Volume One, Chapter 89: Yang Min Arrested for Defamation

Ji Junyong’s slap left everyone stunned.

Once they recovered, the Ji family felt a surge of satisfaction. Although it was generally unacceptable for a man to hit a woman, some women, in their eyes, truly deserved it when they crossed all boundaries.

Yang Min clutched her aching cheek, staring in disbelief at the man before her. Had he really struck a woman?

“I’m waiting for someone…” Yu Yang’s words trailed off abruptly. The owner followed Yu Yang’s gaze and saw Ling Miao hastily turning away.

Yet Lan Chengzhe’s expression remained heavy, his brows furrowed in deep thought. The child’s face, too, was pale with worry as she looked at him. She had kept a close eye on them, but in the brief moment she turned away, they were gone. Clearly, the other party’s plan was meticulous.

This palace was even larger than she had imagined, corridors winding endlessly. Without guidance, it was inevitable to get lost; remembering the layout was nearly impossible.

He was confident in his own strength, believing himself capable of contending with the Dream God Machine. Still, he knew he would have to use every means at his disposal. Sensing the terrifying power of the Eternal Radiance, he realized that even with three seals, he could not guarantee he would withstand it.

Yet the child ignored him, crossing her legs and playing contentedly, all the while sneaking glances at Beibei’s increasingly pale face and quietly laughing to herself.

As for the creation date and artists of those African woodcarvings, the Ghanaian merchant had no idea. I found them to possess a certain artistic value and the price was reasonable, so I acquired them.

Brushing off my sleeves, I continued forward. The farther I went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became, as if something terrifying awaited ahead.

The child withdrew her gaze in silence, though the name “Beibei” sounded oddly familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before. And this “Auntie”—she felt as though she had seen her as well.

Suddenly, with a stomp of his feet, the hundred-meter stretch of concrete ground shattered, undulating like mountains in an earthquake, surging forward in waves. The immense shockwaves toppled the roadside forests, leaving chaos in their wake. Most terrifying of all, the energy waves overlapped, rolling in layers. Before their eyes, a towering peak rose up, suppressing all into nothingness.

Yuan Shao marched his troops onward. As they drew closer to the grain camp, his heart burned with excitement. The surrounding terrain matched Xu You’s description: mountains on three sides, with only a single entrance. Yuan Shao led his men in, silent as shadows.

The Luo family, once holding every advantage, suffered a disastrous defeat. In a single night, the combined forces of the Zhou and Chen families uprooted them completely, eradicating them without a trace. Those families who had joined the Luo family in seizing Zhou family’s business and territory shared in their ruin.

Xuanwu snorted coldly, saying nothing. Qingyan hadn’t been wrong; back then, all their thoughts had been on restoring their energy, sparing no concern for anything else.

In the early stages of the great battle, Ji Xuanyue could not be sure who the newcomer was. At first, she thought one of the masters from Divine Mountain had arrived. But as the duel intensified, spreading ever wider and the aura grew stronger, Ji Xuanyue began to realize who her hidden opponent was—Qingyan.

Qingyan thought of the flower of reunion, and suddenly understood. His feelings at this moment were impossible to express; he never expected Ji Xuanyue to resort to such means, while he himself had foolishly taken the yin-yang reunion flower both internally and externally—a folly beyond measure.

That was precisely why the Saint of Demonic Heaven had flown over, curiosity in his heart. When the Saint of Demonic Heaven saw the soul beside Duan Chen, he couldn’t help but pause in surprise.

As Duan Chen entered his meditative state, the dense energy within the River of Heaven began to pour towards him, overwhelming in its abundance. At the same time, Duan Chen felt a wave of joy emanating from the Ice Emperor Dark Crystal within him.