Offering Incense

“My decision is made. The Duke of Martial Virtue lost his life saving me; he is as a second father to me. If I wish to grant him the title of Duke of Martial Virtue, why should I not? For three generations, the Yun family has been loyal and just. Without the Yun family, there would be no Zong Kingdom. This is settled,” Murong Che declared coldly.

Though her heart was uneasy, at least it meant his kindness to her last night had a purpose—nothing more. There was no conspiracy afoot between him and Mo Zihan.

Wei Rouyi could only sigh. She went out to gather medicine for her father and buy rice, but not even a thousand taels of gold could buy a single pound of grain.

Yet none of these worries weighed on her as much as the anxiety over Jun Wuxie’s whereabouts.

She knew this man. She had met him once in Beijing, when Li Weixiao had kindly introduced him—her own father.

The giant figure in the tower watched the oncoming flurry of sword energy with lazy indifference. His reactions were so slow, he neither resisted nor dodged, allowing the sword light to strike him. The oddity was that his flesh, armored as if ancient carbon, remained unscathed. Suddenly, his beastly jaws tore through the black stitches that sealed them, and he bit down on the sword energy, snapping it in two with interlocking fangs.

Lin Shenshen’s eyes darted around the room, seeing white walls and a hospital gown on herself. She frowned delicately, stunned for a long moment before memories of what had happened slowly returned.

Though Ma Zi thought all these things, he asked nothing aloud. He simply watched, quietly pleased, as the car disappeared from sight.

She was the type with a tough exterior but a gentle heart. In the face of real danger, she did not falter, though she knew far less than Su Ya. Her only sources of comfort were Ning Weiguo and Li Chen.

They knew nothing of the miraculous effects of the antidote and blood-replenishing pills. Otherwise, they would have believed Ye Bai to be some deity reborn.

But what did he see? He saw spiritual power, condensed into a blade, shatter Lei Dong’s own spiritual force in a single stroke.

Amid the chaos, though the seven fought valiantly, defeat was certain. Their minds unravelled, surrounded by fierce enemies; they struggled, but it was futile. The courage that had sustained them was fading, replaced by fear.

Ye Bai absorbed everything Xun Zhenyuan told him, realizing this world was not as it appeared, and that Xun Zhenyuan himself was not wholly devoted to the court.

In a daze, he once again saw that palace, towering among the clouds—a majestic structure perched atop a mountain, every blade of grass and leaf palpable. There was a stone stele, upon which was engraved: Jade Void Palace.

He was fortunate not to have forcibly kept that genetic weapon. Otherwise, had it self-destructed, he would have been left with no one to weep to.

After saying this, the man coldly brushed away Yao Xingyue’s hand and strode outside on his long legs.

Chu Yiming cast a resentful glance at Chu Tian and the woman in purple standing by his side. His silver teeth ground together, muscles twitching in his face.

Tears stained cheeks as fair as jade; snow-white teeth bit her lower lip tightly, making her appear all the more fragile and moving.

God was, in fact, fascinated by the identities of You and Shuo. By rights, only Qing He, Hun, the guards, and Tang’er herself should have known the twists and turns of their journey. Yet, inexplicably, You and Shuo appeared as well.

Starlight spilled over him, bathing him in a comfort and warmth he had never felt before. It was his first time witnessing the Milky Way’s beauty.

He entered the main hall and found the Mother of Green Lotus. Since Luo Shen had entered seclusion at the core, all affairs here had fallen under her management.

Sima Yu, grinning, picked up a piece of meat and fed it to Hundred Ugly, then stroked its head. Only when talk of the trial arose did Shi Zi finally understand what had happened—his guess matched Tong Mu’s exactly.

Yin’s words grew more frequent, which seemed perfectly normal to him. He was not particularly withdrawn—on the contrary, he was warm-hearted. He was simply accustomed to his own territory.

Yun Hao was like a street performer, banging on gongs and drums to attract attention. Shen Lian, exasperated, could only watch. If Yun Hao made a scene too big to resolve, things would get out of hand.

Xuan Huangxing believed that possessing a divine soul and the power to wield divine energy made one a god. Yet a true god had mastered divine energy to its utmost, such that ordinary elemental forces could no longer harm them.

“Of course I remember.” Wei Yuxuan’s question made Lan Duo recall the moment they met atop the school’s teaching building—he was dangling from the eaves, practicing pull-ups, and the nearsighted Wei Yuxuan had mistakenly thought he was trying to hang himself, scaring her so much her heart condition relapsed! Thus began their dramatic acquaintance.

“I’m sorry, Lan Duo. We shouldn’t have troubled you so much at lunch today. I’m really sorry!” Mu Xueruofei hurriedly apologized to Lan Duo.

In their spare time, the two would venture into the Demon Beast Forest for training and adventure. Since that day, however, Luo Lin had not encountered any beasts above the second rank. On reflection, that was only natural—this was the forest’s edge, after all; high-level beasts would hardly make it their home.

The man behind her tapped his toe and shot forward. Song Yiyi’s gaze swept the room; suddenly, she snatched up the candlestick from the table, and with a flick of her veil, caught the flame, setting it alight in an instant.