Chapter 40

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Judging from what had just happened, Fan Yu seemed to have informants inside the Netherworld Ravine. He had deliberately let Su Qi and Mo Diming know about them, intending to use that as his leverage for joining the group.

Nangong Beidou had originally paid no attention, but a sudden cry from the bushes made him abruptly change direction in midair. Almost in the same motion, he raised his sword and blocked the stream of force head-on.

It was precisely by relying on this prediction that Boss Zhou had seen through Wu Yong’s methods of attack. There were indeed certain supernatural abilities capable of shielding one’s perception and mental power in situations like this, but Wu Yong possessed no such ability. In this battle, he would have to face three opponents alone.

“Master Cai, please speak.” Liu Qing stopped and said courteously, as though he had not been the one who had brought Cai Yu here by force moments before.

Xiao Tianhe was unmoved. He said indifferently, “Your Highness is mistaken. How could these weaklings possibly guarantee your safety? As the saying goes, one who receives the ruler’s salary must bear the ruler’s worries. Since we are subjects of the Great Ming Empire, it is our duty to protect Your Highness.”

Only then did Xiao Nu notice the stone stele that had appeared abruptly in the center of the ground. Three blurred characters were engraved upon it.

The sword spirit after going berserk was even more terrifying than an ancient demon. Its destructive power annihilated everything in its path. The once-prosperous Bai family was wiped out in an instant, leaving countless dead and wounded in a scene of unimaginable horror. Bai Yunhe and his wife were also buried in the Sword Mound. Of that vast ancient clan, only a handful survived by sheer luck.

She had never belonged to this world in the first place, but came from a distant extraterrestrial race. Although the laws of Heaven governing this realm had forced her cultivation down to the perfected peak of the Radiant Illumination Realm, in this mortal world, who could withstand even a single move from her?

“Withdraw.” Seeing the battle grow increasingly tense, and noticing that the warriors in the simulated battlefield had even begun to form a stable defensive formation, Zhou Yu finally spoke.

Unfortunately, because he was being affected by the arena’s barrier, he could not communicate with the fox eagle at all. Otherwise, he would certainly have personally directed it to attack Xiao Nu.

“I’ll take you to the hospital for an examination.” Luo Chenyang frowned as he spoke, then reached out to pick her up again.

“Boom!”

As the opponent’s body transformed into countless drops of blood, Lei Yu effortlessly devoured his life force and martial soul, then seized his storage ring in an instant.

Li Xiao nodded and said nothing more. Let the past remain in the past. All he could do was lead Di Xiong onward in triumph, finding life in the midst of death.

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“All right. We’ll proceed according to Golden Rat’s plan. Everyone, disperse and take good care of the businesses in your own territories. And keep an eye on Nantian Ming—they have never given up spying on us.” Suzhou Lao took a sip of tea as he spoke.

“Yes. The child is his. He is the child’s father. Although neither of us wants to believe it, and neither of us is willing to believe it, this is the truth—the unavoidable truth. It is real. I am carrying Shangguan Ao’s child.” Yang Shimin stroked her belly as she spoke.

Dongfang Qiang was, after all, one of Pan Dao’s two most trusted men. Even the brothers around him carried pistols. When the sudden change occurred, they drew their weapons and exchanged fire with Di Xiong’s men.

Wouldn’t traveling by water be much slower than riding a horse? What if the Emperor’s men caught up with us? What could the Princess possibly be thinking? Surely she hadn’t forgotten such a simple principle?

Perhaps it was when she spoke her first words to him. Perhaps it was when she snatched his roses.

Shi Xiaojun, sent flying by the impact, crashed heavily to the ground more than thirty meters away. The moment he landed, a surge of hot blood burst through his throat and sprayed out.

Gu Yanfei was so frightened that her heart nearly stopped. Noticing her tension, Luo Chenyang chuckled under his breath and poked his head out as well.

He immediately called Old Liu and asked him to inform the people on the other side so they could arrange a meeting.

When that fellow heard this, he was frightened out of his wits. He had originally refused to pay, but after half of him had been cut open, he lay on the hospital bed like a lamb awaiting slaughter. In the end, he had no choice but to swipe his credit card and pay more than eight thousand before he was taken off the operating table.

“Hey…” Qiu Xuan waved a hand in front of An Jiena’s eyes. How had she suddenly become lost in thought? Qiu Xuan had no idea that she was pondering how to deal with him after he lost.

At the very least, obtaining this divine sword meant that even without uncovering the secret of the Innate Realm, the journey would not have been in vain.

But I knew Zhang Zhifang was not dead, and the truth was indeed that cruel. He had asked Ali whether she was jealous, and it seemed he had once asked me the same thing when we spoke—the exact same unique tone and cadence.

I became lost in that voice. For a moment, I could not react at all. I did not even notice that someone was speaking to me. I could only hear the sound vaguely. I had no choice but to doubt my own ears. Was I hallucinating? Yet the voice sounded so real.

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Seeing this, I felt even more uncomfortable below. The tension that had relaxed slightly earlier surged back with renewed excitement.

I sighed inwardly. In truth, I had always been rather moved by speeches that stirred people’s hearts. To say nothing of the fact that this time I was actually present at the scene, listening to it in person—it was genuinely quite touching.

I never would have imagined that Director Li was so powerful, with companies under him worth billions.

“All right. I’ll go to work tomorrow. Use the computer on the desk. You already know the Wi-Fi password. If you want to use your own computer, connect it yourself. There are spare keys hanging beside the door. Take one with you whenever you go out.” After saying this, Ao Xue began preparing the ingredients for breakfast the next morning.

Seeing that Zheng Haofei was unwell, Huashang hurried over, took Tianyou from his arms, handed him some water, and helped him sit down to rest.

To ordinary people, these echoes sounded more or less the same. But in Ghost Hand’s eyes, they were as different as heaven and earth.

As he walked, he suddenly sensed something wrong behind him, as though something were following him. He shuddered and quickly turned around, but saw nothing—only impenetrable darkness. He felt that he was being overly suspicious, frightening himself for no reason. What could possibly be following him? He shook his head, blaming himself for becoming more and more timid.

During those days, aside from handling urgent state affairs and necessary government business, Emperor Qianlong spent nearly every moment thinking about the same question: where had Xiao Yan and her two children gone?

Afterward, she calmly told her that she would be spending the night at Luo Chiheng’s place and asked her not to worry. Before Lin Weiran could object, she had already hung up and shut off the phone.

Although there was only a twenty percent chance of persuading Father, we did not want to give up. After all, he was our biological father—the man who had given birth to us and raised us. Our older brother had also said that if the matter could not be resolved peacefully, he would personally take action and settle things once and for all with Father.

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