Chapter 20: The Second War!

The snow atop the mountain shattered explosively, tumbling down like a roaring tide, threatening to swallow everything on the peak. Yet this old fellow was miserly to the extreme; when he built the manor, he refused to allow the tenant farmers to live inside it, constructing his own estate on the earthen ridge while the tenants remained outside the manor walls.

Having outlined his future plans, Zhou Tong returned to the alchemy room, determined to refine the elixir before leaving Wuling City.

After the first guard fell, Brand made his move—brutal and direct. His spear thrust forward, piercing through a guard’s body in one swift motion.

His confidence stemmed from the fact that the opponent’s hidden virtue treasure—the Supreme Form Refining Banner—was undoubtedly a formidable, transcendent spiritual artifact. As someone who also possessed a five-virtue treasure, Fang Huairan had an intimate understanding of their immense power.

Meanwhile, the more than 800 enemy Tartar soldiers advancing toward them radiated a fierce, murderous aura that pressed heavily upon them.

Suddenly, the dim vision cleared abruptly. The forest ahead vanished, replaced by a steep cliff bathed in the bright moonlight, lending the scene an eerie beauty.

At that moment, a powerful and intrusive consciousness forcefully invaded Luofeng’s mind. In an instant, illusions erupted within her thoughts; the gruesome sculptures before her transformed into vivid, alluring images.

Seeing it was him, an inexplicable surge of emotion welled up inside her. Aiwen, however, did not follow etiquette to greet him; instead, she pretended not to see him and slipped past from behind. Geler Changyu seized her hand and slowly turned to face her.

The Tianmen Group and the White Tiger Society advanced into Guizhou Province from Sichuan and Shancheng respectively, so no unexpected incidents arose. But the march from Yun Province into Guizhou was the most challenging; a single misstep could result in defeat.

This problem caused Su Fan to smile wryly—so many had the wealth and power to put a bounty on his head that he simply could not guess who it might be.

Moreover, they knew deep down that even if they resisted, death was inevitable. Rather than futilely struggling without effect, it was better to die bravely, thus preserving some measure of dignity in the eyes of the Tianmen Group.

“He is Luo Ran’s greatest love in this lifetime. For him, Luo Ran dares to oppose the world,” Feng Luoran said, expressing admiration for the Southern Yue guard and revealing no hesitation in telling the truth.

“You lecher! You’ve been causing trouble for girls everywhere—let’s see what you do this time!” Zhao Zhiruo shot Qin Tian an angry glare, clearly jealous.

Ginger wards off cold. An Chuxia felt a flicker of gratitude but was troubled by how many secrets Han Qilu was hiding from her; her brow remained furrowed.

No wonder the people in the Seventh Bureau were all unruly and bold—these skilled warriors truly lived up to their reputation. Compared to them, I’m hardly on the same level, she thought.

The Miao villagers listening to Su Fan’s words suddenly looked extremely embarrassed. They had hoped the Five Saints would come to their rescue, but now, with the saints growing old, they were no match for Su Fan and his group.

As a programmer, he knew that live-streaming platforms often set a default delay to prevent screen snooping—especially to stop game streamers from being sniped by viewers watching the feed.

Upon hearing that Huo Yunting had agreed to the divorce, Yi Yurou began to defend Xia Chuwei instead.

“Aunt, that wretched woman seduced Brother Xuan! Man’er saw them in bed together—” She stopped, pretending to be shy and stomped her foot, unwilling to continue.

“Hinata, trouble,” Naruto said, though no words were needed—just their eyes meeting was enough for Hinata to understand.

Li Qinghuan said nothing and instead headed toward the bathroom, carrying the bag she had packed at noon.

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As in the original, the training of the Rasengan was divided into three stages. Thus far, Jiraiya had only taught Naruto the first stage, with success marked by causing a water bubble to burst.

Just moments ago, Gao Zhiyong had been smug and arrogant—why was he now kneeling repeatedly, begging for mercy?

Then Naruto opened his eyes, and a miracle occurred. Jiraiya sat cross-legged before him, smiling warmly.

“Is there anything else I should know?” Yang Jian rose, gripping his machete as the killing intent in his eyes slowly faded.

A spark lit in Li Yiming’s mind as he activated “Holy Eye” mode. In this state, he carefully scanned every corner of the tower’s first floor and finally spotted a lantern hanging at the highest point. On its shade was inscribed: “What does it mean to be the sole champion?”

Their gazes met through the crowd’s noise. Wan Jinyue, feeling guilty, quickly withdrew her eyes.

Before others could react, Liu Xiang paused, then suddenly rushed over and began sniffing Chen Chen up and down. Had it not been for their respect for the imperial physician, they might have thought him a madman.

A man, still puzzling over the situation, was suddenly confronted by a stranger who emerged from a corner, pressing a dagger to his throat.