Chapter 110: The Grand Finale

“Are you here to mock me as well?”
“Of course not. My name is Qin Yu. Do you know of me?”
“Qin Yu?”
A flicker of confusion crossed Yan Sheng’s eyes, yet he swiftly recalled something and stared at Qin Yu in shock. “You are of the Qin family?”

……
The Nanhai was the lead vessel of the cruising fleet. In the formation that followed her came the Raphael; several officers freshly graduated from the naval academy leaned upon the forecastle, pointing and gesturing with their telescopes.
Thus the Federation completed its expansion across the peninsula, its home territory reaching one hundred thousand square kilometres.

The faint joy that had just touched Li Yu’s face froze at once. He had never imagined Ren Yuan would employ the ruse of secretly crossing at Chencang. Claiming he meant only to summon that clever stratagem into the hall, he had in truth sought merely to detain him. Seized by urgency, Li Yu turned and strode for the door.

Mo Changsheng naturally raised no objection. He cast Manager Yan a cold glare and followed Wen Lizhi out of the office.

The principal prefectures and provinces were all laid out along the river valleys. Those valley regions could be regarded as relatively independent economic zones, and the prefectural and provincial cities commonly stood at the confluence of waterways within each such zone.

At this moment the Shagu Sovereign, still bound by the meteor chains, reclined at his ease beneath the Thunder Gate of the sheer cliff, eyes lifted to the heavens, who knew what devilish scheme he was turning over in his mind. Sensing a sudden stir of wind and grass about him, his form sprang upright in an instant.

The man struck with a single palm. At once a keen edge of force split the air and cleaved toward Zhou Zixuan. In a flash Zhou Zixuan opened his umbrella; canopy met palm, and the surging power scattered, snapping the surrounding thorns asunder.

Seeing this, Lu Chenyu, likewise a disciple of Ethereal Peak, felt a flush of shame. He gave a dry laugh, his body leapt, and in the space of a single breath he alighted at Xia Jifeng’s side.

Mai Chen and Rong Xu halted, watching the two whisper as they departed. Mai Chen turned to Rong Xu, eyes shining.

She did not wish to awaken… only to remain thus, quietly at Xuanyuan Yi’s side, forever making amends for her remorse.

Then his gaze passed over the Headless Knight and the ghostly host behind him, settling upon a platform more than three metres high at the far end of the drill ground. Built entirely of skulls, it bore a throne of white bone, and upon that throne sat a massive figure wholly wrapped in black leather.

Dreading to offend Coral, they vied with one another to prostrate themselves at her feet, knocking their heads loudly upon the ground without cease.

Yelv Yan had spoken at such length, yet these final words were surely the true purpose. One had to admit Yelv Jin was of a forceful nature and preferred open combat. Yelv Yan, by contrast, was the very opposite and handled official rhetoric with practised skill.

“Double Flower—honeysuckle,” Zeng Bingbing said with a smile. “Sixteen for one tael.” Such everyday items she had already committed to memory. In truth she was no great hand at rote learning; once a thing became familiar, it simply settled of its own accord.

Cai Xiaoyun was amused. In her heart she believed eight or nine tenths of his words, though she would not admit as much aloud.

Seek her son? Chu Xi gripped her arm tightly. “Have you lost your mind? Where would you even look?” Cheng Moyu and the others were already searching; what use would her going be?

After all, Xuanyuan Yeyan had slain men and afterwards crippled their dantian. By rights such deeds ought never to have occurred in a contest, yet was Xuanyuan Yeyan not still standing here unharmed?

Weary, she walked to the bedside, unwilling even to change out of her damp gown. She lay down in silence, and the scenes of that day rose once more before her eyes.

“How beautiful Yunluo is!” Though she wore a modern wedding gown, and though her own eyes could not truly judge its merit, still she felt that Yunluo in that moment was loveliest of all.

The two who had been conversing fell silent. One stretched out a hand to stay the person about to give me the injection; the pair spoke together a long while more.