"I may not be a spiritual realm traveler myself, but sitting in the position of President of Jishi Society, I do have a certain perspective," Chen Shu replied with confidence. She didn't hesitate, merely sighed, "Zhang Zi has truly been cursed by the Yin Dynasty." Do you remember your father’s big plan—the one he frequently went on trips after the Chu family was wiped out? He visited old friends, seeking allies, aiming to strike Ling Tu once more, and your uncle also participated. "They failed to kill Ling Tu, but Zhang Zizhen instead fell victim to the curse of Tai Yin, transforming into a Yin entity six years later and burning himself to death?" Zhang Yuanqing finally understood the full sequence of events and the details of that past year. Chen Shu shook her head again: "It wasn’t a complete loss. In that battle, they severely wounded Ling Tu and tore through the core of Tai Yin’s essence." Zhang Yuanqing’s pupils instantly narrowed. Chen Shu sighed: "That’s correct. Back then, Ling Tu was already the sovereign of Tai Yin—your father and uncle together inflicted serious injuries on him, seizing the Tai Yin fragments." Zhang Yuanqing unconsciously swallowed a lump in his throat: "What became of the Tai Yin fragment they seized?" Chen Shu replied: "After your father returned to the Spirit Realm, your uncle took the Tai Yin fragment. Last year, he delivered the core fragment of Tai Yin to the Demon King." "Ah, so that's where the Chalcedony Origin Fragments on the Character Card came from... Zhang Yuanqing suddenly understood. It now made sense that the Demon King, after ascending to the status of Sovereign, could challenge heaven, earth, and even the air—partly because he inherited Zhang Zizhen's legacy. "The participants who managed to tear through the Chalcedony Sovereign's origin were quite strong back then," he mused, then asked, "What exactly happened to the Demon King? Why did Uncle insist on supporting a fallen one?" Zhang Yuancheng nodded, finally understanding why his uncle had always said: "Yuanzi, you are truly my successor!" "The Mage King truly is a genius—having ascended to the peak of dominion in just two years, only a step away from becoming the Sun Sovereign, only a step away..." Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing's mind flashed back to a question that had puzzled him for a long time: "So after the Mage King's passing, my uncle passed his character card to me. Indeed, he mentioned earlier that it was he who gave me the Mage King's character card... 'When the Spirit Journeyer died, shouldn't the character card have returned to the Spirit Realm? How did my uncle manage to intercept it? I've interacted with numerous half-gods, yet never heard of such a method before." Chen Shu asked, "What authority does your uncle hold?" Zhang Yuanqing suddenly had it: "The Spirit Realm Marketplace? No—the trade itself. I see now. Your point is that he leveraged his authority to negotiate a deal with the Spirit Realm, effectively 'purchasing' the Mage King's character card." "At this point, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly paused: 'But the character card was sent to me by Bing Bo, not by my uncle...' If my uncle had impersonated Bing Bo to send the character card, then Bing Bo's notebook could never have existed—indeed, he had only found the Cat King speaker through Bing Bo's notebook. Moreover, *The Lustrous History of Emperor Yang of Sui* served as the foundational reading for both of them during their formative years; only they knew about it, so my uncle could not have known. Therefore, the only logical conclusion is that Bing Bo and my uncle are working together. 'As for the Demon King...' he suddenly sensed something. Chen Shu nodded: 'The Demon King was a test subject for my uncle. By supporting the Sun Sovereign, the Demon King would inevitably attract attention and face resistance—especially from Ling Tuo. That's why my uncle treated the Demon King as a pawn, letting him bear the brunt of obstacles. Otherwise, why would he have given the Demon King the fragments of the Yin Origin, someone he had no personal connection with? After the Demon King's death, my uncle would then transfer the character card to you, and with the experience gained from the Of course, if the Mage King proves himself worthy and ascends to the rank of Sun Sovereign, then your uncle will be delighted that you settle for a quiet, ordinary life. So both Bing and your uncle are playing the role of the Mage King? The Mage King truly must be suffering. Zhang Yuanqing processed these details and then said, "My uncle hopes I consolidate the Ji Shi Society, the Machinery Technology Company, and the Zhi Sha Palace into a new organization. What do you think?" Chen Shu, with her extensive management experience, would be a better advisor than if he were to think through it himself. "The one thing you must keep in mind is securing the recognition of the Five Elements Alliance and the Immortal Realm families, so that your organization becomes a semi-official, semi-jianghu entity. Only then can you leverage official channels to engage in strategic negotiations against the forces of evil." Chen Shu explained. "Then, strive to attract the Sovereigns and strengthen the high-level power within the organization. As for the mid- and lower-level Immortal Realm practitioners, you need not worry about them—just serve as a banner and let me handle the recruitment." Zhang Yuanqing nodded thoughtfully as he listened. "Ji Shi Society currently has five Masters—two at the Eighth Rank and three at the Seventh Rank. With Yu'er joining, that makes only six. To match the stature of established spiritual realm families, there's still a significant gap." Chen Shu said. Zhang Yuanqing immediately replied, "Actually, it's seven now—my faction member Xiahou Aotian has ascended to Master rank. However, the numbers still fall short, especially in terms of Eighth-Rank combat strength." His own level was solid against Seventh-Rank Masters, but he found himself struggling against Eighth-Rank Masters. At the Master level, each promotion represented a qualitative leap. Vinye Berlent, an Eighth-Rank Thunder Mage, had already managed to single-handedly hold off two giant beasts despite being injured—something particularly challenging for a Thunder Mage, who typically excels in ranged combat. If Vinye were in peak condition, she could easily defeat two Seventh-Rank giant beasts. In fact, she is currently at the early stage of Eighth Rank. Masters at the late stage of Eighth Rank, however, were generally capable of outmatching Zhang Yuanqing, and even dual-specialty Masters would find it difficult to withstand such opponents. I don't know many civilian rulers, but there are quite a few official ones. However, the ones with strong relationships tend to benefit more by staying within the official system than by joining a new organization. Even if we try to secure someone like March, the high-level players—Magi-Eye is a strong candidate—but he's too passionate and, being the Heavenly King of the Army Ruling Sect, may not be willing to step away from it. If he doesn't leave the Army Ruling Sect, the King of Fear will likely use Magi-Eye against my organization. Zhang Yuanqing gathered his thoughts and said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be off now." Chen Shu didn't stop him, simply nodded. Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the steak before him, picked it up, and bit into it, chewing while complaining, "It's too greasy! Too greasy!" The lights rose, and he left. Chen Shu looked at the now-empty plate, her refined face finally softening with warmth. ... Xinao County, Tang Town. Zhang Yuanqing walked along the streets at night, the yellow streetlights unable to dispel the darkness. In the Tangren Street area, the infrastructure has always been poor—many streetlights have failed and gone unrepaired. As a result, vast stretches of the neighborhood remain dark, and residents are reluctant to go out at night, afraid that at any corner they might be confronted by someone holding a gun, perfectly concealed in the shadows, unseen unless the person reveals a bright white smile. "Once we break away from the Five Elements Alliance, we won't have to be under the control of the Nine Elders at headquarters. Instead, we can establish a new organization and become Fu Qingyang's blade—positioned to constrain the headquarters from within. Zhang Yuanqing then asked about the idea of bringing in the Mage-Eyed Emperor into the organization. Fu Qingyang paused for a few seconds before saying, "Given Ling Tuo's strategic vision and the Mage-Eyed Emperor's strong execution, if the Mage-Eyed Emperor doesn't leave the Commander's Temple, you should best maintain your current relationship with him." "Understood. Once I finish handling my current matters, I'll make a trip to the northwest to meet with the Mage-Eyed Emperor." Zhang Yuanqing hung up the phone and paused at the entrance of the row house, pressing the doorbell. A sharp, resonant sound echoed through the hall, and the speaker at the door announced, "Who are you looking for?" Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the camera and replied, "I'm the Immortal Sword Saint, looking for Deng Jingguo." This was precisely the residence of Deng Jingguo, the leader of the The iron gate creaked open automatically. Zhang Yuanqing pushed it open, walked through the front courtyard, and entered the house with the housekeeper's guidance, taking a seat on the sofa in the living room. A few minutes later, Deng Jingguo, tall and dressed in pajamas, descended from the upstairs. The Marshal's face was stern and dignified, as always, though his complexion was not as bright—seeming to have sustained an injury. He glanced at Zhang Yuanqing with some surprise, saying, "Zhai Cai informed me that the matter concerning the relics of the Church had been concluded, and I thought you had returned home."