Fu Qingyang gazed deeply at Wan Gan Ba Tian, then turned and vanished into a streak of swordlight, flying back to Linxia City. No words were needed—as an Eighth-Rank Yanshi, he had already read Wan Gan Ba Tian's expression. Upon descending from the city ramparts, Fu Qingyang surveyed the surroundings and summoned a hundred-man officer in charge of cleaning up the battlefield. With a cold tone, he issued his command: "Send word that all first-tier military elites and junior Master-level warriors are to gather at the Training Grounds." Before the officer could respond, Fu Qingyang once again transformed into a swordlight and flew toward the camp quarters. Half an hour later, Xia Hou Ao Tian and the others gathered at the Commander's quarters. The teammates who had just endured a grueling battle were still eager to rest when they were summoned by Fu Qingyang's soldiers. Seeing Fu Qingyang seated at the table with a serious expression, the five of them exchanged puzzled glances, then settled down with a serious demeanor. Xia Hou Ao Tian murmured, "What's going on? I just saw a large force gathering at the Training Grounds. Are you planning to launch an attack on the enemy camp?" Fu Qingyang opened the meeting with directness: "I visited the northern dynasty's military camp, and neither Tuoba Guanghe nor the Ju Que army was there." The faces of the magi members turned pale. Zhao Chenghuang said solemnly, "Tuoba Guanghe did not take part in the assault on the city tonight..." Ling Jun raised an eyebrow, suddenly realizing, "Damn, he's gone to raid his own home!" The magi leapt into the air, fists clenched, shouting, "Retreat to the capital!" "It will be my retreat," Fu Qingyang said, though his expression was serious, his tone calm and steady, exuding the composure of a seasoned general. "I will lead a force to the capital. You remain here to hold the northern dynasty's main army in check. The distance between Linxia and the capital is over forty miles. Given the Ju Que army's pace, they are likely already approaching the capital by now." Tianxia Gui asked, puzzled, "Why did Tuoba Guanghe decide to personally lead the Ju Que army to attack the capital?" This development caught them off guard and seemed illogical—after all, the capital boasted the elite forces of the Imperial Court and the city's When it comes to elite commanders, the capital of the Southern Dynasty is absolutely brimming with sages and masters. Although Tuoba Guanghe, leading the Juque army, may not be able to secure the capital swiftly, the Northern Dynasty's forces—lacking a clear commander—could be vulnerable to Fu Qingyang's strategic assault, who might exploit the gap and surround and annihilate them completely. With three masters stationed at the Southern capital, the defensive strength is unquestionably strong. In that case, the Northern forces would squander their promising momentum, while the Southern Dynasty would regain its strength, reversing fortunes and shifting from defense to offense. … The gust of wind surged, and the figure of the Master of State, his white hair like withered grass, suddenly appeared before him, his dark, lustrous claws piercing toward his throat. Zhang Yuanqing, clad in purple and golden armor, drew his "Form and Spirit Annihilating Blade," activated its "Cutting Form" skill, and caused a layer of pale golden flame to envelop the blade. He then struck with a sudden, decisive motion. The blade, blazing with golden flame, skipped the conventional "cleaving" motion entirely and landed directly upon the black ghost claw that had extended toward him. The ghost claw broke cleanly at the wrist. Zhang Yuanqing eliminated the physical movement of his blade, enabling it to strike the enemy instantly. Among the current skills of the Illusionist class, only "Void" could exert any effect against the Master of State; the active skills such as mental assault, emotional guidance, emotional ignition, and illusions had no impact whatsoever on the Master of State, given that the Night-Wanderer Spirit also mastered illusions and possessed a similarly robust, resilient ethereal form, and considering the existing level gap. At the broken wrist, the ghost claw instantly regenerated, piercing through Zhang Yuanqing's throat, its sharp tip Zhang Yuanqing swung his sword in a reverse flick, but the Master of the State moved first, gracefully weaving through the air like a ghost, circling to his back and with a sharp "shriek" tearing open his breastplate, slicing through flesh and revealing the vertebrae and ribs beneath. Zhang Yuanqing countered with his short blade, yet amidst the Master's fluid, almost ethereal movements, he seemed clumsy—like a child wielding a fly swatter chasing flies, or an adult doing the same. Though he failed to land blows, the marks of his attacks multiplied across his body. He activated the Liyang War God skill. Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory, revealing an oil painting with vibrant yet fragmented colors. The scenery within the painting was distorted and chaotic—rivers floated in the sky, clouds spread across the land, the sun and stars hung from tree branches, and human figures walked upside down. He hurled the painting toward the Grand Master, and the colors cascaded off the canvas, splashing into the real world. The real world rapidly became contaminated—colorful rivers appeared in the sky, the sun and moon hung from tree branches, and the concepts of front, back, left, and right reversed. The Grand Master, immersed in this transformation, began to twist and contort—his limbs twisted backward, his head collapsing inward as if sinking into his chest, accompanied by a series of crisp cracking sounds from his bones. Suddenly, a vortex of yin energy emerged within the Grand Master’s body, gathering all his spiritual energy at a single point and then erupting violently. A wave of yin energy, like a shockwave, radiated outward, shattering the dense layers of color around him. These colors then reassembled into a painting, now powerless, and slowly fell to the ground. The master-quality artifact had reverted Zhang Yuanqing activated his Void technique, causing the falling oil painting to appear in his hands, then returned it to his inventory. At the very moment the Grand Master broke free from his bonds, Lady Yin Yao materialized as a cascade of starlight upon his form. Her skirt billowed and her hair danced wildly, casting a dense aura of yin energy within a radius of several meters. With her fingers pressed together like a sword at her lips, she recited a spell. The surrounding yin energy came to life, forming black symbols that shot like arrows toward the Grand Master, in a rain of precise, pointed bursts. These were refined Sealing Spirit Symbols, specially designed to seal the residual spirits of yin-based objects. The Grand Master gently opened his mouth and drew in the swirling symbols, which dissolved into nourishing spiritual energy. Then, his form vanished entirely. Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing's duplicate immediately summoned the Day-Rising technique, casting a brilliant, pure golden light across the area. The Grand Master's form emerged, now facing Lady Yin Yao. "Pffft!" A flash of dark light, and Lady Yin Yao's head soared high, then fell toward the ground. The Grand Master seized her body, opened his jaw with interlocking fangs, and bit down at the neck wound. After consecutive battles, he had expended considerable energy—perfectly suited to absorb this yin entity's spiritual essence and replenish his own. At the crucial moment, Zhang Yuan, wearing the companion spirit of the lunar moon, silently approached from behind the Grand Master and launched an attack. Zhang Yuan twisted his wrist, causing the short knife to spin and shatter half of the Grand Master's head. With his other hand, he drew out a slender bamboo rod and struck hard against the Grand Master's body. "Crack!" The crisp sound of the blows immediately calmed the boiling Yin energy within the Grand Master, leaving his lifeless form motionless. Zhang Yuan then used the short knife to sever the Grand Master's arms. The body of Lady Yinyao fell, gathering only her head. In the next instant, the Yin energy surged again, and the Grand Master's head flew back, landing at his neck, where the broken vertebrae reconnected and the flesh regrew. "Thump! Thump! Thump!" Zhang Yuanqing, entering his Li Yang War God state, engaged in fierce combat with the Master of State, using elbow and knee strikes with his sword, colliding over ten times within a single second. His duplicate, Zhang Yuanqing, surged forward to join the fray, wearing the celestial ritual attire—stronger than the original and significantly easing the pressure on Zhang Yuanqing. Yet the Master of State, facing two opponents, remained composed, never retreating. He neither defended nor blocked, instead fighting with his exceptional physique against the two Li Yang War Gods, leaving deep claw marks on both of them. A blazing red flame descended from the sky, and the Dragon of the Qinglong Sect transformed into a whirlwind of wind and fire, powerfully entering the battlefield. At a distance, the small circular figure operated at the altar, first performing rituals to bless his four companions with unseen strength, then applying a blessing that siphons away fortune to the Master of State. The Palace Master sang a high-spirited song to uplift her teammates, while gently stroking the Spirit-Training Pot, channeling streams of life essence to promptly heal their wounds. With the strong support of two key allies, the four members of Princess Yin Yao pressed the Patriarch's offensive, leaving him with almost no ability to resist. Yet Zhang Yuanqing felt unusually heavy-hearted. The power of the Leye War God was time-limited, and the Sacrificial Heaven Set only lasted for fifteen minutes. Once his duplicates lost the combined strength of both the Leye War God and the Sacrificial Heaven Set, the situation would reverse. Though the Patriarch frequently lost limbs, appearing disheveled, his Yin energy remained consistently strong, allowing him to recover swiftly from even severe injuries. The Yang energy's endurance was unparalleled. If this continued, victory would be impossible—any prolonged battle would surely end in defeat. If they delayed further, the cooldown of the Sky-Eating Beast might even be reached! They had to concentrate their strength and deliver a decisive blow to the Patriarch. Zhang Yuanqing rapidly thought through his strategy and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, this old man's vitality flows continuously, and he remains unbroken through prolonged combat." Segment Master asked the universally accepted phrase among fire masters: "What should we do?" "We must concentrate our power and eliminate him," Zhang Yuanqing replied. The duplicate Zhang Yuanqing, in sync with the main consciousness, immediately stepped back, activated the suite's effects, and once again employed his previous technique to temporarily bind the High Priest with four streams of spiritual energy. The Palace Mistress ceased her song, and from beneath her skirt, a myriad of silk ribbons surged forth, rushing toward the High Priest, ensnaring him. Countless threads, like delicate tentacles, gently yet swiftly caressed his abdomen. The Grand Master's abdomen continuously swelled, soon resembling a pregnant woman about to give birth, with the cries of a newborn echoing within. His strength further waned. Zhang Yuanqing roared, "Master of the Palace, hand me the lightning spear!" The Master of the Palace swiftly opened her inventory and hurled a spear shimmering with electric light toward him. Suddenly, the folds of the Grand Master's robe tore open, revealing a round, swollen abdomen bearing the face of an infant—face quickly contorted into a fierce expression, emitting piercing screams. The fetus inside was transformed into a ghostly infant by the Grand Master's sinister spell. Everyone's minds buzzed with a sudden "hum," warm blood flowed from their nasal passages, and ringing in their ears, their heads felt as though being torn apart. This sensation was all too familiar—spiritual shock! The infant's cries produced an effect akin to such spiritual shock. The Grand Master had employed a venomous spell to transform her internal fetus into an offensive ghostly infant. Despite the intense pain, the Master of the Palace pressed her lips together, gently humming a soothing, melodic lullaby. The spectral infant, shrieking incessantly, found solace in its mother's gentle care, gradually calming down and drifting into sleep. Zhang Yuanqing caught the lightning spear and hurled it toward the high priest. Lightning, the most rigid and yang energy, proved equally effective against the阴 (yin) entities. A brilliant flash of light streaked across, striking the high priest's head and sending him flying toward the distance. The high priest's head once again grew anew. Zhang Yuanqing retrieved the spear and hurled it again. The high priest's head burst into fragments. He retrieved the spear once more and hurled it. After repeating this four times, Zhang Yuanqing's arms turned to ash, yet the high priest's head regenerated once more—though this time, the regeneration was noticeably slower, taking full fifteen seconds to restore. "His strength is waning!" Zhang Yuanqing cried. "No problem—let me handle it." The duplicate Zhang Yuanqing removed his ceremonial attire and returned it to the original body, then dove toward the high priest: "The very purpose of a duplicate is to die in place of the original!" A miniature sun appeared behind his head. "Boom!" At the instant the duplicate collided with the High Priest, the power of the Sun God surged within him, expanding rapidly into a golden sphere that exploded with thunderous force, its light freezing in the night sky for a full three seconds—like a colossal sun. The High Priest's body shattered into four and five fragments, falling lifelessly. Suddenly, the green eyes that had been obscured on his face snapped open, and with a hoarse, deep voice, he chanted a spell. The severed limbs and bones that had fallen revived—not reassembling, but transforming into streams of black smoke that surged into the bodies of the Palace Master, Xiao Yuan, Segment Master, and Zhang Yuanqing. The four froze, black smoke rising from their forms, their bodies sprouting fangs and claws, their skin losing its color and turning pale as that of the dead. Their bodies were gradually shifting toward the realm of the阴 (yin). Zhang Yuanqing immediately activated the Rising Sun technique to gradually dissipate the yin energy within him. As for Xiao Yuan and the others, they could only resist with will and spiritual strength, lacking effective means to counteract the yin energy, and their throats emitted low, wild animal-like growls. On the other hand, the Master’s body and flesh writhed and struggled desperately to regenerate, yet fell short; his breath had weakened to the very brink. Zhang Yuancheng exhaled a surge of cold energy, expelling most of the internal yin qi and successfully containing the anomaly. "You young upstart!" the Master said, his face filled with resentment, his gaze venomous toward Zhang Yuancheng, before suddenly breaking into a cold smile. "Tophe Guanghe has already arrived at the capital. You have slain me, and thus the Five Decays of the Celestial Beings have come to pass. Meanwhile, your allies have fallen victim to my corpse spell—though even the power of the Sun God can only partially offset the damage, they are now severely weakened. When Tophe Guanghe arrives, they will surely perish. The capital will fall, and the Southern Dynasty will vanish." Has Tophe Guanghe indeed come? Zhang Yuancheng felt a sudden chill in his heart. "After you destroyed the Zheng family, I dispatched my shadow corpses to Linxia, where I met Tophe Guanghe," the Master declared sharply. "You have ruined my decades of careful planning. Should I triumph, I will aid him in extinguishing A powerful divine light surged from his palm, engulfing the deceased high priest. The golden flame flowed for nearly a full minute before subsiding, leaving only half a skeleton in his hands. Form and spirit both extinguished. Zhang Yuanqing released his grip, allowing the skeleton to fall to the ground. He turned to his companions, his voice weak: "Come closer to me!" "Master Dan sighed, 'Another fierce battle!' Xiao Yuan and the Lady of the Palace furrowed their brows, their faces solemn and their eyes filled with concern. They had just fought a hard battle against the High Priest, and now their strength is greatly depleted. The masterpieces of Yuan Shi are entering their cooling phase—how can they possibly face the ninth-rank Tao Bao Guanghe? He is even stronger than the High Priest. Zhang Yuanqing paused for a few seconds, then exhaled, 'With Yang Ce's sharp mind, he must have already uncovered Tao Bao Guanghe's strategy. We need to find a way to buy time...' As he finished speaking, all four turned simultaneously, gazing toward the north. A powerful, unparalleled aura was surging toward the capital. At the same time, the northern city gate resounded with booming drums and the horns sounded long and clear.