Chapter 42: Taking It One Step at a Time

Outside the tribute examination hall.

Qingtong was waiting.

Catching sight of Pei Jiuru in the distance, he was just about to run over to greet him when he suddenly caught Pei Jiuru’s searching gaze.

"I'm over here!" Qingtong shouted happily.

Pei Jiuru clearly recognized him: "..."

Qingtong took the book case from Pei Jiuru’s hands and asked with concern, "My lord has suffered these past three days. The exams are finally over, and you can rest for a while!"

The examinees outside the hall were still...

Yet unless Jia Zhengjin launched an attack, Lü Liang, Song Yi, and Jiang Hui had no way of knowing that venomous insects were lurking in that direction.

Inside the private room on the second floor of the Green Wave Pavilion, the atmosphere remained tense, but with Assistant Wang present, no matter how angry Boss Gu was, he had to endure it.

"Don't you find it strange, not knowing what you've eaten?" Jia Zhengjin asked with a smile.

When all was said and done, he shouldn't have kept things from A-Chen in the first place. Even though they both fancied that girl, he shouldn't have concealed it, let alone personally woven a beautiful dream for his own younger brother, which ultimately led to tonight's events.

***

A three-star difficulty for seven people? The difficulty truly increased with every single trial. Li Zhishi shrugged somewhat helplessly, though what made him feel slightly better was the sight of the fatty sitting across from him.

As soon as these words were spoken, not to mention Luo Can, who was too stunned to know how to respond, even Li Zhishi couldn't help but freeze in surprise.

In the eyes of these evil ghosts, Nie Wei was nothing more than meat on a platter. As long as they devoured Nie Wei, they would no longer feel hunger and could even augment their own strength.

Chen Zui turned on the projector, and a photograph appeared on the wall. On the grassland, black vapor soared into the sky, where a ferocious monster resembling a castle—dozens of meters tall, encompassing a radius of several kilometers, and formed entirely of black smoke—stood silently.

When he stepped out of the room and saw the three clerics with panda-like dark circles staring eagerly at him, the deep affection in their gazes made Chen Zui involuntarily shiver.

To prevent the King of Saya from bearing too much pressure, Popu only took a single Tier 4 warrior to accompany him.

He retrieved a wooden box from the highest shelf of the cabinet. The box was carved with exquisite patterns; since the box itself was so extraordinary, the contents within were bound to be even more anticipated.

After comparing the intelligence, they could definitively deduce that a detachment of the Frost Organization existed within the Fourteenth District, and its scale was not large, with the Gluttonous Madman likely among them.

"Dead. We found his body in the tunnel. He died a miserable death and must have been tortured before drawing his last breath."

At a time like this, everyone was struggling to look after themselves; how could they spare the energy to care about others? Dong Qing could only pray they wouldn't run into any living corpses blocking their path.

He Weimin continued, "There is one more matter. I hope you can cooperate with the police. Whenever you become aware of any illegal or criminal activities within the jurisdiction of the Baihui District, please notify me in advance."

***

"Return to Blood Desolation City!" With a single command from the Grand Elder of Blood Refining, none of the surrounding confidants dared to disobey. Several streams of light burst forth from the garrisoned city and flew toward the direction of the Earth Demon Nation.

Liang Zhong had joined Hunting Fang for several years and had grown accustomed to obeying orders from superiors. This time was no exception; he nodded and followed closely behind Nie Yang without hesitation, fleeing into the distance at a run.

"Old Fifth, opportunity knocks only once! Once lost, it never returns! Let's go!" Just as he finished speaking, Li Chun felt his large hand being gripped as if by an iron tong, and his body grew light.

To advance despite difficulties, to seek common ground while reserving differences, and to know no bounds—these were the three realms established by the Star God in this world.

Thus, Zhao Qian took up residence in the quiet room beside Living Buddha Danba, spending the next few days comprehending that single jade slip.

Thinking of this, Xiya completely hardened his resolve. He narrowed his eyes slightly at Gottfried, his lips and fingers moving imperceptibly at the same time, and then a trace of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

If Liu Tian's legendary solo ride of a thousand miles back then had been grand enough for half the people of the Song Dynasty to witness, then the beam of light that descended from the universe on the morning of April 22nd could truly be said to have been witnessed by half the people on the planet.