Boom! Boom! Boom! Three consecutive shots rang out, shaking the sleeping head of Jumu. The impact sent a half-section of his skull flying, with brain tissue splattering across the ground like scattered stars. The entire sequence unfolded too swiftly and unexpectedly—between the first and fourth shots, from the moment Jumu and the deep-sea terror fell into slumber to the final headshot, the entire process lasted less than two seconds. The sages present barely had time to register the trajectory of the bullets; with their keen eyesight, they should have easily tracked the path of each projectile. This left Xia Zhao and the others both bewildered and stunned. Even their faces still carried traces of joy—no one could have imagined that a sage at the peak of the sixth rank would perish so swiftly, with not even a single chance to resist. In less than two seconds, a legendary beast king lay lifeless, returning to the spiritual realm! Xia Zhao and the others stared at the source of the sound, their expressions rigid. It was a young man with unusually uncoordinated features—slender and tall—named Chicken Cocktail, who had raised a large black-bore hunting rifle halfway. The muzzle still smoked. "This disordered one exclaimed, "I've been waiting a long time—when the night falls, the passive ability of the Beast King won't activate." He smoothly turned his gun and exhaled a plume of smoke. To ensure the successful elimination of Jumanji, the Free Alliance had prepared two reserve assets, one of which was now in his hands—though not the rifle itself, which was merely a standard firearm. The true asset was the bullet he had just launched. Then, the cocktail waits patiently, like a hunter in ambush, ready to strike at the right moment—only the cocktail itself may fire the shot, not anyone else, because the disordered ones can exploit rule gaps and make the trajectory vanish. Otherwise, the bullets could never "approach" the Peak Sage. As for the subsequent headshot bullets, these are ordinary projectiles; within the realm of slumber, all magical energies fade and all abilities lose effectiveness, while regular bullets remain unaffected. At this moment, Tiphros, who had darted forward and now retreating toward the edge of the slumbering realm, turns back to gaze at the body of Quemang. The area is shrouded in night, and Quemang’s body is indistinct, just as the chaotic oil painting is. "Too bad—only one artifact of master quality," he remarks. At a distance, the cocktail raises his shoulders: "It's no surprise—ambushes only offer a fleeting moment of opportunity. One by one, we take them. After all, the remaining one is already returning to the spiritual realm." The short blade left by Yuanshishen would return to the Ling Realm upon Juemang's death—though we wouldn't be able to claim it, our enemies would suffer a significant loss, which effectively means a major gain for us. Tiphros turned toward the Lawful Saints standing nearby, his voice hoarse and strained, and smiled: "The real drama has just begun. Are you ready to return to the Ling Realm, boys of the Lawful faction?" The Lawful Saints' faces grew increasingly grim. "Qian Ning Lu nodded. "It's indeed a solid idea. Though, I'm not sure how the battle at the port is going—I'm a bit worried." Wen turned her head slightly, facing Qian Ning. "Worried about what?" Qian Ning replied, "The New Covenant Port is the headquarters of the Sea God Church, with half-gods stationed there and peak-level Dominators on duty. How can the Evil Faction dare to challenge them there?" Wen said calmly, "The Evil Faction also has half-gods." "But in terms of the number of high-ranking Spirit Realm practitioners, the Sea God Church holds the upper hand," Qian Ning Lu stated firmly. "When two half-gods face off, and the location is a port, the Evil Faction's half-gods may not be able to overpower the Sea Emperor. The Free Alliance's best outcome would be a draw, gaining an advantage in the later Saint Realm battles. However, if they're aiming to slaughter the Saints outright, it would be unnecessary to go to such lengths—since even a slight misstep could result in the death of a Dominator. The benefits wouldn't outweigh the risks." Wen finally furrowed her brows. Qian Ning Lu glanced around, then slowly approached Winny, speaking softly, "I mean..." Suddenly, without warning, he raised his hand, quickly gathering a ball of lightning in his palm and striking it toward Winny's crown. "The Free Alliance's objective is you!" Winny, who had been bowing her head, likewise raised a black iron shield without any prior sign, holding it high above her head. Thud! Clang!... The lightning ball exploded on the shield's surface, blackening it, and the powerful shockwave sent the shield flying, lifting Winny with it. She rolled out, spewing blood. The lightning mage wasn't particularly strong—mages, by nature, tend to be fragile. As she rolled, Winny channeled her spiritual energy, gathering lightning into a bright blue whip that twisted and danced wildly, striking haphazardly. At the same time, she formed several basketball-sized lightning orbs, hovering around her, creating a protective barrier to fend off close-range attacks. "Qian Ning!" "Winny's lips glistened with blood, her silver teeth clenched tightly: 'I didn't expect it to be you.' Chen, whose hairline was slightly high, smiled: 'Surprise is the very essence of hunting.' Winny listened to the sound and positioned herself, striking with her whip—but missed, as the enemy had slipped out of the way, and there was no footfall, clearly floating. For a sovereign, flight is the most fundamental ability. 'Why me?' Winny paused, holding her whip and remaining alert. 'I just said earlier that the New Covenant Port is under the jurisdiction of the Sea God Church, with the Church constantly monitoring it—there's no real gain on that front.' Chen quietly coalesced his lightning spear; the opponent was also a lightning mage, highly sensitive to lightning energy. 'The Free Alliance's true objective is you and Gou Mang. Eliminating you would most effectively weaken the strength of the Tian Xinjiang branch. Eliminating Gou Mang would yield at least one sovereign-tier artifact, and in the worst case, would cause Tian Fa to lose two sovereign-tier artifacts and one six-tier Saint.' "Of course, there's one more reason..." As he spoke, he suddenly hurled his long spear, and a flash of lightning illuminated the chamber. When Vinye Burnt realized what had happened, it was already too late—how fast could lightning travel? Unless one could anticipate its path, even the sovereign could not dodge it once it struck. Vinye lost her sight, unable to see Channing's build-up of power or the motion of his throw, thus unable to predict his attack. "Pffft!" The lightning spear struck her abdomen and chest, delivering a powerful shock that sent her flying backward, blood gushing from her mouth. The shirt at her waist was torn, and her smooth, pale abdomen scorched and carbonized. Fortunately, as a lightning mage, she possessed strong resistance to lightning damage; though struck solidly, she only suffered serious injuries and did not die instantly. "What is the other reason?" Vinye seemed determined to understand fully, swallowing the blood as she asked. Qian Ning drew out a white feather fan and smiled, saying, "Once I defeat you, the Free Alliance will be able to target your grandfather. Meanwhile, Tianfa will be busy avenging the Free Alliance and won't notice that a seasoned Sovereign, retired for over a decade, is now under our attack." Wen Yi seemed to have something in mind, her expression changing instantly. Qian Ning waved the fan, and at once, a fierce wind surged throughout the chamber, small hurricanes rising up, their wind blades slicing through the air and sweeping toward the blind, wounded Wen Yi. The latter twitched her ears, quickly opening her inventory, pulling out a scale-lined cloak and wrapping it around herself. Instantly, a shimmering layer of fish scales appeared on her body, shielding her from the hurricane's destructive force. Then, Wen Yi produced a yellowish seal. Her body suddenly sank heavily, nearly half-bending to the ground, as if the seal were pressing down on her with great weight, making it difficult for her to straighten up. With both defensive items in place, the hurricane was completely blocked. But Winny wasn't feeling well either. The seal was a second-tier regional creature-specific item, and its use came at the cost of immense pressure—something utterly terrifying for a lightning mage with a frail constitution. As for the fish-scale effect, once the usage exceeded three minutes, the skin would begin to deteriorate, eventually forming fish scales, a process that was irreversible. Qian Cheng Lu, well aware of Winny’s various tools and strategies over the years, was delighted to prolong the situation and smiled calmly. "No one will come to save you. Every sovereign of the New Covenant County Governor's faction is under our surveillance and actively monitoring the battle at the port, ready to provide immediate support. No one will imagine that Winny, the head of the Heavenly Judgment Headquarters, is currently being ambushed. And you won’t be able to escape either—by choosing to kill you right here in this chamber, I’ve already ensured your certain demise." Winny struggled to lift her head and looked at the Administrative Director. "I've known you were a spy all along." Qian Cheng Lu was taken aback, shrugged, and said, "Huh?" His face clearly bore the expression of disbelief. Winny took a deep breath and said coldly, "At first, I didn't think any of the division's masters were spies of the Free Covenant, because each master had been carefully cultivated by headquarters and underwent rigorous evaluations—each one was absolutely trustworthy. Moreover, you, the eldest of us, haven't even surpassed sixty, which makes it unlikely that you have any connection to the Free Covenant, established over a hundred years ago. It wasn't until Quemang told me that the Free Covenant could rapidly contaminate the lawful faction's spirit, distorting their perception that I began to suspect you. 'Among the three of us, if one spy must be identified, I suspect you.'" Qian Cheng remained silent. Winnie continued, "Of course, I didn't suspect you at first. It wasn't until you proposed using the Eye of the Sky that I realized something was off. So I played along, willingly accepted the cost of the Eye of the Sky, and asked you to protect me—testing whether you were truly a spy. It seems I was right." "Even if you were right, doesn't it seem rather foolish to prove it by sacrificing your life?" Qian Cheng narrowed his eyes. "Or perhaps you believe you have the strength to turn the tables on me?" "Do you know why I've chosen to rest here instead of leaving immediately?" Winnie looked toward the door of the chamber, a slight smile playing on her lips. "When Sean left, he didn't lock the door." As she spoke, a figure in a fox fur coat pushed open the iron gate, planted the cross-shaped long sword into the ground, and declared: "Rules for indoor combat: No use of lightning allowed!" "...the real drama has only just begun..." Hearing Tiphos's hoarse laughter, the lawful saints present exchanged glances, filled with a profound sense of fear, many of them instinctively wanting to flee or retreat. The dream-mole and the Celestial Master were intensifying their fear, sapping their resolve and determination. As a key warrior and central strength of the lawful faction, Jumang's effortless demise had a profound impact on the saints. A truly accomplished illusionist would never miss an opportunity to exploit the enemy's mental disarray. Within just a few seconds, three saints from the civilian organizations completely lost their resolve, exchanged glances, and then, with seamless coordination, turned and fled. To them, the battle had become pointless—unless they wished to return to the spiritual realm early. No one would willingly return to the spiritual realm under normal circumstances. Their actions triggered a ripple effect, prompting two more saints from the civilian organizations to abandon their posts at the last minute. The holy figures of the evil faction watched the scene with scorn, their focus on the several peak holy beings. As for the ordinary holy beings, they simply fled—fewer obstacles, all the better. Emily gazed at the body of Quemang, now enveloped in the night, feeling both regret and disappointment. Regret that such a fine man had perished so suddenly, and disappointment that her expectations for him had been so thoroughly dashed—what began as a promising opening had turned into such a fiasco. It truly lived up to the old saying: "Fortune is fickle." Summerzo, Nos, Rely Eugene, and the others exchanged quick glances, momentarily at a loss as to what to do. With their current situation, retreat would inevitably lead to pursuit and eventual annihilation, giving the evil faction the perfect opportunity to strike one by one. Those being pursued would surely perish. Moreover, if they scattered and fled, the artifact left behind by Quemang would inevitably fall into the hands of the evil faction—resulting in a significant loss, with little or no chance of recovery. But if they didn't retreat, they'd have to call for reinforcements. The Lawful faction had arranged for reinforcements nearby, though ordinary saints made little difference—unless a sufficient number of peak saints or master-tier warriors arrived, the battlefield situation would hardly change. As they hesitated, a deep, resonant roar of a tiger echoed from the lighthouse direction, echoing through the port under the night sky. Everyone's attention was drawn to the roar, even the saints who had just fled. Standing atop the lighthouse's highest level, a magnificent, regal tiger with a splendid coat stood proudly, the night sky serving as its backdrop and the lighthouse its throne. Its cold, piercing eyes, like those of a high-born king surveying his rebellious subjects, gazed down with unwavering authority.