Volume One, Chapter 24: The Black-Hearted Firmament Holy Land

Occasionally, I would wake up to find myself bald, or with my eyebrows trimmed into bizarre shapes, or perhaps with drawings on my face made in pigments that wouldn’t fade for two or three days.

True demons and true immortals fought fiercely. Every now and then, a true demon would be injured. A minor wound was no concern, but the True Immortal Ding Yi cultivated the power of the primal laws of life. By stripping away life force, he made it extremely difficult for them to recover. Each injury dealt was a massive loss.

The crowd gathered there began to discuss the fire-breathing dragon’s performance in shooting at moving targets.

One side accused the other of bossing them around despite being the younger brother, while the other retorted that their counterpart had nothing but a pretty face and no brain, nearly being manipulated without even realizing it.

Because nature is forever indifferent to humanity, we must hold it in awe—which is to say, we must begin to hold ourselves in awe.

"Still early? That can’t be right. Wasn’t the wedding date supposed to be in five days? Have you forgotten your own wedding day? It seems you aren’t that eager to marry Zeng Guoqiang after all. Could it be that you have feelings for someone else? If you don’t want to go through with it, say so now, before you live to regret it."

His expression changed instantly, and he kicked out with a heavy, powerful blow that sent Zhang Yong crashing into the trash can behind him.

Tang Qing slowly helped Tang Xiao out of the car. Zhou Yao had gone out on a date, and leaving Tang Xiao at home alone felt far too worrisome.

Doctor Li breathed a sigh of relief himself. When he first entered and saw the two blood-soaked figures on the bed, he thought they were beyond saving. But now, it seemed some of that blood belonged to others rather than coming from their own wounds.

Therefore, morality is not human nature; in most circumstances, morality is actually contrary to human nature. It is precisely because morality is often anti-human that it requires extensive guidance and restraint.

"Roar!" The tiger, having been struck, let out a thunderous roar. Its precious body had actually been wounded by this "food"—how could it not be enraged? Its two tiger eyes glared at Aotian with murderous intent, followed by a fierce pounce.

Mother Xiang and Xiang Feng looked at each other, their eyes widening, only to be deflated by the anticlimax.

The three of them rushed toward each other, stopping abruptly at the same spot in the sky, all standing there in stunned silence.

Perhaps it was the alcohol taking hold; Shu Chi’s vision blurred, and this thought crossed her mind.

Vice Dean Lin had said at the time that Miao Miao’s fanaticism for love was much like Japan during World War II. Though the comparison was unflattering, it was remarkably accurate, for Miao Miao was indeed truly fanatical.

***

Ice-Fire Celery: An immortal-grade food item. Legend has it that this special celery grows between frozen lands and volcanic regions. By absorbing the frost of the ice and the heat of the fire, the celery mutated. Consuming it increases resistance to ice-based magic by 5% and fire-based magic by 5%.

"Master, do you really have to go?" Chen Tianxiang watched as he finished packing and turned to leave. With his head bowed amidst the hundred-herb flowers, his eyes were moist.

Although Ling Dongwu had never seen a polo match, she knew what it was. She had seen it on television before—a group of people on horseback chasing after a ball.

Lian Hua took a whip made of soft cowhide from Nuan'er’s hand. With a flick of her wrist, it let out a sharp crack in the air.

The RB barrier, even at its absolute best, only provides a two-year survival window—and that is merely a theoretical limit; in reality, it is often only a matter of months.

He told himself he must drop a hint so that Tang Xin wouldn’t catch him thinking she was cute later.

It opened its gaping, bloodthirsty maw in excitement, and corrosive black saliva sprayed from its mouth—which extended to the edges of its face—as if it were calling out to its companions.

In the blink of an eye, the gaunt old man was sent flying backward, crashing through a dozen walls before collapsing into the ruins, his fate unknown.

Zhou Weishi opened his eyes and rubbed them, only to find Xu Wangshu lying beside his ear. She was fully dressed and had her makeup done, appearing as if she were about to head out.

Though simple, this map depicted the general layout of Xiao Town. There were vast blank areas on the map—places occupied by no faction—where Xiao Mo had not bothered to build any villages.

He watched as Liu Rufeng flung a handful of immortal crystals, instantly activating the surrounding formations to temporarily block the sect leader of the Guiyi Immortal Sect.

"Can we not be such harbingers of doom? I don't want to check out just yet," Li Jianhui said, patting Liang Guang.

It was not that the orders had gone wrong, nor that there was a traitor in the ranks. This was a scheme within a scheme, orchestrated by Wang Lei himself. The SWAT team members at the door only needed to put on a show; the real spectacle lay with the second squad. This was not merely to lower the enemy's guard, but to lure out the final, biggest fish.

In the blink of an eye, the bidding reached two hundred crystal stones, and even then, there was no sign of it stopping.

He usually only browsed stalls for equipment and scrolls, occasionally glancing at curios and medicines, rarely looking at such cheap, miscellaneous items.

***

He walked up to Er Gou, whose eyes were now filled with hope as he looked at him.

On the salt mountain, after the group handed their day’s harvest to the two Immortal Alliance cultivators, Leng Shuangyi immediately deployed his spirit boat to return to the market town.

"What on earth? What did you call me?" Wu Jinghai’s mind couldn't quite process it for a moment. What kind of "Righteous" Prince? There was no such title!

Upon hearing that the other party was eyeing his Gathering Fragrance Pearl, Buddha Sixiang felt as if he had swallowed a fly.

"You say you won't sell, so you won't? This isn't even your property!" Chen Chuman, seeing the other party was such a sore loser, retorted indignantly.

Although it was far inferior to the courtyard of the Penglai Inn, it had the advantage of being in a remote location where it wouldn't attract attention.

After firing a shot, Yang Yiying did not linger in place. He circled around a tree trunk to put distance between himself and the others, easily dodging the shot fired by Yuliya as she raised her elbow.

"Could it be that Ah Jing truly has some impending tribulation?" Leng Shuangyi felt a jolt of alarm and hurriedly asked.

She held a stone as thin as a spring pancake in her hand, examining it closely, which kept her face hidden from view.

"You should finish your meal first; I'll tell you all about it slowly," Edward replied with a smile.

Lu Ying did not look like Ruan Yuxiang; he was almost a carbon copy of his mother. Especially those eyes—looking into them was like looking at his mother.

People had spontaneously gathered outside the venue, packing the area like an ocean... a surging crowd, yet it was unnervingly silent.