Chapter 52: Spite

Yet those eyes bore far too strong a resemblance to Qingrui's, being practically identical!

Helpless against her, he simply could not bring himself to utter a single harsh word to that pair of tear-moistened eyes—even though the young maiden had already touched upon his bottom line.

Upon hearing the word "Blade," Sun Yanjie's eyebrows twitched upward. Although he was not privy to the specific details concerning this organization, he was well aware that everyone within it was a monster—a truly non-human existence.

The sound preceded the strike before the move was even fully unleashed, thus affording the enemy precious time to prepare defenses. During these ten days, while comprehending the Dao of Wind, Lin Feng had also discovered a flaw in his own exertion of force: it tended to "expose" him. Although the momentum was formidable, it simultaneously telegraphed the sheer power of his spear thrust to the adversary, giving them ample time to brace themselves.

Primordial energy entwined around the Azure Dragon Sword. With a single slash, all the primordial energy transformed into a long, sweeping sword qi that cleaved toward Lin Feng. The sword qi materialized from primordial energy possessed infinite might; the surrounding air seemed disrupted, and every flower and blade of grass swayed in the wake of the kinetic wave.

This time, Lin Feng did not allow the deathly aura to run amok unchecked. With a soft hum, the surrounding deathly aura dispersed, spreading out from the Four Symbols City to a radius of ten li. Vast numbers of marine beasts roamed within the spreading domain of death; the moment they entered, they felt a constriction in their breathing and a sudden slowing of their heartbeats, as if lingering for even a single moment longer would spell certain death within.

"No need, you may head out first. I will handle this matter. By the way, go over to Smige's side; in case anything happens, you'll be able to deal with it promptly," Ye Weitian said as he sat down, falling into a brief contemplation before speaking in a calm tone.

"Nonsense! After all is said and done, what's the difference between that and saying nothing? Tuoying and I both pulled through, so why is he just lying here flat out? Elder Zhuang, you must wake him up no matter what!" Luo Shang shouted loudly.

Meanwhile, the Zhao family estate was situated in the capital—a magnificent Qing Dynasty quadrangle courtyard built against the mountain, boasting nine successive courtyards that were extraordinarily grand. The vermilion gates were spacious enough to allow two trucks to drive side by side, flanked by two towering, iron-tower-like guards standing strictly on the left and right. Resembling a pair of temple door gods with fierce, glaring eyes, they cut an immensely imposing figure.

"Ha-ha." Zhuge Chanjuan could not help but laugh. Sitting right beside Nan Feng, she had naturally witnessed him tampering with the incense burner earlier.

Night in the mountains bore no resemblance to the dazzling neon splendor of the city. On a night obscured by dark clouds, you genuinely could not see your own hand in front of your face. Finally, everything returned to peace and silence.

"You might not know this, sir, but the people living inside are elite experts dispatched by various major sects to protect the divine physician. Those birds kept in the cages are homing pigeons. If anyone dares to stir up trouble at Fengming Mountain and these experts fail to suppress them, they will release the homing pigeons to summon reinforcements," the carriage driver replied.

Far from flying into a rage over the slaying of his ally, the Azure-Winged Bat King, the Flame-Eyed Vajra Beast realized that their current predicament clearly demanded that he win over Li Tianyou.

"It's fine, darling," Shirley said softly, her body gently snuggling into Lan Youming's embrace.

Without a second thought, Li Ziyuan nodded in agreement with He Sanliang's suggestion. Once the Japanese troops stationed in the mountain village below had eaten and drunk their fill, leaving the small village tucked deep within the Taihang Mountains and turning northwestward, Li Ziyuan led his troops and silently trailed right behind the enemy detachment.

In truth, what Li Ziyuan did not know was that the company Wang Cheng had left behind for him was personally arranged by that highly respected and illustrious commander of the 129th Division. The Deputy Commander-in-Chief had originally intended to give Li Ziyuan an entire battalion to command, but the anti-mopping-up campaign had not yet concluded, and it was hardly the appropriate time to readjust officers and organizational structures.

"Nonsense! Of course it's because everyone inside is out of their minds!" Lan Youming cursed bitterly in his heart.