On the stage, a flower-dancer in elegant costume slowly emerged, holding her lotus fingers, her phoenix eyes bright and focused on Cai Elder on the audience platform, her voice soft and graceful. "If the past has faded without trace, and if the attempt to reach half-divine status failed, why only now do you speak of it?" Cai Elder bowed and replied, "I just received the news." As he spoke, he bowed lower, and then, without a sound, he noticed the elegant train unfolding in his field of vision, followed by a slender jade finger gently lifting his chin. In silence, the chief of the Water Deity Palace materialized before him. "Interesting. I just used a prop to cast a divination—everything in the auspicious signs appears normal. How did you know that 'Past Without Trace' failed in its attempt to reach half-divine status? Can it truly be that Cai Qinhelo, you, can perceive the hidden secrets of the Taiyin?" "The exquisitely painted and powdered face of the beautiful dan actress, adorned with a gentle, alluring smile, yet her eyes remained cool and clear as water, said, 'Car Qihe, playing games with me is quite foolish. We both are people of little sentiment and prone to holding grudges...' With her delicate palm gently tracing over Car's face, she smiled softly, 'My method of avenging myself is usually to send people back to the spiritual realm.' Car's expression remained steady, and he spoke plainly, 'Your Highness, Lingtuo and the Southern Sect's Master have been jointly targeting Liang Wenhen, and Lingtuo has been planning this for a long time. Liang Wenhen's fate is certain—he will surely perish. It is now time for you to act. The divine artifacts must not fall into the hands of the Southern Sect, or another Asura will rise. Moreover, once Liang Wenhen goes mad, the people of Jinshan City will be in dire straits. Only your mirrored realm can keep the half-gods isolated from the real world.' In front of the half-gods, concealment and subtlety are indeed meaningless. He has no intention of hiding anything—instead, he Items of half-divine rank and the lives of Jinshan citizens are both things the Palace Master cannot overlook—Cai Elder has clearly anticipated that the Palace Master will intervene, which is a well-planned strategy. As for the penalties incurred due to the half-divine's actions, those will come later. Of course, if the Palace Master secures the item of half-divine rank, not only will he go unscathed, but he will also achieve extraordinary merit. In Cai Elder’s view, handling Yuanshǐ Tianzun, the killer of her grandson, is merely incidental—what truly matters is the competition for the divine phantom items. With the Five-Element Alliance choosing not to interfere, the item of divine phantom origin that once carried no trace of past events will ultimately fall into the hands of the Night Rose and the Southern Sect. The Water Palace Master gave a light sigh: "The Master of the Central Court has been asleep; that little white tiger has been idling around the副本. I’ll handle matters with Jiang personally. As for your little schemes, I’ll settle them with you later." Her form dissolved like a ripple of foam, vanishing into a mere phantom. … Zhao Xintong? What business does this girl "Yuan Shishen Tianzun..." Zhao Xintong's weak, trembling voice rose, "There's a sovereign, an official sovereign—we've been discovered. Come, save us—we're at home." "Beep... beep..." The call connection dropped. The elder ancestor shook her head slightly, "Deep affection brings shorter life. Shie, accompany him on this journey." Shie stood up, "Yes!" As the duplicates faded away, Zhang Yuanqing turned to Xie Su, "Uncle Xie, take me to Chonghua Residential Area in Jinshan City." He didn't use the transmission jade symbols because he needed to keep those two for saving Xiao Yuan and Kou Beiyue. Although he could use the Little Red Hat to carry them, Zhang Yuanqing sensed the approach of a killing fate. If something happened to him, Xiao Yuan and Kou Beiyue would surely perish. —The Little Red Hat cannot contain spiritual travelers beyond its own rank. Zhang Yuanqing is now at the peak of Level Six. Zhang Yuan pressed down on his inner anxiety, took hold of the red thread, and followed him into the void. Her final words never made it out—“Grandpa, life here is too painful. I must return to heaven.” “Cough! Cough! Cough!” Kou Beiyue gasped, his voice strained and broken, his head spinning, his consciousness growing increasingly hazy as the virus eroded his body, weakening his organs one by one. The plague unleashed by the Rain God swiftly dismantled his bodily functions. Kou Beiyue crawled and walked half-heartedly to the entrance of the small room, struggling to open the door, and saw Xiao Yuan curled up at the threshold, her cheeks flushed, her breath faint. “Xiao Yuan! Xiao Yuan!” Kou Beiyue cried out, pushing and shoving desperately, as though a child utterly at a loss. Xiao Yuan’s lips moved, and with great effort, she managed to say, “Look, look at them…” “No need to look. One has already passed in the house, and the other is nearing the end. You two are the strongest and the most resilient—there’s still hope for you to hold on.” A calm voice came from the living room. Tongtong had passed away… Kou Beiyue sank into a weary The small round figure looked sorrowful, her gaze fixed on the black jade that had shattered in her palm. Master Wuhen offered no response. "Older brother... older brother..." At that moment, a weak call came from the room across the way—coming from the plump one, who had no strength left to move, only uttering desperate pleas. Kou Beiyue struggled to crawl toward him, and the person on the living room sofa didn't intervene, merely watching with the calm indifference of a cat playing with a mouse. "Good minister, I'm here. I'm here," Kou Beiyue said, gripping his hand. The plump one struggled to open his eyes, his voice frail and hoarse: "Older brother... save me... save me..." "I will. I will," Kou Beiyue stammered, withdrawing a tube of diluted life essence from his sleeve. He glanced nervously toward the door, relieved to see the official sovereign hadn't arrived yet. With a tense expression, he injected the life essence into the plump one's body. This was a gift from the Primordial Sovereign—one tube per person. The concentrated life essence was rare, and even the diluted version Yet the little plump man's body showed no change, and the light in his eyes gradually faded. "How can this be? How can this be?" Kou Beiyue grew frantic, coughing so hard that blood vessels appeared across his eyes, like a patient in the late stages of pulmonary disease. A scoff came from the living room. His virus couldn't be cured by the life essence. The light in Kou Beiyue's eyes dimmed, while the once pale eyes of the little plump man suddenly reignited with brightness. "Older brother... my time is running out. Listen to me. Listen carefully," the little plump man said, gazing at him with intense focus and seriousness. His voice gained strength: "I've sensed it—I've felt his emotions. He's targeting Yuanshǐ Tianzun. He won't immediately wipe us out. This is your only hope—your and Xiao Yuan's. She holds the highest rank, and you have the strongest constitution. You won't die right away." "Later, I'll hold him off. I can stall for two seconds—then you immediately take Xiao Yuan and go. No more allowing Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun to come in. Cai won't let him live." His organs had already failed, yet he could still speak so much—probably a final surge of strength. Kou Beiyue's eyes were blazing red. "I'm going to die with you." "Boss, boss! It's always been me listening to you. This time, listen to me. Just once. Just once." The plump man pushed himself up and staggered out of the room, rushing toward the seemingly invincible enemy with the dignity of a heroic warrior. "Thump!" As soon as he stepped out of the room, his body, which had been steadfast in choosing his master and betraying him, collapsed weakly and turned into a lifeless corpse. Yet the unyielding spirit broke free from the confines of the body. As the ethereal form of the plump young man materialized, he reached out and grasped a clumsy stuffed toy—its eyes simple × marks, and its mouth a mere line. This was his signature move, a consumable item obtained from an A-tier saint's quest—the Cursed Child. It could unleash devastating curses, rendering even a Sovereign unable to escape unscathed, though at the cost of the user's own life. "I curse you with my soul!" cried Liang Chen Zhe, speaking with resolute determination, "May you too vanish in spirit, like me, and perish without grace!" The toy's mouth suddenly opened wide, swallowing Liang Chen Zhe's soul whole. Immediately, black flames surged from the toy's body, swiftly consuming it into ash. In the very next instant, black flames erupted upon Nu Tao's form, searing both his flesh and his soul. Kou Bei Yue wept uncontrollably, too overwhelmed to mourn, and stumbled out of the room, catching her weapon as it fell to the ground, activating its "Soul Reservoir" ability. The spectral demon, greedy for blood and raging with fury, briefly suppressed the negative effects of his illness, then charged like a bull, crashing through the small room. At the doorway, he found her barely breathing, unconscious. Kou Bei Yue immediately lifted Xiao Yuan in his arms, his expression resolute, and leapt toward the balcony, plunging toward the tall building. Yet, he struck against an invisible layer—made of water—that sealed off the balcony, imperceptible to the naked eye, only becoming tangible upon contact. Kou Bei Yue and Xiao Yuan were both pushed back, landing in a heap on the ground. Xiao Yuan stirred slowly and came to consciousness. "Absurd!" boomed the voice of the storm, coming from the living room. He had already extinguished the flames upon his body. The very weapon he had relied on—the curse forged by a fourth-tier sage's sacrifice—had only caused him a few seconds of pain. "What makes you think I would forget to seal the residence? Simply stay here and wait for Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn's rescue. Of course, you may not make it that far." Kou Bei Yue's face was filled with despair. Xiao Yuan's consciousness was growing increasingly hazy, her heartbeat slowing ever more. Naturally, the physical strength of the spirit medium could not be compared to that of the enchanting demon. She sensed the presence of the god of death, and memories flashed before her like a carousel—her life filled with countless regrets and unfulfilled aspirations, with deep resentment and hatred. Yet since meeting him, her inner fury had gradually subsided. That night, that very night… if only she had let him stay overnight. She closed her eyes slowly. At that moment, a figure appeared silently in the bedroom, wearing bright yellow boots and a magnificent robe, a sash of jade green draped around his waist. It was none other than the Prime Heavenly Sovereign.