45

In this fleeting instant, the world was reduced to merely two colors: black and white. Not only that, but within the "Capital of Blazing Flames," it was not merely brilliance that had been stripped away; even the movements of the residents were brought to a complete standstill.

If Dong Chidao were merely late, even though he served as the Regent's personal guard, his mother and father surely wouldn't have greeted him with such beaming smiles and excessive courtesy, would they?

Clearly, in the briefest of moments just now, Ding Yamo must have done something. Hurrying back to the living room, he carefully observed and inspected every single object Ding Yamo had touched.

The eight hundred people of the Fang Family Fortress were surrounded and besieged by over two thousand attackers—a well-prepared and premeditated assault. Not only were they attacked from three sides, but archers also rained arrows down from the watchtowers. As the people of the Fang Family Fortress fell one by one, Xu Da felt as though his heart was being torn to pieces as he watched his fallen brothers.

The vast majority of the expeditionary force's arcane masters perished through self-detonation, while Malavi was unfortunately captured and soon converted into a necromancer.

As dusk fell, Zhang Xian, Yang Zaixing, and the others finally arrived at the foot of Miaoshan Fortress. By this time, the area outside the fortress was a living hell. Corpses were piled as high as mountains and blood flowed like rivers, with only Xu Da standing alone amidst the dead.

This technique of color application was not unfamiliar to him. Yet Chen Xing had always felt he possessed no particular mastery in the arts, merely enjoying casual doodles on occasion. Though this usage of color felt strangely familiar, he could not quite put his finger on why. He figured he must have seen a similar painting somewhere in the past without consciously committing it to memory.

After a long pause, a response came through the communicator. Sounding as though she had just woken up, Yiluli's voice carried a rare trace of grogginess.

"The boss didn't mean to treat you that way. Things are a bit 'chaotic' right now, yeah," Li Zelue explained, speaking on Guan Chenji's behalf.

If it were merely the cessation of time, reckless destruction would still be possible. However, if even the laws of causality were frozen, then no matter how formidable one's power might be, it would be utterly impossible to damage even a fraction of a hair on this world.

"Let's wait until evening, I still need to go..." Before Yao Xinluo could finish her refusal, her lips were sealed.

"You should first send someone to gather intelligence on his situation over there, and then bring him back. If he truly is an in-law, then this is the greatest of misfortunes turned into a blessing. If not, you must thoroughly investigate the reasons behind this. Remember not to leave the capital rashly, lest you fall into someone's insidious trap," the Elder Duke analyzed.

To demand all the docks in the three provinces of G, along with the freight piers of the Chu family's remaining ports—this was unmistakably an endeavor into maritime shipping.

Upon hearing this, Huasikar hurriedly and gratefully nodded, gesturing for the guests to sit on the bed while he took a chair for himself. As for the Native Americans, they had no choice but to remain standing inside the room.

The young woman possessed exceptional beauty, with eyebrows like painted strokes, skin like ice and bones like jade, and an allure that could topple cities and countries. Yet, her expression carried an inherent cold arrogance, and she completely ignored the four or five young men around her who were endlessly currying favor and flattering her with smiling faces.

The perilous experience of jointly resisting the rolling boulders had forged a bond of camaraderie among them.

"Where is the Emperor right now? This consort will go and ask whether we are visiting the imperial villa this year." A-jiu had not the slightest desire to remain in the palace a moment longer and wished she could fly out of her gates immediately.

Only Qu Niqiuzhen, bearing a look of utter astonishment after her defeat, stared fixedly at Mu Chuan, seemingly trying to unearth any trace of cheating.

With that, Xiahou Xue once again feigned an air of nonchalance, sitting upright with a haughty demeanor as though the entire world owed her a fortune in silver.

Juan thought for a moment and said, "How about you sit in my room for a little while first? I'll go make arrangements, and then we can head to the temple together." With that, Juan asked the Inca princess, who was already dressed, to bring Antonio into the living room.

Spirit Chant: Monarch Flame was merely a conservative application of momentary high temperatures, falling short of being lethal; at best, it could only cause shallow second-degree burns. Yet these fellows wailed as though they had been skinned alive—they were nothing more than a mob of fair-weather cowards.

Lin Xuesheng pondered inwardly: if she could find and refine another type of baleful thunder within the year, she might just be able to stall these four Core Formation cultivators.

It was only after leaving the ward that Xiao Ye sighed with emotion; their young madam had indeed grown considerably over this period, considering matters with increasing thoroughness.

Just as she had utilized a demonic contract to snatch the Mad Dog Grand Duke's soul into the underworld, leaving him still alive, yet forced to atone for his sins.

"True, after all, they did defeat this tournament's dark horse, Shrek Academy." As she spoke, Ye Lengleng's gaze drifted toward Luo Jianxin.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing said nothing further. She accepted the Zhihan Youlian flower from Luo Jianxin's hands and carefully stored it away inside a jade box.

The matter concerning Song Xianxian and the White Lotus Society was thus settled. Li Zicheng knew that Niu Jinxing had not come to see him out of voluntary civic duty; such men sought tangible official positions as bribes. Yet, lacking any deep understanding of Niu Jinxing's competence, Li Zicheng dared not rashly bestow a post upon him, and thus intended to test him first.

Following them were Cao Cao, who left the waters of Si River unflowing; Sima Yi, who emptied Liaodong; Li Shimin, who slaughtered Xia County; Zhu Yuanzhang, who rolled heads like tumbling gourds; and Zhu Di, who swept across North China. All of these were emperors of monumental achievements, yet their hands were stained with countless streams of blood.

"Rongrong? Naturally, I know her," Luo Jianxin replied, failing to grasp what Ning Fengzhi was truly implying.

"I must say, I've even learned Arhat Short-Hitting." Meng Zuo saw Kong Wen's stunned expression; this was precisely the effect he desired.

Fortunately, Qi Zhen was not Meng Ran, otherwise the excruciating pain and agonizing screams brought forth by those joint-manipulation techniques would have driven them to despair.

Take Ratliff, for instance: when nervous, he loved to stare at his lower body, whereas whenever he felt confident of completely crushing his next opponent, he would invariably twitch his shoulders unconsciously.

We have re-notarized the matter with the International Notary Office. The land plots currently leased to your esteemed company must exclude the city and port of Vladivostok. Please take note of this, and find attached a copy of the latest contract.