"...Under the combined assault of Sect Master Chunyang and two Dominators, Empress Sandao's avatar was steadily forced back. Even though she was a peak Dominator in truth, she was still merely an avatar after all. Dreadful pressure filled the cabin, and the three foes pressed on aggressively, their malevolent flames roaring toward the heavens. The Third Protector declared in a deep voice, 'This youth possesses extraordinary genius and terrifying might; if he is not slain this day, the heroes of the realm shall know no peace!'
"Sect Master Chunyang cackled weirdly as well, shrieking, 'Vile disciple, once I butcher this boy, I will march into the Spirit Realm and sever your head with my own hands!'
"Empress Sandao was utterly helpless. As the very dregs of her strength ebbed away, she turned to me and said, 'I am sorry. With what power can I save you, Imperial Academy scholar of the new era?!'
"At that critical juncture, I stepped forward and offered a faint smile: 'Don't take this personally, but everyone sitting here is pure trash!'
"And so, drawing upon my rich combat experience and vast arsenal of items, I stood as a Saint shoulder-to-shoulder with Dominators, taking on two Dominators all by myself to buy precious time for Empress Sandao, ultimately aiding her in slaying Sect Master Chunyang."
In the living room on the first floor of the villa, Zhang Yuanqing sat on the sofa, took a sip from his glass, and said, "And that's it. That is the whole story."
Opposite him sat Elder Dog and Elder Sun. To his side were Sun Miaomiao, Queen, and Xie Lingxi, while Guan Ya sat right beside him.
At that moment, the entire group remained immersed in his dramatic retelling. Although Yuanshi Tianzun's narrative was laced with a generous dose of artistic embellishment, he had not omitted a single key point.
Using a rule-based item to activate a Spirit Realm instance early to escape the initial death trap; entering a Dominator-level instance to seek aid from Empress Sandao; resolving the issue of crafting materials; and finally fighting his way back to reality.
Had a single link in that chain failed, his fate would have been returning to the Spirit Realm in death.
This had been far more thrilling and perilous than most faction confrontation instances.
Even Elder Dog and Elder Sun could not help but cheer inwardly. Putting themselves in his shoes, had they been ambushed by two Dominators while still Saints, they would have had absolutely no chance of survival.
Of course, to warrant Dominators going through such painstaking efforts to orchestrate an ambush while still in the Saint realm—only Yuanshi Tianzun enjoyed such honor. Even Money Prince had never received such treatment.
Elder Sun scrutinized Yuanshi Tianzun. "So you're already at the peak of Level 6? Your experience bar is maxed?"
Zhang Yuanqing nodded.
The lingering fear among the girls instantly turned into adoration, awe, and admiration. Reaching the peak of the Saint realm in a mere six months was truly unprecedented.
The Spirit Realm had existed for only a little over a century, and peerless geniuses could be counted on one's fingers. There might be plenty of peak Saints in Yuanshi Tianzun's age bracket, but one who reached that pinnacle within half a year was completely singular.
Even the Grand Marshal back then had not been so terrifying, nor had the Demon Lord.
Although Yuanshi Tianzun's leveling speed owed much to coincidences and serendipitous fortunes rather than orthodox progression, the numbers were rock solid. Six months was six months.
Elder Dog exhaled a long breath of turbid air and remarked with profound relief, "An astonishing battle record, an astonishing achievement. Wouldn't you say so, you muddle-headed old Sun?"
Elder Sun, dressed in an undershirt and shorts, flew into a rage. "You damned dog, are you ever going to let that go?! Is there no end to this?!"
"The dog isn't worked up, yet you are!" Elder Dog chuckled. "I'm just giving you a little rehearsal. In a couple of days, the Taiyi Sect's forum and chat groups will start teasing you all over again."
"Not even tomorrow—it starts tonight!" Sun Miaomiao chimed in quietly.
Elder Sun raised a hand as if to strike her, but Sun Miaomiao playfully stuck out her tongue and made a face.
The other girls looked straight ahead, minding their own business.
Elder Dog cleared his throat and said, "Yuanshi, you must take this incident as a warning."
Once everyone's eyes turned toward him, Elder Dog continued, "Today's events prove that the evil faction will stop at nothing to eliminate you, even deploying Dominators to lay an ambush. Where there is a first time, there will be a second, a third, or even more, until you eventually fall in one of their traps.
"You returned this time purely by good fortune. Next time might not be so forgiving. Now that Fu Qingyang has entered a guild instance, you lack a backer inside the official organization. It will be far too easy for certain people to trip you up and do you harm."
Zhang Yuanqing narrowed his eyes. "Elder Dog, there is a hidden meaning in your words."
Beside him, Guan Ya let out a cold scoff. "Patrol Headquarters is still entangled in disputes with the Investigation Department as we speak. If you had relied on them, you would have died a hundred times over."
Zhang Yuanqing understood immediately. "Old Cai is leaping at every chance to put me to death. If he's stabbing me in the back now, will he just sell my personal information directly to evil classes later on?"
"Fu Qingyang has already destroyed your personal files," Elder Dog said meaningfully. "In the entire official organization, no more than five people know your family background. As for Team Two in Kangyang District, Fu Qingyang entrusted the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter to handle them long ago."
Entrusted that lunatic? Zhang Yuanqing was startled by instinct. "What happened to the Centurion and the others?"
"They permanently forgot your family background. Their minds suffered severe trauma as a result, though of course, Fu Qingyang has already compensated them." Having said that, Elder Dog emphasized, "They did so voluntarily."
*I had no idea about any of this...* Zhang Yuanqing gave a wry smile. His boss had quietly resolved so many hidden perils on his behalf.
No, his boss had actually mentioned it, but only in passing with a casual remark that he would take care of his identity records.
A person as proud as Money Prince would never boast of his own favors. He simply acted in silence; if you bowed down in gratitude, he accepted it, and if you remained unaware forever, he did not care in the slightest.
Elder Sun tapped the coffee table. "Get to the point. If there's no real business left, I'm leaving. I have no desire to linger here."
"The real business is this, Yuanshi: from now on, you are to hide properly. Do not show your face, do not hunt evil classes, and do not participate in any events until the end of the year," Elder Dog said with utmost gravity. "You are already at the peak of Level 6. Your reserves of items, yin corpses, and spirit servants have all reached capacity. Advancing to Dominator is practically set in stone for you."
A peak Saint was already a heavyweight figure, yet still far from entirely safe. Only by ascending to Dominator would one truly step into the apex tier of Spirit Realm Walker combat power.
Elder Sun nodded slightly. "Very prudent! Saints and Extraordinaries die every day, but only a handful of Dominators perish each year."
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing's mind raced.
*Right now, I can use the Companion Spirit Moon to commune with the origin of Lunar force and grant myself an aura of concealment, and then lie low without ever showing my face. Even Ling Tuo won't be able to scheme against me...*
*But if it were really that simple, that Dominator-grade mirror wouldn't have prophesied that I only have three months left to live. My life-and-death ordeal is slated for mid-October, which happens to be when the next instance arrives...*
*Could it be that my crisis originates from an instance?*
*Wait, that doesn't seem right either. Just now, Elder Sun divined with my underwear and obtained no information whatsoever. The Spirit Realm interferes with divination, prophecies, and stargazing. If a fellow Dominator like Elder Sun couldn't pierce the veil, that mirror certainly couldn't have either. Therefore, the fatal calamity foretold by the mirror definitely isn't in an instance, but in reality...*
Zhang Yuanqing suddenly realized that this ambush might very well mark the beginning of his fatal tribulation.
As the three-month deadline drew nearer, the harbingers of his doom were finally showing their teeth.
*If worst comes to worst, I'll just hole up inside a guild instance all through October. I refuse to believe I can't dodge this crisis...*
With that in mind, Zhang Yuanqing said, "Understood. From now on, I will stay inside Fujia Bay and not step outside."
Elder Dog nodded in satisfaction. The flora throughout Fujia Bay served as his eyes and ears. Even if an enemy employed barrier-type items, the moment his connection to the plants was severed, he would receive an immediate warning.
Moreover, Songhai was guarded by five elders, along with Dominators like the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter. Even if peak elders came knocking, they would be slapped silly one by one.
Well, they'd get slapped silly, and then everyone would smile and return to the Spirit Realm together.
With business concluded, Elder Dog said, "I'll head back to notify headquarters and report your safety. As for the Investigation Department's petty schemes, you must endure them for now. Understand?"
Zhang Yuanqing grinned. "I understand, I'm not stupid. They're following regulations to the letter, so nobody can point fingers at them. If I barged over to cause a scene, I'd only be handing them an excuse to discipline me."
Elder Dog and Elder Sun departed together. Elder Sun had originally intended to take Sun Miaomiao with him, but she protested that since she rarely visited Songhai, she wanted to stay for a few days to play.
Old Sun couldn't be bothered to argue and let her be.
Zhang Yuanqing made plans with the girls to hold a barbecue party in the courtyard that evening, then headed upstairs with Guan Ya.
The moment they entered the bedroom, Guan Ya wrapped her arms tightly around him, holding him with such force it felt as though she wanted to press him straight into her chest.
After a long while, she sighed softly. "Once again, I felt the terror of almost losing you. I really hate this feeling..."
*If this were a wuxia drama, I ought to promise her a peaceful life herding cattle and sheep beyond the Great Wall right about now...* Yet Zhang Yuanqing merely rested his hands around her slender waist and whispered, "This is the destiny of people like us."
Guan Ya let out an "Mm." She did not lapse into excessive sentimentality, nor did she complain or voice the dread lingering in her heart, refusing to burden him with any emotional pressure.
After sharing a tender moment together, Zhang Yuanqing turned on his computer and logged into his messaging client—his phone had been destroyed during the initial wave of attacks.
[Yuanshi Tianzun: Thank you all for your concern. I have successfully escaped the danger. If everyone wants to know the details, I'll recount everything that happened from start to finish shortly.]
[Sun Miaomiao: In the cabin, Yuanshi Tianzun was ambushed by two Dominators from Dark Night Rose and the Southern Sect. He jumped into an instance to summon reinforcements, and then fled back. That's the whole story.]
Sun Miaomiao gave him no room to boast.
[Yuanshi Tianzun: Just you wait, Miaomiao. I'll make you cry tonight.]
[Xiahou Aotian: You rascal, you survived even that? Do you have an ancient master in a ring protecting you too?]
Seeing that he was safe and sound, the guild members breathed collective sighs of relief. At the same time, like Xiahou Aotian, they felt immense shock and bewilderment. Although they had built up considerable immunity to Yuanshi Tianzun's habit of constantly producing miracles, this still seemed utterly absurd.
Just what kind of maneuvering could allow someone to survive an ambush by two Dominators?
Zhao Chenghuang and Tianxia Guihuo both expressed their desire to hear the full account, even if it contained a generous amount of artistic embellishment.
Both approached this with a student's mindset, eager to analyze Yuanshi Tianzun's combat tactics and his method of defusing the crisis.
Brother Red Chicken, on the other hand, simply sent: "Holy shit, fucking awesome!" to express his genuine delight.
Zhang Yuanqing clicked away furiously on the keyboard, describing his glorious feat. Halfway through, a private message from Xiao Yuan popped up.
[Magical Aunt Xiao Yuan: As long as you're all right.]
A few seconds later, she sent another message:
[Are you hurt? Did you suffer heavy losses? I... I can compensate you...]
From her wording, Zhang Yuanqing could read guilt, remorse, and a faint, cautious, almost humble plea to make amends.
*Is she afraid that I'll hold a grudge against her and Master Wuhen's team, and keep them at arm's length from now on? Offering compensation just hoping for my forgiveness? Xiao Yuan's heart is still so sensitive, so conflicted...*
Zhang Yuanqing did not address her offer directly, replying instead:
[Our team's information was leaked. The Southern Sect knew Zhao Xintong's background inside and out, and they were fully aware of my connection with you all. I suspect there's a mole. In all likelihood, it's Good Minister Chooses His Master to Slay. Find a way to keep him steady and under control. I'll come over this afternoon.]
After sending the reply, Zhang Yuanqing returned to writing his essay.
A few minutes later, he posted the heavily embellished battle chronicle into the group chat across three separate messages.
Then, the guild chat fell completely silent. For a long time, no one spoke.
After what felt like an eternity, Xiahou Aotian sent a sour message:
[Damn it! You actually stole the spotlight in a Dominator-level battle!]
*You actually believed that?* the others muttered inwardly.
Yet even setting aside the fictional embellishments, Yuanshi Tianzun's strategic handling left Tianxia Guihuo and Zhao Chenghuang with wry smiles—it was utterly impossible to imitate.
*His combat talent is extraordinarily high, far higher than mine...* Amid his mental exhaustion, Zhao Chenghuang felt a grudging sense of admiration that he was reluctant to admit.
***
Wuhen Hotel.
At the front desk, Xiao Yuan hung her head, her gaze fixed intently on her phone screen. She pursed her lips, waiting with an anxious heart.
She was indeed frightened. Anyone who survived a life-and-death ordeal would instinctively distance themselves from the source of trouble; after all, every living being cherished their life.
Following this incident, the enemy had confirmed one thing: using "people from Wuhen Hotel" could bait out Yuanshi Tianzun. There would definitely be a next time, and a time after that.
Xiao Yuan was terrified that this would cause Yuanshi Tianzun to drift further and further away from their group, and from her.
That was why she had cautiously tested the waters, offering compensation—it was, in truth, a very humble attempt to hold onto him.
The phone buzzed with an incoming reply from Yuanshi Tianzun.
Xiao Yuan's spirits lifted, and she immediately read the message. Once she finished, her brows furrowed tightly, her expression turning stern.
"Auntie Xiao Yuan, what happened?"
Beside her, Zhao Xintong, also dressed in a front desk uniform, asked timidly.
She had been watching Xiao Yuan closely all along, knowing that Xiao Yuan would be the first to receive news about Yuanshi Tianzun.
Seeing Xiao Yuan's knitted brows and grave countenance, Zhao Xintong grew nervous.
Xiao Yuan said, "Call Kou Beiyue. Tell him and Good Minister Chooses His Master to Slay to get off work early. Say that there is still no word on Yuanshi Tianzun, and that something terrible has likely happened to him..."
Having said that, she glanced down at her phone. Yuanshi Tianzun had sent no further messages.
He had not responded to her cautious attempt to hold onto him.
***
Five Elements Alliance Headquarters.
Secretary Zhou hung up the phone and fell into silence.
An email had just arrived from the Songhai Branch stating that Yuanshi Tianzun had returned safely. He had escaped the hunt conducted by two Dominators from Dark Night Rose and the Southern Sect, and had even eliminated the ancient cultivator Sect Master Chunyang along the way.
He managed to escape even that?
Without rescue from headquarters, without rescue from the Songhai Branch, he had managed to break free from an ambush by two Dominators entirely on his own cards and personal connections.
Even when Fu Qingyang was at the height of his power, he had never possessed such capability.
*This boy has truly come into his own...* Secretary Zhou drew a deep breath, suppressing the restlessness and unease churning in his chest, and dialed Elder Cai's number.
Chapter 606