25 A Stone (V)

The Blood Corpse King let out a piercing shriek, his body instantly transforming into a stream of blood-colored light as he fled toward the depths of the dense forest, in the direction of the Yongfu Graveyard.

Witnessing this, the Snake Empress felt a surge of excitement on her exquisite face. It seemed the White Tiger was doomed, which meant she was finally free. Moreover, all signs pointed to Chu He truly being a reincarnated saint; surely, lifting the poison from her body would be no difficult task.

"Your Majesty, the information has been verified," Zhou Jing said, pushing open the heavy doors. Seeing the Empress still deep in meditation, she couldn't help but sigh.

The seven men had failed to find their target, and not daring to delay, the leader signaled with a glance, and they spurred their horses to continue the pursuit.

Tang Qinghan quelled her racing heart. Regardless of whether it was Chu Kouting or not, she had to go and see for herself; at the very least, this lead was better than nothing.

After Ding Wuqing climbed up, Chu Kouting turned his gaze toward the group they had been battling. These individuals appeared peculiar, looking neither like Central Plains natives nor people from the Three Great Territories.

Just moments ago, Li Xiuan had stood by Ran’s side through thick and thin, while she had been paralyzed with fear the moment she saw that whip.

"My, my, who would have thought? Only a month apart, and you’ve already grown so chummy with the men from the Five-City Gendarmerie." Lu Manman found it hard to believe; someone with Xiuyuan’s temperament actually had friends.

Long, long ago, a blood phoenix was reborn here through nirvana. From then on, the city was renamed Phoenix City. The site of the rebirth, scorched by raging fires, formed basalt of such immense hardness that craftsmen later fashioned it into what is now the Phoenix Terrace.

Gazing at the city so hauntingly familiar in his memories, Chu He entered the pastoral town, lost in reminiscence.

As they spoke, a thunderous crash erupted as the mountaintop was sheared in half. Debris flew everywhere, and a cloud of dust engulfed everyone present.

However, while this seemed slightly more normal and plausible, walking a sparrow was still quite an eye-catching sight.

Two months ago, can you imagine it? No one urging you to go to work, no one rushing you to school—could you truly possess infinite "freedom"?

To be honest, Huo Zexuan truly didn't care whether Song Anci lived or died. Even if she were his own mother, he would never sacrifice everything he sought to gain just to save her.

***

With a sickening crack, the werewolf’s spine was shattered. It let out a pained howl, its sharp reflexes unable to process what had happened before Li Lin swung his hand again, crushing its head into pulp and kicking the corpse against the wall.

His stubborn pride and concern for his image prevented him from approaching to check on Song Qingyin, so he merely watched coldly from outside the hospital room.

I pounded against the barrier repeatedly until the door was shut, and my hopeful heart died instantly.

Subsequently, the Heavenly Empress spoke to the Heavenly Emperor, and as his expression gradually softened, it seemed the matter was settled, like meat on a chopping block.

I finally understood why my hands were covered in blood; I must have killed him while he was fast asleep.

At first, I thought it was because I hadn't revealed my true face, but I had already scanned it—why was it still like this?

His gaze grew cold, and he brought out his boss from behind him, hoping to intimidate the young man.

Xu Qing’s tears flowed uncontrollably in her grievance, yet she neither exerted force nor resisted. Despite the deep humiliation and hurt she felt, a place deep within her body found the sensation addictive.

But Elise pressed on relentlessly, tears welling in her eyes, a rosy flush spreading across her snow-white skin.

"Hey! Young lady, what do you mean by this? I have no ulterior motives; I only saw you looked like you needed help and came over to see what was going on," the night watchman said, feeling a bit indignant.

She tossed the camera aside and began to ponder—who exactly was this person? Though she hadn't met him, why did she have a faint, vague impression of him in her mind?

"An honored guest has arrived. I am old and frail, unable to walk well; please forgive this old man for failing to welcome you properly! Hehehehe..." a raspy, ancient voice echoed from the main hall.

Ye Xing exhaled in relief; he had narrowly avoided severe damage to his soul. He had been too reckless, forgetting that before the soul fully forms into a "soul embryo," it is an extremely yin entity, most vulnerable to pure yang essence and the intense, surging blood energy of a martial artist.

"Who is he?" Yao Rong, relieved to see Qingyin was safe, turned back to look at the person in the pit with curiosity.

***

Upon reaching the inn and entering the assigned room, Yinghuo collapsed onto the bed and fell fast asleep. Since leaving Luebo City, this was the first time she had been able to sleep lying down, and she drifted off in moments.

"What are you thinking about?" Tong Xinye, having tied her hair into a messy ponytail, noticed Shen Lingfeng staring at the door and felt curious. What was there to look at by the door?

Thus, the plan to assassinate the four great generals of the Qin State could be considered the life-saving straw for the Hundred Schools of Thought and the Six States. Whoever could grasp this straw would be the benefactor of the entire world.

But could she trust him? The Chu Palace was currently filled with black-armored soldiers on high alert, and with security so tight, slipping out of the palace would be no easy feat.

The powerful immortals at the center of these light and dark cosmic spaces discarded him, treating him as nothing more than a worthless, ordinary immortal of the light and dark realms.

Asking a child who had practiced for only eight days to fight a world-renowned Sword Saint was a joke in itself. The King of Qin’s goal was merely to see how powerful the arts of the Yin-Yang School had become; if they were insufficient, he would quickly find a more renowned master.

He, who called himself a "rational" god-slayer, now exposed his true nature, a look of excitement and malice creeping onto his face unconsciously.

Thor felt mentally refreshed, but found it laborious to move, casting a puzzled look toward Chen Yu.

This proposal greatly tempted Jiang Lü. The journey ahead was long; not only did he have to conquer the seven states and contend with the Hundred Schools of Thought, but what worried him most was that his master, Donghuang Taiyi, and Xiaomeng of the Heavenly Sect were all restless, pulling out all the stops for the sake of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions.

Han Fei nodded, not denying it: "True, I do know her, but whether she knows me... that is hard to say."