A column of clear, pure light descended, and the goddess in colorful robes gracefully settled within the cabin, her phoenix-like eyes flashing like lightning, surveying the interior. Upon seeing her disciple, separated by a thousand years, Pure Yang Master's expression suddenly twisted, disdain, fear, and overwhelming resentment flickering in her beautiful eyes. Though the figure before them was only an incarnation, the three protectors and six elders still unconsciously tightened their postures, as if facing a formidable adversary. The three mountain goddesses fixed their gaze on the graceful flight attendant, her voice cool: "Master, it's been many years—still, you remain so ghostly, so unhuman. I'm truly saddened. This is your fate: to enter the cycle of rebirth and start anew." Ah, the old stick-in-the-mud is also quite sharp—her criticism of the sixth protector is quite biting. Zhang Yuanqing, removing her ski boots and leaning toward the goddess, listened with a quiet smile. Indeed, the Pure Yang Master, already mentally unwell, his face instantly contorted, roaring with strained voice: "Zhao Yuxiang! You, this treacherous disciple who has disgraced your teacher and your lineage—do not think that merely hiding within the Spiritual Realm will save you. I will eventually regain my peak strength and enter the Human Immortal Realm. Then, from the highest peaks of the heavens to the deepest depths of the earth, I will surely slay you!" Zhao Yuxiang—so the Lady of the Three Mountain calls him. Zhang Yuanqing silently noted it. The Lady of the Three Mountains gave a light scoff, her finger arcing like a sword, sending a sharp beam of golden light rushing forth. The Pure Yang Master shifted his tone: "...Protect me!" The Third Guardian reached back, drawing a long golden sword formed of concentrated light from behind his head, and stepped forward to strike. The golden light met and then dissolved against the other, creating a surge of intense, scorching turbulence within the cabin, causing tables, chairs, and carpets to melt. Zhang Yuanqing was blown by the hot currents, his skin instantly turning red, as if boiled shrimp. The Pure Yang Master stepped back, shouting, "She is merely a manifestation and cannot sustain herself for long. If you two drain her manifestation's strength completely, you will ensure that Yuan Shi Tian Zun cannot escape." As soon as he finished speaking, the Sixth Elder raised his head, deep, transparent vortices forming in his eyes, attempting to draw the Three-Path Mountain Lady into a dream. The other was a high-ranking Day-You Shén, naturally endowed with purification effects. His abilities to influence emotions, manipulate illusions, and amplify fixed beliefs were nearly ineffective in the short term. Mental assaults also failed to impact him, as he himself possessed a powerful spiritual essence. While the annihilation of a 9th-level Illusionist's spiritual essence could severely injure the Day-You Shén, if he were at the peak of a Sovereign, the situation would not have escalated to this point. At present, the only effective means against the Three-Path Mountain Lady was her dream-based ability—within the dream, he had absolute control over her. The Three-Path Mountain Lady's eyes transformed into molten-gold pupils, and her gaze flashed. The six elders groaned, as though struck squarely on the head, spewing two streams of blood from their nostrils. The Lady of San Dao did not look at him; instead, she suddenly turned, catching the golden long sword hurled by the third protector. "Crack!" With a simple gesture, she shattered the golden sword. Then, with swift and vigorous force, she delivered several sharp blows to the protector's palm. A resonant, thunderous "thud" echoed through the air, and the third protector was sent flying. With a sweeping motion of her sleeve, the Lady of San Dao launched the Vumag Staff—a treasure of the Pure Yang Sect—into the air, its pure light cutting straight toward the Master of the Pure Yang Sect, distorting the air within the cabin. Her objective was clear: to slay her master. With her ability to create a duplicate, she could contain two Masters, but not kill them. As her master had not yet recovered to the level of a Master, she could easily eliminate him at a moment's notice. If this duplicate had possessed only the power of the Sun God, without the skills of the Star Official or the Night-Wanderer, she would have already As the third guardian retreated, he folded the blazing sun behind his head—a skill ineffective against the sun-worshipping deity. He then opened his mouth, expelling one after another of his spiritual attendants in a self-sacrificial assault on the Vamana杵. The attendants, like moths rushing toward a flame, screamed as they were crushed and dispersed by the golden light, dissolving into streaks of black smoke. This bought the third guardian precious time. He swiftly stabilized himself, drawing forth a black iron mask of the master-level artifact of the Wuzhu (Wu-Gu) specialist, and faced the Vamana杵 directly. Within the dark, deep-set eyes of the mask, two streaks of crimson light emerged, and the mouth, with its prominent fangs, opened wide, precisely seizing the bronze杵. From the mask's mouth, a thick, highly corrosive black mist surged forth, blending with the golden light of the Vamana杵, hissing and crackling. The golden glow of the Vamana杵 became visibly dimmer. The black iron mask, a master-level artifact of the Wuzhu specialist, functions solely to corrode and contaminate objects. While the Vamana杵, inherently On the other side, the Sixth Elder cast six black scroll talismans, affixing them to the walls, ceiling, and corridors of the cabin. Each scroll extended a chain that wrapped around the hands, limbs, waist, and neck of the three Mountain Maidens. The old sturdy man flicked his fingers, sending six beams of golden light that covered the scrolls, trapping the newly extended, ethereal chains within them. What a master of the Sun’s power—no elaborate spells or props, yet the very essence of the Sun’s might seems capable of overcoming all! Zhang Yuanqing, observing from the sidelines, felt a deep sense of admiration. In a mere finger flick, he could neutralize the Sixth Elder’s props; with a single flash of golden light, he could transform into the sharpest blade in the world; with just a glance, he could dissolve an entrancing dream spell. The old sturdy man had reached a state of simplicity and authenticity in his mastery of the Sun’s power. Seeing his props subdued, the Sixth Elder raised his head and screamed, launching a mental assault—this time, his target was the Prime Primordial Sovereign. Zhang Yuanqing's mind shivered, as if struck by steel nails driven into his skull, his spirit seemingly torn apart. Fortunately, since reaching the peak of the sixth rank, his spiritual essence had grown stronger, and no longer could the Master of the Dominance be reduced to instant defeat by a single mental assault. He endured the pain, activating his Blue-Faced form while simultaneously drawing out the Five-Element Power Experience Card. The Three-Path Lady had not broken the table game's seal because, once broken, even the Pure Yang Master could escape via Star-Darting, leaving her unable to kill her master. Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to activate his character card, he paused—realizing the Sixth Elder's subtle strategy. She had deliberately engineered this situation to force him to use his last reserve. After activating the Five-Element Power, his spirit would go into a state of frenzy, becoming aggressive, combative, and erratic. With only slight guidance, the Sixth Elder could drive him to abandon all ties, turning him into a relentless attacker against the Three-Path Lady. "Madam, please—!" Zhang Yuanqing pressed his hands to the bleeding nostrils, "I'm nearly at my limit." Fortunately, the six protectors with a "fragile" constitution dared not advance close. Though the old sturdy one could not harness the powers of Taiyin or the Stars, close combat was the specialty of the Day-Wanderer. The Lady of San Dao Mountains fixed her gaze, quickly forming hand seals. At a distance, the Fumagong杵, which had been gradually being corroded by the black mist, suddenly burst into radiant light. Golden threads extended from within the artifact, weaving and inscribing intricate circular patterns beneath the feet of the three protectors and the Master of Pure Yang. In the next instant, a clear, pure solar flame erupted upward, engulfing the three protectors and the Master of Pure Yang. "Ah...!" came the Master of Pure Yang's agonized cry from within the array. As fellow Day-Wanderers, the three protectors possessed exceptional resistance to yang fire. While they did not suffer as severely as the Master of Pure Yang, the array formed by the Lady of San Dao Mountains surpassed their limits. The intense solar heat still inflicted significant injuries upon them. At that moment, the dice came to rest on the ethereal table in the center of the corridor, showing three points. As the little figure moved, the mist parted, and the figure halted at a small wooden staff marked with a red cross. A message appeared on the circular table: 【The restriction requires the use of tools!】 The black talismans affixed to the cabin walls drifted down, and the Fumigating Staff and the Evil Spirit Mask "clinked" as they fell, losing their vitality. The circular array that was burning the three protectors and the Master of Pure Yang lost its support from the Fumigating Staff and quickly dimmed, its patterns becoming transparent and ethereal. Seeing this, the Lady of the Three Peaks' eyes flashed with golden light, and she swiftly formed hand seals. The falling Fumigating Staff then burst forth with even stronger, more intense golden light. The nearly extinguished array surged once more with clear, sun-like flames, and the graceful body and spirit of the Master of Pure Yang were rapidly consumed by the radiant heat. "Unworthy disciple... unworthy disciple..." In her voice of reluctant lament, the Master of Pure Yang's form turned to ash The duplicate of San Dao Shan Lady was nearly translucent, about to dissipate, her strength drawn to the very last by the relentless series of high-intensity battles, depleting the power she had stored within the Fumagong Staff. With a swift rotation of her hand seal, she gathered her final strength and directed the Fumagong Staff toward the narrow window. "Boom!" The spell formed by the tabletop game instantly tore through, rupturing the cabin wall and causing the internal air to surge outward, generating a powerful, all-encompassing gale. "Go!" San Dao Shan Lady commanded clearly, then completely vanished. Zhang Yuanqing did not snap his fingers this time; instead, as the spell broke, he activated the Xing Dun Technique and stepped out of the cabin, his starlight flickering continuously in the air. He caught up to the Fumagong Staff, now racing toward him, and grasped it firmly in his hands. At the same time, a thunderous roar echoed from the aircraft's direction, and the Sixth Elder, clad in a cloak, broke through the cabin wall and rushed out. The Third Guardian instantly star-darted to Zhang Yuanqing's side. —He had Staring at the three protectors who suddenly appeared, Zhang Yuanqing, whose transmission jade symbol had already shattered, arched a mocking smile: "When I ascend to the rank of Sovereign, I'll certainly—" The words "definitely" and "you" hadn't quite finished when he vanished into the sky. The old dog elder voiced the girls' sentiments. Sun elder shook his head and sighed, "It seems he's gone." The dog elder's expression changed instantly. Guan Ya staggered, her face pale. Xie Lingxi's eyes immediately filled with tears, while the queen bit her lip, her eyes glistening with emotion. Sun Miao Miao cried out, "What do you mean he seems dead? Dead is dead—alive is alive. Old man, don't speak nonsense!" Sun elder replied with impatience, "If you can't see his position in the unfolding of events, if you can't perceive his future—then isn't that exactly what it means to be dead? Of course, if you don't wish to accept this outcome, you may pray that he remains within the realm. The Ling Realm can indeed block divination, celestial observation, and prophecy." "I'll contact Lu Secretary," said the dog elder, taking a deep breath, then pulling out his phone and dialing. Lu is the secretary to the Sword Pass elder. Although the ten senior figures at the headquarters don't particularly favor the Prime Origin Sovereign, their level of disapproval varies. The Sword Pass elder is the senior most among the White Tiger's military ranks and holds the most favorable attitude toward the Prime Origin Sovereign, who belongs to the White Tiger's forces. For the scouts, obedience to orders is their duty; yet the Prime Origin Sovereign has repeatedly defied instructions and challenged superiors, thus earning little favor from the Sword Pass elder. The phone call was quickly answered, and the Dog Elder only asked, "How is it going?" then listened patiently, growing increasingly serious with each passing moment. When the call ended, his eyes burned with anger. "What's wrong?" Guan Ya, a scout, sensed the possible negative news and couldn't help asking. A flash of fierce intensity passed through the Dog Elder's bright eyes, which quickly faded as he settled into a calm tone. "The Investigation Department is obstructing the Search and Rescue operations of the Patrol Department. They are restricting equipment and rescue personnel under the pretext of investigation. This won't last long, but for the Prime Origin Sovereign, every passing second could mean the difference between life and death." Guan Ya insisted, "Did neither of the two elders who went to the missing site respond?" The Dog Elder shook his head slightly, "They contacted me before they left. There was no crash in the area where the plane went missing, and Huangsha Bai Zhan didn't detect any seal in that high-altitude region either." Another unfavorable update. Sun Elder comforted, "At least, neither the evil organization nor the Night Rose has officially announced the successful capture of Yuan Shi Tian Zun so far." This didn't bring comfort to anyone, and Sun Miao Miao gritted her teeth in frustration. Both the Dog Elder and Sun Elder lowered their heads, their gaze seemingly piercing through the ceiling, fixed on a distant spot. The Dog Elder's expression visibly transformed, radiating joy, "Yuan Shi has returned!" ... The very next moment, Zhang Yuanqing returned to the bedroom of Fu Family Village. The bedroom was neat and tidy, with the curtain's lace panels open, diffusing the intense sunlight while bringing gentle brightness into the room. The bedsheet has been replaced. A fresh, light yellow silk blanket lies smoothly on the bed, and the Scorpio figurine—once used to prop up Guan Ya’s翘 buttocks—is now clean and hanging on the balcony. "Phew, just barely escaped the crisis," said Zhang Yuanqing, exhaling deeply as he sat by the bed. The Heavenly Sovereign has faced countless life-and-death trials; even this minor ambush by a Master only made him pause for a few seconds. In comparison, the joy he felt at securing a six-level, fully-experienced rank and a Master-level weapon was far more profound. Moreover, the long-standing threat of the Pure Yang Master-Grandmaster has now been eliminated. "I've been out of contact for over an hour. Guan Ya and Xiao Yuan must be worried—probably thinking I've died." There are still many tasks ahead: gathering materials for the summoning ritual, restoring the spiritual realm and returning the Fengmo Chime; informing Xiao Yuan of his safe arrival and investigating whether the plump young man has betrayed him; and clearing out the southern sect's illusionists as a matter of retaliation. Zhang Yuan was about to step out to find Guan Ya when he suddenly felt two sets of gazes descending upon him from above. This high-level regard instinctively triggered his alertness and a stress response. It must be the Dog Elder—whose gaze was one of them. Who was the other? He instantly realized, and his tense muscles relaxed. The door to the bedroom burst open with a loud "thump," and the old Sijī rushed in, her demeanor furious.