The wandering cultivators from the Spirit Realm, suddenly struck by a bright golden glow and the laughter of the ghost doll, paused in astonishment, turning around to look back—just in time to witness a magnificent burst of golden light, seeing the Mist Sovereign transform into dry bones, and then seeing... the Prime Heavenly Sovereign holding his weapon, standing beside the remains. His face was calm, his posture upright—no signs of breathless exertion from a hard-fought battle, no signs of near-death exhaustion. It seemed everything had been perfectly anticipated. This stood in stark contrast to the young cultivators nearby, who were rushing toward them with growing panic and anxiety. "The boss is dead—Prime Heavenly Sovereign killed the boss." "He's truly dead! I was so scared I wet myself, thought I was going to die. Thank goodness for Prime Heavenly Sovereign—he saved me again." "I didn't realize Prime Heavenly Sovereign was holding back until now. I was too busy fleeing to see how he actually did it." The cultivators from the Mountain God's faction erupted in joyful cheers. Fears and anxieties transformed into surging joy and exhilaration, renewing the pleasure of relying on stronger allies—Shinoya Ryō felt this most deeply. Since meeting Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn and integrating with official personnel, her journey has been fraught with peril, yet consistently protected by those ahead of her. The only instance where she had to step up was when she recently activated "Frost Descending," working in tandem with the Fire Master to clear the thick fog. This is precisely the advantage of following an organized team and being surrounded by elite performers. Suddenly, she found herself envious of the continent's spiritual travelers, who boast extensive guides, a well-established and robust organization, a rich pool of talent, and visionary leaders like Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn—ensuring they never face isolation or lack of support. The day before, when she entered the combat arena, her parents and family elders had been full of hope and heartfelt reluctance, urging her to return safely. They certainly could not have imagined that, just upon entering the arena, she had already aligned herself with the rising star, Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn. "Pfft, the rewards from defeating the boss and the glory have been snatched away by the Primordial Sovereign." "Just be content with that. Had it not been for him, we'd all have been in danger. Though I don't particularly like him, I must admit he's strong—clearly superior to A-1, Bai Wu Jin Xi, and the others, especially in terms of completing dungeon runs." The evil specialists from the Shanggui faction were delighted yet felt a touch of lingering unease. The more powerful and versatile the Primordial Sovereign became, the more they feared him—yet at this very moment, they were also grateful for his strength. Indeed, having him as a teammate was truly fortunate. Seeing the Primordial Sovereign successfully defeat the boss, the top-tier warriors from the Shangshen faction—Sun Miao-miao, Zhao Chenghuang, and Tianxia Guihuo—relieved, and thus slowed their pursuit. Yuanshi Tianzun is even more sneaky than I am—no wonder he's been slack all along; he's been waiting to claim the top honors. Indeed, if rewards are based on boss eliminations, he's truly made a major contribution. Tianxian glanced at the evil professions both far and near, beginning to formulate his next moves. Excellent work! Finally, the boss is taken out. The "Bloodthirsty Rage" ability of the seductive demon is truly a game-changer. Sun Miao-miao's face turned pale as she exhaled deeply, having failed to stop the mummified warrior. She was so startled that her face went white—had the demon unleashed a full-scale assault on the spiritual realm's practitioners, restoring its peak strength, the situation would have inevitably spiraled out of control. Yuanshi Tianzun is indeed highly strategic. Zhao Chenghuang smoothed out the anxiety on his brow, regained his composed demeanor, and looked steadily at Yuanshi Tianzun, gently nodding during their eye contact. Hong Wei, Bai Wu Jian Hui, the plump one, and the Nine-Leak Fish—these struggling evil professions felt the most profound relief and joy. They were well aware that they had little strength left; if the boss regained his strength, they would be the second wave to fall—those first ones would merely become nourishment for the dry bones. While everyone else enjoyed the ease and relief of having defeated the boss, savoring the thrill of survival, the task notification sound arrived as expected. 【Ping! Congratulations for assisting in the defeat of "the Unyielding Xu Shi." Reward: 30 points.】 【Ping! Congratulations for assisting in the defeat of "the Unyielding Xu Shi." Reward: 40 points.】 【Ping! Congratulations for assisting in the defeat of "the Unyielding Xu Shi." Reward: 50 points.】 … The rewards varied according to each individual's level of contribution during the boss battle. Those who made no effort received a base reward of 30 points, while those who actively participated in the assault received between 40 and 90 points, depending on their involvement. The maximum reward was capped at 100 points. Zhang Yuanqing's task notification read: 【Ping!】 Congratulations! You have defeated the defiant immortal cultivator. You have earned 100 points and obtained a "Heart of the Forest." My current point total is 608. Throughout this journey, I've collected the maximum point rewards for each stage, which suggests that the cumulative point cap for each quest instance is 700. Therefore, it appears that the female marshal and the demon king did not claim the full quest rewards—otherwise, by defeating a few more rank-2 and rank-3 challengers, my points would have surpassed 1,000. Perhaps they were defeated by rank-2 and rank-3 opponents instead. Zhang Yuanqing then shifts his focus to the quest items. In the inventory, there rests a spherical gemstone, egg-shaped, emerald-green and translucent, radiating a strong sense of vitality. [Name: Heart of the Forest (Park)] [Type: Gemstone] [Function: Provides energy] [Description: The core gemstone of the central park's array among the four array formations, later seized by an evil wandering cultivator.] [Note: It is merely a quest item.] Only one Forest Gem—what about the other three? Zhang Yuanqing withdrew his gaze, turned to Tianxia Guihuo and the others, and then noticed Zhao Chenguang, who was expressionally cold, subtly raising a single finger. Did he also have one? Zhang Yuanqing was slightly taken aback. If the Forest Heart was awarded based on contribution, then all four should have gone to him. But if not—then he recalled the gem's suffix in his inventory: Park. The four array techniques represented four regions, and the four gems were distributed among different people—this meant the team should be dispersed, each heading to their respective array? Where were the other two gems? As he was just thinking this, a voice of excitement came from afar—Jiang Jingwei, who had fallen to the ground, called out joyfully, "Oh! I have a Forest Heart! I actually have a Forest Heart!" Her delicate face was slightly pale, yet radiant with pride and delight, proudly displaying her achievement. Jiang Jingwei had received one vial of diluted Life Primordial Fluid, and her life was saved, though her condition remained quite fragile. She was the only one who took a solid punch from the mummified warrior. Zhao Chenguang blocked with both arms, suffering a粉碎性 fracture; Jiulü Yú blocked with her dual swords, shattering her sternum. As for Jiang Jingwei, she absorbed the boss's punch with her soft abdomen—though that punch actually ruptured her internal organs. Since the fire master had neither healing abilities nor defensive skills, Jiang Jingwei should have been certain to fall. Fortunately, she was no ordinary fire master; her family background was strong, and when she entered the combat arena, they had prepared several vials of life essence for her. You have no need to make a fuss—such an unwise fire master… Zhang Yuanqing drew a brief smile. At that moment, the new task prompt rang out again: 【Ping! The malevolent cultivator who stole the heart of the forest has been eliminated. Task conditions met. Task progress updated…】 【Task requirement: Brave warriors who revere the mountain deity—please proceed to the city center, activate four array formations, locate the array's core, and return the heart of the forest. Each array activation must be completed within ten minutes.】 ] [Task Hint 1: Each array can accommodate only fourteen people. Once full, the array will close.] [Task Hint 2: Esteemed warriors, your actions in defeating the evil cultivators have earned the recognition of the Mountain Spirit. She will protect you, and for the next two hours, you will be immune to all attacks. Please promptly restore your stamina.] [Task Hint 3: Be vigilant as the Mountain Ghouls transfer the Blood Jade into the Blood Pool. Each piece of Blood Jade strengthens the monsters in the pool by one degree. Note: A single piece of Blood Jade is sufficient to awaken a monster.] Zhang Yuanqing chewed on the task information while pulling out his Assault Pistol and fired at Kou Beiyue, who stood over fifteen meters away. "Bang, bang, bang, bang…" Since he was not wearing the Observer's glasses, four bullets skimmed past Kou Beiyue—one striking her abdomen and another her hips—yet two of the bullets were completely absorbed by an invisible force. Indeed, the warrior who defeated the evil cultivator also included members of the Shang Gui faction... Hmm, this must have been a safety period planned in advance, anticipating that both factions would be weakened after their boss battles. Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts were confirmed. "Don't worry—let's do a little experiment." Zhang Yuanqing smiled and spoke loudly. "Since we're in the safety period, why not sit down and have a chat? I have some things I'd like to say to all of you." His gaze was directed toward the Shangui faction. "Spill the beans!" one of the evil professions shouted. Though the tone was unkind, it was clear that he was willing to listen to Master Yuanshǐ. "The current situation is evident to all: the Shenshen faction has 36 members, while the Shangui faction has only 18—there's a significant gap in numbers. As we've just witnessed in the battle, the strength disparity is clear. Reflect on this yourselves—how confident are you that you can defeat us?" Zhang Yuanqing declared. "I'm a believer in the power of the heart. I don't consider the evil professions destined to perish simply because of their nature. As long as they remain sincerely good, they are good people. Among the Shangui faction, anyone who, after becoming a Lingjing Xingzhe, has never killed ordinary civilians and has committed to registering with the Songhai branch upon leaving the Lingjing, I The top twenty-four, I promise each of you a Saint-level position. Those outside the top twenty-four, I guarantee your safe departure from the Spiritual Realm—no life-threatening risks. Upon registration at the Song Sea Branch, each of you will receive two million yuan and one piece of equipment. This statement is a strategic use of my recent victory over the Boss, leveraging the numerical strength of the Mountain God faction to subtly weaken the enemy's morale. Among the evil professions, there will always be some who are not entirely malevolent, so I deliberately added the condition: "after becoming a Spiritual Realm Traveler." Most evil professions have become offenders due to their acts of killing and wrongdoing, and only now, through their journey as Travelers, do they earn a fresh start. This condition communicates that their past transgressions can now be forgiven. Moreover, after enduring so many trials—especially the recent campaign against the Boss—many will inevitably lose confidence, believing the challenge against the Mountain God faction to be overwhelming. Yet, they have no alternative but to proceed. Therefore, by opening this line of communication, the Mountain Ghost faction has been introduced to an element of instability. This is precisely the advantage of having the imperial court as a backer—we can pacify them! Bai Wu Jinian's expression darkened, and he coldly remarked, "Master Yuanshǐ, are you treating us as fools, or are you treating yourself as a fool? After being called upon so often, do you truly believe yourself to be exceptionally wise? Everyone has witnessed the official stance toward freelance professionals. "Can such a clumsy strategy really shake our morale?" The last two sentences were directed specifically at the members of the Mountain Ghost faction. Yet at that moment, a man with a scar across his face asked, "On what grounds can we trust you?" The faces of Bai Wu Jinian, Tianxia Jiebai, and other top-tier masters immediately grew troubled. Zhang Yuanqing raised his chin, "I am Master Yuanshǐ. As long as I state these things publicly, I will uphold my commitments. You freelance professionals need not worry about your reputation, but we the orderly ones must—otherwise, how will my colleagues ever come to trust me?" The man remained silent. Zhang Yuanqing continued, "Given my current status and potential, the official establishment will recognize me—this should not be something you need to doubt." Her words seemed to carry a certain magic, convincing and stirring the resolve and animosity of both sides. "Indeed, Yuanshǐ Tianzun, you have no need to resort to mere tricks." "Fight then—what's wrong with fighting? I'm not afraid of you." "I'd rather die standing than live kneeling." The spirit manipulator's mental influence? Zhang Yuqing raised an eyebrow, gazed deeply at the composed, refined woman, and immediately abandoned the idea of having Kou Beiyue cooperate in the campaign of reconciliation. He said nothing further. Hóng Wēi turned to Bai Wú Jìngui and exchanged a glance. They couldn't stay any longer—they had to find a place to reset their minds. Bai Wú Jìngui, growing increasingly wary of Yuanshǐ Tianzun, promptly said: "Let's go!" "Hmph. If the Lawful faction's dogs insist on coming along, we'll be glad to have them." With that, she stepped forward, heading deeper into the ruins of the city. The members of the Mountain Ghost faction followed without hesitation, one after another. Zhang Yuanqing shouted to the retreating figures, "Give it some more thought—until the quest concludes, my promise stands." Tianxia Guihuo narrowed his eyes, watching them go, shaking his head with regret. "You were too cautious. If you're aiming to win them over, you should have laid bare everything from the past. If you'd made your case sooner, several of them would have already pledged allegiance. 'The heroes of Cheng Ling Realm never harm the innocent or commit injustices—then are they not still evil practitioners?' " He glanced at Zhang Yuanqing. "That's your baseline, and I don't intend to break my word." Tianxia Guihuo paused, then shook his head with a smile. "Your baseline is still too rigid—lacking the flair of a true strategic leader. But you're not unpalatable. Well, with a sorcerer of illusions present, your efforts to win over the forces will likely fall short. Still, you've successfully planted seeds of doubt within the Shang Shen faction." Zhang Yuanqing, however, had already turned and summoned the heroes of the Shang Shen faction. "Assembly!" It's time to discuss the next tasks. Also, who has the last piece of the Heart of the Forest?