"Old man, quiet down!" Xue Hou Ao Tian lowered his voice and scolded the elder ring. Now that he held a high position and commanded rule-based artifacts, backed by numerous capabilities, both in status and strength, he far surpassed the pinnacle of the Qin Dynasty's scholars. The principle "those who are more accomplished are entitled to shine" means simply: if I'm better, I can boast. This is precisely what the scholar class upholds. "Though your version has already passed, your experience and insight still hold value," Xue Hou Ao Tian said, "Following the great protagonist to defeat a half-god is a career achievement you can boast about for life." The Qin Dynasty scholar was furious. "Experience and insight mean little when faced with absolute strength—they can be dismissed with a smile. You, a mere youth, can boast confidently about yourself; why should you also be so confident about me?" As he spoke, Xue Hou Ao Tian noticed that his single-line knight had remained silent for a long time. Turning to look, he was immediately struck by a change in expression. To everyone's sight, Zhai Cai's face had turned pale and ashen, his eyelashes coated with frost, his lips blackened, and he had frozen into a lifeless ice statue. Xiahou Aotian quickly opened his inventory, retrieved a deep red robe, and draped it over Zhai Cai. A soft, dark red glow illuminated the scene, bringing warmth; white vapor rose from Zhai Cai's body, and after a few seconds, his eyes blinked once, restoring life to his previously rigid expression. "Ah, ah..." Zhai Cai, now revived, vigorously rubbed his hands, his lips trembling as he gasped, "It's so cold... so cold..." Xiahou Aotian sighed impatiently, "You, a knight whose endurance and strength rank only behind earth monsters—shouldn't you be stronger than even me, a scholar?" An eighth-level knight outperformed by a scholar in cold resistance! Zhai Cai hunched his shoulders, muttering, "By the gods, something's wrong with the wind and snow here. I'd just been thinking, 'It's so cold—I might as well freeze to death,' and then, I truly came close to doing just that." The ring elder immediately conveyed a sense of seriousness: "You are within a realm of illusion—what you think in your heart will become reality. The colder you feel, the more it will kill you. If you believe you have been frozen to death, then you truly are dead." Xiu Hou Ao Tian suddenly understood. When he first entered the realm, he had felt increasingly cold, to the point of experiencing a sharp, painful sensation as if icy raindrops were randomly pattering against his face—especially when clashing with Zhai Cai. Later, as his attention shifted to the ring elder and he no longer paid attention to the cold, his body ceased to feel cold. In contrast, the single-ward knight, left unattended, found himself easily distracted and preoccupied with thoughts. Zhai Cai quickly gathered his thoughts, consciously suppressing any notions related to cold, yet he found himself puzzled by the steady warmth emanating from the dark red coat—Xiu Hou Ao Tian’s garment, merely a divine sage-level item, which seemed capable of withstanding the icy realm conjured by the phantom god? The moment the thought flashed through him, the outer coat was instantly covered with ice, completely damaged and no longer able to radiate warmth. Bad! He had to avoid any negative energy that might harm himself... Zhai Cai gathered his thoughts once more, but just then, another uncontrollable thought surged in his mind: My hands are so cold—I feel like they're about to freeze! "Crack!" A sound like breaking glass echoed through Zhai Cai's arm, and soon, the entire arm hung suspended within the sleeve. At the same time, Xiahou Aotian's right leg also emitted a "crack." The two exchanged a silent,默契 glance—no words needed, yet they instantly understood each other's plight, and neither offered a sarcastic remark like, "You're always losing control of your mind again?" As a native of the second district, Xiahou Aotian knew more than Zhai Cai did. He spoke calmly, "This isn't good. The illusionist can manipulate emotions. He's a phantom deity—he makes us think what he wants, and we can't help it. Resistance is completely useless." “We’re not…,” Zhai Cai forced the words “dead set” down. Afraid that as soon as they came out, everything would go cold. “So the Spirit Realm matched us into this quest purely as a gift?” Zhai Cai shifted the focus by talking, trying to keep her thoughts from spiraling. “How do I know? Maybe, perhaps, probably—there might be some allies after all,” Xiahou Aotian said. As soon as he finished, a crisp “crack” echoed from his chest and abdomen, and a corresponding “crack” sounded in Zhai Cai’s right leg. The two exchanged a glance and fell silent. At that moment, slender threads of red light surged through the white snow, winding up their arms, thighs, and chests, tightening like bandages. A soft golden glow emerged, healing the frozen and shattered areas of their chests and thighs, restoring their flesh and texture. Turning their heads, they saw the ends of the red threads converge upon a woman wearing a silver mask. Beneath her elegant crimson gown, a dense network of fine threads extended. She was none other than the Lady Zhengsha, the Master of the Zhengsha Palace! Feeling their bodies regain energy, the two exhaled in relief. With such a strong healer at their side, the Master of Stopping Death stepped forward, her feet crunching over the snow, her expression dismissive. "Just you two? The Spirit Realm pulled me into this quest—was that really the intention?" Si Cai and Xia Hou Ao Tian exchanged glances, both murmuring in agreement, "We were wondering the same thing." "Why did you have to bring me along to die with you?" Qin, the Daoist official, exclaimed in anger. Xia Hou Ao Tian ignored him and offered his analysis: "This is clearly a multi-player quest. The maximum team size for such quests is six. Given the strength of the boss, we're certain there are still teammates out there." The Master of Stopping Death paused and reflected, then said, "Let's first address the immediate issue. This realm is born of the mind—so we can shape it with our own will." Si Cai immediately added, "I propose we think about it in reverse. I'm hot! I'm hot!" He repeated the phrase like a chant. The Master of Stopping Death and Xia Hou Ao Tian silently echoed the words in A few seconds later, the boundless, snowy world suddenly transformed into a golden desert, the sky clear and cloudless, with a blinding, intense sun high above, the air thick with scorching heat. Zhai Cai and Xiahou Aotian felt parched, their bodies drenched in large beads of sweat, already suffering from heatstroke and dizziness within moments—feeling as though they were dehydrating. Xiahou Aotian pressed his dry, cracked lips together. "That's strange. It seems we've jumped from the ice world straight into a fire sea." Zhai Cai stumbled slightly. "I—I feel like I'm about to burn up." Then, the desert erupted into roaring flames, as if engulfed in a sea of fire. The single-line knights of the Church burned themselves to ash. Jiang Yueyi was furious. "You two are such useless teammates! Don't think too much, don't speak—get the fire out!" The two, now with their skin split and flesh scorched, quickly recalled the vision of the icy, snowy world they had just experienced. Thus, the desert, the scorching sun, and the flames vanished, and the snowy plain returned. Blustery winds carried snowflakes and ice shards, smacking haphazardly against the faces of the three. Zhai Cai and Xiahou Aotian "plumped" to the ground, rising in white steam, their bodies soon cracking and weeping as frost settled upon them. Jiang Yebi sighed, pressed two drops of blood with her fingertip, and infused them into the half-charred forms, healing the burns. "It's cool, cool indeed..." "But just too cool," Xiahou Aotian and Zhai Cai murmured, weakly. "That's not right!" Zhai Cai's mind cleared, saying, "We've been inside the realm for so long, yet never once thought to resist. Twice we've faced peril, and never even used a single item." A deep, weathered voice echoed from afar, "It is because your spirit has been worn down. Without purification, you will sink into the ever-shifting realms, gradually fading and ultimately perishing." The three turned to see an elderly man with white hair approaching slowly, stepping through the snow with deep and shallow footfalls. His body was covered in taut, tiger-and-bear-like muscle, his skin a pale gold, and a golden sun motif was etched at the center of his forehead. Who was this man? Si Cai didn't recognize him. Jiang Yu E and Xia Hou Ao Tian, however, felt relieved—this made perfect sense. If the big boss were a Phantom God, then their own ranks should surely include a Sun God, capable of countering illusions. The Red-Sun Official was the pinnacle master of Tai Mu, the strongest among all beneath the Star Sovereign. Just as they were thinking this, they saw a blazing golden sun rise behind the Red-Sun Official. Yet, the pure, clear sunlight was being smacked by the downy snow and ice shards, trembling and wavering, nearly collapsing under the cold wind, bringing no warmth at all. Even with him, it seemed to make no difference! The three thought. At this very moment, another golden sun rose in the distance, slightly brighter than the one that had risen earlier by the Red Sun Official. The wind and snow had lightened considerably, and Jiang Yu E and her companions began to feel a gentle warmth, their coldness gradually dispelled, their limbs no longer numb. They, along with the Red Sun Official, were astonished, gazing in wonder toward the direction of the rising sun. A goddess in a flowing robe, serene and breathtakingly beautiful, stepped gracefully across the snow, barefoot. Zhai Cai still hadn't recognized her, but the three Masters from the second district immediately identified her. The powerful female figure behind the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign—the pillar of the Spiritual Realm! The Lady of the Three Mountain Peaks! How could she be here? With a composed yet stern gaze, the Lady of the Three Mountain Peaks surveyed the four of them and said, "I have been transported here by the Spiritual Realm, arriving as a native of this realm's original inhabitants, to assist these four heroes in eliminating the celestial demons within the 'Earth and Sky Array.' She simply clarified her identity and mission, without asking the four of them by name, nor inquiring why such a scenario had arisen, nor mentioning the conflict between the Sun Sovereign and the Star Sovereign—either indifferent, or already aware. With two peak Sun-Wanderers present, that would be a real challenge! Jiang Yuyi and the others felt a sense of reassurance, as if their team had finally formed and they could now attempt to tackle the boss. The Lady of San Dao slightly inclined her head, raised her hand to seize the porcelain bottle, unscrewed the stopper, and from the narrow mouth, two golden droplets of blood drifted out— one merging into the blazing sun atop her head, the other flying toward the blazing sun of the Red Day Judge. The red sun, the official, remained silent.