Volume 1 Chapter 33: Burial Sacrifice

"Fine, that settles it. You will lead our fleet, and you will be compensated," Browning said coldly.

"We have more men!" Ah San retorted. It seemed his encounter at the restaurant still rankled him, and he had seized the opportunity to repeat the lines of those who had stolen their table.

The true master behind it all was Ma Hai. Years ago, it was he who invested the money while Lei Zehao and Peng Yuan provided the labor. As the coal business grew, tensions rose following a lawsuit with the Zou family; now, with the Zou family also falling under suspicion, they too had a motive.

Many Miao people had gathered around. Just as the noise grew increasingly chaotic, a deep and powerful voice rang out, suppressing the surrounding clamor.

He Changdi’s dark eyes brightened, like two flickering lamps lit in the pitch-black, impenetrable night.

Logically, with Chu Lian having made such a good marriage, Su Jie’s prospects should have been easier. Yet, it was precisely because of Chu Lian’s marriage as a benchmark that the eldest madam of the main branch became increasingly arrogant; the several suitors she had originally favored were all secretly dismissed by her later on.

She ran down the stairs in a panic, the long flight making time feel as though it stretched on forever. Dim light filled the stairwell, and she suddenly felt herself step onto something sticky. She bent down and touched the ground lightly with her finger; a thick, pungent smell of blood rushed into her nostrils.

The two silver coins only bought them twenty meters of travel, yet they stepped off the carriage happily and continued on foot. The night sky was clear and sapphire blue, the thin clouds having dispersed to reveal a scattering of stars. The travelers felt no fatigue; breathing in the night air and gazing at the world, one could not bear to waste a single moment.

Fan Qinghui, the Abbess of Cihang Jingzhai, watched the master and disciple in the arena with complex emotions. She deeply wished for both of them to perish in their duel, as that would allow the entire martial arts world to return to peace.

Ishikawa sighed, "Survival depends entirely on ourselves. Five hundred meters ahead, there is an earthen ridge covered in thickets; the terrain is highly advantageous. If we occupy that ridge, we can still hold off the Eighth Route Army for a while."

As for the Song Jiu team, they were not exactly the most impoverished. Since the formation of their group, they rarely roamed about and had long established their own base camp.

Of course, this was merely an increase in raw strength, unrelated to enlightenment. Yet, such a terrifying power boost was enough to change many things. One must remember that the reason the demon race was able to dominate half the world in the past was precisely due to their peerless physiques.

Tiger-Fool acted as the vanguard. When "Heart-Shattering" proved ineffective, he used "Wind-Thunder Blast" to force his way forward. A tiger of energy enveloped his body, shielding him from the harassment of the tentacles. The group launched a coordinated assault, but with little success.

That night, I was chatting and fooling around with Mo'er when Chen Lei suddenly called. Old Dan and I hurried out, hailed a black cab still operating at that late hour, and rushed toward the Chen family estate.

During this period, Wang Mu had become truly famous in Linjiang City. Not only was he handsome and dashing, but most importantly, he was a man who eliminated evils for the people—he was practically a hero. Countless people had wanted to catch a glimpse of his presence, and now, they had finally gotten their wish.

The two were enjoying their conversation when a loud gurgling sound suddenly echoed through the corridor. Looking over, they saw Yang Xuangan clutching his stomach in embarrassment; it seemed he was hungry. Feeling their own stomachs empty, they followed one another toward the exit.

"Impossible. Even back when Sister Bingxiang turned into a ghost, there wasn't this much yin energy. This amount of yin energy definitely means she has already become a ghost," I stated with certainty.

He noticed that his hands were trembling, and the steering wheel felt as if it had been coated in oil—so slick he could barely grip it.

Upon hearing her words, Wang Zhenzhen began to whimper in fear again, but this time she dared not make a sound, only covering her mouth with her hands, looking utterly pitiful.

Fortunately, heaven did not intend to wipe her out completely; her mop handle was successfully retrieved, and most importantly, although the dagger attached to it was bent, it had not fallen off.

Just like the Isoda in Xia Yi’s memories, the man before her stood nearly one meter ninety tall, his narrow eyes exuding an inexplicable sense of coldness and arrogance.

Everyone was still reeling from the shock, but Xiao He had already departed calmly, holding the severed head of Wang Zhenshan in one hand.

No matter how urgent things were, they had to return to the manor first. Besides, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager were not yet pressuring them to produce grandchildren.

"He-ro~ He-ro~ He-ro~ I’m so looking forward to seeing what the rewards will be when this is over." Perona, wielding her ghost bombs, had already eliminated quite a few.

Isoda said this, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping over Xia Yi twice, before he uttered that inexplicable remark.

The voice of Gelios reached Xia Yi’s ears, drawing a fraction of her attention away.

How much time has passed? You’re getting cold feet again? With a person like you, you still want to achieve great things? Are you joking?

A few years ago, she was a police officer at the Suihe City Bureau Command Center. She spoke fluent English, understood forensics, excelled in medicine, and wrote excellent reports—ahem, otherwise, how could she have been selected as the current director of the command center so quickly?

Perhaps when they gifted her a wisp of innate power to seal the half-realm back then, they had already foreseen this result.

As time passed, some descendants of military families or military retainers were gifted various military-grade weapons. As long as they could account for the origin of the weapons, there were generally no major issues.

Of course, the situation was much the same when the work-point system was first implemented in my previous life. The only difference was that the village head at the time, Li Zhangliang, was just like the average villager—neither of them took it seriously.

At this moment, everyone present watched Bai Hao’s tragic death, their eyes wide and their faces filled with shock.

It was also Lu Jianqiang’s fault for being so underhanded. When he picked the chicks the first time, there were only ten in total, and he stubbornly chose seven roosters.

After all, as a doctor who spent every day torturing the mentally ill, it was hard for him not to have a bad reputation.

Moreover, after some contemplation and study by Chu Feng, the level and power of the "Nine Nether Emperor Art" were not a whit inferior to the "Heaven and Earth Creation Art" and the "Dragon-Governing Demon Art" he was currently practicing.

"It seems there has been a change in the plan to name you as the Yangzi!" At some point, Xun You had leaned in close. He was wearing the same Yangzi divine robes as him, yet on Xun You, the same robes seemed to carry a sense of unbridled, unrestrained wildness that Yi Shuihan lacked.