Volume 1, Chapter 42: City-Wide Wanted Notice

Sunk deep into the mire, drained of spiritual energy, the prisoner's fragile nerves were slowly consumed by endless silence and terror.

The underwater world was breathtakingly beautiful, filled with massive, vividly colored corals and countless unknown fish swimming among them, evoking a sense of effortless ease and delight.

"Wei Xiao, you should go and assist your clansmen first. As for this aged patriarch of the Su family, leave him to me to entertain personally," Qin Ye said with a slight smile, instinctively licking the corner of his mouth with the tip of his tongue.

"How can this be? How is this possible?" Yang Dai's heart was pounding with excitement as she repeatedly muttered the phrase, her words devoid of any other meaning.

The windshield wipers operated at maximum speed, sweeping away the blanket of snow that instantly accumulated across the glass. Wherever one looked, there was only an expanse of white—a lifeless, ice-bound city stretching into the distance.

Glancing at Qing Yue, who was buried beneath the covers, Nan Changqing closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the flame of desire in his gaze had faded significantly.

She now considered herself someone completely incapable of caring for herself. She mused that if a day ever came when she truly lost that ability, Mu He would still take excellent care of her.

In truth, he had awakened the moment Qing Yue stepped into the Exquisite Secret Realm, but an inexplicable force within the realm had severed the connection between the space and the outside world.

Mu Tianyang wore a chained ring artifact around the five fingers of his left hand. Standing behind the three of them, he grasped the handgrip with his right hand.

In the past, Xue Shao would always let her pinch him, cooperating fully by baring his teeth and putting on a painful expression. But this time, he did not; he dodged.

Ling Bing'er shook her head frantically, hugging Zhang Yang tightly as if out of her mind, making him feel a dull ache in his neck.

A small box rested on a metal table, its lid standing open to reveal a metallic, armor-like object.

That flash of bewitching crimson coiled and turned, resembling a soaring snake amidst the mists or a hidden dragon taking flight to the heavens. With a sudden twist in mid-air, the bizarre and vicious piercing fist struck straight at the crown of the giant with yellow hair.

Although Alice had not yet fully recovered, Zhang Yang channeled a sliver of Nine-Sun True Qi into her body. It merged with the remnant energy lingering within her, rapidly repairing her damaged heart meridians.

Another reverberating tremor echoed through the space, and the omnipresent pressure instantly vanished. Yet, everyone could clearly sense that the pressure on the barren planet remained as unyielding as a bronze wall; the entire planet was sealed and suppressed by this single fragment. Under this immense weight, Lin Cheng found himself unable to move even a fraction of an inch.

Lin Cheng reached out to catch it, but Hong Yao had already snatched the portable immortal mansion first. With a cheeky smile, she said, "Thank you, Divine Emperor. The people inside this portable abode will be under my care from now on." As she spoke, she raised her chin at Lin Cheng in a provocative manner.

"That will offend far too many people; let's find another way," Gu Tianyou declared, setting the tone and directly vetoing Long Jianmei's proposal.

With a cold snort, Lin Cheng withdrew the foot he had been pressing against Tian Jun, pulled out his spear, and kicked him hard toward his opponents.

"We can talk about that later; I have no time to mess around with you now." Li Ming made several quick motions, sealing Xu Feng's dantian before casually tossing him to the heavy infantrymen behind him.

In Qin Yuan's view, their current strength was still far from sufficient, especially since they were about to head to the birthplace of the great demon. Inadequate strength meant walking straight into the jaws of death.

Although Zhuo Hang and Man Jun were consumed by curiosity, they swallowed the energy crystals in their hands directly, without asking why.

She clearly remembered the year she went swimming. Having started in the shallow end, she unconsciously drifted into the deep water. While swimming, her leg cramped, and she choked down several mouthfuls of water. Fortunately, the coach was right beside her and pulled her to safety.

Entangled in vines, the immortal maiden's hands were bound. Hearing my words, she flew into such a rage that she tried to butt me with her head, but her feet were still snared by the vines. As her body lurched forward, she began to tip over, and I hurriedly caught her in my arms.

Seeing the heavy atmosphere, Dean Zhang felt it was his responsibility to smooth things over for Wu Fan. The half-dozen pastries had been nearly devoured within ten minutes, and since Director Li and Dr. Cheng were both busy men, Director Li signaled Dr. Cheng to summon the waiter to settle the bill.

"In this vast sea of humanity, our ability to meet is nothing short of fate," Du Minglong said with deep emotion.

From that day on, the fate of the two became like rats scurrying across the street—despised by everyone. Wherever insults were hurled in Jiangcheng High School, the duo could be found, and they thoroughly became synonymous with perversion. Because of their record of stealing underwear, they were proudly inscribed on Jiangcheng High School's Roll of Villains, while their grand plan to pick up girls quietly died in the cradle.

Gao Jie embraced Lin Rong and planted a kiss on her lips, while Lin Rong did not even dare to resist.

Footsteps echoed from outside the door. Kelly slightly adjusted her posture, making her bearing appear more upright. A waiter knocked on the door and announced the arrival of the summoned personnel.

Wang Yuan sighed, picked up his phone, and at that moment, was completely at a loss for words.

The cavernous hall slowly grew dim. The doors stood open, allowing sunlight to stream in from the unclosed balcony doors, casting a brilliant patch of light across the floor.

Li Xiqin was not particularly fond of gossip, but as a dear friend, she could not resist asking a question.

"Boom!" A violent explosion reverberated through the surroundings, and a blinding white radiance filled the space. All approaching curtains of rain were instantly vaporized, while the terrifying shockwave rippled outward in all directions.

"Eh? Why do I suddenly feel a chill running down my spine?" A hint of puzzlement flickered across Xia Qing's chubby, baby-faced countenance.

"I am not as foolish as Helios and the others were back then," the Lord of Black proclaimed, light bursting forth from his eyes.

The shards of shattered porcelain on the floor beside Nan Jingpei's desk had yet to be cleaned up. Shen Yunzhen lowered herself, gathered the broken pieces, wiped away the spilled tea and water stains with a handkerchief, and went to the tea pantry to brew a fresh cup for Nan Jingpei.

The commotion in the royal city had long since stirred the entire metropolis. Many mage guilds had just rushed over when a streak of light plummeted toward them with lethal velocity, crushing some unlucky souls to death on the spot.

The dozen or so decorative ornaments bestowed upon Consort Tian by Nan Jingpei were tributes from foreign lands, rarely seen in ordinary times. As the old saying goes, curiosity is inherent to everyone; unable to care whether Consort Tian was a universally acknowledged wicked concubine, everyone in the inner palace—with the sole exception of the Noble Consort—rushed over to catch the spectacle.

An old saying goes that it takes a hundred days to recover from broken bones, yet Shen Yunzhen did not spend an extended period bedridden. Although the twenty strikes with the heavy rod were no light matter, the ointment sent by Prince Xin proved remarkably effective. In just over a month, she was as full of life and vigor as ever.