A spirit of resentment? Where did that come from? Black Unusual was suddenly struck by a sharp sense of alarm. The little spirit before him posed no immediate threat—yet whoever could command such spirits must surely be a Night Wandering Deity. Has the leader of the Dark Night Rose found me? Planning to go straight for a surprise takeover? As Black Unusual stood in confusion, urgent footsteps approached, and then a figure appeared at the mouth of the alley, peering curiously into its depths. It was a young man with an elegant appearance, full of hope and curiosity, watching him intently. When their gazes met, the young man's face stiffened instantly. Black Unusual saw in his eyes emotions far more complex than his own—surprise, astonishment, even fear. Night Wandering Deity? The aura wasn't strong. Not someone from the Dark Night Rose. Taiyi Gate? No—the timing was just right for an official representative. Someone from Fu Qingyang’s inner circle… And then came the matter of the injustice in the cosmic order being manipulated… Yuan Shi Tian Zun! That name flashed through Black Unusual's mind. Whoa, Black Unusual?! He wasn’t fighting fights at school? How is he here now—small person has ruined everything! Zhang Yuanqing quickly pressed down on his wireless headset and called out, “Chief Tengyuan, Black Unusual is with me. Come quickly—the location is…” Before she finished speaking, Black Unusual launched himself like a large bird, leaping from the wall toward her. His pupils narrowed to slits; his brown eyes turned amber. Sharp bone spines sprouted along his back, elbows, and knees, piercing through his garments with a sharp “crack.” Sorry for the disturbance—goodbye… Zhang Yuanqing didn’t even get a chance to speak before she quickly retreated, simultaneously activating her Night Wandering skill to vanish from sight. Black Unusual’s attack was so swift that she barely had time to summon the small person—the only instruction sent was to "get out of danger." A sixth-level Sage-level Evil Organization member—surely even a fourth-level Night Wandering Deity would have been overwhelmed by such force, let alone someone at just level two. Black Unusual is a trusted aide of the former president of the Spirit Energy Association and holds considerable influence in his own right. Zhang Yuanqing's plan was clear: escape! But not yet fully escape. Though he didn’t understand why he had come here, since he himself was present, it meant that Fu Qingyang and the elders of the Bǎi Huā Association must have been compromised. At this moment, all he could do was to delay as much as possible, buying time for the senior figures. Chief Tengyuan has already received his message. Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing felt a burning sensation in her chest and a painful itch in her throat. She began coughing violently, her head spinning. Her form gradually emerged from the disorientation. She hadn’t realized it—she’d been struck by a venomous infection all along. “Crack!” The black-unusual figure with bone spines extended his knees, creating a loud splinter sound on the cement floor as he launched forward—giving no time for her to react at all. He was confident he could defeat this Night Wandering Deity within just three or four attacks. When higher-level fighters pursue lower ones, it’s always decisive and thorough. A sharp gust of wind rushed past, and Zhang Yuanqing watched as the enemy arrived in an instant. The hairs on her back stood rigid. Despite her discomfort, she steadied herself mentally, opening up her inventory menu. Next moment, a yellowish-and-glowing pendant came into her hands—she felt her feet sink deeply beneath her, as though bearing a great mountain upon her shoulders. “Clunk!” Black Unusual retracted his right shoulder, bent his elbow, and using the strength of his muscles, drove his arm forward with a powerful straight punch—a long spear-like strike—hitting hard. The soil-yellow light screen trembled violently, like bubbles disturbed by wind. Ticking… ticking… Zhang Yuanqing staggered backward, each step cracking the cement beneath her. “Clunk!” A second punch landed. The pendant in her hands emitted a delicate “crack” sound as fine cracks appeared across it. “Clunk!” The third strike came—the steady-state pendant could no longer withstand the pressure and shattered into powder, causing the light screen to disappear entirely. Zhang Yuanqing began coughing up blood; her face turned pale. Black Unusual didn’t stop advancing—closing in closely. His fourth punch crashed toward Zhang Yuanqing’s head with an explosive sound. Her body collapsed just barely, narrowly avoiding that decisive blow. At this moment, a pair of brand-new Red Dance Shoes appeared on her feet—one step at a time, she avoided the straight punches by maintaining a proper stance, then the shoes leaped upward and spun, successfully evading Black Unusual’s sweeping legs. Then, with exceptional anticipation, she executed a lateral hop to dodge a vertical spine-cut from his arms. Throughout this entire sequence, Zhang Yuanqing herself felt dizzy and out of breath, constantly coughing blood—she had completely won without even trying to fight. “Several props….” Black Unusual raised an eyebrow. As a Night Wandering Deity at the Elevated Stage level, having two items was quite rich indeed. With Yuan Shi Tian Zun able to pass through two Rank-level Spirit Realms—their reputation was truly impressive. “Go—move quickly!” Zhang Yuanqing managed to breathe out weakly, issuing a command to the Red Dance Shoes. Now she had no intention of delaying any longer. The Sage-level Wu Gu Master was simply too strong. The moment they met, it would be over—an overwhelming gap in strength and speed. There was absolutely no possibility for close combat. That’s why she hadn’t drawn out her Blood-Soaked Sword yet. As for the Ghost Bride—the Ghost Bride should also be at a Sage level—yet even at that stage, there remains a significant difference between two Sage-level fighters. She didn’t know precisely how strong the Ghost Bride was—but she knew Black Unusual was a sixth-level Evil Organization member. That meant only a few individuals could surpass him within his own category. If her assessment were wrong, then she would have no way to recover—she’d be completely defeated. The Red Dance Shoes immediately carried her, unbroken by terrain, racing toward the residential buildings as if it were a smooth path. Its rules ignored terrain conditions. It served both as a pursuit weapon and an escape tool. “Want to flee?” Black Unusual laughed, not pressing forward—but instead reached out into the air, pulling out a simple straw man. About the size of a palm, with purple seals on its front and back, radiating a scent of decay. The face of the straw man began to distort, writhing as it grew eyes and nose—clearly resembling Zhang Yuanqing—and the two feet glowed with a faint red hue. Black Unusual grasped both feet tightly with his fingers, pressing down hard. Zhang Yuanqing, who had been racing through the building structure, suddenly felt her momentum stall. She looked down to see that the fresh Red Dance Shoes now appeared gray and dull—like an abandoned pair of shoes long forgotten. She fell heavily, landing on the ground, stirring up dust across the street. “Cough… cough…” Zhang Yuanqing began coughing violently, spitting out blood streaks—the issue had become serious. Her lungs were failing; the toxins spread throughout her body. Without her strong vitality, she would have already succumbed to organ failure by now. “The shoes are good—keep them!” Black Unusual firmly held the straw man’s head with two fingers and squeezed hard—as if about to crush the little creature into nothingness. Almost simultaneously, Zhang Yuanqing raised her voice in a long, resonant cry. A beam of bright moonlight broke through the clouds and shone directly upon her. Moon Cry! This restored some strength. She reached into her inventory and grabbed the Artifact—the Magical Staff—then plunged it firmly into her thigh. A brilliant golden light burst forth—just as the grayish pallor began to spread over her face, the golden radiance drove it away. Unfortunately, the cleansing power only worked on the host body itself; the Red Dance Shoes remained corrupted and lost their miraculous qualities temporarily. Zhang Yuanqing took several deep breaths—the purification power cleared away some of the toxins. The pain eased significantly—but only to that extent. A Sage-level Wu Gu Master—how strong! The initial impact had already left her half-crippled. The Steady-State Pendant shattered, the Flame Punch Set was useless, the Red Dance Shoes were polluted, and the Dreaming Jade Symbol had been consumed—all the while, the Magical Staff excelled at purification but not at combat. Today, for a display of modesty, she hadn’t brought the Cat King Speaker—but even if she had, it wouldn’t have helped. The Ghost Bride might be able to hold off Black Unusual for a moment—though probably unable to pose any real threat against a peak Sage-level Evil Organization member. Zhang Yuanqing mentally reviewed all her available props—and in despair realized that she was now completely surrounded. This was the strongest, most formidable opponent she had ever encountered as a Realm Walker. “Are there more props? The Divine Power of the Sun?” Black Unusual paused, startled—though he had already broken one pendant—of Elevated Stage quality—the Red Dance Shoes which could automatically evade attacks and this newly drawn-out yellow-bronze staff were clearly far beyond the standard range of an Elevated Stage item. Especially the bronze staff—that carried within it the Divine Power of the Sun—indicating a part of the Dominant-level power embedded in it. “Unexpected good fortune! Unexpected good fortune!” Black Unusual burst out laughing, his long eyes shining with eager delight. “Aha! You’ve got me stunned!” At that moment, lights began to glow from upstairs windows. An elderly man with a bald head opened the window and peered out, shouting angrily at the two of them below. Oh no—Zhang Yuanqing’s heart sank. Black Unusual lifted his gaze calmly toward the elderly man. Then suddenly, the old man gripped his neck, spat out froth, and fell from the window—his limbs twitched several times before he passed away. Zhang Yuanqing blinked—an increasing number of windows began to light up. The residents within were being awakened one by one. Black Unusual immediately turned his full attention toward Zhang Yuanqing—his eyes now blazing with murderous intent. Seeing this, he no longer hesitated—he pulled out a red veil and draped it over his head. He hoped that during the time the Ghost Bride engaged Black Unusual, reinforcements would arrive. One second… two seconds… three seconds… Zhang Yuanqing suddenly sensed something was wrong—the majestic wave of negative energy hadn’t arrived yet—and suddenly, all sounds in the vicinity seemed to vanish. The entire world had gone silent. Black Unusual didn’t take advantage to attack her either. What on earth? Zhang Yuanqing instinctively tried to remove the red veil—but found that her hands wouldn’t obey. All she could do was rotate her eyes, desperately trying to observe through the narrow field of vision beneath the veil. When she looked, she finally understood what had happened. Her body had turned gray-white—so too had the hard well cover and cement floor beneath her. What force had taken away their colors? Just as she pondered this, a soft, low, indistinct voice came to her ears—lightly chuckling: “Didn’t I remember it clearly? This very time. This exact location… It’s been a long time since we last saw each other, Black Unusual.” Black Unusual’s startled response: “You?! “How is that possible? How could it be you? No—that can't be right—no, this isn’t possible…” The voice stopped abruptly. Then, Zhang Yuanqing heard the sound of someone falling to the ground—a soft “thump.” Who had arrived? A member from some organization? The leader of the Dark Night Rose? Not quite—but Black Unusual’s reaction was too intense. Zhang Yuanqing felt her heart racing with urgency. Yet she could not move—didn’t know what fate awaited her next. Thus passed time—ever watching through the narrow view beneath the veil, as the gray-white tones gradually receded. The world regained its colors. Then Zhang Yuanqing quickly lifted the red veil and looked intently. A figure lay quietly at a distance of about fifteen meters—none other than Black Unusual himself. His eyes were wide open in astonishment, his face frozen with shock and awe. He had lost his life. Beside him, a delicate crystal cup, cracked but meticulously crafted, rested calmly. The small sun inside it was gone. Who took the items left behind by the Demon King—but didn’t move the Sacred Cup? Zhang Yuanqing felt puzzled. With difficulty, she stood up, staggered over to Black Unusual’s body, and picked up the cracked crystal cup. She held it tightly in her hands. …