Chapter 57: As Disillusionment Deepens, So Does the Collapse

The steward, with a knife and cup in one hand and a bowl and chopsticks in the other, made his way to the roadside beside the cart. He set down the utensils, found a wooden plank, and placed it at the base of the wall. Carrying the knife, cup, bowl, and chopsticks, he sat upon the plank, diagonally facing the cart of horse meat.

The old man before him, who ought now to be called Xiao Zhongyi, was rendered speechless with excitement upon hearing that Xiao Feng had bestowed upon their clan six of the eight characters from the phrase “Loyalty and Righteousness” as their generational names.

In the next instant, the black stone suddenly shone brilliantly. There was a loud crack, and a blinding arc of lightning shot forth from the stone, exploding within the black pillar of light.

This time, his axe technique was even more refined; the force of every move centered upon the single concept of “cleaving.”

As Jiang Yu searched from Sector A to Sector B, he found either people smelting wrought iron or empty houses. Not a trace of wrought iron was anywhere to be seen.

He paid no mind to Nangong Lengxue’s expression, nor did Fang Yi care. Supporting Old Liu into the cabin, he was met by a tall, sturdy youth entering from outside, who roared in fury upon seeing the injured old man.

“Master drinks all day long. How could he possibly have the leisure to go up the mountain?” Jiang Yu curled his lip, thinking this was just another braggart.

Old Zhu gripped the seven-star spear, three thousand meters long, with both hands. At the junction of the spearhead, the three-faced Buddha bared a wrathful countenance, sweeping horizontally toward the mountain.

In a certain inn within Jiuyuan City, a dim light glowed in a room. Looking in from outside, nothing could be seen of the light, nor could anyone tell if the occupants were asleep.

When he learned of these matters, Old Zhu was filled with lingering fear. Accustomed to swearing oaths in his previous life to show resolve, he realized such behavior might easily violate taboos in this world and could inexplicably lead to the destruction of one’s very soul.

Without Gongsun Zan and Cheng Pu as their core, the Black Keyboard Team’s Jia Xu, Wei Yan, and Ma Liang clearly could not hold their own in a three-versus-four match.

The Demon-Slaying Sword was exceedingly sharp, capable of slicing iron as if it were mud. To cut an ant with it was mere child’s play.

“You… you may as well kill me! I will never speak!” The man in black gritted his teeth, his voice full of heroic resolve.

Meng Xinxian died only a few steps from Cao Hong and Lingyin. Witnessing Meng Sun Quan and Sun Luban rush forward and kill her teammate, Lingyin promptly unleashed her sonic barrier, trapping the two of them. Then, with a wave of sound, she flung Meng Sun Quan and Sun Luban into the center of the barrier.

When the song ended, Qin Kai, like a superstar at the peak of his performance, hurled the microphone onto the sofa. With a loud bang from the speakers, everyone screamed—some clapped and cheered, others covered their ears and cried for help—turning the room into a scene of raucous laughter and chaos.

I am not her equal. With Chen Shi, all we did was quarrel or part ways; we were like magnets with the same pole—an invisible force always pushing us apart. Yet the attempt to draw closer was oddly fun, though no matter how fun, eventually, it becomes exhausting.

Many people had once vanished mysteriously at the world’s edge. The locals believed these disappeared souls had crossed beyond, into another realm.

Just as Batian was wondering who the old man could be, a domineering voice boomed in his ear, “Ha! Old stick, what nonsense are you filling my grandson’s head with now? Aren’t my grandson’s red and blue heterochromatic eyes miraculous?” There was no mistaking the voice—it was Batian’s grandfather, Meng Lin.

The lighting was so dim that even with my head tilted back, I couldn’t make out his features. Yet somehow, he looked like Xu Yi.

Feng Xiaolin forced a smile, when suddenly a voice rang out, “So, you’re the ones arrested by the Thunderfall Emperor, aren’t you? Now that you’re here, don’t think you can escape.” A figure stood upon a rock and spoke coolly, waves of battle energy swirling slowly around him and channeling into his form.

She had only done what little she could, yet had become the children’s idol, the one they longed to emulate. Zhen Ai felt as if a fire blazed in her chest; she wished she could do more, to help even more of these lovely children.

According to her and Lady Gu’s original plan, Cui Yan should have been caught in the act of adultery—how did she end up at Yilan Courtyard instead?

Even if he wasn’t as disgusted by her as she imagined, even if he still liked her, could they truly be together?

Duan Yu, who had been trembling with fear, found Yang Zheng’s appearance amusing, though he dared not laugh out loud for fear of the fierce glares cast his way.

Indeed, under Feng Yi’s watchful gaze, the tribulation cloud began to dissipate. Yet the entire White Bone Star heard a thunderous explosion as a blinding white bolt of lightning, as thick as an arm, hurtled straight toward Feng Yi.

After all, Xiang Baoshan had already played the role of laborer and worker so convincingly that he was simply performing as himself—there was no need to cast anyone else.

“You haven’t even graduated from university, and you still want to partner with Uncle Du? Do you think you’ll help Uncle Du dig for herbs, or are you planning to give him your folk remedies? Those remedies of yours would never get approval from our country’s drug administration.” Du Zitong spoke with a smile.

Though Fairy Qiaoyun was Mo Li’s senior sister, everyone in the White Bone Sect knew that the most ruthless were not the inner and core disciples, but the seven personal disciples of the sect master—especially Qiaoyun, who was the most merciless of all.

“Tell me, how did you know this spirit beast would win?” Zhang Shan asked with a mischievous grin, but Feng Yi’s reply made him want to bang his head against a wall.

Given the current state of society, most technologies can’t easily be turned into money. The rise of American biotech companies has only happened in recent years; before Reagan’s reforms, even American bio-labs were desperately poor.

The five rejoiced and followed their senior brother swiftly toward the mountain range. After about two cups of tea’s time, the six of them were hidden behind jagged boulders, disappearing into the vast mountains.

As Whitebrow had just flown off and was not far behind Yun Xiao, the ground suddenly cracked open, flashed with brilliant color, and Xu Ruoqi emerged.