Song Hai, the bedroom. The watch on the nightstand vibrates intensely and emits a similarly ethereal glow. More precisely, it is the strap that radiates a glow originating from the same electronic display, as if the two elements sense each other and draw toward one another. The two straps detach from the watch and transform into ethereal streams of light, merging with the electronic display. Immediately, a complete electronic watch appears. The glowing Ba-Gua pattern is now complete, and twelve symbols representing time emerge within the display—exactly matching the celestial emblem of time law on the back of Hao Tian's divine form. Seeing this emblem materialize, Zhang Yuanqing finally feels at ease. The "fleeting hope" he had been seeking referred precisely to the hope of completing the electronic watch. He had once believed that the watch straps had been stored in the treasure vault of the Yuhua Immortal Sect, which is why he had no memory of them. Thus, only after the Lord of the Stars had shattered that hope did he decide to gamble everything and initiate the final confrontation prematurely, leaving no room for the other side to extinguish the remnants of Lingtuo's spiritual essences. Yet, rooted in his own confidence, he harbored a persistent question: the electronic watch, a gift from the Emperor of the Heavens and his own strategic reserve, if kept securely within the treasure vault of the Feiyu Immortal Sect, why did he make such a grand display of it? While "grand display" may not be the most precise term, the fact that the Magistrate had bequeathed assets to his "imperial consorts" was well known throughout the upper echelons of the spiritual realm. With the Lord of the Stars' sharp analytical acumen, it was only a matter of time before he uncovered the truth. Indeed, upon recognizing that the Prime Immortal Sovereign possessed the power of "renewal" and thus was protected by the Emperor of the Heavens' strength, the Lord of the Stars immediately deduced that this power was the very force enabling the Prime Sovereign to restore the Sun's original essence—thereby confirming that the Feiyu Immortal Sect was the The electronic watch possesses the characteristic of "once you understand it, you're trapped in a loop"—a trait that doesn't need to be hidden deeply, and this very trait ensures that no one can ever find it. Yet precisely because of this trait, Zhang Yuanqing himself is unable to locate it. Thus, he speculates that the clue might be hidden within the Cat King speaker, capable of recording information. Indeed, the Cat King speaker provides a clear answer—your elder brother! Originally, given the nature of the "watch strap," the speaker would have found it difficult to offer a specific clue. However, in the past, the self (the magical sovereign), observing the current situation, quietly discovered your elder brother and entrusted the "watch strap" to him. Although the speaker did not record the key information, the magical sovereign—who had ceased to interact with family members after his fall—unexpectedly began contacting Chen Yuanjun on a particular day becomes the most telling indication. Zhang Yuanqing reaches out and grasps the electronic watch, reading its properties with anticipation. Assembling a complete electronic watch truly reveals its properties: 【Name: Electronic Watch】 【Type: Electronic Product】 【Function: Time Travel】 【Description: A rule-based item from a deity. By adjusting the time on the watch, you can travel back in time to the past, with only four opportunities available.】 【Note 1: It can only return to the past.】 【Note 2: Each time you use time travel, the next journey becomes random.】 【Note 3: The more powerful your abilities, the greater the spiritual energy consumed by the watch after returning to the past. Use it with care.】 Moreover, the version of himself returning to the past could not deploy too strong a force, since the power he drew from the "past" originated in the wristwatch, not from within himself. "The sense of unstable time transitions through the props seems off—could it be a limitation inherent to the wristwatch's nature, or an issue with the profession not yet fully opened?" Zhang Yuanqing ran his fingers over the watch, then after a few seconds, began adjusting the year, month, and time on the buttons. "If I'm not mistaken, we first encountered each other on the day of the hunt against the Black Immortal, on May 9, 2022, at around midnight—12:10." As he finalized the time, he sighed inwardly: It was all my own fault! He pressed the confirm button. The octagonal watch face, symbolizing the laws of the Heavenly Emperor, began to rotate backward, its twelve time markers spinning as if time itself were flowing in reverse. The faster it spun, the stronger and brighter its radiance became. When the light reached its peak, an invisible ripple surged, causing all the light to collapse inward—until, at the very core, it vanished entirely. Chen Yuanjun sat motionless by the bedside, watching in stunned silence as his nephew and the electronic watch disappeared before his very eyes. Two forces intertwined and eroding each other, forming a delicate balance. Across from the man in the cap, by the base of the wall, a young man veiled in a red shawl sat hunched against the wall, looking disheveled and bloodied, clearly having taken a heavy beating. Behind him, the wall seemed to surge with an invisible, surging阴 qi, eager to seep into the real world yet hesitant to make its presence known. Amidst the thick阴 qi, Zhang Yuanqing caught a glimpse of the ghost bride. Nearby, a bald man, spitting white foam and stout in build, lay face down, still warm to the touch. At this moment, one by one, the windows of the residential building began to glow, as if the residents had been awakened by the commotion of the battle. Zhang Yuanqing stepped out of the alley, brushing a touch of magic over his face, transforming into the form of a magical sovereign, and smiled lightly: "If I'm not mistaken, it's exactly this time and place... long time no see, Black Unusual." At the same time, he pressed the pause button on his electronic watch, and instantly, time around him froze. A gray energy radiated outward in all directions, turning the vibrant world into a monochrome gray. Black Immu spun around suddenly, catching sight of him, his expression filled with profound terror: "You?!" "How could it be you? How could it possibly be you... No, this is impossible. This is impossible..." Then, his body began to take on a gray-white hue, his expression frozen in place. Zhang Yuanqing walked over to Black Immu, took the crystal cup from his hands, and with a single fingertip pressed to the center of Black Immu's forehead, extinguished his spiritual essence. Immediately, a solar emblem appeared on Zhang Yuanqing's forehead, his skin transformed into a deep golden hue, and golden particles began to spiral around his hair, activating his烈阳战神 (Lieyang Zhan Shen) skill. Then, Zhang Yuanqing extended his fingers into the crystal cup and carefully extracted the small, brilliantly glowing sun nestled within. The small sun transformed into a golden phoenix, flapping its wings and striking into the solar seal on his forehead. Instantly, Yuan Qing's soul and body were flooded with the furious power of the Sun God, spewing out blazing golden light from his eyes, nostrils, mouth, and ears. After a long while, he gently exhaled a stream of hot air, calming the turbulent divine energy within. Though a duplicate, he shared the same origin as the main body, and the phoenix naturally regarded him as its master. The unusual occurrence had simply been due to his relatively low status, which could not adequately contain the phoenix's intense energy. "The phoenix's power is too overwhelming—this body won't last much longer," Yuan Qing said, looking down at the fallen Holy Grail. Golden light radiated from his palms as he exerted himself, and with a sharp "crack," the crystal cup was shattered across its surface. He discarded the rule-based artifact that once caused him so much pain and fear, treating it as mere trash. He resumed the pause on his electronic watch and reactivated the time-travel function. The glow suddenly expanded, then contracted, carrying him into a time tunnel resembling the microscopic world. This time, the journey was random—he had no idea when he would arrive. Within the tunnel, where time seemed to flow imperceptibly, Zhang Yuanqing had no sense of how long he had been traveling. When he finally returned to the real world, it was during a season of apricot blossoms drizzling with light rain. There was no clouded leopard by his side! The sky was overcast with thin, soft clouds, and the rain fell gently, nourishing the land. Vehicles moved silently through the rain, and pedestrians hurried under umbrellas. He glanced down at his electronic watch—it read April 13, 2022. Just under a month after the conclusion of the Black Immortal's event. "What can I do at this point?" Zhang Yuanqing mused. Can I take charge of the Star Sovereign? Can I defeat the Spirit Expander? With my current state and strength, I'd probably just hand them over as guests. Hmm. I should inform Master Wuhen to abandon his promotion to Phantom God. Zhang Yuanqing didn't have many lingering regrets, the fall of Wuhen Hotel being one. Yet soon after, he set aside this thought—not only because he wasn't sure whether the Wuhen Master would agree, but if he did, the future might shift, adding further complexity. At this stage, however, the things he could actually do were indeed limited. Could he find his uncle and present him with the script in advance? No—should his uncle learn of the future developments, then even the Master of the Stars would know! He intended to meet the elder bāngzǐ here—the woman who had played an indispensable role in his growth and who remained his strongest support in the spiritual realm. If possible, Zhang Yuancheng hoped to give her a subtle hint so that she might offer greater support to a rising young talent, like a comet shining brightly on the horizon. With a display of his elusiveness, he arrived directly at the underground chamber of the mountain deity's temple, where he saw a stone sarcophagus entwined by tree roots.