Indeed, there was a corpse—well, that made sense. After all, the elite of the Taiguan Sect; it would have been unusual if there hadn’t been one. Zhang Yuancheng first examined neither the Taoist practitioner nor the one in front of him, but rather the tall figure behind him. As a Night-Wanderer Spirit, he immediately recognized this as a corpse. It wore loose sleeves and long pants, with silver rings wound around each wrist, cascading down both forearms. What profession this person held, he couldn’t yet tell. Then he turned his attention to the young man—pale and slender, lacking in masculine strength, dressed in black robes and black pants, with vine-bound leg guards on his calves. The slender youth looked toward him with a polite, composed smile. "Master Yuanshǐ Tianzūn, I have long admired your reputation! Every time I hear your name, I find myself instinctively recalling the phrase 'Master Sun is being careless,' as if it's been deeply ingrained in my mind." Laughter rippled through the audience. Master Sun turned his head, his expression cold and unyielding, sweeping a dispassionate gaze over his disciples behind him. The entire Taiguan Sect Your name is quite distinctive—it immediately brings to mind the Nine-Old-Man... Zhang Yuanqing shouted to the senior council: "Sun Senior, this young man says you're being foolish! Shall I go and give him a lesson?" The laughter around the hall grew even louder. This running gag has become widely known, circulating officially across various institutions—from the Five Elements Alliance to the Taiyuan Sect—where even those who regularly engage with online platforms are familiar with it. Hearing the young man himself teasing in such a manner now, the scene instantly takes on a more humorous and engaging tone. Sun Senior remained silent, his face darkened with displeasure. Red-Stream Senior turned to the Dog Senior, surprised: "This child is quite lively." She rarely sees someone so bold and unreserved in teasing the seniors—when the Moshan youth said it, he hadn't even dared to look back. As for the Prime Immortal, he simply stepped forward and addressed the old Sun directly. The Dog Senior chuckled, "That's because you haven't seen him bow down and pay homage immediately." On the stage, the Moshan practitioner remarked, "Indeed, you have no shadow body. The evaluation on the list states that your overall strength is strong, especially As for your own strength, it should largely depend on your equipment, right? "No, I never rely on equipment!" Zhang Yuanqing said firmly. "I rely on an unyielding will and an unwavering belief in victory." While they were speaking, the audience at the seats were also discussing. "Master Yuan Shi has no Yin尸, I heard. I've always thought that a night-wanderer without Yin尸 or spiritual attendants is incomplete." "Yes, just like a fire master without his fiery temperament, a wood spirit without healing abilities, or a scout without insight. Yin尸 and spiritual attendants are essential defensive tools for a night-wanderer." "Oh, now I understand why Master Yuan Shi ranks 11th among the top twenty. I thought the scholars were deliberately undermining him." "Then Master Yuan Shi has to face two opponents? In the match, the strongest moves or special equipment can't be used—now the situation looks unfavorable for us. Master Yuan Shi is our Five-Element Alliance's flagship. If he's defeated by the night-wanderers from Tai Monastery and rises to the top, it would be a major embarrassment." "It won't be a sure loss. Anyone who has cleared two S-rank battles, defeated a high-difficulty A-rank opponent, and even bested Li Xianzong—how could they lose so easily? Watch and see." ... At the area where the Taimei Sect was located, Yuan Ting sighed, "Xuan Shi has been a Spirit Realm traveler for too short a time and lacks depth. He probably doesn't even have a spiritual servant. At least, I haven't heard otherwise." Sun Miao Miao furrowed her brows, "He might not even be able to defeat the Maoshan Sect. Then how would I ever encounter him?" Without encountering him, how could I possibly defeat him to win Xiao Hong from my grandfather? At a slightly different position, Zhao Chenghuang spoke with a calm, composed tone, "Therefore, he ranks eleventh, while Maoshan ranks ninth." ... Bill Tarantino, who had entered the副本 as a friendly organization member to observe the arena matches, suddenly turned to look at his companion, Annie, and said, "I remember that the Demon King defeated a Level 6 Divine Punisher with sheer strength when he was at Level 5. Annie nodded. "Indeed, the Demon King had already formed a close alliance with Betty, yet remained deeply cautious toward the Goddess Association. No matter how Betty enticed him, he would neither leave the kingdom nor meet with the President. So the President sent Betty's former lover to confront the Demon King—claiming jealousy as a pretext, in reality aiming to force him back. The result? That inept man lost completely." Immediately shook his head, correcting: "I haven't regarded him as the Second Demon King. Rather, I see him as someone who could take the place of the Demon King—someone capable of being controlled and invested in by the Beauty Goddess Association. The President once mentioned that the Master of Taiguan Gate considered the current Demon King to be the most promising Night Wanderer in thirty years. A talent of such extraordinary caliber would not be matched again for decades." Mr. Bill smiled and said, "Then we'll be watching closely!" Fu Qingyang didn't respond. A woman with a ponytail beside him said, "Master Yuan Shi is quite handsome. Ling Jun always mentions him as being a 'colorless type'—I thought he was a rather shy young man." Nanjiu laughed, "Fixed notions—doesn't Ling Jun himself fit the description of a colorless type? Isn't he rather plain-looking?" The woman with the ponytail was Bai Hui's "The Phoenix Comes to Pay a Visit." She had a clean, elegant oval face, a warm olive complexion, and a neat, composed demeanor—like a well-trained female police officer. Ignoring Nanjiu, she turned to Fu Qingyang's striking side profile and said, "Master, Master Yuan Shi doesn't have a shadow body. The tournament imposes certain limitations on powerful cultivators. As a top-ranking member of Bai Hui's contingent, if he loses, it will be a setback for his debut." "He won't lose," Fu Qingyang said calmly. "Master Yuan Shi is someone who grows stronger when facing stronger opponents—the more powerful the adversary, the greater his potential unfolds. I actually hope the Miao Mountain cultivators can put some pressure on him." "How highly the Master rates the Prime Immortal? Feng Laiyi raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and patiently watched the scene unfold. Seven-郎, on the other hand, sighed with a touch of resentment, "You're so enthusiastic about him—now I'm feeling a bit under the weather..." ... On the field, Zhang Yuanqing rapidly formulated his strategy, drawing on the information gathered from Wang Tai's interrogation. I can't deploy the red ballet slippers and the yin-yang robe too early. If I exhaust my reserves against the Miao Shan sorcerer from the start, my subsequent battles will be targeted, making a championship victory nearly impossible. The Breaker Staff's anti-magic function can counter yin corpses—no, it can even kill them—but this artifact carries the power of the Sun God, making it too advanced. If used directly, it would be ruled a violation. After all, with so many second-generation spiritual practitioners in this tournament, if we don't impose such restrictions, the final outcome will simply come down to family connections. Right now, everyone assumes I have neither spiritual attendants nor yin corpses. This is an opportunity I can exploit—appearing weak to mislead the Miao Shan sorcerer, causing him to grow complacent. Then, by relying on less critical items, I'll gradually pressure him until he exhausts his techniques. At that point, I'll bring out "No. 1 of the Departed" and the little comic character, catching the Miao Shan sorcerer completely off guard. But the key point is that I have to rely on my limited props to withstand the full force of the other side's output. If I can't hold on and get "knocked out," then it's like trying to steal a chicken and ending up losing the grain instead. At that moment, the Covered-Armor Swordsman announced loudly, "Ten minutes—game starts!" "Wait a moment," Zhang Yuanqing turned to the slender young man, speaking with sincere earnestness, "Master Sun is signaling to you—seems like he has something to say." The Mountain-Deity Summoner was taken aback, recalling how he had just boldly teased Master Sun a moment ago, and now felt a sudden surge of alarm: "This rather timid elder... What on earth?" He quickly turned to look at Master Sun. Master Sun, seated at the elder's bench, erupted in fury: "You fool!" As soon as the words fell, the Mountain-Deity Summoner heard the sharp crack of gunfire. "Clang! Clang!" A tall figure swiftly stepped in front of the summoner, arms crossed, perfectly intercepting the trajectory of the bullets. The silver rings on the summoner's forearms burst into vivid sparks, sending a tremor The mountain-temple sorcerer suddenly turned around, a cold sweat beading on his back, glaring at Yuan Shi Tian Zun: "Baseless! Knowing you're at a disadvantage, you've simply lost your dignity and launched a surprise attack? To win, you can abandon your principles? If the shadow corpse hadn't been conscious and had actively saved the master, he would have failed right here. Under such widespread attention, with so many witnesses, how could Zhang Yuanqing let Yuan Shi Tian Zun smear his reputation? He stepped forward and spoke loudly: "In warfare, strategy lies in deception—fraud is an essential tactic. You're no stranger to such maneuvers yourself; why act so naïve and virtuous now? Your frustration stems solely from the fact that *you* were attacked, not that *you* initiated the attack. Oh, I forgot—your accusations are also part of your strategy, aiming to paint me as someone utterly lacking in dignity." While speaking, his hands remained active—constantly moving, adjusting his stance, pressing the trigger—while he donned the Observer's glasses to ensure each bullet struck its mark. A steady stream of fiery red trajectories poured toward the mountain-temple sorcerer and the shadow corpse. The Taoist from Mao Shan rolled on the ground and vanished. Thump! Thump! Thump! Bullets struck the ground, creating shallow craters. Zhang Yuanqing scanned the entire scene, searching for the Taoist's traces, and fired a shot in each direction—forward, backward, left, and right—to gauge the opponent's position. But all shots missed. The Taoist did not seize the opportunity to advance and strike. At that moment, the spectral corpse grasped his left wrist with his right hand and his right wrist with his left hand, then pulled sharply, causing the silver rings encircling both arms to fly off one by one. One silver ring remained on each of his left and right arms. "Whoosh!" Between the eighteen arm-rings, a powerful magnetic resonance seemed to hum, lifting them into the air and vibrating steadily. The spectral corpse then suddenly drove both fists forward, propelled by an invisible magnetic force, sending the eighteen silver rings crashing down upon Zhang Yuanqing in a sweeping wave, accompanied by sharp rushing sounds. Magnetic force? What kind of specialty is this? Zhang Yuanqing leapt with a spring, rolling to the side and then tumbling continuously This striking power was far greater than that of the explosive pistol. Zhang Yuanqing stopped rolling, rising just as his body straightened, when suddenly a sharp, gleaming short blade emerged from the air, striking steadily and swiftly toward his back. Zhang Yuanqing tossed the explosive pistol into the air, and by some unseen means, his hands now held two clenched fists. Without flinching or dodging, he brought the fists into contact with his chest. "Boom!" A dramatic explosion erupted, sending a violent surge of flame and air rushing outward in all directions. Behind Zhang Yuanqing, a pale, shimmering light screen instantly formed, acting like a solid wall, blocking the raging flames and gusts. As a distinguished practitioner of the Taiping Sect at the transcendent stage, the Miao Mountain master naturally possessed ample equipment—this protective mirror could both monitor movements within a hundred-meter radius and serve as a defensive barrier. The short blade penetrated smoothly through the back of Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun without obstruction. At that moment, many spectators in the audience felt their hearts lift with anticipation. The dramatic scene of splattering blood did not unfold. The short knife pierced Master Yuan Shi's heart, as though shattering the reflection in still water. This was merely a phantom image conjured by illusion. Zhang Yuanqing's true form stepped out of the night journey and appeared behind the Miao Shan master, just in time to catch the exploding pistol falling from his hands. He pressed the gun's muzzle against the master's back and pulled the trigger. *Bang, bang, bang...* A surge of flame erupted from the muzzle, yet he wildly emptied the magazine without a single shot landing. The crimson trajectory slicing through the Miao Shan master's body was also an illusion. I had acted too impulsively—shouldn't have emptied the magazine so quickly—but I couldn't help myself; the two fire specialist items had momentarily dulled my judgment. Seeing the surprise attack fail, Zhang Yuanqing swiftly retreated and reentered the night journey. At the same time, the Miao Shan master vanished. On the field, only the shadowed corpse remained, standing motionless. The brief encounter concluded, and the audience erupted in enthusiastic applause. "Brilliant!" "The Maoshan sorcerer and the Yin corpse worked well together, with a tight, seamless rhythm in their attacks—just moments ago, I thought Yuanshǐ Tianzūn was done for." "Did you see that? The way Yuanshǐ Tianzūn threw his hand gun—was it a deliberate move setting up a surprise attack, or was it accidental? If it was intentional, how did he anticipate that the flame explosion wouldn't affect the Maoshan sorcerer?" "The star player's battles are truly special—under constant pressure, everything comes down to the details. Absolutely thrilling." Among the audience, the number of transcendents—beings at the extraordinary stage—was the largest. While the Saint-level and Elder-level observers saw their duel as merely average, these transcendents considered it a high-level match. After a long period of stillness, the relatively inexperienced Zhang Yuanqing was the first to step out of the night journey. Almost simultaneously, the Yin corpse swept his arms, causing the arm-rings in the hollowed-out area to vibrate and rise into the air, then collide with one another mid-flight to form a long, interlocking whip that swept across Zhang Yuanqing's torso. The roar surged toward him, and Zhang Yuanqing gripped the ground with both feet, arching his upper body with remarkable flexibility, forming a solid bridge position to evade the sweeping lasso. Well done—armor breached. Step one complete. Ah, painful! Good thing that blade wasn't a tool of the enchanting spirit... Zhang Yuanqing clutched his blood-soaked abdomen, staggering backward. This wasn't reckless. He had already obtained detailed profiles of the top ten contenders from Wang Tai. Mountain Sect practitioners typically didn't wield blades with a blood-thirsty nature. Thus, he dared to sacrifice his own strength in defense—his blood-thirsty blade didn't disappoint, striking precisely at energy-based barriers. A wave of murmurs rose from the audience. In the second round of combat, it was clearly the Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn who had suffered setbacks—significant ones. Night-Wanderer, with his exceptional self-repairing abilities, was the exception; had it been a Fire Master, a Scout, or a Water Spirit, this single strike would have decided the match outright. The ranking list truly holds weight—the Mountain Sect practitioners are indeed stronger than Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn. "Ah—ah—!" A piercing cry rang out as the Shadow Corpse whipped its "long whip," swinging it to strike directly. Thud...thud...thud... Zhang Yuanqing rolled, leaped, or darted, narrowly evading attacks—several times almost struck by them—and the audience on the bench held their breath in suspense. Zhang Yuanqing wasn't acting—he was genuinely in distress. While dodging assaults from the yin corpses, he had to remain vigilant against ambushes from the Moshan sorcerers, much like walking a tightrope; a single strike and he'd be halfway through. The Moshan sorcerers' tactics reminded me of how I had handled Ou Xiangrong—acting as an ineffective host while the yin corpses faced the main threat. Now, I'm already injured. If this continued, I'd inevitably be struck by the corpses or, due to declining stamina, outmaneuvered by the sorcerers. Therefore, the correct strategy was to launch attacks directly on the yin corpses, and the sorcerers would surely anticipate this. Hence, their delayed appearances were likely due to them waiting for me at the yin corpses' location. Zhang Yuanqing side-rolled, avoiding the downward lash of the long whip, and activated the Night-Wanderer technique to become invisible. With the Blood-Drinking Circling to the front from the side, he grasped the Blood-Drinking Blade in reverse and powerfully struck it against the undead's neck—during his initial gunfire test, he had already confirmed this undead was not a defensive type. Moreover, the arm rings on its body suggested it was not a close-range combatant. With the sharpness of the Blood-Drinking Blade, this single strike should have severed its head. "Pop!" As the blade swept across the undead's neck, a deep, resonant sound echoed—like the blade cleaving through flowing water. The undead's head transformed into a clear, transparent water sphere, now immune to all physical attacks. A water spirit? Indeed, this was the corpse of a water spirit. Zhang Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly, instinctively clenching his fists to activate the "Fury Punch" skill, aiming to vaporize the water sphere. This was the most effective method against a water spirit. Wheeeewww... Suddenly, a gust of mournful wind swept across the arena, accompanied by a piercing wail of sorrow. A mourning staff, wrapped in white paper and extending from the diagonal rear, struck hard against Zhang Yuan's back. Thw His body suddenly went rigid, his face pale as paper, as if his spiritual essence had been torn apart. Blood welled up from his eyes, nostrils, and ears. A pain he had never before endured. For the first time in his life, he had suffered a severe blow at the spiritual level. This mournful staff struck his physical body, yet wounded his soul. On the other side, the shadow corpse, attacked and retreating swiftly toward the edge of the arena, violently shook its hands, causing its long whip to shatter into individual silver rings that encircled Zhang Yuanqing and floated behind and to either side of him. "Hum... hum..." These silver rings resonated with one another, sensing and responding to each other, forming an invisible magnetic prison that tightly bound Zhang Yuanqing, completely preventing him from employing his night-wandering abilities. "You're defeated!" A slender, pale youth stepped forward, decisively launching a second attack. Cheers erupted on the stands. Many spectators, especially those from the Five Elements Alliance, voiced their outrage—emotionally charged, as if they had just lost a crucial match. Guan Ya, Xie Lingxi, Bill, Anne, the numerous star contestants, as well as Yuan Shi Tian Zun's friends and foes, all displayed distinct expressions—disappointment, anxiety, scorn, quiet satisfaction. As the mountain sect master drew out his mourning staff, he glanced at Yuan Shi Tian Zun trapped in the cage and smiled with a touch of unusual warmth: "Step two is complete." The very next moment, one by one, the arm-rings clinked to the ground, losing their power. Zhang Yuanqing, just barely escaping the brink, entered the Night Journey at the last moment, evading the blows of the mourning staff. What was going on? The mountain sect master felt his heart sink, entering the Night Journey himself to avoid potential attacks, while turning to gaze at the shadow corpse. There, on the shadow corpse's head, rested a round, endearing infant spirit with sparse downy hair. It seemed the shadow corpse had been manipulated, now motionless. On the Taimei grounds, Sun Miao Miao suddenly sat up, fixing her gaze steadily on the round, charming infant spirit, her breathing suddenly quickening. He has a spiritual attendant? The Miao Mountain sorcerer was both astonished and furious. Indeed, Miao Mountain sorcerers also possess spiritual attendants—but when facing the Night-Wanderer God, summoning such attendants is merely like serving a meal. The Night-Wanderer God's ability to consume spiritual essence neutralizes all forms of spiritual beings. For this very reason, both parties have mutually agreed not to use the skill known as "spiritual journey." At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing appeared beside the shadow corpse and placed a black mask engraved with a white skull over its face. The fierce light in the corpse's eyes dimmed and faded, as if a machine had been powered down and ceased operation—then it collapsed to the ground. The Miao Mountain sorcerer's face turned pale, quickly calming himself and continuously communicating with the imprints within his mind. Yet no matter how hard he tried to activate the corpse, it showed no response. It had been sealed! He must remove that mask—steadying his composure, the sorcerer swiftly approached the shadow corpse while the Night-Wanderer's time of influence still held. Zhang Yuanqing held his fists firmly and gently pressed them against his chest. "Boom!" A violent surge of wind At this moment, the buildup of the penetrating attack proved effective. The Taoist practitioner without a protective heart shield was thrown back by the shockwave of the explosion, his face blackened and staggering backward. Step three... Zhang Yuanqing silently recited in his mind. "Watch your back!" someone shouted from the Tai Mon field. The Taoist practitioner suddenly started, turning around to see a swift, silhouetted figure approaching silently. Crack! The attacker snapped his elbow, extending his right arm like a spear and suddenly thrusting forward. Is there a teammate? Has the Five Elements Alliance abandoned its traditions? No—this is a Yin corpse! The Taoist practitioner, too stunned to be surprised, leaned sideways to avoid the straight punch, narrowly escaping it. Ddndd... His center of gravity, like liquid mercury, continuously adjusted as he moved, demonstrating a balance far beyond that of a night-wanderer, and he remained upright without falling. The vine-bound leg guards wrapped around his lower legs were a specialty item of the Wood Spirit class, granting the wearer exceptional balance, particularly adept at climbing, dodging, and walking on tightropes. In battle, this powerful sense of balance is crucial. Thwack, thwack, thwack—Wan Shi No. 1 stared with fierce intensity, launching a relentless assault of fists and feet, driving the Moshan shaman back step by step, unable to keep up. Is this a Fire Master? Or a spirit-hypnotizing demon? The shaman felt a sudden surge of alarm. His composure had begun to falter—he had gone from the lead to being outmatched, and the shift had been too abrupt to accept at first. But what truly dampened his spirits was Yuan Shi Tian Zun's strategy. Despite having spiritual attendants and shadow spirits at his disposal, he deliberately held back, feigning weakness to paralyze the shaman, first weakening his defenses, then secretly directing his attendants to strike while sealing off the shadow spirits—every move calculated and deliberate. The shaman now clearly sensed the gap between himself and Yuan Shi Tian Zun. Calm. Calm. Steady his mind. Only by unlocking the seal on the shadow spirits could he hope to turn the tide. Drawing upon his strong sense of balance, he staggered backward, simultaneously channeling the power of the Yin Deity to His reason rapidly unraveled, and instinctive feelings of frustration and rage took over, driving him relentlessly toward the shadowy corpse, determined to tear it to pieces—the obstacle standing in his way to victory. Step four: accomplished. Zhang Yuanqing held a straw figure firmly in his hands, gazing calmly at the now-unstable, rational mountain-sovereign. The straw figure was the crucial turning point, the very purpose being to make the mountain-sovereign "give up" the night-wanderer ritual. A night-wanderer who was absolutely resolute in his resistance and intent to prolong the battle—no one could possibly counter that. Only by making the mountain-sovereign lose his composure could No. One the Fallen secure a swift and decisive advantage. Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Each punch landed heavier than the last, delivered with relentless speed and force by No. One the Fallen. How could a night-wanderer of level three possibly triumph in a physical confrontation against a spirit that enchanted and bewitched? The mountain-sovereign stumbled backward, his teeth falling out, his nasal bones shattered, his ribs cracked and splintered. Yet, once driven mad, he only clen Seeing this, the armored swordsman rose and declared loudly: "The battle is over—Master Yuanshǐ Tianzun has won!" Zhang Yuanqing snapped his fingers, and Unit One, having knocked over the Shamao sect practitioner, planted one foot firmly on his chest, standing upright in the center of the arena. Zhang Yuanqing turned toward the Taiyuan Gate direction and declared: "Who just spoke up earlier? Does the Taiyuan Gate truly not wish to win?"