Chapter 48

“What does His Majesty think, that I have retired to a mountain retreat? Or that my corpse lies unburied in the wilderness?” Rong Qian asked with a faint, mocking smile.

Wang Chenba cried out in near despair. The Ancestor Qingtian was the hope and pillar of the entire Tenglong tribe; without him, even if Tenglong was not utterly destroyed in the end, it would be reduced to a second-rate, even third-rate clan, swallowed up and lost among the endless multitude of tribes, never to rise again.

Martial Spirit: Azure Elephant. The onlookers might not recognize such a secret art, but Lei Kuang certainly did. He had fought Hunmo before, and the latter’s most formidable spiritual technique was precisely this one. For generations, it had been the signature of Hunmo’s line, and now, seeing Mu Qiu use it, Hunmo’s feelings were clear without a word.

Yun Yang, face full of sorrow, reluctantly handed the jade to Xi Wang, his eyes filled with concern as he looked at her.

Qian Rujun had not intended to establish her ideal life in this place, so she had not invested much in building roads.

Urged on by Yaoguang, Fu Hanqing was surrounded by a flurry of servants who dressed him in magnificent ceremonial robes and a tall crown. His injured right hand was tightly bandaged and hidden within the wide sleeve of his garment—nobody could see it now.

“Hepi and I have not been at the Academy of Martial Arms for even a year, so Tianwai Mountain has no record of us. They won’t check us strictly at the entrance. As for Afei and Old Hai, they vanished a long time ago, and their records have already been deleted in Tianwai City. You, even less to worry about—you’ve only been here less than half a year,” Huang Taiji explained in detail.

Lan Feiyu was furious about this. He sent many men to track down the three from the Heavenly Demon Sect, but Leng Xingyu had set a secret ambush and, without a trace, slaughtered all the disciples Lan Feiyu had sent. For a time, a sense of crisis swept through Tianfeng Fort.

Then, everything around surged toward this spot. Some people didn’t even have time to utter a cry before they vanished, dissolved into thin air.

At the same time, the Scepter of Radiance used immense power to break free from the Eye of the Witch Tribe. But the moment the surrounding power weakened, it was struck hard by the Palace Mistress of the Jade Pool and Yang Yi’s River of Stars. The scepter’s brilliance quickly dimmed, clearly damaged.

Xun Qing’s hand was ice cold. When it gripped him, his already stiff body froze for an instant, his blood surging in reverse. In the darkness, his eyes turned red as flame, and his breath came out scalding hot.

Soren did not know how to comfort Thor. He could see through the fate of all things, but the only thing he could not see through was the human heart.

She had received the task to deal with Ye Tian at the last minute and so knew little about him. She was unaware that Ye Tian had slain the grandmasters Lin Po Jun and Shi Bai Tian, or killed Su Anuo, disciple of the Invincible Warrior. Knowing none of this, she had spoken boldly and rashly, claiming she would act as Heaven’s agent and execute Ye Tian in the name of justice.

The stone chambers sat on the mountain behind Second Master’s village, not far from the secret passage, but even more hidden—a place easily believed to be a perfect stash for valuables.

Huo Chen Yuan did not turn back, nor did he answer. He slowly crouched to the ground and reached out to check the carotid arteries of the two bodies.

A blazing white shockwave swept outward like lightning, flattening everything in its path—mountains crumbled, earth and stone flew, grass and trees turned to ash. All was swallowed, swept away, and utterly destroyed.

The Fourth Master knew perfectly well that Lady Chun could not bear children, yet deliberately promoted her status to go along with the flow. Lu Fuyao, naturally, understood his intent.

Now everyone was finally able to relax. The final exams were over, the results were good, and they could look forward to a well-earned winter break.

No one knew how long had passed before a strange pattern—half symbol, half inscription—on the chamber door began to glow faintly.

In the past half month, Su Yi had ceased to be arrogant and domineering toward Li Yan. On the contrary, he showed great respect, and did not try to bully him anymore.

“There’s an eightfold illusion array set around us. Even a cultivator at the Core Formation stage would not notice it. I bought this array at great cost from an artifact sect,” Ouyang Mu said respectfully.

Li Shuangyang died under the torment of the Blood Refining Worm, while Li Ping would perish quietly at sea, his death causing not a ripple.

As for combat experience—where did it come from? Of course, from bandit suppression. The Batavia Garrison Command provided such opportunities. No mercenary unit was ever stationed in the city for long; they all took turns being sent out to train through battle.

Several leaders realized something was wrong and immediately shouted, urging their men to further enrage Lin Yun, to provoke his killing intent.

At this moment, Lin Yun had no time to pay attention to such things. Once the danger passed, he immediately rushed to Wusheng’s side, helped him up, and placed a hand on his pulse; at once, his brow twitched.

The Lin family wielded deep influence across Southeast Asia. Many high-ranking officials in various countries and regions were Lin family members, and the Lin clan itself was the largest financial conglomerate in all Southeast Asia.

A man approached from ahead, his posture straight and proud. Though his face was covered, it was clear he was still young.

Falak still did not understand the situation, but out of trust for Malati, his expression instantly grew grim.

The proprietress turned, waved her hand, and at once two men who looked exactly alike entered from outside.

Strangely, Xi Zhi bowed to the King of Chu again. When the King returned the courtesy, Xi Zhi brandished his halberd and circled the royal chariot once more before returning to his starting point.

Situ Muxue arrived as Mu Xiyue was getting out of the car. She had been watching as Li Aijia made things difficult for Mu Xiyan, expecting a spectacle, but to her surprise, Mu Xiyue actually spoke up in defense of her cold-hearted sister.

Such a person, if roused to anger, could be even more terrifying than Fan Gai—at least Fan Gai had never destroyed an entire nation, though he had wiped out a powerful family within the State of Jin.

The room suddenly fell silent, but rather than feeling oppressive, the stillness brought an atmosphere of peace and comfort.