Zhang Yuanqing suddenly opened his eyes, a layer of cold sweat beading on his back. The small circle, who had been closely watching her lover, immediately asked, "What did you see?" Zhang Yuanqing spoke softly, "We've been wiped out. The great dragon has destroyed us completely." He briefly described the scenes he had witnessed through the art of observing the stars, and the changes in the celestial patterns. As if a bucket of cold water had been poured over their heads, the four of them grew stiff, their sense of joy and security from having obtained the Linnu tree now completely gone. "It's not yet night, and there's no starry sky. I only see fragments—no clear details, and I can't see many more trajectories of fate. As a result, it's very difficult to make targeted arrangements." Zhang Yuanqing's expression was serious. Ling Tu could manipulate fate by treating all beings as pawns because he could see numerous future developments and details—effectively knowing the script in advance. In contrast, a lower-level star official could only see a trailer. How false the trailer could be, didn't need to be explained. If one arranged troops and strategies based solely on the trailer, So, aside from knowing the team would be wiped out, Zhang Yuanqing couldn't offer any targeted deployment. "That's fine," Huang Taiqi said seriously, offering reassurance. "If we rush to seize the dragon's eye right now, we'll truly be wiped out." He gently pushed the display cabinet beside him, altering the small boat's course toward the clay mask. The boat came to a stop in front of the clay mask's cabinet, and Huang Taiqi looked down, asking, "How do we pass the dragon's breath trial?" He had already fully grasped the副本's mechanics—most of the time, he just needed to ask the clay mask, and answers would follow. ——Yet even so, the副本 had already reached hell-level difficulty. The kindly elderly clay mask smiled and replied, "Win people over through virtue." Good heavens, win people over through virtue! Zhang Yuanqing nearly snapped. Even the composed Huang Taiqi had his mouth twitching—he knew this was a lie, so he asked again. "Win people over through force!" Huang Taiji immediately furrowed his brow, it now appeared that there was no shortcut—only strength could get them through the assessment. After pausing for several seconds, he asked again, "Is there any way to avoid the Dragon Breath test?" He repeated the question twice, eliminating the first incorrect answer, and finally received the correct response: "The Dragon Breath test cannot be avoided, but there's no limit on the number of participants. You may send one of your strongest members to undergo the test, while the others retreat into the blank scroll. The scroll is the only means of evading the Dragon Breath, though it comes with an inherent risk: those entering must emerge within fifteen minutes, or else they will perish inside." Huang Taiji then inquired about the methods of entering and exiting the scroll. The process was straightforward—immersing oneself in the scroll would suffice to enter, and once inside, one would naturally know how to exit. After a brief discussion, the five agreed to have Zhang Yuanqing remain outside to face the test, while the others entered the scroll, aiming to last at least fifteen minutes, with a minimum of ten minutes as their safety threshold. The green bamboo swept through the exhibition hall, reaching the scroll. "After fifteen minutes, passing the dragon's breath trial, we'll be clear," Zhang Yuanqing took the wooden oar from the bamboo, declining the defensive items offered by Alysia, Huang Taiqi, Xiao Yuan's healing gū, and Qingzhu's healing supplies. "You're all at risk, and the scroll itself isn't safe." Considering the need for strong balance and agility during the dragon's breath trial aboard the wooden boat, Zhang Yuanqing requested a wooden spirit item from Qingzhu—a jade-green earring. Its function enhances strength, agility, and balance; while the strength boost is minor, the improvements in agility and balance will allow Zhang Yuanqing to leap across the slender oar, completing the "Joyful Pure Land" section. "I'll go first," Huang Taiqi leapt into the blank scroll. Xiao Yuan followed, then Alysia, and finally Qingzhu. Soon, silhouettes of four figures emerge on the scroll, formed with just a few strokes of ink yet vividly lifelike, full of spirit, instantly recognizable as them. A few seconds later, the ink swiftly outlines a historic manor on the blank scroll. The manor is rendered in ink wash style, with a gloomy sky and lanterns before the entrance glowing with a soft, dim red light, exuding a distinctly Chinese sense of eerie, somber atmosphere. The four ink figures stand before the manor, hesitating, as if sensing its haunting presence. Suddenly, all four turn simultaneously toward the darkness behind them, their simple facial features conveying a remarkably authentic sense of fear. In a hurried motion, they push open the manor's grand doors and rush inside. The ink painting begins to evolve frame by frame, revealing a long-abandoned courtyard, overgrown with weeds, a sunken courtyard, a tilted stone mill, and crooked clotheslines. The four figures wander about in the courtyard, stepping on the mossy stone floor where wild grass has grown through the cracks, walking beneath the eaves. They then open the door to the eastern pavilion. A funeral was underway inside the house—red candles, white banners, paper figures, and a red coffin placed at the center of the hall. Zhang Yuanqing stood outside, watching as if viewing an animated film from his childhood in the ink-wash style. The scenes were strange and unusual, standing alone they would form a complete episode—seeming quite challenging. Yet, the team had only me, one of the night-wanderers, which made the ancient manor’s artistic style seem formidable. Zhang Yuanqing didn’t linger further. He picked up a wooden oar from the pile on the wall, and with a swift motion, his small boat cut through the waves, gliding toward the western giant dragon sculpture. The dragon sat on its pedestal, entirely cast in yellow bronze, standing six meters tall, its head raised and roaring, exuding lifelike grace with exquisite details in its scales. Its eyes were set with deep red cat’s-eye gemstones, the vertical pupils clear and luminous, as though capable of seeing through people’s hearts. Zhang Yuanqing rowed the boat to a stop in front of the statue, raised his two-meter-long oar, and struck hard against the dragon’s eye socket. "Thud!" The wooden oar The deep crimson cat's-eye gem set in the dragon's eye socket remained perfectly still. Zhang Yuanqing was about to continue striking when suddenly the gem rotated gently, gazing down at him, and cold, sharp light burst forth from its internal cat's-eye fissures. The statue had come to life! Startled, Zhang Yuanqing lifted his foot and kicked against the base, propelling the small boat backward, creating distance. The revived dragon instantly unfolded its wings, which trembled vigorously—like a human stretching after waking up. A moment later, it folded its wing membranes, and its long neck swelled, then surged upward to meet the throat. "Whoa!" A cluster of red flame erupted and struck a human nearby. The flame was not particularly strong... Zhang Yuanqing calmly drew on his yin-yang robe and donned it, raising his palms to ignite bright flames that caught the oncoming flame, then pressed downward. The large, bowl-sized flame was pushed into the weak water, hissing continuously, and finally extinguished and dispersed. If the dragon's breath were always this gentle, it would be effortless! Zhang Yuanqing glanced at his hands, now split and bruised, and felt a The fire dragon on the base once more inflated its neck, its pointed muzzle opening wide, exhaling a "whoosh" as another fiery sphere shot forth—then another, and another, in rapid succession. Heavens! They shouldn't have set that flag! Zhang Yuanqing's face paled, and he urgently waved his wooden oars, exerting every ounce of strength to paddle. The small boat shot westward, narrowly brushing past six or seven fiery spheres. Yet the great dragon fired like a machine gun, spewing out dense, high-temperature fireballs from its cavernous maw at a rate comparable to a heavy cannon. Zhang Yuanqing, unable to fully harmonize with the boat, could barely evade one wave—his only recourse was to summon the power of the Sun God to form a shield, using his oars as spears, maneuvering the boat with agile movements, either parrying, striking forcefully, or darting aside, so that each fireball skimmed past him. The Linnu tree was impossibly sturdy, immune to both water and fire, making it an ideal weapon. Suddenly, a surge of hot wind rushed over his back, and with a "thud," a fiery The expanding flame tore through his clothes, carbonizing the flesh on his back, and the powerful impact sent Zhang Yuanqing staggering, losing his balance and tilting toward Ruishui. At the crucial moment, his muscles in the waist twisted and contracted, rotating his body continuously, effectively redirecting the downward momentum and bringing him to a hard landing at the edge of the boat. The beast king's equipment proved effective. Ignoring the searing pain on his back, Zhang Yuanqing quickly turned around to see that the fire balls he had previously dodged did not fall into the water but instead curved back, launching anew toward him. At the same time, the giant dragon's neck expanded, transforming once again into a machine gun, firing a dense stream of fire balls. A double assault! No matter how agile the wood spirit or how strong his balance, he could not remain unscathed amid such a barrage. Unbelievable—Ruishui, which sinks all things, how could these fire balls float? The mechanics of the quest must be showing their true colors! The fire balls must have been empowered by the quest's environment, allowing them to defy Ruishui's "gravitational pull." On all sides, a sea of fire, its heat pressing in relentlessly Zhang Yuanqing held a shield of pale gold, wielding his oar to parry and scatter fire balls. He darted between two fire balls at a time, occasionally bending low or lunging forward. Though he evaded most of the fireballs, he was still engulfed in carbonized flames, emitting a sharp, charred aroma reminiscent of roasted meat. His organs remained unharmed, but eighty percent of his body had turned to ash, and the intense pain placed immense strain on his mental composure. The flames had a burning effect, counteracting his self-healing abilities—should this happen again, he would likely perish. Zhang Yuanqing now sensed the breath of death. Fortunately, the great dragon ceased its breath of flame, and the first trial was complete. Zhang Yuanqing then drew forth the mountain deity's staff, activating its healing function, while grasping the life-source infusion and pressing it to his mouth. With a series of crisp "crunch" sounds, he bit through the glass tube with his steel teeth, swallowed the liquid, and then expelled the glass fragments. The infusion could not be injected due to the carbonized skin and blood vessels. With dual efforts, bolstered by Ye You Shen's self-healing ability, his flesh rapidly regenerated, causing the carbonized outer skin to crack and reveal fresh, crimson tissue. Unknown yet was the mode of the second wave of dragon breath trials... Zhang Yuanqing turned his head toward the eastern scroll painting, where the ink animation played frame by frame. He saw only bamboo remaining in the ancestral hall. He watched in horror as the blood-red coffin opened slightly, extending a dark green-black hand. Then, a woman's corpse emerged, hair disheveled, rushing toward the bamboo, tearing off its right arm. Seeing the bamboo pale with fear, dashing wildly around the hall, the corpse pursued relentlessly from behind. The three members of Huang Taiji stood motionless, their expressions vacant, as though they had not noticed their companions in peril. The crisis in the scroll had now erupted—action must be taken immediately to pass the trial! Zhang Yuanqing withdrew his mountain deity staff, then produced the Thunder Armor and arm guards. His defensive gear was limited; among the saint-tier items, the Thunder God Set's electromagnetic protection was the strongest. Just now, he held back, believing he could withstand the first wave and didn’t want to use up his strongest defense too early—after all, electromagnetic protection had a cooldown period and came with the cost of electric shocks and paralysis. Zhang Yuanqing donned his arm guards and armor, a bright blue arc enveloping his entire body. The newly restored rosy skin immediately began to burn. Though he felt some numbness, which hindered his movements, he believed electromagnetic protection would help him hold on for a while… Just then, he noticed the dragon’s eyes brighten. A thick, crimson beam, as wide as his arm, erupted from the dragon’s long snout. The beam was so fast it was impossible to evade. The very next moment, Zhang Yuanqing heard the electromagnetic protection crackle and shatter—his armor composed of lightning collapsed—and a large, arm-wide, translucent hole formed in his chest, stretching from front to back.