Chapter 55

After flying directly above the monster's head, the cylinder halted its advance, shifted ninety degrees, and hovered there.

No matter where a jar of wine is buried, if it has been underground for a decade or more, it is bound to become exceptionally fragrant.

In truth, these thoughts barely had time to cross the mind of the Martial Sage of Dimness and Brilliance, for an intense, piercing chill had already invaded his body from without, causing his limbs to stiffen. Even if he were to muster every ounce of his strength to break free, it would still take a moment. If that duration were compressed to its absolute limit, it would be roughly two seconds.

"Tang Chenghao? Tang Chenghao?" He searched frantically through the washroom, even tossing aside the bedding on the bed to check if he was hiding underneath. Yet he quickly realized that the space beneath the bed was far too low to conceal anyone. Where on earth could he have gone?

His eyes flashed with icy ferocity in an instant as he drew his blade and slashed fiercely toward Shen Luoyang. Reacting with lightning speed, Shen raised his own weapon to parry the formidable blow, though a wisp of blade qi still grazed him, leaving a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

Liu Chen strode along behind, unbothered. He cared little for such matters; while Liu Changjun was revered across the world, he valued his own skin far more than anything else. Should he dare to stop whatever Liu Chen wished to do, Liu Chen would make certain the entire Liu clan knew no peace.

Naturally, despite the frantic journey made by the soldiers and dependents of the Southern Guard Bureau, they arrived at the dedicated dock of the Imperial Guard in Tongzhou by the very same day. Yet the scene that greeted them filled them with profound despair. Although they had spent days gathering vessels, the sheer magnitude of over one hundred thousand people fleeing simultaneously meant that their prepared fleet was simply insufficient.

He knew of at least twenty different ways Wang Dong could employ to sell this house, but alas, it seemed that even if he were to give it away for nothing, nobody would take it.

After pondering for a moment, Feng Jun replied that he had numerous pressing matters in Zhengyang and could not spare himself at the moment. Perhaps... they could proceed with it on their own first?

Liu Fei could no longer bear to listen. Was this the start of a campaign to smear her name? There was a limit to how far one could take such games.

"Never mind. Everyone has worked hard all day. Let us clear our minds and rest, and we can continue searching tomorrow," Wang Dong said with a dismissing wave, signaling them not to wait any longer. With the hour growing so late, without sleep, no one would have any spirit left for the morrow.

Divine Heavenly Dao spoke thus, then collapsed gently onto the ground, a faint glint flickering within his eyes.

Liu Fei cast a glance around the room, and upon confirming she was entirely alone, her jaw nearly dropped in astonishment. The voice moments ago had been remarkably clear. If there was no one else present, could she possibly have been tending to her own physiological needs? That would make her desperately starved indeed!

From this moment onward, his life was no longer his own. From this moment onward, his heart would never soften again. From this moment onward, his path would forge relentlessly forward. From this moment onward, his world would hold no more terror, fear, or cowardice.

Hearing this, Shi Jin was driven to fury. With reddened eyes, he glared at the person who remained utterly unperturbed, reached out with a heavy hand, and pulled her into a raw, forceful kiss.

"Bring this fellow named Chen Feng to see me when you have time. Since he comes from a military background, if the affairs in the Vermilion Bird District are connected to him, I shall have to have a proper talk with him," Zhao Kuishan concluded.

Without pausing to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, he flicked his arm, causing the massive white warhammer to dissolve into a flash of light and vanish. In its place appeared a peculiar, bluish-purple rapier.

A soft voice drifted into the ears of everyone present, carrying an extraordinary majesty that involuntarily stirred a deep urge to prorender submission and worship.

Withdrawing his heavy sword, Huang Yu saw that his blade qi had achieved little effect and noticed the transformation sweeping across the giant's skin. His heart sinking, he pressed his lips together and grew entirely serious. The subtle shift in Huang Yu's gaze went unnoticed by the giant, who, having failed to gain the upper hand through multiple bouts of exchange, had worked himself into a genuine fury befitting his volatile temper.

As a high school student athlete no older than eighteen, Guan Hai possessed facial features that appeared far too mature; by all appearances, he hardly looked like a youth, though his gaze lacked the turbidity of one who had weathered the vicissitudes of life.

While it was said that domestic blossoms lacked the exotic fragrance of wildflowers, he had a fully bloomed flower right in his own courtyard and had no need to carelessly pluck the weeds outside.

For many days past, physical ailments had prevented her from properly continuing her cultivation.

In academic exchanges with major universities abroad, Tao Fangbai consistently represented the Peking University Law School. He was well-versed not only in domestic jurisprudence but also possessed profound research into foreign legal systems, displaying mastery over both the civil law and Anglo-American common law traditions.

Once the matter of the ox cart was settled, however, a new problem arose. Because Li Yuqing had planted an immense quantity of beans this year, there was simply nowhere to store the harvest hauled back from the fields, nor was there space for the sacks of dried, threshed beans.

"Master merely disdains to contend with them. Had Master unleashed his aura, those two would likely have groveled on the ground long ago. How laughable that they mistook Master's restraint for cowardice and departed with such contempt and triumph," Mu Xue said, shaking her head with a cold smile. Her current cultivation was quite respectable, allowing her to vaguely perceive certain truths.

Upon seeing Chen Yan, Rin Kagamine temporarily forgot about the stomach that had been protesting to her for so long, and began observing him with wide-eyed curiosity.

Seventh: All patrons in the top five of the VIP ticket ranking shall receive the complete set of souvenirs. Those ranking from sixth to fifteenth shall claim their souvenirs in accordance with the regulations set forth in item four.

She had never considered any single recipe to be profoundly precious; after all, even with the exact same ingredients and formula, dishes prepared by different hands would inevitably taste distinct.

Upon hearing Li Litian's explanation, Xu Ziling felt a twinge of embarrassment. Reflecting upon it, he realized his own mind had indeed been too rigid; the University of Science and Technology was a military academy, and all scientific research achievements belonged to the military sphere. Unlike civilian sectors where breakthroughs could be freely broadcast to the world, they were restricted to selective public disclosures.

She lowered her gaze and nodded, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her garment. Suddenly, a pair of warm, sturdy hands reached out and firmly grasped hers.

Hearing this, Liu Dong nodded. There was no need for concealment; in fact, he was deeply grateful to Elder Li for voicing it on his behalf. Otherwise, he truly would not have known how to broach the subject with Zhao Defai. After all, they had not known each other very long, and despite their good rapport, a certain degree of reserve inevitably remained between them.