Chapter Thirty-One: Innocence

In the dilapidated main hall of the Wen residence, Wen Zhiyan alone sat upright on a prayer mat. Li Honghui struggled to maintain the bearing of a prince, but the blood at the corner of his mouth, his weakening voice, and the body he had to prop up with one hand betrayed the poison slowly eating away at him.

“After that…” Li Honghui said, “I never saw you again, Yan’er. I could only sense your care and warmth through the few words in your letters.”

He gave a bitter smile. “Yan’er, you blame me for caring…”

Cao Xing was no fool. His scouts had long since determined the enemy’s numbers. The force before them was merely the vanguard of the Jiangdong army. Instead of surrounding and annihilating them, he drove them back toward the road they had come by.

Just as he was about to channel his strength and tear free of the luminous threads, he suddenly felt an icy aura surge into his meridians along with the returning energy. Everywhere it passed, his body went numb and sensation vanished.

Although Jixian had beacon towers, they were not spaced at regular intervals as they were along the Great Wall. Thus, even if Jixian lit its beacons, they were of little effect at night.

If Li Er had heard her words, he might have objected that he was first and foremost a citizen of his country, and only afterward a man of Tinozo; his identities as an American and a Vietnam War hero were merely tools to be exploited. But he heard none of it. At that moment, he was accompanying Natasha to buy Halloween makeup.

“Yuhan, do you think you might possess some kind of special ability?” Lu Yunfei asked gravely.

“Just as expected of women—three years.” Li Er tossed off the words lightly, then turned and walked away, leaving ten men staring at one another. It took them a long while to understand the trap in his wording. In the end, they meekly admitted that they were women, and were instantly filled with profound dismay.

Boss Huang personally took the jade horse from the display case and respectfully placed it before Elder Zhou.

“Child, if you offer up the treasures on your persons, we will spare you and let you leave,” the Ghost General barked.

In an instant, while the Throne of the Melee King entangled the Dream Crystal Dragon, which possessed equally outstanding close-combat abilities, the Horsehead Knight had already charged before the Ghost Dragon. He continuously prodded the skeletal wyrm with his long spear.

Huang Zhong showed not the slightest fear. He drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and shot Guan Yu in the shoulder. Then he brandished his great saber and met him in battle. The generals paired off, their clashes throwing everything into chaos.

“That is the last gathering place of spiritual energy on the Northern Continent. If our strength were not so lacking, we would want to go there and claim a good spot as well. Being immersed in molten iron all day is truly unbearable.”

Yan Nian’s thoughts were a tangled mess, but she had no choice except to pull herself together and look toward the throne. The sight left her utterly terrified.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a large pack of velociraptors burst from the forest. This time, their charge was like stone balls rolling out of a tunnel, carrying tremendous force as they slammed directly into the spinosaurus.

The three hundred martial masters were all vigorous and powerful, with robust vitality and formidable physiques. Combined with the Immortal Origin Formation, which had long since been lost to the world, they made the Azure Nether Sect, though not yet renowned, no weaker than those ancient martial forces whose names had been famous for generations.

“Has any word come from Prince He’s residence?” Tang Hu’s voice was husky. Perhaps the heat spreading through her limbs felt too comfortable, for an involuntary languor colored her voice. To those below, it sent a tingling sensation crawling up their spines.

Once Mingyue had finished, she sat down on the floor, panting without the slightest concern for appearances. Her cousin’s body was simply too weak. Even though she had recently begun cultivating inner energy and martial arts, she was still frail. A single fight left her so exhausted that she nearly collapsed.

Unfortunately, his talent was poor, and he could only improve his cultivation through unorthodox means. By now, he had reached his limit. If he did not find a path to sainthood, he would truly dissipate into the world.

Naturally, the story was filled with mythic elements and featured many legendary weapons. Every one of those weapons had been designed by this Mr. Dory, who had even taken an antique from his own home to use as a prop.