Chapter 39

Song Tianji gestured for Tiger to unfurl the scroll. As it opened, a traditional ink-wash painting of river water and frolicking shrimp was revealed, drawing murmurs of admiration from the crowd, who noted that the piece would surely appreciate in value.

Nearby, Yue Yuxuan watched with bated breath, his eyes fixed on Han Xiao. Seeing Han Xiao muttering under his breath with a look of intense concentration, Yue assumed he was on the verge of breaking the spell formation. Yet, after an agonizingly long wait with no result, Yue grew so exasperated that he barely restrained himself from kicking Han Xiao in the backside.

Zhang Ye drew his soul-cutting blade and slashed across the bandit's throat; blood splattered onto the white fox mask covering Zhang Ye's face.

Ye Xingchen clicked his tongue, musing that if Luo Lihu could refine this Seven-Colored Ice Spirit Pearl, her cultivation might breakthrough immediately.

The third stone belonging to Xu Qinghe and his group had been cut, revealing nothing but hollow rock. All eyes now turned to Song Tianji, waiting to see if he could turn the tide with his final stone.

Two paths lay before him: either completely unseal the demonic nature of the Phoenix Armor to unleash its full power, or use the Heaven’s Secret Stone to commune with the heavens and earth, reversing the five elements to trigger an energy surge. Neither option appealed to Song Tianji, who desperately searched his mind for another way to resolve the crisis.

Just like the previous times, the Gourmet Street fell into a deathly silence whenever special guests were expected. Not a single passerby could be seen on the street, which struck Lin Tian as deeply suspicious.

Yet, in recent years, the newly ascended Lord of the Firmament was no simple figure; he had secretly contacted all the other lords. Little did he know, the high-ranking members of the Supreme Council were well aware of these maneuvers.

Black-purple lightning erupted from the tip of his scepter, spreading outward to strike Zhang Ye.

The entire city was constructed from ten-thousand-year-old glacial ice. Even from a distance, one could feel a biting chill, though it had no effect on Ye Feng.

The situation had turned truly spectacular. The two greatest titans of the Chu South medical world were simultaneously supporting Pang Feng—what could this possibly mean?

Alas, burdened by illness and crushed by the weight of rank, her struggles were futile, and she remained confined to her wheelchair.

The burly men were incensed, their eyes burning red as their aura instantly surged to a terrifying level.

Had they not seen it with their own eyes, who could have believed that a massive floating island could vanish into thin air?

***

Previously, because the giant black serpent had visited the farmstead twice, all living creatures within a radius of several miles dared not approach the estate.

He possessed only five canisters of tea in total, and handing over these three felt like cutting his own flesh. Yet, he still felt profoundly happy.

The ace soldiers discussed among themselves, all agreeing to refer to the instructor only by his codename. They dared not speak his real name, fearing that if the instructor ever tracked them down, he might finish them off himself.

The crowd craned their necks, but apart from a thick, swirling black mist, they could see nothing—neither Lin Xuan nor the two ancestors of Sky Poison Mountain.

I opened my mouth, but my mind was so occupied by Huo Jidu’s wounds that I stood there motionless, like a fool.

I remained silent, unsure how to respond. My child’s rejection of her biological parents was all the handiwork of that animal, Su Yinghe... I could almost feel Su Yinghe’s cold, mocking smirk as he watched the child return.

Momo was ten and a half years old; at this age, a child already possesses independent thoughts and their own worldview.

When the banquet finally ended, Ye Guoguo remained slumped in her seat, her eyes staring blankly ahead, a look of profound shock etched upon her face.

The punk leader, unwilling to give up, snatched up the knife from the ground, hoping to make one final stand. Uncle Li gave him no such chance; with a flurry of punches and kicks, he knocked the man unconscious.

She had been troubled to begin with, and now her thoughts were in complete disarray. The room was unnervingly quiet. After lying there for a while without a hint of sleep, she grabbed a blanket and headed to the living room to watch television.

That man... it was Gu Qingyuan. Seeing him in the flesh, he looked exactly as he had in her dreams.

"Sigh, fine then. If my lady doesn't want me, I'll just have to remain here alone and nameless, waiting for your return. It won't be long—just two or three years until you graduate. I can endure that much," Mo Yishen said, intentionally adopting a tone of deep regret and desolation.

Having said this, I smiled meaningfully, opened the car door, and stepped out, walking away with grace and leaving Ji Manrou to stare resentfully at my back from within the car.

Only after listening for a while did I realize that Cai Wei had asked Deng Biao to change seats, but Deng Biao had refused, sparking the conflict. Since I despised both of them, I simply looked on with schadenfreude.

***

In reality, Ye Xiaowan’s voice was imbued with spiritual power; to a certain degree, the potency of her power was directly proportional to her rage. She had never truly considered this before, but now, it was unavoidable.

By the time the family had happily recounted the sequence of events, Ye Haoran, her opponent, had regained his normal state, both in terms of spiritual energy and physical strength.

"Xiang’er, have you lost your mind?" He Lianshan roared. He had voiced what everyone else was thinking—they felt that not only had Zhang Hao gone mad, but now He Lanxiang had lost her senses as well.

John Shepard, clad in his N7 standard-issue armor, walked down the street, drawing the attention of many. After all, he was the "Hero who saved the Citadel."

Aimo turned around, only to discover that Vivian had appeared at her side at some point, her face etched with sorrow and surprise.

As he spoke, Sanno rose slightly. He remembered that his sister had brought a bouquet of flowers that morning—some dried, some lilies.

Some of the bolder ones even went in person, carrying bundles of thorns on their backs to beg for forgiveness, expressing their deep remorse in hopes of being pardoned by Zheng Chenggong.

"Did the battle last night cause such heavy casualties among the residents of the Imperial City?" Aimo wondered silently. She headed back inside, however, as the aroma of breakfast wafting from the kitchen suggested that Iliya was already cooking.

Yet no one paid her any mind. The dishes she cooked were barely edible; had she not been cooking stir-fry for the first time—completely unaware of what "color" food should have—she never would have served such charred, blackened messes.

Even though he had a chance at an acquittal, he had delivered a long-winded tirade in court to justify his motive for murder, even changing his testimony at the last minute to plead guilty.

With this, the pool of recruits was no longer limited to the hundred thousand or so Han Chinese civilians. According to Guo Huaiyi’s estimates, if the Lord of the Surname were willing, he could conscript at least twenty thousand new soldiers.

What? That’s completely unreasonable! It’s just a useless, broken spirit body—I’d happily give it back to them! Qin Tian pursed his lips, feeling deeply frustrated.