Jinshan City, outskirts. The whirring noise of the airplane swept swiftly across the sky, plunging into a low hill in the countryside. "Crack!" Two figures collided with a pine tree, tumbling into the forest. "Cough... cough... cough..." Kou Beiyue rolled and curled in the fallen leaves, his face contorted, gasping violently. Xiao Yuan staggered to her feet, rushed over to check on Kou Beiyue, and immediately felt a deep sense of concern. Kou Beiyue's pulse was weak, his heart beating slowly, and his organs were rapidly withering. Previously, he had maintained his furious state through the blood reserve stored within his special weapon—the one used by the enchanting spirit beast. Now, the essence of his blood had been completely consumed by the pathogens, and the disease was once again seeping into his body. Xiao Yuan quickly opened her inventory, brought forth a black jar, and scooped out two plump, round cicada pupae, placing them in Kou Beiyue's mouth and urgently instructing, "Chew and swallow." Kou Beiyue's consciousness was already fading; upon hearing Xiao Yuan's voice, he instinctively made the motion to swallow. After consuming two cicada pupae, his breathing evened out and his heartbeat stabilized, yet not long after, Kou Beiyue began to breathe rapidly again, his pulse becoming irregular. The cicada pupae, like the Life Source Liquid, offered abundant vitality specifically for healing injuries. But the pathogens were not injuries—while the abundant vitality could temporarily revive someone on the brink of death, it also nourished the pathogens, merely addressing symptoms without resolving the root cause. To treat the pathogens, medicine was needed! Among all professions, only the Wood Deity and Scholars were capable of preparing medicinal pills. A heavy weight settled in Xiao Yuan’s heart—based on Kou Beiyue’s current condition, he would not last more than one hour. Should she go to Songhai? No—Yuanshi’s condition remained uncertain, and with the official’s established coordination capabilities, they might already have personnel stationed there, waiting for her to volunteer. To return to the hotel? Master Wuhen had not responded to her appeals, indicating he had severed contact with reality—the hotel’s location was already exposed, so returning there would be equally self-sacrificing. In the blink of an eye, the bee-queen form of her reached into Kou Beiyue's pants pocket and pulled out her phone—her phone had been left in the bedroom. With a smooth fingerprint unlock, she opened the chat group and, holding her breath, sent a message to the team: 【Kou Beiyue: I'm Xiao Yuan. We've been attacked by official forces, and Liangchen and Tongtong have fallen.】 As she finished the second half of the sentence, a deep ache surged in her heart. 【Kou Beiyue: Beiyue has contracted the plague from Yu Shi and is critically ill. I need medicine to treat her. Everyone, I need your help.】 After sending the message, she waited with deep sense of guilt for a flood of responses from the group. Fang Ai has always treated Tongtong like her own granddaughter—she would surely be devastated upon learning of Tongtong's return to the spiritual realm. Master Yang, who has spent half a lifetime teaching and nurturing students, will surely be overwhelmed by this blow. I hope he can endure it. Lin Chong will undoubtedly be furious—he often reacts strongly under tragic circumstances, sometimes acting in Lin thought and thought, yet received no response—this left her with a growing sense of unease and confusion. The official forces' ambush, the failed appeal to Master Wuxian, the silent response from her small group, the loss of information about her members—each point only deepened her doubts and fears. Her whole body began to tremble. From this perspective, Xiao Yuan could see half of the man's face, covered by a silver mask. "I don't like your expression—reserved, guarded, even hostile. As a man who leads the trends, I should be receiving cheers and applause," the masked man's voice flowed like a recitation, profound and timeless. Xiao Yuan remained taut, shielding Kou Beiyue, his eye-like abdomen fixed intently on the man, as if facing a formidable adversary. "Don't be so antagonistic. I'm here to help you," the man reached into the void and plucked out a porcelain bottle, tossing it across the space. "This is my gesture of sincerity." The bottle landed precisely at Xiao Yuan's feet. Xiao Yuan paid it no attention, merely staring at him coldly. "His condition is worse than I anticipated," the man continued. "Though he has moved away from the source of infection, the pathogens have absorbed the blood-thirsty, frenzied energy, growing stronger. The pills inside will cure any illness—just one pill daily for three days." Only then did Xiao Yuan turn his gaze to the bottle, his voice cool. "Who are you, and what is your purpose?" "I'm a player, and you're my new piece. A player naturally protects his pieces," the man with the mask said calmly. After a few seconds of thought, Xiao Yuan picked up the porcelain bottle, poured a black-brown pill emitting a medicinal aroma into Kuo Beiyue's mouth, and placed it there. Kuo Beiyue's condition was already very poor—she had no choice, as the outcome wouldn't improve much. Once the pill was swallowed, Kuo Beiyue's frail son, breathing like a leaf in the wind, immediately stabilized and fell into a deep sleep. Relieved, Xiao Yuan exhaled slowly and turned to the enigmatic man: "Piece? What do I need to do?" The man reached into his cloak and produced a jade pendant engraved with unusual incantations. "At the right time, set up the altar and pray for the past to fade without trace." "Master Without Trace..." Xiao Yuan stared at the man's back, urgently asking, "What exactly happened? Can you tell me?" She now realized that tonight's encounter was far more than she had imagined. "The past events had struck a half-divine being, disrupting countless interests—and even touching upon a taboo of a certain power within the Spiritual Realm. He was done," the man in the mask sighed. "All your team members, except you and this young one, have returned to the Spiritual Realm." Little Yu's mind erupted like thunder, struck by lightning—her face instantly pale. The news had come so suddenly, like a sharp dagger piercing her chest, causing unbearable pain. She didn't want to believe it, yet the Master's silence and the empty chat group messages were telling her clearly that it was true. Her companions, her family, her esteemed teacher—had all vanished, like shadows in the wind. Little Yu collapsed to the ground, as though her spine had been withdrawn, her expression stunned, like a paper flower devoid of life, tears flooding her eyes. After a long while, she struggled to speak in a calm tone, though her voice could not help trembling: "Senior..." The man seemed to know what she intended to say, and waved a hand. "I can't save him—his past has faded without a trace. No one can do that. Of course, we count as half-allied, so I've come to see you personally." He tossed the jade pendant toward her. "On this matter, he disagrees with me. I can only respect his choice. If you don't want his efforts to go to waste, follow what I say. Otherwise, don't ask questions—given your standing, you should preferably remain silent. Take the pendant. When the time is right, I'll notify you." With that, the man sighed softly: "It is truly a lifelong regret, like the endless flow of water." As he spoke, he vanished from Xiaoyuan's sight, as if he had never been there at all. "One of the three Rain Deities, Xi Shan Huang Long, spoke in a low tone: "Yet the senior monks of Song Hai have remained closely attached to Yuan Shi Tian Zun, and the elders of Xie Shi Branch have already reported the situation to their respective allies. We have no opportunity to strike and kill Yuan Shi Tian Zun, nor can we secure the Celestial Sacrifice Set." Zhou Secretary smiled gently, with a cheerful tone: "The decisive blow has already been delivered. Now all we need to do is wait for the fruits of victory—no further actions required. Simply bring him back to headquarters for trial." Obstructing enforcement, colluding with evil factions, and arbitrarily killing senior elders—these are offenses so grave that even the Grand Marshal cannot rescue them. Indeed, they are offenses so severe that even the Grand Marshal himself cannot tolerate them. Should the Grand Marshal's own descendants commit such acts, they would surely perish. How much more so, then, Yuan Shi Tian Zun? Among the five Grand Marshals, Jiang and the Commander are inclined toward Yuan Shi Tian Zun, but the White Tiger forces emphasize discipline and hierarchy; under their system, where junior ranks override senior ones, the Commander cannot shield the official elders from being killed As for the other three alliance chieftains, the Prime Heavenly Sovereign killed a senior official from the Water Deity's Palace; the Palace Master showed no mercy, the Master of the Central Court has been asleep, and the Head of the Hundred Flowers Sect has retired into seclusion. Moreover, alliance chieftains never intervene in the affairs of their respective clans. Zhou Secretary hung up the phone and dialed the senior's mobile number. Upon connection, he expressed his deep sorrow: "Leader, Lu Tao has tragically fallen—killed by the Prime Heavenly Sovereign." He then relayed the full account to the senior. After listening, the senior nodded in approval: "Well done." Zhou Secretary smiled, knowing that the senior was referring to his decision to temporarily adjust the plan and convene senior officials from the Crab City and Songhai branches to the scene. Shé Su's involvement had disrupted the original plan to eliminate the Prime Heavenly Sovereign. Thus, he made the adjustment, summoning senior officials from Songhai and Crab City—the closest to Jinshan City—both to bear witness to the Prime Heavenly Sovereign's unprecedented defiance and to ensure that he would not defect. Of course, the foundation of all this rests on the fact that Yuanshiben Tianzun will actually kill Nu Tao Wengqing. Zhou Secretary has no doubt about it—though the young man appears polished and agile, he is in truth firm and stubborn. If he were willing to yield, he wouldn’t be at such odds with the headquarters. "Leader, do you have any further instructions?" Cai Elder replied calmly, "He doesn’t handle public relations very well, does he?" Zhou Secretary gave a slight smile, "Understood. I’ll have someone draft the announcement right away." Cai Elder nodded once and hung up the phone. "Mother, what's so big about it?" Shé said with irritation. "Just notify the Clan Elders, that's all. As the head of the family and the master of the spiritual realm clan, Shé Su isn't even making a fuss—let alone quietly eliminating an official Saint. It's merely a matter of having the Elders intervene to rescue someone and paying a fine. The clan members, however, looked anxious. "The Prime Immortal has colluded with evil professions, killed an official elder, and the headmaster is one of his allies—he's been taken back to headquarters and detained. Madam, this is serious!" Shé Mother staggered, her face pale, turned sharply and rushed out of the room, shrieking, "Líng Xī, your Prime Brother is in trouble! Your father is in trouble too!" ... It was just dawn. The Five Elements Alliance headquarters posted an announcement on the forum: #The Prime Immortal has colluded with evil professions, obstructed enforcement, and harmed an elder# —a stunning revelation!