23 Eternal Joy

Instead of wasting time searching for Cell, it would be better to take this opportunity to strengthen myself. If I could manage to eliminate either No. 17 or No. 18, I could prevent Cell from reaching his perfect form. As long as one of them dies, Cell will no longer be a threat.

"But even if I hide, where can I go? If such a powerful being wants to find me, it would be effortless," Tie Zheng lamented. Having just received a promise from the Ancestor of Fire Cloud that he need not worry too much about the matter of the Son of Heaven, Qi, he was now faced with an even greater crisis. Could the Ancestor of Fire Cloud truly protect him?

"Young Master, over these past few days, the sect's accumulated inventory has been two-thirds sold. Major items that could not be moved, such as the alchemy furnaces and forging tables, were all sold according to your instructions. After paying off past tax debts and procurement costs, nine million eight hundred thousand spirit gold coins remain," Yu Caiyun reported, finalizing the accounts from the recent liquidation. Enough funds had been gathered for the sect's relocation.

Xiao Cheng also opened the navigation logs to review them; the most recent entry was from just yesterday.

"Lord Garrison Commander, you cannot say that. According to the Emperor's imperial decree, if you go to battle and sacrifice your life, your wife and children will suffer, but if you die defending the city, your family will receive rewards. These are two completely different matters!" Wu Quan cried out, trying to persuade him.

"Are you Awakened?" Tie Niu asked fiercely, as if his greatsword would descend upon them the moment they answered yes.

Even Yu Xiaotian felt this was true, though he was too embarrassed to point it out. Yun Longzi was a genius, one of the rare talents in the world to possess a gift for creating techniques. When he created the Divine Wind-Chasing Legs, he was only eighteen or nineteen years old and had a cultivation level of only a twenty-ninth-grade Spirit Master. Yet, he was able to create a technique of divine grade, something even Di Lingtian admitted he could not match.

The various laws and rules of the primordial void, along with the mysteries of the Great Dao, opened their arms to Zhang Bin at this moment.

If one were to use a metaphor, the energy emitted by the original Starlight Stone was like a steady, flowing stream, but now... it was radiating a terrifying energy akin to a flash flood.

Liu Feng was silent for a moment, then shook his head and gave a self-deprecating smile, intending to abandon this unrealistic idea.

When the people finally managed to hide in a valley, they saw red flags being raised on the mountainside one after another. They stopped in their tracks, looking up in panic. Everywhere were people wearing red headbands, and the totems on the flags were strange and had never been seen before. If it wasn't the Xuan Shang forces attacking, then who were they?

"Damn it! Stop staring at that hammer!" Song Zhe cursed, stomping his foot onto the eyeball. It burst like a squishy meatball, splattering into a pile of paste—a scene both bloody and disgusting.

He smiled with a mysterious air and said nothing, cursing inwardly that he had not yet obtained enough life-saving talismans from Master Chi. Those talismans were so precious and rare; how could he let Yang Xinde get the upper hand?

"That is a pity, but you came that day out of concern for her health, and now your wish has been fulfilled," the Empress Dowager said bluntly.

The Third Mistress looked at the dozen or so people she had brought with her. She did not know what they had encountered; how could they have fallen while screaming before even reaching the destination? They were all True God ninth-grade experts—how could they be so fragile?

"Is it possible that Xiao Hongyu concealed their deaths, and later, when she went insane and wanted to kill Xiao Xuan, Xiao Xuan thought she was the culprit?" Xia Yu speculated.

Also a human soul reincarnated into this plane, the one within Zhao Xiuyun used the method of occupation and assimilation. To the escaped soul who lacked memories of the Empty Prison Island, she was simply the "reborn" Zhao Xiuyun.

In truth, Chi Shuyan did not really pick out her clothes. It was mainly because she was going out to handle business, not on a date, so there was no need for her to be particular about her attire.

Zhan Yunge walked happily in the lead. Nangong Xuan held the wooden box in his left hand and the scroll in his right, his eyes filled with doting affection as he looked at the person in front of him. He could clearly feel her joyful mood.

One must either erupt in silence or perish in it. After I finished eating the cold and refreshing winter melon, I finally started to use my brain to think about how to change the current situation. Not to mention that Consort Ning had always been fiercely jealous and suspicious. If she truly gained favor, those in the inner palace who were not on good terms with her would certainly have a hard time.

"It's confirmed that you'll be a mentor! This spot was originally reserved for Zhang Yiguang; after all, he has high traffic, but you won the Golden Melody Award last night, and your appearance fee is lower than his. Given that, why wouldn't they choose someone as high-quality and affordable as you?" Yang Nanhua said with a slightly flippant tone.

Although she was extremely reluctant to ask Gu Yun for help, Jiu understood well that Gu Yun might be the only one capable of figuring out the plans of the Chief Justice and Green.

The subsequent meal was relatively harmonious. The bickering between Ma Xiaoni and Tu Jialing did not cause collateral damage to Lin Yi; instead, the flames of war spread to Tu Yuhao, leaving him with no mood even to play games, forcing him to eat his meal in silence.

After waiting for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Jiang Changan did not dare to blink, but the wooden block still showed no reaction.

Lin Yi and Director Jiang stood by the side of Qiantang Lake, with a silent Zhu Liaofan behind them. Further back, more than a dozen cameras were aimed directly at them, along with various lighting and recording equipment.

Huang Fufeng flashed away easily, dodging the attack. Amidst their bickering, neither of them noticed that Fei Jimo's face was growing darker and darker...

The God of Thunder immediately dared not look at anything else, focusing instead on recovering his strength so he would be ready to be beaten by the Lord.

He ran desperately toward the colorless flower, but the fragrance could only delay the speed of decay for a fleeting moment; it could not cure the root cause. In the blink of an eye, the flesh on his entire face fell away, leaving him unrecognizable. All the pain turned numb, and he lost all sensation.

He did not deny that this system of ranking and competing for mutual progress had its benefits, but he could not agree with the so-called "healthy competition." Wherever there is competition, there is bound to be an ugly side, yet they insist on describing it so elegantly.

Seeing that Tan Youruo was fine, Ouyang Xuanyu walked slowly toward the fox demon. He was afraid that things would change if they dragged on; if the fox demon recovered some strength and escaped, he would be the one to suffer the loss.

Hearing the sound, the Phoenix turned around. Just as it was about to speak, it was drawn to a towering divine tree in the distance.

William stood on the ruins of a collapsed building, holding the Qiushui blade, which was possessed by Dasofilia, in one hand and supporting the crystal phoenix in the other.

As the Great Dao restrictions unfolded, the four swords began to tremble slowly. A trace of an aura that brought despair to all living things and caused the heavens and earth to change color began to seep out.