Chapter 23

Feng Tian glanced at Steward Li and noticed him staring intently at Feng Lingxuan, seemingly lost in thought. Since her belongings were of no real value, he decided to let her keep them.

The generals received their orders and withdrew. Chu Xiong descended from the city walls and, after a quick meal, prepared to catch some sleep.

The towering camphor tree was lush with foliage, its withered bark fractured by the passage of time, revealing a network of mottled cracks. A cuckoo glided past the tree where Ming Qi was perched, flew to an adjacent camphor tree, circled the thick, dragon-like trunk a few times, and settled in one spot.

"What about those in the valley?" Xiao Fuxi pointed toward the Northern Ming troops still locked in combat with Lin Zhaixing and the others.

He had already reached the limits of a mortal, and now, having suddenly come into contact with cultivation, his realm had experienced a leap-forward breakthrough.

Although both were contamination events of a similar nature, the caliber of the two sides was on entirely different levels.

Without a point of comparison, finding the Resurrection Herb required for the mission in such a vast flower garden was truly a formidable challenge.

"Hurry home. Your father will explain everything to you when we arrive." Jiang Haichang’s cold, sharp tone was filled with an irrepressible command.

The Heart Thunder targeted the inner demons within the body. In a daze, when the nine-colored divine thunder descended upon his head, Feng Wuhen fell into a state of bewilderment before losing consciousness.

Yu Zi made a face at her clamoring son and finally, albeit reluctantly, tore herself away from Zhao Chu’s embrace.

Only in this way could one withdraw millions from the bank at any moment. Judging by their demeanor, it was highly likely that the man before them was a major client.

"Very well. If anyone is exposed, the others are forbidden from attempting a rescue—capturing the culprit is the priority! But I trust that everyone will complete this mission! Now, everyone, right face! Forward march!" Tie Long issued his final order.

That night, Liu Fan requested twenty servants from Huang Wan and, accompanied by Dian Wei, headed toward one of Zhao Zhong’s residences in Luoyang. Dian Wei pounded rudely on the door, and the Zhao family allowed the two to enter. Liu Fan went into the main hall, and shortly after, Zhao Zhong arrived.

***

Hearing the military advisor’s words, the Xiyang Army—especially the garrison troops on the left and right flanks—began to look at Liu Fan with hesitation. Their inner resolve to conquer the Parthian Empire had been shaken.

The crowd realized the truth and were no longer intimidated by the bluffing counterattacks of Wang Long and his men. With morale restored, they charged toward the three of them.

The round-faced swordsman’s expression turned stern, his upward motion freezing. He slowly turned his head to look at Yu Zi, his eyes still burning with fury.

Very good... very, very good! There is a path to heaven, but you choose not to take it; there is no gate to hell, yet you throw yourself in! If you had kept your head down, Dragon Island might not have bothered with an ordinary human, but unfortunately... this fellow has provoked someone he absolutely should not have.

"Boom!" Chidori used brute force to slam the flip-top tatami mat down, sealing it firmly with layer upon layer of tape.

Lin Peng did not know that, inside the Grand Theater, Kuroki Hiroto was currently sitting in a corner, staring unblinkingly at Tu Shu on the stage.

In large-scale military battles, unless the troops are of equal quality, one can minimize the disparity between individual soldiers and commanders to the greatest extent.

In truth, Buddhism has always been harvesting the fat of the land, and it is not without its own sordid affairs. Its contribution to society is, in reality, nothing more than providing a bit of spiritual comfort.

It was even a limited-edition Samsung Supreme waterproof model, covered in the viscous bodily fluids from his stomach.

In his combat state, after unleashing the secret "Three-Strike Kick" of Xingyi, he felt a sense of immense, unobstructed power throughout his entire body.

After Zhao Yong finished his introduction, the other sales directors in charge of medical, healthcare, education, and government-enterprise projects gave their own brief reports. However, they only glossed over the details with a few words, and Yu Chang failed to extract much information of value.

His lunging kick, like an arrow released from a bow, was unstoppable, aimed directly at the vital center of Watanabe Ichiro.

Zhao Lü knelt on the ground; this sudden blow nearly caused him to collapse. Had it not been for the many matters still requiring his attention, he would rather have fallen into a slumber than face this reality.

***

For a moment, everyone’s faces darkened. They felt lost and cursed the Tianhong Auction House a dozen times over.

The largest hornet king swooped down and snatched Teacher Pea.

She quickly covered her ear with her hand and feigned a conversation: "The water is boiling on the stove, did you hear that? I’m off, bye!" He couldn't be allowed to go up there; she scrambled back to her lair, and the moment she turned, she heard his soft chuckle.

Helian Nuo smiled with satisfaction, straightened his clothes, and strode into the headquarters of the Qingyun Merchant Group, while Qiuqiu hopped out nimbly and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Mu Bai was somewhat displeased, but since Xia Tian had spoken, he had no choice but to comply. After all, if the man got angry and kicked him out, what would he do? The Sumi Ring held no dangers and even contained a Frost-Swallow Tree, which was immensely beneficial to their kind—he couldn't bear to leave it.

With a muffled thud, the divine sword shattered the shackles of the blood altar and burst forth. The Emperor’s joy was beyond expression, but suddenly, the sound of a zither struck the divine sword, which let out a "clang" and snapped into two, falling slowly through the air.

In that month, he had leapt another step from the early stage of level four to the middle stage.

Gong Shiqin reached out to take it back, but Gong Shiyuan ignored him and casually stuffed the pouch into the hands of his sixth sister.

"What a cruel method!" Gong Shiyuan followed his eldest brother over, took one look at the carnage on the ground, and dared not look again. He was shocked by the killer's technique; even though they were bold and had killed men before, the sight of the dismembered bodies made even him shudder.

Seeing Qiu Shifang wave his hand, several burly men rushed over, prepared to seize Yue Longtian. However, they did not expect Yue Longtian to offer no resistance, and he was subdued in a matter of moments.

He Zhong’s plans were well-calculated. Although he appeared to have suffered a loss, he knew that if Xia Tian didn't want to burn bridges, he would have no choice but to agree—and at worst, He Jin would only suffer a few physical injuries.