The Female Grand Marshal

Zhang Yuanqing did not respond to the Spirit Realm immediately. Instead, he stepped over to his yin corpse, Blood Rose, rested a hand on her shoulder, and then muttered under his breath, "Enter!" The moment those words left his mouth, after sitting calmly by his desk for two full hours, his heart began to pound erratically, and a sudden wave of tension surged from deep within his chest. It was much like the anxiety parents felt when sending their children into the national college entrance examination—facing a pivotal turning point in life, Zhang Yuanqing found the same suffocating suspense settling over him. Clear the killing trial, and he would ascend to become a Saint. Saints were the backbone of the Spirit Realm world, marking an elevation in tier and a leap in status. Transcendent opened the gates to a new world, but Saint was the essential stepping stone to reaching its summit. A completely different life awaited him. One of authority and influence! Moreover, once he ascended to Saint, he could finally begin searching for Brother Bing and investigate his past with the Demon Lord. *In this Transcendent killing trial, I'll aim to break the Demon Lord's and the female Grand Marshal's records. Fu Qingyang, you'd better survive—don't get killed by the Silver Moon Divine General. See you at the top...* While Zhang Yuanqing offered his silent prayer, the trial's introductory prompt chimed in his ears: [Ding! Loading Spirit Realm map. Entering Spirit Realm in thirty seconds. The Spirit Realm you are entering this time is "Lost City," Designation: 0000.] [Difficulty Rating: Unknown.] [Type: Multiplayer (Lethal).] [Main Objective: Survive for 72 hours.] [Note: Non-Spirit Realm items cannot be brought inside.] [Introduction to Realm No. 0000: One day, a city was engulfed by a boundless forest. Roads were cut off, communication devices failed, and the survivors inside began venturing into the woods, searching for a way out. However, what awaited them was an unspeakable horror...] *The setting is a city surrounded by a forest? Judging from the bizarre designation and unknown difficulty rating, large-scale killing trials really are different from ordinary instances...* While Zhang Yuanqing pondered the briefing, the scenery before him rippled like water, blurring everything away. When his vision cleared, he found himself staring at massive tree trunks and a blue sky obscured by a tangled canopy of branches. He stood in a lush, ancient primordial forest. Beneath his feet lay earth blanketed in dead twigs and rotting leaves, while the damp, warm air carried the heavy scent of decaying wood. *Based on the humidity, temperature, and lushness of the foliage, this feels like a tropical rainforest...* Zhang Yuanqing instinctively analyzed his surroundings. *A forest? From the briefing, I thought the drop point would be the city and the mission would be exploring the forest...* *No one else around. It looks like everyone is randomly scattered upon entry. If that's the case, grouping up with allies will be extraordinarily difficult. Are we supposed to hunt each other in the jungle next?* As he muttered to himself, another prompt sounded: [Ding! Number of participants in this killing trial: 183.] [Average starting points: 3.] [Slaying a Spirit Realm walker of an opposing faction awards all of their points. Slaying a walker of the same faction inherits half of their points.] [Anyone whose points drop to zero will be obliterated!] [The leaderboard is now open. Please review it at your convenience.] [Side Objective 1: Within five hours, traverse the outer zone of the Forbidden Forest to reach the central zone. Boundaries between zones are marked by noticeboards.] [Side Objective 2: Traverse the vast Forbidden Forest to locate the Lost City.] Drawing on his experience, Zhang Yuanqing turned the briefing over in his head, distilling key takeaways: "A total of 183 walkers in this trial, but only thirty-eight from the official organization—barely a fifth. That makes the composition quite complicated." Complexity meant chaos. Among the 183 participants, the orthodox faction comprised the official organization, aristocratic Spirit Realm families, and non-governmental groups or unaffiliated walkers. The evil faction consisted of the three major organizations, along with unaffiliated walkers. Beyond those, there was another category: walkers from neighboring countries. Although foreign walkers were often overlooked by the mainstream factions due to their small numbers, that scarcity was relative to the global Spirit Realm community. A large-scale killing trial drew from an entire continental region; Zhang Yuanqing figured that across all the smaller neighboring countries combined, there would easily be twenty or thirty foreign participants present. *The Spirit Realm must have a built-in translation feature. Otherwise, with my abysmal foreign language skills, I'd be stuck shouting 'Yamete,' 'Oppa,' and 'Saranghaeyo' at everyone... Or maybe, 'Madam, you wouldn't want to return to the Spirit Realm, would you?'* Zhang Yuanqing continued reviewing the mission details: "With 183 people and an average of three points each, that's only 549 points across the board. The primary source of points must come from the trial itself, meaning completing trial objectives carries considerable weight. "Killing an ally yields only half their points. Since the orthodox faction vastly outnumbers the evil faction, evil professions will find it far easier to rack up points... "Zero points means obliteration. Based on the current information, failing to complete side objectives will likely deduct points." With a flick of his mind, Zhang Yuanqing opened the leaderboard. It unfolded just like his status panel. First place was Zhao Chenghuang, second was A-Yi, and third was Takemikazuchi Soya, followed by a suffix of Japanese characters. Evidently, third place was from Japan. Marveling at the Spirit Realm's high degree of intelligence, Zhang Yuanqing scanned down the board until he finally spotted his ID in seventy-third place. *So when points are tied, the rankings are sorted by experience.* Closing the leaderboard, Zhang Yuanqing retrieved the Bloodthirsty Blade and led his yin corpse deeper into the ancient forest. His primary objective right now was to cross the outer zone to reach the forest's center, then try to locate his colleagues from the Five Elements Alliance—hopefully without bumping into any traitors planted by the Dark Night Rose. The person he wanted to find most was Guan Ya. While the veteran speedster had the spending power of a rich heiress through her high-end items and possessed extraordinary close-quarters combat skill, her experience level was simply too low, and Scouts lacked raw damage output. Zhang Yuanqing was deeply concerned for her safety. *Rustle...* His boots sank into the soft soil, leaving behind shallow footprints. Blood Rose walked ahead, swinging the Bloodthirsty Blade to cleave through obstructing brambles and dangling vines, clearing a path for her master. The vegetation was far too thick, making trekking through the woods an arduous chore. Fortunately, he encountered no wild beast attacks along the way, nor did he cross paths with any other walkers, which spoke volumes about how vast this ancient forest truly was. After a dozen minutes of trudging through the dense wilderness, he suddenly spotted a wooden noticeboard standing ahead. *Did I reach the central zone already?* Zhang Yuanqing strode over and examined the text written upon it: [Forbidden Forest: Outer Zone] [Rules for Entering the Woods:] [1. Do not bring open flames, bladed weapons, or dangerous objects into the woods.] [2. Do not make loud noises in the woods, lest you disturb others.] [3. Do not remain stationary in one place for longer than thirty minutes.] [4. If you see another person in the forest, do not look them in the eye.] [5. If you hear someone calling your name, under no circumstances should you respond.] *** High above, in a boundless, ethereal realm, radiant motes of starlight drifted through the mist, coalescing into a brilliant, sweeping galaxy. Within each of these stars lay a miniature world. There were dilapidated mountain villages steeped in eerie horror; abandoned school campuses slumbering in pitch darkness; volatile volcanoes on the verge of erupting; battlefields where opposing armies clashed; endless plains of grass; and lakes shimmering with rippling waves... From antiquity to modern times, from sprawling metropolises to mountain ranges, every terrain found in reality existed here. Even landscapes nonexistent in reality could be found among them. Seven shooting stars streaked in from the distance, tearing through the deep "cosmos" before coming to a halt before two parallel stars. The meteors shed their radiance, revealing their true forms. Leading them was a tall woman dressed in black riding breeches, women's high-top boots, and a white button-down shirt. The simple, classic black-and-white pairing accentuated her flawless proportions. Her facial features were veiled in mist and rosy clouds, impossible to discern clearly. Her hair cascaded like a waterfall, yet it was not dark silk, but pure white. Unlike the silvery white of the elderly, her hair was an immaculate, untainted white. She exuded an unapproachable majesty, resembling both a commander-in-chief leading vast armies and an empress looking down upon the world. Behind this frost-haired woman stood six figures of diverse attire: one in armor bearing a bladed sword, another draped in a hooded black cloak, one in a white martial arts uniform with fiery red hair, and even a curly-haired poodle. The armored general stared at the two parallel stars and said in a deep voice, "Our Saints don't seem very lucky—they've landed in a war trial!" Within one of the stars, a brutal siege unfolded. Atop an imposing fortress wall, war banners whipped in the wind. Armored defenders bent bows, notched arrows, or rolled heavy logs and oil barrels over the parapets to repel the dense waves of attacking soldiers swarming beneath the walls. Further away lay a meandering, massive river hundreds of yards wide. Grand warships plowed through the waves with sails billowing, their cannons roaring in thunderous barrages. Several hundred-meter-long warships lay half-submerged in the river, thick plumes of black smoke billowing from their exposed decks. It was a war on an epic scale. Standing proudly on the fortress ramparts was a stalwart figure clad in armor, five banners—red, white, azure, black, and yellow—planted across his back, brandishing an ancient, eight-sided Han sword. His gaze swept past an ally below who was carving through the enemy ranks alone, wreathed in ghostly energy; swept past another comrade who burned all foes like an incarnation of the Fire God; and finally settled on the enemy's rear. There stood a six-meter-tall, eight-armed giant, its muscles cast like iron and etched with twisted, grotesque runes. Behind it surged thick, roiling waves of mist. The red-haired youth's eyes flashed with eager excitement. "War trials are rare. When I took my killing trial back then, I never got to encounter one. What a shame, what a crying shame!" To fight in such a battlefield—even dying in battle would be glorious. War trials were notoriously the most brutal. They opened with intense slaughter from the very start, continuing until corpses carpeted the field and the instance concluded. Even peak Saints could perish from sheer exhaustion. Moreover, war trials were widely acknowledged as the most demanding and mentally taxing, involving tactical deployments, resource allocation, and field command. Nothing was harder than winning a war. At that moment, the leading woman tilted her head slightly, glancing toward the deep void. A few breaths later, more than a dozen shooting stars shot over at breakneck speed, halting before the same pair of stars. These uninvited guests were led by three figures: a handsome, refined young man in a black formal suit with two silver studs in his ears; a mysterious figure swathed in tattered black robes, hands and feet concealed, his face hidden within the hood's shadow like the Grim Reaper of Western myth; and a person whose physique and gender shifted continuously. The Fear Heavenly King of the Soldier Master sect, the President of the Spirit Society's Central Branch, and the Southern Branch Cult Master of the Nihility Sect. The Fear Heavenly King gazed at the white-haired woman, offered a gentlemanly bow, and smiled. "Grand Marshal, it has been years. Are you still a free woman these days?" "Dumbass!" the red-haired youth snapped in her stead, blunt and crude. The white-haired woman lifted her eyes to glance at the Fear Heavenly King, then returned her gaze to the raging battlefield. "I hear you joined hands with the Dark Night Rose this time to eliminate Fu Qingyang and Yuanshi Tianzun in the killing trial?" Her voice was cool and pleasant. The Fear Heavenly King smiled. "We hope to succeed." The white-haired woman nodded. "Silver Moon certainly has a chance of killing Fu Qingyang. "As for the little ones in the Transcendent stage, your side has indeed cultivated quite a few talents." A burly man behind the Fear Heavenly King snorted. "So killing one Yuanshi Tianzun will be child's play." This man had eyes wide as bronze bells, thick brows, and a square jaw. He looked perpetually furious, as though ready to strike at a moment's notice. The Fear Heavenly King glanced back and chuckled. "Wrath, while everyone has freedom of speech, you are merely a Divine General. Watch your tone when speaking to the Grand Marshal." The Wrath Divine General's cheek twitched. Forcing down his anger, he lowered his head. The President of the Spirit Society, the Southern Branch Cult Master of the Nihility Sect, and the Dominators behind them paid no heed to the Five Elements Alliance elders, immediately turning their focus to observe the battle. The two factions, usually as incompatible as fire and water, shared a rare, peaceful coexistence, staying entirely out of each other's way. This void realm existed between the Spirit Realm and reality. Only peak Dominators or Alliance Leader-level figures could bring people inside. Furthermore, what entered were not physical bodies, but projections formed from primordial soul intent. An intent was ethereal and intangible, a mere phantom projection. Fighting here was completely meaningless. High-ranking Spirit Realm walkers could actively traverse the Spirit Realm world, but that meant roaming this void rather than entering the trials directly. Barring the specialized methods of certain unique professions, even Alliance Leader-level figures could not bypass the Spirit Realm's rules to enter an ongoing instance. Every time a killing trial opened, these high-ranking figures would traverse the void to spectate. Having run into each other countless times, they were well accustomed to treating one another as air, each tending to their own business. Just then, the white-haired woman withdrew her gaze from the battlefield and turned to the other star. After examining it for a moment, she asked, "Which one is Yuanshi Tianzun?" The curly-haired poodle floated to her side, searched inside the star for a short while, and pointed at a spot. "That kid is Yuanshi Tianzun." The white-haired woman nodded slightly, fixing her gaze intently on the ancient forest. Within the evil faction, where no one had initially paid attention to the Transcendent killing trial, the Dominators turned their heads one after another to look. The Fear Heavenly King smiled. "Grand Marshal, just watching gets dull. Why don't we make a wager?" With her hands behind her back, the white-haired woman replied, "Speak!" The Fear Heavenly King said, "Demon Eye was imprisoned because of Yuanshi Tianzun, so let's wager on him. If he dies in the killing trial, you release Demon Eye and restore his freedom. "If Yuanshi Tianzun takes first place on the leaderboard, I will forfeit a Dominator-quality rule-based item to you." The red-haired youth frowned. "That's unfair! Why isn't the condition just his survival?" The Fear Heavenly King chuckled. "First, even if you don't release Demon Eye, once he enters the Spirit Realm and dies inside, he can still be reborn from the Mother Goddess's Womb. Second, the killing trial operates on points. If Yuanshi Tianzun hides for three days until it ends, he can easily survive. "Therefore, it is entirely fair!" The red-haired youth thought it over and found no counterargument, so he looked toward the female Grand Marshal. The white-haired woman nodded. "Agreed!" *** *So I hadn't even entered the outer zone earlier. This is where it actually begins... The rules on the noticeboard represent the hazards of the outer zone?* Zhang Yuanqing frowned as he finished reading the warnings. This implied that crossing the outer zone of the Forbidden Forest was likely fraught with danger, while the instructions on the board offered a way for entrants to avoid those perils. *Stating the precautions so plainly... isn't that a bit too straightforward? What happens if you break the rules? A shame I can't afford trial and error—I can't risk my yin corpse...* Zhang Yuanqing took the Bloodthirsty Blade from Blood Rose's grasp and returned it to his inventory. According to the warning, open flames and bladed weapons were forbidden. Instead of pressing forward immediately, he placed a hand on the wooden noticeboard. A few seconds later, an item description appeared: [A noticeboard erected by the inhabitants of the Lost City, in the hope of warning travelers who mistakenly wander into the Forbidden Forest.] *It was set up by the city's inhabitants. The briefing said those who ventured into the forest ran into a terrifying crisis. I assumed none of them made it out, but they managed to explore all the way to the outer zone...* Zhang Yuanqing commanded the yin corpse to lead the way as they stepped past the noticeboard and entered the outer zone. Stepping across the soft, decaying mud, Zhang Yuanqing and Blood Rose cautiously moved through the ancient forest, one behind the other. The further in they went, the thicker the canopy became, nearly blocking out the sky altogether. Fortunately, it was daytime; even without direct sunlight, visibility remained relatively good. *If making fire isn't allowed, it'll be pitch-black in here once night falls... But I'm a Night Wanderer. Darkness is my domain...* He pushed forward while letting his thoughts wander. After walking for about half an hour beneath the sun-blotting canopy, a chilling mountain breeze swept in from nowhere. Carried on the wind came a high, thin voice. Zhang Yuanqing pricked his ears to listen. The voice was calling out: "Yuanshi Tianzun... Yuanshi Tianzun..."