A misty blade of light pursued the hell dragon, appearing slow yet swift as lightning. At the very instant the blade struck, the hell dragon halted its retreat, its body convulsing under the overwhelming force of an inescapable, rule-bound energy. It could not evade—only bear it. Two observers from afar, witnessing this, immediately intervened, raising two wind walls between the blade and the dragon. The wind walls rose and then shattered. A cross-shield materialized, solidifying into a protective barrier, only to collapse in turn. The hell dragon transformed into a radiant golden lion, roaring to build a golden shield, yet it crumbled moment by moment upon contact with the blade's energy. Within the single second the blade was unleashed, the wind walls, cross-shield, and golden shield shattered almost simultaneously. This single strike concentrated all of Fu Qingyang's blade energy and will, amplified by the swordmaster's cloak, gaining a 40% boost—seeming unremarkable in appearance, yet layered with multiple enhancements. Finally, faint white, ethereal scales shimmered on the surface of the golden lion. Within the limited time, he gave his utmost effort. The swordlight sliced through the fish scales, swept past the golden lion's neck, and roared into the arena below, sending up bursts of earth and stones. The lion's head slowly slid down, its neck wound pulsing with blood and flesh, emerging a fierce canine head, and its body transformed into a slender, dark spectral hound. The infernal hound now remained with only its head. Fu Qingyang's face grew pale, revealing a sense of exhaustion and decline; his eyes, once bright, now clouded, signaling the approach of final collapse. A swordmaster kills with one step and one sword—simple and unadorned. Though his two previous strikes seemed unremarkable, the fact that he had consecutively severed two beings of equal rank as masters speaks volumes of their power. The strength of the attack is directly proportional to the cost of energy expended. This is now his current limit. If he could continue to strike with near-perfect harmony, the entire realm's eight-tier masters would surely kneel and cry out, "Father, please save us!" "President, counterattack!" the infernal hound roared, then swiftly retreated, distancing itself from Fu Qing After years of acclaim, he for the first time felt fear in the presence of a rising master—this Fu Qingyang appeared drained, as if he might make a final, desperate surge and carry him back to the Spiritual Realm. Among the lawful, established professions in the second region, fire mages were the most passionate, followed by swordsmen. The membranous wings of the Cromi demon unfolded, propelling it skyward. With a sharp flap of its wings, it struck Fu Qingyang in the manner of an eagle diving for prey. As it closed in to within ten meters, it suddenly spread its membranous wings, hovering mid-air, then exhaled a deep,幽blue flame. Fu Qingyang raised a black iron shield, rusted and weathered, high toward the sky. The幽blue flame struck the shield and surged backward, rapidly carbonizing Fu Qingyang's flesh, exposing his shoulder bones and skull. At the arena, Zhang Yuanqing had just been about to switch the purification effect of the Golden Sun Seal to a burning one, aiming a searing beam at the Cromi demon. In his peripheral vision, he noticed three Chaos Lords—led by the cowboy Locke—steadily watching Fu Qingyang with keen attention. He suppressed his growing anxiety and maintained the purification effect. On the battlefield, the Lords were now engaged in separate actions, each holding the others in check. Zhǐ Shā Palace Master, Zhang Yuanqing, and Catharina were locked in standoff: the latter was poised to seize the Golden Sun Seal, while the former was Kris fought off another "Giant Beast," being pushed back step by step, relying solely on her scales and enchanted armor to hold on. She faced off against two wind mages with her eyes closed, single-handedly containing both of them. Winny also fought one-on-two, though it was a tight struggle—so much so that the federal detective could even free up his hands to summon lightning attacks against the mage, easing the burden on the two wind mages. Pansy Edison was in close, hand-to-hand combat with the cowboy, Locke. As a merchant, she possessed strong combat skills and abilities such as "teleportation" and "void state" for survival, making the encounter between the two peak dominators fiercely balanced. The other two chaotic dominators were in a state of "half-impairment," unable to fully exert their strong control effects on the lawful-aligned dominators within the purifying, all-encompassing scene. As for the dominator of the "Eternal Night" profession, he lay calmly at a distance, half-asleep and half-awake. His task was to seal the space, preventing Pansy Edison from establishing a teleportation channel—since he would not engage in battle, as his sleeping If he joins the battle, it's likely both sides will end up flat on their backs. Seeing the demon embodying the president, Cromi, pressuring Fu Qingyang, the hell dragon instantly transformed into Silvira and was about to claim Fu Qingyang's life. Suddenly, the King of the Magic Eyes turned around, and the mesmerizing eyes on his forehead shot out beams of crimson-gold light, striking Silvira. Wearing a keratin mask, the elegant, slender demon, now cried out as her inner spiritual energy spiraled out of control—wings sprouted from her back, her legs transformed into sheep hooves, and her head became that of a lion. The King of the Magic Eyes shifted his gaze to Cromi, who was now spewing waves of deep blue flame. The demon form of Lieutenant Stephen, Cromi, emitted two beams of pale light from her eyes, colliding directly with the crimson-gold beams. The beams of crimson-gold and pale light collided and were both extinguished. The rescue attempt by the King of the Magic Eyes failed. On the arena floor, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly produced his "Armor of Thunder" and "Thunder Gauntlets," swiftly donning them, then put on his set "Crackling… crackling…" electric arcs flashed around him, forming a bright blue orb of light. Then, the electric energy surged toward his right arm, compressing, compressing… This unusual action was first noticed by Catherine, though she didn't understand the significance of Ju-Mang's movements—she only sensed that he was about to execute a further maneuver. As the lightning-based spiritual power compressed and reached the mastery realm, the other masters present began to perceive the anomaly on his side and turned their attention toward him. But it was too late! At the very moment the lightning reached its peak compression, Zhang Yuanqing dissolved into brilliant starlight, and instantly, a streak of starlight rose up beside the "Hell Dragon." At that moment, influenced by the "Eye of Enchantment," the Hell Dragon experienced a violent disturbance within his body, with various magical forms manifesting simultaneously, making it difficult for him to perform any skills. Seeing the starlight rise beside him, he felt a sudden alarm, unable to stabilize his spiritual energy in time, and swiftly drew out a fish-scale robe to don it. The next instant, a bright blue light column, as thick as a water tank, surged from Zhang Yuanqing's palm, engulfing the Hell Dragon. Sparking arcs crackled everywhere in the air. Moments later, the electromagnetic cannon went out, and the colossal, blackened form staggered to its feet, radiating intense heat and a pungent scorched odor. "You... you mere insects!" the Hell Dragon wheezed weakly, roaring with determination. "I will crush you!" It expelled toxic smoke and emitted beams of petrifying light—its only two remaining attack techniques. Its spiritual energy was still turbulent, severely weakened by the powerful assault of the electromagnetic cannon. Zhang Yuanqing's Golden Orpheus Seal continued to emit a clear, radiant golden glow, neutralizing the toxic smoke and dissolving the petrifying beams. Combined with his inherent 50% resistance, the Hell Dragon's attacks proved largely ineffective. With his purple-gold mask in place, he remained calm, withdrawing the Form-and-Spirit-Annihilating Blade and activating the "Cut Form" skill. The short sword was enveloped in a milky glow. He held the shield in one hand, establishing an electromagnetic shield before him, and charged forward in steady steps toward the severely wounded Hell Dragon. At that very instant, two powerful control effects from the two Chaotic Sovereigns struck him like a torrential downpour—disrupted movement, spatial distortion, sensory disarray, and a state of ecstatic frenzy—yet all were effortlessly neutralized by the Golden Phoenix Seal. In terms of immunity to negative status effects, he, who wielded the Golden Phoenix Seal and practiced the Pure Yang Washing Record, surpassed Fu Qingyang and the others. Stephen Simpson, now transformed into a Cromis Demon, suddenly turned his head, and two beams of pale light burst from his eyes. Crack! The electromagnetic shield broke first. The purple-gold shield met the pale beams and instantly turned to stone, shattering. Then the purple-gold armor was tinged with a pale hue, freezing him completely. His three defensive items failed to withstand the assault for even a single second. A single gaze from the peak-level sovereign shattered his strongest defensive formation, yet Zhang Yuanqing had achieved his objective. He swiftly removed his purple-gold armor, disengaging just before his body was struck. At that moment, he had already advanced to the front of the charred dragon, his short blade erupting in a dense, white glow, and he suddenly slashed down. Plung! The dragon's body was severed in two, its blood and warm organs scattering across the ground. The strike bypassed physical defenses. Then, black, viscous energy surged in Zhang Yuanqing's eyes, revealing the eighth-level sovereign's spirit, drifting upward, attempting to flee. By the eighth level, spiritual strength had become incalculable—his spirit had solidified into a distinct essence, allowing it to persist even after the body perished, and capable of continuing combat. Zhang Yuanqing activated the "Soul Seizure" skill, casting a dark radiance over his blade. He spread his hands, aiming steadily at the spirit floating in the air, drawing it back to his side, then engaged his War Soul skill to deliver a decisive strike. To strike a spirit and to strike a body are alike—the former delivers a fatal blow to ethereal beings, while the latter targets the physical form, bypassing defenses. During this process, Cromi abandons Fu Qingyang, rising with her wings outstretched and projecting beams of pale light from her eyes. The pale hue spreads over Zhang Yuanqing's chest, yet the petrifying beam of a peak dominator achieves only limited effect on a Saint—its pale glow lingers lazily, failing to immediately immobilize him. Zhang Yuanqing's greatest strength lies in the purifying power of the Golden Orpheus Seal and his 50% resistance to "Unyielding Will," which is precisely why he recommended attacking the giant monster first. The dark blade cleaves through the ethereal form of the Hell Dragon's spirit. A piercing, mournful cry—only audible to night-wandering deities—echoes as the dragon's spirit dissolves into black smoke. Zhang Yuanqing smiles, then, at the very moment Cromi's demonic presence descends, transforms into a cascade of starlight, and returns to the side of the Master of the Halt-Death Palace, leaving his purple-gold armor behind. Almost simultaneously, Fu Qing Kris, covered in blood, guided her horse, bringing in Winny, and skillfully maneuvered through the relentless strikes of lightning pillars and wind blades. The King of Magical Eyes remained to cover the retreat, his entire body open to a multitude of glowing golden magical eyes, polluting the spirits and magical energies of the enemy rulers, until the allies regrouped, then he withdrew back to the arena. With Pansy Edison's teleportation returning, the battle concluded. The evil rulers stared coldly at the lawful counterparts, silent and unmoved. The saints who had escaped unscathed were stunned, utterly unable to comprehend the outcome. Their own twelve rulers, two at the peak level, had suffered a decisive defeat—losing one ruler of the eighth rank! In the relatively peaceful times, the death of a single eighth-rank ruler was a major event. Yet, despite this loss, not a single lawful ruler had been defeated. Stephen Simpson walked over to the purple-and-gold set, bent down to pick it up, intending to take it as a prize—when suddenly, he froze. He couldn't lift it! How could that be? The three pieces of purple-gold equipment seemed to weigh a million catties, firmly rooted to the ground, utterly unreachable. Binding items? The experienced Lieutenant Simpson suddenly realized, with a touch of regret. From the battle just witnessed, he had clearly seen that these three pieces were not only a set but also governed by specific rules. Yet today, the combat prowess and the sheer volume of equipment displayed by this subordinate left her stunned. She realized one thing: Quemang's equipment did not stem from Fu Qingyang, since Fu Qingyang did not possess so many high-tier items. Who exactly was Quemang? Cris picked up the fishbowl, nodded in satisfaction, and expressed her approval toward the musician who had remained largely uninvolved in the battle. The small fish, Lus, spoke on behalf of the owner: "The quality of the Life Essence is higher than any I've encountered before." Life Essence could not replenish physical strength, yet the golden liquid in this musician's vessel restored her strength by half—remarkably so. Cris then turned to Quemang, and Lus exclaimed: "Indeed, we've suffered casualties—my sense is that we can now turn the tide and defeat them." The successful elimination of one of the enemy's Dominants had greatly boosted morale within the Lawful faction. At that moment, the cowboy, Locke, from afar, chuckled: "We haven't even used our equipment yet!"