21 Scratch Marks

Capricious, arrogant, and seemingly born to dismantle the order of heaven and earth—a creature who, though not yet at the ninth rank, is capable of slaughtering those who are. The newly emerged King of Gluttony of the organization is nothing more than a maniacal psychopath who fears nothing but peace.

Zuo Jun never expected this silly girl to be so single-mindedly determined to repay a favor by his side; his head felt twice its size with the frustration of it all.

Seeing this scene, Uncle Wang felt somewhat embarrassed, as he was the one who had suggested this to Old Qin in the first place.

Zuo Jun propped himself up and began to slowly move his limbs, adjusting to a body that now felt somewhat unfamiliar.

Less than half a stick of incense later, a voice overflowing with ecstasy echoed through the Magistrate’s Mansion: "Brother Yi, what a grand arrival! Why didn’t you inform Fei Bai earlier so I could have welcomed such a distinguished guest at the city gates?" Chao Feibai rushed out of the mansion to greet him.

Once a cultivator reaches the peak of the Heaven Martial Realm, their lifespan extends to one hundred and eighty years. And once they break through to the Half-Step Spirit-Questioning stage and touch the threshold of the Spirit-Questioning Realm, their longevity increases further.

However, the black needles failed to strike anything. Like their wielder, they hung suspended in mid-air, unable to move.

Feeling neither joy nor fear, Wu, a scout of the Gray Wolves, realized that the unit he followed was also nearing its end. Fear began to creep into his heart, and his eyes darted about, searching for an excuse to escape.

After the incident, the imperial court was furious and immediately dispatched troops to quell the unrest. Unfortunately, Yanzhou City was under siege, and the army could not gain entry. The stalemate lasted for half a month before they finally forced the city gates open.

Concerned for Yu Chimiao’s life, Ni Duoshi pulled her close and shook her gently, whispering, "Yu Chimiao! Wake up!" After calling out for a long time without any response, he knew she was severely dehydrated. Had the Black Tortoise Yin Spirit not used its true yin energy to lock in her moisture and protect her yin channels, she would have long since perished.

He knew that someone might strike here; after all, ahead lay the Endless Abyss, and the lethal toxic mist suspended in the chasm was enough to chill any soul.

At this moment, she began to wonder if her cover had been blown, yet she still clung to a shred of hope.

***

When Gu Cheng and Shangguan Wan learned the truth behind Song Qing’s wounds, they realized something was deeply wrong. But before they could react, the police and Min Ming arrived.

She orchestrated a self-directed clarification post, claiming that someone was jealous of Yi Mu and had fabricated those baseless rumors. By presenting "evidence," the post appeared far more authentic than the original slander.

After releasing two Firefly Spells and comparing them with the power of the Sun Scepter, Andy ended the experiment. As for the Holy Light Spell, he had no test subjects, and he certainly wouldn't resort to scratching himself—he was too afraid of pain.

And so, amidst the Portuguese curses and the German team’s indifferent attitude, the second match of the first round of Group B began.

In the public eye, with so many people watching, Bai Su blushed and buried her face in Nan Lichen’s chest.

"Don't worry about my affairs, Big Brother. I heard my sister-in-law recently caused quite a scene at your clubhouse."

Sun Butong chuckled as he watched the surrounding crowd begin to speculate and whisper, knowing the effect had already taken hold.

In an instant, flames filled the sky, transforming into countless sparks that swept toward the fierce beasts. With his level of control, he could easily annihilate the monsters without harming his own allies.

The delegation led by Elder Dongfang Lang of the Kaiyang City was exceptionally large this time, as if he attached great importance to this mission, drawing sidelong glances from the elders of the other major families.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Mu Ge and his companions rushed to the Task Hall. Mu Ge had been obsessed with the Soul-Splitting Branch and suddenly hit upon a desperate idea: he would post a task there, offering a reward of one million contribution points to anyone with information on the branch.

Invisible ripples in space undulated, and a faint, ethereal figure skillfully evaded them.

Yu Yuanjun spotted two Iraqi machine gunners about ten meters away; they were half-crouched, each operating a general-purpose machine gun and pulling the triggers intermittently.

***

The man asked the old man beside him. A dozen years ago, Old Man Kunpeng had come here to entrust him with a task, bringing with him a bag of peerless delicacies called "spicy strips." He still remembered the taste; the moment he thought of it, all the fruit covering the mountains and plains lost its appeal.

Jun Momo settled back down to continue her homework, writing down everything she knew and leaving the rest blank.

The dog demon’s eyes suddenly widened; it leapt up with a "whoosh," knelt on the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly, muttering a long string of strange, non-human language.

The old man and the youth walked along the road, their movements casual, their steps light and delicate, as if their bodies possessed no weight at all.

Watching the two children wolf down their food, Fang Xiu poured them each a bowl of hot tea, feeling a sense of deep emotion.

The moment to serve their Lord had finally arrived, and they were determined to seize the opportunity to prove their worth.

Feng Bin felt as if he were about to burst from internal injury. He kept a straight face while looking at everyone, and eventually, the others stopped laughing and held it in.

In the courtyard and the dojo, it was as if two unrelated worlds had been forcibly stitched together.

Hayakawa Yuki gave a soft cough, a reminder both to Watanabe Yu and to herself.