Chapter 53

Sikong Jun and Long Chendong each wrapped Lando in a warm embrace, showering him with fervent praise and heartfelt encouragement.

At that hazy, dreamlike moment, the procession leading the way halted before an arched bridge inlaid with pearls and gemstones of every imaginable hue. Snapping back to my senses, sweat pouring down my back, I realized that on the other side of that bridge stood the grand hall of the debauched and decadent Lord of the Evil Sea.

Of course, a skill that can hardly be called a combat technique isn’t worthy of a grandiose name, nor would anyone be bored enough to invent one for it. As long as you practice as your instructor demonstrated, mimicking the movements exactly, that’s all that’s required.

From the treetops, Sister Fo and Ye Fan had already read his intentions and followed quietly in his wake, with Lin Kun and the others trailing after. The mountain path sloped steeply downward, winding and twisting all the way to the valley floor.

Witnessing this, Rinos smashed his pocket watch without hesitation. Sure enough, inside lay a gear identical to the one before, etched with a constellation symbol.

You and Yin felt the pressure of the swirling air almost simultaneously—they were far too close. The current drove the mosquito in tighter and tighter.

The two of them nodded respectfully to Elder Bai, but in Shen Lian’s eyes, it looked more like a friendly greeting exchanged between comrades. This left Shen Lian puzzled—who exactly were these two?

The next morning, as we set out by car, we found the mountains transformed by the previous night’s storm—stunningly beautiful. Beneath the blue sky, sunlight poured down on a scatter of jagged peaks, each one adorned with rocks of various shapes and expressions. Last night’s thunderstorm felt like nothing more than a dream turned to dust.

Chu Tingting didn’t believe a word of what Shen Lian said—after all, it was just a pill. How powerful could it possibly be? He was acting as if it were some miraculous elixir.

But really, if you liked watching, you watched; if not, you just made dumplings and prepared for the feast later. The most important thing today was that the whole company could gather, make merry, and celebrate into the night. For these soldiers, whose lives were usually disciplined and devoid of entertainment, this was the greatest excitement.

All night we’d managed to collect only eleven Silver Fox Pelts. After obtaining the Silver Fox Necklace, everyone insisted on letting me have the rest of the pelts.

Yuan Yi acted without a word, swinging his arm out, five fingers spread wide—the blade of vengeance flew from his hand and landed on the ground, as he prepared to kick. Liu Muchen’s eyes widened, his breathing so heavy that everyone, even those at a distance, could hear it clearly.

Aside from Itachi’s ocular technique—enough to leave Yugito, the Two-Tailed Jinchuriki, utterly weakened—and the power of Susanoo, Tutai also described in detail Izumi’s teleportation technique, which surpassed even the famed Body Flicker.

“It’s today’s scene—I’m the one who hit Sister Wei!” Xu Yi declared without any hint of embarrassment.

“I’m leaving! I’m leaving!” Jiang Chen couldn’t wait; Cong Yi was right—he was never comfortable in places brimming with spiritual energy. Now that there was a chance to leave this stifling environment, why not take it?

At that moment, a giant undead blue luan shrieked, controlled by Chu Xiao, its frenzied cries sending the Iron-Feathered Hawk crashing downward, raising waves that soared to the sky.

Cheng Zhixin narrowed his eyes; never in his life had he thought Lu Jinran could be so shameless.

A high-quality blue wolf, though only level five, was already capable of attacking slimes.

At first, Xu Ning thought Xu Fu had designed it this way deliberately, as a show of force to intimidate other nations.

“Heh, relax, brother—it’s just a joke,” came the reply.

One by one, the soldiers fell to arrows. Those who died on the spot stared wide-eyed, as if lamenting that they could not take more enemies with them.

If it had been an average evolver facing the giant beast’s fire-breathing assault, he’d have been reduced to ashes in an instant.

Yet Wang Yun arrived at the training grounds ahead of everyone, practicing punches with Elena at his side. Elena was so familiar with Wang Yun’s daily routine that she had adopted it herself—they practically rose at the same time and went outside together.

Jiang Liang’s mighty, sharp fists landed blow after blow on a barrier as thin as cicada wings. Yet all he accomplished was to make it tremble a few times, after which it remained utterly unmoved.

Even Xiaolin managed to squeeze in, but Taeyeon, Seo Juhyun, Jessica, and Gyuri nearly filled the front rows entirely. This wasn’t favoritism on Chen Shao’s part—it was simply how the public saw them.

“The Leader guessed right—you really did plant a super bacteria in her, and now you’re tracking him through it,” Ye Fan sneered coldly.

Uncle Liu’s expression was calm, as if he were doing something utterly ordinary. Without a care for the setting, he kicked Chen Xiaoming in the stomach again, sending him rolling several meters before landing on the sofa.

“Oh, oh, oh!” Chen Shao’s wives all cried out in unison at this scene, making a rather odd sound.

Su Yang said nothing more. He clasped his hands, harmonizing yin and yang, and a profound sense of Taiji emanated smoothly from his body, coalescing above his head into a magnificent Taiji diagram.

“Huang Twelve, Thirteen—finish him quickly. Old Seven and I will pursue the other two,” one of the black-clad men ordered.

The sudden shift in Yunlong’s aura left the Ghost King across from him struggling to adapt, forcing him to hold back and merely heighten his guard.

It was, without a doubt, an enviable and jealousy-inducing privilege. Yet, unless necessary, everyone strove to curry favor with the Ed family rather than incur their wrath. The reason was simple: the Ed family's strongest were obsessed with the pursuit of power—what some might call research fanatics in another world.