It was eight o'clock in the evening. The enchanting spirits on duty at the manor were either playing with women, drinking wine, or still awake and active. Some had already been drawn by the commotion of battle, grabbing their weapons and rushing out of the house. Others only realized the attack when the renowned swordsman from Edo raised his voice in distress, finally making their way out to assess the situation. "Have the official forces arrived? For heaven's sake—let's fight them! With just the personnel from the Changchun branch, they still want to wipe us out?" "Huh? What in the world is this—werewolves?" "Indeed, a truly formidable presence..." The spirits who had just stormed out of the house, full of energy and urgency, all halted in their tracks. Though the werewolves lacked powerful special abilities, their aura was genuinely that of a Level 5. Defeating Level 2 or 3 enchanting spirits was as easy as crushing a bug. Under the moonlight, the werewolves' limbs moved with agility, their broad backs rising and falling with each stride, and the ground beneath their paw prints quickly turned to frost. The Blood-Drinking Blade has been held in place. Outside, there's still another—one of the Edo swordmasters, severely wounded—whose heart sinks into despair. He halts abruptly, the charging giant still some distance away. Frost begins to climb up his legs, seeping into his bones with a deep, biting cold. Frost? It counters my close-range prowess! Another weight settles in the Edo swordmaster’s mind. He watches the wolf’s muscles ripple and its movements, anticipating its attacks. Instead of retreating, he advances, moving toward the wolf, then suddenly kneels, arching his body, gliding backward with momentum. Just then, the wolf charges forward, extending its claws to intercept the human sliding past. But the Edo swordmaster again anticipates its motion, turning his head to avoid the strike. They glide parallel, side by side. The wolf misses, crashing to the ground, blood spurting from its belly, intestines trembling and dangling from the wound. At the moment they passed each other, the Edo swordmaster surged forth with sword energy, slicing through the wolf's abdomen. Had it not been for the wolf's dense fur and exceptional defensive strength, it would have already been severed in two. On the other side, the Edo swordmaster rose, supporting himself on the hilt of his half-destroyed katana, breathing heavily. Frost had gathered on his cheeks, chest, and arms; while the cold had effectively numbed his pain and sealed the wound piercing his chest, this was not a favorable development. The chill seeped into his body, paralyzing his limbs and gradually diminishing his combat effectiveness. The wolf, now sensationless, charged again. The wound on its abdomen had frozen over, its blood transforming into red ice crystals, and the dangling intestines were encased within these blood-colored ice formations. The Edo swordmaster labored to draw in and expel air, his hand gripping the sword so tightly that veins stood out prominently. He faced the wolf directly. In this round, he had to strike down this wolf—or else, when the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign and the female swordsman arrived, he would surely perish. At that moment, the Edo swordsman, rushing forward with his sword, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest—like a heart attack—his limbs instantly losing strength. He staggered, gripping his sword, and half-sank to his knees. The wolf, opening its blood-splattered, wide maw, bit down on the Edo swordsman's head. The wolf-man's neck split open, his head separating from his body, and he immediately ceased struggling, becoming a lifeless corpse. Meanwhile, Xue Yin Kuangdao leaped out through the shattered window, one eye blind, his steel-bodied frame marred by claw marks and bruises. As soon as he cleared the window, a young girl with a missing arm burst after him, her body resembling a radish hacked to pieces by random blades. Remarkably, she remained alive, though her wounds did not bleed but instead released delicate strands of Yin energy. "You stay hidden in my mist and recover," Xue Yin Kuangdao roared, as he exhaled a thick, dense white mist from his mouth. The mist spread swiftly, engulfing the courtyard, the flower beds, and the buildings. This mist was the fog master's most formidable ability—once within it, the fog master stood invincible. While stabilizing his injuries with the wooden spirit's tools, he would then counterattack these mere commoners with the Blood-Drinking Blade. Oh, how frustrating—it would be wonderful if I had healing items of sage quality! The Edo swordsman's eyes lit up with hope as he saw a glimmer of light in the midst of adversity, and immediately picked up his short blade to rush toward his teammates. Xue Yin Kuang Dao roared in frustration—his greatest fear had come true. Earlier, the strong wind had led him to suspect the enemy was Tian Fa. But during the subsequent battle, the wind never rose again, and the wind mage’s abilities failed to manifest. This gave Xue Yin Kuang Dao a glimmer of hope. "Master Yuan Shi, once you've arrived, you won't be leaving! The King of Fear is on his way!" With two arms extending from his sides, he transformed into a blur and charged straight at Zhang Yuanqing. He had never imagined the assailant would be Master Yuan Shi himself. Surprised, yet energized—Master Yuan Shi, though only at level four, was officially recognized as a prodigy among the top-tier talents on the Ground List. The evil organization had offered him a price so high that killing him would be sufficient to support both himself and his subordinates for three years. Zhang Yuanqing paid no attention to the threat approaching from behind, his eyes fixed on Jiang Du, the swordmaster, and smiled calmly. "I used the Star-Phase Divination to examine your face just now," he said. "You're doomed. Even if the King of Heaven himself arrives, he won He was firmly in control. The assassination tonight had gone smoothly—his blow had severely wounded the Edo swordmaster in the room, and the mission was already accomplished. The Chiyoko group lacked powerful healing items; the Edo swordmaster could not possibly possess a Saint-level recovery item, let alone Life Essence. As a high-damage, low-health-class fighter, once severely wounded, the swordmaster was certain to fall. "Look behind you!" roared the Edo swordmaster. With those words, a deep, resonant hum erupted—like the wings of insects, but amplified countless times. The next instant, a gale swept through, and the Edo swordmaster saw the Blood-Drinking Great Sword charging straight ahead, then tumbling sideways and crashing into the villa’s wall. "Boom!" The entire villa trembled. The one who knocked down the Blood-Drinking Great Sword was a slender, athletic bee maiden clad in light armor. Her complexion was a blend of dark and yellow, her pupils pure black, her features strikingly beautiful and otherworldly. Two curved tendrils adorned her forehead. The蜂female tightly gripped the Xueding Kuangdao with both feet, her full abdomen contracting powerfully, and from the end of her tail, she expelled a series of needle-like spines, each glinting with a deep black sheen, lightly piercing the Xueding Kuangdao's chest like a water droplet on a pond. Once the attack landed, she immediately lifted her wings and soared upward, escaping just before the two pairs of ethereal arms encircled her. This was the essence of the bee's combat style—relying on terrifying speed and venomous stings to strike swiftly and vanish without a trace. Yet, she could not engage in close combat; any such engagement would prove fatal. "Ah—!" The Xueding Kuangdao emitted a piercing, agonized cry, as if drenched in boiling oil, leaping upward, his arms flailing wildly, and rushing desperately toward his subordinates. He had been struck by a lethal toxin. Now, the only hope for his survival lay in the passive ability of the Guhuo deities—the Bloodthirsty Fury—through which life force is drawn by continuous killing and plundering. Cries of agony rose in waves At that moment, he heard heavy, deep breathing, and a coolness spread over his back. Was the werewolf still alive?! That incredible thought flashed through his mind. By instinct of a swordsman, he spun around and swung his broken blade. A faint sword aura swept out, clinking twice as it struck the sharp wolf claws, sending sparks flying. The powerful force sent the broken blade flying. Before he could even glance at the revived werewolf, he rolled sideways, using momentum to leap into the air, and dashed toward the estate's outer edge. His body was now near its limit. His only means of survival now was to escape the estate, reach a crowded urban area, and use ordinary people's lives as leverage. No one from the spiritual realm would fight in the bustling city. "Master of the Edo Swordsman, your time has come!" A figure descended from the sky, blocking his path. Before the figure even reached him, a clear, sharp voice rang out: "The frost has come!" A surging cold wind roared in, as if opening the gates of the polar realm, transforming the soft ground into frozen soil, the grass coated with white frost and hardening, growing brittle. Water vapor in the air condensed into delicate, scattered ice crystals, drifting gently. "Asaoka Ryō…" the Edo swordmaster, sprinting desperately, let out a pained roar of defiance, then froze mid-stride, his fierce expression solidifying like stone. His body now covered in frost, pale as if life had just slipped away. The swordmaster, severely wounded and drained of strength, could no longer struggle, and thus returned to the spiritual realm. Asaoka Ryō stepped forward with steady resolve, sweeping his ice-soul blade across the swordmaster's body, causing him to shatter into four and five fragments—without a single drop of blood. Zhang Yuanqing approached the body, his eyes darkening with surprise, "Hm, the spiritual form has completely dispersed?" "Master Yuan-Shi, have you secured the items?" Asaoka Ryō asked, full of hope yet anxious. Zhang Yuanqing nodded, pointing to his distended abdomen: "Here." He didn't immediately pursue out because he had been keeping the little comic relief inside the room searching for the Key to the Tōten-Heaven. The Key to the Tōten-Heaven was an ancient artifact, not a spiritual realm item, so it couldn't be stored in the inventory. The Edo swordsman had fled barefoot. Therefore, the Key must be hidden somewhere in the villa. Eventually, he and Guan Ya followed the little comic relief to the wardrobe's safe, where they found the jade disk. Unfortunately, the spiritual form had been extinguished—no way to ask for the location of Tōten-Heaven. Zhang Yuanqing turned to the Edo swordsman's right hand, where he noticed a dark ring, possibly a prop. Could this prop have destroyed the spiritual form? Immediately, he instructed Shunoya Ryō to retrieve the ring and then turned to shout at the silver-princess Yūya and the young round-faced girl, who were engaged in fierce combat with the Blood-Drinking Swordsman: "Retreat!" Though everyone could work together to defeat the Blood-Drinking Swordsman, it wasn't necessary. First, the Mist Lord was more skilled and resilient than the swordsmen. The King of Fear has arrived—everyone is doomed. The items are secured, the mission is complete. There's no need for anyone to risk their lives. Although the star-mapping divination indicates no bloodshed, it's still uncertain whether this divination holds true for half-gods, or whether it might be disrupted. Kozen soared swiftly into the sky, vanishing into the night with a steady hum of her wings. Princess Yin Yao transformed into scattered starlight. Zhang Yuanqing lifted Guan Ya, who in turn handed her night-walk cloak to Jianya Ryō. The group swiftly evacuated. ... On the cloud sea, within the Bayflow cabin. The group gathered around a table, examining a jade plate the size of a bowl. The plate was deep green, its surface dark and smooth, intricately carved with cloud patterns and flames, and at its center, a black bird resembling a swallow was sculpted. "There's no item information at all," said Xie Lingxi, turning to her peer from the island nation. Jianya Ryō nodded honestly. "I don't know." "Thanks to the recent eavesdropping, everyone now knows about the existence of Kouten-no-ami. After securing Shina Ryō's agreement, Zhang Yuanqing shared the full truth with his teammates. Li Chunfeng was deeply moved—though not by the precious treasures within Kouten-no-ami, but because he believed this matter warranted in-depth study and a paper so compelling it would astonish his peers." "Alright, I'll keep this safe for now. I'll retrieve it once we reach Kouten-no-ami," Zhang Yuanqing firmly took the jade plate. The Queen expressed her growing concern: "Right now, all we hope for is to safely return to Songhai—without being intercepted by the King of Fear in the skies." "Phooey! You're just a bad omen!" Xie Lingxi turned and scolded her repeatedly. After the group retreated, they didn't return to the hotel—they immediately headed to the airport and boarded Fu Qingyang's private plane to escape back to Songhai. Small-En was calm: "The King of Fear is a half-divine powerhouse. How can returning to Songhai possibly matter? With only Fu Qingyang and the five elders Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "This is indeed a problem. Once we return to Songhai, I'll consult with Fu Qingyang. Ling Jiang, what's your opinion?" "But—but—you promised us you wouldn't tell the Wu Xing Alliance." Ryō, weakly, said. "Rest assured," Zhang Yuanqing spoke with firm dignity, "I'll only mention that we've encountered the King of Fear. I won't reveal a single word about Gao Tianyuan. Do you not trust me? I am a noble warrior of high character." "Very well, very well..." Ryō could only agree, then brightened up. "The mission is complete. I'll report the good news to the supervisor." She walked toward the lounge at the back of the cabin, holding her phone. Zhang Yuanqing rose gracefully and said, "I'll go see Lady Yin Yao." Lady Yin Yao's condition is serious. Though her body is impervious to blades and weapons, it has been strained by the enchanting spirits that have penetrated her armor. She has held off the Blood-Drinking Sword for a long time alone, and now her body is riddled with wounds. The most challenging aspect is that the Princess is like a drifting reed—her spiritual energy flows out but never returns, diminishing with each use. Zhang Yuanqing's plan is precisely to leverage this opportunity, transforming the Silver Yao Princess into his own yin corpse, nurturing her physical body, and then sending her to the High Heaven Plain. A win-win situation.