31. A rootless bamboo, but do not weep.

With three hundred thousand troops deployed here, the defenses of other cities were left undermanned. Coupled with the use of explosives, these locations became difficult to breach, which in turn made things much easier for the Purple Thorn Empire.

—In truth, in the eyes of Lu, Fan Haiyin was the murderer who had killed his fiancée and child, and there was nothing wrong with seeking his revenge.

The Gu-Origin Secret Realm can be opened once every three years, and each opening allows two hundred cultivators to enter, with no restrictions on cultivation level. This time, the Soul-Bone Tribe dispatched twenty-five people, bringing the total to twenty-six including Chen Jingyuan.

The five major powers sent fifteen Heaven-Opening Emperors and over thirty Profound-Center Kings. Following Chen Jingyuan's guidance, they first cleared out the forces in the surrounding Third-Watch Heaven region, then surrounded the Purple Miasma Forest to prevent any of the Heaven-Opening Emperor assassins inside from escaping.

Another roar echoed in my ears, but this one sounded like the melodious chirping of orioles; aside from its volume, it was strangely pleasant. Following the roar, Honghong’s figure appeared suddenly, her hands reaching out to grab me.

A month. A full month had passed, and Tong Qianxi had vanished like a stone cast into the sea, leaving no trace behind. She had disappeared completely from his sight and his world, leaving him with nothing but a few articles of clothing and an endless yearning.

"That is truly overbearing..." Heathcliff said with a helpless, bitter smile, a flicker of amusement flashing in his eyes.

"It is not that I dare not, but that I do not know if I should acknowledge it," Cheng Song replied honestly, his tone somewhat stiff.

Seizing this opportunity, Lu Xuan and the Demon Guard began to break through. Relying on his surging magical energy for defense, Lu Xuan stopped caring about how many zombies were ahead; his only action was to charge forward. Meanwhile, the Demon Guard stayed behind him, covering his rear and clearing away the zombies lunging at his sides.

Xiao Yang walked in slowly, gazing at the figures in the hall, and could not help but grin. After breaking through to a Fourth-Grade Alchemist, Xuanku’s status in the Youguang Empire had undoubtedly multiplied several times over.

Fortunately, the aliens' technology had not yet reached the level of being completely indestructible or entirely indifferent to molecular motion; the scout bug managed to chip off a tiny fragment of the spaceship's hull.

As everyone bid their farewells, Cecil walked out of the room and gently closed the door. The moment it shut, the three of them gathered by the bed, watching the sleeping Tio with concern.

***

Using carrier pigeons, the message was sent from the State of Lu to the specialized pigeon-rearing unit in Kong Youxing’s camp on the battlefield by evening, where designated personnel would retrieve it and deliver it directly to Kong Youxing.

Xiaoyao You walked to the door and glanced through the peephole, only to find three police officers standing outside. He curiously pulled the door open just a crack.

At the same time, the keels were laid for another twenty-one capital warships. Eight months later, they would have twenty-one more major warships joining active service.

"Haha, fair point. But I still think it is better to specialize in one path. My Chinese name is Chen Xiaobin. I hope the two of you might join my team?" Chen Xiaobin pointed to his group, where five students at the Ninth-Star Spirit Disciple level stood impressively.

This appeared to be a dilapidated place, somewhat resembling an abandoned Taoist temple. The dense spiderwebs on the ceiling, combined with the strange, broken furnishings all around, gave me a vague understanding of where I was.

The doctor laughed furiously and hooked his right index finger. The tip was immediately pierced by sharp tentacles emerging from within, and three metallic-sheened mantises suddenly drilled out from the finger.

But this turn of events caused accusations and suspicions to spread instantly from this fighting arena to the entire spirit world.

"I smelled that scent too. It smells like something sour. Why would there be a sour smell in the village?" Jieyi asked from the side.

That was the stadium viewing stand. Below the stands was a row of rooms, usually used as changing rooms for students, and sometimes for physical exams. The blood-red shadow appeared behind the window of one of those rooms.

"Thank you!" Although Qian Cheng truly disliked saying thank you to his friends, as it made things feel distant, it was the only phrase that could express his inner emotions at that moment.

Both sets of parents came to the provincial hospital. We were all extremely nervous, but Mu Ling, despite her advanced pregnancy, remained calm and composed.

The lake before us was clear and emerald green. Under the gentle breeze, ripples spread across the surface, creating a scene of absolute peace and tranquility.

***

More than half of the people attending the meeting were smoking cigars, as if it made them seem more masculine.

Han Ziye took the bag back with a smile. Inside, his heart was surging like a stormy sea, his anger rising, yet he hid it well—after all, he could not afford to scare her.

"Nothing is wrong, I just wanted to see you sooner!" He leaned down slightly and hugged her naturally.

"About your business." A trace of doubt flashed in Xiaomeng’s eyes: "What is your relationship with the Confucian School?" Otherwise, he would not have stopped her from casting the illusion earlier; that petal was the eye of the formation.

"Ya-ha-ha! Oh, you’re right!" The pumpkin-headed ghost slapped his forehead hard and laughed out loud, as if he had been checkmated.

However, it was two days later before Zhenqi could speak clearly. Although there was no obvious sign of improvement on the surface, at least she could talk. Tang Lichuan sat down, wanting to figure out exactly how she had ended up in such a state.

On the escalator leading to the fourth floor, a thin old man in a retro suit sat in the rest area. That was the "Denizen of the Crimson Realm" in the guise of an old man.

"You should have heard it just now. Their surname is Jun. How many people with the surname Jun in City B do you think are absolutely not to be offended?" After saying this, Director Wang did not elaborate further, merely waved his hand and walked into the lounge alone, leaving the staff member standing there in a daze.