deliberately assumed an expression of terror and bewilderment on her face.

Hearing his words, Li Gu felt a trace of doubt. From what he said, they should belong to Penglai Island, but weren't people from Penglai Island forbidden from entering this place?

Hearing Shangguan Fengxi's words, Lü Qing remained silent, while Wu Liuqi could not help chuckling aside.

As the saying goes, the speaker has no intention, but the listener takes it to heart. Especially when the speaker *did* have an intention, the listener took it even more to heart.

Pi Wengshan had一直 (always) closely followed behind Du Wenshan with an extremely faint presence. Even those kneeling on the ground failed to notice him, let alone Tai Jia, who did not recognize him.

While the researchers in Southern Zhili were making triumphant progress, the researchers in Shandong set an example of their own.

However, the impact force of the previous sword strike was simply too fierce; almost all the bones in Xinggui's chest were now fractured, and even his internal injuries were extremely severe.

"I heard the Emperor has been taking care of my younger sister day and night without sleep. If she still doesn't get better, how could she ever repay the Emperor for such meticulous care?" Dou Lianyi deliberately deepened her tone when uttering the words "meticulous care."

If he wanted them, couldn't he just refine a few batches himself? Possessing the Exquisite Heart with Seven Apertures, combined with the pill formulas from the *Myriad Miscellany Records*, if he claimed to be a master alchemist, no one throughout the entire Earth Immortality Realm would dare pat their chest and claim to be a master before him.

"Bad, don't let him commit suicide by taking poison," Fang Zheng pointed at Cao Hu and said. But it was too late; a trickle of blood was already seeping from the corners of Cao Hu's mouth.

How could an ordinary person, even with the assistance of such high-tech power gloves, manage to move about freely on the sixteenth floor?

An honest-looking man of about twenty, with a clean white dry cloth draped over his shoulder, walked cheerfully toward Murong Qingran: "Traveller, stopping for a meal or lodging?"