"Miao Miao?" Zhang Yuanqing didn't raise the small megaphone—it came out on its own. Guan Ya, Hong Jiguo, and Zhi Sha Palace Master all lowered their weapons. Hearing her name called out, Sun Miao Miao was momentarily stunned. The sword orb she had been holding in her palm, poised for action, briefly settled. She glanced around the group, hesitated, and asked, "You...?" Her eyes settled on the small megaphone in Zhang Yuanqing's hand, recognizing it as a cherished toy of Lady Yin Yao, and exclaimed in surprise, "The Prime Sovereign of the Beginning of the Universe?" Her expression grew more puzzled as she looked from one unfamiliar face to another, then to the scene of the intense battle, and asked in bewilderment, "Why am I here? Why are you all here... What has happened?" Indeed, it was Sun Miao Miao! The Sun Miao Miao who had drifted in the realm of the quest and gone missing at last had been found. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began to recount the full story to her. During this process, Sun Miao Miao extracted the Life Source Liquid to treat her injuries. She had several wounds—seven or eight in total, with two penetrating injuries, and her heart was sliced in half by the Palace Master’s palm blade. Even for a Sixth-Rank Night-Wanderer Spirit, such injuries are severe; without the Life Source Liquid, relying solely on her natural healing would take a considerable amount of time. By the time Sun Miao Miao heard halfway through, she was astounded, never having imagined that so many events had unfolded while she was unconscious. Red Chicken Brother couldn’t believe what he was hearing and interrupted the others mid-tale: "How did you become the Grand Master’s lackey? This morning you even stabbed me—didn’t you recognize the Divine Founder’s artifact?" He found it hard to believe that Sun Miao Miao had been so foolish, even more so than Jiang Jingwei. Sun Miao Miao furrowed her brows slightly: "I know absolutely nothing. When I first entered the realm, I received a task prompt stating that I had been struck by a 'Sealing Soul Spell,' rendering me unable to move." The main objective was to endure for ten days under the encroaching soul-sealing spell, while the side quest was to break the seal. Just now, I suddenly awoke and thought I had succeeded in breaking the seal... Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing's expression changed immediately: "You've been asleep the entire time? Then who fought us just now?" He had originally assumed Sun Miao-miao was under manipulation or affected by a spell that distorted her mind, explaining her unfamiliarity with her teammates—yet now it sounded as though that wasn't the case. At that moment, Hong Ji-ge's expression suddenly went blank, his pupils dilating, and before anyone could react, he launched a swift and powerful slash toward Guan Ya's neck. As a fire demon, Hong Ji-ge excelled in close combat. Guan Ya, though a scout, had been fully focused on Sun Miao-miao and only realized the anomaly in Hong Ji-ge when it was too late to respond. At that instant, the square gate began to collapse, the curtain covering the side hall tore apart, and a piercing shriek rang out, sharply piercing everyone's eardrums. A flash of swordlight—Red Chicken Brother's right arm detached from his body, still clutching the blade as momentum carried it toward Guan Ya, but lacking the force to sever her head, it embedded itself halfway into her neck before halting. Red Chicken Brother groaned, clutching his now-empty elbow and staggering backward. Guan Ya wavered, a geyser of blood erupting from her neck artery three meters high, her face pale as she collapsed to the ground. Chen Yuanqing, the Shadow Spirit, quickly supported the Empress and raised his small horn, shouting, "Life Source Liquid! Quickly! Life Source Liquid!" The Commander of the Stop-Killing Palace kicked Red Chicken Brother squarely in the chest, sending him crashing against the wall with a thunderous crash, causing the wall to tremble violently. A strand of shadow energy detached from Red Chicken Brother's body and drifted upward toward the ceiling, attempting to escape. Xiao Yuan and Xie Lingxi hurriedly poured out diluted Life Source Liquid toward Guan Ya, while at that moment, a middle-aged man in a white Confucian robe stepped through the threshold, his eyes glowing with a bright white light, fixing his gaze on a point in the The wide sleeves trembled, launching a small sword with the swift grace of lightning, which struck the beam with a firm "thud," resonating with a faint, ethereal cry that echoed throughout the hall. A surge of dense, oppressive阴 qi poured out in all directions. Zhang Yuanqing saw this and immediately raised his small horn, shouting, "Hold your ground!" The scholarly man in the robe paid no heed. Zhang Yuanqing then turned to Guan Ya, who, after successfully stopping the bleeding with the life essence infusion, said, "Mr. Zhou, please hold your ground." The scholarly man waved his hand, and the small sword automatically retracted, returning to the wide sleeves. Zhang Yuanqing promptly said, "Miao Miao, swallow it!" Sun Miao Miao instantly understood, black, viscous energy forming in her eyes. She fixed her gaze on the female ghost—her face darkened, her hair disheveled—suddenly drawing in a deep breath. The spirit, recently struck by the shock of the sword's energy and unable to resist, reluctantly transformed into a mist and entered Sun Miao Miao's mouth. Immediately, Sun Miao Miao closed her eyes and began to absorb the spirit's essence, gathering A middle-aged scholar in a Confucian robe strode briskly toward Guan Ya, surveying her closely. Seeing that though she was covered in blood, her wounds had already healed, he finally exhaled in relief and bowed, saying, "Zhou, I have come too late to attend to the Empress. Please forgive me." Guan Ya nodded gently, her bearing dignified. "It is indeed to thank you, Mr. Zhou. You go now and inform your father that I am safe. I shall change my attire and then go see him." The middle-aged scholar glanced over the crowd, pausing briefly on Zhang Sun Miao Miao, hesitating before finally bowing and departing. Guan Ya watched as the others attended to their own injuries or assisted their teammates, and remarked, "He is a guest scholar from the Yang family, a scholar-official by origin. He was impeached against the Zheng family over a case of corruption, only to be falsely accused and imprisoned. My father rescued him. After that, he grew disheartened, resigned from office, abandoned his pen for the sword, and now serves as a guest scholar at the Yang family. He should possess peak level six strength." "He has "The Master of the Halt-Kill Palace啧啧叹道, turned to Hongji Brother and said, 'To achieve armless rebirth, one must concentrate life essence—rank 6. So, you'll have to serve as a divine crane hero for a few days.' At that moment, Sun Miao Miao opened her eyes, pressed her forehead, and emitted a low, painful murmur. With her five-tier body absorbing a six-tier spirit ghost, even if the ghost were severely wounded, the strain remained overwhelming. For the near future, she could no longer perform spirit-consuming feats without risking madness. The Master of the Halt-Kill Palace gently parted her red lips, humming a soothing melody. Under the soothing presence of the musicians, Sun Miao Miao's turbulent spirit gradually calmed. She breathed out, 'I... I've gathered quite a bit of information...' Hongji Brother eagerly offered her a vial of life essence gifted by the Prime Origin Celestial, 'Take a sip first—refresh your voice.' 'Go!' Sun Miao Miao spat him away. 'Can't you be a bit more sparing with this strategic resource?' "After spraying the Red Rooster, she said, 'The spirit of resentment I just encountered was the spiritual attendant of the Grand Master. Its mission was to use my body to assassinate the昏king Zhao Shun. From fragments of its memory, I've distilled three key pieces of information. First, the Grand Master appears to be refining something—or practicing a specific spell—and will likely remain at the Tianji Building for the near term. Second, the Grand Master places great importance on the celestial ritual, repeatedly issuing warnings to his disciples and Zheng Wenhan: 'Nothing must go wrong.' Third, the Grand Master is deeply concerned with his reputation, diligently cultivating his image among the common people.' That's all for now—after all, this is merely the Grand Master's minor spiritual attendant, and thus has access only to peripheral information.' The Grand Master's temporary stay at the Tianji Building is good news. But it's also a matter of good and bad being intertwined—once he can leave the building, it will signify that he has achieved 'great mastery' of his divine arts... Is there more to the celestial ritual than meets the eye?" Yet, the state of Zhao Shun's reputation should not warrant such emphasis from the Grand Abbot... The Grand Abbot indeed values prestige—well, the quest to win the hearts of the people truly matters. Subsequently, everyone shared with Sun Miaomiao their progress in the副本, their individual main and side quests, and the current challenges they faced. Sun Miaomiao paused, then remarked, "I suddenly find the Fire Master's副本 quite appealing." Simple and straightforward—just combat and battles. "The 'King Who Lost His Kingdom'副本" was the most intricate one she had ever encountered, the only large-scale副本 densely populated with NPCs. The transcendent and sage-level副本 leaned more toward "scenario-based adventures." You're given a perilous setting, and you merely need to defeat the boss and solve the puzzles. The "King Who Lost His Kingdom" differs—it feels more like a miniature world. Indeed, the master-level副本 are quite distinct. "Isn't that right?" "Red Chicken Brother really appreciates Sun Miao-miao's words," he said, "The Fire Master's quest is truly a man's quest—life and death matter little; if you're not satisfied, just fight. Win, and you ascend to immortality; lose, and you rise to heaven." Yet no one paid any attention. The Grand Master is a day-traveling deity. In terms of celestial observation, I may not match him; my strength lies in my status as the sovereign, which brings inherent protection and allows me to operate with discretion—something he currently cannot anticipate. Zhang Yuanqing watched the shifting constellations while pondering. With only two days remaining until the heavenly sacrifice ceremony, based on his daytime analysis, once he appears at the ceremony, he will have no choice but to act. Therefore, the key is to establish solid connections and finalize a well-structured strategy before the ceremony. Fu Qingyang's frontline forces can only hold out for so long—action must be taken swiftly to secure control of the capital. ... Early morning. Wang Beiwang drove back to the capital in a carriage, freshly shaved, and quietly returned. He cannot go home, nor can he settle in the western city district—he had secretly released the昏king Zhao Shun, and the Qinglong Clan will surely hold him accountable, so his fellow clan members cannot seek refuge with him. The costs of staying at inns and restaurants are too high, and he now finds himself financially strained. After much deliberation, he decided to seek out a household in a remote, unoccupied estate. Against the backdrop of the Northern Dynasty's southern military campaign, many citizens had fled southward, leaving elderly gatekeepers behind to manage the households while ordinary people locked their doors and moved their entire families. As a result, the city was filled with numerous vacant homes—homes that, as a native of the capital, he knew were largely unoccupied. After wandering through the city for half an hour, Wang Beiwang guided his carriage into a quiet alley, severed the iron gate latch with a single sword stroke, dismantled the carriage, and led his horses into the courtyard. Though the household furnishings had been removed, the essential facilities—such as firewood and the stove—remained, along with a few broken bowls, sufficient to last several days. Although he had no bedding, his level of cultivation made it easy for him to endure wind and rain. He skillfully drew water from the well, wiped the dust off the chairs in the house, cleaned the dusty tea sets, and sipped the cool, refreshing well water while resting on the threshold of the main hall. At that moment, a gust of cold wind swept into the courtyard. Wang Beiwang was just becoming alert when a branch lifted and wrote on the ground: "It is I, Emperor." Wang Beiwang's alertness gradually eased, his mind filled with wonder: "How do you know I'm here?" The branch wrote: "Throughout the land, there is no territory not the sovereign's; among all the people, there is no subject not the sovereign's. I know everything in the capital." Wang Beiwang asked: "Then how come you didn't know yesterday's assassination attempt?" The branch replied: "You chatting like this has become dull." Wang Beiwang gave a short laugh. The branch continued: "I have assigned you a task—go to Xu Elder's residence and meet the master of the Qinglong Clan." Wang Beiwang asked in confusion: "What for?" The branch wrote slowly: "To pacify and integrate the Qinglong Clan!" ... An hour later, Wang Beiwang, still convinced the emperor had gone mad, knocked on the door of Xu's residence. The gatekeeper, An Niu, saw him return and immediately changed his expression, speaking in a hushed tone: " Master Xu knows you let that man go and is now furious, threatening to clean house. As for the Master himself, he'd rather see you burned to death. Wang Beiwang shrunk back, hesitated for a few seconds, then bit his teeth and squared his shoulders: "Take me to see the Master and Master Xu."