Volume 1, Chapter 53: A Stage Victory

No one knows how vast this enormous abyss truly is; it stretches beyond the horizon, boundless and infinite. An aura of desolation radiates from within it, and everything it engulfs—regardless of whether it possesses life or not—instantly turns into a barren wasteland. The vitality of the planet itself vanishes at an unimaginable speed.

Murong Qingwan stared blankly at the doorway, Consort Mei's parting words echoing endlessly in her mind.

At this moment, another gentle breeze drifted out from the vortex, though this time it was significantly stronger than before, carrying with it a mournful, wailing sound.

Listen to the chimes of Jerusalem resounding, the songs of the Roman cavalry shaking mountains and seas; let them be my clear mirror, my sharp sword, and my shield, while my missionaries stand firm beyond the frontiers. Yet due to certain reasons I cannot let go, once you depart from this place you will be no more, no more harsh yet honest admonitions will exist, and this shall be the era of my reign.

Two massive streams of air collided violently in mid-air, countless explosions tearing the fabric of the atmosphere and producing deafening roars.

"Stop messing around! It'll be done in a second." Reaching the crucial final moment, Emperor Zhezong dared not distract himself. He didn't even raise his head, continuing his calculations with a deep frown.

"But Your Majesty, if the General returns and sees the Empress like that, he will surely be heartbroken." That day in the pavilion, he had noticed how deeply General Murong cared for the Empress. If the General were to return in triumph only to find the Empress covered in scars, what would his state of mind be?

Though she had not yet triggered a tempest, this butterfly had already altered the destinies of certain individuals. The history of the Three Kingdoms was quietly shifting its course.

As for Prince Li of Shu, Xie Jiu had already dismissed that possibility. The Prince of Shu was a crude man, yet he held his mother and older brother in profound respect. Given the wisdom of Prince Li Ke of Wu and the low profile maintained by Consort Yang, they must have issued severe warnings to him. Ever since that incident, Li had never troubled Wei Chi again, clearly intending to let the matter drop entirely.

"Young Master..." Deng Ai, who had been kneeling behind Cao Chong all this while, spoke in a hesitant and stuttering tone, locking his gaze on Cao Chong.

The greatest flaw in Song Renlong's technique was that it made it exceedingly difficult for an opponent's family to properly handle the corpse. Of course, such matters fell entirely outside the considerations of a mere zombie.

Huizhu merely smiled without a word, not even casting the slightest glance at Geng Shi out of the corner of her eye. A sense of ungrounded panic gripped Geng Shi's heart, and just as she opened her mouth to say something more, A-Juan cut her off sharply: "My mistress has always held rules in the highest regard, how could she ever overlook such a matter?" With that, she led two palace maids forward to properly arrange the cushions and prepare the tea sets.

"It is inside the academy as well?" Looking at Uncle Long's proud expression, Huo Tong could not help but feel a surge of curiosity regarding his dragon.

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Bearing the preconceived notion of a "target branded for Wuyunzhu," he had unhesitatingly believed that I would truly utter such words. In other words, he had never truly trusted me at all.

Hearing such news, everyone found it utterly incredible; their faces turned pale, and for a moment, nobody could utter a single word.

With a sharp crack, vicious slaps shattered her illusions, sending her pink nail polish scattering across the floor.

No wonder her adoptive father had repeatedly warned her to stay away from evil cultivators like the withered wood ghost; thinking back now, her adoptive father had been entirely right. It would indeed be wise for her to keep a safe distance from this withered wood ghost. Otherwise, there was no telling when this old fiend might truly stage a terrifying performance before her eyes, using human bodies as cauldrons to fuel his spiritual fires.

Ever since Yinzhen's visit to the courtyard, Huizhu's confinement order had quietly faded into oblivion, with no one ever bringing it up again. Huizhu acted as though she had noticed nothing, simply attending to her own trivial affairs and turning a deafening ear to all idle gossip.

A heavy, booming sound echoed as the entire shield caved inward under Yifan's punch, leaving a deep indentation, yet it managed to stubbornly withstand his strike.

If she had a choice! If she had a choice, he would gladly trade his own life for Liu Heng's, but alas, he was left with no room for choice whatsoever.

Using this as an excuse, Zeng Hua forcibly relocated several hundred powerful and influential aristocratic clans from the six commanderies under his jurisdiction, along with thousands of their family members, to Hanzhong's Nanzheng for closer administration, leaving only clan members, retainers, and domestic slaves to continue farming their ancestral lands.

First, the officials within Wudu city grasped the true situation and immediately renewed their oaths of loyalty to the nominal Yang Xu, stopping just short of slashing their palms to swear toxic blood-oaths. However, under Yang Chu's "fiery and discerning eyes," every single enemy saboteur attempting to "disguise themselves and infiltrate the revolutionary ranks" was thoroughly exposed.

"Things used within ancient tombs often conceal deadly poisons or even more terrifying hazards. Everyone must remember not to act rashly or lightly," Jessie immediately emphasized, staring intently at the particulate matter that had fallen to the ground.

"Shishi, must you insist on protecting him? You ought to know that you cannot possibly stop me." Qin Shifeng's murderous intent did not wane; instead, it steadily mounted.

Having spent a day and two nights on the vehicle, everyone had stayed up very late on the first night, and by past six o'clock on the second evening, they had all fallen into a deep slumber.

(2/3)

Building upon these two foundations, the martial prowess in archery and horsemanship among the men of the Northern Prefecture was exceptionally solid, making their military recruitment pool both abundant and of superior quality. Upon reaching the age of sixteen, normal males in the Northern Prefecture were required to provide their own basic armor, swords, and bows, joining the local county militias to undergo rigorous military training until they turned fifty.

Gao Song, still standing by the doorway, was struck dumb with astonishment, his eyes wide and mouth agape, unable to utter a single sound. Chen Hanren, on the other hand, stood rooted to the spot, watching unflinchingly as the middle-aged eunuch lunged directly at Zhu Yuanzhang, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.

Therefore, no matter how many brilliant schemes and wondrous methods he harbored in his heart, all he could actually do was introduce the simplest improvements to farming and weaving techniques, and help import superior seeds capable of mitigating famine.

In Yang Yi's eyes, time was of little consequence; given sufficient resources, he could even continuously reverse time itself. Yet the price paid for such an endeavor would be astronomically high, and the sheer magnitude of spiritual veins required was simply unimaginable.

"It's identical to the entrance on the opposite side—pitch black, and completely devoid of anything visible," Zhu Chong complained.

From her words, it was evident that Su Siru had already caught wind of various rumors and gathered information regarding Nancen Capital even before her arrival.

Ma Yuanzheng had endured wind and frost all along the journey, and after spending over a month, he had finally arrived at his doorstep at the Lüliang Dam in Xishan.

Upon ascending to the second floor, Sikou Mo glanced around, spotting the staircase leading upward to the left and a neat row of closely aligned doors to the right, prompting him to decide to search the rooms one by one.

The Yamaguchi-gumi continued to operate their underground casinos and narcotics trade without the slightest restraint, giving Gao Hua a relentless headache.

Following its construction, due to the underdeveloped state of the region at the time, the shop owners who had been persuaded by Xiang Wu to purchase storefronts began lodging complaints and demanding refunds.

Oblivious to the implication behind her words, Bo Yanhe kept his head lowered, putting on the appearance of someone still deeply consumed by grief and utterly unable to break free from it.

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