Volume One, Chapter 33: First Encounter with Du Fu

Song Siwei did not look closely, but caught sight of He Yichen, whose face was etched with disbelief, his mouth hanging open in an "O" shape.

Upon hearing this, several veteran immortal officials gasped, all shaken by the identities of these individuals. None of them were people to be trifled with; almost all stood on par with the Immortal Emperors of the celestial realm. That they had arrived together today with such an overbearing presence—could some monumental event be unfolding?

It was already late by the time the two of them left the Qian family residence, and after dawdling on the road, it was seven or eight in the evening when they returned to their lodgings in the provincial capital. To Qin Yibai’s surprise, his sister, Qin Xiaoying, had not yet returned.

It was a photo of her back, wearing the white camisole dress from that night, her hands clasped behind her holding a bouquet of white tulips, standing out sharply against her long black hair.

Dong Zhuo smiled faintly. He had long held the privilege of entering the court without rushing and ascending the throne with sword and shoes, though he had never actually drawn his blade within the great hall.

Fire is inherently lethal to the soul, granting a massive advantage in combat—enough to bridge an entire tier in the power hierarchy of the Moon Soul Realm.

"Nothing at all? I just thought that since you are here to find your wife, it would be better for you to go in and look, rather than giving up halfway." Jiang Ye’s calm words drove the other man to the brink of madness.

He emerged like the ancestor of demons, a peerless god of slaughter whose eyes remained rippleless yet exerted endless pressure.

"I got caught in some rain!" Shen Yiyao brushed past her, took her cup, and poured her a mug of hot tea.

Even Yu Youran covered her ears, shielding her hearing with supreme soul arts to avoid temporary deafness.

"Ziyu, I was wrong!" Hua Qi sobbed as she spoke. She was wrong—she truly felt it was her own fault. For the sake of her own goals and selfishness, while she hadn't exactly inverted right and wrong, it was a fact that she had used distortion and deception to desperately persuade Ziyu not to submit the memorial.

"Don't come any closer." Nan Xia was blocked by the person in front of her. Her hand instinctively moved to her stomach.

So, everything Lu Chenhao said was true. Given a family background like the Han family’s, Han Yang’s running away from home must have been met with a complete blackout of news.

"I don't mind if you act like a rogue toward me." Shen Tuantuan pouted, inviting Ning Nanxing to taste her sweetness.

Ning Nanxing said nothing, and Shen Tuantuan knew she wouldn't get an answer out of him; he would speak whenever he felt like it. She knew his temperament all too well; if she stopped asking, Ning Nanxing would inevitably become restless. Sure enough, after Shen Tuantuan went about her own business, Ning Nanxing couldn't sit still.

Nan Xia’s brow furrowed slightly. Indeed, if those reporters were to swarm out again, just thinking about it was enough to give her a headache.

Moreover, although they had only known each other for a day, she could judge that aside from his extraordinary abilities, this man surpassed most men in the world in every other aspect. Staying with him would not be to her detriment.

Emperor Yue looked up at Huangfu Li, who returned the gaze with cold intensity; sparks seemed to fly between them.

Because each team sent a representative to fight, the 1v1 duels determined the order of entry into the Great Canyon.

"I’m not leaving! Who knows if you’re the ones trying to harm me!" Hua Qi simply sat down, leaning against the cave wall, and wrapped her arms around her knees, refusing to budge.

A look of gravity flashed in Li Yunrou’s eyes. Having clashed with Beiming Yu before, she knew his strength well; it would take the elders of the two great factions over a dozen moves to subdue him.

"High Priest, please—please don't hurt Sophia." It was clear the bearded man was terrified of the priest, yet he still braced himself to speak.

The light of reality replaced their vision once more. The plains, the green grass, and the bright sunshine returned, and the figures in their conspicuous school uniforms reappeared.

Zhu Da agreed, went over to exchange a few words with Uncle Xiang and Zhou Qingyun, and the latter followed him off to tidy up with great reluctance.

To be compared to Yun Zhongzi and the Burning Lamp Buddha, and now to be plotted against—Maitreya Buddha felt another wave of irritation.

At most, it would be the last time, he muttered. He felt as if he had said this before—the autumn excursion to the Li River... he couldn't quite remember. It didn't matter.

His protective aura was of little use against this thing, but Tang Feng did not want it to get close, especially since some of its bizarre attacks carried the force of a full-strength strike from a martial arts master.

Great swathes of forest lay below. The moonlight had dimmed, and the pitch-black sea of trees lay silent, occasionally rippling under the soft breeze.

A voice so affected and cloying it made one’s scalp tingle suddenly came from behind Tang Feng and his companions. The three turned to see a wealthy merchant, draped in gold and silver as if he were trying to brand himself an upstart, clutching a plastic-looking internet celebrity.

He pondered, but the sense of emptiness was not as intense as the last time, and it faded after a few minutes.

In truth, one could not blame them for their astonishment. As everyone knew, ordinary trees only reached diameters of three to five meters. Even the world’s largest trees—the giant sequoias of America—hardly exceeded ten meters. Who had ever seen a tree thirty meters wide?

After a chaotic scramble, the second-in-command finally explained the situation. He gave the gang member who had shrieked a thorough dressing-down. Only then did everyone return to their previous spot and begin to examine the rectangular stone doors on either side.

But for these past few days, there had been no progress. A blockage remained in his chest, and his internal energy could no longer be elevated.

Until his tribesmen were completely settled, Du Yu sought an opportunity to head north, pinning his final hope on the Yin Capital, praying to find some trace of Jin Kui there.

Now stepping into Yunluo Academy, he no longer felt the timidity of his first visit. Xiao Yan looked toward the countless buildings looming through the forest, his heart stirring with excitement. Having been away for nearly two years, returning brought a different set of emotions.

To prevent Zu Chunqiu from playing any tricks, Shi Yao had Baili Ziqian knock him unconscious and bind him.

Finally, when the sun was at its most scorching, someone came to invite them to the main hall, saying their lord was waiting.

Xiao Yan’s heart skipped a beat at the words. Back in the Xiao clan, the Grand Elder had promoted his Cangyan Ruler from a high-grade spiritual weapon to a low-grade celestial weapon, vastly increasing its power. This time, he thought, he would surely be able to improve it significantly.