The sky was as clear as washed silk, with the majestic, continuous peaks of Songshan rising in the distance. At the foot of the dense forest, a figure emerged, clearly defined—Zhang Yuanqing in her black combat uniform. It was no surprise that the sturdy old woman had managed to reach the First District; her clan's quest-based副本 could hardly hold her. Zhang Yuanqing unfolded a scroll of sheepskin and laid out the materials needed to summon the Three Mountain Queens one by one. Using the power of the stars to "ignite" the materials, she then placed the scroll inscribed with the summoning incantation atop them. After a few seconds, the sheepskin absorbed the materials' vitality, and the array pattern on it surged upward, projecting a brilliant golden column of light that soared straight into the sky. Following her ritual custom, she murmured the summoning incantation softly and repeatedly: "Maiden, Maiden, come out! Maiden, Maiden, come out!" Witnessing the formidable strength displayed by the Three Mountain Queens, she now trembled so much that she dared not even touch the edge of her robe—back in the past, the Celestial Lord would have boldly shouted, "Young Qing! Come out for me!" Immediately, the sky tore open, revealing a golden column of light descending. A goddess of regal grace and flowing robes arrived on the breeze, her clear, lofty gaze surveying all from above. Zhang Yuanqing bowed immediately, saying, "Your divine prowess is unparalleled; may your life span match the heavens, for ages to come!" The Lady of San Dao nodded in satisfaction, her voice as clear and serene as mountain spring water, "What is it?" By now, they were so familiar, Zhang Yuanqing felt no need to hide his questions and asked directly, "Lady, did you specifically come to the first district's instance to save me?" The Lady of San Dao did not answer right away. She gently settled to the ground, saying, "Stand and speak!" "No!" Zhang Yuanqing replied firmly. "Your divine excellence is unmatched, your wisdom and martial prowess unmatched throughout history. While you stand, I shall remain on my knees. As long as you are in the heavens, I shall stay on the earth." His tone was sincere, his expression earnest, showing no trace of flattery—every word seemed to come from the depths of his heart. The Lady of San Dao Mountain’s graceful and unrivaled face broke into a smile, answering his previous question: “To save you!” She gave a simple gesture, rising from her seat: “Now, rise.” Save us? Without clearly pointing to me… Zhang Yuanqing rose with a look of curiosity. “How did you know we were in trouble? And how did you cross the server?” Though the National and Outer Servers shared the same world, they were otherwise isolated. The Lady of San Dao Mountain furrowed her brows, silent. Zhang Yuanqing bowed deeply: “Your divine skill is world-renowned, unparalleled.” The Lady, receiving such a profound gesture, sighed helplessly: “I’ve been entrusted.” Being entrusted? Zhang Yuanqing pressed on: “By whom?” The Lady spoke calmly: “You needn’t know.” Not telling me? The Lady wasn’t one to deliberately withhold information—either the entrusted party was mysterious, or my own status wasn’t high enough. So, who exactly had commissioned her to save them? Few were aware of last night's actions, and among those few, no one could summon her except the head. Since the head had explicitly stated it wasn't his plan, it must be unrelated to him—there was no need to deceive me. Zhang Yuanqing paused and soon grasped a key point: the commissioner was not among the informed parties of this operation, yet knew they would face an unavoidable, life-or-death crisis. Following this line of reasoning, one could conclude that the commissioner possessed foresight. In the spiritual realm, only three abilities allow one to foresee the future: prophecy, divination, and stargazing. "I have no connection with the scholars' family, so divination can be ruled out in theory. Yet the palace master is a musician, and both musicians and scholars belong to the lineage of the Nüwang Emperor. Could it be that the scholar-archetype half-god wishes to prevent the Immortal Pot from falling into the hands of the evil faction?" "As for prophecy, the only entity in the spiritual realm with such ability is the Light Compass. Its fragments have been distributed among various organizations, thus its reach is broad." "In the field of stargazing, the Night Rose of the Dark Night surely won't save me—those who possess the ability to see the long river of destiny are basically all from the Taiyuan Sect. Is it the silent celestial master, the one who moves without a sound, who is actually helping me?" Zhang Yuanqing silently pondered. The Lady of Three Mountain said, "As for how I entered the first region's quest realm, the Golden Sun soars throughout the cosmos, reaching the farthest reaches of heaven and the deepest depths of the earth—anywhere I wish to go, I can reach." Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing interrupted his thoughts and interpreted the meaning behind the Lady's words. Could she truly traverse between the two major regions without restriction? After all, she is an NPC of the second region—how could she access the first region? Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing recalled his experience during his cultivation of the Pure Yang Washing Record on the thrilling cruise ship, breathing in and out the power of the Sun God. It all became clear to him. The Night Traveler is particularly unique—the powers of the Sun, Moon, and Stars are distributed throughout the entire spiritual realm, equally so across both domestic and After grasping this point, Zhang Yuanqing had a sudden idea. He needed to gather the Lei Shen Set and the Ji Tian Set—tasks he could entrust the President to handle within the dungeon, then send the old wooden stick to retrieve them. The President, as a Lingjing Traveler, was bound by character constraints and would not undertake tasks unless compelled; if her items were forcibly taken, the Lingjing would penalize her. However, the old wooden stick had no such concerns. "The junior will personally seek out the whereabouts of the artifacts; all you need to do is bring them forth." Zhang Yuanqing was always ready to act—should the old clog refuse, he would immediately prostrate himself in reverence. The Lady of San Mountain paused thoughtfully, "If the artifacts are exceptionally powerful, I will not assist you in obtaining them, as they would pose too great a risk—just as I would not help if the danger were equally overwhelming, unless you have a compelling reason to secure them." "Thank you, Lady." Zhang Yuanqing offered his customary sincere flattery. The old clog had been thoroughly impressed, and her mood remained quite favorable. She then asked, "You say the current world is plagued by demons and spirits—what has transpired outside?" Zhang Yuanqing recounted the disputes within the New Accord Coalition. Upon hearing that it was a matter concerning the Free Federation, the old clog shook her head in disapproval, scolding him for meddling in affairs that had nothing to do with the flourishing Chinese realm. Zhang Yuanqing explained that the conflicts between coalitions knew no borders—now the barbarian and foreign peoples were in dire straits, and the next to fall would surely be the mighty Chinese realm. She explained the faction rivalry mechanism within the Spiritual Realm, as well as the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the competition among the Realm Administrators. The old wooden-stick listener was deeply impressed and decided to handle the equipment matters for him. "Should the time come, I shall leave the Spiritual Realm and join forces with the righteous sects across the land to jointly oppose the demonic path," she said, her tone now serious. "I have not observed the heavens at night for a long time." She wished to witness the future state of the world. "With the Lady's support, the righteous path of the world will surely prosper," Zhang Yuqing opportunistically inquired. "Lady, what realm are you currently at?" He sensed that the Lady's combat strength was somewhat off, and since she had already reached the peak of the Sovereign level, the next step would be the Human Immortal—half-divine. The old wooden-stick listener, who cultivated the power of the Sun God, could only ascend to the status of the Sun's Sovereign if she reached the Human Immortal level. The Lady sighed with slight regret. "I've merely experienced the power of a Human Immortal briefly, and my spiritual energy has now been completely depleted." She paused That’s good. I still have a chance to become the Sovereign of the Sun. Zhang Yuanqing exhaled in relief and then said, "Your Majesty, there’s a disciple named Ling Tu among the spiritual realm wanderers who has recently been striving to attain the rank of Sovereign of the Moon. He should be somewhere within the spiritual realm. Would you like to join him and seek opportunities?" "I know!" the Lady of San Dao Mountain replied calmly. "He’s undergoing training within the Moon’s realm quest, and I can’t reach him—should I manage to enter, it would be a near-death experience. Besides, my cultivation follows a pure Yang method, the path of the brilliant, radiant sun. I have no interest in the stars or the Moon." How presumptuous is Zhao Youqing! Thinking she’d compete with me for the throne of the Sovereign of the Sun! Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself. The Lady of San Dao Mountain, not being a scout, couldn’t perceive the younger disciple’s inner thoughts, and asked, "How is my unruly disciple these days?" Zhang Yuanqing: "She spends her days sleeping at home, indulgent, lazy, preferring comfort over effort." "Then send The two chatted for a long time, and Zhang Yuanqing reluctantly bid farewell to the Lady, leaving the guild's instance and returning to reality. The Guild President, dressed in a pure black suit, remained in the bedroom, seated at the table, enjoying breakfast from Tianfa Dining and sipping a fine red wine. Zhang Yuanqing immediately relayed the Lady San Dao Shan's reply to the President. After a moment of thoughtful reflection, the President said, "The most puzzling aspect of this matter is: how did the mysterious person who commissioned her enter the Spiritual Realm?" Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily stunned, realizing that the President had spotted the key insight. Indeed, the Lady lives within the Spiritual Realm instance. To commission her, the mysterious person must enter the Realm. Yet, most semi-divine figures from various professions are unable to enter the Spiritual Realm at will—more precisely, they cannot enter the main Spiritual Realm. How did the mysterious person manage that? "You needn't worry about this matter anymore. If the Lady San Dao Shan hasn't mentioned it, then it must be for your own good." The chairman finished off the red wine in his high chair and said, "The new chapter of the county's affairs is concluded. You may now enter the bazaar's quest to practice the Pure Yang Bathing Record." "Wait!" Zhang Yuanqing called out, "I almost forgot something—I've secretly obtained the materials and array for Catherine's ascension to the divine realm." The chairman set down his wine glass, wiped his lips, and said, "What do you think Catherine will do when she discovers the materials have been stolen? Either she will modify the array herself, or she will summon half-gods from the evil faction, waiting for us to fall into her hands. In that case, the materials will be of no use to you—keep them as a memento." He lifted his plate, fork, and glass, and with a gentle gesture, the utensils vanished into the air, returning to the dining hall. "I'll help you locate your Thunder God's armor. It's been a while since I last went on a quest." The chairman then teleported away. ... A dimly lit, quiet underground space. A broad corridor features a dim lamp every ten steps, with a series of enclosures lining both sides. Inside these enclosures dwell strange creatures—unicorns, tri-headed dogs, large lizards with membranous wings, cats adorned with crystal crowns—and all share one common trait: eyes that are bloodthirsty and fierce. At the far end of the corridor lies a large chamber. Stephen Simpson sits on a cushioned throne, his arms wrapped by a golden serpent. He keeps his head bowed, gently stroking the serpent's head. A dreamlike glow of starlight rises, and a figure in a hood and cloak emerges from the light. "Have you failed?" the cloaked figure's voice is rough and hoarse, "And have you lost a Tier-8 Sovereign as well?" Stephen Simpson remains cold and serious. "We have also lost a Dama. Her paramours have all been reassigned from the New Covenant Province for investigation." "I do not care about these." "The Cloak-Wearer said in a steady tone, 'The Leader mentioned before entering the Spiritual Realm that if this battle succeeds, the Free Alliance's victory will be unshakable. If it fails, the overall situation will remain uncertain. With two Peak Masters and nine Eight-Rank Masters, even this matter should be manageable.' Stephen Simpson replied coldly, 'Mountains and rivers shall endure—your tone is unworthy of speaking to me thus.' After issuing a warning, Lieutenant Simpson added, 'The situation yesterday was uncertain, unless a Half-God personally arrived. That woman was stronger than the Red Sun Official of Taiguan. I have a strong sense that she will become the Master of the Sun.' 'Impossible!' the Cloak-Wearer scoffed. 'Only when the Stars and the Moon return to their places will the Sun's Realm be activated. Until then, no one can become the Master of the Sun.' The two discussed the Three Mountain Lady for a while, then the Cloak-Wearer asked, 'How is the situation with the Thunder God?' Lieutenant Simpson smiled gently, 'Everything is going smoothly.'