Pushing open the large double wooden doors, one is greeted by a magnificent, opulent hall. A wool carpet embroidered with golden patterns stretches across the floor, and golden-leather sofas are upholstered in rich, lustrous leather. The walls are clad in a gleaming, gilded copper sheet, adorned with a towering oil painting measuring three meters high. Suspended from the ceiling is a chandelier composed of eighteen lotus-shaped crystal petals. The bright light spills down, illuminating the elegant European-style hall, as well as the bare men and women within. Zhang Yuanqing's gaze sweeps across the room, and first he notices the Sixth Elder—a middle-aged man with slightly thinning hair, his facial features flat and unremarkable, deep fish-eye lines etched around his eyes. Standing at about 1.75 meters tall, he has well-proportioned muscles, neither overly lean nor particularly robust, like those of a close-combat specialist. Visually, this is just an ordinary man in his fifties—unless you ignore his eyes. The sixth elder's eyes are filled with rage, lust, excitement, and a myriad of other emotions, swirling together in a vortex that leaves one dizzy and mentally polluted upon mere glance. At this moment, the sixth elder is holding a whip with sharp spikes, furiously beating a woman who is curled up on the tea table. The tea table is square, with yellow copper legs, sturdy and well-built—clearly much more resilient than the woman beneath it. "Crack! Crack! Crack!" Each strike produces a crisp, startling sound, leaving visible wounds of split skin and torn flesh across the woman's pale body. The woman's cries blend seamlessly with the whip's rhythm, forming the very source of the sixth elder's delight. I find it utterly bizarre, yet I believe Irinami Mei would consider this a paradise. Zhang Yuanqing shifts his gaze to the other women. There were five women in the hall. Besides the one currently being whipped, one woman knelt at the front and another at the back of each of the six elders, diligently attending to them and bringing them exquisite pleasure. The last two—one curled up on the sofa, her pale body streaked with bruises and unconscious; the other curled on the carpet, gasping for breath, drenched in sweat—left the more eccentric observers utterly stunned. Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help muttering again. At this moment, he was profoundly grateful for the perfect human skin cause-and-effect substitution function, otherwise his current feelings of hatred, disgust, and murderous intent would have been detected by the six elders. Though he had survived the incident involving the Sensual Deity General, he still found it difficult to accept such X-therapy. At that moment, the man who had driven him here approached the hall entrance and respectfully announced, "Senior Elder Six, the Mirror Blossom Delegation has arrived." He then closed the large double wooden doors. The instant the door shut, Zhang Yuanqing felt the sounds from outside vanish completely. Just the sound insulation spell—what I'd really like is a sealing one. Then I could close the door and tackle them from within. Zhang Yuanqing sighed with regret. The Sixth Elder paused with his whip in hand and turned to look at her. He studied her graceful figure, thoroughly pleased with her short shorts and off-shoulder T-shirt outfit, and chuckled: "This outfit is quite nice. After our last encounter, I knew you were exceptional—you know how to please a man with his whip, and you have outstanding endurance. The way you endure pain is more interesting to me than Yi-chuan's." With that, he pushed aside the woman in front and turned toward the door, smiling: "Jinghua, come over here—this will be your future." I'm called Yuan-Shi Tian Zun, not "instant"—Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the Sixth Elder's straightened back, muttered under his breath, and then raised his hand, tearing away the flawless human skin. So, the Sixth Elder, who had been eagerly anticipating Jinghua's vocal performance, suddenly saw her lift her hand, reach for her delicate face, and tear it apart with force. Just as Spider-Man ripped off the villain's cloak, a semi-transparent membrane peeled away from Jinghua, transforming her delicate, graceful face into a handsome, sun-kissed one, her heavy chest into solid, well-defined pectorals, and her long, slender legs beneath the short pants into strong, athletic legs comparable to those of a long-distance runner. The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign? "The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign!" For a moment, the Sixth Elder stood stunned. As a master of illusion, he could hardly contain his astonishment and bewilderment—here stood a mere mortal of the Saint stage, daring to appear before him so boldly. With the power of the Void, three mental assaults could bring the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign to the brink of death, and within five such attacks, he could return to the Spiritual Realm. How dared this humble being appear here? "I'm here—I'm coming to settle scores!" Zhang Yuanqing pulled out a bronze tiger, palm-sized, from his inventory, and raised it proudly, the tiger's head, back, and tail forming a smooth, flowing curve as if roaring. "Ooh~" The ethereal roar of a tiger echoed in the ears of the Sixth Elder and the five southern-style illusionists, resonating with such force that it sent waves of profound fear surging through their minds, as if they had encountered their very predator—every muscle in their bodies convulsed violently. "The Tiger Seal?!" The Sixth Elder's expression changed instantly. With decisive action, he activated his ability to traverse dreams, choosing the strategy of retreat—'better to flee than to fight' as per the thirty-six tactics. In his view, how could the Primordial Sovereign, a figure of such stature, use merely a Tiger Seal? Clearly, the Primordial Sovereign was merely a pawn, with a greater power hidden behind him. This was no mere encounter—it was a deliberate hunt, an official high-level operation targeting him personally. The retaliation from the Five Elements Alliance had arrived. Originally, as a mere matchbox, it was impossible to constrain the Sovereign. The fulfillment of the wish was made possible because the Tiger Seal weakened the Sixth Elder. The Tiger Seal possesses numerous functions—lying detection is just one of them. Another key function is "demonstrative power," which in turn has three forms: one is psychological impact; the second is tangible impact (reducing rank); and the third is impact on the object itself (diminishing its capabilities). Zhang Yuanqing employed the first two forms of impact—the Tiger Seal reduced the Sixth Elder from mid-Level 7 to weak Level 7—thereby enabling the matchbox's rule-based power to take effect. This is the most crucial element of Zhang Yuanqing's hunting strategy. Without this semi-divine artifact providing support, even if he possessed Sovereign-level artifacts, he would be unable to kill the Sovereign, since the Sovereign could still evade and flee. Among the three evil professions, the illusionist possesses the strongest escape capability, and Zhang Yuanqing had no means to secure any survivors. The tiger seal's effect lasts only one minute—once that passes, I will be reversed and killed by this semi-divine artifact, requiring a swift and decisive battle... Zhang Yuanqing quickly retrieved the Purple Thunder set. Beyond the burden of using semi-divine artifacts, the tiger seal also restricts Zhang Yuanqing's Yin corpse and spiritual servants, as the seal is a collective ability that affects all, regardless of enemy or ally, with only the artifact's owner immune. This is the price one must pay to use the tiger seal. Upon spotting the sixth elder enclosed within the aura, he immediately opened his mouth, emitting a sharp, piercing cry—the signature technique of a spirit mage: Mental Assault! Zhang Yuanqing felt as though he had been struck squarely on the head with a wooden pole, his soul tearing in agony. Despite warm blood gushing from his nostrils, he remained calm, raising a finger to press against his forehead, activating his blue-faced state. With 50% endurance enhancement, though the damage remains, his pain tolerance has dramatically increased, and he swiftly activated the Purple-Gold Set. A liquid metal of violet and gold flowed along the body, spreading to form a full-body armor of purple and gold. The Sixth Elder continued to shriek, yet his mental assault—weakened by over 40%—could no longer threaten Zhang Yuanqing, who stood at the peak of the sixth rank and had already activated his blue-faced state. Clearly recognizing this limitation, the Sixth Elder maintained his mental pressure while extending his hand, reaching forward as if grasping something tangible. By manipulating the emotions of the Prime Immortal, he was effectively controlling his opponent. But at that moment, the Prime Immortal standing at the doorway lifted the Tiger Seal with one hand and drew out a bright yellow copper mallet, forcefully inserting it into his thigh. The purple-gold armor at that location rapidly dissolved, revealing strong, white thigh muscles. "Pffft!" The sharp, three-pronged tip plunged deeply into the thigh flesh, drawing blood and erupting with a brilliant golden glow. This long-overdue sacrifice and pain stirred profound nostalgia in Zhang Yuanqing, as if he had returned to his youth. The six elders noticed that the opponent's soul had been tinged with golden light, his emotions now as rigid as steel, difficult to influence. With both "mental assault" and "emotional manipulation" faltering, Elder Six immediately activated his dream-ability, deep vortexes forming in his eyes—a power that could not be purified. However, the soul was shielded by the power of the Sun God, making the will strong and resilient, thus requiring time to draw the elder into the dream realm. Zhang Yuanqing seized the brief opening and retrieved his third core artifact—the Blade of Form and Spirit, then activated its "Soul-Seizing" function. The energy on his left hand turned dark and viscous; he raised it, grasping and pulling toward the elder, drawing forth a spectral projection that mirrored the elder's appearance perfectly. Next, he switched the short blade's ability to "Soul-Cutting," instantly enveloping the elder's pale face in dark radiance, transforming the horizontal blade into a pure black edge. Zhang Yuanqing then delivered a single, decisive cut to the elder's soul projection. "Ah!" The six elders screamed, clutching their heads and retreating step by step, their dreams interrupted, bleeding from all orifices. They felt the agony of their souls being torn apart. In just twenty seconds, the two combatants, now separated by over a dozen meters, completed their first round of exchange. Seizing the moment when the elder's soul was severely wounded, Zhang Yuanqing stepped into the ground with a single foot, transforming into a purple streak of motion, and charged directly at the sixth elder. His objective—to weaken and severely damage the opponent—had been achieved. What remained now was close-quarters combat. The tools of the Saint-level stage offered little advantage here; even such premium items as the Yin-Yang Rotating Disk proved less effective than the sheer power of his direct punch, clad in a purple-gold armor. The sixth elder, though a practitioner of illusion magic, was merely physically frail—only a few punches would suffice to knock him out, making the use of the Yin-Yang Disk unnecessary. At this moment, forty seconds remained until the activation of the Tiger Seal. The six elders were confident in their close-combat abilities, convinced they could not be defeated by Yuan Shi Tianzun. As the sudden attackers advanced, they retreated while simultaneously opening their inventory, withdrawing a metallic cylinder with a diameter of twenty centimeters. Intricate, vivid, and eerie red runes adorned the surface of the cylinder. This was a ranged weapon unique to the 'Enchanted' class—capable of launching eight arrows at once, each equipped with autonomous navigation and exceptional piercing power, specifically designed to penetrate armor. "Ding-ding-ding…" The short arrows rained down in a torrent, only to be deflected upon impact with the golden-purple armor, leaving no trace of damage. These arrows, capable of severely wounding a sixth-tier Saint, failed to even register. The elder’s expression shifted—his defensive prowess had clearly surpassed expectations. Without retrieving the cylinder, he leapt backward with a fluid motion, his form instantly becoming ethereal and vanishing. Zhang Yuanqing stumbled, momentarily stunned, and surveyed the hall with growing bewilderment. Had he escaped? Impossible—the seal of the tiger emblem remained active. He could not have exited the hall, nor could he have used his invisibility ability. Not quite. He hadn't drawn any props, and he wasn't even wearing any clothes—there was no way he could have pre-mounted them. Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing's eyes fell on the five unconscious female illusionists, and it all clicked into place. The Sixth Elder had been hidden within their dreams. He knew his rank wouldn't allow him to sustain the Tiger Seal for long; he wanted to buy time. Zhang Yuanqing felt a sudden surge of alertness. Without hesitation, he flung his short blade, piercing the heart of one of the female illusionists. Then, transforming into a purple streak, he swiftly drew his blade and swiftly claimed the lives of three more. With each life extinguished, the dream shattered. The Sixth Elder immediately detached from the dream. Twenty seconds remained. Zhang Yuanqing removed his gloves, held the short blade in his right hand, and activated Night-Wander, making himself invisible. In the next instant, he appeared behind the Sixth Elder, his blade sweeping toward his carotid artery. "Hum!" The blade was met by a thick, earth-yellow glow. The six senior elders had donned a robe emitting a warm, earthy glow at some point, the luminous aura of the robe forming a protective shield that absorbed the lethal strike of the blade that severed both form and spirit. Seeing this robe appear, Zhang Yuanqing was not at all surprised. According to the intelligence provided by Yi-chuan Mei, the senior elder had, over the course of his half-century-long career, accumulated two master-level artifacts. One, the "Earth Spirit Robe," had been obtained years ago when he and a senior elder from the Southern School jointly defeated and captured a senior official from the central administration. The other, the "Refinement of the Spirit Seal," had been earned through merit points exchanged with the organization. Both master-level artifacts were of lower quality. As the six senior elders summoned their reserve strength, Zhang Yuanqing smiled subtly, causing the white surface of his short blade to glow and cover the black surface, activating the "Cutting Form"—a technique usable only once within a twelve-hour window. He then delivered a strike that bypassed all physical defenses, aimed directly at the elder’s neck. "Pffft!" The elder’s head rolled away, blood gushing forth and splashing against the ceiling. Yet he did not die. The ethereal spirit, detached from the lifeless body, roared from a lofty vantage point: "This is impossible! This is impossible!" The first impossibility was that "my master-level defense could not have been so easily shattered." The second was that "you, a mere sage, could not possess so many master-level artifacts." "After half a lifetime of cultivation, you still have only two low-tier artifacts—do you not feel ashamed?" Zhang Yuanqing switched into the black blade state, his palm staining with dark, viscous energy. Witnessing this, the Sixth Elder emitted a wailing spirit cry and launched a mental assault. Zhang Yuanqing felt steel pins being driven repeatedly into his brain, pain seeping through his pores until blood flowed from his seven orifices. However, the blue-faced enhancement granted him exceptional pain tolerance, allowing him to reach out and pull, then tug, drawing forth a translucent, ethereal figure. The short blade struck resolutely. The phantom shattered, and the Sixth Elder's spiritual aura plummeted, his wailing cry transforming into a wail of agony. Consecutive attacks from the War Souls had inflicted unimaginable damage upon his spirit. At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart, a profound fear rising within him. The time for using the Tiger Emblem had arrived. He had to retrieve it now; if he delayed any further, even as a Saint-level cultivator, he would inevitably collapse from sheer terror, with his heart bursting.