Chapter 56: A Losing Proposition

On the way, Li Tao gave Zheng Qian a detailed introduction to the Splendid Group.

"Xu Chengye, the head of the Splendid Group, had a daughter late in life. He only had her when he was fifty years old, and now, advanced in age, he has already retreated behind the scenes. Today, the person we are going to meet is Xu Chengye's daughter, Xu Shuyun."

"The Splendid Group's reputation is bigger than its actual strength. For a company like this, we cannot negotiate a very high freight rate. Just breaking even and earning some hard-earned money will do."

Zheng Qian nodded. Since Li Tao already knew—

After the old woman gave Dugu Aoqiang some more instructions, the two of them had nothing more to say. Walking out of the room, they found that it was already noon, yet Yao Dayin had not yet returned from the city. The two of them originally wanted to spend a quiet moment in this thatched courtyard, but a strong sense of crisis was growing increasingly intense.

White Dragon Manor is a private garden located on an island in the middle of West Lake, situated directly opposite the new Leifeng Pagoda across the water.

Little did they expect that the moment a sage behind the white-bearded man took flight, a breezy sentence escaped the blue-haired man's lips: "No one is allowed to leave."

"How dare you oppose me?" The leader of the men in black turned pale with fury, raising the broadsword in his hand and bringing it down.

As soon as he finished speaking, he led a team of imperial guards to charge toward the Northern Han army. Following Zhao Kuangyin's lead, other Great Zhou generals immediately followed suit, each commanding a detachment of Zhou troops surging toward the Northern Han forces. Suddenly, the only ones remaining by Chai Rong's side were a few thousand imperial guard attendants, along with Ye Yingfeng and Ling Tianyun.

She heard his cry, heard him recite those romantic words, and then the colorful butterfly in her palm lost its color in the blink of an eye, turning into a pink peach blossom, which subsequently transformed into pollen, gently scattering among her silvery-white hair.

The civil wars between the Ghost Emperors and Ghost Kings in the Netherworld have always been extremely cruel. Compared to monarchs and ministers who still retain their sanity, the lower-ranking underworld soldiers and ghostly retainers often retain only the instinct for slaughter. They feel no fear and know no fatigue; unless their leaders perish or surrender, they will fight until their own soul-fires are extinguished.

No one anticipated that Ye Feiyu would flick his right hand once more, and another pitch-black spear materialized before him. This spear, however, was imbued with an endless aura of bloody malignance. With a wave of his two fingers, the spear carrying the boundless blood-lust shot toward Ling Tianyun like a ghostly meteor.

"Brother Longyang, what did you do to those nine ghosts? Why have they disappeared?" The atmosphere had been rather gloomy, but Yanyan's single remark served to relieve it greatly. Innocent words are always the most effective.

Many sects and rogue cultivators who originally looked down upon the North Shadow Studio were frightened out of their wits by Mount Qingcheng's miserable fate. Dropping their airs of reclusive masters, they queued up to discuss joining and cooperating with the North Shadow Studio, acting in a manner that could only be described as utterly servile.

After walking for a long time and turning another corner, they finally saw a massive ice waterfall hanging over a ten-thousand-fathom cliff before them. The cliff resembled the shape of an eagle, with the top protruding like an eagle's beak, and the two ice waterfalls trickled down right from the crevices of the eagle's shoulders—a true masterpiece of nature.

Numerous cultivators were terrified, and many realized that this ship was doomed, prompting some to turn and flee immediately.

Without a certain level of cultivation, one could not even ascend the mere Ten Thousand Buddha Absolute Peak, let alone be qualified to be a spectator.

Ahem... the situation was so critical that she had entirely forgotten about this. Knowing that she had been docked several weeks' worth of wages just because she forgot to knock on the door, she had no choice but to walk back out, knock three times, and wait until a faint sound came from within before slowly stepping inside.

"You don't need to worry about that. As long as there are coordinates, I can arrive in a very short time," Mu Tian said with a smile.

Although the southern bank of the Tianlan River at this time was still under the control of various major powers, within just a few months after the implementation of this plan, the millions turned as one. In their hearts, the sole emperor was that generation's holy king, or the future holy heavenly son, Hao Junzheng.

"This bastard!" Dajiang cursed, and we quickly broke into a run to chase after him. In these uninhabited mountain wilds with no source of light, being left here meant we would inevitably get lost. The most terrifying part of all... was the blood-red ghost lantern hanging right above our heads.

"He didn't say. He only mentioned a coup." Her voice came from directly above her head, sounding as if it originated from the edge of the sky.

A resounding voice echoed, and an elder with a form like light stepped through the void, appearing here in the blink of an eye.

The horse-faced blood demon's demonic body wriggled, the half of its body that had been blown away first appearing illusory before gradually solidifying a short moment later. Having consumed a massive amount of demonic power to repair its body, its combat prowess had already diminished.

"Hmph... Your friends have finally arrived." Huo'er glanced once and immediately recognized the person sandwiched between two long spears as Yang Xu's friend whom they had seen at Cuiyue Pavilion.

These individuals were all vastly experienced and scientifically trained, possessing immense expertise in agriculture. Once this new crop, corn, was planted and continuously grew taller, it immediately displayed its unique characteristics.

Upon hearing this, the two reacted as if they had heard earth-shattering news. The expressions on their faces were utterly exaggerated as they stared at Ye Haoxuan in absolute disbelief.

The next day was New Year's Eve. Yan Yunxing got up early to help his parents tidy up the rooms and clean the house. Afterward, Yan's mother began preparing a lavish New Year's Eve dinner, while Yan Yunxing and his father happily pasted Spring Festival couplets and hung lanterns.

"What is it?" Spade asked. His gaze followed the sound; the speaker was a member of the third training squad.

"What on earth are the President and the others doing on the island?" the usually taciturn Chief Captain Sha asked once more.

Zhang Yi used the key to unlock the sturdy iron back door, but instead of pulling it open easily, she waited quietly, letting out a coquettish hum.

Western opera features arias and recitatives. The audience had just appreciated Andre's brilliant performance, and now what Ganjing spoke of was another form of expression within the Eastern theatrical system.

You can dodge one thing but not the second; you can block twice but not thrice. Although this Tianyi clansman was powerful, under the coordinated attacks of several individuals, he was ultimately frustratingly struck head-on by Chi Yuan's massive fist, which was encased in divine-patterned gauntlets.

To give an example, the most terrifying thing is the machine used to make bowls and basins. This machine, operated by just a single slightly trained worker along with two sheer laborers, can produce over 5,000 bowls a day, and the cost of each—

Zhu Bajie wagged its trotter, yet it did not slack off. Its realm was somewhat bizarre; having reached this level, it remained vague and indistinct. It had no Dao palace, no Nascent Soul, and even Chu Yi could not figure it out, while it itself had no idea what was going on.

Someone in the team obeyed the rule—wasn't it just about not touching things randomly? With dangers lurking everywhere in the Absolute Extinction Land, it was common sense not to touch things one didn't understand. Since Wang Sheng said not to touch them, then they wouldn't touch them; it was no big deal. The vast majority of those who could cultivate to the Fourth Realm were fully capable of suppressing their own curiosity.

The Primeval Ape clan member, having recovered his sanity, stared wide-eyed at Shitian, seeming entirely oblivious to everything that had just happened.

Every single flying sword collided violently with the sun, moon, and stars, producing a piercing sound akin to fingernails scraping across metal.