Zhang Yuanqing’s mind exploded—like a hand grenade detonating inside, shattering his soul into fragments and pulverizing his consciousness into dust, leaving only a blank void. A constant ringing echoed in his ears. He didn’t know how long he had been lying there until Guan Ya’s increasingly urgent calls finally woke him. “Yuan Shi, what’s wrong?” “You weren’t at Fu Qingyang’s villa, were you? How did you suddenly have images of the Magi King? What’s happening? Do you need me to come over?” As a scout, Guan Ya had keenly sensed something was off in Yuan Shi’s prolonged silence. Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, striving to keep his voice steady, saying, “No worries, Guan Ya, thank you for coming. I’ve got something else to attend to—I’ll hang up now!” He immediately hung up the phone, and at that very moment, as he pressed the end call button, he felt utterly drained, collapsing into the chair back, gasping for breath. Damn! The Magi King hasn’t died—he’s still alive! Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! If the Magi King is still alive, then what Will there be any risks associated with my role card? How did the Mage King happen to appear that evening and take the little sun from the Fallen Holy Cup? The Mage King didn’t kill me that night—he clearly knows I am the holder of his role card. Why didn’t he kill me? Does he have another purpose? Does Brother Bing know the Mage King is still alive? No…wasn’t it Brother Bing who sent me the role card that day?! A cascade of thoughts and questions rose up like bubbles, dense and disordered, leaving my mind unable to settle. The Mage King’s appearance has instilled deep fear in Zhang Yuanqing—this fear has overwhelmed his rationality, prompting him to rise and walk toward the door. ——Report to the organization: inform the Five Elements Alliance that the Mage King is still alive, even if it means revealing my identity as the heir of the Mage King’s lineage! At that moment, the Elvis speaker placed on the bedside table suddenly emitted a crackling electrical noise, followed by a deep, almost strained voice, as if suppressing some pain: "Any spiritual traveler can only be freed from the character card's binding through death. Even the five Grand Masters of the Five Elements Alliance, the supreme leaders of the evil organization, are no exception..." Zhang Yuanqing, who had already grasped the door handle, instantly went rigid. It was the voice of Master Wuhen. He recalled their conversation—when the mysterious figure had taken away the 'Little Sun'—and had once doubted whether the figure might be the Demon King, which had caused him deep concern. The next day, he had rushed to Wuhen Hotel in Jinshan City to inquire of Master Wuhen, the one in charge. The answer he received was exactly what the Elvis speaker had just played. Ah, yes—I distinctly confirmed it myself—the Demon King has already passed away... Zhang Yuanqing took several deep breaths, steadying his emotions slightly, and then released the door handle, returning to his chair by the table. Pausing, pondering... "The Master of Taiyuan Gate stated that the Demon King has already passed away! That very powerful Night-Wanderer, indeed, surpasses even the five Marshals in strength. Moreover, Yin Ji mentioned that the Master specializes in the Star Official arts and is said to know everything. Could such a being make a misjudgment? Clearly not. And the Demon King has strong connections with many prominent figures—the President of the Beauty Goddess Association, the White Tiger Marshal of the Five Elements Alliance. If the Demon King possesses the ability to conceal himself from even these esteemed associates, then there would be no need to feign death—such a scenario would be illogical." Secondly, the demon king had once visited Jinshui Theme Park—how could the ghost bride not recognize him? Immediately, she lightly exhaled her yin energy, and the pale black qi swirled gently, coalescing into a delicate figure dressed in a bridal gown, veiled in red. Partly beautiful, partly eerie. "My lady," Zhang Yuancheng glanced at the portrait on the table, "I suddenly recall something I haven't asked yet. Do you recognize this person?" The ghost bride stood motionless, like a lingering spirit—indeed, she was one from the start. With a soft, slightly ethereal voice, she replied, "My lord, I do not recognize this person." Unfamiliar... Zhang Yuancheng furrowed his brows initially, then suddenly remembered that Jinshui Theme Park had not originally been an S-tier dungeon; it only became one due to the influence of the Three Mountain Lady. In the earlier version, the冥 wedding was not a mandatory attraction. The magical lord and the soldier likely never experienced a ghost wedding, or perhaps the ghost bride was merely a low-level spirit with limited spiritual awareness—she might have seen it, but certainly wouldn’t remember it. As it happens, I’ve taken the ghost bride with me. The difficulty level of Jinshui Water Park might now be downgraded to A-grade. Well, who cares? Zhang Yuanqing said, “I understand now. Thank you, my lady.” At that moment, light footsteps passed by the door, gradually fading into the distance. It must be one of the rabbit maids passing by. Suddenly, a joyful voice from beneath the red veil came forth: “There are so many young women here. Which one does my lord prefer? I can take on their form and join you in the marital bed.” Though the spirit realm originally set her as a bride-to-be, eager to choose a husband, the ghost bride herself is a spirit without a physical body. Ah—Zhang Yuanqing realized then that there were so many ways to use the ghost bride. Marrying a ghost meant marrying countless beautiful women! He cleared his throat. “Having my lady by my side is more than enough for me.” Hastily swallowed the ghost bride whole. With this little incident, Zhang Yuanqing felt calmer and his thoughts became sharper. "If the mysterious figure isn't actually the Demon King, then why is he pretending to be one? It's certainly not for the benefit of Black Unseen, since there's no need to perform for the dead. "Suppose the mysterious figure senses the ghost bride's observation—then he's acting for her sake. But what's his purpose? Does he wish to convey a message through her, to me? "Yet he couldn't possibly have anticipated that I would return to Jinshui Theme Park, nor that I would eventually tame the ghost bride... Wait—since he can so convincingly mimic the Demon King's appearance, he must have a deep understanding of the Demon King. Does that mean he also anticipated that I would, at some future point, receive the Jade Scroll of Transmission?" His thoughts were growing clearer, yet all his questions ultimately returned to the very beginning: What is the mysterious figure's true motivation for impersonating the Demon King? And why did he deliberately reveal himself to the ghost bride? Rather than initially being puzzled about who the mysterious figure was, now the uncertainty has simply shifted from one question to another, making no real progress toward uncovering the truth. "At least there's a direction now—the final answer unfolds gradually as we gather more clues. Instead of focusing on the mysterious figure's intentions, I need to decide right now: whether to keep the matter quiet, assuming nothing happens, or to come clean to the organization and seek protection. Perhaps the Five Elements Circle will provide the answer." After a moment of thoughtful consideration, Zhang Yuanqing weighed the pros and cons and chose to keep the matter hidden. Because no matter what plans the mysterious figure might have or what his intentions, he has not yet demonstrated any immediate pressure or crisis. Once the identity of the Magus's heir is revealed, the powerful figures and influential individuals already known to him alone would no longer be within the reach of even the senior elders' protection. Setting aside all the surrounding uncertainties and focusing squarely on the core issue of "risk," any reasonable person would naturally choose the former option. … The Seamless Inn. At 4:30 PM, after the peak period for delivery services, Kou Beiyue finally found time to return to the inn. He pushed open the glass door and stood by the air vent at the entrance, enjoying the convenience of human high-tech innovation. Then, with a satisfied sigh, he walked toward the front desk and said, “Xiao Yuan, I’ve just obtained an important piece of information.” Xiao Yuan kept her eyes on her phone, barely lifting her head, and gave a perfunctory “Hmm.” Kou Beiyue was dissatisfied, tapping the marble desk with an impatient gesture and exclaimed, “It’s truly important.” Xiao Yuan replied with another “Hmm.” “Is it that the Primordial Sovereign has just emerged from the realm? Or that the quest progress has caused a dispute between the Taiyuan Sect and the Five Elements Alliance? Or that the Mage-Eye King has gone missing? Or that the evil class has been killing people somewhere?” “You—you’re all old news,” he said, “My information is brand new.” "Kou Beiyue stared, saying, 'I've learned that the evil organization is holding a summit in Jiangnan Province, planning to discuss how to assassinate the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign—he's in serious danger now.' Xiao Yuan looked at him with a look of 'I knew it all along,' put down her phone, and gave him a serious gaze: 'Has the evil organization never held a summit? Hasn't it always targeted the official prodigies?' '...' Kou Beiyue paused, slightly taken aback, and said, 'Alright, I won't argue with you anymore. I've already arranged with the "blood-stained bun" to attend the summit in Jiangnan Province under the pretext of joining a killing quest.' Xiao Yuan, who had been coldly composed, suddenly widened her eyes and said firmly, 'You're actually going to attend the summit!' Seeing Xiao Yuan's expression turn serious, Kou Beiyue's confidence wavered, and he asked weakly, 'Yes, yes... Is there any issue? Please rest assured—I definitely won't join the killing quest. I'm only going to pretend to do so in order to gather intelligence at the summit.' "Xiao Yuan laughed coldly: "You're the most intelligent—yet the senior leaders of the Ling Neng Sect, the Bing Zhuang Sect, and the Void Sect are all fools. I'm a fool too, and how could I have produced someone so dull as you?" Kou Beiyue was unconvinced, but dared not argue with Xiao Yuan, whom she regarded as her elder sister's mother. Xiao Yuan's expression grew serious: "The Summit isn't open to everyone. It requires recommendations from the three major organizations, and upon entry, there are further trials. You're well-acquainted with Yuan Shishen, and you've studied under Master Wuhen—so you're not aligned with them. 'Once your identity is revealed, you'll surely perish!' Kou Beiyue's face instantly changed, stammering: "There are other trials too—yet the 'human-blood buns' never mentioned these to me." Xiao Yuan sneered: "Indeed, why didn't the human-blood buns tell you?" Seeing that Kou Beiyue still didn't grasp the point, Xiao Yuan raised her voice with the patient, slightly exasperated tone of a mother guiding her child through homework: "He's testing you— "Kou Beiyue understood immediately and said, 'Then, then I won't go.' 'They'll already suspect something's off with you just from the blood buns. At the very least, they'll question you. From now on, you should cut ties with him—no more deliveries.' Xiao Yuan said. Kou Beiyue nodded, but still with a sense of reluctance, adding, 'I heard that the high-ranking members of the evil organization have issued a final order: either Fu Qingyang or Yuan Shishen must die. I originally planned to stay inside and find out what their plans were...' Xiao Yuan's expression changed, and she corrected herself, 'If you really insist on attending the summit, there's still a way.' Kou Beiyue was delighted and asked, 'What way?' 'Seek out Master Wuhen. He can help you pass the tests set by the evil organization. When I was at the transcendental realm, I attended the summit once—Wuhen assisted me then, which is how I learned about the entry procedures and the tests.' Xiao Yuan said, then left the counter and walked toward the deeper parts of the hotel. 'Wait!' "Kou Beiyue stared at her with suspicion: 'Why do you immediately change your mind the moment I say that either Yuanshiben Tianzun or Fu Qingyang must die? Are you afraid I might meet danger?' 'No one would doubt you—a fool like you is secretly working for someone else,' Xiao Yuan replied calmly. 'I'm not lying!' Kou Beiyue snapped angrily. 'It's because of Yuanshiben Tianzun, isn't it? Does that mean, in your eyes, I'm not as important as Yuanshiben Tianzun? Xiao Yuan, I've always considered you the most important person in my life. Yet you only think about Yuanshiben Tianzun.' She swallowed the word 'sister'. 'It's not true.' 'It is true.' 'It's not true.' ... Seven thirty in the evening. After dinner, Zhang Yuancheng went to his computer. The screen was on, displaying the official internal meeting software interface. Zhang Yuancheng entered his ID and password for 'Yuanshiben Tianzun' smoothly and clicked to log in. Upon successful login, the interface instantly transformed, adopting a layout similar to an online classroom, like a miniature view of a large lecture At the front is the "platform," below which are individual avatars paired with their Lingjing IDs. Yuan Shang Tianzun is in the first row, first position, next to him is Zhao Chenghuang, and then beside him is Sun Miao Miao. Among the others, he also spots familiar faces such as Tianxia Guihuo, Jiang Jingwei, Yuan Ting, Maoshan Shu Shi, and Guo He Zu. In total, there are thirty-eight participants. Notably, Qing Songzi has been detained by the Wu Xing Alliance due to his collaboration with Zhu Rong in secretly undermining Yuan Shang Tianzun, thus missing out on the killing quest. At this moment, the elders on the platform have not yet logged in, and all members are in a silent state. In the chat windows below, a message appears: 【Jiang Jingwei: Yuan Shang Tianzun has arrived! Let's switch positions—I'd like to take the first spot.】 【The Boy Who Sold Matches: Welcome, Yuan Shang Tianzun! Long live the Elder!】 【Peony Immortal: Yuan Shang Tianzun, once we enter the killing quest, I'll follow you closely 】 【White Tiger Everlasting: The Heavenly Sovereign has arrived. Well, I'm ready—once we enter the slaughtering instance, I'll stand by the Sovereign through thick and thin.】 【Jiang Jingwei: You all type so quickly, you're erasing my words every time.