Chapter 24

As they sped forward, the scenery abruptly shifted. A yellow mountain peak, like a barrier between heaven and earth, blocked the expansion of the oasis. The rocks were barren, devoid of even a blade of grass, and at a single glance, they appeared impossibly steep and inaccessible.

"Thanks," Luo Wusheng said, as if he were saying 'you're welcome.' He glanced up and down at the ancient ghost-faced jade, sighing powerlessly to himself: In that case, so be it.

Amidst the roar of the dragon, an earthy-yellow halo exploded violently. Successive shockwaves slammed into Su Mubai and Zhu Ziming as they charged forward, leaving both men with a suffocating tightness in their chests.

"Phew, good grief. I didn't expect the Quincy family to be involved in this," Naruto sighed.

Setting the Jiang sisters aside, Su Ruoyao was more concerned about the Lu Qiong they had mentioned. What had she done to earn such contempt from the sisters? Su Ruoyao had no informants at the hotel, and she didn't want to go digging for gossip among the waitstaff—it was too slow. She decided to head straight home to ask her mother; she would certainly know.

With only one day left before the ship's departure, the massive three-story vessel anchored at the shore stood like a behemoth of the sea, a truly shocking sight.

The hotel staircase was circular and led directly upstairs, allowing a clear view from the ground floor to the second. After briefly exchanging ideas, Su Mubai and the bearded man began to advance, covering each other in a staggered formation.

During this time, Su Mu had been flying along the broken river toward the central region. Along the way, he encountered several acquaintances from the Chen'an Kingdom—though "acquaintances" was a stretch, as they had only met once. Su Mu paused only briefly before moving on; after all, those on different paths cannot make plans together, and avoiding them saved him from awkward, hollow conversation.

However, when Sun Fengzhao inspected the Qi-nourishing pills stored in the jade bottle, he realized they were neither in the same condition nor appearance as the ones Lu Wantian had refined for him in his storage pouch.

"A mere ant, yet you dare to make an enemy of me? I will have you dead!" Luo Feng declared. He brought his palm down toward Long Hao, and it descended with the crushing weight of a mountain.

Long Hao’s mouth twitched. This Gu Aotian had been so arrogant just a moment ago, but the second danger appeared, he immediately shrank back.

As Sima Yuanxian let out a pig-like shriek, a chill went through the crowd. They had not expected Chen Feng to be so ruthless, resorting to such a vicious strike at the slightest disagreement.

***

Quan Shi narrowed his eyes, pulling Han Jiujiu into his arms with one hand. He unbuttoned his shirt one by one, revealing a scene of exquisite temptation. Quan Shi lifted the chin of the woman who was already deeply affected by his allure, forcing her to gaze into his unfathomable, deep eyes at close range.

Initially, she had held a favorable opinion of Xia Xing, but now she finally understood that he was just like the rest of them.

"Junior Sister Zhao, you are far too gullible. Half of this space bag was snatched away by that bastard Yuan Kai; what remains here is only half—how could it possibly be enough for both of us to share? Therefore, all of this belongs to me!" Fan Yi said, eyeing Zhao An’er.

"A Level Five monster, a Corrosive Beast. Its blood alone has such terrifying acidity. It’s fortunate we took it down before it could react; it would have been trouble if it had sprayed its corrosive fluid," Yun Zhen said grimly, easily dodging the fist that came crashing down.

The three men from the Anping Kingdom, who had previously been defeated by Long Hao and stripped of their points, now looked on with expressions of shock and disbelief.

It was no wonder Ye Xiu had said he could not possibly survive the tribulation; his physical body was completely incapable of withstanding the power unleashed once the four heavenly tribulations fully formed.

Hong Jian felt a sense of frantic desperation. She exerted her strength suddenly, and it felt as if someone had set off fireworks inside her sea of consciousness. Her vision went black, golden sparks erupted in her mind, and a searing pain instantly spread through every inch of her skin. Unable to even scream, she clutched her head and collapsed to the floor.

Nearby, the sound of metal being crushed emanated from the palm of the man holding the crystal-patterned blade. Ifilier raised an eyebrow and turned her head away.

Tian Yaru lay there, tears streaming down her temples. She lamented her misfortune and was angry at her own inability to change things, yet she was utterly powerless.

The fist tore through one layer, and the white silk instantly wove another. The fist drove forward again, the web broke, the fist pressed on, and the web reappeared.

Xiao Yao could not refuse him, and besides, he was calculating how to use him to infiltrate the Martial Arts Hall to gather further intelligence. Upon entering the restaurant, they headed straight to the second floor. Wang Liu, acting like a nouveau riche, ordered a table full of food and drink, calling for two jars of fine wine to share with Xiao Yao.

Wangcai didn't waste words. His cheeks split open with a sharp crack, revealing a row of blood-red vents. Then, *bang, bang, bang*—a volley of Hydralisk spikes swept across the area.

***

Following this, a series of military orders were issued from the Palace of the War God, and the entire Twelve Linked Cities began to boil with activity.

Barely a day after the cavalry had set out, when they were about three hundred miles from Bayan, the Cossack cavalry reported that the Huaxia Revolutionary Army's cavalry division was pursuing them from behind.

As they chatted idly, he learned from the Prince of Yanping that his stipend as a prince was actually quite meager—barely over ten thousand taels of silver a year. With such a small sum to support an entire princely household, he wouldn't be able to survive at all if not for the income from his estates outside the city. The Prince of Yanping hinted that he was also secretly engaged in business.

The high-explosive round from the Magnum pistol struck the center of the doll's forehead with precision. The rotating bullet sliced through the left side of the doll's head as if a woodcutter's axe were cleaving through rotten, dead wood.

It was truly strange. I hadn't noticed anything unusual, so why did I keep feeling like I was being watched? I felt it when I was changing clothes in the forest, and again when I left the 'Yingchun Pavilion'! Could it be that I am just overly suspicious and nervous?

Seeing that the Medicine Lord’s every move was measured and confident, Yue Xia felt a sense of relief. He nodded, though he dared not even breathe deeply, fearing he might disturb the Medicine Lord as he saved the patient.

At this moment, Ziwu was particularly grateful for Changsheng’s decision. Perhaps, for Zhijian, returning to her form as a red thread was the best choice of all.

Qingluo had been lying in bed for three months, her figure withered by the torment of illness. Yet, the moment she saw Song Qianhe enter the room, her eyes, which had lost all luster, were suddenly ignited, finally showing a glimmer of vitality.