Chapter 141: Two People Harboring Ulterior Motives

"The twenty people selected to enter the Dream Paradise, step forward."

Following the Sprite Dragon's command, the twenty individuals from both the human and demon races ascended together onto the floating blue disc on the surface of the lake. Bai Nianxuan landed steadily on the disc, flanked by Bai Haochen, Cai'er, and the others. Her attention was fixed entirely on A'bao, causing her to miss the slight upturn of Mendi's lips as he passed the Sprite Dragon, and the silent, graceful descent of a white paper crane from his hand, which landed unseen behind the creature.

Wang Yan could not quite put his finger on what exactly felt so beautiful, but a sudden, overwhelming sense of heaviness washed over him, leaving him feeling lost and melancholy.

"Right... sir, please do not take her words to heart. She... she has been under too much pressure lately, and perhaps her mental state has suffered a bit," a waiter said with a smile, not giving Bai Yanliang a chance to respond before turning away with a colleague.

All the gamblers stared with wide, intent eyes at the dealer's dice cup. As the dealer slowly pulled the cup away, the result revealed to the gamblers was met with a chorus of sighs and cheers, their sounds mingling together until Young Master Zhu could no longer tell if he was hearing the joy of victory or the sorrow of defeat.

So, just by attending Bai Xue's birthday banquet, I managed to rack up nearly three hundred thousand points of negative emotion?

As long as Liu Li opened her mouth, she wouldn't necessarily get everything she wanted, but making one hundred thousand in pocket money a month would be effortless.

As for whether or not to stop her from making this phone call, it was merely a test of his attitude, and... a pledge of loyalty.

If things continued, it would take less than two sentences to leave He Miaomiao completely bewildered, though that was not the goal.

"Oh? You didn't seem to have any trouble walking when you came in earlier, so why are you hunched over now?" Cui Bin asked with a sneer.

This strategy of warding off enemies beyond the national borders was something both Western nations and China fully supported.

"We are in space, so we should be able to see the stars, but..." Lin Fan mumbled, pointing his camera toward the stars, only to see the display screen remain completely pitch black.

***

The sun sank behind the western hills, casting a magnificent, blood-red glow across the horizon. As the sky appeared as if stained with blood, the ethereal White Jade Pavilion seemed tainted by this same murderous aura.

Jiang Lan stared at the screen. The man depicted looked remarkably ordinary—one meter seventy-five, neither short nor tall, with sunken cheeks and a thin, gaunt frame; he looked nothing like an assassin. Of course, Jiang Lan knew that those who appeared harmless were often the most dangerous.

"Yes," the man was forced to concede. After all, this was still the capital of the Liuyun Kingdom. While the elders of his sect might dare to argue, he certainly did not.

He swung his spatula with triumphant flair, sliding the perfectly fried, golden-yellow eggs and bacon onto a plate, then whisked it with panache right under Jiang Lan's nose.

Zhou Tingmei was unaware of the severe consequences that lay ahead. If she knew, how would she react?

Pan Yuhong cast a pleading look toward Mei Xuelian, hoping she might have some clever way to ease the awkwardness of the moment.

Jiang Lan pushed open the door to the factory, stepped over the tangled mess of steel bars on the floor, and headed straight for the second floor.

There was no helping it; in this era, mobile phone calls were billed on both ends. Even for managers, the Yuan Group had strict regulations on call expenses, and any amount exceeding the limit had to be paid out of pocket.

This was a dragon fruit greenhouse. Cement pillars stood in neat rows, connected longitudinally by steel pipes. The dragon fruit seedlings, resembling cacti, climbed upward along strips of cloth hanging from the pipes.

He possessed the strength to remain completely unfazed, even under the condemnation of thousands. Such was the imposing power of the Great Sun Emperor.

"But didn't you say that the Earth's spiritual energy had been exhausted? This Daoist Bai is so young—where would he have acquired immortal arts?" Chen Yuan immediately posed the question.

Hua Qi could not understand why a villa of only twenty acres required so many servants. When he asked Zi Yu, he was told that because the place was located on a mountain, there was a fear of thieves, necessitating more guards. Since no master lived there, there were naturally fewer maids.

Rong Yuan spoke these words with considerable backbone. With the dense spiritual energy within the inheritance space, it would have long been possible to nourish ordinary stones into spirit stones. While they would only form low-grade spirit stones, it would be enough for the people of this Lost Land to use.

"Pfft!" Gu Lingzhi couldn't help but laugh. Under Tian Fengjin's puzzled gaze, she reached out and took his hand.

***

The Ning family could barely be called a noble house, but they were no match for the Pan family. Compared to a century-old clan like the Pans, the Nings were far too immature—indeed, immature, lacking the deep heritage of a true family.

Much like the fire energy in the underground palace of Crocodile God Valley, the spiritual energy Chu Yi was now absorbing was extremely pure, requiring no refinement to be utilized. In just the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, the internal energy within Chu Yi's body was fully restored. However, Chu Yi did not stop; he continued to absorb the power of the stars.

He felt a pang of lamentation. How sad it was to have eyes but fail to recognize a treasure; to dismiss a precious item as trash, and worse, to suspect that anyone who recognized its value was an idiot. How could one ever bridge such a gap in perception?

Ye Qinglin began to undress, removing his outer garments one by one and tossing them onto the floor. Watching his actions, Hua Qi scrambled to wrap herself in the quilt, staring as Ye Qinglin continued until he was left only in his undergarments.

"I... I'm going to be a father..." Yan Zichen's eyes widened, a complex mix of emotions surging within him. His gaze fixed on Mo Ling's stomach, and he found himself at a complete loss for words.

A shrill, agonizing scream echoed out. Lan Mei clutched her broken bone, which had pierced through her skin, wailing in heartbreak as she rolled in the standing water. A severed arm lay right beside her.

Although I have deployed heavenly soldiers in the underworld to guard King Qin Guang and keep those ghosts in check, this hole remains a disaster as long as it is not resolved. And since the mastermind behind King Qin Guang has yet to emerge, we cannot afford to let our guard down for a single moment.

Entering the lobby of the auction house, the spacious design was not only grand but exuded luxury in every detail.

The golden battle sword in Qi Tianyu's hand hummed with energy. Since the Divine Dragon Heaven-Destroying Fist had no effect on the leader of the Cangyue Mercenary Group, Qi Tianyu finally drew his golden sword, its sword qi capable of wounding even the opponent's soul.

These fighter jets utilized dive-bombing tactics, swooping down from high altitudes to drop their payloads, achieving incredible precision against the warships.

It seemed he could only play defense; attacking rashly would be unwise. With no other choice, Chen Wu abandoned his offensive, as the pressure underwater was immense, and they had no idea how deep they were in the ocean.