Chapter 26: The Little Bear Loses Its Den

She took a few steps and headed straight for the side hall where Xu Hui was staying. Just as she turned the corridor, the melodious sound of a zither drifted from within. She was intimately familiar with this melody, having heard Xun Yeyu play it many times before.

There are many illusions within the inner zone, each so incredibly lifelike that one can hardly discern them from reality. Once one lowers their guard, they may never find their way out.

This sentiment was half-jest and half-earnest. She thought of the various formidable mistresses of the third and fourth branches, and deep down, she felt that if there absolutely had to be a head mistress, a devout monk would truly be preferable to a pack of demons and monsters. Everything was prepared; it all depended on whether she could persuade the old matriarch to set aside her prejudices regarding social status.

"Your servant will await the Crown Prince's arrival at any time!" I pulled a handkerchief from my bosom and performed a curtsy.

"Once you return to your fief, Brother Ke, find a place to bury it," Xiao Xiang reminded him. Although the odds of her ever finding this item again were one in ten million, what if she actually had that kind of luck?

"Is this the reason you were able to hold onto me until reinforcements arrived that day?" Should it be that way? After all, there were so many rebels; at the time, I truly believed it was impossible for us to escape. But in the end, we both survived, which must mean something else was drawing the enemy's attention.

Tana took advantage of this time to bathe, donning a sheer silk robe with nothing underneath, all to offer a unique experience to a certain person. Yet, that fool was currently in such a state of mental turmoil that he ignored her entirely, head bowed as he frantically dialed on his phone.

The Silver-Masked Envoy, fully occupied with parrying Xu Qing’s swift and ruthless onslaught, had no time to intercept the two, and could only watch helplessly as they dashed toward the mouth of the cave.

To be safe, Li Jing cast the sixty-second Binding Spell, "Hundred-Step Railing." Dozens of beams of spiritual light pinned Yan Cai like a giant hedgehog, completely shattering his energy flow and reducing him to a skeleton in every sense of the word.

"I never said that, could you please stop interrupting me?" The Thirteenth Prince paced around me in a panic—I suppose, in his eyes, I was the one who could not be trifled with, not the Nian woman.

The two had fought fiercely earlier, yet neither had used their full strength. Once both sides became serious, the spectators watching from afar held their breath in anticipation.

Consequently, amidst such intense competition and rivalry, guards within the temple suddenly became a scarce commodity.

Deep in the dense forest, a group of dozens was fleeing for their lives. Two sturdy soldiers led the way with machetes, Zhang Dasheng walked in the middle, and over twenty personal guards followed close behind. They were covered in mud, looking utterly disheveled.

Sun Hua’s suggestion was met with constant praise from the others. No one expected that Sun Hua, who usually acted like an insufferably tacky nouveau riche, could offer such an idea. Although it was an improvement upon Zhao Zhen’s suggestion, it did not diminish the group’s admiration for Sun Hua.

In the Purple Heaven Palace, where was the usual saintly demeanor of the Dao Ancestor Hongjun? His robes were in tatters, his body riddled with wounds. These were secondary; what mattered most was that his soul had suffered a devastating blow, leaving the Dao Ancestor’s eyes vacant and listless.

"If you love her, go and understand her yourself," Qiu Shiyu said, leaving Lin Wanqing utterly bewildered, before she gracefully retreated to her room on the second floor.

It was much like the beekeepers busy in the fields; apart from the insects, one could barely see a single inch of anything that resembled a human being.

[Reingard] nodded. Baylo smiled and waved, ordering the kingdom’s soldiers to escort Natsu and Gajeel away toward the special prison cells, while [Reingard] and the others followed at a leisurely pace.

Bai took it from Neji’s hand on the side. Kimimaro didn’t even need Bai to speak; he silently handed the scroll to Bai.

The Meishan Tong had always been beyond the reach of the imperial court, paying no taxes and providing no corvée labor, and the successive dynasties had adopted a policy of blockade and discrimination against them. They did not practice the Tusi system internally but instead elected respected elders as leaders. However, due to their primitive productivity, the lives of the Meishan Tong people were extremely miserable.

Yet, this was only a superficial recovery. It was the height of summer, a season prone to overcast rain. After a night of rain yesterday, Mu Youchen was in such agony he nearly died, his sweat soaking through the thick quilt.

Tens of thousands of sigils swirled around Ye Qingmei, condensing into a massive spiritual array in the blink of an eye.

Liu Chunqiu’s arrangements seemed to grant new disciples to all three masters of the Underworld, but in reality, it was the Water Refining lineage that absorbed the most fresh blood, and with a stronger background at that.

It must have been the Demon Sect cultivators who leaked the news; otherwise, how could Li Xixi know of these long-forgotten events? Ye Chang’an sneered inwardly. It seemed that upon his return, he would have to clean house. Should he use the "Ten Thousand Demons Devouring the Heart," or the "Thousand Slices of Bone"?

At this moment, she approached holding a wine goblet, her fair fingertips like fine jade. As she moved, the ornaments jingled, and a fragrant breeze filled her sleeves—truly, one did not need the wine to be intoxicated; the person alone was enough to intoxicate.

The rules within the spirit realm seemed to be repelling him, pushing him into the fissures. In a final glance, it seemed not just the cloud stairs, but the sky and earth themselves were opening with countless cracks; the immortal palace and spirit realm appeared on the verge of shattering.

Many witnessed this scene, especially the army of ghost cultivators, who revealed a hint of panic in their eyes as they watched.

"That’s good. Let’s wait for news. Help me over to see Mother." Xin Kenong braced himself against the bed frame and sat up.