Chapter 54 (Transplanting Flowers, Borrowing Trees II): The Canopy

August 2032, Rocket City, Bright Nation

Michael Max sought to transform another planet to serve as Earth’s backup, and his first choice was Mars. Over nearly two decades, he developed reusable heavy-lift rockets, electric vehicles, a satellite internet constellation, intelligent humanoid robots, and even Maya soft pottery made with the same composition as Martian soil.

What Michael never expected was that the method to restart Mars’s magnetic field by superluminal wave heating of its core…

Among them, some had already reached the Fourth Tribulation stage, making them inner disciples of the Celestial Net Sect, while the other three were Emperors of the Third Tribulation. Such cultivation meant they could dominate any territory.

Watching the vanishing figure of Feng Cangyun, Fang Yi sat there, unable to move, a bitter smile playing at his lips.

“I have it,” Dream Mechanism suddenly emerged from behind Yun Ting, handed him a porcelain bottle, and then hurried back to deal with the floundering fish. Lifting the lid, a sweet, honeyed fragrance wafted out. Yun Ting took a deep breath, utterly intoxicated; now the grilled fish would taste even better.

A long time passed—morning, noon, and dusk. The Imperial Kitchen was perhaps the busiest place in the palace, responsible not only for the emperor’s daily meals, but also the empress, dowager, princes, and all the consorts.

As far as the eye could see, the black desert stretched on without end. Now and then, colossal tornadoes of sand swept across, roaring as if they meant to tear the world apart.

“Return,” Xiao Hao’s handprints shifted, releasing divine light, about to draw that blurred figure back to merge with Xiao Feng.

The plan had been to hand Jiang Yuren over to the Fifth Prince, mainly to establish good relations. Since the Fifth Prince cared little for such things, there was no need to go out of the way. Capturing Jiang Yu now opened up more choices.

Sister Bei had already received a call from Xiao Feng, instructing Xiao Zhong’an to prepare an enormous coffin.

As the Buddha said, “I alone am supreme.” Emptiness Enlightened was supreme in his own right, for he was his own Buddha, acting by his own convictions, for good or evil.

Because Yun Ting was needed, the inn closed for the day, and he even called in Shi Ah’s best men to keep out the players who would soon swarm in.

Stretching lazily, he headed to the bathroom, running water as he gazed through the window at the gradually brightening sky.

“I already told you, this is His Majesty’s order. Let me see how your wound is. Chancellor Lin said that even after changing several physicians, it didn’t improve. I’m just curious what kind of injury it is—I didn’t get a good look at the time!”

“Hello, Sister Ling!” Bai Qin was not particularly striking, but her sweet smile made Ling Ran look at her twice.

Wu Kui understood, turned to growl quietly at Putong, signaling her to follow. Then, tucking Lan Meier under one arm, he stomped the box on the ground to pieces, bent down, and grabbed a massive broadsword—large as half a door panel—his weapon of choice.

Though Old Master Si appeared indifferent toward Si Mushi, in truth, he had secretly favored and cared for the boy all these years.

Qi Hongbo raised his head weakly toward the cave entrance, catching sight of Liu Lin and Huang Zhi both struck by boulders, each coughing up blood.

Ye Ruoxi knocked at the door, and only then did some movement stir within. First came two guards, then a man with the air of a butler, his expression icy and devoid of warmth.

Jiang Sanlang belonged to the greatest gentry clan in Pingzhang County, outside the city. He usually did not align with the Grand Minister or the Grand Commandant. This time, Qin Zhong’s goal was to persuade Jiang Sanlang to support Shen Jiancheng.

To the left of the hill lay a valley, sheltered from the wind and with water nearby, where the elite troops waited for orders.