Chapter 22

If she had known her eldest sister would end up like this, no matter what was said last night, she would never have left; she would have stayed by her side the whole time.

Back then, Cao Yifan was only eight years old. Though her fists weren't large, they carried enough force. When they landed on Gouzi's face and nose—those delicate spots—they hurt enough to bring him to tears.

The one-armed young man gave a self-mocking smile, but his gaze was resolute. Gripping his sword with one hand, his sword intent erupted, and as he struck diagonally, a sword aura—nothing like the style of southern sword cultivators—swept forth.

At the same time, he found himself puzzled by the strength of his own spiritual power. Could an ordinary cultivator's spirit truly be this formidable, possessing so many wondrous abilities?

The man had a bristling beard and eyes that seemed to gleam with venom. Hearing movement from the cave, he cast a single glance. That one glance was enough to send a chill down Kong Yuan's spine, but the man's attention quickly returned to Lu Lian.

"What else could I do? In just a dozen moves, the Four Noble Truths of this old monk were broken. Had the other not held back, this old monk would not be here," Master Kong admitted plainly.

The others, seeing this, couldn't help but think to themselves: this chicken coop—why does it seem built better than homes for people?

"Still trying to deny it?" Lu Yuanbai gave a faint snort and ordered the guards to reenact the events.

He Wu and the others also gained much insight and many combat skills, able now to begin wielding their abilities. Understanding some methods for spirit birds to train and fight, they were both excited and thrilled.

Ordering everyone present to withdraw surely meant something had been discovered. Dong Da, considering both the jailers and prisoners were in this state, had long been worried, harboring his own suspicions. Yet, after consulting several doctors, none could confirm his fears.

Yun Shi fully unleashed the supreme lightness skill, Spiral Nine Shadows, taught by her master, weaving through the gaps between hundreds of Fusang warriors, attacking amidst their encirclement.

Looking back over the journey, he realized his younger sister had done so much for him, for the family. But what could he do for her in return?

The Mohe people mostly lived in harsh, cold lands, hunting for a living with horn bows and hard-tipped arrows, dwelling in dugouts. Slightly more advanced tribes would farm a little, but most of their time was spent pursuing and hunting wild beasts. Those who were better off wore clothes made of wild boar skins.

Seeing Li Bin continuously dodge and retreat, unwilling to accept Xiao Xian's challenge, Liu Muyan felt a trace of disappointment in him.

He plucked a love flower and tossed it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. The bitterness, sourness, and faint sweetness—who could say if these truly resembled love? Chen Mo had experienced all sorts of things, but he had gradually come to terms with them. Perhaps, one day, death would put an end to everything, so as long as he could live freely before then, it was enough.

Li Bin was always one to pursue perfection and the utmost in martial arts. Thus, he not only wanted to defeat the Xuanwu Sacred Beast, but to win decisively, understanding exactly where his victory lay.

Chen Mo had only used the first move from the Three Forms of Creation, yet forced the Dao of Heaven to retreat. Billions of years ago, it was the Dao of Heaven that had left him coughing blood. This did not mean the Dao of Heaven had regressed.

Upon hearing this news, Xianyu felt as though she had drunk a bowl of icy water in the sweltering heat. She quickly sent her divine sense to instruct Zhiyin and Songyin, who were guarding Xun Yi, to escort him to the mountain gate to welcome the senior disciples. She herself immediately ordered all disciples to line up and greet them.

Rong Yan said nothing. She could see that this instructor was not a muddle-headed person, but she also did not want to escalate the matter, so she simply wanted to let both sides suffer equally.

In an instant, every blurred image became sharp, as if a nearsighted person had put on glasses of the perfect prescription, or a camera had finally come into focus.

"You—" Hou Xun, enraged by what he'd heard, felt his blood surge. His face flushed red, and not knowing what to do, he could only point a trembling finger at Li Xin.

She had a premonition that the seeds Ling Xiao had sown this time would surely turn the Purple Jade Sect upside down.

Chu Huainan was not at all surprised, as if he had anticipated this. Watching everyone leave the hall, he simply nodded, showing none of the overreactions the portly elder had expected.

"Lord," Old Hao's eyes darted around as he glanced about the room, then stepped inside.

He couldn't quite make sense of it, but it wasn't worth obsessing over. These were not issues to be unraveled at this moment; they required an intelligence agency to analyze, investigate, and coordinate, peeling back the layers to find the clues within. In the end, this matter could only be left for the Huaxia side to resolve.

Yet, unexpectedly, something occurred that allowed Fan Cheng to discover the true culprit behind his downfall. With that, how could the two brothers not seek vengeance?

Perhaps there had been a last-minute change, for the final teammate never arrived, and so Zhao Dingguo ended up with only a five-member team.

Though they knew Xu Zhiguo had prepared thoroughly and would not have come unless he was almost certain of success, even if it meant certain death, Zhao Dingguo hoped the Dragon Egg Lord could force Xu Zhiguo to use as many of his resources as possible. If it could exhaust all of his items and instant recovery potions, that would be perfect.

Fortunately, thanks to the earlier warning from Ming Xiao, everyone gave their all without reservation, barely managing to hold on. Still, the onslaught of flames remained overwhelming; the pain was acute and real, and for a time, chaotic screams echoed unceasingly through the place.

The advantage of the fish-belly boat was, of course, its ample cargo space. After all, different goods have different volumes. Even with an eight-thousand-load ship, only the fish-belly boat could carry eight thousand loads of cotton seeds; other ships couldn't manage it. Of course, no one would ship cotton seeds to the South Seas—the profit was too small. It was better to transport finished garments directly.

Although Ling Siyu had brought much hardship between him and Ling Sihan, he had to admit that it was precisely her actions that gradually brought his and Ling Sihan’s hearts closer, step by step.