A large flame leapt upward rapidly, consuming the entire matchstick stem, and the wish came true. This was exactly what Zhang Yuanqing had anticipated—the firebox could influence the realm, as long as it didn't involve the core mechanisms of the spiritual realm. The realm's rules stipulated a new chapter every month, with intervals exceeding fifteen days between chapters. He was due to enter the realm soon, and the power of his wish merely advanced the arrival of the chapter by a couple of days. As the matchstick burned out, amid the lingering smoke, Zhang Yuanqing heard the realm's notification: 【Ping! The spiritual realm map is being activated. Your current entry realm is "The Final Battle at Chang'an," designated as No. 69.】 【Difficulty Level: B】 【Type: Solo (Death-based)】 【Main Objective: Eliminate ten ghostly creatures.】 【Introduction to Realm No. 69: The son of the Grand Master of the Ghost King Sect died several months ago at the hands of the Unfavorable General. The Grand Master, Ao Cang, remained unconvinced and, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival when the gates of the underworld opened wide, led [Note: Non-spirit realm items cannot be brought in.] The spirit realm's prompt concluded without any countdown. Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the three adversaries who had been quietly on edge, and coldly said, "See you later!" And with that, he vanished from the sight of the three Pure Yang Masters. Almost immediately, the Sixth Elder of the Southern School raised his head and emitted a sharp cry, launching a mental assault. The three protective principles summoned the sun, casting a brilliant golden light that illuminated the cabin—sunlight overcoming the moon's influence, revealing the form of the night-wanderer. Yet the cabin remained empty, and the Prime Sovereign truly disappeared. Not through teleportation, nor through night-wandering. He simply vanished. "Where are the others? Where are the others?" cried the Master of Pure Yang, "By heaven, by heaven!" As a half-mad man, his emotional control had always been poor, and he could hardly believe that the perfectly cooked duck had flown away without a trace. The three protectors withdrew the sun, paused for a moment, and said uncertainly, "What did he say just now?" "The six elders repeated the Tianzun's words in a low tone: 'I have made a vow that my personal spiritual realm will materialize instantly, eliminating the countdown period.' Pure Yang Master's shriek stopped abruptly; she stared wide-eyed, her dark eye shadows accentuating the large, well-defined lashes of her Karsan eyes, asking, 'He... has entered the spiritual realm?' The elder nodded: 'Though it seems incredible, it is indeed true. Otherwise, how could he have broken through the restrictions of the props? If he possessed a master-level teleportation device, he would not still be here now.' 'By heaven, by heaven, by heaven!' Pure Yang Master exclaimed again. The very next moment, she collected all her expressions and coldly remarked with a gloomy demeanor, 'When he finally exits the quest, he'll still be trapped in the plane, barely clinging on.' The spiritual realm traveler enters the quest from wherever he begins, and upon exit, he emerges exactly where he entered. The third protector, pale-faced, said, 'Yet he does possess teleportation props that allow him to exit the quest.' 'No, he doesn't.' "Sixth Elder spoke with a cold tone, his eyes beneath the hood blazing with intense, chaotic emotion, yet his thoughts remained exceptionally calm: 'He possesses master-tier consumables and so many premium items. The realm he entered must be a master-tier one. Wait—eventually, he will emerge. Of course, he might also perish directly within the realm.' Upon hearing this, Pure Yang Abbot frowned. His pursuit of the Primordial Sovereign was not merely driven by personal grievances, but by the need to acquire power at the level of human and immortal cultivators. If the Primordial Sovereign perished within the realm, wouldn't all efforts have been in vain? Third Monastic said, 'Master-tier realms require a long duration. Since the Primordial Sovereign hasn't returned to Songhai today, the Songhai branch elders will surely react. We cannot afford delays. My recommendation is to return the aircraft to the Headquarters of the Commander of the Army.' 'Return it to the Southern Sect Headquarters!' Sixth Elder countered coldly. The two masters exchanged a quiet, impassive gaze. "You'd better not have an internal conflict here. If the plane is destroyed, the Yuan-Shi Tian Zun's return will be at ten thousand feet in the air. Once there, he'll be unable to escape no matter who tries to stop him." Pure Yang Master sneered. Pausing, he added, "Should the Songhai Branch react and notify the Wuxing Alliance headquarters, given that the Marshal holds such high regard for the Yuan-Shi Tian Zun, he will surely come personally. Your Nan School has only one half-divine figure, while the northwest is the Army Master's headquarters—home to the VRush, the King of Fear, and several sovereigns from the Night Rose. The White Tiger Marshal, however, would be in for a one-way trip if he comes." The Sixth Elder thought for a few seconds, then coldly remarked, "I'll take your sovereign-level artifact as collateral." Pure Yang Master smiled warmly, "No problem!" He opened the door to the service room and gestured, summoning the miniature tabletop game, which he handed to the Sixth Elder. ... The image gradually sharpened, and Zhang Yuanqing found himself standing on a cobblestone street. On both sides of the street stood a series of closely clustered buildings, their black tiled roofs and soaring eaves outlining a classic ancient architectural style. At this moment, with the moon rising above the willow branches, the buildings were lit up inside, radiating the sounds of wind and bamboo music, the laughter of women, and the clear, resonant poetry recited by men. It was evident that he had entered the realm and arrived in the ancient times. "Li Jun, what are you staring at!" A gentle push on his back made Zhang Yuanqing turn around to see two young men standing behind him. The one who pushed him was a young man with a triangular eye, wearing a headdress, a round-collar, narrow-sleeved robe that reached only to his knees, paired with tight-fitting pants and shoes. A bronze plaque hung at his waist, faintly inscribed with the characters "The Unsettled Men." The other young man was broad-shouldered and sturdy, with a strong, rugged face, dressed similarly, and also bearing the same plaque at his waist. Both had bold, determined expressions and a fierce demeanor, clearly not gentle or peaceful in nature. The young man with the triangular eye carried a short knife in his hand, Moreover, both young men carried heavy burdens in their arms, as though they had stuffed themselves with various items. Li Jun, Li Jun—suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing recalled a memory. He was now Li Jun, a member of the Tang Dynasty's *Bingluan* corps, skilled in stealth and spirit summoning, and renowned for his talent in the art of "snatching as the crane passes"—a method of quietly seizing valuables. A few years ago, during an attempted burglary, he had stumbled and been apprehended by the official authorities. Recognizing his potential, the government spared him from serious charges and appointed him as a *Bingluan*, under the command of the *Bingluan* commander. The two young men behind him were also members of the corps: the one with a triangular eye was Fu Xinyou, and the one with broad, muscular features was Xi Zhe—both were strong-willed, energetic, and had a history of disciplinary issues. "Are you listening to me?" Fu Xinyou frowned, pushing him. "During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the gates of the spirit world open, and the entire Chang'an is shrouded in a dense, oppressive gloom. We Pingkang Lane is 1,022 meters long from east to west and 500 meters from north to south, covering a total area of approximately 500,000 square meters. With such a vast area to patrol, three people alone are simply not enough. In addition to the three Unfortunate Ones, there are also armed soldiers equipped with sharp weapons patrolling throughout the lane. During their patrols, Xi Zhe occasionally raises his bamboo tube, slowly scanning the surroundings, including the houses along the roadside. This is his sacred implement—through the bamboo tube, he can see spirits and ghosts, and detect negative energies. Zhang Yuanqing looks left and right, feigning careful inspection, while inside he is muttering complaints. Realm No. 69—The Decisive Battle at Chang'an—is a Tang Dynasty-themed quest. The Tang Dynasty corresponds to the Master-level, yet he has entered a Master-level quest rated at B-tier. "With a Master-level quest, the transmission jade token won't work anymore," he feels increasingly anxious. Zhang Yuanqing's original plan was to make a wish to the matchstick to enter the quest, then light the second matchstick and make a wish for a transmission jade token, Thus, he might drop down to level five at most. He still has two faction副本 to clear, and with one more S-level副本 entry next month, he’d easily recover his losses and return to level six. As long as he survives this ambush, everything would be worth it. But his luck has been truly poor... "Having a five-element spiritual energy experience card, with the Yata Mirror resting in my inventory, all the materials from the Little Red Cap being saint and sovereign-tier, plus my premium items—matching a sovereign-tier副本 shouldn’t be surprising at all." He gritted his teeth, carefully scanning the surroundings, feeling an endless threat lurking in the darkness. The main quest requires him to defeat ten yin entities—presumably all sovereign-tier in strength—making it an impossible task even for the Night-Wanderer, who naturally resists yin spirits. Unless I summon ten shadow creatures at once and then activate the experience card to clear the monsters, I simply won't survive the mission—certainly doomed. But once that's done, even if I complete the mission, when I leave the instance and return to reality, without the experience card, I'll have no strength left to fight my way through the final moments. Now I'm truly in trouble—my real-world crisis remains unresolved, and I've just entered another master-tier instance. Zhang Yuanqing sighed with a wry smile. I almost forgot my dearest lady, though I do remember how to summon her within the realm. But last time at the Sea of Cliffs, she mentioned she wouldn't assist me in the realm. Well, women are naturally tender-hearted; all it takes is a little coaxing. Zhang Yuanqing was pondering this when his companion, Xi Zhe, suddenly scoffed, "Even the Grand Master of the Ghost King Sect has had to wipe out Chang'an, yet these officials are still indulging themselves in music and revelry with courtesans." Notably, Pingkang District is one of Chang'an's most renowned neighborhoods, bordered to the east by one of the city's two major markets, Dongshi, and adjacent to the northern cultural hub, Chongren District, where scholars and literati gather, and to the south by the prestigious residential area of Xuanyang District. Leveraging this natural geographical advantage, Pingkang has become Chang'an's most celebrated district for courtesans, attracting wealthy merchants, officials, and young scholars. The Fu Xin Ouyou with a faintly composed gaze remarked, "The Unfavorable Marshal has grown increasingly powerful under the patronage of the Sage, possesses an unprecedented five-perfect virtues, and thus threatens these mere wine-and-rice-drinkers. They likely feel threatened and may even be eagerly anticipating the Ghost King's decisive campaign in Chang'an—so that they can present official petitions to impeach and remove the Unfavorable Marshal." This mission stems from the Ghost King's master's quest for vengeance. The Ghost King Sect, a vast and influential force in the north, is led by Ao Cang, the region's foremost martial master, renowned throughout the realm for his unparalleled skill in commanding ghosts and reviving the dead. Ao Cang's only son, relying on his father's prestige, had long dominated the northern territories, oppressing the common people. Recently, he arrived in Chang'an, where he murdered civilians, used their bodies to nourish his ghostly powers, and dishonored numerous women, only to be captured and executed at the market square by the Unfavorable Marshal. Upon hearing of this, Ao Cang issued a firm declaration, demanding that the Unfavorable Marshal repay his blood debt and that the people of Chang'an The political rivals of the Unfavorable Commander seized the opportunity, frequently impeaching him, demanding that the Sage execute him to calm the wrath of the King of Ghosts. The Unfavorable Commander possesses the five virtues... Zhang Yuanqing's mind stirred, recalling the "Unfavorable Officer" badge he had obtained in the "Five Elements in Chaos" quest. According to the badge's attribute description, its bearer is an unsurpassed being who cultivates the five elements—a description that perfectly matches the Unfavorable Commander. With this realization, Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory, quietly retrieved the five-colored badge, and presented it to his two companions, saying, "Have either of you seen this badge before?" Fuxin Ou and Xi Zhe stared at it intently, their expressions instantly changing, exclaiming, "How come the Unfavorable Commander's badge is with you?" Indeed, it was the Unfavorable Commander's badge. Therefore, the soldiers and Lian San Yue had entered the "Five Elements Secret" quest—was the Unfavorable Commander sleeping deep beneath that abyss? Then, in the "Battle for Chang'an" quest, the Unfavorable Commander would likely not appear at all... Zhang Yuan Alas, if the Unfavorable Commander were also present in the副本, with my signature bowing move, I’d surely be able to secure some advantages—no need to summon the Lady then. I’ll first have to win over these two Unfavorable officers. Thus, Zhang Yuanqing adopted a serious expression and said in a steady tone, “The Unfavorable Commander has entrusted me with a task—details which I cannot reveal to you. From now on, you must fully cooperate with me, obey my instructions. Should the task falter, your heads will be at risk.” Fu Xinxiu and Xi Zhe exchanged glances, astonished and puzzled, unable to comprehend how an ordinary Li Jun could earn the Unfavorable Commander’s trust and even receive the symbolic badge of office. Zhang Yuanqing’s gaze grew cold. “So, are you two willing to defy the Unfavorable Commander?” “Not at all!” the two quickly bowed in deference. Zhang Yuanqing nodded contentedly, took back the badge, and said, “You two shall serve as my protectors. I shall now carry out the Unfavorable Commander’s command to summon a distinguished guest. Should anything unusual occur shortly, do not be "He didn't have the time nor the strength to tackle a master-tier instance, so he planned to directly summon the Three Peaks Lady to inform her of the current predicament and then simply rest, seeking help. "Yes!" the two bowed in unison. Zhang Yuanqing then found a quiet spot, retrieved the scroll capable of summoning the Three Peaks Lady, and reviewed the guild warehouse carefully. The materials needed to summon the Three Peaks Lady had been exhausted—there was only one chance. If that failed, it would truly be game over. Zhang Yuanqing had rarely interacted with the Lady in the past, and after the Sea of Cliffs, Old Bambus had spoken many heartless words, such as, 'Even if I die, I won't care about you anymore,' and so on. Thus, he had no expectations from her, and the materials in his inventory for setting up the summoning ritual naturally remained limited. He took out the leather scroll and arranged the materials accordingly." Just as preparations were completed, Xi Zhe, holding a bamboo tripod and gazing ahead, suddenly exclaimed in a hurried tone: "There's something—there's a ghost!" At the same time, Zhang Yuanqing sensed a terrifying wave of cold, eerie atmosphere approaching, and was startled, turning to follow the sound. There, in the dim night, about fifteen meters behind, by the flowerbed, stood a woman in white robes. Her head was bowed low, her long black hair flowing down, as if her head hung limply on her shoulders. A most solemn and eerie sight. The first spectral figure had appeared.