Upon seeing this face, all three Sovereigns were momentarily stunned, feeling an unmistakable familiarity—as if they had seen it before. "The Prime Celestial Sovereign?" Vinyi recognized him first, her poised and elegant features revealing clear astonishment. The two giant demons also recalled this face, having seen it in records—indeed, it was the Prime Celestial Sovereign who had returned to the Spiritual Realm just a few months prior. How could the Prime Celestial Sovereign who had passed away now be here? Kromi's crimson magical eyes studied him for several seconds, her voice rough and resonant. "You've disguised yourself to resemble the Prime Celestial Sovereign—perhaps to avoid revealing your true identity before us? I'm curious, who exactly are you?" "Try it and you'll find out," said the three-headed hellhound beside him, opening its inventory and placing a delicate, otherworldly horned mask upon the central head. This item belongs to the deep-sea demoness "Silira," who can induce transformation in a target by calling out their true name and Spiritual Realm ID—requiring a level eight to master. The dog-headed figure wearing the mask turned to Zhang Yuanqing and issued a ethereal, distant call: "Primordial Sovereign!" Zhang Yuanqing, nearby, remained unchanged. Witnessing this, Vini Berlent withdrew her gaze, banished her astonishment, and swiftly activated the electrical spiritual energy within her body to eliminate the mutated cells and contain the bodily transformation. She did not feel joyful at the arrival of the "Primordial Sovereign," suspecting instead that the visitor was likely a high-ranking official from the Lawful Order, come specifically to seize the Sky's Eye—thus having assumed the appearance of the deceased Primordial Sovereign. The visitor was not a savior, but an adversary. "You want me to transform? The props won't suffice. We'll have to wait until you reach level eight." Zhang Yuanqing retrieved a five-clawed golden dragon statue from her inventory and held it in her right palm, while with her left hand she brushed gently across her face. "Perhaps this appearance will be more familiar to you." Her face shimmered like ripples of water, transforming into a refined, elegant countenance. Quemu! Vini Berlent's pupils instantly contracted. The two great demons looked nearly identical, while Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn’s appearance required a bit of recollection. Qu Meng, however, gritted his teeth for a while, finding it deeply memorable. He was Qu Meng! Zhang Yuanqing didn’t give them time to reflect. He activated the "Spirit Awakening" ability of the Five-Tailed Golden Dragon, and the statue’s eyes stirred, instantly coming to life—transforming into a golden dragon ten meters long, gracefully coiling behind his master, its head raised, solemnly gazing at the three adversaries. The dragon’s presence sent a ripple of awe through the three sovereigns. That’s what it meant to have a warrior general return—seeing his beloved in critical condition, he storms forth, summoning a divine dragon to wage war across the land! Zhang Yuanqing raised his hand and snapped his fingers with a firm voice. "Go, Dragon!" It was the perfect moment to test the strength of the artifact. "Hrrr... hrrr..." A series of deep, resonant snoring filled the air in response. Zhang Yuanqing turned his head stiffly, and saw the majestic golden dragon lying on the ground, asleep... Suddenly, he understood the exact meaning of the note: "It's lazy." Ma de felt embarrassed—his general had become a clown. Zhang Yuanqing remained composed, yet avoided meeting the three sovereigns' astonished expressions, and immediately activated his Liyang War God mode. A radiant, golden-silver sun emblem appeared on his forehead, as if painted in gold; his short hair lifted gently, swirling with golden light, and his skin shimmered with a golden sheen, his pupils turning molten gold. "Shhhhh..." The thick purple mist floating in the air was instantly purified, and the boiling lightning-based spiritual energy grew sluggish. Even the eighth-tier sovereign, Viny, sensed the suppression of the external lightning energy, finding it harder to mobilize than usual. Liyang War God? The three sovereigns' expressions changed abruptly—they finally realized the true identity of the person before them. He was indeed the Yuan Shi Tian Zun! Qu Mang is a wood spirit, not a night wanderer. It was the Prime Primordial Lord who had transformed himself into Guan Meng—Guan Meng was indeed the Prime Primordial Lord! Winni Burnt stared in astonishment at the young sun god, now understanding why Guan Meng could so freely draw upon the Prime Primordial Lord's legacy, and why at the Free Alliance gathering, Fu Qingyang, the Eye of the Sky King, and the Master of the Stop-Killing Palace had placed such unconditional trust and seamless cooperation in him. He was, after all, the Prime Primordial Lord. With a sense of regained dignity, Zhang Yuancheng drew forth the Blade of Complete Annihilation. He had deliberately chosen not to activate the Rising Sun, in order to maximize his own advantage—the Prime Primordial Lord's vast reservoir of master-level artifacts, a resource even the eighth-level Primordials coveted. While the Rising Sun combined powerfully with the Flame God of the Sun, it also limited the use of his own artifacts. Zhang Yuancheng activated the soul-seizing skill of his short blade, reaching out toward the demon Cromi. A spectral afterimage materialized as he seized the demon, and then the blade struck down with sudden force. Lacking a spiritual Against the enemies in the Dominance phase, the damage from the Form and Spirit Annihilation Blade isn't as potent as it might seem—it can't directly sever half of their spiritual essence, yet it still inflicts substantial harm. Zhang Yuanqing snapped his knees, driving forward like a cannonball into the Cromi demon, with the Purple Lightning Shield, Purple Lightning Mallet, and Thunderstorm Cannon reversing and flying out, adhering to his body like magnets before melting into a seamless, lustrous golden-purple armor that enveloped him completely. After enduring so long, he could finally unleash the Dominance-tier set without restraint. "Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh..." The three-headed hell hounds immediately unleashed beams of pale light from their six eyes, while simultaneously spewing deep violet toxic mist from their three gaping mouths, which coiled into serpentine dragons that surged toward the enemy to buy time for their allies. The pale beams struck the enemy's chest, leaving broad patches of gray, crumbling stone, yet quickly dissipated. The toxic dragons collided with the enemy, scattering without even contaminating the armor. Fully immune? The three-headed hell hound's keen eyes slightly narrowed, his heart suddenly tightened. Petrification, distortion, and toxic smoke were the core techniques of the master of fatal arts. As a being of his stature—even a seventh-tier day-traveling deity—suffering simultaneous attacks from petrification and toxic smoke would inevitably be affected, his condition would surely be compromised. Should he be completely immune to both petrification and toxic smoke, the distortion technique would likely fall ineffective, leaving him to rely solely on close combat. As he thought this, he opened his inventory, retrieved a bead wrapped in flowing green wind, and tossed it at the edge of Cromi's demon's foot. "Wooosh…" A high-speed airflow surged upward, forming a transparent wall of wind. Zhang Yuanqing made no effort to slow down. With his short sword glowing white, he flicked it out with a swift motion—"whoosh!" The blade sliced through the air with a piercing cry, instantly piercing through the wind barrier and driving straight into the target's chest. A cutting strike! Ignoring physical defenses. Kromi demon, wracked with severe headaches and disoriented, roared and quickly regained consciousness. Instantly, it saw a figure in deep purple and golden hues flying knee-first toward it. Thud! The knee struck the hilt of the short sword, which pierced straight through the Kromi demon and drove it into the distant wall, cracking the protective array. The Kromi demon staggered backward, then abruptly halted, ignoring the gushing blood from its chest. With its left hand clenched into a fist and sweeping back, and its right hand palms together like a blade, it drove its attack into the knight's chest. The young man clad in purple and golden armor did not flinch. Sparks erupted on his chest as he took the fist blow, and his head slightly tilted after the impact. Then, a torrent of punches rained down—thud, thud, thud—striking the Kromi demon's chest with such force that the steel-hard, deep crimson muscles visibly indented. The Kromi demon staggered back, its body now resonating at a frequency that left its muscles sore and weak. Zhang Yuanqing swiftly executed a series of "Yongchun Fist" techniques, then grasped the Crommi demon's face with his left hand, his palm splitting open like a hollow cannon. Purple lightning rapidly coalesced within. "Boom!" A thunderous explosion erupted as a blue-purple lightning sphere burst within his palm, causing the demon's ram-like head to burst open like a watermelon, splattering bone fragments, blood, and brain tissue in all directions. The towering demon body collapsed heavily. The "Unyielding Will" pill, which had previously counteracted the giant monster's elemental attributes, finally achieved a qualitative leap after Crommi became the Sun God and attained a solar body, now fully unleashed. Three-headed hell hounds charged from the side, maneuvering skillfully to evade Vini's lightning strikes, then leaped suddenly, each head splitting open to reveal sharp teeth glistening with saliva, biting at Zhang Yuanqing's head. Zhang Yuanqing spun on his hips, delivering a powerful downward punch that sent the two-meter-long fierce beast crashing to the ground. He then rolled over, pressing the creature beneath him. "Boom!" Inside, a vibrant violet light flared, and a jagged, tree-like lightning bolt struck Zhang Yuanqing. Both he and his dog went rigid, and the three hell dogs' subsequent resistance failed to materialize. This was the cost of the thunderstorm cannon—each time it fired, the user suffered a lightning strike. Zhang Yuanqing, protected by the defense of his purple lightning suit, absorbed most of the damage and was the first to break free from the paralysis. He raised his right fist, striking repeatedly at the central head of the three hell dogs. The force of his punch was infused with the power of the Drumming Cauldron Golden Hammer. With three strikes, the solid, iron-strong head shattered into fine dust and pulp, while the other two heads of the hell dogs lunged wildly, tearing at Zhang Yuanqing's legs and left arm, ripping through his purple-gold armor and pulling off chunks of flesh. The deep purple toxin seeped into the wounds, but was burned away by the clear, radiant golden light. At that moment, the demon Cromi, whose head had just been obliterated, suddenly rose to his feet. His bare neck, once empty, began to pulse with life, and a second head gradually grew out. Each giant monster possesses three lives, a trait inherited from the three-headed hell hound, which functions as a passive ability. Active enhancements come from increased bite force and toxic smoke. The toxic smoke of the three-headed hell hound is the strongest among the nine forms, and its bite force is proven by its ability to directly pierce through the defensive layers of the purple-gold armor. Kromi, the demon, dual-wields and strikes with a sudden burst, transforming into a blur of motion to charge toward Zhang Yuanqing, who is engaged in combat with the hell hound. At the critical moment, Viny Burent interposes with her agile form, palm-firming a lightning orb and clashing it firmly with Kromi's demon. A thunderous roar erupts, plasma jets bursting forth; Kromi is driven back several steps, her body encircled by electric arcs, now paralyzed and stiff. Viny Burent is thrown backward. Seizing the opening Viny creates, Zhang Yuanqing draws out a slender bamboo rod and strikes it sharply against the three-headed hell hound. The beast instantly stiffens, its fierce expression softening into calmness, its fierce vertical pupils flickering with bewilderment. Where am I? Why am I While the other was entering a state of "non-action, detached from worldly concerns," Zhang Yuanqing clenched his fists tightly and delivered a powerful strike. "Thud... thud... thud..." The punches fell like rain. Under the strength of his resonant ability, the second head of the hellhound exploded into fine dust and blood splatter. Zhang Yuanqing did not cease his attacks, continuing to strike the final head. After three powerful blows, a tremendous explosion erupted—both the last head of the hellhound and Zhang Yuanqing's right arm were reduced to fine dust. The hellhound's body collapsed completely, lying lifeless on the ground. Zhang Yuanqing felt as though he were standing on an engine, his head, organs, and muscle cells all trembling, ready to disintegrate. He was paying the price of resonance, his entire being now motionless. Suddenly, a massive shadow fell over him. The demon Cromi, her membranous wings spread, appeared beside him, her keratin-edged right palm sharp as a blade, sweeping toward Zhang Yuanqing's neck. Winny's expression tightened slightly; she gathered her spiritual energy, forming a thunderball of extraordinary force, and hurled it toward Cromi. Her condition was not good, and under the influence of the烈阳战神's domain, the electric spiritual energy in the area became sluggish, making the lightning summoned unable to threaten the Cromi demon—instead, it could only stimulate the internal spiritual energy to coalesce into electric spheres. As the membrane wings behind the Cromi demon flapped once, a cluster of blue flames burst forth and collided directly with the electric spheres. In the blaze of fire and electricity, both entities were simultaneously extinguished. Just as the sharp palm blade was about to sever Zhang Yuanqing's head, a golden light surged forth, wrapping tightly around his intact left arm—the Golden Five-Clawed Dragon. The dragon's eyes slightly brightened. A shimmer! The palm blade was deflected by a golden barrier. Crackle! Crackle! Crackle! Viny Burent's body surged with electric currents, transforming into streaks of light that surged forward, kicking the Cromi demon aside and forming a four-foot-long electric blade, slashing furiously, with a continuous series of crackling currents filling the air. After narrowly dodging several slashes, Kromi the Demon sidestepped the lightning blade and launched a powerful punch at Winny Berlent, whose body instantly transformed into a surge of electricity and was propelled backward. Phew, finally saved! It wasn't all for nothing that I've been summoning it the whole time. Hmm, solid defense—though not much different from my uncle's old mobile phone back in his childhood, which would go out of service every time he needed to have a bowel movement! Zhang Yuanqing muttered his complaints while deeply relieved, exhaling a slow breath. In the form of the Celestial Flame Warrior, neither the Shadow Skeleton nor the Spirit Servants could be deployed, and the Mystic Artisan's strength remained at the peak of a Saint, posing no real threat to the Sovereign. That meant nearly eighty percent of his previous strategies were now ineffective—something he found quite uncomfortable. He had just narrowly avoided having his head cut off. Observing the vacant gaze of Yuan Shi Tian Zun now rekindled with vitality, Kromi the Demon reached for a jade-green sash, donned it, and instantly a surge of green light erupted, restoring his severed limb in an instant, followed He felt a growing sense of despair. Opening his inventory, he retrieved a black iron chest standing half a person tall, its surface engraved with reliefs of the nine divine children. "Then let's die together," the demon Cromi snarled, suddenly tearing off his left arm and chanting a spell. The severed arm fell to the ground, forming a circular array adorned with strange, intricate patterns. As the blood from his broken shoulder gushed out, it painted the ethereal patterns in vivid red, infusing them with spiritual essence. "Clang... clang... clang..." The lid of the black iron chest began to vibrate, as if something inside were striking against it. Both Zhang Yuanqing and Viny both sensed the rising danger. Without hesitation, Zhang Yuanqing gathered the power of the Sun God, forming a golden sun above his head. The brilliant, clear golden light illuminated the entire building. Under the combined strength of the rising sun and the War God of the Day, the ambient spiritual energy around them completely vanished, leaving only the pure, cleansing, and illuminating power of the Sun God. The crimson circular array crumbled piece by piece, and the black iron chest settled into stillness. Zhang Yuanqing shook his left arm, and the golden dragon coiled around it reared up, soaring into the air, spewing golden flames toward the Cromi demon. Under the rising sun, the Cromi demon could no longer channel its spiritual energy to use skills and swiftly darted to avoid the flames, which instantly licked and ignited its membranous wings. Zhang Yuanqing donned the Artisan's ring, moving swiftly and closely, delivering powerful punches at times and using his steel nails to rake across the demon's body, leaving trails of blood and creating bleeding effects. Meanwhile, the golden dragon continuously breathed out streams of dragon breath above, burning both the demon and the warrior. Under the combined assault, the Cromi demon struggled for several minutes before suddenly stiffened—its deep red muscles contracted and trembled—before finally shattering into fine powder. Zhang Yuanqing collapsed onto his haunches, quickly touching the purple-gold armor, feeling as though his brain had been turned to pulp. The five-clawed golden dragon twisted its body, turned its head toward Viny Burent, and exhaled a stream of dragon breath. "This one's a teammate!" Zhang Yuanqing roared and immediately issued the order to halt the attack. This thing isn't very smart! The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon glanced at the master with clear eyes, hesitating for 0.5 seconds between fighting enemies, obeying orders, and sleeping, then decisively chose the latter two. It flew to the master's side, coiled around him, rested its head on its body, and fell fast asleep. After a brief rest and once the resonance subsided, Zhang Yuanqing turned to Winny Burent and smiled, saying, "Winny, your performance has declined—two Level-7 giant monsters nearly caused you to lose control." He rose from his knees, walked over to Winny, and activated his purification skill. Winny's distortion quickly faded, her eyes returning to their light brown hue, and she gazed at him with complex emotions, "Master Yuan-Shi, I didn't expect you to be right beside me." Zhang Yuanqing felt a spark of recognition. "Do you still want to buy the Cat King speaker?" The moment he said it, Winny's pale cheeks flushed to a deep liver color, feeling as though the earnestness and seriousness of the lightning mage were gradually drifting away from her Given that the Mage King has helped me, I won't bother his wife. Zhang Yuanqing turned toward the black iron box to check its properties. This is a high-quality item of master-class caliber. A giant monster can summon a powerful demon by sacrificing its flesh and bones. Based on the aura just now, the demon corresponds to a mid-to-late level eight. A truly powerful item—no wonder it's been kept as a reserve. Unfortunately, only giant monsters can use it, and the profession restriction is quite limiting. I'll store it for now and have it melted by Lian San Yue upon our return home! Zhang Yuanqing placed the black iron box into his inventory. "Director Viny, how are the casualties in the New Treaty Province?" Upon hearing this, Viny Berent's embarrassment faded, and her tone grew subdued. She offered a quiet smile. "We haven't been able to finalize the numbers yet. You might want to go out and take a look yourself."