The Spirit Realm Instance: 【Stellar River】 The vast universe resembles a pure black velvet cloth, with the stars scattered across it like diamonds, brilliant and resplendent. The light of stars descends, coalescing into a magnificent circular table and fifteen high-backed chairs. Then, one by one, figures appear at the table's edge. There is a young woman with white hair, a sturdy man with red hair and beard, a slender sapling figure gently swaying, a tall middle-aged man with golden hair, blue eyes, and a messy beard, a fresh and endearing young boy, and a wise elder with white hair and beard... Fu Qingxuan surveys the gathering, noting that aside from the two half-gods from the Beauty Goddess Association and the Merchant Guild, all the half-god-level figures from the Order of Harmony have arrived. "It's been quite some time, Zhao brother—how has your divination practice been progressing?" "Without devouring you, my divination arts won't advance a single step, Liu brother." "Indeed, Zhao and Liu brothers, my craftsmanship has reached a bottleneck for years now. Either of you will have to make a concession and surrender some authority." "Hmph, old fellow! If it weren't for official constraints, I'd have eliminated you sixty years ago." "Thank you, brother. I've heard that Chu's young lady has obtained the Immortal Spirit Cauldron. How about we team up— you take the Cauldron, and I'll take the Waha Emperor's Remnant." "Go to hell with that— that's my descendants!" The half-deity, a musician and scholar by profession, immediately began chatting casually upon meeting, his tone overflowing with maternal warmth. "Be quiet!" Fu Qingxuan tapped the table, her gaze sharp and penetrating, sweeping across the half-deities of the spiritual lineage families. "The Half-Deity Council is not a forum for mutual jibes among you. As long as the sun, moon, and stars remain out of alignment, how much administrative authority you hold will matter little— you simply won't even register your names, and no matter what, you'll all end up as mere placeholders. Furthermore, when the official body was originally established, it was already agreed that the three musician families and the three scholar families would jointly share administrative authority. The internal strife within the Order of Harmony has already resulted in one such instance Although among the present demigods, Fu Qingxuan was the most junior in experience, she held an official status as a demigod and was a scout by profession—equivalent to the Grand Commander of the Imperial Armies in ancient times. Once the Grand Commander speaks, the demigods of the spiritual lineage naturally extend a measure of courtesy. Even the once-hostile Tianfa Chairman and the Sea Emperor, who had been exchanging cold remarks, now tempered their tone. At that moment, another figure materialized at the round table—a man dressed in a powder-blue suit paired with a white shirt, wearing a silver mask and holding a glass of champagne. His hair had been smoothed and combed neatly back, giving him the appearance of someone preparing to attend a fashion gala. As this stylish man entered, he shook each demigod’s shoulder in turn: "Well, look at this—how remarkably gathered you all are! Since the competition for the Light Compass, you've never convened so neatly. Shall we raise a glass of champagne and celebrate this moment together?" He walked over to the elder of the Zhu family, patting his shoulder: "Old Zhu, the Master of the Cease-Hostilities Palace is under my protection, as well as the Sovereign of the Sun. If you have any intentions toward her, it's a clear lack of face to me and the Sovereign of the Sun. Be careful—when the Sun returns to its rightful place, I'll have you as the first target." The figure formed by the gathering light seemed to have heard nothing—the voice was majestic and ethereal, devoid of any emotion: "Since the moment Ling Tuo pieced together the complete essence of the Moon, this day has been destined. After the Moon Star returned to its rightful place, the evil faction began laying plans to undermine the Wind and Thunder deities. Following their failure, Ling Tuo concealed the Register of Merit, and the evil faction united to besiege the Sea Emperor. These two decisive actions were both aimed at weakening the lawful faction’s half-divine forces before the Sun’s arena opened. Now, the evil faction has no choice but to delay—its only course of action is to prolong the timeline, compelling Ling Tuo to conceal the Register of Merit once again." The sound of the Tai Men delegation was like a mixed audio feed with 3D surround sound, layered and echoing from all directions. "Concealing the Register of Merit is useless," Crong Master declared with a resonant voice. "By now, they still want to pressure us with ordinary people? In war, how many die is irrelevant—let the evil faction kill as many commoners as they wish. All I care about is winning "As a centenarian who lived through the war era, his thinking is flawless. As long as order triumphs and the war ends, peace will eventually prevail—these ordinary people today are simply descendants of those who flourished after the war's victory. The Master of Taiyuan slowly said: "The purpose of Lingtuo's concealment of the Merit Scroll is not to eliminate ordinary people, but to obtain this cause-and-effect item, which will then allow him to compete with me for the Sun's Realm when the Sun's instance opens." Just as the sturdy sea emperor, with a messy beard, was about to speak, the Chief of Chihuo stepped in: "Doesn't the Sun purify everything? As a fallen being, Lingtuo's exposure to the Sun would either be purified or incinerated." The sea emperor nodded silently, and the Chihuo chief had effectively voiced his question. A solid representative. The Master of Taiyuan spoke with a resonant, layered voice: "Lingtuo will not directly hold the Sun, but can exert influence through the Merit Scroll. Moreover, he has several methods to control the Sun—such as creating a new soul, shaping a physical body, and using that new form as a puppet to govern the Sun. However, based on the current dynamics of the evil faction, they seem more intent on awakening the Night Emperor and absorbing the Sun." The chairman of Tianfa nodded. "Indeed, the senior leadership of the Eternal Night Church has recently been attempting to awaken the Night Emperor." The Master of Taiyuan continued: "With the Sun unclaimed, its primal power is dormant, though it still emits a purifying essence. It cannot withstand the forces of the Abyss. Once the Sun is absorbed, we will never be able to reclaim it again. Since no one can remain conscious within the Night Emperor's domain, the Sun effectively sinks into a realm accessible only to those who can enter it—like a realm that no one can reach." Fu Qingxuan tapped the table with her finger and said, "The ultimate goal of the evil faction is to have the fallen nocturnal deity take control of the sun and gain the greatest authority within the spiritual realm. Even if they absorb the sun, it would only be a temporary measure. Indeed, should the sun sink into the depths, the initiative would then firmly rest in the hands of the evil faction." The elder of the Zhao family spoke gravely, "Currently, the initiative lies with us. By gathering the fragments of the Compass of Light and activating the sun's realm instance, we will enable the Master of the Taiyuan Sect to take control of the sun. At that point, the evil faction will surely be defeated." Upon finishing, he turned his gaze toward the President of the Void. Everyone's eyes were now fixed on the President, some cold, others with subtle warnings, some with a tone of scrutiny, and others with a hint of advice. The President gently shook his highball glass and said, "I support the Primordial Sovereign, not the Master of the Taiyuan Sect." Jiang, the head of the branch, erupted in anger, speaking in a deep, resounding voice, "That The void—should you insist on dragging the entire lawful faction down, we’ll have to resort to the most vigorous measures,” the chairman smiled. “In just twenty years, have you all forgotten my once-remarkable feat of one-on-three? When I’m truly incensed, even the War God can be ground into the earth; how could you, mere insects, possibly stand against me?” The chairman of Tianfa said with a calm demeanor, “Then you’ll first need to produce a semi-divine artifact.” At once, the chairman spread his palms, and a gentle breeze coalesced from within, forming a small whirlwind that spun steadily. Everyone watched it intently, sensing the subtle yet potent storm energy emanating from it. The Sea King raised an eyebrow. “The Tianfa CEO has been searching for decades for something he’s never found—yet here it is, in your hands?” The chairman beamed with pride. “That’s precisely why I’ve kept it hidden.” The semi-divine figure seated at the conference table found himself at a loss. At that moment, the rich, layered mixing combined with immersive surround sound once again poured forth. Taiyuan's Master spoke: "This meeting has been convened specifically to address this matter. I present to you two options: First, gather the power of the Orderly Half-Deities, hunt down the Goddess of Beauty and the Void, and assemble the fragments of the Compass of Light. Regardless of the cost, the Orderly faction will bear it all. Second, abandon the Sun's Quest, and before Lingtuo secures control of the Merit Scroll, launch a decisive battle against the Chaotic faction. The price? All of your moral values will be reset to zero, resulting in your exile by the Spirit Realm. Of course, at that point, morality will no longer matter. But I cannot guarantee how many of the mortal inhabitants of the present world will survive. Regarding these two options, I have already laid out detailed plans and strategies. Now, voting begins. Once consensus is reached and the vote pattern emerges, the plan will be implemented immediately—no one may retract their support." "I have no objection!" the Half-Deity of the Zhao family declared first. Next came the Chairman of Tianfa, Jiang Master, the Master of the Central Courtyard, the Sea Emperor, and the water deity, renowned for her ethereal grace. The young sapling shook her head gently, murmuring: "With the flow... following the flow..." Master Xie of the Shé family paused, then sighed, "There's no alternative. I have no objection." Only Fu Qingxuan remained. The White-Haired Marshal pondered for a long time, then turned to the President: "What are the odds that the Primordial Celestial Sovereign will achieve a nine-tier promotion within half a month?" The President sighed, "Zero." Fu Qingxuan couldn't hold back, rolled her eyes, exclaiming, "A complete neurotic!" She immediately raised her hand, "Then I have no objection either." As an official half-divine, the Supreme Marshal of the World's Armies, she could not afford to place the fate of the world on a mere fantasy. The Master of the Tàimén gazed into the space where the semi-divine stood, her voice resonant and layered: "The vote begins!" "Xie family's half-divine sighed: 'To engage the evil faction prematurely means to disregard the lives of ordinary people. I do not agree that the common folk should bear the cost of a few individuals' caprice. Therefore, I choose to hunt down the Void and the Beauty Deities.' The Master of the Central Court remained silent for several seconds: 'I agree as well!' Fu Qingxuan spoke coldly: 'I opt to go to war early.' Xiahou Elder nodded: 'The Void can face three opponents at once. I support early action—my concern for the lives of ordinary people is secondary.' Jiang's Master expressed his thoughts simply: 'This man is as slippery as a eel. I too choose to go to war early.' Liu family Elder produced a turtle shell from his palm, 'Do not rush. Let me cast a divination.' Tianfa Chairman spoke gravely: 'Hunting down the Void and the Beauty Deities will inevitably result in casualties among the half-divine forces of the lawful faction. Yet, if we can elevate Taiyuan's Master to the status of the Sun's Sovereign, the losses will be fully compensated.' The Sea Emperor immediately replied: 'My choice has always been the opposite of yours "The Master of the Water Shrine: "I disagree with launching the war prematurely." The head of the Zhao family, stroking his beard, said: "My choice is the same as the Shrine Master's." The head of the Liu family poured copper coins from a turtle shell, gazed intently, and sighed: "A premature decisive battle is a major omen of misfortune. Internal discord within the orderly faction is equally ominous. Given this, why not unite and face the outside forces together?" Vote tally: 5–5. The group turned to the young sapling. The sapling shook its head and swayed: "Follow... the... current... flow..." Master Jiang grew furious: "Just one more vote from you, and which side are you following?" The sapling: "Either side is fine..." At this moment, the Chairman clapped his hands vigorously: "Indeed, the master most skilled in strategic planning and positioning among the stars—this is a masterstroke. Your pretense of indecisiveness will only delay matters for so long; my Sun Master is simply underperforming. As a half-divine representative of the orderly faction, I must prioritize the greater good. I yield. I "The figure, radiating starlight, inclined their head slowly: 'Speak!' Under the silver mask, the chairman's gaze shimmered with enigmatic intensity, his tone serious. 'Why did you decide to kill the Demon King originally?'"