After stepping out of the realm, Zhang Yuanqing did not return to the mundane world, but instead appeared in the ethereal realm that resembled an infinite expanse of cosmic rivers and stars. Now, with his standing, entering or exiting the ethereal realm is but a mere thought. Zhang Yuanqing lifted his head, gazing upward toward the infinite heights, and emitted two beams of golden light that surged toward the Celestial Palace, where he saw the malevolent deities dwelling upon the ethereal realm. Some of them had three heads and eight arms, their bodies entirely black, encircling the cosmos with planets swirling around their massive forms like viscous matter. Others drifted through murky, dark star rivers, occasionally revealing a segment of their bodies, stretching across the entire solar system. Some were formless, lacking physical presence, yet their spiritual consciousness pervaded the star rivers, appearing as transcendent beings beyond sight, lofty and imperceptible. Others resembled immense black holes, consuming all matter—including light. And some held staffs, draped in long robes, resembling human beings in form, though their faces were blurred, each cradling a star river whose physical laws were completely inverted and disordered. Some are cosmic monstrosities spanning star rivers, their forms ever-shifting, embodying every shape—both imagined and unforeseen—by humanity. Noticing the gaze of the Sun’s sovereign, the female deities cast their own glances. At once, Zhang Yuanqing heard a noisy, resonant, ethereal roar, establishing connection between the two parties silently and without effort—terrible pollution descending in rule through the simple act of mutual gaze. Zhang Yuanqing’s body underwent distortion, magical patterns emerging on his skin, and viscous fluids flowing from his crown—yet as golden rays of sunlight rose behind his head, all pollution was purified. Through this brief contact, Zhang Yuanqing discerned the true natures of these female deities, learned their identities, and understood their domains. They are: The Enchantress妖, Sovereign of a Hundred Armies. The Earthly Colossus Serpent, the Dragon Bearing Candles. The Realm-Outer Heavenly Demon, Sovereign of the Void. The Sovereign of All Demons, the Source of Distortion. The Inverter, the God of Wine. Eternal Night; Spirit of the Deep. According to the Heavenly Emperor, the number of feminine deities far exceeds this. Some are relatively weak and lack the capacity to erode the spiritual realm; others perished in the two great wars among the deities. "Given their status, it would not be surprising if they destroyed Earth—or even the entire Milky Way—within a matter of moments. Earth would have long since been crushed into dust by the evil deities, had it not been the largest instance within the spiritual realm, protected by the sun, moon, stars, and the divine graces of the gods." Zhang Yuanqing lowered his gaze, no longer gazing upward at the stars, but instead turned his attention toward the deeper reaches of the spiritual realm. His vision pierced through layers of darkness and revealed the third region, still unopened, shrouded in boundless chaos. With the nature of the sun's sovereign, he could only discern a colossal tree towering over the spiritual world. This great divine tree had already died; its trunk flowed with impure, turbid fluids, burning with flames of destruction. Various rules of dissolution were eroding its remains, and the withered branches bore a desolate spiritual realm, as barren as the tree itself. "We should disinfect it...," Zhang Yuanqing murmured. But this would have to wait until the Day, Moon, and Star align and the Third District is activated. Zhang Yuanqing spoke without expression, his voice majestic and authoritative: "You may call me the Mage-King! As for you, shall I address you as King Boreas, the Sovereign of the Sky, or the Thunder God?" The Wind and Thunder deities emitted deep, resonant male voices: "Currently, she and I are one. I remember the battle last year—when the Mage-King had already perished, both body and spirit extinguished." Zhang Yuanqing offered no explanation, simply said: "I have my own means of resurrection. Even the Star Sovereign has remained unaware of this. As for you two, Wind and Thunder deities, I now present you with two choices: First, I shall free you, upholding order and eliminating the threat to humanity. Second, I may temporarily contain your madness, and then see how fate unfolds—whether one will willingly sacrifice themselves to fulfill the other, or whether you will merge into a single, new soul." The Wind and Thunder deities made no immediate choice, but instead gazed upon the once-thriving city now reduced to ruins, pausing thoughtfully, their tone complex as they asked: "How long have I been mad?" "Her consciousness was disoriented, and after a period of dormancy, she lost the concept of time—she had no idea what year it was now." "Two months!" Zhang Yuanqing said. Two months... The Feng and Lei deities were somewhat surprised. Could it be that Master Yuan Shi, once a sage, had ascended to become the sovereign of the Sun in just two months? This clearly exceeded their expectations. Zhang Yuanqing spoke calmly, "During your period of unconsciousness, the Sun's replica was activated. The sovereign of the Moon, Ling Tuo, perished. The sovereign of the Stars betrayed the order and seized the essence of the Moon. I still have a battle to fight against him." He succinctly outlined the struggle for the Sun and the current situation. The Feng and Lei deities studied him for a moment, then said: "Whether it is I or Borias, we both possess strong ambitions. It would be impossible to relinquish the position we have cultivated through a century of rigorous practice. Though you have become the sovereign of the Sun, you may not necessarily be our match." "Yet reason tells me we should have given up—we have caused such great calamities to humanity and to the lawful order, and we deeply regret that..." She paused for a few seconds, then said, "I choose the second path. I wish to retain a measure of clarity until the sun, moon, and stars realign. Then, whatever the outcome, I shall be able to accept it calmly." Zhang Yuanqing nodded slightly, "Thank you!" The intent of the Wind and Thunder deities was clear—they wished to assist the lawful order in its battle against evil and to contribute their full strength in the final struggle. After a moment's reflection, Zhang Yuanqing spoke with a firm, resonant voice: "Your madness stems from the clash of two wills—an issue even the sun cannot resolve, for the root of the problem is not pollution. I will etch the mark of the Sun's radiance into your inner realms, to balance these two opposing wills. The price will be that you will endure constant scorching from the power of the Sun's deity, suffering persistent pain. Should, at the end, you still refuse to yield, still unwilling to make room for the other, I shall draw upon the essence of the Moon to aid your "This is the only solution I can think of, on the condition that I defeat the Lord of the Stars." The case of the Wind and Thunder deities is unique. If it were merely two souls sharing one body, Zhang Yuanqing could have already separated them at this point. The issue lies in the fusion of their powers! Their individual wills are inseparable from their respective powers. Therefore, the only options are for the souls to merge, or for one to willingly "die" in order to make way for the other. "After the souls merge, your memories will exchange, your personalities will blend, and there will be no clear hierarchy—though in the short term, your temperaments will become quite unusual, requiring a long period of adaptation and adjustment," Zhang Yuanqing explained. The Wind and Thunder deities remained silent for several seconds. "This is the best possible outcome," they said. Zhang Yuanqing nodded, then stepped forward to stand before the bare-bodied Borias. With a fingertip pressed gently to the center of her forehead, a golden glow emanated from the tip, drawing a radiant golden sun across her smooth brow. A pang of sorrow flashed through the eyes of the Wind and Thunder Deities, then was swiftly suppressed. She raised her hand, catching a strand of clear breeze, and transformed it into a jade-green outer robe, which she draped over her slender, tall form. "I should return to Tianfa!" she nodded slightly, transforming into a streak of lightning and heading toward the distant horizon. Although it's unclear why Lei Yibing's mother was hypnotized, combining the current information suggests that Yuan Shishen, four years ago, became a Lingjing Traveler just like Lei Yibing. Yet this contradicts reality. Yuan Shishen became a Lingjing Traveler in April of last year. "Strange—very strange!" the Pure Yang Master narrowed his eyes, "There's something amiss with Yuan Shishen's identity. He clearly became a Lingjing Traveler four years ago. Given his talent, how could he have remained virtually unknown over those four years? "As soon as we verify Yuan Shishen's information from the real world, the cycle will resume. Perhaps this is the secret behind Yuan Shishen's disappearance over the past four years." The Pure Yang Master once again entered Zhou's dream, retrieving Zhang Yuanqing's family background and current address from it. Then, he stepped out of the dream, transforming into a streak of starlight and leaving Room 402. The Pure Yang Master intends to remain patient and consult with the senior management of the Dark Night Rose. Yuanshi Tianzun may hold even greater secrets. Until he fully understands the situation, he dares not take any bold actions—let alone kill this middle-aged woman. Should she perish, it would inevitably stir Yuanshi Tianzun, allowing the young man to observe his actions along the river of fate and thus pinpoint him. The most prudent course is to feign that nothing has happened. ... As the sun set, the family's traitor entered the building, inputting the password to unlock the security door, and found Chen Shu and her mother preparing dumplings at the dining table. Both sister and mother wore light cotton shirts and thin trousers, while their elderly father had donned his favorite white shirt. The air conditioner in the living room hummed steadily, blowing cool air. "Oh, my dear sister," the uncle said, tossing aside the hem of his wine-red suit as he stepped into the living room, "at last, you've managed to find time amidst your busy schedule to honor your poor parents and brother." Chen Shu glanced at him and turned her gaze toward the bedroom, saying, "Yuanzi has returned and is in the room. He said he would immediately come to see you as soon as you arrive." Her mother-in-law complained, "It's only just been the Spring Festival! How can it be so hot already? It's all due to environmental neglect—carbon emissions consistently exceed standards year after year, leading to global warming. I think humanity is on its way to extinction." "Mom, if you don't watch as much media content, the climate warming won't be this severe," Chen Shu thought, having a vague sense of what was unfolding. When her son returned, she hadn't given it much thought yet. It wasn't until he said, "After Uncle returned, he asked to go into the room," that Chen Shu realized the battle for the throne of the Sun had concluded. Combining the tone and demeanor of Yuanzi's speech, she sensed that her son, whom she had nurtured for twenty-two years, had finally taken that decisive step. But Yuanzi didn't mention it—she dared not ask. That profound, soul-level pressure could not be subdued even by the strength of blood At that moment, a voice from the bedroom came from Zhang Yuanqing: "Mom, you and Uncle come in together." Chen Shu instinctively followed, wiping the flour from her hands and turning to look at her brother. Uncle shrugged and stepped forward first, opening the door and entering the bedroom. Though not large, the room was clean. There, the siblings saw Zhang Yuanqing standing by the window, her hair like gold, her skin a deep golden hue, facing the window with her back to the door. Zhang Yuanqing did not turn around, and slowly said: "I once admired the Mage King, mocked him, yet never imagined that one day I would become the very Mage King I once looked down upon."