Chapter 40: The Shadowed Alley

It remains unknown who crafted these puppets, but the finished products bore a striking resemblance to living beings. Had it not been for the passage of countless years causing the outer coatings of many puppets to peel away, even Luo Hao and his companions would never have suspected that these were artificial constructs.

At this moment, the spiritual consciousness lingering in that universe—which emitted the aura of the Infinity Stones—had yet to sense the presence of any entity. In other words, the trap he had woven was not yet ready to be closed.

The moment Sun Wukong caught sight of Lu Yuan's stunned expression, he knew instantly that Lu Yuan was already aware of the matter.

Although Fang Chen was the one who caught the fish, the culinary execution naturally required Gu Xue’s personal touch. Though it had only been a few days since they last met, Gu Xue’s culinary reputation had grown by leaps and bounds once again.

"Impossible. I have studied it thoroughly. Qingqing Team's opponent in the quarterfinals tomorrow has zero hope of defeating them. Therefore, we must ensure nothing goes wrong!" Lu Kun said cautiously.

"Oh, by the way, where is my turtle?" Barely a moment had passed before Fang Chen realized that the large soft-shelled turtle he had temporarily tossed aside earlier had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only those few half-dead black fish lying on the ground.

As it broke away from the eroded spiritual energy, the curse-tainted spiritual force had emitted a silent roar, clawing frantically in an attempt to drag the origin consciousness back with it. Sean, however, cared only about escaping and naturally ignored it; indeed, not only did he refuse to look back, but he also immediately cast aside the Mind Stone resting upon the origin consciousness.

Seeing Matt Murdock evade him in time, Sean curled his lip in mild dissatisfaction, though he was far more displeased with Daniel Rand.

Taking advantage of everyone's departure, Fang Chen released all the lobsters from his spatial storage into the plaza. Now, the entire plaza was a crawling sea of vivid red lobsters.

After all, the Hidden Tribe had never committed any unforgivable crimes against Dayu. The so-called Heretical Tribe was merely a label coined by the imperial court, and the common folk held no strong resonance with it.

Yet the mansion's front gate was a symbol of the entire household, reinforced with magic by each successive adoptive father. For it to be smashed in from the inside like this—was this the first time?

Pondering this to himself, he casually accepted the invitation and glanced at the party interface. The four painfully familiar IDs instantly gave him a throbbing headache.

Surprised and delighted, the St. Lebeche army hurriedly picked up the weapons left behind by the Zergandia forces, gathered around, and expressed their gratitude.

Although Tianming was not sailing smoothly as the Mohist giant, the six leaders of the Mohist school relentlessly flooded him with knowledge every day. This cramming style of education paid no heed to whether Tianming could absorb it all at once. Tianming found it utterly impossible to keep up with such a pace of learning, yet despite failing to grasp much of it, he still showed up every day to study with all his might.

When she finally gritted her teeth and managed to stand firmly, Chen Bo motioned for her to wipe the sweat from her face, then led the way as they groped their way forward into the depths.

However, just as Qin Yumiao's fist was about to strike, Lin Chen offered a wicked smirk, reached out to wrap his arm directly around Qin Yumiao's slender waist, and pulled her downward.

Qian Xi clearly relished their remarks while also subtly expressing her regret that she had met Chen Bo too late to become his wife.

"I suppose I should find a way to leave this place," Shen Yu muttered to herself as she lay down on the bed. Suddenly, a series of shouts drifted in from outside, sounding something like, "Catch the intruder!"

Seeing Lin Mowan agree, Nanny Cen hastened to reply, terrified that she might change her mind, and hurriedly spun around to leave.

Faced with Lin Mowan's inquiry, Yuzhi was momentarily flustered. She opened her mouth several times to speak, yet seemed at a loss for how to put it into words.

Meanwhile, in the office of the Ministry of Revenue, Xiao Ting'an had just finished brewing a pot of tea when he received word from a subordinate that Registrar Luo of Huzhou had urgent business to discuss.

Throughout the conversation, the man's scrutinizing gaze never once left her. His eyes traveled from her face to her lips, down to her collarbone, and finally lingered for a long time upon her chest.

Having been released by the State of Wei this time, Li Fan was bound to be in a foul mood. She wondered if she would become the target of his redirected frustration.

Jiufang Ling had returned to live in the villa before the start of the semester. Upon seeing the two of them, she naturally recognized them, but she kept her silence. Linking her arm through Jiang Mingxi's, she and Yan Luo occasionally whispered and chatted together.

As someone perpetually blacklisted in diplomatic circles, Zhang Xueju did not merely speak bluntly or lack emotional intelligence; she simply disregarded everyone else's survival altogether.

At the stern of the deck, Lin Zhengjie wore only a pair of boxer briefs, his upper body revealing well-defined muscles that radiated explosive power at a glance. Lin Qingxia and Guan Jiahui were also clad in swimwear, displaying their alluring figures as they gazed tenderly at Lin Zhengjie.

As Wang Fang's husband and Wang Meng's cousin, Chen Qing found himself trapped in a dilemma—neither intervening in the argument nor ignoring it felt right—and he spun around in anxious circles.

Yet now, he abruptly realized how little he actually knew about this crucial thunder bead, remaining entirely unaware of how Elder Bai had acquired it, let alone capable of tracing its unfathomable origins.

"Qiu Feng, you are the older brother. You must take good care of your sister when you're outside, understand?" Unassured by her daughter, Qiu's father issued these instructions specifically to his son.

Perhaps for the sake of structural stability, the ceilings of these rooms were quite low. Even so, looking down at the water's surface from the second floor, Tao Li experienced a slight, unsettling sensation of a sheer drop.

"Who is it?" Zheng Chenheng blinked open his eyes in a haze. Having worked until the middle of the night before finally falling asleep, his mind remained heavy and groggy. However, upon hearing that familiar voice and opening his eyes to that familiar face, Zheng Chenheng instantly snapped to full awareness.

Zhang Juzheng repeatedly professed his unworthiness. Although he could guarantee that his two sons would pass the provincial examinations with flying colors, he could hardly voice such a claim aloud, especially in the presence of the Emperor. To do so would be to confirm his arrogance and utter disregard for the imperial court.

In truth, Yu Ziqi understood that every soldier cherished his horse. Even if they starved to death, they would never slaughter or abandon their beloved mounts—which was precisely why Yu Ziqi had instantly fallen in love with the Red Hare. The only reason the soldiers chose unicorns instead was simply because the unicorns refused to let anyone ride them, nearly goring them straight through on multiple occasions!

Time slowly slipped away, and dawn gradually broke. Still, no one had devised a viable plan or figured out how to win the battle while minimizing bloodshed.

At this thought, Tao Li abandoned her previous intention to move and remained still. If they wanted to set fires, let them; after all, she was safely in the water.

"So delicious!" he silently vowed to himself that he would treat his younger sister twice as well from now on.

The young master of the sect—naturally, that referred to Xuanxin Buder, the young master of the Divine Hand Sect. His outward appearance gave no hint of a man harboring deep schemes, yet in reality, he was the one who had murdered his own older brother.