Chapter 24

Recalling the old patriarch’s inscrutable smile and the eternal, deathly stillness of Master Fujito Matsumoto’s face, Iori Kurai shuddered violently.

Here, one could find the most formal mission dispatch centers, the most authoritative appraisal agencies, and the fairest auction houses. Anything a mercenary could dream of had already been established here by astute merchants.

A blue silhouette pierced through the Flying Fox fighter jet, entering the cockpit through a breach torn open by a demon.

He was particularly exposed while on the river, with no shelter from the scorching sun, which had baked the back of his neck a raw, painful red.

In this world of scarce medicine and limited supplies, how laughable had those "upper-class" figures become—those once revered and yearned for by the common folk? And when confronted by the very people they had once disdained, what could they do but bow their proud heads, begging for mercy and a scrap of food?

Even the finest wine fears a deep alley; before a new program airs, it has no fan base, making promotional work absolutely essential.

Enchanted Breastplate—Minor Life requires one Strange Dust; it is the simplest enchantment recipe, perfect for beginners to practice with.

With a shift of her feet, Lei Yiyi vanished instantly from where she stood. Trailing rays of light, she slashed across the tentacles; wherever she passed, every tentacle was severed at the root.

However, Mo Bai only wanted to earn a little pocket money; painting a mediocre piece would hardly pose a threat to the "Eight Steeds."

"What is it, Manager? You seem to have a rather poor complexion," the white-clad youth Duyan remarked, somewhat puzzled as to why such a long wait had yielded only a sour, inconsistent expression.

Chen Hao, however, remained calm. His eyes flashed, and a cold-gleaming longsword appeared in his palm—a trophy seized after he had slaughtered twelve thousand enemies in Nanchen County.

"Dean Xiang, Lin Fei is merely a veterinarian, after all. Do you truly believe he is qualified for this?" Lin Andong asked.

Back when he was on the mountain with Old Man Sun, the Lingjue Temple had only a fourteen-inch black-and-white television, and it could only pick up China Central Television's first channel. Originally, it would show cartoons, but since he had to cultivate during the day and attend evening lessons, they watched nothing but the evening news.

A voice as tender as an infant’s echoed through the air, filled with a naive, ignorant curiosity about the world.

A massive blade, accompanied by a seven-colored light extending dozens of feet, bent to its absolute limit before snapping with a bone-chilling crack.

Until the very moment of his death, Fack could not fathom how simply stating his name had constituted an insult.

"My friends, this stream will provide full coverage of Xiao Fei’s 'Urban Journey to the West.' Please don't go anywhere; those with money, shower us with gifts, and those without, keep the chat flowing," a famous internet streamer said, holding his phone to film them while interacting with his audience.

"Useless!" Seeing the fat man in such a state, even Xiao Fei, usually not one for sharp words, couldn't help but curse. The Young Witch Master was only at the Qi Refining stage, yet the fat man had already mastered the first level of the Tiangang Immortal Art.

Ah Li curled her lips, then her eyes glowed with a purple luster as she cast a soul-snaring gaze toward Xie Han.

"You are too kind, Miss Fuqu! But is this really enough?" Lan Ying did not seem particularly pleased; her delicate fingers aimlessly plucked the strings of her pipa, producing a few jarring, dissonant notes.

"Nannan didn't! Nannan saw Uncle An, that’s why I went over," Nannan pouted, blinking her eyes.

"Forget it, forget it. Isn't there still that Flood Dragon Whip from last time at home?" Long Yang’s eyes lit up, and he beckoned Wang Mingzhu to prepare.

Shen Rumeng pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps the initial opportunity is uncertain, but as long as one strives to seize it, everyone has a chance."

Bai Yushuang had witnessed this disease firsthand while helping with disaster relief alongside Nie Qinghe. It remained a vital turning point in her memory. Later, she had instructed Nie Qinghe to mention this event the first time they met after she lost her memories, providing him with the solution.

Long Yang froze. He was all too familiar with that pig-like squeal—wasn't that his brother, Xue Chong? How had this fellow ended up in such a wretched state?

Thinking of this, Roy Sakura felt a chill run through her; her eyes darted away whenever she looked at Lin Fan.

During this time, Luo Yao’s consciousness remained intact. She watched clearly as she was skinned and dismembered, her internal organs gouged out. Then, she was restored by magic, only to undergo the process of being skinned and dismembered all over again.

In agony, Luo Yao’s left hand loosened, and Yayu plummeted from the mountain peak, which stood hundreds of thousands of meters high.

They had long been prepared for Beichuan Lian’s desperate cornered-animal tactics. It was only because Mi Guizang had never abandoned a pursuit halfway through in hundreds of years; this time, Mi Guizang had "I am here to fight" written all over his face. If Beichuan Lian—or rather, the Demon Dragon Jitian disguised as him—was not a fool, he would know that there was no bluffing his way out of this.

"Pojun, to think you could see through the manifestation of demonic energy—you truly surprise me!" Although a longsword was pressed against his chest, Ding Yang acted as if the blade did not exist, offering a mocking smile to Pojun.

Zi Yang understood that Scarred Jin’s words were not a threat; these men were desperadoes capable of anything. For them, the expedition was over, and the group had become a burden. To ensure his secrets remained buried, Li Tianming was quite capable of killing them all to silence them.

To this day, this avatar’s cultivation had reached its physical limit, but the divine power it held far exceeded what the body could contain. Trying to expend energy to maintain the balance would only lead to disharmony. It was truly a case of wolves in front and tigers behind; if he didn't find a way to resolve this, he would face nothing but the prospect of his body exploding.

The distant, cold peak of Green Geng remained as it had for thousands of years. The Xuan Sect’s Daoist formation obscured the tracks of two of the Four Wonders, yet it could not stop a paper crane carrying a message.

Could it truly connect to the Immortal Realm? For people saw a door seemingly swing open, spewing forth infinite celestial light.

Accompanied by a jarring, tearing sound that echoed for over ten miles, a bolt of lightning, two yards wide, descended from the sky. It was as if a silver dragon had lunged from the heavens, carrying divine might straight toward Ding Yang. The flashing thunder ionized the atmosphere into a kaleidoscope of colors, appearing for all the world like a dragon riding upon multi-colored auspicious clouds—simply incredible.