Chapter 33

At this moment, Colonel Ishii, who had been gripped by terror, felt much of his fear dissipate upon seeing Yang Long and his men appear.

Yu Hao heard the sound and felt a sudden sense of foreboding. He felt as though a gaze was fixed upon his back, and an involuntary chill crept up his neck.

Watching Park Jae-ryong, who seemed to believe her with a smile, Huang Ying'er was secretly astonished. She hadn't even noticed him standing right beside her; his presence was truly negligible.

However, unwilling to court further trouble, they tossed down a few hundred yuan and fled the restaurant.

As they collapsed to the ground, their twisted faces bore eyes that still held a lingering sense of attachment to the world.

"Fine, you are all right, and only I am wrong. I’ll say no more; I’ll listen to you," Prince Wang Bao said, pouting in clear displeasure.

Upon hearing this, Bai Xue did not explain immediately but walked over to the desk and retrieved a stack of documents.

Syria is currently in a state of civil war, and for an armed group like the Heavenly Organization, a state of war provides the perfect cover.

Only upon reaching the True Dao Realm can one possess the supernatural powers or spells to shift heaven and earth; that is why it is called the True Dao Realm. A powerhouse of the True Dao Realm can wipe out hundreds or thousands of peak True Qi Realm experts with a wave of their hand, treating them as nothing more than ants to be crushed.

Therefore, the Japanese military hypothesized that if they could occupy Qiong Island in the southwest and subsequently build an airbase there, their aerial operations could be extended, potentially even severing the connection between the Republic and the Burmese state.

"There is nothing to mind. That is my name, after all; if you like calling me that, then do so," Sister Yun said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"It is no trouble at all; the Spring Return Hall I am heading to is on the same path as the Princess Consort’s mansion," Wang Zhang replied with a bow, avoiding eye contact with Li Jingyi.

High in the night sky, the bright moon was suddenly obscured by dark clouds, plunging Tianshui City into a brief period of darkness.

"Is that so?" Ji Wushuang peered outside. This fellow had just claimed not to care, yet now he was panicking himself.

***

On this day, two figures appeared on the banks of Guyang Lake, walking side by side. One was tall and slender with a resolute, youthful face—a man in his early twenties. The other was shrouded in a black robe, hiding his true features, though a faint aura emanating from him suggested he was no ordinary person.

"What are you laughing at? I’m laughing at your name—it’s so pleasant to hear. Truly, it must be the most ironic name in the entire world!" Yan Yanli’s laughter grew louder, causing those around the hall to lower their heads and snicker.

Feng Suo gathered a surge of flames within his body and instantly channeled them into Fusheng through his palm strike. The flames encountered the lingering gloom and ignited the mass of energy, creating a fire within Fusheng’s body. Feeling an even more intense burning sensation, Fusheng threw his head back and let out a great cry.

The room was furnished entirely with rosewood. The cloisonné vase on the partition alone was surely worth hundreds of taels of silver. In the corners of the room, several maidservants stood with their heads bowed, dressed in pale yellow embroidered silk jackets and honey-colored floral pleated skirts; none dared to even glance at them.

"My Lady, do you really think there is something between the Princess and the Marquis of Benevolence and Righteousness?" Lingxin was eager to send Zhou Yan off. As soon as they stepped out of the Chonghua Courtyard, she couldn't help but ask.

Outside the Jiyun Temple lived two Buddhist families. One, surnamed Guo, made a living growing flowers and was known to everyone as Guo the Gardener. The other, surnamed Wang, was a wealthy man who crafted gold and silver jewelry, earning him the nickname Wang Gold-and-Silver. The two families lived behind the same wall, and their daily interactions were limited to mere nods.

The plan had originally gone smoothly, but just as they reached the middle of the courtyard, they discovered they were surrounded.

The old man from the dream appeared once more. His fragmented soul formed a hollow phantom, as if the slightest breeze could scatter him.

As her understanding of Chu Juan deepened, this man before her seemed only more mysterious and inscrutable in her eyes.

Wu Lingmei scolded them loudly, but it seemed to have no effect on the three men, who were currently staring wide-eyed at something behind her.

If it weren't for the fact that she and Pearl had endured these three years together, she would have truly believed Pearl had been bought off. For Pearl to treat the Ding mansion as her home and recognize the Dings as her masters was utterly ridiculous; she needed to wake her up and remind her who her true mistress was.

Seeing that Ji Kai and the Saint Silver Qilin had noticed him, he leaped out, transforming into a white-haired, white-clad youth mid-air.

After she finished speaking, she looked at Puyu. Puyu shook her head gently; having lived deep within the palace, she truly had no idea how things were done in the mansions of dukes and marquises.

The Heaven-Reaching Realm? In the older generation of the Xuanwu Palace, those in the Heaven-Reaching Realm were a dime a dozen. According to this person, the strength of the Beast Spirit Sect was likely comparable to a standard Tiangang Hall of the Xuanwu Palace.

***

Zhao Hui’s older brother and sister-in-law had gone home, and Zhao Hui’s parents had returned to their rooms to rest.

As if he had never been stirred at all, he calmly curled the corners of his mouth. His eyes no longer held turbulent waves, but were as tranquil as a mountain lake.

"Are you Lawyer Zhang Zexi?" As we reached the airport’s taxi exit, three or four men in black walked toward us, their faces showing nothing but respectful anticipation.

Now that his bones and constitution had already set, starting内功 (internal martial arts) from scratch would require years of painstaking labor. There was no hope of reaching the supreme realm in this lifetime, and it was even uncertain if he could regain his previous level of strength.

As Yun Yang recounted his tale—killing the Twelve Dragon Guards, rescuing the Cat Emperor, the suppression by the Heaven-Sealing Array immediately upon exiting the Demon Soul Prison, and finally escaping with the Fox Emperor and the Cat Emperor—no one was surprised anymore.

Yi Xia did not know Chen Fangping’s true thoughts. Seeing Chen Fangping walk straight to the passenger side, pull the door open without a word, and drag her away with an expressionless face, her sense of unease intensified.

Perhaps, more than death or obsession, what people fear most is the loneliness before the end.

Chen Fangping had thought he would need to use a great deal of persuasion, but he found it unnecessary. He stood stunned for a long time after hearing the word "fine" escape Yi Xia’s lips, only snapping out of it when he saw her clutching her laptop tightly, as if afraid he might change his mind.

Ahead lay a suddenly rising steep slope, overgrown with wild shrubs. It would have been quite a sight in the full green of summer, but now it only appeared menacing.

Many of the male employees in the company secretly harbored feelings for Boss Zhu, but affection was one thing—they had to know their limits and keep it to the level of mere admiration.