Chapter 42: Sentiments

Madam Xie sat upright in the seat of honor, her expression turning solemn as every wrinkle on her face seemed etched with unquestionable determination.

Slowly, she began to speak, offering earnest and heartfelt persuasion: "Liwen, that girl Zhenwan grew up right under my eyes. She has always been so sensible and endearing that one cannot help but love her from the bottom of one's heart. From the perspective of human decency, her reputation has been damaged because of you; from the standpoint of righteousness, our Xie family must shoulder this responsibility. No matter what, we must give her a proper status."

By the time he attained the position of commander, commanding several hundred men under his command whose every action awaited his decree, his mind naturally grew more complex. Whenever he found himself utterly perplexed and unable to fathom certain matters, he would carry a flask of wine to Xie Changting’s estate to seek counsel, and through this, his temperament gradually grew more composed and steadfast.

"Ha, ha! Yansheng, there seems to be a God race warrior of the dais tier over there. Are you certain you can handle this alone? Or shall I do it!" From aboard the Overlord Gate’s flying boat came a burst of deafening, wild laughter. Following this, a youth with rugged features and a sturdy physique stepped out, his tone equally arrogant.

Recalling the earlier episode when he was practically given a shampoo by that monster's saliva, even with Zhao Han's steadfast and resolute willpower, goosebumps broke out all over his body from sheer disgust.

Suddenly, nine cold stars materialized in midair and instantly burst apart, transforming into clusters of pear blossoms. Then, the dazzling light dimmed, and like a venomous python turning its body, a hazy and indistinct shadow fiercely thrust into the void. With a sound like a thunderclap, a deafening explosion kicked up dust all across the ground.

Xu Jiangnan was not about to fall behind. He tilted his head back and drank the wine down in one gulp, washing away all the pent-up frustration, grievances, hardships, pain, and yearning of these past years, along with countless other emotions that could never be put into words.

Hearing Mingxian speak thus, Chen Yiling and Ou Zhiyang fell silent, yet they knew that Mingxian was not entirely devoid of feelings for Longyue; rather, he was burdened by too many responsibilities and possessed no freedom, let alone the luxury of romance.

Walking at the very rear, Yang Shanzhe appeared like a ghost beside Gongong De without a single sound. The long sword wrapped in cloth and carried horizontally before his face was still echoing with a lingering hum, and the marks of something having struck the filthy, coarse cloth were clearly visible.

However, these matters were not something he chose to discuss with his two disciples following behind. For one, speaking of them was useless; for another, there was simply no necessity.

Ghosts, deities, and sages speak of the Dao of Yin and Yang, as well as the principle of reincarnation—especially the latter point. Xu Jiangnan was reminded of the inscription left by Wei Shan in the ancestral hall of the Wei family. Every single sword strike carried the intent of reincarnation; could this truly be a coincidence?

"Go on! Do you think glass-species jade is something you can just cut open whenever you please? Only a handful are unearthed in the entire country each year. Besides, even if a glass-species jadeite were to be cut, it would belong to Brother Lu, not you!" Wang Yan replied with her usual retort, a single sentence choking Yang Tian into lowering his gaze with a submissive and utterly comical expression.

"Slayer of Gods!" Chu Chen struck out with a single palm, colliding directly with the ghostly white bone claw. Instantly, a sinister and venomous dark energy burrowed into his arm, leaving spiderweb-like white markings across his skin accompanied by a powerful corrosive force.

After traveling day and night, Manna and her entourage finally arrived at the Quiet Cultivation Temple. The temple was an imperial sanctuary, said to have existed even before the city of Ogre existed. After settling in briefly, Manna urged Meng Ye to go and escort Yue'er, and as it happened, Yue'er also arrived at the temple that very day.

The aged emperor's praise stemmed from the bottom of his heart. He suddenly realized that he was growing increasingly fond of this young girl; her temperament and disposition bore an uncanny resemblance to his own Long'er—equally arrogant and equally overbearing.

Gu Feiyu stood with his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word. No wonder she cared about this so deeply; how could he not know the extreme difficulty of condensing the inner fire? Not only did he have personal, profound experience of it, but Wang Erlei had spent a full ten years just to successfully condense his inner fire.

Yet whenever the topic turned to matters she excelled at, Luo Shanling's words flowed with ever-increasing fluency. The more she conversed with Changchunzi, the more she felt that this master jade carver was truly deserving of the title bestowed upon him by the Hua Xia people.

Because the Chaos Divine Tree must grow in an environment saturated with primordial chaos qi, it was exceptionally rare even within the Celestial Realm. Never had they expected that such a towering Chaos Divine Tree would be growing within this ancient, perilous forbidden zone. If the mighty beings of the Celestial Realm were to discover this, it would inevitably spark a bloody storm of slaughter and contention.