Volume One, Chapter 42: At the Critical Moment... On the Verge of Disaster!

“Traitor, get off the stage!”
“Paid your way in, haven’t you any shame?”
“Hah, is this show really so important that you must take part?”
“Traitor. You don’t deserve to stand here!”

In an instant, the audience and the fans below erupted in fury. The scene became utterly chaotic. Some of the more malicious critics even began hurling eggs at the stage! The performance was delayed as a result, the atmosphere deadlocked in tension. Even Wang Junjie’s former fans were filled with disappointment and anger, cursing him for his betrayal.

President Zhang watched the spectacle unfold with a satisfied smile—it was all according to his plan. Those who threw eggs and shouted objections had been planted there by him, all to stir up the scene...

Meanwhile, the commotion as the three people fell to the ground drew a crowd; though this street was seldom busy, it was not entirely deserted. Ji Yuyou, pouting in displeasure, trailed behind the man, alternately massaging and shaking her sore wrists.

Before long, the buses for the four other groups arrived, and more than a hundred top students from Central High stood in awe beneath the imposing city walls.

Amidst the rumbling and the incredulous gazes of everyone at the foot of the mountain, the land and mountains were manipulated by the formations as if guided by the hand of a god. The impossible scene unfolded before their eyes, utterly astonishing.

Yu Yongqiang reached out, aiming a karate chop to knock Li Lin unconscious, intending to leave nothing behind once he succumbed. In Yu Yongqiang’s mind, promises were only a means of negotiation among equals.

Yet, the food before them was nothing but rock-hard compressed biscuits, nearly impossible to swallow. Fortunately, the stream water here was sweet and clear, so even if they couldn’t manage the biscuits, they could wash them down.

“It’s not that I’m kindhearted! It’s just that, in this world, money can solve many things—but there are plenty that it cannot.” I looked at Fang Yun.

Given the situation, she decided she might as well take the risk and bluff. She openly allowed them to search, bringing up the formidable Empress Dowager Xiaoduan, hoping to intimidate them into believing she had already destroyed the medicine, making them too afraid to act recklessly.

“Are you crazy? Why tell me all this? I don’t fight that way.” Feng Yuan frowned and snapped back, shifting restlessly.

The sound of hooves—clop! clop! clop!—heralded the arrival of reinforcements from the fortress. Their horses were unlike any ordinary breed: rippling muscles and violet, lustrous coats hinted at their exceptional nature.

A thin veil of darkness rose from the transformed one’s body as he charged straight at the general in the black robe.

“Not even money can buy this place—could it really be one of those legendary forbidden zones?” Yang Peiqi asked, puzzled.

Though all of Li Qingshu’s power was sealed, Qingshan was like an indestructible bronze pea: impossible to break, bite, or boil. Even unable to exert force, he was not something these high-tech weapons could truly destroy.

The colossal skeleton glowed as it fell, its body shattering into fine dust upon striking the ground. A beam of light surged from the myriad particles, shooting a hundred meters into the sky.

“Boss, should we…” Wang Jinghua had not called him Chenzi in a long time; “boss” had become more natural. Their relationship had long since been clearly defined.

Perhaps the barrier of energy had been breached, and the intensity of the soul’s distress calls increased, but the signal still floated untethered, like a fish in the open sea—impossible to pin down.

In the dark ruins of death, a dense miasma of deathly energy spread everywhere, making the place feel like a true land of the dead, chilling all who entered.

As for the five project teams, they still hadn’t chosen a base. Apart from being new arrivals, there simply wasn’t a suitable place yet.

That was why, even after the other editors’ initial review, Lanxi insisted on a second round. The workload was heavy, but it had to be done.

So I said nothing, one hand lugging seven or eight bags, the other gently encircling Murong Shanshan’s shoulders. She started in surprise, then smiled, letting me hold her without protest.

Once a beggar on the streets of Dubai, how had he reached the pinnacle of life? Now he owned a Bugatti Veyron worth eighty million.

Li Mu shattered the primordial spirits of the Three-Headed Jiao and the Black Fox, erasing their very souls but retaining their memories. He absorbed the skills and mystical arts from those memories, yanked out the Jiao’s dragon bones and tendons, and claimed the black fox’s luxurious pelt—every inch the highwayman.

He thought better of it, reasoning that anyone capable of rescuing five people must be a master; pursuit would only invite disaster. He returned to He Manning’s side, and together they helped Fan Zixi back to the Xue family estate.

“You’re right, my brother. We support your idea, but I fear our people from Jiulong Fortress can’t go with you,” Yuan Qi said, his voice tinged with regret.

The Hou family’s patriarch was furious, grabbing a scout by the neck and demanding to know why they were only just now learning this—what had they all been doing?

Lanxi had savored the benefits of power. No wonder Lord Wang acted so high and mighty—he was flattered by all. If she continued being treated this way, would she become the same?

Zhao Yan couldn’t understand it either. The men from Dao Forest usually came down to capture people, so why was today different?

Tang Shilong had always disapproved of his son’s business ambitions, so Tang Tianyang treated his father like a mouse before a cat, never daring to openly rebel. Still, Tianyang was the most rebellious of all; otherwise, he wouldn’t have defied his father to go into business. Thus, the oath of brotherhood meant little to him.

When I arrived at Chen Nuo’s house, he, too, packed a few belongings into a backpack. We both took a long look around the place, then left together…

But the tyrant didn’t know that the Xiangxi sect was a heretical clan with a thousand-year heritage and a peerless mastery of poisons. Countless martial masters through history—saints among them—had tried to destroy the Forest of Ten Thousand Poisons, but none had succeeded. Was it because they lacked power?

Sitting at the table, Nalanyan asked Yun Ziqing numerous questions about her family and current standing at court, reminding her not to let word of Hua Yan Palace’s affairs spread, lest she draw the jealousy of other concubines and lose her peace.

In the carriage, Shen Ninghua swallowed a pill to stimulate her body, then used golden needles to open her acupoints, risking her own health in a desperate attempt to save the child in her womb. The carriage rocked violently, and she fainted despite herself.

“We haven’t discovered anything. He’s just as the records described—cunning, incredibly cunning. You can’t tell which of his words are true, nor read a thing from his face or eyes,” Wu Tian said, frowning and sighing.

“Who’s your brother? We’re not the same kind of people.” Meng Qi’s face was filled with disgust.

“What are we supposed to do?” the Ghost Doctor asked. Following Su Mu was always a thrill—he took care of everything, no thinking required.

“All right, I won’t do anything to you. Just give me a massage,” Nangong Zhao’an said, feigning indifference.