Chapter 1137: The Desolation Heaven Shall Rise

The Great Wastes.

Night fell, the desert wind bleak and desolate.

At a mountain pass where the days were scorching and the nights bitterly cold, within a camp.

Yang Jishan, born of the Yang clan of the Dao Soldier Bureau, was discussing military matters by candlelight with his clansman brother Yang Jiyong inside a tent.

For nearly a hundred years, the Southern Wastes had never been truly at peace.

A handful of clans had been in constant revolt, arms never ceasing.

And within the great provinces of the Great Wastes, the various Dragon Kings and Wang Hou held their own territories, scheming against one another, waging open and covert struggles.

"What about the Victory Eagle?" Captain Feng Gang did not believe those three TPC behemoths could deal with over a hundred Impreza.

"If you have business, go to Father of Ultra. By the way, this place was unguarded before — why have they sent you out now?" Lin Chong did not yet know that Taro had been ambushed here on his way to Earth.

Young Master Yu rose slowly, walked to the window, and pushed it open; the fragrance of a garden full of blossoms rushed in to meet him. He stood quietly, neither moving nor speaking.

"Hold on a little longer — reinforcements will arrive in one minute!" Lin Chong shouted over the comms. The fighter jets coming to support had already switched to afterburner for a short burst of high-speed flight, but after this mission they would have to go back for a major overhaul.

As expected, Gui Hai did not blame him in the slightest; on the contrary, he kept nodding. Originally he had worried that this disciple of his was too simple and honest, and might suffer for it in the future. But from this matter one could see that Shi Yuan was still quite capable — no need to worry about how he would conduct himself in the years to come.

If one still hadn't reacted by now, it wasn't merely a matter of habit — it was outright brainless behavior.

Sister Qianyi, this formation of yours makes me feel like it's a matchmaking session — looking at this huge pile of young, handsome photos, are they really some celebrities?

Heng Liang only watched that thin, solitary back, which, after hoarsely uttering the word he had chanted for thousands of years, collapsed as if drained of all strength. After a moment of stunned silence, his body began, almost imperceptibly, to tremble.

He suddenly took from his bosom a bronze mask and a jade tablet, tied them together with a cord, and hung them from a bamboo pole.

Buying up an entire street in a place like this — what does He Gu want to do? Develop commerce? That guess is about as laughable as a luxury boutique opening up in a mountain ditch.

The several hundred members of the Hang clan kneeling on the ground had already been trembling in a heap; now they could not help but break into a chorus of "wuwu" sobs, and the stench of feces and urine swiftly spread.

"Let's begin." Li Tai smiled slightly, then started placing the ingredients into the pot; an even richer fragrance filled the air.

He Gu made a little preparation, then led several dozen attendants, escorting the cart carrying the banknote boxes, and hurried toward the capital together with these eunuchs. What puzzled He Gu somewhat was that these eunuchs seemed to be up to something — not only were their attitudes far more cordial, but the head eunuch delivering the edict even sat down in his own carriage.

Lin Xiao said with a laugh: "If you hadn't mentioned it, I'd really have forgotten your identity. But precisely because of that identity, joining forces with you might well bring trouble."

Many customers followed the same practice — for instance, the Dao Ancestor and Saints of the Purple Firmament Palace, the various sages of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and the leaders and high-ranking members of many other factions.

He Gu had put it so bluntly, glaring viciously at the crowd — who would dare utter a single word of refusal?

This kind of trick wouldn't work elsewhere. If it were on the great plains, trying to control every channel of information would cost an unimaginable price. And if it were in the Yunnan-Guizhou mountains… the locals were so poor that even birds wouldn't shit there, and the folk customs were ferociously tough — it would simply not be worth the cost.

Peng Kuo had come from Shanxi; because he had to wait for Man Gui, who was disguised and entering the pass from the Northern Desert, he had only just barely made it to the gathering on time today, and was among the very last to arrive.

Next, Gu Zhaoxi was ordered about and toyed with by Wu Meimei in every way, being led in several big circles around S City.

Sure enough, her face instantly went deathly pale! Of course she knew whom Zhao Li Yan was talking about — if the one lying here today were Wang Shuhua instead, Ruan Yuan would probably never forgive herself.