The elder of the Taimei Sect gazed upward at the immense silhouette in the sky, slowly drawing his bow, forming a golden bow and arrow. "I joined the Taimei Sect not to serve the Lord of the Stars," he said. "I serve only my heart, only order. Before today, the Sect had convened an internal council, and after thorough deliberation, officially expelled the Lord of the Stars—every elder has unanimously agreed." With decisive, unhesitant, resolute strength, he released the bowstring. The arrow, infused with the blood of the Lord of the Sun, soared upward, piercing the celestial figure that spanned half the sky. A brilliant golden light erupted suddenly, illuminating the otherwise gloomy heavens, and the figure dissolved within the radiance. Though the southern sect's half-divine presence faded from the sky, his voice echoed from every direction, layered and resonant: "Hmph! A mere trifling feat!" Amid the layered sounds, streams of meteorites descended from the sky, trailing fiery red tails and emitting terrifying howls, falling like a relentless rain. Faced with the dense, flame-burning masses of meteors, Xue Hou Ao Tian, Jiang Yu E, and Zhai Cai felt a profound sense of fear, as though confronting an inevitable natural disaster. Were it not for the two golden suns continuously radiating purification energy, calming their emotions, the three would have collapsed emotionally, overwhelmed by a paralyzing sense of helplessness, unable to resist or act. "Boom... boom... boom..." At the very moment the meteors touched the golden light, they exploded into brilliant sparks. With each meteor explosion, the two golden suns lost a fraction of their strength—soon transforming from "midday suns" into "evening red suns." The meteor swarm was no mere illusion; it was an illusion infused with the "Void" technique. The Southern School's Phantom God was gradually dissolving the golden suns. The Red Sun Official said solemnly, "Day's rise cannot contain the Power of the Phantom God. He is stronger than we imagined—he will be able to hold on for no more than another fifteen minutes. Even the divine power of the Sun, capable of purifying everything, can only be gradually eroded when facing a force of higher rank. The strength of the Southern School's Phantom God surpasses our expectations. Still, Lady San Dao remains composed, shaking her head, 'It is that dark star in the heavens—or rather, the array enveloping the realm—that has amplified the human immortal.' With her experience and insight, she instantly grasped the key point. Hearing this, Jiang Yu E and Zhai Cai quickly retrieved two ceramic vials from their inventory and offered one to Lady San Dao and the other to the Red Sun Official. Each of them drew out a golden drop of blood and absorbed it into their bodies. Instantly, the 'Evening Sun' transformed into the 'Noon Sun,' yet the dark star in the sky remained endless, as if it would never cease. The Red-Sun Official maintained the "Sunrise" ability, fiercely countering the overwhelming, apocalyptic shower of meteor storms, and said: "Listen, while the illusionist is an extremely demanding and enigmatic profession, with both clear strengths and weaknesses—his frail physique and poor close-combat capabilities are his fatal flaws. As long as the Sun Sovereign's blood hasn't been fully drained, I and the Lady of San Dao Mountain can still leverage the power of Sunrise to counter his abilities. You must swiftly locate his true form. Once you do, I will join forces with the Lady of San Dao Mountain to defeat him." Zhai Cai took a deep breath, opened his inventory, and first removed a crown woven from willow branches, placing it solemnly upon his head. Then he grasped a golden armor. The armor automatically disassembled and settled upon his body. At this moment, the carefree and worldly Zhai Cai transformed into a solemn and dignified knight. With his entire form encased in the heavy armor, he held his cross-shaped sword before him, stood upright with a proud posture, and spoke with a resonant, authoritative voice: "The rules of this battle: no concealment allowed!" The holy knight's armor burst forth with a strong glow of bronze, and thus, the rule was established in the deepest realms. In the sky, within the dim star, a figure clad in black robes gradually emerged. The southern school's phantom god had always remained hidden within the 'Earth-Sky Star.' "Pfft..." Zhai Cai gasped, spitting out a stream of blood, then collapsed straightaway. His body cracked, and his spirit and vitality rapidly faded away. Counteraction! This was the inevitable cost of the sovereign body limiting a half-god. Zhai Cai died almost instantly, and even Jiang Yu Ei couldn't save her fallen companion. The life-renewing pot that could restore life had now departed. However, on Zhai Cai's chest armor, a phantom sprout of fresh green grew rapidly, swiftly maturing into a towering tree. Then, the leaves turned yellow, the bark cracked and weathered, and the tree began to wither quickly. At the same time, the cracks spreading across Zhai Cai's body ceased and began to heal slowly. This is one of the functions of the Willow Crown—the ability to transfer damage. The Willow Crown was forged from the rules-based artifact "Three Pure Branches" of Miao Senior, and through the Hundred-Refining Furnace, Zhai Cai refined the original creature-taming function of the "Three Pure Branches" into a life-preserving skill. Three life-saving abilities in total. One of them is the transfer function, which allows the host's fatal injury to be transferred onto a plant, with the plant's decline substituting for the host's death. This ability can be used only once within 24 hours. Upon seeing the Southern School's Phantom God appear, both the Red Sun Official and the Lady of San Dao Mountain surged forward, flanking the enemy from left and right. At the same time, a bright infant cry reached the Southern School's Phantom God's ears. The sound of the cry seeped into his body, triggering a profound transformation—his abdomen subtly swelled, as a new life struggled to take form. Though he already housed the remains of the Huangdi, the disparity in their ranks remained significant, greatly diminishing the effectiveness of the "Nurturing" ability, making it difficult for the infant to rapidly mature. Nevertheless, Jiang Yu E's true objective had always been to weaken the opponent and create an opportunity for the Sun-Wandering Deities of his own side. Suddenly, the Southern School's Phantom God vanished—disappearing entirely—while under the combined assault of the Red Sun Official and the Lady of San Dao Mountain. The Red Sun Official swiftly turned his head, gazing at the unconscious翟菜, now rooted into the trunk of a great tree, and remarked, "In the dream!" "I make this vow: to possess the quilt of the timid!" Xia Hou Ao Tian held a three-inch black iron furnace in his palm, The lid of the Black Iron Furnace instantly popped open, flinging out a tattered, patchwork cotton blanket—precisely the timid elder's blanket! Of course, a consumable! Unlike Zhai Cai's refined reprocessing, Xiahou Aotian's thinking was wildly imaginative. His requirement for the furnace was clear: a furnace capable of autonomously crafting its own items. Thus, he poured into the Hundred-Refining Furnace all of the rule-based items from the Peak Sovereign, the matchbox from the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, and half of his high-tier items and premium materials. After enduring relentless strain until he was nearly transformed into a creature of rage, and after deciding to return to the spiritual realm if he failed to secure his investment, a truly "streamlined" version of the Hundred-Refining Furnace finally emerged—named the "Wishing Furnace." This furnace replicates any item of lower status than itself (excluding consumables), creating consumable versions that last only five minutes, with four wishes allowed per day. However, each wish comes at the cost of a corresponding misfortune. Xiahou Aotian seized the timid blanket and hurled it forcefully toward Zhai Cai. The timid one, shielded by a quilt, becomes immune to all attacks, achieving absolute defense—while, as long as the defensive effect remains active, anyone tucked inside the quilt cannot emerge. Xiaohou Aotian chose this item not to protect Zhai Cai, but to seal the Phantasm within the quilt. … The Purple Wei Six-Deity Array—main array! Zhang Yuanqing supported his knees, gasping heavily, as if just finishing a one-kilometer exam for a high school student, his lips pale and large beads of sweat pouring down. With his spiritual energy severely depleted, he watched helplessly as the second Golden Phoenix was swept away by the grinding force of the "Taiyin" and "Xingchen" array, yet could do nothing. The Master of the Stars, having successfully repelled the counterattack from the Sun's sovereign, stood motionless at a distance, neither launching an attack nor retreating—seeming entirely detached, as if an observer outside the scene. Zhang Yuanqing gasped, his eyes filled with unyielding determination, gazing at the Lord of the Stars: "Stars, I have already lost two Golden Orions, my status has diminished, and with your strength, you could easily defeat me and end this battle prematurely. Why are you still hesitating?" At a distance, the Lord of the Stars replied calmly: "My assessment is that once your fundamental Golden Orions drop to four, you will be capable of defeating me." Zhang Yuanqing raised an eyebrow, shaking off his weariness, settled into a meditative posture, and sighed: "Indeed, these little tactics of yours have proven useless." ... New Covenant Prefecture, the Division of Heavenly Judgment. In Wei Ni's office, a streak of starlight rose, and a duplicate of Zhang Yuanqing stepped out from the ethereal glow, gazing at Wei Ni seated behind the spacious desk, engaged in a phone conversation with her assistant. Wei Ni paused, momentarily stunned, then spoke with a composed tone: "For now, let's proceed as is." She hung up the phone, looking at Zhang Yuanqing with a complex expression—her eyes shimmering with hope, confusion, and affection—deliberately speaking in a distant, cold tone: "What are you doing here?" Pausing, she couldn't resist asking, "Didn't you already enter the Spirit Realm副本?" The headquarters at Tianfa had issued alerts to all regional branches: the Twin Deities of Wind and Thunder had entered the Spirit Realm, and the battle between Order and Chaos had begun, with constant vigilance required against the Chaos faction's potential outbursts. Yet so far, conditions across the regions remained calm, and the Chaos faction had been unusually quiet. Zhang Yuanqing stated directly: "I'm a duplicate, staying in the real world to handle matters. I want to retrieve the Cat King speaker." Vinnie replied coldly: "What's the reason?" Zhang Yuanqing looked at her, his tone low: "I'm seeking a fragile, distant hope."