"Thud! Thud!" The bathroom door was firmly shut twice, then a voice from the security staff came: "Madam, may I assist you?" Within the private lounge, besides the servers serving tea and wine, there were also security personnel responsible for maintaining order—though, in front of a group of official guests, their protective role was effectively negligible. After asking the question, the security officer outside hesitated no longer and pushed open the bathroom door. He had already heard the cries for help; he couldn't remain at the threshold. The guests the lady had invited to the dinner were all affluent or distinguished—no room for error. As he pushed the door open, the young security officer in a black suit quickly scanned the bathroom, his eyes widening instantly. There, on the countertop, a young woman lay slumped. Her elegant silk dress was askew, the neckline torn violently, and her necklace snapped and lay on the floor. She remained motionless, face down on the counter. The young officer noticed that her chest and abdomen showed no signs of movement. By the sink, the young man, once the center of attention, stood there. The security guard glanced at him, noticing his furrowed brow and thoughtful expression, and then cautiously approached, feeling the girl’s carotid artery, checking her breathing. At once, his face paled, and he dashed off. Now, he was indeed accused—trouble had arisen. Zhang Yuanqing looked after the security guard’s hurried retreat without intervening. He calmed himself and went over in his mind what had just happened. On the surface, the matter stemmed from Yan'er, the daughter born outside the main household, who wished to elevate her status by cultivating a relationship with Yuan Shi Tian Zun. During the drinking session, she subtly employed the abilities of the illusionist, gradually stirring his passion in a quiet, unobtrusive manner. Amid the alcohol and the company of several beautiful women, he indeed became affected, gradually becoming more enthusiastic. After seeing Yuan Shi Tian Zun enter the restroom, she followed quietly, first using words to entice him, suggesting he could release his desires here, and then engaging in further flattery, ultimately igniting his passion completely. By accumulating small efforts and finally triggering a powerful climax, she successfully drove a sage to a state of intense passion. Remarkable! Fortunately, thanks to Yin Ji's reminder, Zhang Yuanqing noticed something was amiss. He indeed often longed to find a beautiful young lady—someone as lovely as a blooming flower—to share his wisdom, but not to this extent. Among peers, isn't Xiao Green Tea even more beautiful than Yan'er? Thus, when overcome by emotion, he promptly drew forth the Ghost Mirror. This mirror is truly remarkable—whenever he holds it, all thoughts vanish, more effective than practicing the *Bi-Xie Sword Manual*. After using the Ghost Mirror to calm his own desires, Zhang Yuanqing intended to gently reprimand Yan'er, urging her to maintain her dignity and self-respect, so that she wouldn't stray from the path of virtue at such a young age. Yet, unexpectedly, she took her own life. By this point, Zhang Yuanqing could no longer make sense of it—the utterly illogical act of suicide, accompanied by loud cries for help, seemingly intended to frame her for something. What was her real purpose? "Absolutely unbelievable..." he murmured, activating his Spirit-Devouring technique, black, viscous energy welling up within his eyes as he prepared to communicate with Yan'er's spirit, trying to figure out what was going on. Yet, an unexpected scene unfolded. There was no trace of spirit energy within Yan'er's body—she appeared as though she had been dead for several days. This... settled deeply in Zhang Yuanqing's mind. Had Yan'er already passed away? For more than seven days? "No, it's more likely that the person who appeared just now wasn't Yan'er at all. She was taken over—her spirit completely consumed, leaving no residue within her body." This scenario now made far more sense. Zhang Yuanqing suddenly recalled what Yan'er had said before her suicide: "Master Yuan-Shi, you are my prey—you cannot escape!" A bold assumption: was the one who had taken over Yan'er specifically targeting him? "Impossible. Aside from the Yin Ji who had invited me in advance, no one knew I was attending tonight's banquet. She couldn't possibly have been aiming at me." At that moment, hurried and bustling footsteps approached. The next instant, the bathroom door was slammed open. Miangeng'er, dressed in a simple long dress, stepped in first, her expression deeply serious. Upon seeing the scene, her face fell with sorrow and anger when she spotted Yan'er lying dead at the sink. "You..." she gasped, her beautiful eyes wide with fury fixed upon Yuan Shiyuan, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, at the sink. "Liu Zhiyi, third generation of the Ling Dynasty, roared, 'Master Yuan Shi Tian Zun, do you know what you've done? Do you know who she is? You're the scout—tell me what exactly happened!' Although Huafeng was carefree and uncommitted to his duties, as the grandson of the Grand Elder of the Hundred Flowers Assembly and the son of the Master of Taide, his words still carried weight. Everyone immediately turned to Yuanshizhen, awaiting his explanation. Zhang Yuanqing paused briefly and then gave a detailed account of what had just happened. "Master Yuanshizhen, do you have a grudge against her?" Manyan, dressed in a noble lady's attire, expressed her sorrow, taking a deep breath. "We've only just met today," Zhang Yuanqing replied. "Since there's no ill will between us, what's her motive in accusing you?" She gazed at him with tears in her eyes, asking loudly. "This is precisely what I find puzzling," Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "You're merely evading the truth—clearly, you've been eyeing Yan'er's beauty, taking advantage of your wine-induced enthusiasm to pressure her, only to kill her when she resisted. Master Yuanshizhen, I'm telling you, she is the daughter of Yang Elder of the Crab Market Branch. You're in serious trouble now—your position at the Songhai Branch is also at risk," Li Z Zhang Yuanqing glanced at him, gave no reply, and turned toward the broken bridge, where blood stained the ground, speaking calmly, "You're a scout, aren't you? Haven't I lied? Can't you see that?" Duan Qiao, still holding blood, shook her head: "I naturally believe you wouldn't do something so dishonorable. I am indeed extraordinary, but my insight magic fails to detect the saint's disguise. I'm truly sorry, but I can't assist you further." Zhang Yuanqing gave a soft, dismissive "hmm." Ling Jun thought for a moment, then said, "This situation does indeed seem odd. Just now, I observed Lady Yan having a strong affinity for Yuanshǐ Tianzun. By rights, she shouldn't react so strongly." He subtly implied that Yuanshǐ Tianzun's desire to sleep with Yan didn't require violence. Miao Teng'er frowned, her brows knit tightly. After the initial outburst of anger and sorrow, she had grown somewhat composed. Upon reflection, she found the situation indeed unreasonable. "Let's avoid unnecessary arguments," a steady voice emerged from the crowd. "Let Yin Ji, the steward "I will faithfully inform you all of what has transpired with the spirit inquiry," she said, her luminous eyes suddenly radiating a thick, viscous black energy. At this sight, Zhang Yuanqing silently sighed—his situation was now growing darker and darker. A few seconds later, Yin Ji's elegant brows furrowed as she glanced at Zhang Yuanqing and spoke in a steady tone, "Her spiritual body has completely dissipated." The moment she finished speaking, a wave of murmurs and astonishment rippled through the crowd. Zhang Yuanqing noticed that if Yin Ji's gaze had previously been one of trust, it now carried a clear sense of doubt, and even a growing suspicion. After all, only the Yuan Shi Tian Zun could have accomplished such a feat. Given that Yin Ji was already in this state, how could anyone else possibly achieve it? "Then you're saying it's not you!" Liu Zhiyi pointed directly at Zhang Yuanqing. "Her body is gone, and her spiritual essence has vanished—besides you, who else could have done this? You want to claim it's a complete mystery, don't you? We all saw it happen—each and every one of us "Xie Ling, her eyes glistening with tears, choked: "You—how could you treat Yan'er like this... she's only seventeen!" Miao Teng'er, her eyes red with emotion, stared at him fiercely: "What more do you have to say?" Several prominent ladies who were close to Yan'er turned to him with angry glares. Zhang Yuanqing defended: "First, I had no motive to kill her. Beauty cannot serve as a valid reason—I can't stand by that. Second, without a spiritual essence, there's another possibility: Yan'er may have already passed away, having been displaced—her spirit taken over by someone else. Once that person departs, the body would no longer retain any spiritual traces. Yin Ji, the steward, did I say that correctly?" Yin Ji nodded, confirming his words: "Indeed, that's accurate. Yet, Master Yuanshǐ, as a night-wanderer deity, didn't you notice anything at all?" Zhang Yuanqing shook his head: "I saw nothing." Yin Ji furrowed her brows: "That doesn't make sense—unless, that person isn't, in fact, a night-wanderer deity." Or, besides the abilities of the Night-Wanderer, he possesses other capabilities capable of blinding your perception. "Another evasion, Yin-Ji Servant—don't believe him," Li Zhiyi sneered. "Perhaps there's another possibility—he isn't after Yan'er's beauty at all. When Yan'er went to the restroom, she accidentally overheard some confidential conversations, which led to her being silenced by Yuan-Shi Tianzun. Isn't that more plausible, everyone?" The expressions on the attendees' faces immediately shifted. "Don't waste time talking to him—call Yang Elder. Gao-Shan Li-Shui Servant, go and notify the Elder of the Songhai Branch. Everyone, keep your eyes on Yuan-Shi Tianzun—don't let him escape!" A nameless noble erupted in anger, shouting. Instantly, someone pulled out a phone from their pocket to make the call. Besides the abilities of the Night-Wanderer, he possesses other capabilities? Zhang Yuanqing didn't pay much attention to the impassioned crowd. Yin Ji's words struck him like a revelation—he suddenly remembered something. He first picked up Yan'er's necklace, then carefully ran his fingers over every piece of jewelry on her body. Next, he thoroughly examined Yan'er's corpse with both hands, paying close attention to every detail. None? None of the props—there were no props on Yan'er's person. This discovery caused Zhang Yuanqing's eyes to narrow slightly. Without props, how could Yan'er have stirred his passion, how could she have performed the techniques of a stage magician? From the beginning of her courtship to the moment her scheme unraveled and she "died," Zhang Yuanqing had watched every step of the process. Every item on her person had remained unchanged—nothing added, nothing missing. This could only mean one thing: Yan'er was a stage magician. Yet stage magicians lacked the ability to take over a host's body—body takeover was essentially a combination of spirit absorption and embodiment, a unique trait of the Night Wanderer class. An enemy who possessed both the Night Wanderer's skills and the abilities of a stage magician… Zhang Yuanqing's eyes Isn't that strange? Isn't it possible that the one who just stirred me, enticed me, and displayed his charm—was a male, old-style actor from a thousand years ago? And not just any old-style actor, but a male one? Zhang Yuanqing's mind immediately recalled a name: the Master of Pure Yang. "Hmm, why hasn't my phone signal come through?" "Mine hasn't either." Soon, people noticed that their phone signals had been blocked. As they all reached for their phones to check, one by one, every single person found their devices without signal—wireless networks too were gone. At the same time, an elderly man with gray hair pushed through the crowd and approached Miao Teng'er, speaking softly, "Madam, the resort has been enveloped by an mysterious force. I can't penetrate it—everyone here is trapped." "What?" Miao Teng'er's face turned pale. The guests around her also looked visibly startled. Trapped? They couldn't get out. The phone had no signal either. It now seemed clear that Pure Yang Master hadn't come for me from the start—my arrival midway changed her plans, and she had deliberately chosen to lure me first. So her original target must have been Yin Ji—the two Night-Wandering Deities of Taiyuan Sect. Zhang Yuanqing's earlier doubts were finally answered. "Have I gone mad?" The crowd remained puzzled, while Ling Jun and Yin Ji, having already noticed the mobile signal disruption and the mysterious aura enveloping the venue, had fully come to believe in Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun. Ling Jun, of course, deeply understood Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun. Yin Ji's trust stemmed from both personal integrity and logical reasoning. Ling Jun asked, "What have you discovered?" The others fixed their eyes on Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun. "Clearly, we are being watched. There is a powerful, yet unknown adversary whose objective is all of us." Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath. "I have indeed noticed something. I now have a clear understanding of what's happening."