Do you expect Yuan Ting to keep your secrets? Indeed, he's a sincere person... The five others in the hall exchanged a quiet murmur. As for Yuan Ting himself, he puffed out his chest, firmly declaring, "I'll absolutely keep your secrets—after all, we're not exactly the gossip-driven sort." Sun Miao Miao held the little cutie, gently massaging its head while rolling her eyes. "Who else would be the gossip? If it weren't for your promise of integrity, I'd never have told you a word about the behind-the-scenes secrets! As for Zhang Yuanqing, the sincere one, he asked, "Didn't I promise you several secrets?" Yuan Ting didn't hesitate—he simply said, "My first secret: the women who once were lovers of the Demon King, now holding high positions." His words came swiftly and instinctively, without thought, a reflection of the countless times he'd pondered these very questions in the quiet hours of the night over the past week. Zhang Yuanqing, a straightforward man, replied, "Yin Ji from Taiyuan Gate, Zhu Rong from the Zhu Family, Betty from the Beauty Goddess Association, and then there's a pair of wood-element fairy mother and daughter from the Five Elements Alliance—her mother is at the steward level. It's said that upon learning her daughter had been involved with the Demon King, the mother even pursued and chased him. I've forgotten their spiritual realm IDs, though—I only remember these names." Guan Ya and Sun Miao Miao, naturally drawn to such gossip by their innate female instincts, were instantly brightened upon hearing that the mother-daughter pair had both become lovers of the Demon King. They unconsciously began searching their minds for the corresponding figures. The others—Tianxu, Zhao Chenghuang, and the Miao Mountain sorcerer—appeared rather indifferent. First, they had no interest in how many women the Demon King had slept with. Second, the women mentioned by Yuan Shang were either foreign-based, thus distant, or already well-known to them. In Zhang Yuanqing's mind, a supercomputer rapidly processing information, his memory instantly scanning for the relevant details. Suddenly, Yuan Ting was jolted, his expression frozen, exclaiming, "Whoa, it's them! It's really them..." The undead knights on duty at the temple gate and Guan Zhongkui, hearing the commotion, assumed something had happened and looked at him with alertness. Seeing Yuan Ting's reaction, Tianxia Guihuo and Zhao Chenguang, who had been initially indifferent, turned to him with interest. Guan Ya and Sun Miao miao quickly asked, "Who? Do you know?" Yuan Ting nodded firmly, then hesitated, saying, "This matter is quite confidential, involving people of no ordinary standing. I promised not to reveal it. I'll tell you what I know—just don't let anyone else hear." Everyone silently waited for Yuan Ting to finish, then nodded seriously. Yuan Ting finally felt at ease and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the mother-and-daughter pair in question are the youngest daughter and granddaughter of the Grand Elder of the Hundred Blossom Assembly. Last year, I heard from a friend at the Hundred Blossom Assembly that the Grand Elder unexpectedly revoked the young daughter's position as a steward and imprisoned both the young daughter and her granddaughter. "Few people are aware of this, and even fewer know the reason. I've invested considerable effort to piece together just fragments of the truth—seemingly, the mother and daughter had fallen in love with the same man. To prevent them from continuing this unconventional relationship and to stop them from pursuing that man, the Grand Elder confined them. "Since this matter is a taboo within the Hundred Blossom Assembly, no one dares to speak of it or inquire further. I'm not entirely sure whether this is true, but based on my intuition, I believe it's exactly them." The youngest daughter and granddaughter of the Grand Elder of the Hundred Blossom Assembly? If memory serves, that little wood spirit, like Zhu Rong at first, had intended to kill the Demon King and ended up being captured by him. Zhang Yuanqing always felt an odd sense of familiarity with that mother-daughter pair. He seemed to have heard of them before—but not in the Cat King speaker. At that moment, Guan Ya kicked his lower leg with a look of astonishment, speaking softly, "They are Ling Jun's aunt and cousin niece!" Ah! Now Zhang Yuanqing finally understood the source of that familiarity. The eldest daughter of the Grand Elder of the Hundred Blossom Assembly married the Master of the Taiyuan Sect and gave birth to the Sea King, Ling Jun. Yes—the Grand Elder of the Hundred Blossom Assembly is Ling Jun's maternal grandfather. Truly remarkable—the Demon King is absolutely a big Marcel Pagnol! Among the officially recognized women in his life, how many are actually his lovers? How many remain unpublicized? Among these women, if even one-tenth were as fiercely opposed to the Demon King as Zhu Rong, then as the heir of the Demon King, I would be completely ruined—no matter how much Jesus prayed, I’d still be in trouble. Zhang Yuanqing felt profoundly complex. "Excellent! Truly excellent! I've finally resolved a mystery that's troubled me for years!" Yuan Ting's face was rosy, his expression animated. "The second secret—why Dog Elder always manifests on a dog's body." Zhang Yuanqing honestly replied, "I don't know. That's something I've been pretending for you." Hearing this, Yuan Ting looked deeply disappointed. Zhang Yuanqing then said, "But I can tell you the method for achieving the 'free love desire' profession." Yuan Ting waved his hand. "I'm not interested in that." Ah? Zhang Yuanqing insisted, "But I promised you—I'll tell it to Zhao Chenghuang and to Tian Xiu Gui." "I don't care!" Tian Xiu Gui said with disdain. Zhao Chenghuang, on the other hand, coldly ignored Yuan Shǐ Tianzūn's words. Zhang Yuanqing questioned, "Are you two men?" "What does that have to do with us!" they said in unison. Yuan Ting eagerly added, "The third secret—what you learned from the King of the Magi's Eye about the many secrets of the Commander of the Army." "... beyond the battle arena. Those senior figures, originally intently observing the saints' combat, silently turned their attention toward the lush, primeval forest. They were fully aware of the developments unfolding within both arenas. The secret of the Commander of the Army Church—its vice president of the Spiritual Conclave, the southern head of the Void Sect, and the several sovereigns behind them—gazed at the King of Fear. The King of Fear stroked his chin and smiled, saying, 'Though the Magician's Eye has the right to free speech, I believe he won't speak out of turn, even now that he's become a prisoner.' Behind him, the Wrathful Divine General scoffed, 'A mere young man with a yellowish hair—what grand secrets could he possibly have? Most likely just some trivial matters.' ... Zhao Chenghuang and Tianxia Guihuo, while indifferent to women, were deeply interested in the secret of the Commander of the Army Church, the leading force among the three great evil organizations, whose current premier is widely regarded as the foremost master of his generation." The organization's secrets are of keen interest to any young person with aspirations and ambitions who hopes to make a name for themselves. Zhang Yuanqing paused and said, "This matter involves an old case..." Just as the six members in the hall expected him to repeat Yuan Ting's words, the Prime Immortal spoke directly: "Twenty-one years ago, the Commander of the Army and the Night Rose Alliance jointly destroyed the Chu family, a renowned musical lineage, in order to seize a rule-based artifact known as the Mother Goddess's Womb. The purpose of seizing this rule-based artifact was to revive the leader of the Night Rose Alliance, and the reason for reviving that leader stemmed from the fact that the Vajra had invested in this enigmatic leader. As for the nature of that investment—whether it was merely literal support or if there were deeper reasons—I am not aware." Silence fell throughout the stone temple. Kuan Ya, Zhao Chenghuang, Sun Miao Miao, and Yuan Ting all stared at him, expressions stunned. After a few seconds, Yuan Ting rubbed his head in pain: "This... this kind of crucial secret, you didn't need to tell us... I, I simply can't help but spill it out... Will I be silenced by the Night Rose or the Commander of the Army?..." That's too straightforward—how could this possibly be something worth sharing with us? The feelings of Zhao Chenguang and others were much the same. Excited and thrilled to have learned such high-level secrets, they also felt that the value of this intelligence was so great that, for people at their level, the disadvantages of sharing it far outweighed the benefits. Yet, the natural desire for high-level secrets is inherent in human nature. Zhao Chenguang stepped forward and said: "My grandfather once mentioned that the Commander of the Army is known for its autocratic and harsh style, deeply committed to warfare and bloodshed. It rarely engages in espionage or subtle schemes. It hardly ever plans or strategizes. The way they support the leader of the Night Rose doesn't seem to align with the Commander's usual approach." "With the world converging around the fire, thinking as he spoke, Tianxia Guihuo said, "Then there must be deeper underlying reasons at play... Yuanshen, have the upper echelons been made aware of this?" Zhang Yuanqing nodded, "Dog Elder knows. He even issued a command to keep this quiet." Ah, truly sorry—this was your own revelation. Once you return to reality, just wait for the reprimands... Tianxia Guihuo's smile was nearly crushed under the weight of it. Zhao Chenghuang's lips subtly curled into a smile. Zhang Yuanqing continued, "There's another secret I heard: the wife of the Commander of the Army, the Wrathful Divine General, used to be a servant of the Desire Divine General." This wasn't information relayed by the Mage's Eye—this came directly from the Mage King, and its source must remain confidential. Thus, the straightforward Zhang Yuanqing described it as "I heard." How pitiful the Wrathful Divine General truly is... Everyone silently sighed in sympathy. ...Outside the battlefield of slaughter, the atmosphere fell into a brief silence. The Immaterial Sect, ever shifting in form, has its southern master's image fixed as a slender youth, as if he has forgotten how to change. The president of the Spirit Energy Association, for the first time, lifts his face, revealing the amber vertical pupils beneath his cloak, and says, "It's no wonder the leader of the Night Rose has remained elusive, maintaining only a tentative, cooperative relationship—she has long been under the influence of the War Lord. Hmph. Such crucial information, learned only from a mere young apprentice, is indeed surprising." The King of Fear remains expressionless, clearly displeased. Though he may speak of the freedom of the Magician's Eyes, his displeasure is his own. Behind him, the God of Fury, whose face had been set with growing rage, now sees that expression freeze. After a few seconds, the body projected through his will begins to tremble violently. "I shall slaughter Desire, peel his skin off, draw out his sinews, crush his bones one by one, and grind his life force into pulp..." The surge of fury, as powerful as a tidal wave, deeply moves even the senior figures present. The King of Fear raised his hand, signaling for the outburst to subside, and looked steadily at the dog elder, saying, "The Mage-Eye couldn't have leaked such an important matter to you. There's something amiss with your organization's Prime Immortal, isn't there?" The dog elder shook his head, "No, it was indeed the Mage-Eye himself who personally told him." Once the Prime Immortal had spoken, there was no point in pretending. The King of Fear was momentarily taken aback. The dog elder continued, "The Mage-Eye greatly admires the Prime Immortal, sees him as a kindred spirit, and thus shared some of his secrets with him." At this, the expressions of the other senior figures subtly shifted. A fellow of the Mage-Eye's caliber? What kind of a person is this Prime Immortal? Could the Five-Element Alliance even dare to take him? The female commander glanced at the shaggy teddy. The dog elder quickly added, "All of that was the Mage-Eye's one-sided enthusiasm." The female commander nodded slightly. At that moment, they caught a conversation drifting from the forest: "Thirdly, what did Fu Qingyang say before you that could have ruined his reputation, made him despised, even driven him out of the Bai Hu Army?" "He called Guan Ya trash, Ling Jun trash, Jing Wei trash, and claimed that all geniuses in the world were trash—adding that the female marshal was the greatest trash of all. 'In this world,' he said, 'only I and he are not trash.'" No matter how arrogant the assailant, he dared not speak disrespectfully to a half-deity in words. Thus, Fu Qingyang truly is a true talent! ... "Indeed, it's the secret that will bring him to ruin!" Yuan Ting's face flushed with excitement, his body trembling: "What a remarkable secret! Truly outstanding! Truly outstanding!" Sun Miao Miao's mouth twitched: "Yuan Ting, I advise you not to let this go public—otherwise, Fu Qingyang will have you killed." Guan Ya gritted her teeth: "This young man is the worst—he's nothing but trash, and his entire family is trash too. Pfft, the whole family, just him is trash!" "Master Jin Gong is truly bold to say such things to the Marshal!" Tian Xia Gui's mind stirred—he felt he could sell this news to Jiang Ju, the Fire Prince, thus elevating his standing within the Chihuo Clan. Zhao Chenghuang nodded contentedly. He had not only heard numerous gossip and secrets, but had even outwitted the Prime Immortal. When Yuan, the ever-verbose one, returned to reality, he would surely spread the word. The Yuan-Shi Tian-Zun is about to be reprimanded, possibly even physically punished. Zhao Chenghuang feels genuinely pleased at this development. All this time, the Mountain-School sorcerer who had remained silent, suddenly asks: "Is the Yuan-Shi Tian-Zun a descendant of the Magician King?" "Bang!" The resonant sound of the rifle replaces Yuan-Shi Tian-Zun's reply. A patch of green-smoking crater appears at the sorcerer's feet, with stone fragments splintering and cutting his ankle and lower leg, blood flowing freely. Guan Zhong-Kui and the Loyal Knight suddenly turn their attention, only to find yet another close call that turns out to be a mere scare. They mutter their complaints and resume guarding the temple gate. Guan Ya smiles gently: "Even if it's just a joke, I don't mind how you treat the Yuan-Shi. But I will not tolerate opportunistic actions—my rifle won't accept that." Though she speaks with a smile, her eyes and tone convey no warmth at all. The young, spirited sorcerer bursts out in anger: "Are you daring to fire at me? You, Receiving his reply was a dark, aimed gun barrel pointed squarely at his brow. Guan Ya suppressed her smile and coldly said, "After losing just one match on the platform, you've held a grudge against me all this time. Such narrow-mindedness—how will you ever serve as a steward of the Taiyuan Sect? I'm simply going to clean house for Taiyuan myself. 'Do you think I'll let you die, and will Taiyuan dare to make me take the fall?' Though her personality could not have been more different from Fu Qingyang's, the inherent arrogance and assertiveness of the Fu family's core lineage was deeply rooted in her. "Enough!" Zhao Chenghuang's expression turned cold. "I'd like to extend my apologies on behalf of the Moshan practitioners, Guan Ya. Right now isn't the time for internal discord." He then turned his gaze to the slender young man, his expression cold. "Get out!" The Moshan practitioner gritted his teeth but seemed unwilling to defy Zhao Chenghuang, merely huffed and strode away. Guan Ya's gunshot seemed to awaken Zhang Yuqing. He jolted upright, as though just realizing what had happened. " The price of being honest had finally been paid. Now, Zhang Yuanqing finally realized how terrible it was to have always taken "keeping one's word" and "being reliable" for granted. Fu Qingyang would definitely deduct his entire salary. Yuan Ting said seriously, "You've simply fulfilled your promise." "I'm not fulfilling your mother's promise to sell dumplings!" Zhang Yuanqing snapped. "You're not just being petty—you're treating honest people like they're being taken advantage of, aren't you? A whole bunch of little schemers who exploit people when they're vulnerable." Sun Miao Miao held the little kid, turned her head with complete indifference, and blew a whistle. Tianxia Gui pretended to admire the scenery around. Zhao Chenghuang kept his face stern, expressing his aloofness and dignity to emphasize his own integrity and to distance himself from the situation. ... For the rest of the time, no one spoke inside the temple, only Yuan Shǐ Tiān Zūn's occasional cold chuckles. An hour passed quickly. Then, a task notification sound reached everyone's ears: 【Ping! The Mountain God's Temple will close in ten seconds. Please evacuate the people inside promptly.】 The six immediately rose and rushed Ten seconds later, the stone temple gate closed, and the task notification sounded again: 【Ping! Congratulations on completing side quest three: The Tragic Mountain God. Reward: 60 points.】 Zhang Yuanqing's notification included an additional item: 【Reward: One spirit beast — Monkey King】 … 【Ping! At dawn, the path to the Lost City will appear. Please enter the Lost City and verify that the seal is intact.】