The young couple entering the store appear exceptionally well-matched. The man is tall and handsome, with a mysterious, ethereal aura and a touch of brooding, passionate charm. The woman is a rare beauty—her eyebrows neatly outlined, eyelashes drawn, and lashes curled—enhancing her naturally graceful features to an even more refined and radiant elegance. Her round, sweet face, softened by a light makeup, takes on the poised, sophisticated allure of a young, confident woman. The Fear King's gaze sweeps over the young woman and settles firmly on the man. Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn? His stern expression softens into a smile, his lips gently curling, as if a cat had finally caught its mouse. Many evil-aligned professionals have seen Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn in person, and even more of the lawful-aligned ones. As one of the very few at the pinnacle of the spiritual realm travelers, the Fear King found it entirely natural to seek out Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn's appearance. "Good fortune!" he murmurs, gazing at the young person reflected in the mirror, pausing suddenly with genuine delight. "!!!" Zhang Yuanqing was filled with a series of exclamation points! As his authority grew, he had long since outgrown his early days as a rookie. He had studied the profiles and portraits of most of the senior figures—chiefs or rulers—across various evil organizations. With the exception of the elusive, ever-changing Void Sect, he had memorized the appearances of the three major branches of the Spirit Energy Association and the Heavenly Kings and Divine Generals of the Army Sect. Thus, Zhang Yuanqing immediately recognized the King of Fear. The chief of the King of Fear now looked exactly as he did in the photographs—handsome, composed, elegant, with his signature silver ear studs. King of Fear? Why is he here? I was just strolling around, and suddenly—here he is, causing me fear! Zhang Yuanqing’s face gradually turned pale, his adrenaline surging, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. His heart pounded wildly, as if about to burst under the strain. Zhang Yuanqing felt an overwhelming sense of despair—almost as if heaven had forsaken him—and an unprecedented sense of crisis, a crisis more profound than any he had faced before, surpassing even the S-rank dungeon challenges and the crisis of the Pure Yang Master being possessed. This was a half-divine evil-class profession. Even though the Heavenly King of Fear had done nothing at all. Jiang Yu and the sales associate both went stiff, their eyes vacant. They were enchanted. Then, Zhang Yuanqing tightened her muscles, lowered her head, and bowed respectfully before the young man in front of the full-length mirror: "May I present the King of Fear." The King of Fear gave a quiet "Hmm," and at that moment, his attention had already returned to himself—examining the buttons, smoothing out creases in his collar, brushing away dust that didn’t exist, as if he were merely an ordinary guest. Zhang Yuanqing spoke steadily: "King of Fear, you should not have established this restriction; you should not have limited our freedom. Of course, doing so is also your choice." Upon hearing these words, the King of Fear, who had previously been casually assessing the new attire, lifted his gaze to meet the image of Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun in the mirror. His expression, once cold, now warmed into a smile. "Interesting," he said. Then, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. With a crisp "snap," the incantation that had been encircling the clothing store vanished. The King of Fear smiled. "To leave is your freedom. No one can restrict another's freedom in any way—your words just now truly impressed me. Yet, leaving is your freedom, and killing you is mine. Let me introduce myself, Bishop Yuanqing. And you, as well?" "Primordial Heavenly Sovereign," said Zhang Yuanqing, not concealing his title, for it held no significance. He spoke softly. "Please let them go—they are merely ordinary people." "That, too, is your freedom," the King of Fear nodded slightly. At once, Zhang Yuanqing turned to his aunt and said softly, "Aunt, let's go home." Staring blankly, his aunt carried her bags and turned to leave. Under the influence of Zhang Yuanqing's magic, the sales associate also departed early. Then, one by one, the cashier and the other three sales associates followed, leaving the store. He exhaled, nodding. "Indeed, we've been a bit delayed. But I haven't been idle either. While the sales staff and my aunt were leaving, I've focused half my awareness within the Blood Rose, relaying my situation to Guan Ya. Guan Ya will inform Fu Qingyang." Moreover, the King of Fear came specifically for him, with a clear purpose. The mage king’s approach—effective when there’s no direct conflict—might work occasionally, but now it’s uncertain. While Zhang Yuanqing was engaged in his mental deliberations, the King of Fear stepped away from the full-length mirror, his fingers brushing over the garments hung on the clothes rack, and casually remarked, “Coming to buy clothes?” Ah? Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily startled. “Yes, yes, that’s right.” “This one suits you well—it complements your demeanor,” said the King of Fear, taking down a casual suit and tossing it toward him. “Where are the keys to Gaotianyuan?” Zhang Yuanqing hesitated—neither willing to accept nor to refuse them. “On my corpse,” he replied. The King of Fear glanced at him. “You’re telling the truth—you’ve actually entered Gaotianyuan?” Zhang Yuanqing nodded, visibly tense. “What’s inside?” the King of Fear asked. I just mentioned the keys were not on him, and he confirmed it was true—does the King of Fear have lie-detection abilities? Now he’s asking about the interior of The counting board was indeed well managed—though for me, it was merely an opportunity to delay time. Zhang Yuanqing pushed his mental limits, maintaining a respectful posture, and recounted the situation in the Gao Tianyuan in full detail. "Bronze Divine Tree?" the King of Fear murmured thoughtfully. "That seems to be an item associated with musicians and scholars," Zhang Yuanqing ventured. If it weren't for the King of Fear's ability to detect lies (a special artifact), he would have feigned that even Xu Fu had failed to grasp its mysteries, suggesting it was of little value. The King of Fear paid no attention to him. Zhang Yuanqing then thought again and asked, "Your Majesty, do you know the Nüwa Emperor? Xu Fu mentioned in his records that the treasures in Gao Tianyuan were left behind by the Nüwa Emperor." Driven by curiosity and a desire to delay time. As far as he could see, the King of Fear intended to extract information about Gao Tianyuan from him, so had not yet decided to kill him. Yet the King of Fear still ignored him, as though he held no interest in speaking further with Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun. Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment, then said, "Of course. Whether or not you answer me is entirely up to you." Only then did the King of Fear look at him seriously and smile, saying, "Master Yuan Shi, you truly understand me—your way of speaking is exactly what I appreciate." Pausing, he added, "In myth and legend, Hua Wang refers to the ancient goddess Nüwa, a title used by early cultivators to honor a powerful figure from the distant past. At this point, however, we still don't know her exact rank." Was Nüwa an ancient cultivator? Hey—then what about Pangu as well? Zhang Yuanqing knew that myths represented another form of history among ancient cultivators, but the mythological figures were so diverse and chaotic, with so many fictional ones, that it was hard to distinguish which were real and which were later inventions. Now, a confirmed real figure had emerged: Hua Wang! Zhang Yuanqing said, "Do you need the Key to the High Heaven Plain? I would be honored to present it to the King of Fear. I, too, like you, long for freedom." "No," he replied, "you do not." The King of Fear gazed at him, smiled faintly, "You have always been free—what could you possibly desire? I see no yearning for freedom in your eyes. Most people in the world are not free, yet they believe themselves to be. Thus, they do not seek freedom—and neither do you. True seekers of freedom know instantly when they meet someone who truly understands them. The last person who gave me this feeling was the Magus King. Alas, he pursued freedom so passionately that he returned to the Spiritual Realm, achieving fulfillment in death—but in doing so, I have lost a true companion." Zhang Yuanqing felt a weight settle in his heart. This meant that, no matter how well he had tailored himself to the King of Fear, he would only gain a modest appreciation and goodwill—never a shift in the King’s fundamental principles. Had it not been for his demeanor, had the Magus King not been genuinely moved by his essence rather than his words? Indeed, if a single sentence could win over the King of Fear and make him fall completely in love, that would be to greatly underestimate this half-god. Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts raced, and instinctively asked, "Then why didn't you help him defeat the Spectral Eye Judge? With your strength, wouldn't that have been easy?" The King of Fear casually took off a piece of clothing, pressed it against his chest, and examined himself in the full-length mirror, speaking calmly, "The Magistrate of the Fallen Cup controls the Mage King. Whether the Spectral Eye Judge lives or dies makes no difference to reality. The Fallen Cup is a particularly unique rule-based artifact—even I am powerless against it. 'It was precisely recognizing this limitation that led me to abandon the idea of killing the Spectral Eye Judge.'" Where is Fu Qingyang? No, where are the Chieftains? Why aren't they coming? Come to save me! Zhang Yuanqing felt himself nearly collapsing—he had no more topics to discuss. Just as he was struggling to find something to say, the King of Fear produced a small black flag inscribed with blood-red characters. It's over... Zhang Yuanqing paled, his adrenaline surging. "Time is running short," the King of Fear said coldly. "Primordial Sovereign, I shall curse you. If, within one month, you fail to rescue the King of the Eye of Darkness, I shall ensure your death by curse." The King of Fear nodded in satisfaction: "Remember, as long as you reveal anything to anyone—or attempt to lift the curse—the power of your oath will kill you before the curse is eliminated." He then produced his phone. "Here, add me as a friend. Whenever you have questions during the rescue of the Eye of the Demon, just come to me. Let's work together." Roll your eyes at that "working together"—you, a damn bitch! Zhang Yuanqing's face twisted, yet he remained composed and retrieved his phone to add the King of Fear as a contact. The King of Fear changed the note to "The Prime Immortal" and tucked his phone back into his pocket, then added, "Keep the key to Gaotianyuan for now. I don't plan to leave the country—the island is too far. I still need to investigate the information about the Bronze Sacred Tree." Implied was that there was nothing of interest yet in Gaotianyuan, so he had no intention of making the trip. He glanced at the entrance of the clothing store and said, "Until we meet again." With that, he walked past Zhang Yuanqing and headed straight toward the store door. "Oh, by the way." He stopped at the door. Zhang Yuanqing's muscles tightened. "What further instructions does the Heavenly King have?" Fearing the Heavenly King pointed to the register and said, "Remember to pay for my bill." Zhang Yuanqing: "...?" He strode away, his figure vanishing from Zhang Yuanqing's sight. Alive... he'd made it. Zhang Yuanqing's legs gave way as he leaned against the wall, his chest heaving with rapid, labored breaths. Though there had been no actual combat, he felt as though he'd drained himself completely. A surge of relief and lingering apprehension washed over him. The Heavenly King hadn't killed me—was he planning to use me to save the Eye of the Demon? The zoo, though a rule-based item, should have been manageable for someone of his caliber. After all, he hadn't even needed to fight his way through it. Ah well. In the eyes of this half-divine being, the legendary prodigy, the Prime Origin Heavenly Sovereign, was merely a child—no real threat at all. Otherwise, he would have crushed him before he even reached his cradle. The gap still felt too vast. Ah, well, I've got no choice but to save the Mago's Eye now. For a whole month... I need to carefully figure out how to rescue it. Gosh, once it's exposed, the official side will have absolutely no place for me. This fear-strategy truly is a two-for-one move. Indeed, someone who can command the Army Bishop—no matter how eccentric—can't be considered a fool. As his thoughts raced, he spotted Fu Qingyang, dressed in white, stepping in from outside the shop. At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing nearly collapsed into the money-lender's arms, punching his chest with small fists, exclaiming: "Deadbeat! Why did you wait so long?" Fu Qingyang sighed, then furrowed his brow. "Has anyone from the Fear faction done anything to you?" Yuanshǐ standing here fully intact is certainly good news, but it doesn't quite make sense. Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "I told him the key to Gaotianyuan isn't with me. He has some lie-detection tools and believed me. I promised him I'd hand over the key, and in return, he'd let me go. He also said that once the Mago Fu Qingyang's face darkened. "I think he wants to die." He looked intently at Zhang Yuanqing, didn't ask any further questions, and then said, "A thick fog has been enveloping the marketplace. The Palace Master took some time to disperse it. Now the pursuit has been delayed." That explains why the Fearful King said there wasn't much time left. Zhang Yuanqing suddenly understood. "The General has arrived, hasn't he? Why hasn't she intervened?" Zhang Yuanqing grew slightly irritated. After all, he was one of the White Tiger troops, and as a General, she hadn't shown any concern for his safety at all. "The General is stationed at the zoo, on standby to prevent the Fearful King from distracting the main force," Fu Qingyang explained. "You notified them in time. When I received Guan Ya's call, the Dog Elder had already relayed your situation to the Palace Master. Otherwise, we would have had to wait a bit longer." Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily stunned. "I didn't even notify the Dog Elder."