The four characters "Everlasting Mountains and Rivers" struck heavily upon Zhang Yuanqing's heart. He turned pale and looked back at Long Ying, his voice trembling as he stammered, "You...?" "You're certain?" Fu Qingyang responded even faster, as if specifically meant to preempt Yuan Shi Tianzun. Compared to his trusted subordinate whose expression had suddenly shifted, Qian Gongzi remained calm and composed, like the ice-cold, poised beauty described in novels. Zhang Yuanqing fell silent, his thoughts swirling within him like a storm of waves. "Who exactly is Everlasting Mountains and Rivers?" Fu Qingxuan furrowed her brows. Of course, she had never heard of someone who had returned to the Spiritual Realm over twenty years ago—when Mountains and Rivers Everlasting served at Taimei Monastery, Fu Qingxuan was merely a kindergarten student with braids and a red schoolbag. "It's Everlasting Mountains and Rivers," Fu Qingyang corrected. Elder Gao Feng also turned to Long Ying; he himself had become a Spiritual Realm traveler over the past decade. Senior Hong Ying's gaze remained fixed on the elderly face in the distance, her face frozen in shock, bewilderment, and disbelief. It wasn't until several seconds had passed that she took a deep breath and said, "He is a senior elder from the Taiyuan Sect, with a long-standing record—originally a spiritual traveler from the late Republican era. Yet, he had already returned to the Spiritual Realm two decades ago." Could it be that the Grand Protector of the Night Rose Sect was once a senior elder of the Taiyuan Sect? The others looked at her with expressions of astonishment. To them, this information was simply hard to absorb. "Returning to the Spiritual Realm," Fu Qingyang said coldly, "a senior elder from the Taiyuan Sect becoming the Grand Protector of the Night Rose Sect—was he truly returning to the Spiritual Realm, or had he betrayed the Taiyuan Sect?" At his words, everyone in the room turned to look at Senior Hong Ying. The graceful woman smiled faintly, shaking her head, "That is precisely what has left me stunned." Fu Qingyang nodded, saying nothing further. As a scout, he could judge whether Hong Ying's words were genuine or No one could lie in front of the Marshal. "Do the other two know them? Are they also from the official faction?" Fu Qingxuan turned to her brother. She wasn't particularly familiar with the appearance of the official elders—of course, the Marshal was busy every day reading manga and sipping chocolate beans, with no time to pay attention to the disorganized group of official elders. Fu Qingyang didn't respond immediately. He walked over to the bodies of the middle-aged man and woman, examined them carefully, confirmed there were no props used for disguise, then shook his head. "They aren't the official leaders, but once their appearances are verified, identifying them won't be difficult." As he spoke, the halls, shops, and streets of the ghost city began to transparentize, like a mirage slowly fading away. "The ghost city is departing for a night journey," Fu Qingxuan said. "It's preparing to return to reality." The artifact is leaving, summoned by its true owner behind the scenes. "Uncle, can we do anything to stop this?" Zhang Yuanqing hurried to ask. Uncle? The ice-cold beauty, Lady Qian, looked surprised. Everyone else also paused, taken aback. What made them even more incredulous was that the Marshal had not corrected the reference to the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, merely shaking his head slightly: "The scouts lack that capability." Fu Qingyang, his face stern, examined his most trusted subordinate, pondering how many times he had already bowed in reverence. Fu Qingxuan was far from a patient woman. The "etherealization" of the Ghost City was accelerating, and the contours of the real world began to emerge, as if two overlapping paintings. A few seconds later, the bustling voices and the subtle hum of vehicles on the road reached their ears, and the Ghost City vanished entirely—leaving them standing right in the middle of the highway. The bodies of the three protectors of the Night Rose also disappeared with the Ghost City. A white sedan approached the crowd, its driver suddenly noticing a group of people materializing ahead, instinctively slamming the steering wheel. Yet in the blink of an eye, the group vanished as if they had never been there. The driver quickly adjusted the wheel, steering the car several meters to the left before it regained its course and safely drove away. By the roadside, under the blessing of Long Ying's star-magic, everyone watched the white sedan drive away. Fu Qingxuan said, "Let's disperse. I'm heading back to the capital. Fu Qingyang, you take charge of this matter—let me know once it's settled." Fu Qingyang grasped her sister's arm: "Give me back my cloak." Fu Qingxuan pretended not to hear, turning to Zhang Yuanqing: "I'll have the Ten Elders review you later. Just reach out to me when you're ready. As a White Tiger army member, you don't need that crude fire master to intervene." "Yes, auntie," Zhang Yuanqing replied. Fu Qingxuan glanced at him, "It seems you know quite a bit." She didn't elaborate, pulled out her phone from her pants pocket, opened the navigation app, and then remembered something, speaking calmly: "Master Yuanshǐ, could you please send me a photo of yourself?" Everyone, including Fu Qingyang, turned pale, casting quiet, subtly threatening glances toward Master Yuanshǐ. Zhang Yuanqing looked straight ahead, opened the app, added a friend with a white-haired profile, and sent the photo of the shared Fu Qingxuan nodded in satisfaction, then opened the navigation system, stepping into the blue sky as the soft female voice guided her. "Preparation for departure. Total distance: 1,268 kilometers. Estimated time: ... You are exceeding the speed limit. Please slow down. You are exceeding... ..." ... The Gobi Desert. The Headquarters of the Commander of the Army. Within the simple flat building housing the Mother God's womb, King of Fear suddenly rose and turned toward the biological chamber, sighing, "She has been revived... It seems she did not kill Fu Qingyang." Silver Moon King turned to look, and there, a hand-shaped contour lifted the flesh membrane of the chamber. Then, a figure tore through the "amniotic sac" and emerged. The elder had white hair and wrinkles, yet his body was well-muscled and sun-kissed, strong and healthy. After stepping out, the biological chamber quickly healed, the flesh membrane repairing itself. But soon, a second hand lifted the membrane, this time revealing a middle-aged man. Then, a middle-aged woman of ordinary appearance emerged. The King of Fear snapped his fingers, and three sets of formal attire materialized on the dome of the body chamber, smiling, "The clothing is ready. Speaking barefoot is rather unrefined, isn't it?" The Chief Guardian picked up the garments, dressing slowly and deliberately, his voice hoarse, "My identity has been exposed. Our mission has failed." The Silver Moon King exclaimed, "Before the action, you claimed your leader had rehearsed this scenario numerous times—this was supposed to be a certain success." The King of Fear stroked the silver studs on his earlobes, "While outcomes at the half-divine level often involve setbacks, we should examine where exactly the failure lies." "Has the Eye of Magic been rescued?" asked the third Guardian. "Yes," nodded the King of Fear, "He will soon return to the Commander's Court." The three Guardians of the Night Rose furrowed their brows. The Chief Guardian, his voice still hoarse, added, "You've delayed the Marshal long enough—your part is solid, the Eye of Magic has been secured. It seems the failure lies in how Fu Qingxuan located the city of Ghosts." "The ghost city has its leader employing a secret protective measure—she simply can't find them." "If I don't know...," the King of Fear shrugged, "then clearly it's the Master of the Gate who stepped in. All the unanswered questions can be passed off to him." That world-renowned strategist, that master of the stars—his plans and moves were always subtle, seamless, like the gentle rain that nourishes without being noticed. You never sensed when he intervened, nor even whether he had. He was like a deity from a higher dimension, observing the rise and evolution of all things on earth, occasionally shifting a single piece—and you never noticed any difference. A strategy that could have caught the leader of the Night Rose off guard? That certainly points to someone acting behind the scenes. "But one thing is certain—the Night Rose will now have to play an open game with the official side." The Chief Guardian sighed. ... Online conference room. The Grand Elder Di Hong personally attended the meeting, with participants including Red Ying Elder and Zhao Elder from the Taiyuan Division, Fu Qingyang and Dog Elder from the Songhai Branch, and Gongkai Elder from the Hangcheng Branch. The theme of the meeting was the series of events that unfolded last night in Songhai, centered around the rescue of the Mage's Eye. The Dog Elder sighed. The Dìhóng Elder didn't press further, but instead said, "Zhào Elder, Hóngyīng Elder, what exactly is going on with Shānghé Yǒngcún? According to the records of Taímén, this person entered the realm in 1999 and has since gone missing. Taímén assumes he has returned to the Spiritual Realm. Yet why has he suddenly reappeared, and why has he become the Grand Protector of the Night Rose?" Zhào Elder's microphone icon lit up. "Shānghé Yǒngcún indeed has returned to the Spiritual Realm, as the records confirm—he entered the realm in winter of 1999 and has been untraceable since. In such cases, we typically assume a return to the Spiritual Realm." This was the entry he had reported to the Chìrì Officer upon entering the realm—this was the realm he had entered. A document was uploaded in the dialogue box. The Elders were about to open it when Fù Qīngyáng coldly interrupted: "Zhào Elder, Taímén has done a commendable job of preparation." Zhao Elder spoke solemnly: "What does Fu Elder mean?" The microphone on Fu Qingyang's head pulsed. "A week ago, in the Taiyuan Gate's database, there was no record of 'Shanhe Yongsheng.' Yet this afternoon, after Red Ying Elder reported this matter, the records for 'Shanhe Yongsheng' have been restored. Shouldn't Zhao Elder explain this?" Upon hearing this, Dihong Grand Elder said seriously, "Fu Qingyang, this is truly the case!" Fu Qingyang replied calmly with a simple "hm." "There's another person who returned to the spiritual realm the same year and whose records were erased." "Who?" Several voices asked simultaneously in the meeting room. Fu Qingyang said gravely, "The seventeenth son of the Taiyuan Gate's Master, one of the Shadow Twin figures of the Xiao Yao Organization—Ling Tu!" The meeting room fell into silence. ... "Is the leader of the Night Rose the one I've always thought of—my 17th brother, Ling Tu?" "Capital City, under the locust tree, Ling Jun stared intently at Sun Elder seated in the rocking chair, gritting his teeth. "Today, the female marshal defeated the chief protector of the Night Rose at Jinshan City. So, he must be the Mountain and River Everlasting of Taiyuan Sect. Therefore, isn't the Night Rose's leader Ling Tu?" He learned this from Fu Qingyang and Yuan Shixian. Yuan Shixian and Fu Qingyang both speculated that Ling Tu was indeed the leader of the Night Rose—both Ling Tu and the Mountain and River Everlasting had returned to the spiritual realm at the same time, and both had had their records erased. Moreover, considering the stature of the Night Rose's leader, the elder brother's case was the most compelling. "That explains why the Night Rose's members are so well established within official institutions and spiritual families—this organization originally splintered from within our own ranks. Why? Why would Brother Seventeen have done this?" "Sun Elder, you can't hide it anymore. Tell me now." Victoria lounged against the tree trunk, her fingers holding a lady's cigarette, watching her husband storm at the old man. Upon hearing the "terrible news," Lingjun sat motionless in the room for a long time, which startled Victoria so much that she gently pressed him against her chest, whispering, "Baby, what's wrong? What's on your mind, darling? Tell me." But the baby said nothing—he simply led her straight to Sun Elder's residence. Sun Elder was closed-eyed, swaying gently with the rocking chair. After a long while, he opened his eyes, gazing at the blue sky, and spoke slowly: "You're absolutely right—the leader of the Night Rose is Lingtuo, and the followers of the Rivers and Mountains are his companions. I have been a close friend of the Rivers and Mountains, sharing the same ideals. The Taiyuan Sect removed my authority for good reasons—they were concerned that I would become a secret member of the Night Rose." Lingjun clenched his fists tightly, his face drawing taut with emotion. The Night Rose's actions weren't much better than those of the evil organizations. In his memory, Brother Seventeen had always been gentle and deeply principled—a figure he had long admired as a childhood ideal. "Why has he become like this?" "Victoria furrowed her brow, saying, 'Though Lingtuo may not be a steady or reliable man, how could someone determined to save the world be a villain?'"