Chapter 26

The man's face was covered in whip marks, with a branding iron scar across one side. His nose was gone, leaving only two gaping, hollow pits. A chopstick was embedded above his left eye, from which thick, yellowish pus constantly oozed, and the area where his ears should have been was a mass of mangled flesh.

"Father, wait for me!" Goku followed closely behind Bardock. He yearned for strength now; he was willing to accept anything as long as it could make him stronger.

The remaining matters were simple. After some discussion, everyone departed one by one, leaving only Fan Xiaodong and Yang Hao.

Ye Feng was completely shocked. He hadn't expected this old man to be a hidden master, whose strength he couldn't fathom at all.

"I want you to know that you are my priority. Whoever defies you is courting their own destruction." Xuanyuan Rui remembered past lessons; he had failed to protect Yun Xiao, and from now on, he would guard her carefully.

"Xia Li, stop spouting nonsense. Why would the Emperor order General Yun to commit suicide? Where did you hear such news?" Li Yuan scolded her sharply.

Yelu Yi and Yelu Lanqing were stunned by what they saw. Was the prosperity and opulence of the Central Plains really like this? Thinking of their own bitter, cold lands, where owning a single silk garment felt like being in heaven, they realized the disparity was soul-crushing. When would the herdsmen of the grasslands ever live in such a city?

"You're such a fangirl, Ke'er! I only just realized you were so into heroic men." Qin Yuan teased Zhao Ke'er, whose playful gaze made her blush with embarrassment.

"Situ Yu, shut your mouth and come out here!" Yun Xiao walked over with a stern face, grabbed Situ Yu by the ear, and dragged him out.

As they spoke, Lin Yuming freed a hand and tapped Kang Fengzhi on the leg, making Kang Fengzhi burst into hearty laughter.

"No!" Li Xiang shook his head, his brow furrowed. Fang Dou had returned, but he had been detained by the sect. This meant the situation from the Guangbei mission had been reported back. What kind of treatment would Fang Dou face?

She had thoroughly studied the stack of pill recipes and successfully refined pills from all the materials she had, though most were taken by Hai Lan to be given to Feng Yan. She didn't rush to leave the conch room to enjoy the long-lost sunlight. Instead, she took out the first batch of Blood-Sculpting Pills she had refined for Feng Yan and began to take them.

"Wasting three years is just spending three more years' worth of money. Better to learn some skills now; once you realize that earning money isn't easy, you won't waste my money anymore!" Old Chu said with a curl of his lip.

Trailing slightly behind was Zhu Xingchen, who had also recently broken through to the third level of the Spirit Condensation realm. The fame of his "Beacon Sword" was renowned throughout the martial arts world.

He gripped his lighter even tighter. If these people dared to rush in, he would ignite the gas cylinder and push it toward them. He wanted to see how many of them were truly not afraid of death.

Zhang Hongyan gave a bitter smile. What else could she do besides trust Leng Ziyue now? Did she have any other choice? It was clear that Leng Ziyue was her final refuge.

However, there was a saying in sales circles: a contract without a deposit is just a piece of waste paper. Lin Yuming was both happy and anxious. As a branch manager, he had to maintain some restraint; he couldn't lose his composure and call Ou Shengnan again, so he had to endure and wait.

It was hard to guess what Liu Bei intended to do based on speculation alone. Since they had decided to go to war, it would eventually be revealed; dwelling on guesses was no solution.

Once he went out and reconnected the network cable, the internet was restored, and both Lin Yuming and Qiao Lina breathed a sigh of relief.

Ren Shiyin had asked Zhang Ming to pick up Li Xiangxiang simply to have him act as her boyfriend and put Ma Tian in his place. In reality, it was a fake boyfriend arrangement, though whether it would become real remained to be seen.

Before long, Tatsumi, Sayo, and Ieyasu appeared at the scene, each carrying their own weapons.

This was because the origin of this divine ability was quite extraordinary; Qin Chuan had obtained it from Fairy Lingxi of the Celestial Clan during the first round of the Ultimate Trial. Even he found it incredible, but the peerless ability was undeniably real.

Thinking that she shouldn't offend her wealthy benefactor over such things, she reluctantly deleted the Weibo post and offered a perfunctory apology.

Although he didn't yet know Hua Tian's true strength, just by observing his speed, Huang An knew that his mission this time might not be completed smoothly.

"That's fantastic! We are fellow countrymen after all. No wonder Manager Zhong's Sichuan cuisine is so authentic!" Zhou Bing'er giggled.

Suddenly, Hua Xue remembered the text message Zhong Yan had just sent. Her eyes lit up, and she began cheering on the boys.

"Reporting to Young Master, that person is definitely not a nameless rogue cultivator without a background. Whether in his techniques or his fighting style, he is extremely similar to the disciples of the Lingfeng Sect. Therefore, I suspect the other party might be a Lingfeng Sect cultivator traveling through this area!" Huang An spoke his suspicions truthfully.

"Sister, please, save my husband!" As soon as the words left Qiu Xiang's lips, tears began to stream down her face.

"Are you the Oca Quirinus who left the message? Your age truly surprises me!" A handsome, blonde, middle-aged knight smiled at Oca while cradling his helmet.

P.S.: I'm too lazy for more nonsense. If you have flowers, monthly tickets, or ratings, throw them all at this Prince. We have to make it onto the leaderboard for monthly tickets, don't we?

Nymph suddenly realized what she was doing. Despite being reluctant to leave the warm embrace, she pushed me away abruptly. With a "Hmph," she turned her head, her face slightly flushed.

Just as my feet touched the ground, a figure lunged at me. Before I could react—or rather, though I did react, it was completely unexpected—Cagalli Yula Athha had already wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her entire head against mine.

This crucial "tank" finally reached its designated position. The group hiding in the depression immediately untied the sandbags from the back and placed them under the tail of the excavator. "Alright! Prepare to load!" Long Qi roared.

"I'm just here to clean up the trash that snuck into my house." Gritting her teeth, Lin Xiaoxiao spat out these words and switched on the room lights. "In the middle of the night, why did you run over to my place?" —And they hadn't even used the door.