Volume 1, Chapter 38: An old ox grazing on tender grass.

"And what about that national anthem? Are you saying that our Great Tang needs a dedicated song?" Li Er continued to ask.

"Wait a moment, Your Majesty, could you let me, old Cheng, have a taste of this first cup of wine?" Cheng Yaojin suddenly chimed in, looking famished.

Zhang Shubo's expression darkened. Previously, she had only speculated about her boyfriend's feelings for Ye Zitong, but witnessing the protective and pained look in his eyes, it became painfully clear to her that he had truly fallen for her.

Seeing the Thunder Venerable make his move, they had assumed this would be an easily resolved battle, where the Thunder Venerable would smash Chen Ze to pieces and snuff out his soul in a single strike.

Under the bombardment of endless lightning, the Buddha's manifestation instantly collapsed, transforming into countless violent wisps of spiritual energy that surged in all directions, causing the meteors in the cosmos to tumble incessantly.

The young master of the dignified Yin Group had been beaten. How could one not be shocked? If that scene had been captured and sold to an entertainment agency, who knows how far it would have spread.

Once Neil saw her tearing up, his heart ached. He hurried over, but Zitong was stubborn. "Didn't you act all high and mighty with me earlier? Fine, don't you dare try to coax me now," she thought, her anger only flaring up more at his attempts to soothe her.

Now, he could use this divine ability at any time to draw upon the stray lightning power in the heavens and earth, condensing it into bolts to strike his enemies, or consume his own astral energy to manifest lightning as a weapon.

Suddenly, the old man opened his eyes and looked upward. His gaze seemed to pierce through the thick subterranean soil, fixing upon the handsome youth in the sky above.

Angel Hao had already stood up, as had Angel Mingdu. Since the conversation had reached a dead end, today's meeting no longer held any significance; they would simply have to wait for tomorrow's outcome.

"It's not far. At our current pace, we should arrive in another fifteen minutes," Wen Xu said to Gu Anyue.

It was the two sages of the West who had arrived ahead of time. Zhunti Daoist’s complexion was sallow, and Jieyin Daoist’s face was etched with sorrow. Upon closer inspection, their vitality and spirit appeared unstable, their energy reserves severely depleted—presumably from their arduous efforts to restore the spiritual veins in order to revitalize the immortal path of the Western Regions.

"Ye Wujue, you don't suspect that the people of Qingyuan Kingdom will use their weapons to bomb the city, do you?" Meng Bing, naturally keeping pace with him, exclaimed in sudden surprise as a flicker of realization crossed her eyes.

There was another reason: if external enemies attacked, it would still act as a force to defend against them.

"I'm the only one left in the village this year." As Guo Xingyun said this, his eyes grew moist.

Amidst the laughter, a massive, bloody visage manifested in the forest, and an icy, cursed aura rushed forth to meet them.

The physical body was a prison, tightly shackling the soul. The walls of the prison began to bleed, filling the floor and crushing the wounded soul and body alike.

Little did they know, Chu Shan had gathered the power of the four elements, causing his true energy to surge. Bolstered by the ancient Sword of Heavenly Punishment, he would truly be a match for any ordinary divine general. At that moment, ignoring the other generals entirely, Chu Shan picked out one on the periphery and charged straight toward him.

"Wow, you're this strong just after breaking through to the fourth level? If we hadn't already practiced our own family's battle qi, we'd want to learn your cultivation method too," Alpha said with a playful laugh.

Leng Yue’s eyes never left the fox-like eyes embedded in the stone. She had no time to wonder why they could open; her entire consciousness was captivated by that gaze.

Yu Xie had made up her mind. She truly intended to stay and build a temporary home here, which would make it easier to look after Xuanzang. If she hadn't planned on staying, she never would have bothered to build a room herself. As a demon lazy to the bone, she would usually just find any dark corner to settle in.

"Move!" Lin Yifeng yanked on the shackles, trying to pull Luo Chong along, but Luo Chong stood as steady as a rock. Not only did Lin Yifeng fail to move him, but he was also jerked off balance himself.

Murong Chen seemed to hear her, or perhaps her dazed expression simply amused him. He raised an eyebrow, laughing even more heartily, his peach-blossom eyes brimming with joy. He flicked his sleeves and strode toward her, but stopped halfway, frowned slightly, looked at Ye Qianmo, mouthed something silently, tapped his toes, and flew away.

Yu Xie furrowed her brows. Her intuition told her that the story coming out of the fox's mouth would be anything but happy.

Leng Yue hadn't expected that Lan Lulu scratching the Blue Dragon would restore its sanity and result in them both being frozen, along with their own emotions. Yet, some things were beyond redemption.

"Hehe, Mr. Dugu has a keen eye. This is called the Dragon-Binding Rope. It is forged from gold silk spun by ice-mountain silkworms, ten-thousand-year core-earth iron, superior tungsten steel, and the tendons of a fire dragon. Aside from fighting enemies, the primary purpose of this rope is to capture soul beasts!" Hong Zhenting explained.

Qi Shan looked over upon hearing this. Sure enough, hanging from the body of the giant beast was a blood-covered human. It was clear, however, that the human was still alive, for he lifted his head and gazed toward the direction of Black Crow City.

Seeing Hu Yueqian’s expression, Xue Leng was very satisfied. Now there was an opportunity. Under Hu Yueqian’s guidance, they arrived at an open area where, in the center, there were several thatched huts surrounded by fields filled with drying herbs.

Zouting stopped speaking and, together with Zhang Ning, quickly hunted down the Evil God Creation players who were fleeing in terror. Unfortunately, their numbers were limited, and more than a dozen of the enemy managed to escape.

As Zeng Guofan and Peng Yulin walked into the yamen, Liu Changyou first ushered them into the official hall to take their seats. An attendant quickly brought tea. After the formalities, Liu Changyou ordered someone to arrange a meal.

The dean smiled. "Let's go outside to talk. Let's not disturb her." With that, he led Qiao Neng into his office.

The atmosphere became awkward and subtle. Nie Wanluo turned back to fetch a bowl for the porridge, but the pungent smell of lean meat from the pot made her feel instantly nauseated. Unable to make it to the restroom, she began to retch violently into the sink.

Zeng Guofan saw Ta Qibu to the door and had just returned to his office to sit down when Li Yunguan, an attendant from the Bureau of Investigation, quietly slipped in.

"Does that mean everyone has a chance?" the bespectacled man joked, suddenly feeling two icy glares fly his way. Subconsciously looking over, he only saw their President Qiao smiling with profound meaning.

Therefore, as long as Lin Chen’s true self was not in danger, he could leverage his own advantages to create an infinite number of clones.

At the founding of the Great Qing, no one beneath the royal banner could survive; yet outside Changsha City, a Cheng Yaojin appeared out of nowhere.