Dead End?

He baited me out? Was Tongtong losing control of her emotions because of his influence? Had this school altercation been orchestrated behind the scenes by this bastard all along? In an instant, many worst-case scenarios flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind. First, if Sect Master Chunyang could engineer this conflict and pinpoint Zhao Xintong's school so accurately, it meant he possessed information on the members of the Wuhen Hotel. Who gave him that information? Was it Little Fatty? Had he betrayed the Wuhen Hotel? Could other members be in danger too? For instance, Xiao Yuan... Second, Zhang Yuanqing realized that he himself might be in mortal danger. His exploits in the Shiwan Dashan had already spread far and wide. An old fox like Sect Master Chunyang couldn't possibly be unaware of them, yet he still dared to intercept and kill him—which meant he was confident of victory. Before coming here, Zhang Yuanqing had read his own fortune and used the Daluo Astrolabe for divination. The astrological omens had shown no danger whatsoever for this trip. The only thing capable of shrouding the heavenly secrets and blinding astrology was a Dominator-stage Day Wanderer's ability: Secret Blessing. In other words, among the enemies ambushing him, there was a Day Wanderer. Without a moment's hesitation, the teleportation jade talisman appeared in Zhang Yuanqing's palm. Visualizing the bedroom at Fujia Bay, he crushed the talisman with a sharp crack. Yet nothing happened. He remained reclined in the plush seat, and right before him, by the doorway to the service galley, Sect Master Chunyang still stood with that wicked, eerie smile. Sect Master Chunyang's smile was grim and sinister. "You can't escape. The entire plane has been isolated. This is your burial ground, and no one is coming to save you. Still remember the game from that day? Care to play another round?" As he spoke, an illusory table materialized in the cabin aisle. A shroud of mist cloaked the tabletop, and in the bottom-right corner stood a tiny figurine, beside which text read: [Grimm Forest: Starting Point]. The board game prop! The Dominator-grade item that had once plunged official Saints like Zhang Yuanqing and Yin Ji into near-fatal peril. This item possessed sealing capabilities; unless a game was concluded, no one could leave. Now, its power blanketed the entire cabin. Neither teleportation jade talismans nor the Star Escape Technique had any hope of breaking out of this sealed space. Because this was the power of a Dominator. Wasting no words, Zhang Yuanqing immediately went into Night Wander to conceal his form, rolled out of the plush seat, and summoned the Heaven-Worship Set to equip it at top speed. At the same time, he spat out Yi Chuanmei and the Ghost Bride to protect him. The moment Yi Chuanmei materialized, she threw back her snowy-white neck and unleashed a piercing wraith shriek. The Ghost Bride released pestilence, causing invisible pathogens to spread silently throughout the cabin. The shriek had barely begun when a beam of golden light swept past Sect Master Chunyang's back, piercing straight through Yi Chuanmei and the Ghost Bride. The two peak level-six spirit servants let out shrill screams of agony. Black smoke poured from their translucent bodies as their forms faded rapidly, teetering on the verge of soul annihilation. Divine Sun Power? Shock struck Zhang Yuanqing's heart. He had no choice but to reveal himself, opening his mouth to inhale Yi Chuanmei and the Ghost Bride back into his body to nurse them. A few seconds slower, and both spirit servants would have had their souls scattered. While slipping on the Houtu Boots to complete the Heaven-Worship Set, he looked behind Sect Master Chunyang. A middle-aged man in a solid black suit stepped into the aisle, entering his view. The middle-aged man was deathly pale with a gloomy expression—none other than the Third Protector of the Dark Night Rose. Sect Master Chunyang looked at Yuanshi Tianzun, smiling like a cat playing with a mouse. "As a Star Official, you should know very well that people of our caliber only make a move when we have a meticulous plan. Tell me, is one Day Wanderer enough to take the life of Yuanshi Tianzun?" Zhang Yuanqing looked coldly at the two. "I don't think it's enough!" With that, he triggered the set effect, generating extravagant visual effects. He fished out the Five Elements spiritual energy trial card and activated it! In an instant, the majestic, mighty power of the Five Elements descended, accompanied by a frenzy of chaotic insanity. Zhang Yuanqing's expression twisted inch by inch, the madness in the depths of his eyes gradually overwhelming reason. He curled his lips into a smile far wilder than Sect Master Chunyang's. "There is a road to heaven, yet you refuse to walk it; instead, you can't wait to deliver your heads." The sinister smirk on Sect Master Chunyang's face froze. Zhang Yuanqing sprang off his knees, brilliant fire erupting across his body as he hurtled forward like a falling meteor. "The Five Elements! The power of the Five Elements from ancient legends?!" Sect Master Chunyang's expression shifted slightly, and he retreated rapidly. "You actually hid a trump card like this!" The Third Protector stepped forward, a dazzling spear of golden light instantly condensing in his palm as he thrust it forward! Scorching heat swept through the cabin. The oncoming fireball was extinguished in an instant. Crossing his arms before his chest, Zhang Yuanqing switched to Earth spiritual energy, coating the surface of his body in a thick layer of yellow light. Bang! The spear forged of Divine Sun Power shattered. The dissipating golden radiance sent violent tremors rippling through the barrier screen cast by the board game prop. The two collided violently. Zhang Yuanqing seized the Third Protector by the throat and slammed him onto the floor. "I haven't fought a Day Wanderer yet. Let me see what tricks a Dominator-stage Day Wanderer has up his sleeve." Splitting into a feral grin, he growled, "I'll devour you!" Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth manifested simultaneously, churning into a five-colored vortex centered around him. The Third Protector's back arched uncontrollably forward like metal drawn to a powerful magnet. The Lunar, Stellar, and Divine Sun powers inside him drained away furiously, along with his vitality. The Third Protector's skin withered and wrinkled at terrifying speed, only to regain its full, smooth luster an instant later. This was the formidable regenerative power of a Night Wanderer replenishing his life force. A knot of yin energy materialized behind Zhang Yuanqing, condensing into a palace-gowned woman bleeding from all seven facial orifices. The moment she appeared, she plunged downward, possessing Zhang Yuanqing. "Ahhh—!" The palace-gowned woman let out a piercing shriek. Her body split down the middle like an illusion slashed by a sharp sword, disintegrating rapidly into nothingness. A Swordsman's passive skill: Ward Evil! With all Five Elements converged within him, Zhang Yuanqing possessed no weaknesses. Unless a spirit servant surpassed his current level, it could pose no threat to him. Trapped within the terrifying vortex, the Third Protector remained impassive. He said calmly, "Beneath the blazing sun, all things are vanity!" A scorching blaze emblem surfaced on his forehead. A massive halo of golden radiance rose above his head—scorching, pure, and domineering. The gloom vanished from the Third Protector's countenance, replaced by a radiant, imposing majesty, like a mythic god of war bathed in blazing sunlight. Under the illumination of this golden blazing sun, the vortex formed of Five Elements spiritual energy dimmed, turned insubstantial, and finally vanished. This was an upgraded version of Purification, one of the characteristics of the Sun. Wherever the sun shone, all filth and impurities would be eradicated, and all spiritual energies suppressed. With the vortex gone, the Third Protector delivered a headbutt straight to Zhang Yuanqing's forehead. A loud clang reverberated through the cabin, sounding like a colossal bronze bell being struck. Zhang Yuanqing flew backward like a cannonball, slamming hard against the rear bulkhead of the plane. The impact should have smashed a hole straight through it, but the barrier laid down by the board game prop absorbed the terrifying force. Slumping on the floor, he checked the Five Elements spiritual energies inside him; they were like a dried-up swamp, lying heavy and dormant within his body, stripped of all vitality. The same was true for his Lunar and Stellar powers. Every skill had been dispelled. "Interesting. Domineering indeed. I really look forward to the day I become a Day Wanderer," Zhang Yuanqing said with a wicked grin. "Even without skills, I can still beat the shit out of you!" He sprang to his feet, rocketing down the narrow aisle in a flash to pounce on the Third Protector. Even without active skills, the attributes of the five classes remained: the agility and explosive power of a Fire Master; the hand-to-hand combat and Insight of a Scout; the defense and endurance of an Earth Monster; and the monstrous strength and balance of a Wood Monster. And, of course, his own stamina. Zhang Yuanqing and the Third Protector engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat within the cabin. Their fists and kicks whipped up fierce gusts of howling wind. Whenever stray blows landed on the cabin floor, the barrier cast by the board game prop shuddered violently. "Blazing Sun Illumination" did not come without a price. In this state, the Third Protector's spirit servants and yin corpses were equally unusable, and the powers belonging to the Lunar and Stellar paths were suppressed as well. The tyranny of the sun was indiscriminate. With the traits of five classes converged in his single body, Zhang Yuanqing barely gained the upper hand over the Third Protector, but the anticipated curbstomp never materialized. The Third Protector's close-combat prowess was unexpectedly formidable—not through painstaking martial arts training, but from the innate class traits of a Day Wanderer. After moving past the sneaky, hit-and-run stages of Night Wanderer and Star Official, this pinnacle class had finally acquired melee combat prowess capable of confronting any close-quarters class without fear. Furthermore, the burning effect of the blazing sun steadily eroded Zhang Yuanqing's vitality. Relying on his own regeneration, a Wood Monster's life force, and the Longevity Art of the Jade Belt of the Azure Thearch, he was barely able to withstand the burning of the Dominator-stage blazing sun. All the while, he also had to endure attacks from the board game prop. Yet the more Zhang Yuanqing fought, the more exhilarated and daring he became. He had never enjoyed such a thrilling, uninhibited battle. His chaotic, frenzied mind fed into the combative instincts of a Fire Master, driving him into a euphoric state of mania. Just then, a new round of dice finished rolling. The tiny board game figurine trotted briskly forward to space twenty-one, where a wooden cottage stood with a sharp-nosed witch at the door. "You have entered the witch's cottage and mistakenly drunk her potion. All players enter a weakened state." The next second, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion crashed over them, as if a tranquilizer had been injected into their veins, leaving their limbs limp and powerless. Thud! Seizing the opportunity, the Third Protector grabbed Zhang Yuanqing by the hair and yanked his head down, driving his knee viciously into his face. The impact knocked out several teeth and turned his face into a bloody mess. Tensing every muscle in his body, Zhang Yuanqing mustered his strength for a few seconds and headbutted the Third Protector off him. Just as he was about to counterattack, however, he realized the power inside him was rapidly receding. The attributes of the five classes drained away like floodwaters through an open dam. The Five Elements spiritual energy trial card's duration had expired. His deranged mind swiftly snapped back to normal, and the Fire Master's bellicose impulses subsided. It was as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head; his muddled brain cleared instantly. Why... why did I brawl with him in close quarters? Why didn't I shatter the barrier while the Five Elements spiritual energy trial card was still active? The newly lucid Zhang Yuanqing froze. He had missed his best window of opportunity to escape. Yet this was no time for self-recrimination. Zhang Yuanqing pulled out the second trial card. "You have so many trump cards it makes people jealous," Sect Master Chunyang said, strolling back into the aisle with a laugh. "But remember what I told you? People of our sort never strike without absolute certainty. To kill you, we joined hands with the Southern Sect." With those words, the closed door of the service galley swung open, and a figure draped in a cloaked hood walked out. "Nothing but brute force and a muddled mind," the cloaked figure said in a chilling voice. "Even if you had ten consumable cards, you wouldn't be leaving this cabin." Just about to activate the card, Zhang Yuanqing froze. He finally understood why he hadn't broken out. The price of the Five Elements spiritual energy trial card was mental derangement, and in the eyes of a Dominator-stage Illusionist, a fractured mind was like a fortress with wide-open gates, effortless to manipulate. He couldn't escape. Even if he activated the second trial card, he still wouldn't escape—his mind would be puppeteered in an instant, driving him to mindlessly attack the enemies before him in a frenzy. Sect Master Chunyang licked his lips. "I love your expression right now. Exactly this despair—so delicious... Third Protector, don't kill him. Rip out his astral body. I'll devour the Lunar and Stellar spiritual energies inside him first, and then refine his soul. Ah, a level-six astral body must be exquisite." He twitched all over with excitement. Zhang Yuanqing knew that what truly excited him was the Human Immortal power he was about to obtain. "Why did the Southern Sect collude with you?" Zhang Yuanqing asked in a deep voice. "Aren't you mortal enemies?" Sect Master Chunyang sneered wickedly, "Guess!" The Southern Sect elder said coldly, "Yi Chuanmei was my student." Yi Chuanmei's teacher? Is this the Sixth Elder of the Southern Sect? Zhang Yuanqing recalled Kou Beiyue's warning. Yet for that reason alone, it was impossible for the Southern Sect to ally with Sect Master Chunyang. A Sect Master Chunyang who needed to devour Night Wanderers and Illusionists to grow was an existential threat to the Nihility Sect. Some far greater interest had brought the two sides together; Yi Chuanmei didn't carry that kind of weight. Still, thinking about that now was pointless. Zhang Yuanqing mentally sifted through every item and trump card he possessed, only to realize with despair that aside from using the Myriad Realms Commercial Guild exchange ticket, there was no way out. They were ten thousand meters in the sky, sealed off by a Dominator-grade item, cut off from any help from heaven or earth. The top-tier items in his inventory couldn't pose a lethal threat to Dominators. To kill him, the Dark Night Rose had actually joined forces with the Southern Sect—a lineup powerful enough to assassinate an official elder. I'll just have to stake my life against these bastards and drag them down with me. Too bad I can't get word to Xiao Yuan... Little Fatty has almost certainly turned traitor... Boss just went into seclusion and here I am, about to kick the bucket. Remember to avenge me after you come out... As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Zhang Yuanqing sighed inward, discreetly opened his inventory, and selected the exchange ticket. As his gaze swept across the numerous items in his inventory, his eyes suddenly locked onto the matchbox. A daring thought flashed through his mind. The next moment, he drew out the matchbox, struck a match, and made a wish to the leaping flame: "I wish for my solo Spirit Realm to descend immediately, skipping the countdown."