But ultimately, this was only a long-term expectation—not quite intangible, yet there was not the slightest hint of any substantive vision to it.

Now, however, having witnessed this scene with his own eyes, a fierce impulse surged unbidden from the deepest recesses of Wei Zhao's heart.

One day, he himself would be like this Lord God of the Racecourse—making the whole host of true gods tremble in fear!

Sensing the shift in Wei Zhao's spirit, the schoolboy glanced back at him, and the corner of his mouth curved into the faintest trace of a smile.

Just then, the Sinful God across from him...

NASA's budget these days was so abundant it could be called the most generous in its history—and in a certain sense, Gu Cheng had contributed no small amount of help to that.

He even suspected that the Xuan Cang Shrine, unwilling to accept its defeat at his hands, had come to sabotage his Nine Fierce Warriors.

On the right side of the saddle hung a composite bow for mounted archery; on the left, a quiver packed full of arrows.

This was where the Liu family lived—not their ancestral home, of course. The Liu ancestral hall was far too distant, and Zhu Qiyuan couldn't be bothered to make the trip; better to give them a good fright here in the capital first and talk later.

How could the mighty Dongfang family possibly have been squeezed out of the royal city by the four great powers, banished far away to the remote Qingfeng Town, and nearly wiped out to the last of their line?

Gu Yue ran madly through the rain with Xia Ying on his back, raindrops lashing at the two of them like a hail of bullets, their waterlogged clothes dragging them down as though weighed with lead.

Ten minutes later, transport vehicles packed with power-armored warriors rolled out of the Tianqing International headquarters base and sped straight for Lubumbashi.

What was more, Wang Ming had the System at his back—stealth that could slip past spirit demons, and detection that could force them into the open.

The CIA was investigating Qiu Shiming precisely because of John Dylan's connections to North America; one could say that over the past five months, the CIA had poured ever more resources into gathering intelligence on Tianqing Technology.

As the founder of Tianqing Technology, attending this grand gathering meant he would inevitably be seated in the "big shots' section"—and seated there, it was impossible not to draw attention. Nearly everyone in that section was a top name in business or tech; Gu Cheng alone was making his first appearance, and he was the youngest of them all.

"Father, can they really snatch the fruit of a rare spirit beast? Never mind taming one—even ordinary spirit beasts are that difficult! And a rare one besides—in all of history, no one has ever heard of anyone taming one!" Gu Qian clung to Gu Wang's arm as she spoke.

Then, with a bang, the body of this Mysterious Immortal simply burst apart; all his flesh and blood, his vital essence, his mana, his laws—all were pierced through by the Spear of Judgment, and his entire spirit was utterly dispersed, not a trace remaining.

Qin Ting waved a hand in front of Qingxin's eyes; Qingxin caught her by the wrist, then slid her other hand inside Qin Ting's collar.

"This subordinate does not know either—it seems the Imperial Preceptor sent him." Lord Zhou frowned slightly, his gaze flicking toward Brahma Luo behind Dongfang Jian.

Seeing that Yun Tian had truly left, Yun Rou and Yun Xin burst into loud sobs. Liu Yun, too, heaved a sigh and slipped quietly out of the alchemy room—she had no wish to look so wretched before the two of them.

Fresh and clear-headed, Qin Han walked out of the bedroom and into the living room with a face full of satisfaction, only to find everyone already up. He had meant to spend the night resting in Su Meiniang's chamber, but she had refused point-blank, saying she was afraid Ye Zining and the others would laugh at her.

"That old hag—I'll kill her, I swear I'll kill her," Ran Hu said through gritted teeth.

The moment the formation was destroyed, Yun Tian distinctly felt a force of pure yang radiating from the gourd—a stark contrast to the aura of death and the chill of the cold spring. So this gourd actually contained "pure yang vital essence."

"Very well. Now I pronounce sentence—you may die." Before the bald man could finish, Ling Chen drove a kick straight into the vital point at his chest.

After a detailed investigation, what shocked Qingxin most of all was the population of Tianjiang City Prison—a full thirteen thousand six hundred-odd inmates, many of whom had been locked away inside for ten or even nearly twenty years. Biaozi was one such typical case.