Upon hearing the queen's words, everyone in the living room immediately sat up and pulled out their phones to log onto the official forum. On the forum, a notice had been posted by the Songhai branch five minutes ago, stating: "Regarding the investigation report on the major oversight of the Yuanshishen Master: After our review, on July 6th, the Jinghai branch submitted a request for assistance following the assassination of its member, 'White Tiger Wansui.' The Yuanshishen Master led the response team. Upon investigation, the spirit-medium responsible for the assassination was identified as Mr. Wei Yuanzhou, who had previously been on the run since the case of the family massacre in Qinghe County, Yusheng Province, and details are available in the appendix. Mr. Wei Yuanzhou, fearing that 'White Tiger Wansui' would become an obstacle to his promotion to a senior position, conspired with his grandfather, the spirit-medium, to have his colleague killed. When the Yuanshishen Master arrived, the plan collapsed, prompting Mr. Wei to eliminate his blood relatives to secure his own merits. According to the Five Elements Alliance regulations, Mr. Wei's death is not regrettable." "After thoroughly investigating this case, Yuan Shishen was so enraged that he publicly executed several individuals—understandable in terms of emotion, but legally indefensible. Our department will not tolerate violations of rules and regulations; we therefore demand that the headquarters remove Yuan Shishen from his position, permanently dismiss him, and imprison him for twenty years as a warning. Jiang Jingwei, after reading the announcement, was furious: 'What kind of clarification is this? Are the senior monks at the Songhai branch mentally ill? I'm going to call my father and have him beat these old monks senseless!' 'Only one of them is a dog monk,' Guan Ya corrected, with a smile. 'Jingwei, take a look at the comments below.' Jiang Jingwei scrolled down to read the comments: [Master of the Wen Yuan Pavilion: Collaborating with evil professionals to secretly assassinate colleagues, then abandoning one's blood relatives? This is utterly appalling—last time I heard such a case, it was at Tong Que Tower.] [Fire Rises: Shouldn't Wei Yuanzhou have died? Yuan Shishen's actions were just—had I been there, I would have done the same. Otherwise, I wouldn't have any honor as a fire Has the Songhai Division gone completely mad—fired, never rehired, or imprisoned for twenty years? Are they trying to drive the Yuanshish Tianzun to rebellion? If the headquarters dares take such a step, it will truly be disappointing. [The Moon Rabbit: Ah, so that's the situation. I've been urging everyone to remain calm and wait for an official announcement from headquarters, but so few people have been rational.] [The Cow Girl: To fire Yuanshish Tianzun over a mediocre person? Has the senior management of the Songhai Division had their brains eaten by zombies?] [The Ice-Winged Fairy: Yuanshish Tianzun does have faults, but they're understandable—this actually proves he's a morally grounded, passionate person. After reading the appendix, I must say the spirit medium truly suffered; Wei Yuanzhou is simply a beast.] [The Rosy Young Lady: We were simply too careless—especially since the senior leadership hadn't issued any official announcement beforehand, and many people ended up being influenced by the narrative.] Jiang Jingwei watched with a growing smile. Previously, she had accompanied the queen online to locate the relevant threads, furious—literally—so much so that she wanted to personally challenge the official correspondents who accused the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign of killing colleagues in person. After that, she stopped reading the forum altogether. Now, although some comments still argue, “That doesn’t constitute murder,” “What about the rules?” or “It can’t conceal the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign’s serious violations,” more voices are now defending the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, especially among female members. On one hand, female correspondents are more emotionally driven; on the other, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign’s outstanding performance in eliminating divine generals has earned widespread goodwill and gratitude among women. Li Chunfeng shifted his gaze from the computer screen to Guan Ya and the queen, saying: “The closing remarks from the Songhai branch seem designed to whitewash the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign through a reverse attack—there will surely be more maneuvers to come.” Guan Ya nodded, with a tone of knowing her brother best: “Most likely, it’s Fu Qingyang’s intended countermove.” The queen paid no attention to him, lowered her head, and continued her line of attack, blasting one by one the people who had spoken ill of Yuan Shi Tian Zun. Indeed, half an hour later, a post quickly gained premium status and was elevated to the top. Its eye-catching title read: #If the headquarters strictly punishes Yuan Shi Tian Zun, I will resign immediately—here’s my sworn testimony#. The post was authored by Bai Hu Wan Shi. In the body of the post, he passionately and tearfully detailed the abuses inflicted upon him by Wei Yuanzhou, recounting his two separate attacks with disbelief at how, after tirelessly serving the official body and dedicating himself to the branch, he had ended up with such a result. He pointed out that while Wei Yuanzhou appeared to be the primary culprit in all that had happened to him, could the official organization truly be held blameless? Wei Yuanzhou, though outwardly composed and gentle, was in fact a man deeply tormented by inner turmoil—a true madman. Year after year, the official organization conducted comprehensive health checks, yet never detected this inner darkness. All that had transpired today was a direct consequence of the inadequate systems and structural weaknesses within Jing Hai Branch In the end, I'll sum up this way: While Yuan Shi Tian Zun certainly made mistakes, I believe the headquarters has committed even greater errors. I've already drafted my resignation letter, and once the headquarters announces its penalties, I'll submit it. No matter how vast the world, a saint can find a place wherever he goes. Since this post went live, the comments below have uniformly criticized the headquarters and the Jinghai branch, setting the tone with relentless momentum. One wave of criticism has just subsided when another rises—followed immediately by an identical post. #If the headquarters strictly punishes Yuan Shi Tian Zun, I will resign immediately, posting this as proof# The author is the Peony Immortal, accompanied by a photo of her resignation letter. Then came the third, fourth, and fifth posts. Within just half an hour, the forum's homepage was completely dominated by resignation posts, each authored by newly appointed saints—those who fought alongside Yuan Shi Tian Zun in the transcendent realm's combat missions. Then there are the captains of the Songhai Division—Li Dongze, Bai Long, Qingteng, and others—along with a number of steadfast supporters of the Yuanshizhen Deity, such as "Niu Xiaomei" and similar groups. Under these posts, active commenters from various divisions diligently engage, maintaining the momentum. Although these water troops number only around a hundred, which represents only a small fraction of the overall scale of the Wuxing Alliance, one must remember that the voices heard online are always a minority—most remain silent—making the collective effort appear particularly robust. In the end, the forum administrators were forced to collectively mute all comments and posts, which finally brought the situation under control. Li Chunfeng, with lingering reluctance, closed the forum, saying: "It's a pity that the official forums operate on real-name registration, so we can't generate large-scale water troops in bulk. Otherwise, I could have helped. Ah, how did the Songhai Division manage to achieve this?" As a scholar, he was confident in his expertise in cyber technology. "How do we manage to have employees from all the regional branches acting as online influencers?" he asked, looking genuinely curious. The official forum wasn't just any ordinary website forum—members of Lingjing Shi Ji, though granted access, didn't have the privilege of posting. The prevailing sentiment just now came from real Lingjing travelers, each account representing a genuine participant. Guan Ya gave a scoff. "By winning people over through virtue!" "What?" Li Chunfeng looked utterly puzzled. Guan Ya said nothing, rose and left the living room, heading toward the hallway. "I'll go sleep a while. Then I'll just wait for the headquarters' announcement." ... Outside the capital, in the suburbs. The Tai Men training camp was established in a remote area outside the city, nestled between mountains and rivers. Under the guise of a club, it acquired the surrounding mountain ranges and built training facilities and dormitories on the hills. There are burial grounds, spirit cultivation grounds, shooting ranges, physical fitness training fields, group simulation battle zones... Naturally, there are also numerous recreational facilities—such as racetracks, golf courses, football fields, a stables, indoor tennis courts, and fitness centers. There's also a reservoir in the mountains, where one can engage in scuba diving, fishing, boating, and various water-based activities. With its scenic beauty, the mountain has been designated by the senior management of Taimei and the Five Elements Alliance as a leisure and retreat destination. Some senior deans and elders enjoy cultivating vegetable plots and raising poultry, living a tranquil life in the mountains. Yet for mid- and lower-level night-wandering immortals, this place is a nightmare. Their pleasures are entirely unrelated to them; they endure intense daily training and combat, and are frequently beaten up by star officials or elders. After finishing his training, Yuan Ting returned to his dormitory, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, packed his luggage, and sang happily as he headed toward the main club building to have a cup of coffee. He has already been at the training camp for two months and will be able to return to Songhai tomorrow, leaving this miserable place behind. Passing through the square with its fountain pond, he entered the brightly lit main building of the club—on the first floor was a restaurant, on the second a bar, and on the third and fourth floors a leisure complex featuring tennis courts, an indoor skating rink, a coffee shop, and more. Arriving at a quiet bar playing soft music, Yuan Ting glanced around and spotted several familiar faces at a window booth: Sun Miaomiao, with her round face and bright, innocent eyes; Zhao Chenghuang, composed and aloof; and a graceful, attractive woman. He approached, sat down at the table, bowed slightly to the elegant woman, then turned to Sun Miaomiao and Zhao Chenghuang, smiling, "Both of you, I'm leaving tomorrow—sorry, I won't be able to stay for the rest of the training. By the way, you both still have another fifteen days of training, right?" After being promoted to Saint, Sun Miaomiao and Zhao Chenghuang, along with others like them, were sent to the training camp for training and had to stay for at least a During the period, they will be taught some combat techniques and knowledge about the star officials, as well as the characteristics of the dungeons. "Look how proud you are!" Sun Miaomiao wrinkled her nose. "I can't stand this place a single moment longer—I still have so many secrets to share. Just last time, I posted something, and the elders took my phone away." Yuan Ting complained, then turned to the graceful and beautiful woman, saying, "Yingying, are you here on vacation?" His tone was somewhat respectful—partly due to long-standing habits, and partly because she, as a seasoned Saint, was clearly more experienced than the newer Saints among them. The beautiful woman didn't respond immediately; she simply glanced at Sun Miaomiao. Yuan Ting then asked eagerly, "Have there been any notable events recently? Based on my experience, there's usually at least one major news item every month. Could you share some?" He looked visibly eager. "We were just talking about the Primordial Sovereign—this young man has just stirred up another big issue." Sun Miaomiao spoke with a clear, bright voice. Yuan Ting's eyes lit up. "What kind of issue?" "Yingying, the graceful and beautiful one, recounted the entire incident in which Yuan Shi Tian Zun had arbitrarily killed official members during his visit to Jinghai." "Wow, this young man is truly bold—this will surely result in his demotion or even imprisonment," Yuan Ting exclaimed in surprise. Yingying smiled, "The incident has drawn considerable attention, prompting a heated debate on the Taiyuan Forum. I didn't agree with Yuan Shi Tian Zun's actions and thus posted a debate thread. Miao Miao scolded me all day long, so I came over to spend some time with her." Sun Miao Miao's expression instantly turned slightly awkward. "I completely forgot to log in under a separate account." She had leveraged her grandfather's influence to register numerous accounts on the forum, usually operating through these smaller profiles. She was active and strategic, but occasionally made mistakes—such as this one. Oh, the online arguments have now escalated to face-to-face showdowns... Yuan Ting glanced at Sun Miao Miao, with her wide, round face, thinking to himself: You're already a Saint—what's holding you back? Just go ahead and challenge Yingying. I'll still have Zhao Chenghuang said calmly, "People aren't machines—they have emotions, they have passion. Everything must follow the rules, and in doing so, the human touch is lost." He had openly aligned himself with Yuan Shiyi Tianzun. Yingying glanced at him and smiled, "After your one journey into the killing realm, you've changed your view of Yuan Shiyi Tianzun?" Zhao Chenghuang sipped his fiery wine, maintaining his composed, aloof demeanor, "Let's discuss it on its merits." At that moment, Yuan turned toward the deeper part of the bar, paused, and lowered his voice, "Look—what about the Yin Ji Zhi Shi..." In that corner, near the window, sat a graceful woman wearing a black veil. Her eyes, like gems set in the night, were deep and luminous—beautiful beyond words. She held a glass of wine beside her, yet hadn't taken a sip, gazing out at the mountain scenery beyond, lost in thought. Quiet, elegant, and melancholy. Though now a Saint, the distinction between a Level 4 Saint and a Level 6 Saint is vast, so Yuan instinctively spoke softly, Sun Miaomiao said, "Oh! Yin Ji-sister is about to enter the instance—let's warm up at the training camp." The three of them chatted and drank wine, with Zhao Chenghuang occasionally adding a comment. Time flew by quickly. After a few glasses of wine, Yuan Ting rose with a satisfied smile and raised his eyebrows again, laughing: "You two keep training—I'll head out first, hahaha..." As he was laughing, he noticed the training camp's coach entering. He glanced around and walked straight toward their table. "Yuan Ting, there's something I need to tell you," the coach said, stopping by the table. "What's that?" Yuan Ting's heart sank at the coach's serious expression. "Just received word from above—due to some unforeseen circumstances, the training camp can no longer send out members. Those nearing their contract end will now stay an extra half month. Honestly, it's not a big deal—just that we're short on the protective talismans. To be safe, we'll try to recall as many Night-Wanderers as possible and take a precautionary stance." The coach explained. What a mess of incantations and evasive maneuvers! Yuan Ting paid no attention to a single word—his mind was filled only with the echo of "stay an extra half-month." "No! No! No!" Yuan Ting slowly slid along the edge of the table, his piercing cries resonating throughout the bar. Sun Miao Miao raised her hand with delight. "I'll treat everyone to a drink!" ... In the sleek, modern conference room, the Senior Elder Di Hong glanced around at the other elders, speaking solemnly. "Let's discuss the penalties for the Prime Elder. The Shuohai Branch has proposed that the principal offender, the Prime Elder, be removed from office and placed under house arrest, while Jiang Jingwei and Guan Ya be demoted and never rehired. "According to organizational regulations, the Prime Elder will face prison terms ranging from five to ten years, with all current positions revoked and permanent non-rehire status. The two secondary offenders will be demoted and receive a major reprimand. "Considering the Prime Elder's outstanding achievements, we should appropriately mitigate the penalties. "The Grand Elder of the Hundred Blossoms" exhaled, "The Long Sea Branch has adopted a strategy of retreating to advance. I received a phone call from the old dog today, asking the headquarters to impose a lighter penalty. My suggestion is that the Prime Elder has only recently joined the official ranks and still hasn't fully established a sense of belonging. A harsh punishment might drive him away. For a prodigy, we should show certain leniency—emphasizing education over punishment—and instead demote him to team leader, then invite him to headquarters for one year of ideological training." Emperor Hong shook his head slightly, "Too lenient." Immediately, the Grand Elder of the Red Flame Clan added, "We must also take into account the attitudes of the Marshal and the Clan Master, even if they don't express any formal opinions. Additionally, I've just received a call from the Master of the Xie family, who has requested a lighter handling of this matter—this will directly affect the volume of life essence supply." In my opinion, this young man has risen too quickly and has begun to disregard rules and regulations—he cannot be left unchecked. We should temper his temperament, but a dismissal is definitely out of the question. My suggestion is to imprison him for one year, downgrade him to a regular member, and issue one major reprimand." Imperial Hong Elder shook his head again: "He didn't kill ordinary cultivators or evil-specialty practitioners. He killed official dispatched agents—people with formal appointments. Even among the Elders, without special justification, a demotion is required. On top of that, we should deduct all his bonuses and benefits, retain only his base salary, and prevent him from being promoted to a steward position for the next three years. What do the rest of you think?" At this moment, a younger elder said, "Have any of you been following the forum?" Silence fell around the conference table. The senior elders, who are constantly occupied with their daily duties, usually pay little attention to online updates. The younger elder then recounted the forum's growing criticism, chuckling, "Fu Qingyang, this young man, has certainly developed a number of unconventional tactics." Yet this also indicates that a significant portion of the organization is firmly supportive of Yuanshishen Zun. "We must consider the impact of overly severe penalties. First, whether such measures might erode the trust of mid- and lower-level practitioners in the organization. Second, the potential reputational damage and losses should the group of sages actually resign. Third, we must remain vigilant against Fu Qingyang and the Fu family." Pausing, he continued slowly, "The group of sages is backed by a well-organized network, and Fu Qingyang is the driving force behind it. I believe their resignation is no mere show of strength; if we ignore it, Fu Qingyang is likely to absorb this entire group. 'The noble families of the Lingjing realm are much like feudal lords with their own territories—once allowed to grow unchecked, they become a persistent threat. His White Guard, for instance, has already grown too large to manage.'" Elder Dihong remained silent, deep in thought. The rabbit lady brushed open the door access, entered the room, and arranged the dishes one by one. Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the abundant feast and smiled, "Is this a 'breakfast after death' meal?" He watched Fu Qingyang's calm and gentle expression, waiting until the headquarters' disciplinary decision was finalized. Fu Qingyang said, "The headquarters has issued an official notice. The decision is: downgraded to a regular member, all bonuses and benefits deducted, base salary retained, and you will be confined at Fu Family Village for one month, with no promotion to team leader or steward within the next year." Downgraded, bonuses and benefits cut—impact on future prospects... but not completely wiped out of my achievements. That means I can restore my position after one year. My several billion material allocations are gone... While the financial losses are deeply painful, the penalties aren't severe. Zhang Yuanqing quickly assessed the situation and asked, "Regarding the curse—what does headquarters say?" Fu Qingyang replied calmly, "The branch hasn't reported the curse incident. If headquarters were aware of the curse affecting you, their penalties would go beyond what we've already outlined." The elders believe that once you are promoted to the rank of Sovereign, the curse will naturally vanish, and the matter can be set aside. "Understood," Zhang Yuanqing realized. With the curse still active, he would be like a time bomb—preventing such incidents from recurring, the headquarters' disciplinary measures would certainly involve imprisonment combined with ideological education. That would mean losing his freedom. As for dismissal, Zhang Yuanqing never thought the headquarters would fire him. A talented member with the potential of a Grand Marshal would always be treated with a focus on "reform" and "punishment," never let go. Only if he were truly irredeemable would he be completely erased. Fu Qingyang said, "Stay here for a few days, prepare thoroughly for the副本, and once the situation stabilizes, you can leave at any time. Just avoid appearing before any other official members until the one-month imprisonment period ends." Zhang Yuanqing nodded, "Boss, please return my phone to me. Also, could you prepare some tools and materials for drawing seals? I'll be entering the副本 within at most one week." "Fu Qingyang hesitated, 'Yes, but no posts on the forum.' After receiving Zhang Yuanqing's affirmative response, he turned and left.