Chapter 54: The Silent Park

The announcement of the curse had just concluded. Without waiting for Cheng Fan or anyone else to react, the bizarre phenomenon occurred the very next moment.

Inside the bus, the lights flared on instantly, while the environment outside the vehicle rapidly plunged into pitch blackness!

The entire wilderness began to darken at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if the passage of time had been accelerated. What was a clear and bright day transformed into the dead of night in the blink of an eye—no, this was not mere night. A nocturnal sky would at least boast stars and a moon, allowing one's vision to discern shapes, but what lay before them was absolute darkness. It blanketed the field of vision like a heavy curtain, a state of utter blindness where one could not even see their own outstretched hand.

This...

Staring at the ink-black exterior of the bus, both Cheng Fan and Liu, who shared the carriage...

The opponent was extremely cunning, well-versed in the sword arts of the Sakura Country. Their strikes were methodical, vicious, and ruthless; had that blade landed solidly, it would have been enough to slice a person clean in two.

The Lin family, one of the Eight Great Clans, relied precisely upon this fortuitous opportunity to leap into prominence as an overlord dominating their region.

On the highway, the sounds of glass shattering, metal panels denting, and tires screeching against the asphalt erupted instantly, piercing deep into the human psyche with a wave of terror.

By the time the River of Lethe regained its composure, it discovered that throughout this entire celestial realm, brilliant golden mirrors were scattered everywhere.

Fan An checked the designated map area—good grief, it spanned an entire mountain range. Under the premise of not even knowing what the specific target was, locating the exact spot was truly no simple task.

Lin Jia'an held her breath, cold sweat threatening to break out, until the time on the screen ticked over to 22:00, and she heard two faint footsteps.

Sheng Jingshuo kept his gaze fixed on Ruan Tongyao. Seeing himself treated like thin air, the doctor seized the opportunity to slip away while the man was distracted.

Slowly walking over to Bai Yu's side, he casually picked up a bottle of beer from the table, popped the cap, and poured a full glass.

Zhang Cuihua and Qin Dayou were searching for their introduction letter. Nowadays, traveling by train or staying at a lodging house required official letters issued by one's work unit or village. When their family set out for the capital, they had deliberately gone to the leadership of the machinery plant to secure one. It had clearly been in their possession while boarding the train, but now, no matter how hard they looked, it was nowhere to be found.

She went even further, stepping down on his ear and grinding it against the ground, before casting a triumphant, immensely punchable smile at Qin Zizhen.

***

Captain Qin's words caused the expressions of the officials in the neighboring seats to shift slightly, yet no one stepped forward to utter a single word!

Immediately afterward, Rhode stowed it away into his system space, whereupon another strand of Rhode's power and aura that had lingered within the space instantly dissipated as well.

King Pingdeng enthusiastically organized Cangyun and the others to attend the banquet at the Fourth Hall, mentioning that King Wuguan was already preparing the venue.

"To think that the One Hero and Two Elites have all gathered here today!" Wu Youhan looked at Fang Cheng, saying with a hint of admiration.

Vinnier nodded, her pretty face tinged with a sacred and solemn expression as she confirmed Wang Chen's assessment.

In less than a minute, a ferocious grin spread across Ye Dong's face. He stood up, walked over to a large decorative vase near the office desk, and gripped it with both hands, twisting it back and forth a few times.

In the distance, a faint ray of heavenly light appeared, seeming to originate either from the edge of the clouds or from the heavenly kingdom itself, casting a pallid white hue over the world and burdening the hearts of all who beheld it.

The phone kept ringing. One minute passed, two minutes... the call went through, but no one answered.

Although they were also good-for-nothings, they were not so dissolute as to reach the depraved depths of their second uncle, Sun Qingyi.

"No way, what a coincidence! To not keep it from you, my son Zeng Yong is his disciple—a formal, sworn-master kind of disciple. I just spoke with my son on the phone before calling you, and just like you said, my son told me not to meddle in this business." Zeng Yong's father sprang up from his chair in utter astonishment.

Captain Rogers, dressed in the standard sky-blue uniform of an executive officer, did not appear to be on active duty, nor was he carrying his legendary circular shield. Behind him followed two young members of the Order, resembling attending adjutants.

Departing from its usual serious and solemn official academic style, the tone of this Weibo post was remarkably lively.

Hearing this, Zhou Shiyuan's expression remained neutral. She glanced at him through her sunglasses and gave a faint, indifferent acknowledgment.

She possessed the capability to manage the myriad affairs of the Wanhua Tower. With a bit of guidance from him going forward, she could certainly be trusted with the role.

"A-Liang, tell me, between having too many venues and too few people versus having too many people and too few venues, which do you think is better?" Ye Tian turned his head to look at Yan Liang.

***

"Hmph! Expert? Sooner or later, your facade will crumble! Let's see how long you can keep up this act!" Zouwei snorted coldly and turned to leave Chen Fan's clinic.

The moment Chen Guanqi lay down, however, he wore the expression of a dead fish, because lying there instantly reminded him of the silver coins he had just spent.

Only those trained in dance could truly understand how solid and exquisite Qi Youmian's foundational skills were within those few short minutes of performance.

A child's cries suddenly pierced the air, and the sharp, piercing wails of the toddler echoed through the valley, drilling directly into the minds of every single Wakandan.

Lu Zheng listened with utmost concentration. He understood very well that this was a profound opportunity unique to sword cultivators; most disciples belonging to even major sects probably couldn't hope to catch even a glimpse of it.

In an instant, Pei Qing transformed from an ambitious schemer attempting to force his father into relinquishing power into a pure and filial heir who endured humiliation to protect the family's foundation and ensure clean governance. At the cost of sacrificing the greater part of the Pei family's influence at court, he completely shattered the Emperor's calculations of watching the Pei and Chen factions tear each other apart while reaping the benefits himself.

"So-so." Mentioning the status of the Finesse family, Nora let out a soft snort, seemingly reluctant to elaborate.

The heavy doors of the Diligent Governance Hall creaked open just enough for a single person to pass through. Before a figure even came into view, the biting north wind rushed in ahead. A black leather boot stepped across the threshold, followed by the corner of a heavy cloak, and finally, a tall, slender, dark-robed figure.

Back when they had first met not long ago, Yan Changlan had also heard Ye Zhu mention the tendency of vicious-faced entities to backfire. At that time, he had been fraught with worry and anxiety, but now he felt quite differently compared to before.

"Indecisive and lacking resolve! Target unclear! Twenty kilograms of weighted load for fifty laps!" Longya commanded in a deep voice.

Though Jingbao was not large in size, it possessed immense strength. It gently bit down on the monitoring system, and in moments, all four cameras were completely destroyed.

"When the Golden Cymbal Dharma King came to Phoenix Mountain, all the capable demons had already been dealt with. Nowadays, only Elder Ginseng possesses a somewhat higher level of cultivation," Hu Meiniang said immediately.

Before long, Feng Lingxi cast a loving gaze their way once more, instructing Yan Changlan to rehearse the sword techniques he had comprehended a few more times, and offering guidance alongside Chunyu Youfeng.