Honestly, he has absolutely no sense of dignity befitting a commander of the Heavenly King rank... After lending Zhang Yuanqing five hundred yuan in cash, he finally managed to send off the Mage-Eyed King. Fortunately, Zhang has always carried cash with him; otherwise, he'd be stuck staring blankly at the Mage-Eyed King right now. Or rather: "Just wait a moment, I'll go buy you some oranges—ah, no, I'll go home and fetch some money for you." So rigid! It's understandable that he'd need to dip into his own resources when faced with difficulties. We should have a flexible moral compass. Remember to repay him, absolutely... With the wind suddenly picking up in strength, Zhang Yuanqing dons his Wind-Bringer gloves and takes off toward Kangyang District. Yanshi is like a general on the battlefield, always commanding thousands of troops, moving across three thousand li, standing alone against a hundred thousand soldiers. Longevity Elder Hongying and Peak Elder stand shoulder to shoulder, appearing calm and composed, neither disheveled nor weakened. Fu Qingyang alone holds off the two Dominators across from him, and their pressure remains manageable. The three senior elders of the Night Rose were unable to secure victories in the battle—had it not been for the Day-Wanderer and the Spring Goddess, whose recovery and endurance capabilities stand out among all other professions, they would have fallen already. "Unfortunate. I can't see any movement from my southern branch's two senior elders." The plump young man, seated around the Earth God, looked deeply concerned. The two senior elders of the southern branch either fell, were trapped, or fled—there's been no sign of them since. "You've no strong contenders in the south, have you? Sending two mere decorative figures to compete in the peak tournament," said the pleasant-faced Flower's Messenger, delivering the most poignant words of all. Yet the young man knew that, despite her sweet appearance, this young steward was actually the most gentle and compassionate among the present Saint-level figures. The female swordsman, "Summer Tree's Love," and the representative from the Song Mountain Branch, "High Mountains and Flowing Water," regarded him with cold, watchful eyes, as if they would immediately decapitate him at the slightest sign of disturbance. "Will we truly face a collapse in the final stretch?" he furrowed his brows, concerned. The magician is a highly specialized profession—excelling in many areas, yet truly lacking in others. Once a well-prepared melee specialist closes in, they're likely to be taken down in one swift assault. At that moment, the quiet scorn of the Night Rose's Chief Attendant reaches the ears of the gathered crowd. "Senior Red-Needle, I daresay you don't think I've only prepared for this, do you? Knowing that you've been fishing for us all along, if I can't present something of half-divine caliber, it would indeed be a profound lack of respect. I know the Female Marshal is at Songhai—but she won't be able to make it." The Chief Attendant firmly plants her well-oiled sword into the ground and stretches her arms out toward the dark, brooding sky: "Great Ghost City, rise again!" The already somber sky suddenly churns with dark clouds, and a powerful cold wind descends, instantly transforming the early autumn into a deep winter. The towering city buildings vanish—so too do the great fissures torn through the earth by Senior Peak. The world now lies transformed into a desolate, silent ancient city. Fu Qingyang and the two elders stood on the main thoroughfare paved with dark stone, ancient buildings standing on either side. At the far end of the road stood a grand archway, its plaque inscribed with the characters "Ghost City." Yet this was no ordinary ancient city—the ancient buildings along the streets bore signs such as "Sealed Room Escape," "Eerie Foot Massage," "Converse with Ghosts," "Zombie Sightings," "Afterlife Marriage," and "Horror Survival Escape," giving the place the feel of a theme park centered on supernatural experiences. Still, Fu Qingyang and the two elders felt a growing sense of unease. This was a semi-divine artifact. "I know the Marshal is in Songhai, but she won't be coming," said the Grand Guardian, standing on the roof of one of the ancient buildings, her tone calm and detached. "You three, welcome the terror of the Ghost City." The Commander with white hair paused, her gaze calm and steady upon the curly-haired Teddy dog crouched at her doorstep. Her voice was clear, cold, and commanding. "It seems something major has happened." To her, everyone had no secrets. "Commander, you've finally returned," the dog elder bowed low, his tone more serious than ever before. "Two things: the Mage's Eye has been rescued; Fu Qingyang, Hong Ying, and the one who challenged the peak have lost contact. The King of Fear's actions tonight were no accident—we are now deeply entangled in a vast conspiracy." The female commander, with her spirited brow furrowed, asked, "You weren't at the zoo?" She instantly grasped the source of the elder's disappointment. The dog elder shook his head. "I was led away—this is my failure, and I'd like to explain..." The female commander waved him off. "No time for small talk! If the situation is truly as serious as you say, now is not the time for explanations. Tell me—who rescued the Mage's Eye?" Her style was decisive, never dragging or hesitant. The Dog Elder spoke solemnly: "We haven't uncovered the truth yet. But one thing is certain—the Fearful King, the Night Rose, and the one who broke into the zoo to rescue the Eye of Magic—all of them are part of a tightly woven conspiracy. The goal may very well go beyond simply rescuing the Eye of Magic. If the leader of the Night Rose also intervenes, then Fu Qingyang and his companions will be in grave danger." "He won't step in," Fu Qingxuan said calmly. "He's been playing a long game with the Master of Taiyuan Monastery—whichever one enters the game, the one who enters first will perish." "Tell me Fu Qingyang's location," she added. "Jinshan City!" the Dog Elder replied. Fu Qingxuan turned and walked off, then paused and looked back. "Send me the coordinates of Jinshan City to my phone. Without navigation, I won't be able to find it." ... At her grandmother's home, a bright, dreamlike glow of stars rose from the quiet bedroom. Zhang Yuanqing gazed into the dark at the bedroom that hadn't been visited in nearly a month. The air-conditioning blanket lay The desk and the floor were free of dust, neat and tidy. It seemed that Grandma often cleaned the room, waiting for the grandson to return. Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya had decided to go home tonight, creating a reasonable alibi for their absence. Now that the matter was settled, they certainly couldn't simply head back to Fujiawan. He kicked his shoes off, lying down in a wide, spread-out position on the bed, and sighed contentedly, "Still, my own dog house is the most comfortable." After all, it had been his home for over ten years—no matter how lovely a girlfriend lived in the house, it could never replace its special place in his heart. Zhang Yuanqing gazed at the ceiling, mentally reviewing the entire sequence of events at the zoo. They had been careful throughout, and Yu Chuan Mei's magic had been sufficient to deceive most things—plants and staff alike. He had also brought back the notes from the abandoned dormitory building. The blood rose that sank to the lakebed counts as a piece of forensic evidence left behind at the scene, though weak water submerges all things—this is not a rule-based artifact, yet it possesses rule-like properties. Even the Dog Elder would likely be unable to retrieve it. The spirit of the artifact and the half-deity alike would face the same challenge. The only current flaw lies with the cypress tree and the white lion. The cypress endured attacks from Lady Yin Yao and should therefore know it was the ghostly corpse that scraped its skin and tore through its body to save the magical eye. Yet it has no personal knowledge of Lady Yin Yao, and merely suspects the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign based solely on a single ghostly corpse—an implausible scenario. Furthermore, after the Magician King of the Heavenly Eye landed, he made a minor adjustment—deliberately mentioning the name of the Ghost Sword King. "The Night Rose has a particularly close relationship with the Commander of the Army. The Ghost Sword King is entirely capable of possessing a tool to command ghostly corpses. As for why he chooses to ride them, the intricate and diverse rules of the Zoo provide the most compelling explanation." "The White Lion is a bit of a problem... Each has their specialty. Among the Lawful orders, only the Scout's Insight ability can penetrate illusions. Theoretically, although the White Lion holds a high status, it's not all-encompassing—it's merely an embodiment of the Spirit Artifact's power, not a true Spirit Traveler. Its elemental attributes are even quite narrow." "But we shouldn't be too absolute—let's test the Dog Elder tomorrow." "Unclear yet whether the elder's actions have been smooth, especially whether the Pure Yang Master has been eliminated." "I'll need to prepare several more Yin corpses and Spirit Servants. The ranks don't need to be high, but the numbers must be substantial—specifically designed to serve as expendable reserves. Otherwise, should we encounter another situation like the Zoo, I'll have to sacrifice the Greedy General." As he thought these things over, he gradually drifted off to sleep. When he awoke, it was already morning, and the sound of his grandmother calling for his aunt to get up, along with the knocking at the door, could be heard in the living room. At breakfast, the five-family members enjoyed a simple and warm meal, though the atmosphere was Auntie held a steamed bun in her mouth, gazing at the family with a graceful, slightly tilted expression. The tear-shaped mole at the corner of her eye added both charm and cuteness. She hummed and murmured, "Oh, isn't this our daughter-in-law who married out? Isn't she back visiting her parents now?" A clear undercurrent of resentment poured out. "Stop being so silly!" Grandma, with her silver hair, snapped back, unamused. Zhang Yuanqing had just wanted to say that Grandma still loved her, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Grandma changed the tone: "She's clearly a son-in-law who married into the family." The mother and daughter exchanged a series of cold, mocking remarks. Eventually, Brother Chen Yuanjun stepped forward to speak fairly: "At Yuanzi's age, once he's dating, he's always spending time with his girlfriend. By now, half of the summer vacation has passed. When school starts again, he'll have to shift his focus back to academics—there simply won't be much time left for dating." Grandpa, as always, remained serious and silent, neither interfering with his grandchildren's lives nor offering any opinion. Grandma immediately shifted her focus to the grandson: "How can you act so composed and wise here? Yuanzi is already engaged, and you're still just a dog!" Grandma, haven't you been online recently? You've actually started using modern expressions... Zhang Yuanqing gurgled as he drank porridge, watching the scene unfold. Chen Yuanjun was caught off guard, unable to argue, so he turned to his younger sister, "Isn't there already a dog there? Whether you have one or two, Grandma, you're still taking care of them." Jiang Yueyi angrily tapped her nephew's head with her chopsticks. While the two were busy arguing, Grandma turned to Zhang Yuanqing and said, "Your mother really cares about you. She's even called me to ask about Guanyi's situation. Go pick up her phone when you get a chance—don't block her." Wait a minute, when did Chen Shu start being so concerned about my personal life? This doesn't sound like her at all. Zhang Yuanqing was surprised. Knowing a mother best is her child—Chen Shu is a strong, assertive mother, not the type who gently nurtures her child like a delicate heart. Regarding raising her son, her consistent attitude has always been that he just needs to live—ideally, not a complete waste. He barely cares about his son's education or academic performance, let alone his girlfriend. "What did she say?" Zhang Yuanqing felt a sense of relief already. "She said Guan Ya is too old, and you two aren't a good match." "Then let her go on her way." "Just speak politely, that's what your mother expects." Grandma also tapped her grandson's head with her chopsticks. "She's never taken the time to care for me. She never attends parent-teacher conferences, never celebrates my birthdays, never checks my homework. Every time I come home, she just hands me money. It's all your fault, Grandma, for not raising her properly." Zhang Yuanqing countered with a moral appeal. The grandparents felt momentarily embarrassed. Their daughter had indeed fallen short as a daughter-in-law, and they had, to some extent, been responsible for the lack of attention to their grandson. ... After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing returned to Fu Family Village and went straight to Fu Qingyang's large villa, only to be informed by the "rabbit girl" that the young lord had not come home. Zhang Yuanqing immediately realized something was wrong—how could a battle last all night? He dialed the Dog Elder right away, only to hear a "no service" message. He then tried calling Fu Qingyang, and received the same "no service" message. He called the High Peak Elder, Yin Ji, Xia Shu’s love, and all the other official travelers he knew who were involved in this mission—each time, the message was identical: "no service." Zhang Yuanqing suddenly grew anxious. He sensed that he might have missed something serious—something bad must have already happened. He quickly left the large villa and rushed back to his smaller, more modest one, rushing into the living room just in time to see Guan Ya leading her team members toward the courtyard. They wore white exercise uniforms, their mixed-race beauty with full, firm breasts, slender waists, and long, graceful legs, complemented by their refined features and flowing waves of hair—sophisticated, mature, and stunningly beautiful. Since becoming a wife, a gentle grace and softness had settled into her expression. Queen and Xie Lingxi each have their own charm—Queen wears a smoky makeup, with a full figure and several pounds of grace carried on her chest, while Xie Lingxi is a vibrant, youthful high school girl full of energy. In comparison, Li Chunfeng appears reluctant and listless, drooping with fatigue. Clearly, they are heading to the training hall for drills and combat training.