Chapter 142: The Heart Cannot Lie

The atmosphere in the Wen family parlor remained heavy and strange. Wen Yiru sat in his chair, silent, while the others harbored their own private thoughts, yet for the moment, no one knew what to say. This farce seemed to have subsided as quickly as it had begun, returning everything to an eerie state of normalcy, as if nothing had ever happened.

Shangguan Yinchun’s sudden intrusion had caught everyone off guard; before they could even grasp what was unfolding, he was already standing directly before them. His movements were far too swift—like a sudden gust of wind.

A light gray uniform hung upon the wall, completely unscathed by the recent electrical discharge, appearing as bright and pristine as if it were brand new.

As he spoke, Nakruwal placed his hand against his forehead, as if attempting to convey some hidden meaning. However, on this stage, being the host was her true role; there were things she was simply not meant to say.

On the other hand, even Yun Feng began to feel a sense of irritation, for he, too, loathed this kind of pretentious, suspense-building behavior.

Infinite evolution—this ability was indeed monstrous. Yet, in reality, it was not truly powerful, or perhaps Aaroniero had simply failed to fully harness its potential.

"The person you attempted to assassinate is a high-ranking general of my military and a commander of China. To assassinate a Chinese commander—if that is not treason and colluding with the enemy, then what is?" Xiao Chen could not help but snort, his voice laced with indignation.

Ye Chen had been able to withstand the attack from the Sword of Judgment unscathed largely due to the Fire Spirit Bead, a primordial spiritual treasure. If he were to attempt to refine it, he would have no choice but to absorb it entirely.

Before the Long-Armed War Ape could follow up with its next strike, a terrifying explosive force surged from the iron gates held in its hands.

Disciples of the Maoshan sect rarely lived long lives. If He Yingqiu had survived until now, it was only thanks to his broken leg; because he was physically hindered, he had stopped hunting ghosts and demons, choosing instead to live a quiet life of retirement, which was the only reason he was still among the living.

They were growing increasingly arrogant, yet Lin Feng’s fans continued to offer stubborn resistance.

"I’m serious, you should leave. There are too many of them, and if a conflict breaks out, you… you won't come out unscathed." Qiao Chu genuinely wanted him to leave; she did not want to see him get hurt.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind: if you will not let me have my way, then I certainly shall not let you have yours.

It was for this reason that even when people whispered that Yun Yao was delaying the eldest prince's marriage to prevent him from fathering a grandson for the Emperor too early, Kangxi had simply scoffed at the notion. After all, it was not just the marriage of Yin Zhi, but even that of Yin Ti, that his Empress had sought to postpone as much as possible.

Shen Sanbai’s face was now flushed deep red, to the point of dripping, as he spoke to his grandfather with shy, bashful hesitation.

Everyone agreed with Zhang Sheng’s words; after all, as long as the team stayed together, they were a family, and the question of their living arrangements mattered little.

Having finally reached the Shackles Realm, he felt the shackles within his body, and Guiguzi’s expositions on Daoist arts surfaced in his mind.

Zhao Xiuxia had regained consciousness halfway through, struggling and muffledly crying out, but it was to no avail. Her brother’s mind was entirely occupied by the thought of the reward money; he figured he could simply offer an apology to his sister later and be done with it.

During the floods in the Two Lakes region, Xia Yi had accompanied the Imperial Academy to provide disaster relief. Once the crisis subsided, he had spent his time traveling and honing his skills. When the imperial court raised an army to attack Nanling, recruiting soldiers and physicians, he had joined the ranks, and Jiang Muyuan had only happened to run into him in the camp a few days prior.

If those in the Inner Domain were truly willing to target Jimo because of his striking appearance, disregarding the Jimo family and the volatile situation of the Outer Domain, and recklessly moving against those they should not touch, then such thoughts could only belong to those who truly held no regard for the Feng family.

The wall was as smooth as a mirror, devoid of any carvings, save for a faint shadow of a small hill in the center, upon which stood the sparse, blood-red silhouettes of trees.