“Yuan Shi Tian Zun?” Li Xianzong stopped in his tracks and immediately recognized the young leader from the Order of Preservation—exactly the target he had been hunting. On the other side, Zhang Yuanqing exclaimed: “Li Xianzong?!” It was Li Xianzong! Matching up on the same instance? What a narrow escape indeed. “Yuan Shi Tian Zun…” the thin man raised his voice sharply: “The Yuan Shi Tian Zun from the Place branch? The one ranked fifth in the underground black market’s reward list?” The other three companions looked stunned. “Yes, it’s him!” Li Xianzong beamed. “Interesting—you’re here too at Yinyang Town! I was planning to go after you once we finished this instance and take your head off for the reward. Now, it’s all set—it’s just so convenient.” “Oh right—I heard that guy was nearly killed by Li Xianzong recently. What a case of narrow escapes indeed!” The thin man chuckled. “Narrow escapes?” The well-dressed man glanced around and deliberately raised his voice: “Even this young lad deserves to be Li Xianzong’s rival? It has to be on equal footing, right? But instead, he’ll only have to kneel before Li Xianzong begging for mercy—what about the younger members of your Order? You’re all finished!” The thin man instantly grasped his companion’s intent: from minor brawls to full-scale battles, psychological warfare was now absolutely vital. As he shouted out Li Xianzong’s name, he added loudly: “The Five Elements Alliance is truly in decline! Their cherished newcomers—well, they’re nothing more than your personal quarry. Young man, when you see Li Xianzong, do you feel weak? Do you kneel and call him Grandfather? Shall I make sure you have a proper burial?” The members of the Evil Organization chuckled. Li Xianzong… The faces of the Order of Preservation looked increasingly uncomfortable. Though they knew this was a deliberate attempt to undermine their morale, facing such formidable opponents, it was impossible to remain undeterred. To be matched with Li Xianzong—this man ranked among the top villains on the official reward list—was simply overwhelming. Yuan Shi Tian Zun wasn’t even his match… The Queen’s expression shifted subtly as she instinctively turned toward her captain beside her. Back when Li Xianzong had launched a devastating assault in the Place, nearly killing Yuan Shi Tian Zun, she had been part of several discussions about it. Everyone had unanimously agreed that Yuan Shi Tian Zun was significantly less capable than Li Xianzong. Unaware yet again of this fate—no, not just him; I too am at risk… Lilí Yuánshàngcǎo, a self-taught practitioner, wasn’t particularly tuned into outside news. But upon hearing the name Li Xianzong, she suddenly recalled what the Queen had said when introducing Yuan Shi Tian Zun. Li Xianzong—the captain’s lifelong rival? And yet, the captain was his own defeat? The Wood Demon youth felt a sudden surge of urgency in his chest. While the Fire Masters were incensed at being mocked by their own captain, everyone else grew heavier in spirit. At this moment, the mage standing at the center of both factions scanned around with an air of disdain and coldly remarked: “Finally, the imperial dogs have found us!” Without waiting for a response, he regarded both sides as mere lackeys of the court. He lifted his head and sprayed streams of emerald gas that quickly spread like smoke. The wind carried the green gas rushing outwards toward each side. “Back!” The thin man roared. He opened his inventory, pulled up a white jade frog, and held it high above. The emerald gas surged into the frog’s mouth, transforming it into a deep green within seconds. On the other side, the Queen stepped in front of her allies, raised her palms in a supporting gesture—the sound of rushing water echoed as the river flowed into furious dragons that spiraled upward, swallowing the misty emerald gas whole. The color of the dragon’s body instantly lightened to a pale green. “Boom! Boom! Boom!” Gunshots rang out from afar. As the green mist cleared, members of the Order of Preservation launched a surprise attack on the Evil Organization. The vigilant Night Wanderers of the Evil Organization had anticipated this and responded calmly—rolling over, tilting their heads, or leaping aside. As the thin man fell to the ground, he heard a deep thud behind him—the soil wall had been struck hard, leaving deep craters filled with smoke. “Hey,” he smirked, only for his expression to shift from contempt to surprise as another gunshot rang out—not aimed at him but at the now-fallen deep green frog beside him. The jade frog burst into fragments. The emerald gas sealed within erupted instantly, spreading across the area like a thick fog. The one who had fired wasn’t Guan Ya—but Li Chunfeng. His shot was merely a feint to cover Guan Ya’s attack. Seeing this, the Queen immediately abandoned her intention of dispersing the water dragon and instead shifted her palms from lifting to pushing—transforming the dragon into a rain curtain that fell over the Evil Organization still enveloped in the gas. At this point, the black-robed mage pulled out a three-foot-long staff from his waist satchel. The staff was dark as ink, with a large black stone embedded at its top like an egg. He raised it high and issued a solemn declaration: “Everyone must die!” The black stone at the tip suddenly glowed with a deep, steady light. At the alley entrance, Guan Ya, who had been aiming her gun, felt sudden pain in her chest—her heartbeat slowed to a halt. She clutched her chest, slowly sank down, and gasped deeply in agony. Li Chunfeng experienced the same. Meanwhile, Zhang Yuanqing, the Queen, Lilí Yúnsàngcǎo, and Li Xianzong all reached for their chests—each with pale faces. A powerful curse—a truly overwhelming one. “This… this can’t be!” said the young man missing his left ear in a voice full of disbelief. “A 4th-level Sage’s curse should not be so strong.” A 4th-level Sage could indeed kill any single person on site—but that was always a one-on-one spell. A widespread, enveloping effect like this was beyond what anyone expected. A brilliant golden light erupted from Zhang Yuanqing’s body as he half-crouched down, dispelling the curse and simultaneously swinging his Artifact—the Artifact of the Divine Storm—toward the mage. The glowing Artifact shot forth with a fierce energy. The mage waved his staff and emitted a sound like a clink—a sharp impact—and the Artifact was knocked aside. The dark glow from the stone’s aura faded instantly, and the curse vanished. This confirmed that the Artifact had successfully activated its magical resistance function. Zhang Yuanqing then leapt forward to catch the spinning Artifact as it spun away toward the far side. Guan Ya leaned back against the wall, shifted from kneeling to sitting, lifted her long gun barrel, aimed at the mage, and pressed down on the trigger. She decided to forgo a precise strike on an individual Evil Organization member—because the mage was so powerful that any misstep could lead to complete annihilation. At this moment, prioritization became essential. “Bang!” The bullet struck the mage’s head—but only passed through a shadow. The mage reappeared several meters away, his robe now split open. He stood at two meters tall, his body encased in solid armor, with strong yet slender legs resembling those of a locust. His face had become grotesque—like an insect’s—an expression of fierce ugliness, with prominent beak-like mouth and two tendrils emerging from his forehead. Guan Ya pulled the gun lever, ejected the casing, and fired again. The bullet struck another shadow. The mage appeared on the opposite side of the square, now endowed with astonishing speed and agility from those locust-like legs and tendrils. Finally noticing her, the mage’s stone-black eyes locked onto hers. Guan Ya felt a sudden chill. Then she saw Zhang Yuanqing charging forward—determined to reach the mage in defense of her. The mage lowered his gaze toward Zhang Yuanqing—but at that moment, the figure suddenly vanished. A subtle twitch from the tendrils on the mage’s forehead suggested he was sensing airflow or signaling something—he then bent his knees and delivered a sharp kick to the right side. Snap! A silhouette was drawn out—Zhang Yuanqing, arms crossed over his chest—was sent soaring into the air before landing with a roll, his throat now streaked with blood. The mage’s legs sank slightly as he prepared to pursue—but then lowered his head. His cold gaze settled on Zhang Yuanqing’s lower leg where a deep cut ran through—dark green juice oozing steadily. He raised his staff and pointed it at Zhang Yuanqing—the black stone emitted a deep, dark glow. Zhang Yuanqing felt sharp pain in his leg—his flesh split open silently—and the wound began to spread. Without hesitation, he plunged the Artifact straight into his thigh. The golden light radiated across his body, instantly halting the spreading of the wound. “Watch out—he can use his own injury as a medium to unleash the curse,” said Zhang Yuanqing. As he spoke, he watched the mage dragging long shadows behind him until they reached right in front of himself. At that moment, his vision reached its peak—revealing every move of the mage. Without hesitation, he rolled to the right. “Bang!” The staff struck hard against the ground, cracking the stone beneath it. As the mage raised his staff, a Fire Master from the Fire Deity Army leaned back and swung an arm, launching a compressed fire ball toward him. “Boom!” The fire ball landed and exploded, creating a massive crater. The mage’s form vanished in the wave of impact. Zhang Yuanqing looked upward and shouted: “He’s here!” The Fire Deity Army members began retreating while continuously hurling fire balls ahead, covering the space with flames. Yet the mage’s form shifted constantly—sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right—using speed to dodge each flame, steadily advancing toward them. He then delivered a powerful punch to the abdomen of one of the sturdy men. The Fire Deity Army member instantly bent and his eyes went wide with shock. The flames surged around him while, just behind the mage’s position at ten meters distance, a small flame suddenly expanded—transforming into a figure clutching his belly and gasping as if kneeling. Within two turns, two key members of the Order of Preservation had found themselves in peril. “Such a strong boss,” said the Evil Organization, now having escaped the toxic gas, quietly amazed. “We should consider retreating?” “No,” said the young man missing his left ear—“With the support from both sides of the Order of Preservation, we must fight him now. If he eliminates these junior members, we’ll likely be crushed too.” “The mages fused with the parasites are of an exceptionally high rank—endowed with perception, agility, strength, and self-healing abilities. It’s hard to imagine how he cultivated such a creature.” “Regarding close combat,” he added, “your Enchantment Demons aren’t even his match.” Li Xianzong nodded slowly, his expression now serious. “The imperial dogs—the day is your last,” declared the mage with a fierce, grinning mouth. Suddenly, red light surged within his pupils—a dark fog encircled his head. The mage clutched his head in pain and roared like a wild animal—his rational mind was rapidly dissolving beneath this wave of darkness. At the alley entrance, Li Chunfeng glanced over at his side—he saw a lean man eating lotus roots. In his hands, he held a scarecrow whose features were clearly transformed into an insect-like version of the mage himself. An opportunity! The Night Wanderers from both factions brightened instantly—eyes wide with realization…