Volume 1, Chapter 39: Holding the Three Seals, Zhuge Liang Disappointed!

"May I stay and listen too?" Li Yanran, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts and unable to come up with a better plan, took a step back and made her request.

The ordination—it must happen. She had to be ordained at any cost, even if it meant offending the Shangqing Sect.

"Before I left, I gave the *Gongshu Essential Techniques* to my younger brother. They should be crafting various siege defense weapons as we speak," Yuan Anning said.

Seeing Su Qian willing to throw her life away for Lin Liang, Dian Dao felt an overwhelming sense of jealousy toward him. Yet, recalling Bai Xiuxiu’s description of Ling Feng, he could only pray in silence that Su Qian would return safely.

"The Xuantian Sect never declared that Earth-level martial artists were forbidden from entering the Zhulu Valley," Baili Chengfeng said, unhurriedly.

Once everything was packed, Mu Zifei shouldered his bag, secured a wooden pot over it, and strapped two ivory tusks to his waist. After a quick hop to test his gear, he began his trek into the deep mountains step by step.

Of the three, Lin Liang was the most bewildered, yet he also had the clearest lead. At that moment, he suddenly recalled what He Bishuai had told him before he arrived at Stone City.

Stepping out of the Yongfu Pavilion and sensing two gazes fixed on him from not far away, Lin Liang felt a prickle of irritation. The feeling of having his every move monitored was deeply uncomfortable, yet he felt powerless to stop it.

With those words, he opened his palm to reveal a mark that looked like a drop of fresh blood, glowing with a crimson light. It was the Blood Residue Seal.

Before Chen Long could arrive, Lin Feng tapped his toes and leaped several times, landing swiftly on the Life-and-Death Stage.

"Captain Fu, what do we do now?" Xu Yiming looked toward Freeman and spread his hands. He had indeed solved the problem of the illusion, but once the illusion was gone, did anything else in this forbidden space even matter?

"Buy it," an ancient voice commanded. The deep, bell-like resonance echoed in Xu Yiming’s mind, leaving him dizzy.

The scholars held the Ten Eunuchs in deep hatred and naturally refused to demean themselves by coming to Yunzhou, which bode poorly for the future recruitment of talent there.

Watching this attitude, Zi Shixiong felt a twinge of envy. If he weren't burdened by his family's mission—if he had been born into a thriving family like Chu Yun—perhaps he, too, could live as freely as he did.

***

Although their current scale wasn't massive, it was at least worth several billion. Offering 50 million to acquire it was like tossing scraps to a beggar. Besides, who said they were willing to sell?

A human life spans a mere few decades; even with a longer lifespan, one cannot escape the inevitable cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death.

It seemed the commander was no mediocrity; even while resting, he had kept half his men on night watch.

"Jiangning Prefecture is heavily fortified and has held out against long sieges. But now that we have the Song Emperor Zhao Mao, we can force the Song defenders to surrender," said Prince Yan, Li Qing, with a sinister smile.

Ten minutes later, a Mercedes arrived. Two burly men in green hats got out, went to the security booth, lifted the man in the green hat out, and placed him gently into the car.

The level of "Wild Goose Before the Hall" was, at most, that of a celebrity; his own level, however, was legendary.

It was only then that Ye Qiu and the others realized that the Oriental Academy did more than just teach cultivation; they also acted as intermediaries to ensure students weren't left adrift after graduation.

"Damn it! This thing is impossible! How are there always two pieces that won't swap?" A furious Xu Yang felt the urge to smash the "Dragon-Snake Myriad Transformations" into scrap metal.

After glaring at Luo Xingchen, Ruolan and the others scrambled toward the new fragment site.

"This, Mr. Wu, isn't the price a bit too high?" the leader of the Ouhuang team asked, conflicted.

"I wonder which county seat the Lord of Starfire City intends to attack this time?" the Blue Shark asked expectantly.

Outside the cave dwelling stood two figures: one was Wang Dong, and the other was his wife, Tang Ning.

The Spring-Summer-Autumn Mercenary Group was in desperate need of manpower. If they could establish a foothold now, they would finally make something of themselves. Of course, all their chips were on Ye Qiu; if he won, they would rise to glory, but if he lost, nothing awaited them but death.

As the two exchanged words, their conversation was filled with mutual flattery and occasional probing questions, though the overall atmosphere remained pleasant.

***

Murong Ke could not immediately discern the true intentions of the Western Barbarians, so he sent Su Yu to continue the surveillance while he led others to join the hunt.

Many young Chinese people began to cheer, some even handing out beer to passersby in celebration—a scene reminiscent of when the national football team qualified for the Asian Cup in Wu Ye's past life.

Many more were willing to serve as servants to cultivators rather than strike out on their own to trade.

Early spring in February brought melting snow to Mount Hua. The north was no longer biting like a knife; though a spring chill remained, it did not freeze.

"Brother Kou, you must be a regular here. You seem very familiar with this place," I asked with a smile.

As she spoke, she leaned forward slightly. Her top was already low-cut, easily revealing a magnificent expanse of cleavage.

It was ten in the morning, time for the company's routine senior management meeting. Mi Lan was absent, so I stood in as her proxy. I supposed this was my first time attending a meeting of such a high level.

"That's not necessarily true. I have studied formations, and perhaps I can get everyone inside without alerting the Xue family," Yun He said with a calm smile.

Although the sword style was flashy but impractical, Ding Yu had clearly put a great deal of effort into practicing it, executing the routine with great proficiency. After sheathing his sword, he asked Lin Yin expectantly, "Master Lin, what do you think of my swordsmanship?" He had even changed how he addressed her.

The driver walked forward while wiping the trash from his face. The middle-aged man had already reached a room; finding nothing inside, he hesitated for a moment before flicking on the light.

Deng Ai employed an ambush, routing the reinforcements of Memphis City. He immediately surrounded the city and laid siege day and night. Three days later, at the foot of Memphis, Deng Ai divided his troops to pacify the city before leading the rest straight toward Antinoe.