In the world of the Spirit Realm travelers, espionage is no easy feat. A knight’s oath, a sorcerer’s emotional resonance, a scout’s lie-detection and psychological impact—all can easily expose a spy. Theoretically, inserting a spy is extremely difficult. High-ranking Spirit Realm travelers possess numerous methods to "see through" a person. To date, the only means that can effectively conceal flaws is the Shadow. While sorcerers are ever-changing and rely on individual techniques, they cannot cover an entire group. Similarly, props such as the perfect human skin mask fall short. "We have been under the protection of the Shadow," Channing Lu openly shared with his companions. "Each month, during our regular gatherings, we offer prayers to the supreme being, seeking the Shadow’s protection. However, we don’t need to hold a prayer every time—this protection lasts for a long duration." The Shadow’s protection… Master Zhizhi’s gaze grew slightly weighty. She directly asked, "Do you remember the summoning ritual?" "A high-ranking night-wanderer spirit can create a unique spiritual scroll and array of its own, and with materials rich in the night-wanderer's spiritual energy, it can form a summoning ritual. A certain lackluster, smelly man often relies on such methods to seek assistance from an elderly woman from a thousand years ago." "Remember…" Qian Cheng Lu replied. "Draw it down," the Master of Zhishi Palace said. At that moment, the three Sovereigns lowered their heads and turned to the broken floor, where the forms of the Wind and Thunder spellcasters of the Heavenly Punishment appeared—disturbed by the clash between the Sovereigns. While Qian Cheng Lu's fingers shot out lightning beams, etching a scorched array onto the wall, the Master of Zhishi Palace softly hummed a lullaby. Puff, puff... The gathering Thunder and Wind spellcasters fell one after another, gasping and drifting off to sleep. After recording the spiritual scroll array Qian Cheng Lu had inscribed, the Master of Zhishi Palace gently used a red thread to erase the scorched patterns from the wall, then turned to her single-legacy knight and Winny: Wine opened her inventory, withdrew a black wooden nail, and coldly stated, "Drive it into Channing's heart and sever his limbs." Zhai Cai took the nail and struck it into Channing Lu's chest, where blood sprayed forth in a sudden burst. Channing wavered, writing down his thoughts, his eyelids heavy, yet he refused to fall. Zhai Cai floated above, raised her sword, and with a swift motion, severed Channing's arms and legs. The Minister of Administration finally collapsed, silent, slipping into sleep without a cry. Wine said firmly, "I'll call headquarters to arrange for a specialist to take over Channing. In the meantime, I hope both of you remain at Tianfa for precaution—I'll compensate you." The Master of the Halt-the-Death Palace and Zhai Cai nodded. Zhai Cai, remembering that Wine had gone blind, added promptly, "Agreed!" ... On the streets connecting the port to the city district, brilliant streaks of starlight rose continuously, each surge appearing more than a hundred meters apart, with moments of silence in between. When they reappeared, they had already risen several kilometers away. By alternating between night wandering and star-dodging maneuvers, even wind mages of the same level find it extremely difficult to track him. Initially, several wind mages observed him from above, maintaining a steady pace behind him. However, under constant harassment from the spirits of resentment, the wind mages eventually lost sight of him entirely. Yet the Star Officer of Night Rose remained cautious, not feeling safe until he reached a densely populated urban area. For among the lawful order's saints, there are those with a void-based profession—these are the only ones capable of posing a real threat to him. In comparison, although Quemang is exceptionally strong in combat, he falls far short in terms of tracking ability and speed, no matter how he transforms into a bird—neither can he hope to catch up with the Star Officer. Why has such a powerful beast king suddenly emerged in the second district? During the brief fifteen seconds Quemang engaged in combat against Tiphros, he successfully blocked the petrifying beams, toxic smoke, and spatial distortions. Even prior to that, he had deflected attacks from multiple saints working in unison—none of these feats required the use of his master artifact. Everyone assumed the source of Quemei's strength lay in his tools, overlooking his own prowess—thus, they were misled! This beast king's combat power might even surpass that of the jealous divine general. Is such a powerful saint truly the product of Fu Qingyang's cultivation? Come on, Fu Qingyang himself was only at the peak of Level Six before June this year—on par with Quemei. Once they escape here, he'll contact the Grand Protector and have him use the art of celestial observation to trace Quemei's identity and uncover the truth about this person. At that moment, the star official of the Night Rose felt his eyelids grow heavy, a wave of drowsiness sweeping over him, nearly falling asleep. He felt a surge of alarm, recognizing this as the "dream-entry" ability of a Dream Master—someone from the Dream Master rank had attacked him. Who could that be? As he pondered this, a bright blue glow emerged in the night sky, and a tree-shaped lightning bolt struck precisely. At a critical moment, with no time to deploy his Stellar Evasion, the Stellar Official swiftly rolled and side-rolled, dodging most of the attacks. Yet the lightning was too swift—diverging arcs swept across his legs, instantly turning his pant leg to charcoal, blackening his thigh and releasing a savory aroma of roasted meat. As the Stellar Official of Dark Night Rose prepared to activate Stellar Evasion, he suddenly saw a deep, profound night engulfing the surroundings like a tide, blanketing everything in a veil of darkness. Though stars began to shine, he still managed to deploy Stellar Evasion—only to find himself appearing at the edge of the night sky. This area had been sealed off. At the same time, footsteps echoed through the dense darkness. He turned to look back—there stood Quemang! "Impossible!" he exclaimed in alarm, "You can't catch me! It's impossible!" A sovereign of beasts, how could he possibly catch up to him? He was one of the top-tier escape specialists among the second-tier professions. "What's impossible about that? Who hasn't learned Stellar Evasion?" Zhang Yuanqing raised his right hand, wearing the Thunder Arm Guard, and snapped his fingers with a crisp sound. Instantly, his body dissolved into starlight, reappearing several meters away in a shimmer of stars. The star official of Dark Night Rose was completely stunned. A prop? No—that wasn’t a prop! As a Level 6 star official, he immediately ruled out the possibility of the other using a prop; his eyes were sharp. "You're also a star official?" he exclaimed, surprised even by his own words. Zhang Yuanqing smiled gently, brushing a hand across his face. "Correct!" The waves of light rippled across his face, settling into a strikingly handsome and youthful countenance. The star official of Dark Night Rose felt as though he had been struck by a spell—his body stiffened instantly, his gaze locked on that face. It took him a long time to speak, his lips trembling: "The Primordial Sovereign...?" Zhang Yuanqing said no more, cutting off any further words, and activated the Thunder Burst skill of the Thunder Arm Guard. "Pop!" A bright blue light erupted, illuminating the area shrouded in night. Violent electric spiritual energy surged outward in waves, sweeping across all directions. The road was forcibly shaved thin, and the roadside greenery reduced to dust. The Star Officer of Night Rose immediately retrieved a large, mud-stained coat from her inventory and donned it, then pulled on a reed armor. She expelled vast numbers of spirit ghosts, surrounding herself with them. The next instant, the electric waves crackled and surged, first annihilating the protective wall formed by the ghosts, then reducing the reed armor to charcoal, followed by a violent burst of yellow light. The Star Officer of Night Rose’s body shattered into four and five pieces, her limbs and fragments landing with a soft "plink," still warm with heat. Zhang Yuanqing collapsed straight ahead as well, turning into a solid black charcoal. A few seconds later, a black smoke emerged from his mouth as he gradually regained consciousness from the intense pain, murmuring, "For heaven's sake, this really hurts..." He groaned and pushed himself up, gazing at the Star Officer scattered into fragments in the distance, and the ethereal form floating in midair. The spirit aura had weakened, his gaze dull and lifeless, like a thin, pale mist ready to be blown away at any moment. The star official's spirit was exceptionally strong—even after the physical body perished, the spirit would endure and retain consciousness. Now, however, the intense lightning assault had completely shattered his spirit. Lightning-based abilities are particularly effective against shadow spirits. "In the not-so-distant future, the New Covenant District of the Free Federation might birth the Sun Sovereign—indicating that the Night Wanderer, currently supported by the Day's Judgment, is likely to ascend to the throne and become the third half-deity of the Night Wanderer profession." The cloaked Grand Guardian spoke with solemnity. "There are countless possible futures ahead. We must change them." "Can you not inform the Leader?" asked the Star Officer, expressing concern. "The Leader is engaged in a matter within the Spiritual Realm." The cloaked Grand Guardian explained. "Once that matter is accomplished, the entire world will undergo a profound transformation. Every free profession across the globe is awaiting that day." Zhang Yuanqing steadied himself, absorbing the dizziness caused by the spiritual bodies of his peers, while frowning. The Star Officers possess the ability to predict the course of all things. The Grand Guardian's prediction revealed two key insights: first, he possesses the potential to become the Sun Sovereign. Secondly, he has been overly prominent in the New Covenant County recently, emerging as one of the key figures capable of shifting alliances and standing out prominently in the long river of destiny—thus being identified and projected by the Grand Guardian. He recalls the Grand Guardian’s phrase, "Mountains and rivers shall endure," whose primary focus is the power of the Moon. If the Guardian were a master of the Star Power, wouldn't they have a clearer vision? Fortunately, the Grand Guardian has only projected that a Sun Sovereign might emerge in the New Covenant County, but has not yet pinpointed the specific individual—there is absolutely no connection to Yuan Shi Tian Zun. This must be the result of the Black Heart’s influence. Though this divine artifact is currently sealed, its status remains elevated, endowing it with strong resistance to divination and forecasting. As for the other piece of information, it reminds Zhang Yuanqing of the intelligence he once saw in the memory of the beast-wizard Hase. —The Evil Faction is waiting for an opportunity, specifically one that could lead to the downfall of the Sea God Church. Combined with the Grand Guardian’s words, he suspects that the Evil Faction is anticipating an opportunity tied to Ling Tu—perhaps Ling Tu is holding back a Zhang Yuanqing closed the box of night, glanced around, and found the night deep and still, with no wind mages in sight. He then took out Little Red Cap and shook off his phone. After powering it up, he contacted the Wuxing Alliance's support team stationed around the port, learning that the fleeing saints had already been eliminated. "Retreat immediately and don't give the rulers of the evil faction a chance to counterattack," he said. "Understood," Guan Ya replied. Zhang Yuanqing put away his phone, paused, and then dissolved into starlight. Half an hour later, he appeared on the rooftop of an unoccupied villa in the outskirts of Xinjie Port. The Grand Protector's analysis had sounded the alarm—he needed to assess the potential benefits and risks of this operation. Then he considered whether to retire Little Spring as his alias, since he still had two other identities: the Celestial Master and the Free-Flowing Sword Immortal. If the analysis showed no major issues, he would continue using Little Spring. It was now late October, and just one and a half months away from the Killing Campaign.