Volume 1, Chapter 42: It seems Mu Yuanzhi is truly doomed this time!

The crowd continued to swell, and excluding those who had perished in the Battle of the Thousand Cities, there were now thousands gathered—nearly everyone left on the ancient battlefield.

"Hmph! I would rather see us both destroyed than watch the Young Ancestor compromise!" A powerhouse who had just entered the Saint Infant Realm exploded with aura, standing defiantly before Luo Caiyu.

Watching that figure grow distant, the man’s gaze deepened. This girl was increasingly capable of stirring his emotions; perhaps it would be best to avoid seeing her in the future.

The trio headed west. For two days and nights, they saw nothing but jagged, grotesque mountains and torrents that roared like thunder. Another day and night passed, and they were met only with red earth, red rivers, and red mountains—everything was red.

They spent two nights traversing mountains and ridges, moving by day and hiding by night. During those forty-eight hours, Gu Yongfeng and Zhang Tie were nearly discovered several times; once they hid beneath a bridge, and another time they buried themselves in a pile of dung to escape danger.

Qiu Daozi looked pained, as if he felt a cup of fine tea had been ruined by Ye Shaoxuan.

However, Xuanyuan Muxia’s handsome features left Fusal stunned, so much so that despite his lingering doubts, he no longer felt tense.

The mighty beings within Feilai Peak sensed the destructive power. Countless formations surged to life, weaving layers of barriers to shield the peak.

The Heaven Ranking expert presiding over the formation had no time to react before a colorful thunder-arrow, wailing with a piercing shriek, shattered the eye of the killing formation and struck him down.

Bracing his arms and dragging his mangled legs, Chen Liu crawled backward through the wreckage and scattered debris, desperate to survive.

During the brief training session, the eyes of the other seven remained fixed on Cao Yue and his two companions most of the time.

Xu Tian pointed his finger at the purple divine light, and a golden beam shot forth to meet it. In truth, this all happened in the blink of an eye.

"What are you thinking about? Besides... are you really going to compete with them? That Ina invited you... why do I have such a bad feeling about this?" Yu Hao teased Li Zhe, though he couldn't blame him—after all, Li Zhe had threatened to make him pay for a meal at the Flavor Pavilion, even if he did claim he would treat him in return.

***

After recovering today, Li Zhe went out with An Lin to gather news in the city. The city gates remained closed due to the beast tide, preventing any stray monsters from slipping in and causing damage.

What Yu Hao did not realize was that his theory was correct; however, within the academy, that theory could not yet be considered fully sound—it was merely a rough model.

"At the time, if only I had been given more troops, I might have been sitting in Chang’an right now, perhaps..." Wei Yan stopped himself, hastily biting back his words.

Zhang Shaozhu did not make a sound, yet the other party seemed to be watching her every moment. The instant she opened her eyes and regained consciousness, the person began to speak.

Jialuo put on a show of diagnosing the Crown Prince, though he had orchestrated the entire affair. He had planted his own people within the Prince’s palace, spiking the medicinal soup with poison, which caused the Prince’s condition to deteriorate until he was on the verge of death.

As the words faded, Li Mingfang hurried out from the kitchen downstairs. She had not been seen for a while, yet she remained as warm as ever. She held a homemade brush crafted from fine bamboo strips bundled together—the perfect tool for scrubbing large pots. Around her waist, she wore a blue apron.

The White Tiger let out a furious roar and launched the first attack. The sound was like a high-powered ultrasonic wave, distorting the faces of the two opponents, whipping their hair back, and forcing their eyes shut.

Furthermore, more realms continued to fall into the hands of the three ancient tribes, with greater combat forces being deployed each passing day. Consequently, the number of realms lost to them grew with every dawn.

Upon hearing this, Gan Qimei was overjoyed. Improving one's cultivation was the dream of every practitioner—and she was currently striving to reach the Yang Spirit Stage.

However, as the pampered young man passed Liu Wei, he glared at him fiercely, assuming Liu Wei was merely another of Xiao Ao’s new favorites.

Another application of internal energy was the enhancement of explosive power. Beyond simply channeling it through the meridians of the limbs, most masters of internal energy understood special techniques to circulate their power, allowing for a far more devastating physical impact.

If not for the fact that this was a favor for Bai Qi, Wang Ke would never have tolerated such insolence from Dong Fang.

After all, if not for the mysterious person’s intervention, he would have suffered a tragic end, devoured and slain by the Evil God.

***

The duel between the two had lasted for half an hour, yet they remained evenly matched.

Glancing to his sides, Gu Feng could see various puppets, ranging from those of the Spirit Transformation Realm to the Profound Profundity Realm.

"I believe Gu Feng must have had his reasons for not telling us. Regardless, everything is moving in a positive direction. Now, all we can do is wait—wait for Gu Feng to emerge after refining the Sovereign’s Treasure."

Chen Qingzhi, with seven thousand elite soldiers, captured thirty-two cities and defeated an army of three hundred thousand, eventually taking Luoyang. While there were schemes and plots involved, the ultimate cause was the invincibility of his blade.

Aunt Zhou’s home was impeccably clean, with blue stone tiles covering the floor and everything in its place. Yet, the bedroom was in total disarray, thick with the scent of strong liquor and the sound of heavy, labored breathing.

The Milo Kingdom had fallen, and the Aojia Duchy had occupied a mithril vein. Opportunists hoping for a share of the spoils, along with large mercenary groups, were all rushing toward the Aojia Duchy.

Her destination lay in the desolate region at the far east of the continent, a place of extreme complexity.

Amidst sword light blooming like fireworks, a long blade struck out like a thunderbolt—or a cascading waterfall—piercing straight toward the blazing sun with the speed of lightning.

However, just as Dorgon doubled over in agony, a miracle occurred: the green infant, previously motionless, flickered its arm. This sudden reaction caused Dorgon to stop breathing entirely, terrified that the moment had been nothing more than an illusion.