Across the myriad spiritual realms, a perfectly black, circular moon glows upon the celestial river—so seamlessly woven into the darkness that it is imperceptible, undetectable, and untraceable. Within this black moon, a figure draped in a cloak sits in stillness. Beneath the cloak, threads of starlight shimmer faintly. Through countless calculations and observations of the stars, he has seemingly uncovered the future he seeks. With a gentle gesture, he gathers a soul force at his fingertips, encasing within it fragments of knowledge and memory. He extends his finger and releases it. Xiahou Aotian added, "Even more challenging is that the eerie attacks tend to target intelligent opponents first; puppets cannot shield us from the blades, and once their heads are severed, their bodies are sealed—despite the Master of Zhishi Palace rescuing them, they will lose their ability to move." Lady Yin Yao raised her small horn, "Perhaps the eerie attacks aren't as formidable as we imagined; the two yin corpses controlled by Yuanshiyuan Tianzun are extraordinary." Fu Qingyang shook his head slightly, "The Xuanzhen Elder died in the attic. Given that he became a senior elder of Eshu Mountain, he was likely a master." That is, a master cannot withstand the attack. The Master of Zhishi Palace pondered for a few seconds, then said, "Although the swordmaster's defenses are weak and the Xuanzhen Elder couldn't withstand the attack, that doesn't mean we can't." As they discussed, each person retrieved their defensive equipment. Zhang Yuanqing summoned his purple-gold set, activated the armor mode, and simultaneously produced the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon and the Artisan's Ring, switching the former into shield mode. I had originally intended to use the Devouring Beast for defense, but this item has a rather severe side effect—once activated, it won’t stop until fed sufficiently. Since the enemy’s strength is still unclear and their black smoke attacks come at intervals, if the Devouring Beast isn’t fed energy within the ten-minute span, it will instead harm the user. Therefore, I’ve decided to set it aside. Among everyone else, the most splendid is Xiahou Aotian. Since ascending to the rank of Sovereign, he has borrowed materials from the family—materials that will take a full century to repay—and crafted several Sovereign-tier items. Though the quality of these items isn’t particularly high… The Master of Zhishi, Fu Qingyang, and the Mage-Eye each possess only one Sovereign-tier defensive item, with the Master’s being the finest—thanks to her book, *My Half-God Brother*. As for Yin Yao, the Lady of Yin, she has no defensive gear at all. As a Sovereign-tier Yin entity, even a mere headshot won’t kill her; her primary role is to increase the overall survival rate of the group. Xiahou Aotian glanced around, remarking, “Besides the "The King of Mystic Eyes," he said, "my body is harder than your flimsy ones—worry about yourself, then." Xiahou Aotian sneered, "The protagonist has a lucky charm. I'm giving you the same advice—worry about yourself." Zhi Sha, the Palace Master, replied calmly, "As long as I'm here, none of you will face life-threatening danger. Your task is to lock onto the enemies hidden in the black smoke and eliminate them." Oh, don't all of you keep setting flags! Each of you acts like an old general on stage—while I'm the one who's truly safe and secure! Zhang Yuanqing muttered to himself. "Yuanshi, what do you think?" Fu Qingyang asked, turning to the only Day-Wanderer present on the field. Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment. "The black smoke has a concealment effect—making it impossible to detect enemies through skills. However, concealment has one flaw: as soon as an attack is launched, the enemy will become visible. Therefore, using the shadow corpses and Xiahou Aotian's drones to systematically 'explore' the smoke is the most effective strategy." Fu Qingyang nodded, adding, "I've tracked the time between when you and Xiahou Aotian hear the footsteps and when the attacks begin. The assault always comes within thirty seconds after the footsteps are heard, followed by the dissipation of black smoke. 'We must locate the enemy within thirty seconds and concentrate our fire to eliminate it.' Before Yuan Shi Tianzun summons the阴尸 troops, he continued, 'I have an even better method for finding the enemy.' Speaking, Fu Qingyang removed a crown woven from fresh flowers and placed it upon his head. Instantly, his demeanor became more vibrant and graceful, his features taking on a more neutral, refined quality—like that of a renowned stage actor from ancient times. This floral crown, named 'Queen of the Forest,' is a low-tier artifact at the Master Sovereign level, originating from the Liu family, a scholarly dynasty. Fu Qingyang purchased it at a significant expense. Each year, the three scholarly dynasties consistently supply the official organization with a modest number of Master Sovereign-level artifacts. A portion of these items is stored in the Five Elements Alliance's guild warehouses, while the rest are offered as welfare benefits, sold at discounted rates to the organization's senior elders. Fu Qingyang had been in a position of power for some time now, and his household resources had gradually grown richer. The "Queen of the Forest" enables the surrounding environment to flourish with lush vegetation and blooming flowers, transforming it into a suitable battlefield tailored to the user's strengths—though as a lower-tier item, Fu Qingyang typically treats it as a supportive tool and uses it infrequently, since the modest impact of such a secondary master item is limited for him. Notably, the cost of wielding the Queen of the Forest is that the user becomes more beautiful and alluring, drawing the attention of men around them. These plants are Fu Qingyang's eyes and ears. As long as the enemy is not a spiritual being, any step they take or any disturbance they cause will be transmitted to the floral crown, allowing Fu to quickly pinpoint their location. ——Zhang Yuanqing, Xiahou Aotian, and the Mage of the Divine Eye watched him in silent admiration. How has the leader suddenly become so handsome? Could it be that he's always been dressing as a woman all along? Fu Qingyang has suddenly grown more approachable than Yuan Shi! His floral crown has a magnetic appeal for males—though if it were me, I'd trade that for a more comprehensive effect, drawing in all surrounding living beings instead—then it would truly be satisfying. As Fu Qingyang turned to look at them, the three swiftly regained their composure. This subtle charm still wasn't enough to captivate them. Fu Qingyang's gaze swept over their faces, his expression growing stern. "The time has come. Prepare for battle." With those words, deep black smoke surged from all directions. Xiahou Aotian drew out a massive white feather fan, two meters long, and waved it vigorously against the black smoke. "Woooh~" The wind roared, shaking the black smoke violently, yet it showed no sign of dispersing. Instead, the plants cultivated by Fu Qingyang were uprooted en masse and lifted into the sky. "Stop wasting your efforts—this is negative qi, not actual smoke," Zhang Yuanqing interjected. Zhang Yuanqing immediately glanced around and spotted Lady Yin Yao, the Heavenly-Eyed Emperor, Xia Hou Ao Tian, and Fu Qingyang. The lifeless body of the Master of Zhishi Palace lay quietly on the grass, golden-tinted blood gushing out and rapidly nourishing the surrounding greenery. Her head rested among the flowers, eyes closed, beautiful and serene. Zhang Yuanqing's pupils contracted sharply, her heart seized with a sudden pang, and she rushed forward without hesitation, embracing the beautiful head. In the next moment, her expression of fear softened. A faint pulse of spirit was detectable within the palace master's mind, sealed by an unknown force, forcing her into a state of "sleep." Her spiritual essence was intact—she was not merely the lingering spirit of a deceased body. Fu Qingyang, Xia Hou Ao Tian, and the Heavenly-Eyed Emperor also turned pale. The former approached the body, knelt down, and took her pulse, saying, "She still has a pulse. The Master of Fate will not die easily. Her blood is equivalent to the life essence. As long as her spirit remains, her body can heal." "Zhang Yuanqing spoke solemnly: "But her spiritual body has fallen into deep sleep and cannot revive on its own. Once the spiritual energy within her physical form is completely drained and her spirit is lost, she will truly die." Xiahou Aotian picked up the protective heart mirror beside the body, which had been cleanly severed in two by the blade—its break points neat—and furrowed his brows: "This artifact is of good quality, yet it couldn't withstand a head-cut. That's unfortunate... We are not the Life-Weaver Deities. We don't have the ability to be revived after taking a single blow. We simply fall when struck." The worst scenario had now unfolded. The "death" of the Stop-Killing Palace's master had reduced the team's error tolerance to zero. From now on, one member would die every ten minutes. Under the condition of their souls being sealed, even commissioning a spiritual servant from Yuan-Shi would become impossible. The Mage-Eyed King murmured, his expression unusually serious: "That woman just raised her flag a moment ago—now she's dead!" "Now is not the time for complaints," Zhang Yuanqing carefully placed the head down and turned to Fu Qingyang "Fu Qingyang shook his head: 'The plants have given me no feedback—neither on the ground nor in the air.' 'Could it be that the enemy are yuán líng spirits?' Xiahou Aotian analyzed. 'Impossible!' Zhang Yuanqing immediately dismissed this: 'Yuán líng spirits only manifest themselves when they create physical disturbances—such as pushing over tables or chairs. But footfalls originate from the body itself; yuán líng spirits cannot produce footfalls.' Xiahou Aotian argued: 'Yet, if the enemy have tangible forms, how could the plants fail to detect them?' 'Keep arguing—we still have eight minutes.' The Mage-Eye King gently stroked his forehead, adjusting his headband, smiling. Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself: 'Lord Démóu, could your vertical eye penetrate the black smoke and lock onto the enemy?' The Mage-Eye King looked at him calmly and asked, 'When have I used it to detect enemies? The core of the mesmerizing eye is "mesmerization"—it influences souls and spiritual energies, thereby creating disorder.' "Of course, if we insist on treating it as a telescope, the vertical eye indeed sees farther than the other two." Xue Hou Ao Tian said. "Well, you've successfully wasted everyone's minute now—we only have seven minutes left." "So while I was speaking, you completely stopped thinking?" "Alright, now you've wasted another ten seconds." Zhang Yuanqing lost his patience. "Just shut up! Are you two playing a game or doing a skit? Are you both from Tianjin?" Xue Hou Ao Tian and Mo Eye Tian Wang stopped their argument. Zhang Yuanqing said: "I think our approach is off. The black smoke has a concealed attribute that interferes with all the senses and faculties. To defeat the enemy within just thirty seconds under such conditions is nearly impossible, especially since the enemy is also a master-level being." Fu Qingyang nodded. "Exactly. The correct way to proceed is to withstand the assault of the black smoke, then, during the ten-minute interval, locate the true enemy and defeat them together." So, where is the enemy? Zhang Yuanqing scanned the area and said, "This region contains only the Yao Guang Pavilion and the tower. That strange entity must be either in the tower or within the pavilion. Yet we've thoroughly investigated both locations and found no signs of enemies. 'Boss, where do you think it is?'" The candelabra, the altar, the jade plate, and the pillars were all ordinary things. Xiahou Aotian even climbed up to touch the deity and the sword and gourd held by her. Everything was mundane. At that moment, Zhang Yuancheng's gaze rose to the lofty pedestal. The hall's floor was covered with vegetation, and even the pillars had grown moss. The only exception was the stone pedestal beneath the statue—completely bare, with no plants growing upon it. When the black smoke enveloped the area, the vegetation had not been trampled, so Fu Qingyang had failed to identify the enemy. Throughout the entire space, the only areas not covered by plants were the pedestal and the roof. And in the sky, there were dandelion seeds and spores—should the enemy have been on the roof, they would have been touched by the plants. Yet at that time, there were no dandelion seeds or spores inside the hall. Zhang Yuancheng suddenly had a revelation and exclaimed, "It's her! It's this statue!" As soon as the words left his mouth, the face of the female sculpture, rigid and lifeless, stirred—her eyes blinked once, then fixed steadily on Xiah