The stone disc resembled the gaping maw of a deep abyss, greedily devouring and consuming the spiritual energies of wind and thunder. The spiritual energy within the thunder pool rapidly diminished, and the staff held by Borias cracked with a sharp "crack," splitting into countless web-like fissures. The Red-Sun Officer stared in stunned silence at this scene, his expression filled with astonishment and disbelief. Though he had anticipated some disruption after the thunder pool was contaminated, the unfolding events still surpassed his expectations—unexpected and sudden. Are wind and thunder truly of the same origin? Was Borias, the mastermind behind the assassination of the Thunder God ten years ago, the very one who now launches a renewed assault on the Thunder God today? Immediately, the officer bit through his fingertip and pressed the mark on his forehead, causing the solar imprint to flare with radiant light and surge forth a stream of molten, scorching rays aimed directly at the current Sky King. Upon contact with the gusty barrier stationed outside the thunder pool, the molten, scorching rays instantly recoiled and reversed direction. The officer promptly withdrew the rays, and a golden, blazing sun slowly rose behind his head. This is the core ability of the Seventh-Rank Day-Wandering Deity—Dayrise! An upgraded form of purification: when the blazing sun ascends, all forces that do not belong to the sun are purified, including the spiritual energies of other professions. Golden radiance bathes the entire spiritual realm instance, gilding everything from the white clouds to the sky itself. Yet the fierce wind barrier surrounding the thunder pool remains intact, unaffected. The positional gap between the two fronts exceeds the limits of the sun's purifying power. The Red-Sun Official then attempts various attack techniques—none succeed. Physical attacks fail; thus, he tries his spiritual domain! From his inventory, he retrieves a bronze mirror with a black handle. The mirror radiates a cool, ethereal aura, and the temperature around it drops swiftly, causing white frost to form on the stone-paved ground. The sun mark on his forehead fades, replaced by a dark crescent moon. A thick, dark energy surges from his eyesockets. He turns the mirror toward "King of the Sky," Borias, and commands: "Borias." The golden-haired woman standing on the stone disc froze, her spiritual form instantly pulled out—but only halfway, the mirror's power had already been exhausted, and Borias's spirit returned to her physical body. The magistrate of the sun felt a sense of helplessness. Though not a primary master of the lunar domain, his status as a peak sovereign was undeniable, and the mirror in his hands was a rule-based artifact. As long as she was gazed upon by the mirror and accurately called out the other's name, including their spiritual ID, the "soul-capture" effect would inevitably occur. Yet even this combination of peak sovereign status and rule-based artifact could not truly threaten the King of the Skies. At this moment, the power of the thunder pool had been fully absorbed, its plasma and clouds merging into the disc and integrating within the lightning sigils. Borias's staff of the wind god had weathered and shattered, dissolving into the whirlwind incantation. The long-time companion artifacts of semi-divine rank, now broken, she showed no regret—instead, a sense of profound accomplishment filled her. Bowing her head and gazing down upon the thunder pool, she raised her voice in a resonant cry: "Thunder "Let us rekindle the glory of the Divine Sovereign. Let us... become the strongest in the Spirit Realm." A brilliant sphere of lightning rose steadily from the depths of the lake, surging into the vortex. The Sun's official, Xingguan, narrowed his eyes, faintly seeing within the lightning sphere a robust man whose gaze radiated yearning, yet whose expression conveyed profound resistance. The yearning stemmed from the natural affinity between wind and thunder; the resistance arose because, given the current frailty of the Thunder God, it would be difficult for him to emerge as the dominant force after the fusion—likely merely becoming a garment for the Sky King. The lightning sphere merged into the vortex and dissolved into nothingness. Boreas's form collapsed in the very next instant, transforming into a swirling core of deep azure and blue energy, which then flowed into the vortex. As both half-gods merged into the stone platform's energy structure, the two vortices gradually vanished. Wind ceased. Thunder faded. The world fell into stillness, leaving only the floating stone disc suspended in the sky. The Red Sun Judge observed with serious demeanor, knowing that the fusion of the two half-gods was now firmly established. He hoped the Lawful faction would truly produce a half-god wielding dual classes—otherwise, the world's balance would undergo profound transformation. Internally, he felt a growing unease, doubting that Lingtuo and the Evil faction would support the Divine Judgment in forging the Thunder and Lightning Sovereign. Yet, the fusion of Thunder and Lightning was already a settled reality. As his thoughts flickered, he saw a small whirlwind rising from the stone platform, spinning vigorously and growing increasingly robust. Lightning strikes continuously fell upon the center of the gale. Amidst the lightning's impact and the swirling storm, a figure emerged—bare, with skin as clear and luminous as jade, her waist, hips, and thighs flowing with graceful curves. She stood upon two miniature whirlwinds beneath her feet, bearing a bright blue lightning mark on her forehead, her long white-gold hair standing upright, woven into electric arcs. Her eyes were closed, her chin slightly raised, as if savoring the new life and authority bestowed upon her. At the very moment the deity was born, the sky roiled with dark clouds, fierce winds howled, and streaks of lightning slashed across the cloud layers, creating a backdrop of apocalyptic grandeur. The Guishai Xingguan's body trembled slightly, his hands shaking and twitching as if suffering from Parkinson's disease. He felt an overwhelming fear—deep-rooted, originating from his soul and innermost being—like humans encountering a tiger in a remote mountain wilderness, or climbing a steep cliff without any protection. Even without opening his eyes, the deity's immense presence had instilled a profound, innate terror within the peak-level master. The Guishai Xingguan lacked the courage to summon the sun itself. This aura surpassed that of a mere half-deity. Even when facing the headmaster of the Taiyuan Sect, the Guishai Xingguan had never felt such deep fear—unless the headmaster deliberately released a high-level force to exert pressure. The wind roared and thunder cracked, and the Fenglei deity standing upon the stone platform finally opened his eyes. Her left eye was a bright blue, and her right eye was clear and translucent—this unusual dual gaze turned slowly, fixing upon the only living being within the realm: the Crimson Sun Official. ... The Imperial Capital. A quadrangle courtyard. Lime trees and flower beds lined the clean, well-kept grounds. Suddenly, the clear sky split open, revealing a deep, dark channel—cascading golden light spilled forth from within. It was the towering, robust Crimson Sun Official, his silver hair like frost. "Hoo-hoo-hoo!" A piercing howl echoed from within the spatial channel, and a strong wind surged into the courtyard. The Crimson Sun Official, just having landed, instantly shattered into four and five fragments. His torso severed, limbs separated, head cleaved off—his flesh and warm organs fell with a soft "plink," rising in steaming vapor against the crisp November air. "Boom! Boom! Boom!" A thunderous roar shook the small courtyard. Twisting, arcing tree-like lightning struck the official's body, blackening the flesh and vaporizing the blood. The spatial channel rapidly contracted and then vanished. The gale and lightning subside, and the courtyard returns to quiet, save for the carbonized remains of the Red-Sun Official and the great locust tree blazing fiercely. One by one, streaks of starlight rise from within the courtyard, transforming into the senior elders—Sun, Hongying, Zhao, and others—of the Taiyuan Sect, arriving instantly. Upon seeing the carbonized remains on the ground, the senior elders' eyes widen in shock, their expressions nearly uncontrollable. "Grand Elder? Grand Elder?" Sun Elder's eyes bulge as he strides swiftly to the remains, his voice trembling with emotion, calling out in disbelief, "How could this happen? How could this happen?" Zhao Elder, the strongest and most esteemed among them, has a thick, dark energy pooling in his eyes as he examines the Red-Sun Official's body. After a few seconds, his expression darkens: "Form and spirit both extinguished!" Form and spirit both extinguished... Hongying Elder and the others exchange glances, stunned, silent for a long while. The courtyard remains utterly still. A peak-tier master, the strongest of the world—Day-Wanderer of the Sun—has thus returned Even the seasoned rulers, accustomed to grand upheavals, now found themselves at a loss, unsure of what to do. After a brief silence, Elder Hong Ying spoke softly: “…I remember that Tianfa invited the Grand Elder to their headquarters in Huacheng to purify a fallen one.” Elder Zhao narrowed his eyes. “The thunder we just heard…” A terrifying, incomprehensible possibility surged through the minds of all present, and the small courtyard fell once more into stillness. “Was it Lei Shen who did it? Why would he kill the Grand Elder?” Elder Sun gritted her teeth. “Old Zhao, go inform the Master immediately. If he’s still in the Spiritual Realm, notify the Five Alliances and have their five Grand Masters hold Tianfa accountable. We must demand answers from Tianfa.” Should Elder Chiji of the Red Sun Office fall at the hands of Lei Shen, the native order of harmony would surely go to war with Tianfa. Yet Elder Sun couldn’t understand—how could Lei Shen, at this very critical moment, when the new treaty’s order and the evil forces were locked in fierce battle, have killed the Red Sun Official? It simply didn’t make sense. There must be something amiss. Master Zhao frowned, nodded, and was about to rise with a golden glow toward the location where the Grand Master had gone into seclusion, when Elder Hongying suddenly said, "Wait!" With curious glances from all present, she swiftly walked past the blackened corpse, heading to the flowerbed in the corner of the courtyard, bent down, and picked up a bronze mirror with a dark wooden handle. The Soul-Capturing Mirror of the Red Sun Official! Faintly, the mirror reflected the figure of the Red Sun Official—his eyes hollow, standing motionless, as if a newly deceased ghost wandering alone. "His immortal essence is still intact!" Elder Hongying exclaimed with delight. The other elders of the Taiyuan Sect gathered around, seeing the image of the Grand Master in the mirror, their tense expressions and tightened hearts finally easing, all exhaling in unison. Though they didn't fully understand what had transpired, they could imagine that, when faced with a life-or-death crisis, the Red Sun Official had chosen to use a rule-based artifact to capture his immortal essence—thus preserving himself in this manner. For the Night Wanderer, as long as the spirit remains unextinguished, revival is possible—corporeal form is secondary. After all, a half-deity with the profession of a musician can reconstruct his body; even if the body cannot be rebuilt, the Night Wanderer can endure and remain in the world. Longevity Elder opened her inventory, retrieved the wooden-handled bronze mirror, and completed the bonding ritual. Then, she took the mirror and gently shook it, releasing the spirit within. A stream of mist settled to the ground, transforming into the form of the Sun-Blazing Judge, who stepped out of the mirror. His once vacant eyes regained their luster. "Senior Elder, what happened to you during your encounter at the Heavenly Judgment?" asked Senior Sun, eager and pressing for answers. All the elders turned their gaze toward the Senior Elder. The Sun-Blazing Judge surveyed the group with solemnity, and spoke in a measured tone: "The Twin Deities of Wind and Thunder have gone mad—the Heavenly Judgment is over! Issue a red alert to all Order-based organizations, preparing for a half-deity-level disaster." A thunderclap of surprise!