Volume 1, Chapter 23: Sunset Creeps onto the Bed

Shangguan Fei must be feeling a deep sense of sorrow right now; after all, his father died in battle. Where there is battle, there is death, and where there is death, hatred is born. At this moment, Shangguan Fei’s heart is filled with hatred for the Hall of Bewilderment—a hatred that can only be resolved by death.

Surviving on the battlefield does not always equate to true loyalty. To die in battle, however, is an indisputable mark of devotion. Thus, many patriotic generals consider it the highest honor.

If the opposition chose to retreat in the face of difficulty, Lin Xiao would be more than happy to oblige. His orders were simply to hold Guangwang City; he cared for little else.

"In this world, might makes right. What you need to do now is to grow stronger, step by step! Only then can you protect those you care about! Do not lose your reason!" Seeing the boy’s grief-stricken expression, Elder Hun felt a pang of heartache before speaking.

Suddenly, countless torches flared to life atop the high walls, shattering the previous darkness.

Chen Sheng felt a flicker of joy. The lighter defenses here would better ensure his safety and that of Ling Suyun.

"Let them in!" Suspicion aside, one could not turn away visitors. The servant acknowledged the command and ran off.

Even a Divine Eagle could only fight Efidante to a draw. With the addition of a God-Walker, the odds of winning seemed slim, and Ban Qi was already overwhelmed, unable to provide any support to Efidante.

Even after entering the castle, they saw no one. The intricate, winding corridors left Lu Tianxiang confused and disoriented.

The official, who had already mentally marked the magistrate as a failure, sneered. All that talk about the law applying equally to the emperor and the commoner—yet when it came to his own son, he simply turned a blind eye, brushing the matter aside with empty excuses.

The inheritance of alchemical arts is as rigorous and complex as that of the path of law. Alchemy manuals are never easily imparted. It is no wonder Wu Xing mistakenly believed he had some connection to the Valley of the Medicine King.

But with members of the Ninja Army still infiltrating the city, something was clearly amiss. Were they planning to stir up chaos while the city was vulnerable?

"May I leave now, Emperor?" The Ghost Emperor, sensing that Su Yi held the most authority among those present, fixed his gaze upon him.

Ba Quan could not find even the slightest trace of the defeat or despair he had hoped to see in Li Wudao.

***

The Empress Dowager was slightly surprised to hear of Lin Zhixue’s arrival. Fu Weige was attending to her, along with Liu Xi.

"I have plans tonight," Wang Ming refused flatly, his tone crisp and decisive, offering no polite circumlocution despite Master Ling’s previous help.

Wu Xing’s sudden turn of events did not throw Zi Chen into a panic. On the contrary, Zi Chen had been mentally prepared. Therefore, when he saw that Wu Xing’s "lifespan limit" had arrived and he had essentially lost the ability to fight, he did not hesitate to unleash the "Infinite Secret Technique," beginning to force open the layers of barriers within his body.

Father, are you truly certain that preparing so enthusiastically to challenge Li Wudao—and his brother Li Wutian—is for the sake of avenging your eldest son, rather than just marching to your own death?

As the year drew to a close, the Xie family was in mourning for their patriarch, so no grand celebrations were held. The Lin family had also lost Lin Yousheng, while Lin Youde and Lin Taichu had been stripped of their titles. Mu Huashang had passed away from illness, leaving the Su Prefecture and the Lin household shrouded in gloom.

The Left Prime Minister’s estate, which had seized Shen Qiaochen that night, was clearly at odds with the Shen residence.

The problem was, if Zhen Yan had planned to use her marital relations with Li Wei as an alibi, why would she sabotage herself by claiming she had gone out for a walk?

She found herself inexplicably drawn along by his emotions. Her eyes reddened against her will; she did not want to admit that, even now, he still influenced her. She wanted even less to admit that she had felt a sense of relief when he appeared.

However, the names of these three cultivation techniques felt slightly out of place in the Douluo Continent, so Ning Rongrong decided to change them. Names were unimportant, anyway, as long as the content remained the same.

The large man who had been grabbed by the hair and slammed into the chair felt emboldened now that his brothers were nearby.

"How ridiculous. What right do you have to call me reckless? Come, everyone, take a look!" Qiluo’s shout drew everyone’s attention.

Looking at the honest-faced man before him, with the token of the Zhao family’s young master hanging from his waist, it was clear he was the eldest son of the Zhao house.

She glanced back at Wang Qiuyue and Xu Ling, staring for a while, as if afraid to speak to me.

Over the past three days of travel, the path had been fraught with danger. It was not as if Ning Rongrong and Meng Yiran had failed to encounter ten-thousand-year soul beasts.

***

"Go! Send someone to ask who the imperial court has sent so I may prepare to welcome them!" Zheng Zhilong realized this and immediately issued the order.

Except for Gu Feng and the various ghost generals, no one knew that the Ghost King Qingshui had departed. Thus, the members of the Beast God Sect were unaware that the Valley Master had been replaced by Gu Feng.

In a sense, the Witch Blood Space was more like a domain. However, in the current world of cultivation, no practitioner had been able to manifest a domain, so there was no basis for comparison. Regardless, Xian Cun saw hope in this.

"Cancer, what else could it be?" Professor Tu shrugged, sounding entirely indifferent.

So they communicated in private, leaving their respective regions at an appointed time to head toward the Hidden Village.

Consequently, Shao Yitian immediately sent someone to negotiate with Kabuchi. As for whether they would succeed, it depended on the negotiator’s skill and Kabuchi’s own thoughts.

Whether they were players growing spirit herbs or refining pills, they were all essentially working for Xian Cun, who siphoned off the vast majority of their profits.

Before this, he had imagined the trials of the Seventh Heavenly Pillar many times, yet when he finally arrived, he was completely stunned.

"Seeking death as well?" Shen Qiansan let out a cold snort, retreating as he drew his bow and notched an arrow. Invisible bolts of spiritual energy pierced the sky, streaking toward the two men.

Behind her, Yun Shitian heard this and said nothing more, merely resting his head on Luo Yu’s shoulder and kissing her cheek gently.

Overcome by joy, Mu Yun had just begun to circulate his spiritual energy through his body when, before he could take the next step, a sudden "pfft" sound echoed.

A moan, nearly impossible to bear, spilled from her swollen lips, only to be shattered by the rhythm of his strikes, unable to form a coherent melody.