Volume 1, Chapter 41: You Scoundrel, Get Down on Your Knees!

Chu Ziming pulled her into his embrace. Mu Aoqing was still wearing the clothes she had stepped out in that morning—a beige overcoat that was now stained with blood, a sight that was truly shocking.

"What is the meaning of this, Crown Princess?" Consort Jin looked at her with clear dissatisfaction, her voice turning slightly cold.

"Thank you for just now. If it weren't for you, I’d likely be dead or at least severely wounded." Han Tianzhu patted the young man on the shoulder, speaking with lingering fear.

Yu Qianfeng let out a boisterous laugh, his eyes filled with rampant intensity. Ignoring the palm strikes coming from his opponent, he lunged forward and grabbed the expert from the Heavenly Demon Sect in a tight bear hug.

Since he insisted on driving her, she wouldn't argue; if he wanted to, he could. It was certainly more convenient for her.

Mo Chengfeng and Lu Yun were both envious of Jin Nan. To have a fiancée who loved him so deeply—what more could a man ask for?

The stone hammer, tempered with the blood and souls of the human race, shattered directly under the strike of the Spear of Judgment, exploding into countless fragments that shot out in every direction.

"This... I haven't seen anything." The man gave a light cough. It seemed unintentional, yet he shifted his gaze slightly, appearing somewhat evasive.

The two sword-snakes surged forward and darted left and right, instantly blocking the majority of the enemies approaching from the front right.

Everyone in the dungeon had been drugged into unconsciousness. A figure dressed in black, holding the keys taken from the warden, opened the dungeon door.

"Don't try to play dumb with me. You know exactly who needs to be talked about and who doesn't, don't you?" Lian Hua looked at Du Feng with keen interest.

Once the imperial decree reached Chuan, would Liao Fu accept it or not? If he refused, wouldn't that be defying an imperial order, adding a new crime to his list?

This was a shared silent understanding between Xiuyuan and Buyu. Whenever they missed each other, they always felt as though the weather mirrored their inner state, just as it had in the past, and just as it did now.

Walking slowly down the street, watching the rows of shops and the bustling crowds, Quan Quan began to develop a headache. Seeing that it was already late, and noticing that Sofna beside him was tired but too embarrassed to say so, he felt a sense of concern.

***

When Zhang Tianyi entered the room, he happened to see Cao Xianye pouring tea into the tea basin. By the time he and Chu Jizhe walked to the table and sat down on the two purple-wood chairs placed before it, the tea had been poured into the cups in perfect succession. The timing was masterful, precise to the second.

Just as he was trying to find a way to rescue "Black Three," he unexpectedly saw the reward notice for him, along with a wanted poster released on television. "Black Three escaped?" This was the first reaction of "Master Nine" upon seeing the notices.

Chen Diewu’s eyes dimmed slightly. That fat man named Liu Song was said to have a very powerful background. She had originally hoped to rely on him to escape her misery, but unfortunately, she hadn't succeeded.

"Could it be that Yaolivas discovered your operation in advance and used counter-measures to defeat you?" Because Huaiya had previously mentioned that Yaolivas had nearly wiped out the entire Five Poisons Sect, he asked this question.

"When talking about Luo Bing, he is masking—masking everything—but his mood is far from calm." Xiaoyao continued to tap the ground with a willow branch.

Dongfang Yunyang launched a kick that landed squarely on the shell-like black energy surrounding Yejiu, the green and black energies intertwining.

Once Dongfang Yunyang confirmed that his chakra level had reached the 90 threshold recognized by the system, he took a deep breath. This goal was the result he had long been waiting for, and now, it was finally achieved.

The house they lived in was located next to the courtyard of that Imperial Uncle, which allowed them to keep a convenient watch over him.

During the battle, although Shan Gangmu was at a slight disadvantage—his elite Jonin-level corpses had been completely shattered, and the Nether Corpse King, comparable to a Kage-level entity, had suffered glaring, severe wounds—he had not yet been defeated and was still stubbornly pinning down Ye.

No matter how one looked at it, tonight was far from normal, but there was no time to dwell on it, for another person stood before him.

However, even though the last conversation hadn't been overheard, there was no guarantee the next one wouldn't be.

Before Dou Wei could finish his sentence, Zhang Jingzhi hurriedly pulled the payment receipts from Xiehe Hospital out of her pocket.

Jiang Chang'an felt a jolt in his heart. Gathering his lapels and pushing off with his feet, he moved like a wisp of smoke, instantly retreating several dozen steps.

Xiangling finally understood what was meant. With a soft "ah," her pretty face turned beet red; she glanced at Jia Cong and turned to run inside.

***

With Lin Lihui straddling his waist, Dou Wei, feeling an immediate reaction, said with deep helplessness.

"I... again? Horse stance?" Liu Tianhao didn't speak, only casting a resentful glance at Guan Yu.

At this moment, the first draftee in line caught Liu Tianhao's attention. The man was about nine feet tall, standing a head and a half taller than everyone else in the queue. Curious, Liu Tianhao walked forward.

"How... how is this possible?" Aizen struggled to process the situation; even a man known for his intellect could not comprehend why this was happening.

"Very well, please announce your challenge weight!" the referee asked, following protocol.

As for Zhao Yun, Liu Tianhao transferred five hundred men from his army of twenty thousand to him. Zhao Yun naturally had no objections. The five hundred local volunteers he led didn't even have horses; if they were included, the marching speed of Liu Tianhao's main force would surely be delayed significantly.

Lu Cang was exhausted, but clearly had no desire to sleep. He simply retreated from Lu Xia's room and sat on the sofa in a daze.

Even the organizers and television station staff grew nervous. Although this wasn't the organizers' first time holding the National College Martial Arts Tournament, it was their first time doing so via live broadcast.

The small shop was now packed with people, reminiscent of a department store sale before the apocalypse. After struggling to squeeze inside, Mi Duo was once again in awe of the Tree of Life’s capabilities.

"Two crystal cores? Two crystal cores!" *Pfft*, classmate Yu Han, could you try to be a bit more professional? Even if our Hope Base is famous for being high-quality and affordable, it’s not *that* cheap! But since he had already stated the price, Mi Duo had no choice but to play along.

"I'm here to see Yiyi regarding the film. Can you make the decision on this?" Dongfang Yi's words caused the bodyguard to look at Luo Yixuan with hesitation.

"Do not retreat! Follow me!" Li Ran shouted, pulling hard on the reins. The flame-warhorse let out a roar, fire erupting from its hooves as it galloped into the air.