Volume 1, Chapter 24: The Nine Heavens Divine Imperial Art! Chiyou Guides Zhu Youjian’s Cultivation!

Chi You raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing Zhu Youjian’s request.

"Hah, you truly harbor such thoughts? You must understand that governing a nation and cultivating the Dao are worlds apart. A ruler requires profound strategy and foresight, while a cultivator demands an indomitable will and transcendent aptitude."

"I understand that perfectly. The path of governance lies in weighing advantages and maintaining the peace of the people, whereas the path of cultivation is about challenging oneself and surpassing limits. Though I am occupied with affairs of state, the yearning for cultivation in my heart has never been extinguished."

Zhu Youjian smiled calmly, responding with complete confidence. In truth, not only had he been fortunate enough to obtain the god-tier technique "Nine Heavens Imperial Spirit Manual," which allowed him to communicate with the deities of the nine heavens and acquire supreme power, but he also possessed a hidden depth that few could fathom.

After waiting for the better part of the day, the situation remained unchanged. Aside from the two brothers guarding outside the villa who had stepped in briefly, there had been no other movement. This left Lu Tianyu growing impatient, a sense of foreboding creeping into his mind that something untoward was about to occur.

As we spoke, we reached the base of the Saigyou Ayakashi. After scattering a handful of pink-tinted energy, we saw the other cherry blossom trees surrounding the great tree begin to sprout buds; another handful later, they bloomed into exquisite cherry blossoms.

Tian Tian desperately wanted to find some hidden meaning or subtext between the lines—preferably even a touch of affection—but as she flipped through the pages, she found herself blushing, feeling a strange, faint sense of shame, much like when she had secretly watched adult films out of curiosity in the past.

Another burst of fire from an anti-aircraft machine gun tore through the air. He rolled repeatedly, narrowly dodging the new assault. The terror that had flooded his heart during the first strike still lingered, but having survived three consecutive attacks by the Soviet forces, a surge of exhilaration and joy at his narrow escape began to swell within him.

The tribal leaders, who believed the Han officials could not be trusted, suggested helping the rebel Han army stall the imperial forces. It was passive resistance, after all—holding them off for a day was better than immediately risking their lives in the mountains of Miao against the imperial army.

However, once they understood the situation, no one complained; on the contrary, they were delighted, for the owner of the restaurant turned out to be the aunt of Zhang Ting. With friends and family gathered, the atmosphere was far less formal.

"Do you think the formula we’re researching will actually work? Let’s hope we don’t accidentally kill them all," Jiang Feng said, his voice laced with concern.

As the new millennium dawned, there was no royal authority left in the world save for the Heavenly Kingdom. There was no faith left save for the Heavenly Church, and no iron-blooded soldiers left save for the Royal Knights.

***

Encountering such a situation, Yun Mu did not know what to say, so he could only go to Gao Fushuai to collect interest.

When that group saw so many reinforcements arrive, they dared not prolong the battle and fled in a panic. In the blink of an eye, they had vanished without a trace, allowing Xia Jian to finally let out the breath he had been holding.

As for defeating the three members of the Invincible Team, Wen Xin felt nothing. After all, if he truly wished it, who among all the students at the Ten Days Academy could stand against him? His mastery of arrays was beyond what the word "terrifying" could describe—though, naturally, he did not need arrays to defeat those three.

A moment later, a dark-skinned, sturdy man followed Er Gouzi over. Though described as an old farmer, he was only thirty-seven or thirty-eight; yet, in the waning years of the Han Dynasty, one could call himself an "old man" at thirty-six. Weathered by the harsh, windy climate of the north, he naturally looked much older.

His consciousness began to blur. Ye Han struggled to stay awake; if he fell asleep, it would surely mean death.

However, just when they thought victory was assured, the Fire-Armed Ape let out a roar. Two beams of flame erupted from its deep purple-black eyes. The attack was so sudden and so close that the two men had no time to evade.

When a person is starved enough, they will eat anything, let alone food this delicious. Dr. Lü sat on the bed, finishing off two large steamed buns before eating beef and drinking wine. Being of advanced age, he could not finish the half-pound of beef and set it aside, unable to eat another bite.

Four giants, each hundreds of feet tall, waged a war in the starry sky. Every strike contained earth-shattering power; if such force were to hit an ordinary cultivator, it would pulverize them into dust on the spot.

Later, as war broke out everywhere and the fires of the Japanese invaders scorched every inch of the land of Huaxia, their ancestors had, through a twist of fate, arrived in Vietnam, took root, cleared the land, and built a village.

Huang Xuanling deduced that this must be the two disciples of the Heavenly Blade Sect resting after fleeing until they were exhausted. Unfortunately for them, they had sat down not far from where Huang Xuanling was hiding.

The identity information of the Azure Thunder King appeared clearly above his head. As Ye Han looked at the Azure Thunder King one last time, he firmly etched the lines of text into his memory.

Early the next morning, two cars drove smoothly along the highway back to the capital. The sky was overcast, and bone-chilling winds blew from the northwest. The bare trees, like bald old men, swayed in the cold wind, unable to withstand the assault of the gale.

Everyone began to grow suspicious and distant, consciously separating from one another and turning to individual combat.

***

At this moment, Jiang Chuhan was half-reclining on a pear-wood chair, idly turning a jade pendant in his hands, lost in deep thought.

Mu Xinxi never expected Liu Feng to strike at her for the sake of a god-tier technique. She regretted having loved such a man, and she regretted pleading for him when Ming Mo had wanted him dead.

The flight was scheduled for six in the evening. President Yuan, worried that the food on the plane would not be clean, cooked dinner for Leng Zibing shortly after four o'clock, then headed straight to the airport with his luggage, his wife, and their child.

The night passed without incident. The next day, Gu Ting logged into the game early again. His task for the day was to complete the second hero quest: "All Heroes of Old Are Lonely."

Zhang Chengfeng sighed, then waved his hand. Immediately, the people around him scattered, surrounding the entire forest.

"Your Highness, please rest assured, everything is well in Lin Du..." Yu Feili replied with a calm demeanor and a faint smile on his lips.

Chu Feiyun was stunned, then asked, "What are the conditions?" He knew well that Murong Zhaoran was no simple character. If he were to go, he would surely be able to help him recover everything.

In the past, Furong was delicate in thought, decisive in action, neither arrogant nor servile, and full of emotion and righteousness. Though she liked to speculate and was good at probing the minds of others, she would never have just barged in here solely to look at flowers without a purpose. This left Fu Yiyun unable to guess her thoughts or fathom her eccentric nature.

Star Sea Old Immortal looked at Li Tianmu with disdain. He had never put Li Tianmu in his eyes, because Li Tianmu’s martial arts were a hundred thousand miles inferior to his own; even thirty or fifty Li Tianmus tied together might not be a match for him.

As he spoke, Immortal Venerable Gou Chen waved his wide sleeve, and the seal on the secret chamber was instantly lifted. Then, they saw the anxious-looking Immortal Venerable Tai Yi burst in without a moment's hesitation.