Mohist Mechanism City. At the entrance to the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, Zhang Yuanqing held a glittering golden shield, sinking into a horse stance with knees bent as he blocked arrows flying straight at him.
Ten meters away, Empress Sandao stood turned sideways, drawing her bow. Her fair, slender fingers streamed wisps of golden light that coalesced into arrows.
With every arrow she loosed, the rushing wind swept up the hem of her magnificent gown and stirred her drifting long hair, making her look both breathtakingly beautiful and fierce.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The arrows slammed into the face of the shield, producing dull, grating crashes and scattering showers of golden motes.
Suddenly, Empress Sandao dispersed her bow and arrow. In an instant, she darted to Zhang Yuanqing's flank. Golden light flared in her palm, condensing into a three-foot green blade that thrust straight toward her disciple's waist.
Hurriedly shifting his shield to block, Zhang Yuanqing gathered a saber in his other hand, brazenly stabbing right at Empress Sandao's chest in open defiance of his master.
The old crone did not even flinch, striking an attitude as if the few pounds of flesh upon her chest could stop the blade's edge, and drove her sword straight toward Zhang Yuanqing's neck.
Helpless, Zhang Yuanqing withdrew his blade and dropped into an iron bridge bend to evade the sword's point. Just as he was about to thrust his hips upward and launch a flying kick at his opponent, the old crone sheathed her sword and said coldly, "Yinyao, forty lashes!"
Not far away, Commandery Princess Yinyao, who had been sitting cross-legged watching the battle, grabbed the black whip shrouded in yin energy beside her. She sprang up eagerly and bolted toward her nominal junior brother—and practical master.
"Wait!" Zhang Yuanqing protested indignantly. "What did I do wrong?"
Though the old crone possessed the beauty of a celestial maiden and an enchanting figure, she was an uncompromisingly strict master. Over the past few days, Zhang Yuanqing had been whipped within an inch of his life.
Every time Commandery Princess Yinyao finished flogging him, he had to lie down for half an hour just to recover.
—The old crone had bestowed upon Yinyao a top-tier Saint-grade item crafted specifically to whip spirit bodies.
"Your weapon switching was too slow, and your control of divine sun power lacks refinement," the old crone stated plainly.
"We clearly agreed to switch weapons once every quarter of an hour! You switched five minutes early, Master—I wasn't prepared at all!" Zhang Yuanqing argued.
They had an agreement: saber against sword, spear against staff, shield against bow and arrow!
It was meant to sharpen his proficiency in wielding divine sun power.
"When your mastery reaches true perfection, weapons coalesce at your whim without need for preparation," the old crone said indifferently.
"Even so, that only warrants twenty lashes! How can you add more time on your own?" Zhang Yuanqing remained defiant.
"What 'add more time'?" The old crone frowned and scolded him. "Do not speak mundane slang from the mortal realm to me. The other twenty lashes are for your flinching. Master has drilled it into your ears time and again: if you wish to cultivate divine sun power to its apex, your temperament must be fierce and domineering. Domination prizes conquest; never yield and never lower your arms. If you lack even the courage for mutual destruction, why bother cultivating divine sun power at all?"
She knew Yuanshi Tianzun did not lack fierce valor, but in ordinary times he was far too slippery, and he fought just as slickly—unwilling to suffer losses and unwilling to clash head-on. Because of this, he lacked sheer domineering drive.
Before Zhang Yuanqing could explain, the old crone continued her lecture: "Yinyao told me that your moniker in the jianghu is 'Item Tianzun,' draped from head to toe in flashy magical items. That, combined with an Astromancer's fighting style, has made you accustomed to relying on tools and orchestrating things from behind the scenes.
"Many prodigiously gifted Night Wanderers hit a bottleneck when advancing to Golden Crow precisely because they cannot shed their old fighting habits and mindset, which prevents them from fusing divine sun power and forging a Golden Crow's physique.
"Spirit Realm walkers have character cards to impart mastery, so you need not worry about breaking through bottlenecks. However, if you cannot overturn your habits and truly align with divine sun power, then even if you become a Dominator, you will never stand out from the crowd."
Zhang Yuanqing was completely swayed. "Master speaks truly."
He glanced at the whip swirling with yin energy, swallowed hard, and said, "Could the forty lashes be put on credit? Give this disciple a few more days, and if I still can't—"
Commandery Princess Yinyao barked, "Halt! Any attempt to haggle is proof of insufficient domineering drive. I suggest Master add ten more lashes!"
Zhang Yuanqing bellowed at once, "This disciple willingly accepts the punishment!"
Yinyao, you sneaky traitor!
Commandery Princess Yinyao swung her whip, happily flogging her master.
Empress Sandao looked on coldly. "Seven days remain until the killing trial. I expect that on the day you become a Golden Crow, you will surpass the vast majority of your peers. Otherwise, you are unworthy to be my disciple."
Having gained a disciple in her twilight years whom she regarded like a son, her expectations for Yuanshi Tianzun far exceeded those for Yinyao. Yinyao was already a lost cause; her future depended entirely on what Yuanshi Tianzun could achieve.
***
Soldier Master sect.
In the northwestern Gobi, loess dwellings stood scattered, forming what appeared to be an underdeveloped little village.
The only remaining figures among the Eight Great Divine Generals—Pride Divine General, Wrath Divine General, and Six-Finger Divine General—walked together along the narrow village lane toward the mountainside observation terrace.
Fear Heavenly King and Demon Eye Heavenly King were seated at a round table, drinking. On the table were plates of braised edamame, braised peanuts, pig head meat, pig tongue, and pig ear.
Six-Finger Divine General was the first to ask, "Heavenly King, what orders do you have for us?"
If there are none, I'm heading back to roll dice.
Six-Finger Divine General was hopelessly addicted to gambling. He had just been gambling with fellow sect members when Fear Heavenly King summoned him with a phone call, leaving him exceedingly impatient and irritated.
Dressed in a suit and sporting a silver earring, Fear Heavenly King shelled an edamame pod and asked, "Silver Moon mentioned the three of you intend to join the killing trial?"
Six-Finger Divine General nodded. "Yuanshi Tianzun is dead, and Fu Qingyang advanced to Dominator during the mid-year killing trial. The year-end trial is an empty window. The only enemies from the orthodox faction capable of matching us are Jiang Ju and Huang Taiji. I bet the other two that after this killing trial, the Soldier Master sect will definitely gain another Heavenly King."
Demon Eye Heavenly King sneered. "Do you think you can beat Fear, or beat me, or defeat Miejue or Ghost Saber? No matter how many Dominators the Soldier Master sect has, there will always be only four Heavenly Kings."
The three Divine Generals looked indignant, but none dared to talk back.
Fear Heavenly King flicked a shelled bean into his mouth. "The Soldier Master sect will not participate in the year-end killing trial."
"Why?" All three Divine Generals froze.
Fear Heavenly King chuckled coldly. "So you can live a few years longer. Of course, if you insist on participating, I won't stop you. That's your freedom. But you'd better listen to me."
He waved a hand, disinclined to explain, and dismissed the three Divine Generals.
Demon Eye Heavenly King watched the three leave, then turned to Fear. "Since you guessed he isn't dead, why didn't you assemble the senior leadership of the Nihility Sect and Spirit Society to hunt him down, just like during the mid-year killing trial?"
Fear Heavenly King sighed. "He is a peak Saint who possesses the abilities of two classes, Night Wanderer and Illusionist. He carries an abundance of top-tier Saint-grade items and has a yin corpse and spirit servant of the same level fighting at his side. Within the Saint stage, no power can wipe him out anymore—not even rule-based items. Since we can't stop him, we can only avoid him. A Level 7 Dominator won't alter the bigger picture. Even if he follows Fu Qingxuan's path, he will still need a year of growth. The orthodox faction doesn't have that kind of time."
However, he had no intention of sharing this with the Spirit Society and the Nihility Sect. Whittling down the mid-level strength of those two organizations was by no means a bad thing.
Demon Eye shoved a handful of pig head meat into his mouth. "How are your injuries?"
"Nothing serious. I was only grazed and lost a portion of my strength, but I can recover with rest." Fear Heavenly King's expression turned somewhat solemn. "I underestimated the Five Elements Alliance before. Still, even though it fell short of expectations, the Dual Gods of Wind and Thunder are out of the game. That makes it a gain."
Demon Eye seized the opportunity to fish for intelligence. "What plans does the evil faction have next?"
Fear Heavenly King curled his lips. "No plans. Just live our lives."
Demon Eye Heavenly King: "Heh."
Fear Heavenly King: "Heh."
***
Capital, Taiyi Sect.
Inside a siheyuan courtyard steeped in history, Yin Ji sat cross-legged beneath the shade of a tree. A golden pellet rested upon her lap, giving off faint wisps of golden aura that entered her nostrils with her breathing to temper her internal organs.
This was Elder Hongying's residence. As the killing trial drew near, Yin Ji had moved from her luxury apartment to her master's quarters to cultivate the Pure Yang Body Cleansing Record under her guidance.
She was primarily drawing on the elder's divine sun power to train.
Ever since the Crimson Sun Executioner's physical form was annihilated, the Taiyi Sect had suddenly grown bustling. The elders were out every day, either attending to sect matters or holding meetings with senior leadership of the Five Elements Alliance.
The tempo had become fast and tense, resembling the brink of an imminent war.
After the incident with the Dual Gods of Wind and Thunder, the orthodox faction realized their peaceful days were at an end. In the days ahead, the evil faction's plots and moves would follow in rapid succession.
Certain preparations had to be made before the storm; they could no longer passively react.
After breathing for a quarter of an hour, Yin Ji stopped, drenched in sweat. Her cheeks were flushed, beads of sweat gathered at the tip of her nose, and strands of hair clung to her cheeks.
If she cultivated any longer, the divine sun power would scorch her organs.
"Where did you obtain this secret technique?" Elder Hongying's voice drifted over from nearby. "It is exquisitely refined—surely a secret technique tempered over a thousand trials by ancient cultivators. Having observed it for a few days, if my judgment serves, it is on par with a core cultivation method. If you submit it to the sect, you could exchange it for a top-tier item, which would significantly improve your chances in the killing trial."
Yin Ji's expression dimmed. "Yuanshi Tianzun sold the Pure Yang Body Cleansing Record to me. It may only be cultivated privately and cannot be disclosed. That was a condition of our deal."
Elder Hongying possessed high moral standards. Seeing her disciple say this, she did not press the matter, remarking instead, "With the Pure Yang Body Cleansing Record to aid you, you have a sliver of hope to advance to Dominator, though it remains slim. Both Jiang Ju and Huang Taiji rely on their bloodline power and are slightly stronger than you, not to mention the peak Saints of the evil classes.
"And there are only three Dominator quotas. Alas, if Yuanshi Tianzun were not dead, given your relationship with him, you would certainly secure one of those three spots."
Just like during the Transcendent stage killing trial, a whole cohort of newcomers had smoothly advanced behind Yuanshi Tianzun.
Yin Ji replied softly, "One can only do their best and leave the rest to fate."
***
Songhai, an apartment.
Inside a room with tightly drawn curtains, the floor was covered with earthenware jars packed with venomous snakes and centipedes of vibrant colors. The air was thick with toxic miasma.
Wearing a white tank top and dark trousers, Xiao Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, drawing in the miasma.
Her features remained cool and strikingly beautiful, yet carried an extra hint of demonic allure. Were she to wear black lipstick, she would look every bit the seductive demoness.
Knock, knock!
A knock sounded at the door, followed by a low voice: "Xiao Yuan, it's me."
Xiao Yuan opened her eyes, a flash of purple flitting across her pupils. She climbed out of bed, grabbed a jacket to throw over her shoulders, and unlocked the bedroom door.
Standing outside was a somber, haughty youth with sword-like brows and starry eyes. The boyishness had faded from his face, replaced by the submission and ferocity of a leader.
"The killing trial is only a few days away. Did he leave any instructions?" Kou Beiyue asked in a deep voice.
Xiao Yuan shook her head.
Kou Beiyue's brows instantly knitted together. After a brief silence, he said, "Doesn't matter anyway. He'll probably enter the killing trial. With him there, you shouldn't have any trouble advancing to Dominator."
A glimmer of yearning and fond memory crossed Xiao Yuan's eyes. "Young Master Fire and Young Master Huang share good relations with him. Weighing the pros and cons, it would be better if the spots went to them."
"Then he doesn't truly care about you," Kou Beiyue sneered. "I'll twist his head right off."
Xiao Yuan scrutinized him for a few moments and chuckled. "You've been the boss for a few months and forgotten who you are?"
Kou Beiyue snorted. "I just came by to check on you. Still have things to do, so I'm off."
***
Five Elements Alliance F4 Group Chat.
Group admin Lingjun popped up: [@Jiang Ju @Huang Taiji, can you two advance to Dominator this year?]
The group chat had been created by the young master, and the other three young masters despised the group name so much that they usually refused to post.
[Jiang Ju: Can you change the group name already? How many times do I have to tell you? I feel like hailing a cab just to beat the crap out of you.]
[Huang Taiji: Jiang Ju probably can. It's a bit tough for me.]
Huang Taiji was a permanent fixture in the killing trial—he entered every year and failed to advance every year. It was the drawback of his class traits.
With insufficient damage output, it was difficult to score big points and claim top rank. Naturally, he was never in any real danger either.
[Lingjun: Such a pity. If Yuanshi were still around, given your father-and-son bond, he would definitely guarantee your advancement. Well, if he were here, I suppose I'd advance first.]
[Fu Qingyang: You're still not participating this time?]
[Lingjun: Life is short, and there are so many wonderful things to enjoy. Leveling up is the least important of them all. Courting danger for that is hardly the choice of a wise man.]
[Fu Qingyang: Oh. Just don't regret it.]
Chapter 778