Volume One, Chapter 23: If I am to act, I shall be the mastermind behind the scenes!

“If you want to know, follow me!” Su Le left behind a mysterious smile and got into the car.

Wang Junjie hesitated only for a moment before following him in.

Half an hour later—

They arrived at the studio. Though it was simple, it was highly professional, complete with a recording booth.

Wang Junjie looked around with fascination.

“I have a song here. Would you like to try singing it?” As he spoke, Su Le handed Wang Junjie the prepared lyrics and sheet music.

“‘Stars’?”

“What kind of song is this? The melody is so different from Mandarin songs!” Wang Junjie immediately noticed the unique characteristics of the piece, both in its lyrics and melody.

The atmosphere was tense.

He was terrified of encountering someone greedy enough to embezzle the entire grain store, leaving nothing for disaster relief. If that happened, and the people were driven to revolt, it would be the regional governor—himself—who would be the first to lose his head.

But now… A powerhouse of this level actually made that monkey-like monster feel drowsy?

“Your Majesty, though the matter is urgent, we are too far to help in time. Perhaps Your Majesty could issue an edict to the Governor of Zhili, allowing him to mobilize the local garrison to support Lady Mingzhu. That should ensure Altukha’s safe rescue.” Tu Hai spoke in a loud, clear voice.

If it was one of their own, Wang Pingfan would offer a few words of praise, record the merit in the military logs, and award the appropriate rewards as necessary.

Yet, the adversary could have killed them both effortlessly in a moment—what was really going on here?

Wu Naihua drew a sharp breath—not because he was shocked that such a phenomenon had occurred in the real world, but because, in just one night, the entire city of Beijing was abuzz with the news. Even more astonishing, someone had immediately managed to place the blame on Ao Bai.

Danzo’s laughter was cut short. The aura radiating from Yuya broke free from Danzo’s Kotoamatsukami, and the backlash from the technique caused blood and tears to stream from his right eye.

Lasers crisscrossed the sky. Scenes of Rhinelanders being blasted apart appeared again and again. Hit by such powerful weapons, it was nearly impossible to keep one’s body intact. Some were enveloped in a green light and instantly turned to powder, washed away by the rain.

Back then, the Rhinelanders hadn’t intended to annihilate all of humanity. They had left a portion alive and brought them back.

“Then let’s hurry.” Gu Weixuan grew anxious and immediately found a deserted place to enter the space.

Countless enemies roared in fury; they had almost managed to kill Jian Wuhen, yet someone dared to interfere—and that someone was formidable.

But before he could react, a golden light suddenly blossomed behind Xu Chen, illuminating the pitch-dark cavern. The light enveloped the Crocodile Emperor, and with a flash, the Crocodile Emperor vanished.

Makoto Ito thought of the much-admired student council president and the similarly praised principal. When scandalous photos of the two together circulated everywhere, they became targets of universal condemnation. Imagining himself subjected to such vitriol sent a chill down his spine.

With this look, coupled with the cold, commanding aura Wu Fan exuded, his presence was overwhelming—almost to excess.

The Blood Dragon roared in fury, wanting to pursue, but was struck and sent crashing back into the sea by a single blow from Xu Chen, utterly powerless to resist.

“Why do you treat my princesses this way? You have children of your own—can you not understand a mother’s heart?” Yongyan’s cold words struck at Noble Consort Ru.

He sighed heavily, having long expected such a revelation. The New Moon’s method was only ever a temporary fix; Yongyan was bound to discover the truth sooner or later. For now, the favorites remained Lady Qiao and Lady Qing, but why had Yongyan suddenly thought of the New Moon?

Now, with the Navy and Whitebeard’s pirates on the brink of war, Sengoku’s actions amounted to disrupting his own ranks and morale. When the battle began, chaos would inevitably ensue.

Of course, such beings were powerful, but they still couldn’t match the disciples of lineages spanning countless generations. There were creatures with immense spatial power, masters of space itself, their bodies brimming with boundless energy.

Lu Fei shook her head. She had no concerns about Song Shi’s ability to improvise on the spot. Anyone who’d made a name internationally could handle any challenge. The only worry was the tricks played behind the scenes.

That was why He Zun said that to win this war, there was no choice but to strike back. The rules dictated that the demons had to launch a fierce assault to defend the Giant Toad King; otherwise, the reward would fall to the gods.

As for how to bless future generations or construct the grand formation, Xiao Qingcheng did not elaborate. Clearly, these were royal secrets, reserved for the inner circle.

“It must have something to do with your Star of Chen.” Gu Lian couldn’t help but smile at Pei Yueyue’s sudden burst of motivation.

Song Yiyi found his expression amusing. Xiahou Ce, usually so aloof, must have borrowed this idea from someone else.

“Don’t make the same mistake again, Sister Rubia... I absolutely, absolutely won’t let you go before ‘Valentin’!” Fiana declared with conviction, divine power shining in her chest.

He gently lifted Li Wuxin, washing her by the hot spring in the dim room, carefully cleaning every inch of her. If she weren’t so exhausted, nearly unconscious, he might not have been able to restrain himself.

Li Wuxin glanced at her radiant smile and, for a moment, felt an unfamiliar envy, as if seeing a scene from another life. It made her think of Ling Jing.

The stall owner flared with anger at the accusation that he had no gold hairpins—this would surely drive away his business.

“Daoist Su, you’re finally here! We’ve been waiting so long we’ve wilted like flowers!” The yellow-robed cultivator let out a long breath, as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Therefore, the only solution was to destroy them from within. Perhaps, shameless as he was, Xing Peng was just the sort to help infiltrate the provincial capital.

The two men in black removed their talismans and changed into fresh clothes, sitting at a street-side tea stall, still shaken as they recalled the events from last night to this morning.

That day, Ma Zhiyuan did not lock her up again. The next day, he even helped her with the paperwork, paid her fine, and let her drive home. For the first time, Li Ji felt a strange warmth from an unfamiliar man.

“Mind your words. In our sect, we all respect it greatly!” A splash came from below as the water beast, perhaps a giant serpent, surfaced again. The speaker was deadly serious, as if the creature truly commanded reverence.

Having finished speaking, the elderly gentleman turned to head back inside, not intending to give Luo Qingkui another thought.

“I’m sorry, I never expected things to turn out this way.” Su Bai stepped forward, reached out, and helped Li Zang to his feet.

At that moment, a leading elf clad in armor stepped forward, clearly the captain.

All around Adam, countless spears of light formed, transforming into radiant swords that pierced toward the assembled beings.