Chapter 96: Should Not Be Alive

Senior Brother Tie Kuang of the Artifact Refining Sect swung his enormous hammer as he charged forward, howling, “Ye Cangming, you’ve gone too far—”

Before he could finish, a surge of demonic energy hurled him ten yards away, slamming him into the mountainside so firmly that he couldn’t be pried loose; his legs twitched twice before falling still.

Ye Cangming wiped the blood from his dark gloves, demonic energy swirling inky and thick in his palm.

“Other than the followers of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons, everyone else is to get out of Burning Wind Ridge. Anyone who dares come within half a step—”

With those words, he brought his foot down in a crushing blow.

A quarter of the invading cavalry managed to escape, but the foot soldiers and the ragtag bandits following them were not so lucky. The main road ahead was cut off by raging fire, leaving the invading army’s refugees with nowhere to go. If they tried to circle around, the imperial cavalry in the rear would catch up, ordering them to kneel and surrender on the spot.

“I am asking you, and you must answer truthfully! Has Gu Luge shown signs of rebellion?” E Mubu demanded.

Some of the high officials frowned; the campaign against Seshi had been planned for six years later, and now it had abruptly been brought forward. The nation was not prepared.

The four conversed idly for a while. As they spoke, an aroma of oil drifted up the stairs—the signature spiced steamed duck of the “Vast Sea of Clouds” tavern.

Heaven rewards the diligent. At last, when Ye Yi paused to rest beneath a thick, sturdy tree, she inadvertently discovered a man collapsed in the mud.

“This wicked cultivator truly feeds ghosts with human blood.” Yu Xiu looked at the charred, headless corpse and immediately realized the other party must have wanted to draw the essence blood from it too.

The marauders from the Central Plains had decent individual combat skills, but as for coordinated fighting, they were no match for the swift cavalry of Jinyang.

As the saying goes, those who live by the mountain eat from the mountain, those by the water live off the water. Huaihua Village was surrounded by hills and streams; in former years, people would pick jujubes from the wild trees in the mountains, and every household in the village would receive a share.

The paper servant stood silently under Yu Xiu’s watchful gaze, bowing with outstretched hands, ready to take the reins whenever Yu Xiu handed them over.

These dancing girls were all savvy women. The moment the pearl appeared, they knew it was precious and rushed forward to snatch it.

“Let’s sit out in the courtyard for a bit,” Rong Yicheng suggested, extending his hand. As expected, she sidestepped him and was the first to walk toward the door.

“The rest of you, follow me to the Hall of Scholars for the second round of testing.” The man in red, a sect steward with mid-stage Core Formation cultivation, had already sent his new disciples to their quarters and was now presiding over the second round of testing.

“Heh! Everyone here is from the Immortal Realm. By the way, where is this Earth you speak of?” an old villager asked, curious.

After Harry and Jamie finished their formal bows, they stood obediently by Gais’s side with his approval, looking both well-behaved and excited.

Even though Qiu Yan seemed to take some pity on me for my efforts to land this business—showing a bit of care—I was still on edge, unable to relax for a moment.

The four palace halls were named according to the quality of immortal prescriptions, from the third to the sixth grade. The headquarters of the Valley of the Medicine King, however, was the highest-level Seventh Grade Palace.

“Are you kidding me? We aren’t alchemists—what use do we have for an immortal prescription?” Tang Xie concealed his identity as an alchemist, convinced the man in gray knew another important clue.

In Li Mubai’s view, what did five thousand years matter? Even fifty thousand years would make no difference—a useless person would always be useless. Of course, he would never say so aloud.

The so-called power of fate was the union of his own strength and the true energy of the Purple Star, allowing him a glimpse into destiny itself.

Facing such a formidable opponent as Xiao Jiu’an, aside from revealing the trump cards of the Four Great Families, they truly had no other options.

His gaze shifted sideways, landing on Su Yuan, and a trace of disdain flickered across his eyes.

The old woman said, “Black Egg is an orphan, and I am already at the end of my rope, unable to discipline my grandson any longer. From now on, Black Egg is entrusted to your master. Under strict guidance, a good student is forged; without discipline, one cannot become strong. He must be trained with the severity of iron, so that Black Egg may be tempered into steel.”

“Report! We’ve just received a telegram—the enemy’s tank units have entered the forest from the northeast!” At that moment, another staff officer hurried to Li Yunlong’s side to deliver the message.