Chapter 78: The Patriarch Yuanyang

“You don’t need to flatter me. Years ago, Zhong Shenxiu killed my grandson. He was formidable even then, but I did not take him seriously. If not for someone intervening in secret, he would never have left the land of our Bifang clan alive. Last year, when he marched with the Fengyang clan, I received word and hid among the Qingyuan tribe. Heh... had I not been cautious and brought the Grand Teleportation Talisman, I might not have made it back at all.”

The matriarch of the Bifang clan, an elderly woman clad in blue-feathered robes, spoke.

“You... what do you know? Human bodies can regulate their own temperature—didn’t you learn that in biology?” Luo An retorted stiffly, his eyes darting about as he tried to sound assertive.

Jin Dasheng waited, lurking in the shadows, until he finally caught wind of the rumor called ‘A Dream of Yellow Millet’. In fact, this piece of news had been spread by Wei Xian himself, meant to temper the fervor of the common people. Jin Dasheng learned of it through newspapers and the internet, and sensed his opportunity had come.

Afterward, Liu Tuo summoned the Gudu Stone from the Panlong Ring and had it devour the twenty corpses strewn across the ground. Thick black smoke mingled with the night around the stone, but none of the clan disciples noticed the strange and sinister aura it exuded.

If Song Ziyu had not threatened Wei Xian, Wei Xian would not have considered striking directly at the heart of the Lingnan Red Song faction, which in turn would not have triggered the Yi Ying Stele’s reaction. The Red Song leadership began an investigation, and in the end, they found Wei Xian.

His strength had plateaued at the peak of the Lingxuan realm for quite some time, and now the opportunity for a breakthrough had finally arrived, as was only natural.

The wraith let out a chilling wail, and the soldier who had nearly lost his head to it stood frozen in shock, unsure whether to feel relieved or simply terrified. His sluggishness on the battlefield had once again made him a target for the undead.

By eliminating Satomi Sakura himself, he had turned Baober into a stranger—an enemy, even. He’d also personally ousted Huang Lie from the competition.

The Sacrificial Array served as both offense and defense, turning the shrine into the Sacrificial Lord’s domain. The Shrine Office was akin to a workplace or a reception room, a place to store items too cumbersome to keep on one’s person. The Sacrificial Spring connected to the node-veins, and most of the shrine’s energy requirements were supplied by these veins.

“The methods they use will surely be even more ruthless—like mind control. As everyone knows, a vampire’s most powerful means of control is turning another into one of their own. But since Doctor Lu has returned to China, if—and I’m only saying if...” Zhang Tiankai held up three fingers.

Without medical equipment, his bodily functions would rapidly deteriorate and fail entirely. If Chen Weisi failed to seize control of Ma Zhongming’s body and was ultimately expelled, he would be instantly annihilated, body and soul.

Yet watching her antics, he was helplessly amused. She seemed to be grabbing at something, something that was darting around her back.

She hesitated for a while, afraid to wander off. Though she wasn’t far from the Imperial Garden, she had no idea which way to go—Qingqian worried she might only get more lost the farther she walked.

“What are you afraid of?” he asked, lifting my chin so that our eyes met.

Those two—neither truly intended to kill me or their rival. They simply didn’t have the strength. But by tying up Wei Zhuang and me in this way, they could hinder us as much as possible. By the time we broke free, the Iron God would already have been led away to the Corpse Sect by Black Impermanence.

“Mr. Hart, please.” Jiang Tong regarded Hart without a trace of friendliness. The Hans Corporation had a terrible reputation in China, and having worked closely with Gao Yuan, he naturally knew a thing or two about their misdeeds.

Qin Rong exchanged a glance with her husband, signaling that something was amiss here and they should discuss it later once she figured things out. Years of marriage had made their silent communication effortless—Su Shijun turned away and dropped the matter for the time being.

Huo Jingteng had never imagined those melancholy eyes would one day settle on him. His heart, heavy with longing for her, ached with every beat. As he gazed at the drifting clouds, it seemed every one of them bore her face.