The team consisted of three members—two men and one woman. One of them had yellow skin, either a second-tier spiritual traveler from the Central Region or of Chinese descent. The leader, a woman with brown-yellow hair and light green eyes, possessed a pleasing appearance. She held a black staff, its head adorned with a gemstone surrounded by swirling streams of green energy. Floating about half a foot above the ground, she arrived with the team in a hurried, alert manner. However, upon seeing the three bodies lying on the ground, her expression shifted to one of shock and surprise. When she observed the charred marks on the chest of the man with golden hair, even her last reserve of caution melted away. "All of them were killed by you?" she asked. She then introduced her companions: "His spiritual realm ID is 'Federated Without History,' and he comes from the Sea God Church." The man with a full beard and a robust build nodded briefly, offering a greeting, then stared at the three corpses, expressing his displeasure: "Are you a Thunder Mage? We've been pursuing these three for a long time. If it weren't for our concern about potentially damaging the display cases and activating the artifacts—which might bring unforeseen complications—we'd have replaced them with points long ago. They've been completely at your mercy." The sea spirit's pride was evident in his demeanor. So the recent commotion was indeed caused by your mutual combat? That explains why these three were so eager to compete for the artifacts—they'd been relentlessly pursued, desperately trying to protect themselves... Zhang Yuanqing nodded silently. Then, Alicia pointed to the man who appeared to be of Chinese descent and said: "He's a member of the Five Elements Alliance. His spiritual realm ID is Qing Zhu, and his profession is Beast King." The beast king was well-proportioned and agile, clearly a fighter with great mobility and flexibility. His face was lean, and his demeanor gentle and refined—unlike the sea demon beside him, who always carried an air of assertiveness and pressure. Yet he shared the typical flaw of a beast king: his gaze was constantly drawn, involuntarily, toward Lady Yin Yao. A type prone to being easily captivated by beauty and driven by strong reproductive instincts—just like Ling Jun. Qingzhu? I have a vague memory. I recall he participated in the arena tournaments, though he probably wasn't at his peak as a Supreme Saint. Under the watchful eyes of the three Lawful Guardians, Zhang Yuanqing said, "The Moral Sovereign of the Spirit Realm, a Star Official—both of them are my yin corpses." He gestured toward the disguised Greedy General and Lady Yin Yao. Qingzhu, deeply disappointed, shifted his gaze away from Lady Yin Yao and turned to Zhang Yuanqing, his voice filled with disbelief and criticism, exclaiming, "You've actually turned such a beauty into a yin corpse?" "Moral Heavenly Sovereign..." Alicia smiled. "Your spiritual realm ID is very similar to that of the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, and both of you are star officials." "That's perfectly normal!" Zhang Yuanqing said. "Since we're both popular IDs, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign returned a bit early. Otherwise, by the time of this year-end combat instance, he'll realize who truly is the strongest star official." You're certainly entitled to be mentioned on the same level as the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign! Qingzhu, a native of the Five Elements Alliance, looked deeply dismissive, snorting with scorn. Worried that the two might argue or clash, Alicia quickly changed the subject. "I was just wondering—this combat instance has 41 participants, and the museum has six halls. On average, that means no more than seven people per hall." She pointed to the bodies on the ground. "Here, we have nine people, plus two who died at the stairwell entrance—making a total of eleven. If those two are yin corpses, that makes perfect sense." So it seems, only two Peak Sovereigns are present in Hall Three. With 41 participants this time, at least half—perhaps even more—of them should be Peak Sovereigns. Since only two are here, it implies that the other halls have even more. I hope Xiao Yuan doesn’t end up in a hall packed with Peak Sovereigns. Although Xiao Yuan has returned to Sixth Rank, likely only at the mid-level, she possesses several high-quality tools. Still, facing Peak Sovereigns would be challenging, and if surrounded, even more so. Zhang Yuanqing suddenly felt a growing sense of concern. At that moment, Qingzhu smiled and said, "Regardless of what happens, the survivors will all belong to the Order-aligned faction—thus, cooperation will be seamless. Brother Morality, take a moment to organize your spoils. I have something to discuss with Alicia." He gave Alicia a glance. The two walked to a distance, where Alicia raised her staff and erected four wind walls to block the sound. "I think there's something off with him." "Qingzhu spoke softly: 'The battlefield shows only traces of crossbow arrows, with no other signs of combat, indicating that the three individuals died swiftly. Master Demei must be a peak Sage, and among peak Sages, one of the outstanding ones. However, during my many years serving in the second district, I have never heard of this person.' Alysia nodded slightly: 'He is indeed a Star Official.' Qingzhu's tone then lowered: 'The Taimei Sect does not have a Star Official with this spiritual realm ID, though... I cannot recall anything about the Night Rose.' Alysia's expression grew serious: 'You mean Master Demei is a member of the Night Rose?' Qingzhu nodded. After a moment's thought, Alysia shook her head: 'No, the Star Official who used the crossbeam is actually a member of the Night Rose. The Taimei Sect's Star Officials would never align with the evil faction. If Master Demei were also part of the Night Rose, they would not have internal conflicts—they would have united to oppose us.' 'The Night Wanderer might also be a civilian practitioner." "Qingzhu reminded. "That makes sense," Alysia sighed. "He's powerful, and he's a Star Official—you understand Star Officials better than I do. A numerical advantage means nothing against a Star Official. If we go to war with him, you and the 'Federation with no history' are likely to be sacrificed. And if we accidentally break the exhibition cases, even I would be in serious danger. We can't afford to build enemies based on mere speculations—especially not now, when he hasn't shown any hostility or aggression." She gave him a reassuring look, removed the wind barrier, and faced the Moral Heavenly Sovereign. "Master Dao De, I'd like to collaborate with you," Alicia stated directly. "How exactly?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. "It all depends on how well you know the third exhibition hall!" Alicia looked toward the staircase entrance. "Have you met the boss yet?" Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "I've defeated one of his undead servants." Alicia's tone carried a sense of gravity. "The boss's offensive power has reached the level of a Sovereign. Even my wind barrier can't withstand him. To pass through the staircase, the most effective strategy is to recruit powerful artifacts—using one artifact to counter another." "However, recruiting artifacts comes with significant risks; each additional person brings greater strength." Zhang Yuanqing, of course, couldn't refuse: "Agreed—this is a win-win situation." One peak Sovereign, two Six-tier Sovereigns with over 50% experience—exceptionally strong combat power. Alicia shifted her tone, "However, this current killing instance has malfunctioned—not only have the two regions merged, but the faction-hostility mechanism has also been canceled. For our mutual safety, I propose we enter into a pact." She opened her inventory, retrieved a golden sheet of paper and a quill made of feather. "It's a holy-tier item, but even if we breach our commitments, it won't pose a fatal threat—only a severe blow." Alicia spoke with calm assurance: "A severe blow is sufficient. Whether I break my vow or you do, we can both be killed within a short time due to our critical injuries." Qingzhu nodded slowly. Alicia, indeed, a seasoned executive, had skillfully avoided highlighting the less prominent credentials of the 'Moral Celestial Sovereign,' instead framing the proposal around the instance's mechanics—securing cooperation without directly exposing or undermining the other's identity. "My ID is the Moral Celestial Sovereign, as the name suggests, morality has always been the cornerstone of my life." “Zhang Yuanqing said, ‘Well, I uphold morality, but others may not. A contract will do.’ Alicia exhaled in relief, picked up the quill, and wrote on the golden parchment: ‘Mutual non-harm within Hall 3.’ She signed her spiritual ID with a stroke of her fingertip, bleeding the tip of her finger. Zhang Yuanqing took the quill, signed his name as the Heavenly Sovereign of Morality, and pressed his blood to the parchment. The golden paper glowed with a bronze hue, then gradually faded. Zhang Yuanqing felt as though a needle had been inserted into his spiritual body—whenever he breached the contract, that needle would pierce through his essence. And this needle would not be affected by spiritual energy, nor could it be removed. My ID is the Heavenly Sovereign of Morality. If I change it back to my name, the contract should become invalid… Zhang Yuanqing returned the quill, smiled, and said, ‘A pleasant collaboration.’ Alicia breathed out a long sigh, folded the golden parchment, and her previously tense expression softened. The young bamboo and the ‘Federal Without History’ behind her also relaxed. "Then, let me share some information about the boss," Alicia said. "As I mentioned earlier, we deal with relics by relics—our boss herself is a relic from the museum. Her display case is located to the northwest, about a hundred meters from here. I'll take you there." She had deliberately withheld details about the female sculpture, as trust between the two parties had not yet been established. The information she provided might not be believed by the Moral Heavenly Sovereign. Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of energy. From his experience of capturing the bronze staff, it was clear that historical records and relics were of great importance—perhaps even holding the key to countering the boss. Alicia floated upward, hovering three inches above the ground, drifting like a breeze. The Federation Without History swiftly followed. The King of the Beasts, Qingzhu, made a gesture of invitation, indicating he would stay behind. "Is he afraid we might launch a surprise attack from behind?" Zhang Yuanqing said, leading Yin Yao and the Greedy Divine General, and stepping forward to follow. Not long after, the group arrived at a stone platform. The platform stood empty, with only a plaque displaying information about the relic standing