Volume One, Chapter 43: Seeing Him Off

At his side, Murong Yunyi’s face was pale as paper, yet he forced himself to remain upright. The tense atmosphere within the court made it hard for him to breathe, and a faint pain throbbed in his chest. Yet, amidst this sharp pain, he sensed a force surging through his body—a power unlike any he had ever known.

I do not know just how mighty the power of love can be, but surely it is not enough to sway a jury of judges. Even so, it is enough to support me through the hardships of the years ahead.

Regrettably, no one in the hall noticed this. Every pair of eyes was fixed upon the center of the court. The vampires watched with envy, as if yearning for a share of the spoils, while the others were consumed with fury and tinged with a sense of sorrow.

This piece of intelligence was only uncovered by the Intelligence Bureau after sacrificing two of their spies. Combined with the fact that Huaguo had once planned to buy iron ore from the Wastelands, Xiao Mo was more than half convinced the information was true. This, too, was why Huaguo now had just enough strength to defend itself, though not enough to attack.

The fox spirit nearly shouted these words. Lan Shu was her sister—not by blood, but closer than any true sister could be.

“Master Li, please take your time. We shall await you,” said the elder from the Holy Land with courtesy. The experts from the other sects shared this sentiment, gladly choosing to wait. The emergence of a Martial Sage from the Vajra Sect was a matter of great importance to the Holy Land; their presence here was both a formality and a chance to cement ties with the Vajra Sect.

With this thought, I felt a little better. After all, some of the place Li Yi held in my heart was due to sheer habit; before our conflict had even begun, I had subconsciously assumed I would never win against him.

“Lin Zhongxiang, you truly are blind to greatness. Do you know who this colonel is? He’s an elite of the Bureau of Special Abilities, his skills have reached a level of near-perfection!” A crisp voice rang out as Chen Lingyue, dressed in her military doctor’s uniform, walked over with a bright smile. Catching Hua Mingwang’s gaze, she grinned with satisfaction.

Under Yu Pinger’s fiery glare, Ximen sighed in defeat. “Fine, fine, I’ll kneel, all right?” he muttered to himself, unable to suppress his thoughts, If you won’t let me into your bed, then you can always come to mine—either way, what difference does it make?

Liu Niu rolled his eyes, picking his nose as he sneered, “Ha! You little punks actually dared break the Tiger Gang’s rules? Tell me, how do you want to die? Say the word, and your Uncle Niu will be sure to make it happen!” Liu Niu’s attitude was as insufferable as ever.

“Hm?” Once again, Guyu produced the black lock, waving it before him with a mischievous grin.

Earlier, in the restaurant, the burly man’s seemingly offhanded remarks were anything but. Every word hinted that, in the world as it was now, the Dark God Sect reigned supreme and would soon rule the land.

The side palace in the royal palace was reserved for receiving foreign guests. Aside from the king’s seat at the head of the hall, the seats below were for the guests. Ling Mu was about to sit casually among the lower seats when Feng Qing’er stopped him.

Chen Yi asserted that within the seventh generation of the Chen clan, many had greater talent for cultivation than Chen Yinglong. Yet, in the future, the most accomplished among them would certainly be Chen Yinglong.

A flying knife such as this was not something just anyone could forge. Still, as long as there was silver, Zhang Ping was certain that even a blacksmith had to eat.

A solitary cultivator without any background, no matter his potential, was not as much of a threat to them as outsiders might imagine.

“A knife is but a tool; people are alive. A painting is but a painting, nothing more,” Zhang Ping replied coolly.

Sure enough, as soon as those words were spoken, Li Ye felt the ground tremble ever so slightly. At the same time, a veil of light rose from the perimeter of the imperial city, slowly closing in on the center—toward the enormous monument before them.