Chapter 318: Truth and Lies

Click——

It seemed like there was the sound of teeth being bitten through.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just An Ning whose teeth were about to be bitten through.

There was also the old man blocked outside in the Longyuan Desert outside Kunwu; even though he held the Heavenly Work, was ranked as a Transcendent, and was only a thin line away from being a Heavenly Human, before this, when countless missiles descended from the sky, he hadn't even managed to raise his hand.

On his left and right, like guardians, the two jinxes guarding his sides.

Their gazes had never moved away for even a single instant.

"Old man, don't be impulsive." An Neng advised.

An De also nodded continuously: "Don't get hot-headed, stay calm, stay calm."

"Ah, yes, yes, it's already over!"

"..."

Originally, watching the entire army be wiped out was already enough to make one furious; now, seeing these two ghostly things singing in harmony beside him, the old man's blood pressure couldn't be suppressed even more.

But even until the end, even at the moment Gao Yue Chen died, he had never been able to find any opportunity to make a move.

From beginning to end, an invisible boundary shrouded him.

Even without speaking.

But if the old man dared to raise his hand—no, if the old man's muscles showed signs of raising his hand, in that instant, what would follow would be a combined strike within fifteen steps, with two Bai Lu risking their lives to decide life and death.

Damn it, the Two Fingers of the Ruined Market!

You could tell just by the name; after the old man of the An family stopped managing things, these two ghostly things were the facade and signboard of the An family walking outside in this generation.

As executioners of the Ruined Market, their hands were stained with more than just Wolf Sin blood.

At this moment, watching the outcome settle, the old man's breathing became heavier, his expression gloomy, and just as he was about to turn back to question them, he saw the two of them step back in unison.

"Alright, it's about done."

"We should go home too."

"Goodbye, old man."

"Be careful next time!"

Saying this, the two turned and left side by side, leaving the old man alone in place, watching them leave coldly, his expression changing, the Heavenly Work Staff clutched in his hand gripping silently.

But at that moment, as if sensing something, the two suddenly looked back.

"Oh, what a coincidence."

An De slapped his forehead.

An Neng sighed, smiling: "We meet again!"

The old man's expression changed abruptly.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

The moment the two looked back, flying light had already burst from the night sky!

It was as if a brilliant golden blade had cut the pitch-black firmament in an instant, slicing it open from the middle, leaving a straight trajectory, reflecting a perfect symmetry that didn't miss a single point in the old man's shrinking pupils.

Just like stars lined up on both sides, the world split in two.

Amidst the flickering brilliance, everything became so close, as if one could touch the firmament just by reaching out.

This was the scene he finally saw.

At that moment, he finally understood...

It wasn't the world that was split in two.

It was himself.

Snap!

The sound of the bubble shattering came late.

This was no longer the ultimate move that An Ning used to bluff people, but was actually half-baked and barely entered the door, which would only make people laugh their teeth off if spread out...

But the true, ultimate realm of 【Projection】.

——Meteor!

The starlight flickered and extinguished, bringing a devastating disaster.

Not knowing where it came from or where it was going, the sharp edge between the stars flashed and disappeared, descending from the sky, lightly brushing past all phenomena in the world, splitting the old man in two from the middle, and then penetrating into the desert of Longyuan.

After a moment of dead silence, blood dripped; after the scarlet starting point, a continuous rift and gully emerged abruptly from the rolling yellow sand, extending straight until it disappeared at the end of the line of sight.

Just like digging a grave, the opened rift valley caught the two corpses that fell backward toward the sky, and under the closing of gravity, it gradually closed.

Only a pool of scarlet blood remained in place.

Gradually covered by the flying yellow sand, until it was never seen again.

And that Heavenly Work Staff that fell into the yellow sand flew up abruptly, flexibly bypassing the not-so-honest little hands of An Neng and An De, and broke through the air.

In a wisp of light before leaving, there seemed to be a gaze from the scepter looking at the two, filled with coldness and warning.

The two sighed helplessly, shaking their heads in unison.

"So stingy, can't even touch it."

"Tian Yuan is like this."

"Embarrassing."

Amidst the rolling yellow sand and gale, the two sighed one after another, and had already moved away silently, disappearing.

The gale swept over, carrying rolling yellow sand, bit by bit submerging those pale corpses scattered all over the desert, swallowing everything, leaving no trace behind.

And at the same time, ten thousand miles away, in a quiet courtyard, the old man eating cold dishes raised the corners of his eyes, glanced at the sky, and clicked his tongue.

"These two spendthrifts... can't even have a midnight snack in peace."

Just like that, he put down his chopsticks, bent over with his hands behind his back, and swayed away.

"Where is Grandpa going?"

The young man still stir-frying in the kitchen poked his head out: "The wine is just heated, there's another dish, and the pork rib soup isn't out of the pot yet."

"Scoop it out first, it's too hot, let it cool, I'll drink it when I get back."

The old man said without looking back, pushed the door and went out, walking through the quiet courtyard all the way, stepping on the dew-covered stone slabs, as if taking a walk, and walked up the hill.

Www▲tTkΛn▲co

On that ground that had been stepped into an iron plate over the years, there were only scorched marks, and scattered weapons were placed on the rack—knives, spears, swords, halberds, everything.

Dry fingers slid across the weapons, picking and choosing, and after selecting a large broadsword, he shook it hard twice, swung it, and set off a heavy sound of breaking the air.

The quality is okay, let's go with this one.

The old man nodded, raised his head, looked at the dark night sky covered in clouds, his shriveled chest bulged, took a deep breath, and exhaled loudly:

"Ha——"

Silently, the broadsword in his hand disappeared.

No loud noise could be heard, as if the sound had been killed.

Only in the night sky, a bolt of thunder and fire rose crookedly from the hilltop, instantly drawing a straight trajectory, entering the dark clouds, tearing out a strange big hole, and then quickly disappearing behind the clouds.

Speeding, speeding, speeding——

That wisp of shining brilliance silently broke through the shackles of gravity, soaring freely, until it broke into that eternal darkness and vacuum outside the earth.

Like a satellite, it entered the present-world synchronous orbit.

Immediately after, a point of brilliance silently merged into that continuous brilliance, filling a position that had just become vacant.

The stars returned to the sea of stars.

Just like that, together with countless knives, spears, swords, halberds, tables, chairs, folding stools, pots, bowls, basins, refrigerators, washing machines, and other objects on the orbit, it operated silently, circled, and surrounded the present world.

Just like a wisp of the Milky Way, dreamlike and illusory.

And under the gradually closing dark clouds, the old man who had finished his work had already put his hands behind his back and turned to leave.

Returned to the table and picked up the soup bowl.

Took a sip.

Frowned.

Still too hot...

"The rain is getting heavier."

Lu Yingyue sighed softly, the curling heat rising from the cup, blurring the wrinkles on her face.

Amidst the burning of the raging flames, wisps of white hair seemed to emerge with a wisp of scorched red, becoming a little younger.

Above the firmament, thunder and heavy rain poured down; in the rain curtain that was so thick it was suffocating, the wreckage of the airship leaned against the hill, flames rising, smoke rolling.

But the heaven-collapsing and earth-shattering, thunder and fire, heavy rain and thick smoke, now seemed like a hallucination.

Clearly clustering her in the very center, but it just drifted past, and not even a drop of rain fell on her.

In the wreckage of the airship, the reception room was still brightly lit, maintaining its integrity, but except for her, no other people could be seen.

Only, for some reason, there was a shattering sound from her fingertips, spreading upward.

"... So that's it, is it poison?"

Lu Yingyue lowered her eyes, staring at her right hand that was gradually cracking and disappearing, and sighed: "I didn't expect to be hit when I was in Zhongcheng... Thanks to everyone for waiting for me here for so long.

Now that the horse has arrived and the battle is won, why are you unwilling to show yourself?"

Amidst the dead silence, the heavy rain roared.

No one responded.

But Lu Yingyue's gaze pierced through the heavy rain and fell on the surroundings, on those figures hidden in the void: "Shang Jiu, Gao Qing, Li Yucheng, Lu Zong—the four of you are at least the facades and signboards of your respective families, pillars of the Federation, two Heavenly Humans, two matrix holy objects, three Heavenly Works, coming from ten thousand miles away to deal with an old woman like me, it really makes one flattered."

Accompanied by her words, the electric light in the dark world flashed, as if a hand had suddenly pulled open the curtain, and several figures in the darkness actually appeared out of thin air.

They surrounded the entire burning airship, blocking the surroundings, a net of heaven and earth.

"Heh, you really are a fox who has hidden in the Security Bureau for so many years, still putting on an act even now."

Shang Jiu said expressionlessly: "Garrison Commander Lu, at this point, there is no need to hide anything. As a Heavenly Human who possesses both the Tian Tian Yuan and Mirror lineages, how could you be on the verge of death from a mere Soul-Scattering Poison? Why be so hypocritical?"

Things have come to this, what else do you want to hide?"

"... Hmm, I thought I was very secretive."

Lu Yingyue laughed indifferently, grinning, and the shattering sound intensified.

That vicissitudinous face shrouded in black-gray showed cracks: "Mr. Shang's words also make some sense. Things have come to this, there's no point in being hypocritical, and we should be honest with each other."

She paused and sighed with regret: "Only, sometimes, the truth is not as good-looking as you think."

At that moment, in the heavy rain, there was dead silence.

Just like taking off a hypocritical mask, Lu Yingyue's palm raised, pressed on her face, and lifted that layer of instinctive disguise.

Revealing her true face.

No longer fresh, the twisted and shattered appearance emerged from beneath the phantom.

On that face covered in scars, there was no longer the gentleness of the past; it was as if it had been burned by a great fire and corroded by strong acid, the flesh withered and proliferated, entangled on the exposed cheekbones, forming an ugly and ferocious appearance.

Not just the face, the neck, the exposed hands, all were knotted with flesh and blood, twisted into strange outlines under the vicious curse.

At this moment, under the illumination of the firelight, it was even more like a ghost, making one's hair stand on end.

It was hard to imagine that the old fox who walked among all parties with graceful demeanor and elegant appearance, making countless people feel like they were facing a great enemy and staying fully alert, would be such an ugly appearance.

For a time, even the many besiegers were stunned in place, momentarily lost.

But Lu Yingyue didn't seize this precious opportunity to counterattack; instead, glancing at their appearance, a smile that could hardly be called warm appeared on her ferocious face.

"After so many years, I've even gotten used to this hypocritical face myself."

Lu Yingyue sighed, spread her hands, and looked curiously at those astonished faces: "How is it? Is this mere truth worth looking at for you all?"

"With such demeanor, you are indeed a hero, what does it have to do with appearance?"

Gao Qing, the contemporary Bai Lu with graying long hair, lowered his eyes and sighed: "It's much better than a rat like me who is still scheming at such an old age, it's just a pity... forced by the situation, life is not up to oneself."

"Things have come to this, why waste more words with this ugly ghost?" Lu Zong's expression was gloomy, urging: "Do everything, don't let her delay time!"

"I don't think so."

Lu Yingyue shook her head, and the smile on her scarred face became more mocking: "A hypocritical person like me, although I can't be called elegant, at least I can see the situation clearly. Although my life is cheap, I still want to live a few more days.

If you all can stop and leave, and the four families withdraw from the south of the Federation, I can swear to Tian Tian Yuan that I will let bygones be bygones."

Let bygones be bygones?

It's simply a joke!

Things have come to this, it's already a situation where losing means losing everything and winning means winning everything! Pushed by Lu Yingyue until now, everyone has placed their bets, how could it end in a draw?!

"No more nonsense, Garrison Commander Lu." Li Yucheng shook his head: "If you want to blame someone, blame your own insatiable greed."

Boom!!!

Shang Jiu was indifferent, thunder and lightning shining all over his body, the matrix holy object of the Heavenly Human rank in his body radiating fierce light, endlessly echoing the ten-thousand-mile dark clouds and infinite thunderstorms, which had already been brewing for a long time.

At this moment, the ten-thousand-mile thunder light turned into a torrent, rampaging and descending from the sky.

At that moment, all the besiegers struck without hesitation.

It's a pity, it wasn't four against one.

But... two against two!

Boom!!!

The sound of the bubble shattering rang out, and Gao Qing, the Heavenly Human who controlled the space and the eight directions, shook abruptly, only to see a hand piercing out from his chest at some point.

The sharpness of the five fingers changed, the true essence of the Ruined Market Dao appeared, static and frozen!

At that very moment, an inexplicable trance and sluggishness swallowed him, as if an invisible hand that had been waiting for a long time had blocked the changes of Bai Lu.

It was only for an instant, but after that instant, everything was completely different.

Between the five fingers, a wisp of darkness emerged out of thin air, expanding with a roar—he wanted to turn back sluggishly, but before that, he had already been completely swallowed by the terrifying black hole of matter annihilation, his form and soul destroyed!

In an instant, the Heavenly Human dissipated, without even a sign.

All changes had been swallowed by the illusion that had covered hundreds of miles at some point, just like the silent changes of the world behind the stage curtain.

The moment that figure turned into fly ash, the person behind finally appeared in front of everyone's eyes.

It was Li Yucheng, who had already been impatient and urged everyone to move just now!

The moment he moved, he had already disappeared from his original position.

Or rather, he had never been there; from the beginning, he had been covered by the illusion, disappearing from everyone's perception.

At the moment of turning against each other, the strange black box in his hand disappeared, swallowing Lu Zong, who had not been on guard, into it, locking him layer by layer.

And then, heaven and earth inverted——

When Lu Yingyue finally got up from the sofa, the heavy rain, thunder, torrents, flames, and even everything else dissipated, or perhaps they were just illusory phantoms from the beginning.

The phenomena rotated and reorganized, reality and illusion inverted.

At the moment of regaining consciousness, the ten-thousand-foot dark cloud firmament had actually gone under her feet, and the continuous mountains extended from the earth above her head toward the distance.

And the magnificent and mighty infinite thunder suddenly went out of control, collapsed, and lost its target, splitting in two around Lu Yingyue and heading toward an unknown place.

The Encircled Realm of the Tian Tian Yuan Dao · 【Going Against the Current】, and also the Mirror system's 【Spilled Water Cannot Be Gathered】?!

Shang Jiu was already terrified—the Encircled Realm of two systems actually appeared from one person's hand; no, that's not all, what else is hidden behind...

But at the moment of realization and reflection, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Mocking himself.

Things have come to this, what's the point of thinking about these?!

It's just winning life and losing death.

Boom!!!

Shang Jiu's body suddenly expanded, spread, and turned into infinite thunder light covering the sky and earth, flames, frost, and wind changing infinitely, and a giant god appeared from the infinite fierce light...

From beginning to end, Lu Yingyue had no reaction, just smiling.

Waving her hand.

A curtain as soft as a phantom appeared from her fingertips, and with a wave, it covered a thousand miles again, turning into rolling dark clouds, shielding all prying eyes.

Behind that curtain woven with infinite illusions, no sound could be heard, no light could be seen, and all the audience members were excluded from the stage, unable to interfere anymore.

Behind the curtain, all things rotated, and the world changed.

And when the curtain was raised again, it was all over.

Amidst the washing of the heavy rain, Shang Jiu's residual body fell into the mud, already pierced and shackled by spears shining with golden luster.

On the verge of death.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Lu Yingyue nodded, thanking Li Yucheng, who still had flames and scorch marks on his body.

It's a pity that Li Yucheng didn't buy it at all, glancing at her expressionlessly: "Finish it early, so I don't have to lose face again."

In the quagmire, the remaining heat spread, evaporating the rain, turning the mud into scorched earth; under the piercing of the spears, Shang Jiu struggled, opened his mouth, and vomited blood.

Only his hollow eyes stared fixedly at Li Yucheng, his resentment bone-deep.

"Actually, one thing was right—I was indeed delaying time."

The shadow-like curtain shrouded Lu Yingyue's face again, covering the original scars, and she returned to her graceful and elegant appearance.

She lowered her eyes, looking down at Shang Jiu, and sighed with regret: "In case you don't know... half an hour ago, the Federation Supreme Court issued an announcement to file and investigate the corruption case of the Northern Territory armaments. Probably before dawn, a large group of people who received the news will be ready to resign or change their ways.

Echo and Xinyuan, in order to protect themselves, will definitely sell out Tiancheng—and the Li family, in order to save themselves, will only be able to choose to jump ship. It can be expected that next, the People's Party will be gone."

Lu Yingyue paused, and her smile became more joyful: "Now it seems that I seem to have won the bet, and it was a matter of bridging the gap and sending charcoal in the snow... Thanks to everyone's help, the credit is great."

Amidst the washing of the rain, Shang Jiu's expression twitched, and he still wanted to say something.

But there was no chance anymore.

Lu Yingyue got up, looked back one last time at the silent Li Yucheng: "Leave the rest to you."

Snap!

The shattering sound rang out.

In Li Yucheng's hand, Shang Jiu's final remains turned into fly ash.

And in the heavy rain, Lu Yingyue's figure could no longer be seen.

It was as if time had reversed, the surging flames rolled back, the shattered frame was reborn, the falling heavy rain rose to the sky, and the broken airship returned to integrity.

Once again riding above the gale and heavy rain.

The journey continued.

In the cabin, a crisp sound rang out.

A pen fell to the ground.

The assistant who was dozing off woke up abruptly, subconsciously wiping his drool, looking around, "I, I... fell asleep?"

"Yes, you slept very soundly, I didn't wake you up."

Lu Yingyue looked back at his sleepy appearance and comforted him: "Don't worry about work, take care of your health, rest for a while."

"I..."

The assistant froze for a moment, sighed in shame, hurriedly tidied up the things he had messed up while sleeping on the table, and started working again. Only, when he picked up the coffee cup in the interval to get two more espressos, he saw Lu Yingyue still sitting by the window.

Staring blankly at the dark clouds and the firmament outside the window.

He hesitated for a moment and asked curiously: "What are you looking at?"

"Hmm..."

Lu Yingyue thought for a moment and gave a self-deprecating smile: "If I had to say, it would probably be... the future."

The future?

The assistant curiously leaned over and took a look as well.

It was a pitch-black expanse; nothing could be seen.

"The future is truly bleak," he sighed softly.

"Who's to say it isn't?"