Volume One, Chapter 41: Scoundrel

Xiao Shiyu smiled at him. “Lu Haoran, you’ve come as well, haven’t you?”

Lu Haoran stepped forward, his gaze landing on Su Tong beside him, a flash of amazement in his eyes. Her already striking beauty, paired with a purple, filigreed gown, made her seem like a fairy who had strayed into the mortal world—so enchanting that one could hardly look away. In fact, the more he looked, the more captivating she became. For a moment, he was utterly entranced.

Chong Ying rushed up and hugged Lu Xibai tightly, ignoring the grime on her own hands as she clasped her arms around him.

Gao Yuan had no objection to spending more time improving his cultivation, though with his golden finger, it was impossible for him to take too long, even if he wanted to.

The Emperor of Youxuan thundered, “Insolent! Is this how you speak to your father? If I say I had nothing to do with this, then I had nothing to do with it!”

From within the door, a clear, melodious voice rang out, tinged with playfulness yet carrying an air of profound depth; it was easy to tell that the speaker was someone formidable.

“What are your plans?” Ying Yueming, already aware of Yu Feng’s intentions, still asked him.

Brother Ying, seeing the glint in Wu Ling’er’s eyes, suddenly began to mourn for You Lan. Just as his name suggested, who knew what You Lan would be called next? Given Wu Ling’er’s skill at naming things, it was certain no good name would come of it.

“This isn’t hard to understand. Take a look—do you know who that is?” Hou Wanjun said, pointing to a middle-aged man in the distance, driven back by Xi Mozhi’s storm of thunder and wind.

Why had the world changed so dramatically since she awoke? What exactly had happened the day she lost consciousness?

His skin was pale and cool, as if he rarely saw sunlight, yet his muscles were strong and defined, each line exuding strength and vitality—a physique thoroughly robust and solid.

Thus, even though Mu Ling’s overall strength was a notch below Huan Yan, the eighth-rank Spirit Lord, the latter would still find it far from easy to defeat Mu Ling outright.

Yes, it was Xiao Qiang. After school at noon, he had hurried straight over from campus, but still arrived a step too late—Su Wen had beaten him to it. As soon as he entered the reception hall, he overheard the ruffian Er Hu spewing insults at Su Wen. From that moment, his expression never recovered.

“How could the Mirror of Reincarnation appear again? Surely yours is just a replica?” At the mention of the Reincarnation Mirror, those nearby paled slightly, probing cautiously.

Not just others—even Ruan Cishan wore a mocking grin, convinced that Xiao Qiang was overestimating himself.

“I don’t have time for this right now! We’ll talk later!” The big grey bear had no patience for such matters, shaking off the nurse and hurrying to follow.

Heaven and earth blazed like a furnace, all things unable to escape. In that moment, all returned to emptiness—only the myriad flames endured. Wang Meng’s gaze sharpened; with a step, she entered the furnace of heaven and earth. The bodhi tree descended from above her head, taking root within the fiery crucible. Dragons of fire coiled around, the bodhi withered and revived, as if enduring countless cycles of rebirth.

“Little sister, I remember you once said that a master gave you this ancient jade?” Gao Longzang asked.

He went on to recount the events in detail, leaving Wen Jingrong clutching her chest in fright, her face drained of all color.

The Nine-Flame Anomalous Fire Technique had already reached the advanced mid-fifth level, equaling the power of a high-grade anomalous fire. With the unique properties of the Aurora Azure Flame, it could even devour the domains of ordinary eighth-tier Great Saint experts.

Le Zhiyang nodded slightly, raised his sword, and with a clang, thrust it into the seam of the stone gate. Though the doors fit together so tightly that not even a needle could pass through, the Qingchi Sword was light and exquisitely sharp, cutting stone as if it were butter. Stone chips flew as he forcefully carved a gap between the two doors.

“Senior, this is Wang Fan—a friend of mine,” Wang Meng said. “Brother Wang, it’s been a while. What brings you to Central State?”