Volume One, Chapter 45: Waive My Ransom but Demand Ten Years of Service? Dream On!

In such circumstances, it was naturally Eniru, who had spent many years traveling and possessed rich experience as a hunter, who noticed something amiss.

The humans knew they could not stop the Sword Lion, and sighed inwardly; even with their utmost efforts, they failed to hold it back.

“Enough, Thunderfire. We've been brothers for so many years now—why say anything to hurt our feelings? Qingxuan isn't that kind of person, and I can vouch for that,” said Master Xuanneng of the Shangqing Sect.

Qingming dove down three more times, searching along the mountain walls, and finally discovered a concealed door at the northern part of the lakebed. Its thickness was unknown; if not for the faint flow of water seeping through the cracks, there would have been no clue to its existence solely by knocking.

Leng Xiaoyun raised his sword and opened the door. Outside, countless torches lit the way, and several men had already surrounded his thatched hut, leaving no way out. The leader was none other than Manager Wang.

In this era where the gods were absent and even demigods had vanished, the Holy Emperor was the strongest within each faction, and a single Holy Emperor could slowly grow a force to rival, or even reach, the level of a Holy Domain.

Qi Lie found nothing remarkable about this; he had no real concept of the histories of the Snowlands or the Central Plains.

“How did you end up here?” Ling Tian rang the doorbell, and Zhao Xiaoyun opened the door. Seeing Ling Tian, she was curious.

The old man was generous, teaching them personally every day. With their willingness to endure hardship and their considerable talent, they quickly became experts.

“Wait a moment.” The old man in plain clothes stared at Zixun’s cheek, his brows deeply furrowed. The Third Elder followed his gaze.

Sasuke coldly took two lunchboxes, divided each in half, and placed the portions on the lids, handing one to Naruto.

Li Bieyi’s heart stirred as he suddenly recalled the aura he sensed when breaking through to the Core Formation stage. He understood now—the Azure Lantern was likely searching for that very aura.

Sasuke’s tone was much the same; he had little patience for those who seemed intent on stirring up trouble.

Thinking of the severe consequences, Moqi shivered. He had already resolved that unless absolutely necessary, he would never use that card lightly.

Minato knew well that the Ninja Academy wouldn’t start by teaching students how to refine chakra and other ninja techniques, but would begin with theory classes.

Besides, beef doesn’t talk. If you don’t eat steak often, you’d never notice the difference.

Now that Lin Chong had finally ascended to Liangshan, Zhang Zhen, whose heart had long been pledged, could not help but secretly send a message to Liangshan, hiding it from her father.

On the other side of the battlefield, the old chief saw Da Wu’s collapse. He knew the tide had turned, for the riders across the valley were already fleeing. If he didn’t run now, it would be too late.

Yang Zhisheng stomped on the gas and clutch, and the car carved a deep scar across the ground.

Madara had no patience for Hashirama’s chatter. The Ten-Tails’ evolution had reached the second stage, and the Moon’s Eye was about to begin. To buy time, he clashed fiercely with Hashirama once more.

Everyone praised her, but Bai Su suddenly fell silent. Hwarang, seeing her like this, smiled faintly. He knew Bai Su was moved by the mood and meaning within the poem.

“Your Highness, Princess, Duke, Brother Shui.” Someone stepped out from behind the rockery, bowing in greeting, clearly familiar with Zixuan and her companions.

I remembered an old saying: I know loving you is a calamity, but I cannot escape! I love you, and I know that love will bring me endless pain, yet I am powerless to resist.

Furthermore, although Zhang Dong was killed years ago, the Zhang family was said to be quite wealthy. How could Zhang Rui have ended up living in Huaimo Alley? The only possibility is that he’s plotting something.

A gentle breeze rose, and the fluff on the flowers danced in the wind, appearing as violet lights or as fireflies glowing purple. They fluttered over Moonlit Lake, sometimes gathering, sometimes dispersing, like mischievous sprites welcoming the pouring radiance of the purple moon.

Inside and outside the door, silence fell; almost everyone’s gaze was fixed on Sima Yu’s hand. Even Sima Yu himself could hardly believe it: he was furious, but Shuimu Xia’s skills were renowned in the capital—how could she have let him slap her face so easily?

“Your son obeys!” The man named Cheng Feng solemnly cupped his fists, then shot skyward like a black arrow, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

This villa was the residence of Brand, commander of the United States Far East Fleet. Today was President Wilson’s inauguration; Brand had ordered a three-day holiday for all soldiers, and tonight he hosted a banquet for senior officers in his home.

Tang Jian had no more to say. He immediately ordered the whole fleet to set sail, heading north. This time, the Yellow Sea Fleet’s target was not Lushun, which had become an empty port, but Russia’s premier Far Eastern port—Vladivostok.

With the gunner’s command, the three-linked main gun on the Dragon Might fired another ball of flame. The massive recoil shook the entire turret. When the smoke cleared, the gunner saw that the Hai Chou had not suffered major damage, only a mast snapped in two by a shell.

“All right, since you want to buy a pickup, after lunch I’ll take you.” Minsheng, seeing Chen Xiaoyun’s interest in buying a pickup, said no more.