Beneath a clear, washed-blue sky, the peaks of Mount Song rolled endlessly into the distance. Outside the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, a figure materialized—Zhang Yuanqing clad in a black combat uniform.
*If the Old Hag can show up in a First District dungeon, then a guild dungeon certainly won't hold her back.*
Zhang Yuanqing retrieved a roll of parchment and laid out the materials for summoning Empress Sandao one by one.
Igniting the materials with astral energy, he set down the scroll inscribed with the summoning talisman atop them.
Ten-odd seconds later, the parchment absorbed the spiritual essence of the materials. The array drawn on its surface erupted into a glaring pillar of golden light that shot straight into the clouds.
Following his usual ceremonial habit, Zhang Yuanqing muttered under his breath, "Empress, Empress, please come out; Empress, Empress, please come out..."
Having witnessed the combat might Empress Sandao displayed, he didn't dare fool around anymore. In the past, Master Heavenly Venerable would have dared to yell: *Youqing! Come out for this Heavenly Venerable!*
Amidst his rhythmic chanting, a long while passed before golden ripples spread across the sky of the Spirit Realm, blanketing the firmament.
Immediately after, a rift tore open in the sky, and a pillar of golden light descended from the opening.
Clad in fluttering feathered robes, breathtaking and peerless, the divine lady rode the wind downward, looking down with cold, elegant eyes.
Zhang Yuanqing immediately dropped into a kowtow. "Empress, your divine skills match the heavens! May you reign for tens of thousands of autumns, your life eternal with the cosmos!"
Empress Sandao nodded in satisfaction, her voice cool as a mountain spring. "What is the matter?"
Since they were already so familiar, Zhang Yuanqing didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Empress, did you appear in the First District dungeon specifically to save me?"
Empress Sandao did not answer immediately. Landing lightly on the ground, she said, "Rise and speak!"
"No!" Zhang Yuanqing loudly refused. "Empress, you are peerless throughout the ages, unmatched in civil virtue and martial might since antiquity! If the Empress stands, I grovel; if the Empress is in the heavens, I remain on the earth!"
His tone was earnest and his expression sincere, showing not the slightest hint of flattery, as though every word came straight from the heart.
A faint smile graced Empress Sandao's exquisite countenance, and she answered his earlier question: "It was to save all of you!"
She made a gesture to dismiss the formality. "Rise."
*To save us? Not specifically me...*
Taking the opportunity, Zhang Yuanqing rose and asked in puzzlement, "How did you know we were in trouble, Empress? And how did you cross servers?"
Although the domestic server and the overseas server belonged to the same overall system, they were not interconnected.
Empress Sandao knitted her brows in silence, offering no reply.
Zhang Yuanqing dropped right back into a kowtow. "Empress, your divine power is peerless, unequaled under heaven!"
Faced with such grand reverence, Empress Sandao sighed helplessly. "I was entrusted by someone."
*Entrusted by someone?* Zhang Yuanqing pressed, "Who?!"
Empress Sandao replied indifferently, "You do not need to know."
*She won't tell me. The Empress isn't someone who likes playing coy. Either the client's identity is mysterious, or my tier isn't high enough. Who in the world could have asked her to save us?*
Very few people knew about last night's operation, and among them, aside from the President, no one had the influence to enlist her. Since the President said it wasn't his doing, then it definitely had nothing to do with him; there was no need for him to lie.
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yuanqing quickly grasped a key point: *The one who commissioned her wasn't among those in the know about this operation, but they knew we would encounter an insurmountable life-and-death crisis.*
Following that line of thought led to one conclusion: the client possessed the ability of foreknowledge.
Within the Spirit Realm, only three abilities could foresee the future: prophecy, divination, and stargazing.
*I have no ties to the Scholar clan. Theoretically, divination can be ruled out. But the Palace Master is a Musician, and Musicians and Scholars both belong to Empress Wa's lineage. Could a demigod of the Scholar profession be unwilling to let the Demon Refining Pot fall into the hands of the evil faction?*
*As for prophecy, the item with prophetic powers in the Spirit Realm is the Compass of Light, whose fragments are divided among the major organizations, which makes the scope too broad.*
*In the realm of stargazing, Dark Night Rose certainly wouldn't save me. Those capable of peering into the river of fate are basically all in the Taiyi Sect. Could it be that silent chess master, the Lord of Stars, helping me?*
Zhang Yuanqing pondered inwardly.
Empress Sandao spoke:
"As for how this Empress entered the First District's dungeon—the Golden Crow roams the universe, soaring up to the highest heavens and diving down to the underworld. There is nowhere it cannot go."
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing broke out of his thoughts to decipher the Empress's words.
*She can traverse between the two districts without restriction? Isn't she an NPC of the Second District? How can she go to the First District?*
Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing recalled his experience cultivating the Pure Yang Body Cleansing Record and absorbing the divine power of the sun inside the Horror Cruise.
Understanding dawned on him at once.
Night Wanderers were the most unique. The power of the sun, moon, and stars pervaded the entire Spirit Realm, identical in both domestic and overseas servers.
Realizing this, a sudden idea struck Zhang Yuanqing. He needed to collect the Thunder God Set and the Heaven-Worship Set. He could ask the President to search for them in dungeons, and then have the Old Hag retrieve them.
The President was a Spirit Realm walker bound by a character card; forcibly removing items from the Spirit Realm without completing missions would invite punishment from the Spirit Realm. But the Old Hag had no such worries.
"Empress, this junior has a request," Zhang Yuanqing said. "In the world today, figures of the demonic path run rampant, assassinating merchants and officials, preying on the common folk, and throwing the court into chaos. This junior is filled with righteous blood, wishing to save the world and bring relief to the people, yet my strength is meager..."
Empress Sandao coldly cut him off: "Speak plainly!"
Zhang Yuanqing said, "This junior wishes to ask the Empress to help me collect a few artifacts."
Knowing how strict Empress Sandao was and that she disliked spoiling juniors, he quickly added, "Not too many, just a few will do, nor will their tier be excessively high—at most Sect Master level."
Empress Sandao frowned. "Artifacts of the Sect Master level are exceedingly rare."
"This junior will track down their whereabouts himself. You only need to bring them out, Empress." Zhang Yuanqing stood ready at all times; the moment the Old Hag refused, he would immediately drop to kowtow again.
Empress Sandao pondered slightly. "If an artifact is excessively powerful, I will not help you obtain it. If it is overly dangerous, the same applies—unless you have a reason you must possess it."
"Thank you, Empress." As customary, Zhang Yuanqing offered up sincere flattery.
Having her ears bathed in praise put the Old Hag in a fairly good mood. She asked, "You said demonic scoundrels run rampant in the world today? What has happened outside?"
Zhang Yuanqing recounted the factional conflict in New York County to her. Upon hearing that it concerned the Free Confederation, the Old Hag shook her head repeatedly and scolded him for poking his nose into other people's business, asking what the survival of foreign barbarians had to do with their glorious Huaxia.
Zhang Yuanqing explained that factional confrontation recognized no borders. If the foreign barbarians fell, their glorious Huaxia would be next.
He then explained the Spirit Realm's faction confrontation mechanics as well as secrets such as the struggle for Spirit Realm administrator.
The Old Hag was greatly shaken by what she heard, and decided she would settle the matter of the items for him.
"If needed in the future, this Empress will depart the Spirit Realm to join the righteous people of the world in combating the demonic path." Her tone turned solemn. "It has been a long time since this Empress observed the celestial phenomena at night."
She wanted to see the future trend of the world.
"With the Empress's assistance, it is a blessing for the righteous path under heaven." Seizing the opening, Zhang Yuanqing probed, "Empress, what realm are you currently at?"
He could sense that Empress Sandao's combat power was unusual. Previously, she was already at the peak Dominator level; one step further would make her a Human Immortal.
A Human Immortal was a demigod.
The Old Hag cultivated the divine power of the sun; her ascension to demigod could only lead to the Lord of the Sun.
Empress Sandao shook her head regretfully. "I merely experienced the might of a Human Immortal ahead of time. My spiritual power has already been exhausted."
She offered no further explanation, seemingly reluctant to elaborate.
*That's good. I still have hope of becoming the Lord of the Sun.* Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief, then said:
"Empress, among Spirit Realm walkers, a fellow named Ling Tuo has recently been attempting to break through to the tier of the Lord of Taiyin. He should be in the Spirit Realm right now. Would you consider participating to seek an opportunity?"
"I know!" Empress Sandao said indifferently. "He is undergoing trials inside the Taiyin dungeon. I cannot enter, and even if I could, it would be a near-certain death. Besides, this Empress cultivates the Pure Yang mantra and treads the path of the resplendent sun, harboring no interest in the stars or Taiyin."
*Oh, Zhao Youqing, you ungrateful thing—you want to compete with Master Heavenly Venerable for the throne of the Lord of the Sun!* Zhang Yuanqing grumbled inwardly.
Empress Sandao was not a Scout and could not read the inner monologue of this junior. She asked, "How has that wretched disciple of mine been lately?"
Zhang Yuanqing replied, "She sleeps in the house all day, eating and loafing around, gluttonous and lazy."
"You may use her as a vanguard."
"I'm afraid both horse and pawn will perish."
"Her death would not be regretted."
The two chatted for a long time before Zhang Yuanqing reluctantly bid Empress Sandao farewell, leaving the guild dungeon and returning to reality.
The President, dressed in a pure black suit, remained in the bedroom, seated by the table, eating breakfast from Heaven's Punishment's cafeteria while enjoying high-end red wine.
Zhang Yuanqing immediately conveyed Empress Sandao's response to the President.
The President pondered for a few seconds before saying:
"The strangest part about this matter is: how did the mysterious person who commissioned her enter the Spirit Realm?"
Zhang Yuanqing froze, only then realizing the brilliant point the President had hit upon.
*Right! The Empress lives in a Spirit Realm dungeon. To commission her, one must enter the Spirit Realm. Yet the demigods of the various professions cannot enter the Spirit Realm at will.*
*More accurately, they cannot enter the main Spirit Realm.*
*How did that mysterious person manage it?*
"You don't need to worry about this matter. Since Empress Sandao didn't say, it must be for your own good." The President drained the red wine in his goblet and said:
"With the New York County matter settled, you can enter the guild dungeon to cultivate the Pure Yang Body Cleansing Record."
"Wait!" Zhang Yuanqing called after him. "I almost forgot one thing. I stole the materials and array Catherine needed to enter the Divine Kingdom."
The President set down his wine glass and wiped his mouth. "What do you think Catherine will do once she discovers the items are stolen? Either the demon seed modifies the array to enter the Divine Kingdom, or she gathers the demigods of the evil faction to wait for us to walk into a trap. That stuff is useless now; keep it as a souvenir."
He picked up the plate, cutlery, and wine glass, giving them a gentle push. The utensils vanished into the void, returned to the cafeteria.
"I will help you search for your Thunder God Set. It's been a long time since I went treasure hunting." With that, the President teleported away.
***
In a dim, quiet underground chamber.
A dim yellow lamp hung every ten paces along a spacious passageway. Lining both sides were rows of cages containing one-horned giant serpents, three-headed hounds, large lizards sprouted with membranous wings, cats wearing crystal crowns, and more.
These aberrant creatures came in all bizarre shapes and forms, but they all shared one trait: a pair of bloodthirsty, savage eyes.
At the end of the corridor lay a massive secret chamber. Stephen Simpson sat on a cushioned throne, a golden serpent coiled around his arm.
His head was lowered as his thumb gently rubbed the snake's head.
Dreamlike starlight welled up, and a hooded, cloaked figure stepped out from the starlight.
"You failed?" the cloaked figure's voice was coarse and raspy. "And you even lost an eighth-level Dominator!"
Stephen Simpson remained cold and solemn. "We also lost a Donna. All of her lovers have been transferred out of New York County for investigation."
"I don't care about that," the cloaked figure said in a heavy voice. "Before entering the Spirit Realm, the Leader said that if this battle succeeded, the Free Faction's victory would be unshakeable. If it failed, the overall situation would be difficult to settle. Two peak Dominators and nine eighth-level Dominators, yet you couldn't even manage this little task."
Stephen Simpson replied coldly, "Shanhe Yongcun, you have no right to speak to me in that tone."
After issuing the warning, Lieutenant Stephen continued:
"Under yesterday's circumstances, unless a demigod intervened personally, no one would have had any certainty. That woman is even more powerful than the Taiyi Sect's Crimson Sun Executioner. I have a premonition that she will become the Lord of the Sun."
"Impossible!" The cloaked figure sneered. "Only when the stars and Taiyin return to their positions will the Sun dungeon open. Until then, no one can become the Lord of the Sun."
After the two discussed Empress Sandao for a moment, the cloaked figure asked, "How is the situation on the Thunder God's side?"
Lieutenant Stephen curled his lips into a smile. "Everything is proceeding smoothly."
Chapter 767