Zhang Yuanqing lifted his hand and gently pressed! A mighty gravity surged down, overwhelming the mountain spirits' forces. The weaker, more delicate illusionists, their legs giving way, collapsed to the ground. Sage-level? No—nearly Sage-level. He possessed such powerful equipment, combined with the set granted by the Five Elements Alliance… The mountain spirits' travelers felt a growing sense of unease, finding themselves pressed. From the initial assault by the music-illiterate, to the Master of Origins returning and using illusion to secure the rewards from the Moving Forest, to his decisive killing of the music-illiterate, demonstrating strength comparable to a weak 4th-tier rank—within just a few minutes, he had single-handedly closed the gap, transforming what should have been a decisive advantage into a state of mutual vigilance. Ai Yi unfurled his wing, the steady hum of vibration generating a strong gust of wind, and charged first toward the simple, ancient mountain temple. Zhang Yuanqing turned to the swiftly flying youth, then firmly pressed his palms downward, dissolving the gravity that had been pressing upon the others and transferring it entirely to Ai Yi. Such immense power should have directly pulled the young man from the sky, yet A- one swept straight toward the stone temple, unaffected at all. Mid-phase illusion! Zhang Yuanqing instantly realized. Among the three evil professions, illusionists are notably underdeveloped at the transcendent level. They excel in mental control and mental assaults, from which emerge techniques such as creating illusions and manipulating emotions. Yet their physical strength is frail—often outmatched even by scouts in close combat. Their strengths are profound, their weaknesses equally pronounced. While Zhang Yuanqing was under the influence of the illusion, Guan Ya at the temple's entrance raised her gun, aiming precisely at A-. The young gushee soaring upward suddenly arched his neck, straightening like a fighter jet. He had anticipated Guan Ya's shot. Thwack! Guan Ya slightly adjusted her aim, and a brief flame erupted from the dark barrel, the rapidly spinning projectile "popping" through A-'s chest, tearing through his tough chitinous armor and creating a clear, open wound from front to back. Kuan had anticipated his anticipation—the earlier aiming was merely a feint, designed to force him into a dodging motion. Ai1 fell from the sky, his amber pupils glowing with cold resolve, his somewhat unattractive, insect-like face expressionless. The chitinous layer covering his body began to "melt," transforming into a worm-like, segmented gelatinous skin. This soft yet resilient gelatinous skin surged and writhed wildly, instantly repairing his life-threatening wounds. Ai1 ranked at the pinnacle of the Five Elements Alliance's wanted list not only for his lack of moral compass—acting like a wild beast, cruel and relentless—but also for his innate synergy with the gū technique, a rare and formidable talent. Most extraordinary beings at the transcendent realm typically fuse only one gū at a time, gaining a single ability—such as strength, speed, or healing. Yet Ai1 could simultaneously house three gūs without compromising his genetic integrity. Furthermore, his integration with the gūs was exceptionally deep, as if he had truly become one with them, making his combat prowess significantly stronger than that of peers at his level. "Hush-hush-hush..." Amid the rushing sound of the water, a great river surged into being on the open space at the mountain's summit, the latent power of the hidden sovereign now unleashed, surging toward Guan Ya. No bullet, no matter how powerful, could reach him. Zhang Yuanqing continuously lifted successive earth walls with his right hand, blocking the enemy's advance, while with his left hand he raised river stones, shattering them with the power of the Mountain God, then swiftly waved his arm, sending countless fragments like a downpour or arrows sweeping across the enemy forces on all sides. His attacks successfully repelled most of the enemies, though two agile spirits of persuasion managed to break through the dense defenses and charged straight toward the temple gate—Bai Wu Jian Bi and Tian Xia Jie Bai. The former ranked fifth on the wanted list, the latter second among the independent practitioners, just behind Wei Wo Du Zun. "Thud!" Guan Ya didn't glance or hesitate, swinging her long gun forward to the left and ahead, firing a shot that struck precisely at Bai Wu Jian Bi's next step, creating a shallow crater about the size of a fist. Had it not been for the spirit's remarkable reflexes and body coordination, who managed to absorb the momentum and roll sideways, the crater would have landed squarely on him. …...Hundred and nothing barred, his heart now pounding with awe—he finally realized that this woman, seemingly just a vase of mixed heritage, possessed both refined insight and exceptional marksmanship. At that moment, Tian Xia Jia Bai, holding a military sword, surged forward with swift momentum, like a agile tiger leaping over stone steps to strike the mixed-blood beauty at the temple gate. Guan Ya gripped the barrel of her rifle tightly, twisted her waist slightly, and swung it with the fluid motion of a golf club, delivering a long-range shot from her rifle. Thud! Tian Xia Jia Bai, mid-air, was sent crashing back down to the steps. Guan Ya turned away from him, withdrawing her rifle and placing it back in her inventory, then stepped left with a bow stance, delivering a graceful punch that cracked like a spear thrust straight ahead. The tip of the rifle struck precisely at Bai Wu Wujin’s crossed arms. The man’s arm bones ached violently, and he stumbled backward, stepping in retreat. This was one of the few moments in his life that he had ever felt truly humbled—this beautiful mixed-blood woman, a true mother tiger, attacked with relentless fury, her strikes as swift as Her combat skills were exceptional—she could use any hard part of her body—her hands, feet, elbows, knees, or head—as a weapon, all coordinated seamlessly and able to combine into a variety of fluid sequences. Combined with her armor, her defensive strength was formidable, even withstanding the armor-piercing weapons of the seductive, enchanting spirits. The gravity bestowed upon them by Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun further weakened the combat power of the evil-aligned professions. Bai Wu Jinian felt the ever-present gravity affecting him at every moment. As he opened the map, the green cursor representing the Shanshen faction was drawing closer to the summit—within at most fifteen minutes, it would reach the Shanshen Temple. "He instantly expanded in size, transforming into a monster towering three meters high, his body covered in shield-shaped keratin plates, with rigid spines projecting from his back, elbows, knees, and finger bones. His hind wings retracted inward. This was the ultimate form he could achieve—his strength and defense reaching the pinnacle of the extraordinary realm. The two-meter-tall giant advanced steadily, his steps heavy and resolute, moving through the rumbling earthquakes toward the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign. Zhang Yuanqing quickly retreated, and stones around him defied gravity, lifting and adhering to his body. Countless stones, both large and small, gathered upon him. In moments, he too became a stone giant exceeding three meters in height. The two giants simultaneously launched straight punches. With a thunderous 'crash,' the fists collided, generating a powerful shockwave that sent up a dust storm." The crack of A Yi's right scapula echoed as he stumbled backward, uncontrolled, each footfall leaving deep impressions in the ground until he finally tumbled into the dense forest behind, crushing a wide expanse of sturdy trees. His right arm hung limply, instantly transforming—his skin became gelatinous, segmented like earthworms, activating its self-healing ability. Meanwhile, the stone giant's right arm suffered large chunks of stone crumbling away, losing its fist. Yet, stones continuously rose from around him, filling the gaps and repairing the fist, quickly restoring it to its original state. "Gurgle—gurgle~" just as Zhang Yuanqing had finished mending his "armor," a deep, resonant frog call rang out. He saw Lingshao, half-collapsed on the ground, his skin raised with brown granules, his golden eyes bulging outward, his mouth long and broad, now transformed into a grotesque, large frog. Suddenly, the frog's abdomen swelled, then its cheeks inflated, and in the next instant, a thick, foul-smelling, tangy yellow liquid surged forth like a fountain. The three illusionary masters—Little Fat Boy, I, My Fate, Not Heaven’s—saw their eyes fill with vortex-like collapses, their intangible, formless ki forces striking the stone giant one after another, inducing dizziness, headaches, and other negative effects. Though the illusions seemed ineffective against the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, the psychological assault still proved potent. "Hiss… hiss…" White vapor rose from the stone giant’s surface, eroding the stone into varying depths, gradually thinning its layers. Immediately afterward, three firemasters stepped forward, raised their arms, and summoned a towering flame whirlwind two meters high before them. The surrounding temperature surged sharply, transforming the cool mountain breeze into a scorching gust of fire. The flames drew in oxygen, rising rapidly until they reached five meters—then, seemingly reaching their limit—the three firemasters strained to push the whirlwind forward, directing it toward the stone giant. Simultaneously, two wood spirits activated their presence, pressing their palms into the ground and summoning thick, sturdy tree roots that wrapped around the giant’s ankles. Boom! Boom! Boom! The ground continuously rose terraces of earth, blocking the advancing whirlwind of fire. Outpost officer Jiu Lou Yu held dual swords and sprinted swiftly, his movements agile, his sword strokes intersecting and cleaving through one wall after another, clearing obstacles for the fire whirlwind. "Whoa!" The fire whirlwind smoothly enveloped the clumsy stone giant, its intense heat rapidly staining the giant's surface with a glaring brightness as stone melted and molten streams dripped with a soft *plink*. Seizing the opportunity, Wuyu alone raised the Water God Seal, summoning a flowing river of water laced with silt, which surged into turbid waves and struck the red stone giant with force. Sizzling... a column of white vapor rose as water violently evaporated. At this moment, A-I had already repaired his right arm and charged forward like a strong, sturdy rugby player—bulky and powerful—toward the now-reduced stone giant, only two meters tall, delivering a solid punch. "Crack... splash..." After alternating between cold and hot, the dark, brittle stones collapsed instantly. As fragments of stone rained down, a figure was thrown backward, rolling and bouncing like a sphere before crashing into the stone temple behind. The entire temple trembled. Only then does it meet the task's requirements. If it's true, then Kou Beiyue would have immediately slaughtered all his subordinates the very moment he received the staff. If his guess is wrong, he would simply take the staff and flee. "Phooor!" Zhang Yuanqing spat out a mouthful of blood, gritting his teeth and cursing, "Painful! You lot are nothing but dogs!" He reached into his inventory and pulled out a black robe embroidered with waves, flames, and bearing the yin-yang symbols. He shook it vigorously toward the sky. The robe unfurled in midair, and the Taiji fish on its back emerged, rotating like a grinding stone—yang fish spewing out blazing flames, yin fish releasing ethereal water. The water and fire fell to the ground, swiftly moving and coalescing into a water-fire Taiji fish, spanning a radius of thirty meters. At this moment, the fastest of them—Bai Wu Jixun, A Yi, and the others—had already surged into the mountain temple, less than ten meters from the statue holding the staff. Yet, as the yin-yang array solidified, an invisible barrier formed, blocking their path and Only Guan Ya who entered the Mountain God Temple early, standing beside the statue and detached from the scene, could remain unshaken. "What kind of tactic is this..." "Damn it! We can't break through the barrier—everyone, think quickly!" As the crowd stood in astonishment and fury, two terracotta figures rose from the Water and Fire arrays. The features of these terracotta figures were identical to those of Yuan Shi Tian Zun. The terracotta figure in the water array surveyed the trapped mountain spirits and their allies, coldly remarking, "Here comes the second act!" The terracotta figure in the fire array laughed loudly and boastfully, "Pathetic ones, get ready to tremble beneath my thighs!"