December 13th, overcast. Two days remained until the killing trial.
Inside the Mohist Mechanism City dungeon, Zhang Yuanqing and Empress Sandao were locked in fierce combat. Neither used spells; they condensed weapons purely out of divine sun power and clashed using martial skills.
Zhang Yuanqing's fighting style was domineering and wild, bold and sweeping, while the old crone was gentle on the outside yet unyielding within, her feather robe fluttering as gracefully as a startled swan.
It looked just like a wuxia novel where an aloof, proud immortal maiden wandering the pugilistic world crossed paths with a lustful brigand—one both overbearing and ferocious, relentlessly harassing the fairy until he could bed her.
The old crone shifted between lightning-fast close-quarters strikes and springing back to loose powerful arrows, while Zhang Yuanqing switched weapons at will, neutralizing every offensive.
After clashing with weapons for a long time, the old crone was the first to stop. She nodded in satisfaction.
"Remarkable progress. You are one of the most gifted Night Wanderers I have ever seen."
Delighted, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Has Master ever seen anyone else as gifted as me?"
The old crone said solemnly, "Your master."
Zhang Yuanqing promptly prostrated himself. "Master possesses brilliant discernment."
Not far away, Commandery Princess Yinyao hurriedly used her Elvis speaker to record this shameless exchange.
The old crone said, "Your Pure Yang Body Cleansing Record has entered the realm of mastery. You will not see further progress in the short term. You may return."
Zhang Yuanqing looked toward Commandery Princess Yinyao. "Shall this wretched disciple stay to keep Master company, or should I take her with me?"
The old crone frowned and corrected him, "She is your senior sister."
Zhang Yuanqing readily obliged. "Then how should this wretched senior sister be dealt with?"
The old crone turned away. "Out of sight, out of mind."
Thus, Zhang Yuanqing picked up his wretched senior sister by the icy scruff of her neck, departed the Spirit Realm, and returned to reality.
Back at Heaven's Punishment's dormitory, Zhang Yuanqing sent Commandery Princess Yinyao to play on the computer, then transformed into starlight and went to Guan Ya's room.
Guan Ya was not there. He called her and learned that she was sparring and polishing her hand-to-hand combat skills with Sun Miaomiao, Zhao Chenghuang, and the others in the martial arts training room on the 92nd floor.
Receiving her boyfriend's call, Guan Ya happily abandoned her companions and returned to her room.
Looking at the glistening, sweaty mixed-race beauty, Zhang Yuanqing smiled.
"Having struggled outside for days, I've amassed quite a sum of savings, just waiting to hand it over to my lady wife."
Guan Ya asked suspiciously, "Why are you talking so formally all of a sudden?"
She naturally slipped out of her loose training clothes. Her fair, pale skin formed a stark contrast with her black lace lingerie, delivering explosive visual impact. "I'm going to take a shower first."
"Iku, iku!" Zhang Yuanqing followed suit, stripping off his clothes.
During the half-hour in the bathroom, Guan Ya was pinned against the wall, scarcely touching the floor. Only after Zhang Yuanqing, thoroughly invigorated and washed clean, left the bathroom did she lean against the wall, legs trembling, tilting her head back to accept the showerhead's spray.
Clad in a bathrobe, Zhang Yuanqing leaned against the headboard and summoned Little Doubi, having the chubby, cute infant fetch his phone from next door.
He had intended to browse his phone to kill time, but unexpectedly saw a message from Fu Qingyang.
In the message, the Money Prince mentioned that Huang Taiji had been at the peak of Level 6 for two years. Hampered by his class, he had attempted the killing trial time and again, only to fall short each time.
Though Huang Taiji talked tough, his promotion had become a lingering knot in his heart. Bearing their years of friendship in mind, the Money Prince hoped that Yuanshi Tianzun, as his adoptive son, could lend a hand and show some filial piety.
"Hmm..." Zhang Yuanqing was torn. He knew Yin Ji had also participated in the killing trial multiple times; with only three quota spots, she had never been able to advance.
Yin Ji had been through life-and-death experiences with him several times, and their personal relationship was excellent. The elder sister figure was gentle and kind. Though her heart belonged to another, as a friend, he also wanted to help her out.
On one hand was his understanding big sister; on the other, a father's love as heavy as a mountain.
It was a difficult choice.
'If only there were a few more spots... Hmm, maybe I could try taking up a spot from the First District...' The thought suddenly flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind, and he grew excited.
With the revival entering its second stage, he was already clear on the abilities of the Illusion God's heart at the next stage.
The next stage corresponded to Level 7 of the Dominator stage, and its skill was "Nihility," which was also the core ability of Illusionists at the Dominator stage—Dominator-level Illusionists were called "Nihilists."
An ordinary Nihilist's ability was to reduce physically existing matter and energy to nothingness, whereas the Illusion God's authority of nihility could reduce matter, energy, and even rules to nothingness.
He could ask Mr. President to loosen the seal, advancing the revival one step further to fully unlock the "Nihility" skill, and then, when the killing trial opened, nullify the rule that prohibited cross-server entry.
Once he entered the Spirit Realm, the killing trial's mechanics would seal the Dominator-stage heart for him.
—Power exceeding the Saint stage could not be used inside the dungeon.
On second thought, if the Illusion God could nullify the rules of the Spirit Realm, the Nihility Sect's Illusion God would have strutted about long ago. In fact, during the mid-year killing trial, the Illusion God could have entered the field personally to smash his and the Money Prince's heads in, rather than allowing the two of them to grow.
Perhaps an Administrator's authority could achieve this, but evil classes were not Administrators after all. It seemed unfeasible... Zhang Yuanqing sighed.
At this moment, Guan Ya walked out of the bathroom with a flushed face. Zhang Yuanqing, still browsing his phone, said:
"There's something I need your advice on."
Guan Ya flopped exhaustedly onto the bed, resting a pale, shapely leg across his lower abdomen. "What is it?"
"The killing trial only has three spots. I take up one myself. Who should get the other two?" Stroking his girlfriend's smooth, taut leg, he said, "Xiao Yuan must have one. I'm torn between Yin Ji and Huang Taiji."
"Huang Taiji!" Guan Ya answered without hesitation.
"Why?"
"Because he's a man," Guan Ya said, rolling her eyes.
"Speak properly, don't be so snarky." Zhang Yuanqing gave her plump, rounded rear a slap.
Guan Ya let out a soft groan and straightened her expression.
"Huang Taiji's grandfather is First Elder Dihong, and his great-grandfather is the Lord of the Central Court. Helping him advance to Dominator would be a debt of gratitude akin to rebirth; the Central Court faction will become your ally in the future. Taking a step back, even if the Central Court isn't grateful, Huang Taiji will be. If he can become a Dominator, gaining real power in the Five Elements Alliance is a given.
"What about Yin Ji? Her teacher is Elder Hongying, nothing more. As for your connections in the Taiyi Sect, you already have Sun Miaomiao and Zhao Chenghuang. That's plenty."
Zhang Yuanqing frowned in thought, not responding.
"You're still hesitating over this?" Guan Ya's brows knitted at once.
In her view, this was a choice requiring zero hesitation. To gain a voice in this world, status and level were one aspect, but networks and connections were equally important.
Otherwise, why would demigods bother building factions?
Of course, her reluctance to let Yuanshi help Yin Ji was not without a woman's petty jealousy. Yin Ji's fame preceded her, she had a wonderful personality, and she shared quite a history of entanglements with this kid. Guan Ya was deeply wary of her.
"I guess that's the only way," Zhang Yuanqing sighed.
Over the next two days, Zhang Yuanqing set aside his cultivation. He rolled between the sheets with Guan Ya, toured New York, kept an eye on changing developments, made time to go out to sea with the Palace Master, and discussed the grand state of affairs with the Saints of Return of the Dead. It was both leisurely and fulfilling.
Finally, amid the increasingly chilly weather, time moved forward to December 15th. The killing trial arrived.
[Ding! Large-scale killing trial initiated. Do you wish to participate?]
In the bedroom, fully equipped and ready to depart, Zhang Yuanqing received the Spirit Realm notification.
"Participate!"
The entire Spirit Realm was like a boundless universe. Glinting stars represented individual dungeons.
These "stellar motes" collectively orbited a full moon and a blazing sun. Their forms were infinitely vast; compared to the Lunar and the Sun, the dungeons were as tiny as dust motes.
Within that luminous full moon, a pair of gigantic eyes was faintly visible, shut tight and hazily outlined.
Suddenly, those eyes snapped open, gazing down over the vast Spirit Realm space.
A blot of pitch-black tainted the center of the radiant full moon and rapidly expanded, devouring the moon piece by piece.
Soon, the colossal moon was completely shrouded in black, turning into a gigantic vortex that roiled the entire "starry sky," throwing the stellar motes symbolizing dungeons into disordered, chaotic spinning.
At the same time, the darkness spread incessantly, cloaking dungeon after Spirit Realm dungeon, as if intending to turn this vast starry sky into a pitch-black, lightless world.
At the critical juncture, the myriad dust-like dungeons scattered across the expanse flared with intense light. Dots of starlight coalesced, forming a dazzling astral river to resist the dark devourer.
"Hmph!" A cold, sinister voice came from the Lunar. "Father, you cannot stop me. Concealment is the supreme authority, while your domain lies in deduction."
The darkness abruptly surged in power, slowly yet relentlessly devouring the stellar motes one after another.
[Ding, Spirit Realm map loading. Entering Spirit Realm in 30 seconds... Ding, Spirit Realm map loading. Entering Spirit Realm in 30 seconds... Ding, Spirit Realm map loading. Entering Spirit Realm in 30 seconds...]
Huh? Zhang Yuanqing listened to the endlessly looping Spirit Realm prompt in utter shock.
What was going on? Did the Spirit Realm crash? Was the network lagging?
This was a phenomenon that had never happened before.
The looping chime continued for a full ten minutes. Unable to bear it any longer, Zhang Yuanqing picked up his phone from the table and opened the official forum.
Sure enough, pinned right at the top of the front page was a post:
#Major Crisis: Killing Trial Fails to Launch, Spirit Realm Suspected to Have Malfunctioned#
'So it's not just me. Scared me to death—I thought I had too many cheats on me and the Spirit Realm shadowbanned me...' Zhang Yuanqing breathed a huge sigh of relief, then tapped into the post to read the details.
Chapter 779