Kou Beiyue saw no one object, and felt a surge of joy. She added, "Then, I'm off?" Bai Wujian gave a slight nod. "Brother, safe travels!" "Safe travels!" With the blessings of everyone around her, Kou Beiyue lifted a corner of her cloak and stepped out. Then, leaping through the rubble of fallen walls and stacked bricks, she vanished from her companions' sight. Bai Wujian turned his gaze to the plump young man and smiled. "I truly hoped he'd succeed, but you'd better get ready to take over as the leader." The evil-affiliated characters tucked inside the cloak burst into laughter, exchanging one after another with teasing remarks. "Haha, that kid is indeed quite earnest—like a flame. Didn't he sense that this journey would be fraught with danger?" "Probably didn't think much about it." "Master, don't you have some curse? Are you really a master of illusions?" "Yes, I'm certain he is a master of illusions. After all, our Wugui practitioners don't know of such a dreadful curse." "Ha ha ha..." The air in the abandoned factory was full of lively energy. The stocky young man snorted, speaking with absolute seriousness. "You're wrong. My elder brother is exceptionally blessed with fortune. Think about it—he doesn't stand out in strength among the three-tiered ranks, nor does he possess particularly powerful equipment—and yet, he's still alive today." "Nonsense! He hasn't died, which doesn't mean he's blessed with fortune. We haven't died either, so does that make us all blessed?" The stocky young man scoffed. "Then just watch. He'll definitely make it back." Red Wei suddenly added, "Rather than debating these pointless points, I believe we should focus on relocating. With that boy's intelligence, once he fails to find the Mountain God's faction and is pursued by monsters, he'll surely flee back. And then, we'll all be in serious trouble." At this point, it was eleven in the morning. The sunlight was scorching, warping the air itself; the intense heat baked the city, and the 37-degree temperature seeped into the rusted vehicle, only to evaporate quickly. "Liushi City is vast. Finding Yuanshiben, the Primordial Sovereign, will be quite a challenge," Kou Beiyue mused, and then recalled a good plan—the Thousand-Mile Resonance! Having made up his mind, he suddenly remembered that he had already been marked by the monsters. As a deity of enchantment, he was well aware of how persistent and terrifying such markings could be. What if he failed to locate Yuanshiben and was instead intercepted and slain by the monsters? Kou Beiyue mused again, and thought of another solution: if the monster locked onto him, he would immediately retreat and return, dragging the entire group of evil-aligned professionals down with him. With all his concerns resolved, Kou Beiyue set off with unwavering focus, moving swiftly along the street outside the abandoned factory. After running for over ten minutes, he stopped at a crossroads overgrown with wild grass and moss, took a deep breath, and cast his Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission technique: "Yuan—Shi—Tian—Zun!" The resonant cry echoed through the sky of the abandoned city, growing stronger and reaching farther, stretching ever further... He continued to chant the mantra as he ran: "Yuan—Shi—Tian—Zun!" ...Inside the half-collapsed residential buildings, the members of the Mountain God's faction sat cross-legged on the dusty ground, shielding themselves from the direct sunlight. They held wooden bowls crafted by the Wood Spirit, drinking pure water extracted from the uneven ground by the Water Spirit, and eating roasted dog meat prepared by the Fire Master. Each person exhaled a contented sigh. For thirty hours now, they had entered the combat arena, having only symbolically slept for three or four hours, eaten a few wild fruits, and drunk a few drops of mountain dew. Even the transcendent peak spiritual practitioners, with their robust vitality, had begun to feel worn down—tired, thirsty, and gradually fading. "Truly, truly delicious..." Jiang Jingwei held a wild dog leg in her arms, chewing with a muffled voice: "It's been quite a while since I've enjoyed my meals so thoroughly within the Spirit Realm. Oh, the Spirit Realm tasks over the past three days weren't many... My father said that although the beings in the Spirit Realm refresh, they aren't mere illusions—they are real, flesh-and-blood creatures." Born in a small island nation, she possesses a deeper understanding of the spiritual realm and higher-level information than independent cultivators, yet falls short of the depth of insight held by Jiang Jingwei—essentially a "princess from a noble household." Zhang Yuanqing leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and calmly maintained his mental focus, minimizing his spiritual expenditure while concentrating on controlling the Blood Rose. He had been engaged in a prolonged struggle with that monstrous entity for nearly four to five hours—through an exhausting series of back-and-forth exchanges—during which the Blood Rose had suffered immense physical strain, and Zhang Yuanqing himself had significantly depleted his spiritual energy. Fortunately, when the Blood Rose was originally crafted as a shadow corpse, it incorporated the attributes of a Wood Spirit, whose regenerative capabilities even surpassed those of the Night-Wanderer. Thus, despite the heavy physical toll, it could recover swiftly. At that moment, the patrol officer, the River-Crossing Soldier, hurried back, entered the residential building, and approached the wall, saying, "Master Yuan-Shi, someone is calling for you!" Those who had been chatting or dining paused, turning either to the River-Crossing Soldier or to Master Yuan-Sh "Over-the-river soldier pointed outside and said, 'There's a nasty kind of person about 200 to 300 meters away, running and shouting your name continuously. Shall I go and deal with them?' Zhang Yuancheng pondered, 'Who is it? What does he look like?' Over-the-river soldier gave a simple description of the person's appearance, and Zhang Yuancheng immediately recognized him. Kou Beiyue! Has she been expelled from the Mountain Ghost faction? Is she now coming to join me in desperation? Her communication relies entirely on shouting—so crude and direct in finding people... Zhang Yuancheng rose immediately and said, 'I'll go check. You all stay here.' Without waiting for any response, he swiftly stepped out of the partially collapsed residential building and began running in the direction indicated by Over-the-river soldier. After running about a hundred meters, he heard Kou Beiyue's calls, and followed the sound. Soon, he spotted Kou Beiyue, holding a military sword, jogging while scanning the surroundings and shouting loudly, 'Yuan Shi Tian Zun...!' 'I'm right here!' he called back. The call abruptly stopped. Kou Beiyue turned in surprise, spotting Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun standing atop the roof of a large bus that had been left abandoned, some fifty meters away. "Finally found you!" he exclaimed, rushing toward the bus. Zhang Yuanqing pointed to the ground and said, "Let's go inside." He stepped in first. Kou Beiyue followed promptly, getting straight to the point. "The people from the Shānguī faction are hiding in an abandoned factory. They've all been marked by the monsters and are now surviving by relying on the props provided by the Ji Lou Fish—though at a cost: they can't move freely. Their situation is quite dire. So, the rather attractive woman proposed forming an alliance with the Shāngshén faction. I seized the opportunity and volunteered to handle this matter. "It's finally been possible to meet you privately," he summarized the situation. Such matters never involve competition—why would one need to act quickly? And the idioms used aren't quite right either... Zhang Yuanqing listened carefully and said, "A alliance? Let me think... Right now, we have only three options: first, to keep holding out; second, to have Kou Beiyue—this rather indecisive one—lead the charge to eliminate the mountain ghost faction; or third, to push the boss. The Blood Peony can't keep pressing on indefinitely; at most, within the next two or three hours, her stamina will be exhausted. Once that happens, we'll either have to abandon the Yin Shi or retreat them. Retreating the Yin Shi will bring in monsters, triggering another thrilling, heart-pounding evacuation. If we abandon the Yin Shi, however, the monsters are highly intelligent. After killing the Blood Peony, once they claim the Yin-Yang robes, they'll be even more formidable. "Oh, by the way, have you also been marked?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. "Yes!" Kou Beiyue nodded, and as she mentioned this, her curiosity sparked. "How did you manage to escape the monsters' pursuit? I mean, I've been out here for so long, and yet they've never even come after me." Therefore, the monster's hatred toward the Blood Rhododendron—me—has surpassed that of everyone else. Even if the Shanggui faction removes their props, they won't be the monster's first choice. Zhang Yuanqing silently abandoned the option of "continuing to hold out." The second option was to have Kou Beiyue lead the assault on the Shanggui faction. Given the intelligence of the Shanggui faction members, once Kou Beiyue had departed, they would certainly have already relocated and established a new position—thus, a coordinated attack by them would be impossible. While our forces outnumbered theirs, a direct confrontation would still result in a narrow victory, with significant physical exhaustion among survivors. By that time, the Blood Rhododendron would likely have already "sacrificed" itself, and the monster would immediately follow up. What then would be the strategy for the remaining forces to face the monster? That was a 4-tiered Enchanting Demon. Moreover, my Yin-Yang robe and red ballet shoes remained with the Yin尸, preventing the establishment of the Yin-Yang array and significantly weakening our overall strength. Zhang Yuanqing then began to consider the possibility of a cooperative effort to push the monster as If we're going to proceed with tasks, we must push the boss. The advantage of forming an alliance is that both parties share the risks and reduce casualties—though the only concern remains whether the Shanggui faction might sabotage or betray us during the boss push. However, this is mutual; they can act treacherously, and we can too. After weighing the pros and cons, Zhang Yuanqing made up his mind and said, "Agreed—I'll join the alliance, and the location will be here." Having concluded the formal matter, he couldn't help but lower his voice and scold, "How come you ended up in the slaughter dungeon? This is so dangerous—do you not realize how strong or weak you truly are?" Kou Beiyue, though not weak, was at least mid-tier among the third-tier players, and in the slaughter dungeon, this was merely the baseline. With her intelligence, Kou Beiyue would either be killed by the lawful faction or fall victim to the evil classes. Kou Beiyue was not satisfied and protested, "I was specifically sent to protect you, Xiao Yuan." "Having said that, upon seeing Yuan Shi Tian Zun glance at him斜ly, Zhang Yuanqing felt his demeanor sink, and spoke plainly: "Xiao Yuan said we should quickly advance to the rank of Sage while you're still here—so that we have someone to rely on. Otherwise, by the end of the year, our experience points will grow, but we'll have no support at all, and actually become more vulnerable." Well, your mother has truly seen through you—how confident is Xiao Yuan about me? Zhang Yuanqing then asked, "What's your mission?" "To eliminate the lingering malice of the evil cultivators and retrieve four Blood Jade pieces from them. Once these jades are placed into the array centers of the four sacred formations, the supreme being who exists beyond the mortal realm will be summoned." ... Zhang Yuanqing exclaimed, "Damn!" Though he had anticipated this, he still couldn't help gritting his teeth. Once the evil entity from the blood pool manifests, the Army of Mountain Deities will be completely wiped out. And according to the balance mechanism, if the Mountain Deities prevail, the rewards they receive will themselves be sufficient to annihilate the Army of Mountain Ghosts. Something’s off. The previous killing instance dungeons were indeed intense and competitive, yet both chaotic and lawful factions had survivors, with several members advancing to the status of Saint. But given the current trajectories of both sides' missions, it seems clearly destined for one side's complete annihilation. Is that precisely why the elder Ten said the past killing instance dungeons lack reference value? No one could have anticipated the specific tasks that would emerge within the dungeon. Kou Beiyue continued: "The Hundred-Without-Constraints mentioned he has two reserve cards—one is a tool bestowed by the Chaotic faction, and the other originates from the dungeon itself, though I'm not entirely clear about the latter." A reserve card from the dungeon itself... Zhang Yuancheng paused for a few seconds, then nodded. "I see now. Within your faction, is the Hundred-Without-Constraints the de facto leader?" Kou Beiyue gave a slight scoff. "He's only slightly stronger than me, yet everyone seems to regard him as the captain—even the one known as A-First acknowledges his standing." "A leader doesn't have to be the strongest." Zhang Yuanqing explained, then added, "How are things going on your end? If you can, stay low-key and try to slack off as much as possible." On hearing this, Kou Beiyue suddenly straightened her posture: "I'm also a major figure there—I've just taken on a new protégé." "Ah?" Zhang Yuanqing looked at her with renewed respect. Raising her chin, Kou Beiyue said, "It's the one known for 'a capable minister chooses a sovereign to overthrow.' When he first saw me, he was immediately struck by my commanding presence and bowed low, prostrating himself. I originally didn't intend to pay any attention, but since he spoke so well, I reluctantly accepted him." "A capable minister chooses a sovereign to overthrow?" The man who keeps having his leaders fall one after another? Zhang Yuanqing pinched his brow, sighed wearily. "Beiyue, sometimes fate is simply written in stone. If you meet your end in the killing quest, don't blame me in the afterlife..." Kou Beiyue gave a dry twitch at the corner of her mouth. "You—you've actually heard of that plump young man's reputation?" Well then, you go on your way and I'll take care of Xiao Yuan. "...” … When Kou Beiyue returned to the abandoned factory, as Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun had predicted, the group had secretly relocated their base while he was away. One marked target moving freely throughout the area served as a lure to draw the monsters' attention, allowing them to shift positions with peace of mind. Kou Beiyue immediately climbed to the roof and shouted, "I'm back!" His voice echoed far and wide. After shouting for several minutes, he finally spotted the figure of "A loyal minister kills his sovereign for a better ruler" emerge from the nearby streets, waving enthusiastically toward him. Kou Beiyue leapt down and ran toward his younger brother. As Fang Fu approached, the plump young man stepped forward, grasped Kou Beiyue's hand tightly, and with sincere admiration said, "You're truly back alive, elder brother. You're my lifelong elder brother." Kou Beiyue, thinking back to Yuan Shishen's complaints, reluctantly pulled her hands free, giving a cold "hm." "Where are they?" The plump man pointed to a tall building covered in vines behind them. "They're hidden inside." Following his gesture, Kou Beiyue looked at the building, now enveloped in lush greenery, with only clear signs of pruning and cutting visible at the entrance. Together, they entered the building one after another, and indeed, they found the group dressed in "black cloaks" gathered at the entrance, gazing at Kou Beiyue with expressions of surprise. Bai Wu Jian asked calmly, "You've returned—well done. Did you see Yuan Shishen? What did he say?"