The golden light poured into the hall, illuminating all the scenes within with clear and distinct detail. Standing in the hall were three majestic statues, each towering at ten meters. The central figure wore a battle armor crafted from metal latticework, accompanied by a bronze sword about two inches long, resembling a general from the Warring States period. To the left, the statue dressed in Taoist robes, with flowing white beard and a bronze sword slung over its shoulder, exuding the serene, otherworldly grace of a sage. To the right, the figure wore a loose, flowing robe, secured only by a single wooden hairpin, with his side and forehead hair cascading freely, appearing carefree and unbound. These three statues stood out most prominently and thus came into Zhang Yuanqing's view first. Yet he paid no attention to the identity of the deities enshrined in the hall or their historical counterparts. His gaze merely passed over them and settled on the coffin resting horizontally at the center of the hall. The coffin was rugged and ancient in form, measuring about three meters in length and one meter in width, forged entirely of bronze. Its body and lid were inscribed with numerous spiritual script characters, covered in a layer of verdigris The coffin is a ritual artifact, used to seal away malevolent spirits within. However, deep sword marks etched across its lid have disrupted the spiritual incantation patterns. As a result, the malevolent entity inside escaped confinement and ultimately destroyed the entire E-shan immortal sect. Zhang Yuanqing immediately turned his attention to the three figures standing beside the bronze coffin. They wore the robes of E-shan's senior masters—two men and one woman—with their long hair flowing, dry and curled, and their eyes glowing a pale, eerie green. To Zhang Yuanqing, these three spectral bodies bore a striking resemblance to Lady Yin Yao—high-ranking spectral beings that had transitioned from living humans. The three masters, bathed in sunlight, began to deteriorate and dissolve, their dark blue-black skin crumbling as if splashed with sulfuric acid, revealing the same dark flesh beneath. Unaware of the transformation, they bowed deeply before the bronze coffin, emitting subtle spiritual vibrations: "The ancient魃, the Supreme Great Ancestor of the Dead, please grant us strength to withstand the unworthy intruders who have invaded our sacred grounds." Ancestor of the Dead? Zhang Yuanqing was struck by this title—rarely could a master of ordinary caliber Then, recalling the name "Bá," Zhang Yuancheng suddenly thought of a mythical figure: the Drought Deity, Bā! Was the one sealed within the coffin the Drought Deity? Or perhaps, was this very figure the original prototype of the Drought Deity? As this thought flashed through his mind, he observed that the golden light, though unable to immediately purify the three high-ranking阴 entities, began to manifest. With his left hand, he formed a large golden bow, and with his right finger, emitted a golden beam that transformed into an arrow, drawing the bow with the fullness of a crescent moon. The three阴 entities could endure the scorching effects of the Sun God's power for extended periods. "Whoosh!" The golden arrow shot forth, cutting through the air with a piercing cry. As it approached within three meters of the coffin, ripples suddenly appeared in the space, and then the arrow—formed by the Sun God's power—disappeared as if swallowed by the space itself. Concealed? Zhang Yuancheng grew serious. He realized the arrow hadn't vanished by mere chance, but had been enveloped by concealment, and then, from his unperceived perspective, extinguished by At that moment, the lid of the coffin gently trembled, and a tangible black smoke seeped through the cracks—unfading, unevaporated under the golden light, flowing in fine threads into the nasal passages of the three shadow corpses. In an instant, the three shadow corpses seemed to have consumed a powerful tonic; their decaying skin instantly restored, a thin layer of shadow energy enveloping their bodies, shielding them from the sun's scorching rays. The central shadow corpse slowly turned its neck, its face rigidly fixed toward the hall doors, its eyes glowing a cold, eerie green: "Unauthorized intrusion upon Shu Mountain! Murder of my disciples! Death!" It swiftly drew its sword from its waist, and a brilliant, white light surged upward—only to be partially purified by the power of the sun, and by the time it struck Zhang Yuanqing, it had grown weak. Zhang Yuanqing summoned a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, activating his second form, the dragon's spectral form coiled around him, shielding him. "Clang!" The sword's light shattered upon the dragon's body. While the sun's power suppressed all spiritual energies and artifacts, the Five-Claw Zhang Yuanqing didn't want to fight inside the hall, fearing that the malevolent creature within the coffin would strike. With a light tap of his foot, he retreated toward the outer courtyard. Three shadow corpses emerged from the hall side by side, each wielding three bright iron swords. The tips of the swords gathered a cold brilliance, like streaks of lightning or flowing silk ribbons, piercing again the ethereal image of the five-clawed golden dragon coiled in place. Though already weakened by the power of the Sun God, the combined force of the three swords nearly shattered the golden dragon's shield. "Two at mid-level Eight, one at late Eight—ranked slightly above me. Without the protective Yin Qi granted by the bronze coffin, and given the attribute opposition, I could have held them off even now... " "They've retained most of their pre-death skills and are adept at close combat. While the Sun God's power weakens their sword techniques, I'm unable to deploy other abilities or items—my hands are bound." As soon as the combat began, Zhang Yuanqing realized that close-quarters fighting was not viable. If the Sun God's power couldn't transcend them, a tactical shift was necessary. He thought deeply, yet spoke with scorn: "It wasn't me who killed your disciples—it was you yourself. Remarkable, isn't it? The thousand-year legacy of Shu Mountain, with over a thousand disciples, all reduced to ashes by your own self-interest. Grand Master, can you stand up to the ancestors of Shu Mountain?" … [Update two rules: First, each contestant may participate in the arena match only once. Second, during the arena match, the core of the array will no longer time out. Third, when an array's duration expires, the arena match will be temporarily suspended.] These sudden rule changes have left both sides somewhat caught off guard. The Chairman expressed his disappointment: "Hmm, I thought we could sustain ourselves through battle. It's not that the evil faction isn't giving me opportunities to exploit bugs—it's the realm itself that's preventing it. Is the realm now clearly aligning with the evil faction?" "The sea king, with his beard covering half his face, said, 'During the match period, the array's timing stops. Then we must secure six victories. The evil faction needs nine.' The situation has grown more serious and complex. The more victories we achieve, the more likely we are to enter a back-and-forth struggle, and with each such struggle, half-gods will fall—there's virtually no chance of zero casualties. The three updated rules lean toward the lawful faction in the first, the evil faction in the second, and the third is neutral. This balanced set of rules is likely the result of negotiations between the spiritual realm and the transcendent beings. As the discussion unfolded, the representatives from the evil faction made their appearance—McLaren, the owner of the Dionysus Club! This elderly man is tall and sturdy, with a sunken nose and gray hair, his eyes cloudy and dim, like a drunkard. Anyone who looks directly at him feels dizzy and disoriented, with symptoms of vertigo and neural imbalance. McLaren is an 11th-level Dionysus. 'A bit of a challenge.' "The goddess spoke softly: 'In terms of divinity, he isn't the highest, though divinities at level 11 generally surpass us. In terms of power, his attacks aren't particularly strong, but he's the most tenacious. Only knights can temper drunkards, yet the knight class has no demi-gods. Among your second district's demi-gods, only the Lord of the Stars can overcome him—otherwise, it's merely a draw.' The demi-god from the void leaned in close and whispered, 'Have you slept with him?'"