The sudden changes left the sovereigns deeply anxious and utterly bewildered, unsure of how the peril of the Seven-Star Lamp Array had been triggered. Zhang Yuanqing immediately embraced his younger aunt, clad in vine armor, activated his Li Yang War God skill to summon the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon defense form, and raised his left hand, continuously snapping his fingers. Etherealized energy—something the 7th-level sovereigns mastered most proficiently—was now flowing out. The cascading sword qi clearly weakened. The Mage King manifested his three-headed, eight-armed form, his eight sinewy, dragon-like arms sweeping weapons such as swords, spears, and lances in a dense, impenetrable defense. A portion of the torrential sword qi shattered or deflected, while another portion pierced through his defenses, landing on him with wounds that penetrated his body and severed bones. Lady Yin Yao successfully blocked and evaded some of the sword attacks, but the sheer volume of the falling sword rain soon severed her head and cut off her right arm, leaving her like a beautifully dismantled doll. The first wave of sword rain soon subsided, and the seven-star lamps hovering above his head ceased to drift. The air is calm. Zhang Yuan releases the Lady of the Stilled Killing Palace, whose left ear and left shoulder have been pierced and shattered by the rain of swords falling from the sky. He bears several sword wounds, none of which threaten his vital organs. The King of the Mysterious Eye draws a blood-colored short sword from his inventory, takes a deep breath like a habitual addict, and as the sword exhales fine strands of blood mist, they drift into his nasal passages. The blood on the blade rapidly fades, while the King of the Mysterious Eye's injuries heal swiftly. This is the blood reserve—commonly maintained by the Enchanted Blood妖—whose weapons possess the ability to absorb and store vital essence, perfectly complementing the creature's bloodthirsty, frenzied skills and enhancing its endurance. The King of the Mysterious Eye rarely uses this reserve, as few in reality have ever driven him to such a state. Among the group, only Fu Qingyang remains unscathed, his white suit untouched by dust or blood, standing in stark contrast to the blood-soaked refugees. He himself is at the mid-level of the eighth tier, and with his amplified swordmaster cloak, he is fully capable of withstanding the torrent of sword Yet Fu Qingyang's expression showed no sign of ease—on the contrary, it was deeply serious. "Lady Yin Yao has been taken out of the game," Zhang Yuanqing sighed, removing the little red hat and gathering the severed arm, torso, and head of the princess. Throughout the process, he saw a hint of sorrow in those strange, glowing red eyes. Even without the ability to perceive inner states, Zhang Yuanqing now fully understood the princess's feelings: "After all this effort to ascend to the status of Sovereign, you've been constantly playing high-stakes games every day." As a Sovereign-level yin-being, Lady Yin Yao would not die from this, but would be temporarily out of action. —Yin-beings without life force cannot be restored through the life-source liquid. Xia Hou Ao Tian returned the damaged Sovereign-level item to his inventory, beads of sweat forming on his forehead: "All my defensive items have been damaged. Repairing them will take a full hour. But based on the pattern I've observed, the Seven-Star Lamp Array will shift positions again five minutes from now." Each shift means the downpour of sword rain will descend. At that moment, as the protagonist, he Fu Qingyang's expression was serious for this very reason. Though he was not afraid of sword energy, his teammates were. If the teammates perished due to the array, Fu Qingyang, relying solely on himself, would find it extremely difficult to defeat the final boss. "It's a pity my Tian-Devouring Beast has already been well-fed," Zhang Yuanqing sighed. The Tian-Devouring Beast was currently in its second stage—consuming matter. As long as Zhang Yuanqing did not use it, the beast remained in standby mode until its energy cost refreshed after 24 hours, at which point it would begin drawing energy and the standby state would end. The Palace Master's ability to revive us once was her last reserve move; if the array could not be broken, then after revival, we would simply perish once more. Fu Qingyang thought rapidly and asked, "Master Yuanshǐ, what do you suggest?" Zhang Yuanqing tightened his brows. "I don't understand array mechanics, so I can't offer a specific plan. However, I can summarize the patterns and analyze the details for Xiahou Aotian—perhaps that will prove useful." He glanced at Xiahou Aotian and said, "Our current location is Kaiyang in the Big Dipper constellation. There are three key patterns of the Kaiyang lantern array: first, we must not walk more than five steps—otherwise, a warning lantern will descend. Second, we must remain within the illuminated zone; this may be the fundamental rule of the entire array. Third, every five minutes, the seven-star lantern formation shifts position, during which time a rain of swords will fall." Xiahou Aotian furrowed his brows, standing silently, lost in thought. "We have four minutes until the second wave of sword rain," Zhang Yuanqing said. No one spoke; each person frowned and pondered. "Three minutes remaining," Zhang Yuanqing reminded, counting down. The chief of Zhishka, still without clear direction, said, "Make the most prepared for the worst. Yuanshǐ, if you can visualize the scene of our attack, could you ensure the damage is minimized?" Zhang Yuanqing shook his head helplessly: "Stellar observation and prediction takes more than two minutes. Moreover, the black smoke obscures the celestial patterns, making it impossible for me to obtain clear information." "Black smoke is equivalent to secrecy. The Lady of the Stilled Kill remained silent. "There are still two minutes," Suan Yuanqing said, his tone growing more subdued as Xia Hou Ao Tian showed no response. At that moment, a murmuring sound came from within the ring—words from a Qin Dynasty alchemist: "Our generations have pursued the world's harmony, sought immortality and enlightenment, striving for eternal peace and freedom. Yet your spiritual realm travelers are so utterly unremarkable, even more so than insects—truly pitiable." Xia Hou Ao Tian, already anxious, felt his composure shaken upon hearing this, and snapped, "Stop being so cold and detached! You old, useless man! While others' elders can help the protagonist gain an advantage, you do nothing at all—what good are you?" The Qin Dynasty alchemist chuckled, "The very spiritual realm is your greatest advantage. In our time, it was unimaginable for a young, weak noble to ascend to the rank of Sovereign." Xia Hou Ao Tian gritted his teeth, "If we perish here, you won't even be able to leave." "Hah," the alchemist smiled, "This place is filled with rich negative energy—most beneficial to Zhang Yuanqing spoke in a hurried tone: "One minute more." He was listening intently to the two performers, his patience nearly frayed. Qin Dai Fangshi sighed: "The Kaiyang Star is also known as the Wuqu Star, which governs order." Both Xue Hou Ao Tian and Zhang Yuan清 were momentarily startled, the latter relaying the elder's words. Fu Qingyang asked: "Why does the Wuqu Star govern order, rather than violence or martial strength?" Having some exposure to celestial phenomena, he acknowledged that the subject was complex and obscure, and since he wasn't a night-wanderer, he had not pursued it deeply. "The Breaker Star, or Yao Guang, governs bravery," the Fangshi conveyed a subtle mental shift. "The martial aspect of the Wuqu Star, in your contemporary understanding, refers to maintaining public order—thus, it governs order." "I understand now!" Xiahou Aotian grew excited, his face filled with surprise: "I now understand the reason for the attack. The Kaiyang Palm maintains order, so when someone walks alone, the lanterns will issue an alert. When one person moves independently while others remain still, that individual represents disorder, and thus becomes the target of the attack." Fu Qingyang frowned: "Even when the lanterns are drifting together, we move as a group, yet the attack still occurs." Xiahou Aotian was momentarily stunned. The Mage-Eyed King sighed impatiently: "Do you even understand what I'm saying? Before Yuan Shi arrived, only one person was operating the Yin Shi; according to the principle of order, that should not constitute disorder—yet he still suffered the attack." Xiahou Aotian fell silent, his face instantly pale. "Only thirty seconds left!" Zhang Yuanqing sighed: "Get ready." The Mage-Eyed King once again manifested with three heads and eight arms. Fu Qingyang focused, remaining alert. The Qin Dynasty physician spoke calmly: "His reasoning is sound—only that you, of this generation, are unfamiliar with ancient practitioners, so you haven't yet devised a way to resolve the situation." If I'm not mistaken, we'll walk the Yu Bu together." "What is the Yu Bu?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. Fu Qingyang, the Master of Zhishi Palace, and the Mage with the Eye of Heaven all showed identical expressions of curiosity. Summer Hou Aotian, no less a scholar, suddenly had it all clear and exclaimed loudly, "The Yu Bu is a common footstep pattern used by Taoists in their rituals of prayer—stepping on the seven stars, following the celestial patterns. Time is limited, so I'll demonstrate it once." With that, he quickly executed a sequence of steps that followed a clear rhythm. At that very moment, the lanterns floating in the sky began to drift gently. This time, instead of rushing to follow the lanterns, everyone, under the call of Summer Hou Aotian's incantation, moved in unison and with perfect coordination, stepping in the Yu Bu. They pursued the lanterns slowly and steadily, without any disturbance or danger. "Ah!" exhaled the Mage with the Eye of Heaven. "Well done—we've found our way to survive within the array. Now, we just need to locate the center of the array." Everyone turned Xiahou Aotian, rarely becoming the emotional anchor of the team and gaining immense emotional value, wasn't particularly happy. "Based on my observations, Xuan Ge and Zhaoyao—the two second-tier stars—must be like two little lamps of Kongming hidden within these lamps. If we locate them and destroy them, we can break the array," Xiahou Aotian sighed. "But that's almost impossible, Old Man. What have you discovered?" Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of panic, and the joy of having defused the crisis vanished entirely. The focal points of the array were hidden among hundreds of Kongming lanterns, which could not be forcibly destroyed—otherwise, they would attract attacks of sword energy. The worst part was that they had only six minutes to locate two of these focal points among the hundreds of lanterns that could not be damaged. Was this something humans could realistically achieve? When Zhang Yuanqing relayed Qin Dynasty court magicians' words to his teammates, even the composed Fu Qingyang lost his composure. "We've suddenly entered hell mode," the Mage with the Divine Eye remarked, chuckling. "I and Fu Qingyang have a seven-out-of-ten chance of surviving the killing array and reaching the boss. Yuan Shǐ Tianzun has a three-out-of-ten chance, the Master of the Stopping Palace has a four-out-of-ten chance, and as for Xia Hou Aotian—he has only a one-out-of-ten chance." A three-out-of-ten chance and a four-out-of-ten chance are practically the same! Xia Hou Aotian is certainly doomed, and my chances of survival, along with the Master of the Stopping Master Zhi Sha, after a thoughtful pause, said: "My Pot of Spirit Beasts is my greatest treasure—no attack can damage it. Should we truly reach a point of no return, I will hand it over to the one among you who has the best chance of surviving. Inside, your spirit duplicates are preserved. Once you return to the real world, you must seek out the Mother Goddess's Womb and secure it. Should all of you perish within the realm, then we will have to wait for the Head Elder to discover the Nan Yuan realm and retrieve the Pot of Spirit Beasts. "However, as a manager-level item, I am uncertain whether the Spirit Realm will reclaim it after the realm resets." Xiahou Aotian maneuvered it once more out of the illuminated area, and the sword aura arrived as expected, destroying the puppet. This outcome left everyone quite surprised. It meant that within five minutes, they could traverse all seven light arrays without suffering any attacks. Zhang Yuanqing whispered, "How are we going to locate the array's core? We don't have much time left." His words had the effect of male silence and female tears. A Qin dynasty court magician interjected, "The core is the central hub of the array. Unlike the other Kongming lanterns, it lacks offensive capability—it only transmits energy. Therefore, the lantern that doesn't attack anyone must be the one at the core." Zhang Yuanqing immediately dismissed this suggestion. To locate the core by attacking each lantern one by one would entail high trial costs and simply wouldn't be feasible given the time constraints. Fu Qingyang suddenly said, "There's a solution! We can use the rules of the spiritual realm to identify the core. Any object within the spiritual realm that possesses spirit will have a distinct attribute." The focal point is different from other Kongming lanterns, and thus its item attributes must necessarily differ." Xiahou Aotian shook his head. "No way—black smoke provides a concealed effect, so we can't see the item attributes. If you don't believe me, try it yourself." In the Yao Guang Hall, they hadn't been able to see the item attributes of the Cut-Devil Blade and the statue. "No, I agree with the elder's plan," Zhang Yuanqing became excited. "I can summon the Day-Rising and the Flame-Sovereign War God to purify the black smoke in this area. Once the concealment effect is lifted, you'll be able to see the item attributes. Of course, that means you'll no longer be able to use skills—you'll have to touch the lanterns one by one. Within three minutes, it might not be enough time to locate the focal point, but it will eliminate a portion of the uncertainty." Indeed, the elder rarely speaks, yet when he does, his words are always precise and to the point. Fu Qingyang nodded. "Then we'll head to different lantern arrays and search separately. Hopefully, with good luck, three minutes will be sufficient. Time was pressing, so Zhang Yuanqing immediately activated his combined technique of Ri Sheng and Lie Yang War God. A solar mark appeared on his brow, his skin shifted to a deep golden hue, and a miniature sun emerged behind his head. Pure, bright golden light surged, pushing back the surrounding darkness and suppressing the sickly green ghost flames. The spiritual energies within the others seemed to be driven away, dispersing rapidly—yet they paid no mind, stepping forward and moving out of the Kaiyang Lamp Array, following the "thread-like" Konming lamps that connected the six arrays, toward Yuhe, Yao Guang, Tianji, Tianxuan, and Tianshu.