Volume One, Chapter 44: Elegance Never Goes Out of Style

Lu Chengqing gently set Xue'er down. As soon as Xue'er entered the room, she was met with Xue Ru's glaring expression. Ignoring the look entirely, Xue'er walked straight into the living room.

For this military expedition, all eight hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalry marched along, placed under the command of Xiahou Yuan. In addition, Gao Shun's陷阵营 (Trap-Breaking Camp) had now been restored to a full complement of one thousand two hundred men, while Zhang He's Halberd Warriors had also been replenished to a full three thousand.

He carried too much on his shoulders and had too much to accomplish. What would happen if he were to be forever trapped within this dark abyss? Perhaps one day, when all those burdensome shackles had faded away, he would willingly come here and never leave.

Ma Jingfeng's objective was crystal clear: the first step was to wash the Liu family estate in blood. Once the clan's supreme authority was secured, he would launch an attack on the He family estate. By then, not only would he have avenged the bloody feud in his heart, but his own position would also become increasingly unshakable.

Watching her agonizing expression, Zhuo Junlin felt as though his heart was being torn apart. He hated himself—why could he not share or take away her pain at this very moment? He wondered what she had experienced in her past that made her harbor such an extreme terror of wolves.

"Do, do you have pork stewed with vermicelli?" Wu Di closed the menu, looked up, and asked the waiter nearby.

The giant claw was unimaginably vast, describable only as something that blotted out the sky. Covered entirely in fierce, protruding dark-yellow scales, each talon tip resembled a majestic, towering mountain peak, descending from the heavens with an aura of destruction and rebirth.

On this day, the Kingdom of Yang was filled with festive joy, and Luo Shui City was particularly breathtaking. A gentle breeze swept across the thriving rose-mallows, and the brilliant crimson blossoms swayed leisurely in the wind, their gorgeous and exquisite appearance intoxicating to the soul.

Wang Jun's mouth twitched. Could they stop laughing? Could they show him a little respect? Did they really have to be like this?

Tian Pei retrieved a flask of water from his horse, took a sip, held it in his mouth, and spat it directly onto the driver. The driver slowly opened his eyes and began kowtowing and begging for mercy over and over again.

Chen Xiao also uttered a remark, though his heart grew heavy. In his eyes, Bai Yuanyuan was currently extremely mysterious; naturally, whatever actions Bai took—especially those targeted at him—would prompt certain speculations on his part.

There were a monk and a Taoist. The monk was plump and heavy-set, holding a rattan staff with earlobes descending past his shoulders, his mouth parted in a wide laugh, radiating profound Buddhist grace. The Taoist, on the other hand, was lean and slender, with beard and hair cascading down his chest, his eyes spirited—one hand forming a seal while the other supported a sword on his back, exuding a genuine immortal aura.

"Why is it so terrifying?" Tu Ming was completely dumbfounded. He had believed his formidable physical body would allow him to easily surpass these people, yet he never expected that stepping onto the platform would trigger a drastic transformation in the White Jade Heavenly Stairs, multiplying the pressure by at least tenfold.

Though this battle was not lost due to lacking strength, Gao Wan had always considered it a disgrace. Now that Xie Gongbao was dredging up the past with such contemptuous and unreasonable arrogance, how could he possibly endure it? "Come, come! Let us see if this defeated foe of yours can kill you!" With a furious roar, he leaped into the air and brought his palm crashing down.

Zuo Qiu had always been a free-spirited and unrestrained person back in the day, which naturally drew the ire of many who deemed him arrogant on account of his talent and utterly devoid of human warmth.

This was the first time he was driving the Star-Refining Technique after leaving Jialan. The stellar energy absorbed this time was far more abundant than in Jialan, and the inherent power of order within it was exceptionally complete, making the refinement process considerably more laborious.

The voting would be conducted by the remaining three people, and individuals were even allowed to cast a vote for themselves. Whoever garnered the most votes would become the leader of the Righteous Alliance.

Of course, Jiang Han had not been aware of the Black Dragon's existence at the very beginning, assuming it was merely some form of restriction or something else entirely.

"Understood," Pusero respectfully acknowledged the order. Even though Martin's cultivation level was inferior to his own, as the one who had committed a fault, he dared not harbor even the slightest trace of dissatisfaction.

What shocked Zhang Lizhuo even more, however, was that Old Shui had vanished. The previous second, the man had been right in front of him throwing punches, but the next second, he had inexplicably disappeared without a trace.

At this moment, the talented young man rose again to pour wine for everyone. Approaching President Tu's wife first, he paused for a moment. He did not dare to pour wine for her rashly; the brief hesitation was meant to gauge the president's wife's intentions. Seeing that she raised no objection, he proceeded.

"Xiao Chen, are you truly certain you can secure a fivefold profit for me?" Su Shan murmured softly, staring into the glass as she sank into deep contemplation.

"Jinhong, this entry is all thanks to Changkong. Once my tribulation crossing is complete, I will truly be able to unleash the might of the Ancestral Dragon. Presumably, the Sorcerer Clan never imagined that an anomaly like me would exist," Ao Kun said.

"Benefactor, stay your step!" Again, he heard someone calling out from behind. Before he could turn around, he heard another shout: "Vile beast! What are you doing here?" The majestic sternness shook the very heavens.

"Very well, next I am going to cripple you to vent the hatred in my heart." Young Master Lin glared furiously at Wu Xuanming, wishing he could tear him limb from limb.

"Of course I won't hold back. I've already given you leeway, but you failed to seize the opportunity yourself. Since you refuse the chance given to you, don't blame me for showing no mercy." From the very beginning until now, Wu Jiang's hands had been continuously kneading his fists.

Deng Tao's words hit the mark and were deeply stirring. Silently and spontaneously, everyone emptied the wine in their cups.

Nie Tianhua sighed and said that ever since he drove Nie Chen out of the Nie family, this outcome had already been predestined.

Part of the reason he now felt so much dissatisfaction toward his younger cousin was due to his father's endless nagging.

Qiao Xian'er had initially ignored him, but his persistent stalking made her utterly furious.

Even if the Chen and Lu families had been entirely unaware beforehand, signs of people in the capital using this incident to viciously attack Chen Lianzhong and Lu Zhengbo had already begun to surface.

Yu You was laughing so hard she could barely straighten up. To disgust her, Hu Lizhen really dared to fabricate anything—twelve weeks pregnant?

Bathed in the rosy light of the morning sun, that island radiated a dazzling halo, looking as enchanting as the legendary Penglai Fairyland.

"Senior Brother Chen, pay attention! He has employed the Soul-Swapping Secret Technique, so for now, he will not be affected by his original severe injuries." Cen Shi'er hurriedly reminded Chen Feng.

A blush spread brightly across Zhang Miaoyu's face, and she quickly gave Meng Shaoning a nudge. When he flusteredly pulled back and tried to stand up, she instead reached out to grab his sleeve, using the momentum of her body to pin him back down onto the daybed, trapping him so he could not move a muscle.

Yet, recalling his ugly demeanor just moments before, Liu Yiyi still had no intention of letting him off. She nocked an arrow once more, and just as she was about to release it, she heard a chilling remark.