Zhang Yuanqing put on his black-framed glasses and examined the black jade phoenix atop the national master's head. This pair of glasses was custom-made by Xiahou Aotian after he ascended to the rank of Sovereign, serving as a tool to swiftly analyze the attributes and profession of items and materials—no longer requiring him to touch each object individually to retrieve information. Due to the sheer volume of items, the inventory space in his personal storage was insufficient, so Xiahou Aotian had placed several less critical "tools" into the guild warehouse, treating it as his own. After a few seconds, through the lens, Zhang Yuanqing observed the item's attributes: 【Name: Devouring Heavens Beast】 【Type: Weapon】 【Function: ???】 【Description: ???】 【Note 1: ???】 【Note 2: It will never stop until it is full.】 【Note 3: ???】 Xiahou Aotian's eyes were of seventh-tier quality, yet he could only perceive one note—while all other information remained in question marks—indicating that the black jade phoenix held the status of eighth-tier. — It can't be nine-tier. If the Grand Master had a nine-tier item, he'd have already crushed them flat by now. Will it never stop feeding until it's full? Zhang Yuanqing chewed on the only information visible in his field of vision, and suddenly an idea formed—how to solve the issue with the jade pheasant. Feed it! He immediately removed his glasses and relayed the information and plan to his teammates. "Small Yuan kept frowning," she said. "The earth monster has exceptional endurance—ranking among the top in all professions. How could we possibly feed the devouring beast? Even if we manage to feed it, how much spiritual energy will remain with us?" What if, by the time we've resolved the equipment issues, our four of us are completely drained—then we'd be mere fish on a plate, helpless against the enemy's attacks? "Stay calm," Zhang Yuanqing said, waving his hand confidently. "With me and the Lady Gong, we're good. Yuan Fei, Segment Master—step back and watch the situation unfold." He stopped moving, no longer fleeing, and quickly produced the repaired Yajizui mirror, holding it up to himself. The mirror emitted a golden glow, manifesting an identical Zhao Shun. Then, Zhang Yuanqing swiftly produced the Yin-Yang robe, Hou-Tu boots, and Qing-De jade belt, having the duplicate don them. The duplicate snapped his fingers with a crisp sound, activating the suite's attributes. Instantly, the Yin-Yang robe split into a deep indigo robe and a flaming cloak, the Qing-De jade belt shone brilliantly, the Hou-Tu boots deepened their cloud patterns, radiating a solid golden light. The duplicate Zhang Yuanqing now appeared adorned with vibrant, colorful effects—luminous and splendid. The four elemental energies—wood, water, fire, and earth—began to surge and boil, the Hou-Tu energy spreading out, with a clear glow clinging to it, the flames burning against that glow, while the black water flowed freely through the air. The four elements struggled to merge, striving to evolve into chaos, yet lacking the metallic energy, and each attempt at fusion ended in failure. The duplicate who had expanded the domain did not choose to engage in close combat, despite possessing the foundational skills of the four elemental professions and his own Jiyou-Shen combat prowess, merely But now the task is to feed the Píxiu. He channels Houtu's spiritual energy toward the Yin corpse, layer by layer enveloping it like mud, applying a terrifying gravity to compress and flatten the enemy. Qingmu spiritual energy blooms and takes root on the Yin body's surface, penetrating the dark skin and siphoning off its vitality. The flames, fueled by Qingmu energy, burn fiercely. Water spiritual energy nourishes the Wood-based energies. In a flash, the Yin body is adorned with vibrant, colorful effects. The black jade Píxiu squatting atop the Grand Master's head swells its abdomen, opens its mouth, and forms a black hole the size of a clenched fist—black, green, yellow, and crimson spiritual energies surge out like mist, flowing into its mouth. The Píxiu instantly becomes a vibrant mosaic of colors. The Grand Master swiftly vanishes into a hidden state. Zhang Yuancheng immediately activates the "Lìyáng Zhànshén" and "Rì Shēng" skills, flooding the area within forty meters with pure golden light, forcing the Grand Master out of concealment. The Grand Master, now with dry, white hair, opts for direct close combat, advancing to Zhang Yuanqing summoned the Dao of Form and Spirit Annihilation, activating its soul-capturing function, holding the blade in one hand and reaching out toward the national master far in the distance. ——Unlike ordinary yin corpses, the national master, like Yin Yao, retains a complete soul after becoming a yin entity. However, Zhang Yuanqing found his left hand empty; he tried again, but still failed to grasp the national master's soul projection. This was the first time since acquiring the blade that such a situation had arisen. Previously, even during the副本 at the Wine God's Club, where he had captured the soul projections of eight-level giant monsters, he had always succeeded effortlessly. As the national master closed in on the palace master, Zhang Yuanqing sheathed the Dao of Form and Spirit Annihilation and summoned the Purple-Jade Set, activating its effects so that the purple-gold armor enveloped every part of his body. Then, he charged directly toward the national master, using the Heart of Illusory Divinity to dissolve the spatial rules. Thud! He collided squarely with the national master, and a resonant sound like a great bell echoed throughout the heavens and earth—two figures, one black and one golden, recoiled in Zhang Yuancheng, dressed in a purple-and-gold suit, spat blood as he felt his internal organs turned upside down. The Master of State had transformed him into a shadow corpse, and his physical resilience was beyond imagination. He once again nullified the physical laws of inertia, instantly halting his momentum and charging back toward the Master of State, who was still in the process of releasing force. With his right fist fused to the Purple Thunder Hammer, he delivered sharp, high-frequency blows to the Master’s head—much like Iron Man striking Hulk. "Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!" With the Artisan’s Ring on his fingers, he landed nine precise strikes, reducing the Master’s head to fine powder. The very next moment, the Master’s torso, now headless, sprouted a new head—his self-repair capabilities even surpassing those of the Fate Deity. He roared deeply, then plunged a claw through Zhang Yuancheng’s chest, severing his heart. At the same time, Zhang Yuancheng’s left hand, which had been gripping the Master’s neck, pressed firmly against the Master’s chest, cracking a circular opening in his palm, with purple electric arcs flashing. He chose to detonate the ball lightning at close range to prevent the Sky-Eating Beast from swallowing it whole. At that moment, the spiritual energies of the green, black, yellow, and red hues surged again, wrapping around the Grand Master and securing Zhang Yuanqing precious breathing time. He swiftly retreated, forgoing the use of his Life Source Liquid, and quickly opened his inventory, tossing out three shimmering items: "Master Zheng, catch them!" From the folds of her skirt, the silk ribbons emerged, coiling around three bright, radiant streaks of lightning. The red silk burned swiftly but continuously regenerated. Without reading the item details, she directly stored them in her inventory, and upon retrieval, understood both the suite's functions and her nephew's intent. Holding one lightning orb against her chest, she transformed it into a radiant armor, then pressed another against her arm, shaping it into armoring, and finally grasped a brilliant spear. She activated the effects of the Thunder God's Three-Component Set. The hairpins of the Lady of the Stop-Killing Palace came loose, her flowing hair dancing wildly in the wind, each strand wrapped in electric arcs. A bright blue lightning mark shimmered at the center of her brow, and her eye sockets were filled with luminous blue light, like Iron Man's eyes. Electric breaths, streaked with arcs, erupted from her mouth. Raising her lightning spear, the Lady of the Stop-Killing Palace cried out, "Thunderstorm!" Boom! Boom! Boom! One after another, thick columns of thunder descended from the night sky, interlaced with towering, branching lightning that surged and expanded freely, transforming the heavens into a vast ocean of electricity. The aura of destruction surged like a tidal wave, filling every corner of space. Faced with this sweeping assault, the Master of the Five-Color Effects could only evade it, but was instantly enveloped by the thunder columns and struck by the branching lightning. The Black-Jade Puxiu's abdomen swelled, instinctively absorbing the lightning and the four elemental forces—wood, water, fire, and earth—directed at its master, inflating as if filled with air. Zhang Yuanqing stood at the edge of the Thunder Ocean, closely monitoring the Grand Master's condition. As soon as the Grand Master broke free from the constraints of the Four Elements' spiritual forces, Zhang would immediately move in to engage him. On the other side, Xiao Yuan summoned a spectral altar, picked up a yellow paper talisman, and affixed it to the straw figure. The straw figure then transformed into the form of the Master of Zhengsha Palace. Xiao Yuan pressed her palms together, chanting incantations in rhythm. The Thunder Ocean summoned by the Master of Zhengsha Palace grew brighter, becoming even more terrifying and turbulent. "Pray!" Duan, the Master of the Sect, raised his hands, adopting a posture of summoning a burst of vital energy. A cluster of flames ignited at the top of his head, rapidly expanding into a massive sphere of fire with a diameter of ten meters. The fire ball contracted inward, continuously gathering strength, and the crimson flames gradually turned white. With determination, he hurled the sphere toward the Thunder Ocean. The Master of the Stopping-Death Palace rapidly carbonized, her pale face turning black, only to restore itself to its original state before carbonizing once more—repeating this cycle endlessly. As the Master of Destiny governs life, blood serves as the essence of life itself; the thicker the blood, the greater its capacity to endure the cost of using the Thunder God's armor. This is precisely why Zhang Yuanqing entrusted the Thunder God's components to the Palace Master. If it were Xiao Yuan or Du Master, they would now be critically injured. Zhang Yuanqing was far from idle—he lifted his left hand and fired the final two Thunderstorm Cannons. All energy attacks, poured generously. Most of these astonishing energies were absorbed by the Black Jade Pheasant, while a smaller portion struck the High Priest, causing significant injuries. However, the High Priest's powerful self-healing abilities instantly repaired the wounds. The Yin Qi within the High Priest flowed ceaselessly, as if inexhaustible. Finally, after the Pheasant's body expanded to twice its original size, it closed its mouth and ceased functioning. Success! The duplicate Zhang Yuanqing was overjoyed and shouted, "Let's move in together—sever this old man!" "Segment Fire God raised his fist with vigor: 'Good!' Zhang Yuanqing exclaimed loudly: 'Don't be too optimistic—we've only resolved one artifact.' As he spoke, two streaks of purple lightning descended and struck him, melting half of his golden-iron armor and leaving him rigid, with large areas of his cells scorched to death. This is the cost of using the Thunderstorm Cannon. The Palace Master's face twitched as she removed the Thunder God components, which allow her to activate the suite skill 'Thunderstorm Gale' only once per day—this suite is now temporarily unused. She then drew out the Immortal Spirit Pot, pouring two streams of golden liquid—one flowing as a fine thread toward Zhang Yuanqing, the other entering her body. Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, sipping in the life essence fluid with evident pleasure. Then, he opened his inventory and retrieved the Little Red Cap: 'Come forth, my remaining disciple-sister!' With a sudden shake, a refined, ethereal, and stunningly beautiful yin-being emerged. Instantly, the ambient yin energy surged around them, and faint whispers of ghostly wailing echoed in the air. Lady Yin Yao, in this extraordinary phenomenon, gently opened her arms and lifted her graceful jaw, like a boss making a grand entrance. The very next moment, she felt the weight of high status pressing down upon her, her soul and body trembling uncontrollably. Focusing her gaze, she spotted the Grand Preceptor. Without a word, she crept to Zhang Yuanqing's back, raised her small megaphone, and exclaimed, "Did you finally remember me when facing such a boss? You're always enjoying yourself with the ladies when things are calm, but when it matters, you make Lady Yin Yao pay the price. I'm too afraid—I'm going back!" "You young upstart!" The Grand Preceptor, who had been passively enduring attacks yet remained unharmed, surged forth as a streak of black lightning, aimed directly at Zhang Yuanqing's form. The elderly laborers carried the dead, clearing the ramparts of arrows, broken swords, and armor fragments. The defenders' bodies were transported down to the city walls, while the enemy's were simply thrown over the ramparts. As the weather grew colder, frost covered the ground every morning, so there was no concern about the dead rotting and causing epidemics. The bodies outside the city accumulated slowly, and within a few days, they piled up like mountains. The Southern Dynasty currently still has thirty thousand defenders, but its true elite force has dwindled to only ten thousand. The remaining twenty thousand were composed of young and middle-aged citizens from the city and recruited refugees. The civilian laborers and auxiliary troops, once young and vigorous, had now become middle-aged and elderly. Once this contingent is exhausted, it will be unclear where to find new recruits. Fortunately, the Northern Dynasty's forty thousand-strong army suffered nearly one hundred thousand casualties in the relentless, grinding battles over the past few days. Although the Northern forces were also recruiting refugees to replenish their ranks, the difference between elite troops and ordinary recruits was significant—elite units maintained strong discipline and cohesion, while the recruits, when struck, would quickly break and disintegrate, posing little concern. Fu Qingyang stood atop the city wall, assessing the military supplies in the warehouse, the troop strengths of both sides. Given the current situation, he was confident they could hold out for three to five more days. The grain and provisions were ample, though the siege equipment was rapidly depleting. The city's craftsmen were working overtime, tirelessly forging new siege tools, until they were nearly exhausted. The walls had been repaired and reinforced repeatedly, but the pace of stone extraction by laborers and stone carving by masons could no longer keep up with the rate of consumption. In an age where extraordinary combat power was commonplace, the city walls' defensive strength was not as formidable as once thought—they were easily damaged, even with Xiahou Aotian's array techniques reinforcing the walls. Covering just a few miles in an instant, he surged into the northern dynasty army camp, raising his sword with a decisive gesture. The sharp sword energy sliced through the ground, carving out traces over fifteen zhang long, splitting military tents along the way—including the tallest and most spacious command tent. Drums and horns sounded throughout the camp as Wanyan Batian led a group of senior generals out. Fu Qingyang didn't even glance at them; he fixed his gaze on the now-empty command tent, his handsome face filled with serious determination. Wanyan Batian looked up, chuckling, "Yang Ce, guess where the commander has gone?"