At the sight of this face, all three Dominators froze for a moment, struck by a powerful sense of familiarity, wondering where they had seen it before.
"Yuanshi Tianzun?!" Winnie was the first to recognize his identity, unmistakable shock washing over her cold, glamorous face.
The two giant fiends also recalled the owner of that face. They had seen it in intelligence files—it was none other than Yuanshi Tianzun, who was supposed to have returned to the Spirit Realm months ago.
How could the deceased Yuanshi Tianzun appear here?
The Chromie Demon scrutinized him for several seconds with crimson demonic eyes before speaking in a coarse, booming voice:
"Disguising yourself as Yuanshi Tianzun... Is it inconvenient to reveal your true identity before us? I'm curious: just who are you?"
"Try him and find out." Beside him, the three-headed hellhound opened his inventory, pulled out an exquisite yet eerie horned mask, and slipped it onto his middle head.
This item corresponded to the abyssal siren Scylla. She could cause targets to mutate simply by calling out their true names or Spirit Realm IDs, though mastering it required Level 8.
The masked dog head looked toward Zhang Yuanqing and let out an ethereal, haunting call:
"Yuanshi Tianzun!"
Not far away, Zhang Yuanqing's body showed no change whatsoever.
Seeing this, Winnie Berrent retracted her gaze, driving away the shock in her heart. She seized the opportunity to channel the lightning-attribute spiritual power in her body, wiping out mutating cells to halt the spread of the mutation across her flesh.
She felt no joy over "Yuanshi Tianzun's" arrival. In her eyes, he was most likely a senior figure from an orthodox organization who had come here to seize the Eye of the Sky, disguising himself as the dead Yuanshi Tianzun for that very reason.
He had not come as a savior, but as another enemy.
"If you want to make me mutate, relying on an item won't cut it. Wait until you reach Level 8 before trying that." Zhang Yuanqing retrieved the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon statuette from his inventory and held it in his right palm. With his left hand, he wiped across his face.
"Perhaps you'll find this appearance more familiar."
His face rippled like water, shifting into a delicate, scholarly countenance.
Jumang!
Winnie Berrent's pupils constricted sharply.
The two giant fiends wore similar expressions. While Yuanshi Tianzun's face had required a moment of recall, Jumang had caused them to gnash their teeth in hatred quite recently, leaving a deep impression.
He was Jumang!
Zhang Yuanqing gave them no time to think. He activated the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon's "Spirit Manifestation" skill. The statuette's eyes flickered, springing to life in an instant. It expanded into a ten-meter-long golden dragon that coiled gracefully behind its master. Raising its noble head, it glared coldly at the three enemies.
The aura radiating from the golden dragon made all three Dominators shudder inwardly.
*Now this is what they call the return of the supreme soldier—seeing his woman grievously injured and summoning a divine dragon in a fit of rage to slaughter everyone in sight!* Zhang Yuanqing raised a hand, snapped his fingers with a crisp *crack*, and commanded in a deep voice:
"Go, Divine Dragon!"
It was the perfect chance to test the item's combat strength.
*"Snore... Snore..."*
What answered him was a string of heavy, resonant snores.
With a stiff expression, Zhang Yuanqing turned his head, only to see the majestic golden dragon sprawled flat on the floor, sound asleep...
He suddenly understood what the item description meant by "It is very lazy."
*Damn it, how embarrassing. From supreme soldier to total clown...* Keeping a composed facade while deliberately avoiding the flabbergasted stares of the three Dominators, Zhang Yuanqing hastily activated Blazing Sun God of War mode.
A solar emblem that looked as though it were painted in liquid gold surfaced on his forehead. Every strand of his short hair drifted upward, laced with golden light. His skin gleamed with a metallic sheen, and his pupils shifted into molten gold.
*Sizzle...*
The thick purple mist floating in the air was instantly purified, and the boiling lightning-attribute spiritual energy turned sluggish. As a Level 8 Dominator, Winnie keenly sensed the suppression falling upon the surrounding lightning power, making it far harder to channel than usual.
*Blazing Sun God of War?* The three Dominators' expressions shifted abruptly. They finally realized the true identity of the man before them.
He really was Yuanshi Tianzun!
Jumang was a Wood Monster, not a Night Wanderer.
It was Yuanshi Tianzun who had disguised himself as Jumang—Jumang *was* Yuanshi Tianzun!
Winnie Berrent stared blankly at the young Day Wanderer. No wonder Jumang could freely mobilize Yuanshi Tianzun's legacy. No wonder Fu Qingyang, Demon Eye Heavenly King, and the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter had trusted and cooperated with him so unconditionally during the Covenant of Freedom gathering.
So he was Yuanshi Tianzun all along.
Having finally recovered some face, Zhang Yuanqing drew the Form and Spirit Annihilation Blade.
He refrained from casting Sunrise precisely to amplify his advantages. As the "Item Tianzun," his hoard of Dominator-grade items was enough to make even an eighth-level Dominator green with envy.
Combining Sunrise with Blazing Sun God of War was undeniably devastating, but it would also restrict his own use of items.
Zhang Yuanqing activated the short blade's Soul Seizing skill, reaching out toward the Chromie Demon to snatch an illusory afterimage before abruptly slashing down with the blade.
Lacking spiritual-domain abilities, the Chromie Demon had no defense against it. His soul took a brutal blow. Clutching his head, he roared as his eyes turned bloodshot, wracked by a splitting headache.
Against Dominator-stage enemies, the damage from the Form and Spirit Annihilation Blade was not quite as overwhelming as before. Though it could no longer cleave away half the foe's spirit body directly, it still inflicted severe trauma.
Zhang Yuanqing sprang off both knees. Amid the sound of fracturing floor tiles, he hurtled like an artillery shell toward the Chromie Demon. As he moved, the Purple Thunder Shield, Purple Thunder Hammer, and Thunderstorm Cannon spun out, latching onto his body like magnets before melting like liquid to form a suit of purple-gold armor that enveloped him from head to toe.
After holding back for so long, he could finally unleash this Dominator-grade set without restraint.
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Seeing this, the three-headed hellhound immediately fired pale beams from all six eyes while spewing dark purple toxic smoke from its three gaping jaws, condensing it into a sinuous poison dragon that crashed toward the enemy to buy time for his ally.
The pale beams carved wide patches of gray, lifeless petrifaction across the youth's chest, but they vanished almost instantly. The poison dragon shattered against him, failing even to stain the armor.
*Completely immune?* The hellhound's vicious eyes shrank slightly in alarm. Petrification, mutation, and toxic smoke were the core abilities of a Deadly Poison Master. At his tier, even a Level 7 Day Wanderer should have been somewhat affected by the dual assault of petrification and poisonous smoke, their condition dragged down.
If the intruder was completely immune to petrification and poison smoke, mutation would likely fail as well. That left only close-quarters melee.
Thinking rapidly, the three-headed hellhound opened his inventory, pulled out a bead wrapped in swirling green gale, and tossed it at the Chromie Demon's feet.
*Wuuu...*
A high-speed vortex surged up from the floor, erecting a transparent wall of wind.
Zhang Yuanqing showed no intention of slowing down. The short blade in his hand gleamed with white luminescence. With a flick of his wrist, *shwing*—the blade whistled shrilly through the air, piercing clean through the barrier of wind and embedding itself in his target's chest.
Form Severing!
It completely ignored physical defenses.
Wracked by agony and mental chaos, the Chromie Demon roared in pain and snapped awake, only to see a purple-gold figure driving a flying knee toward him.
*Boom!*
The knee slammed against the hilt of the blade, driving it clean through the Chromie Demon and pinning it into the distant wall, sending cracks spiderwebbing through the defensive runic arrays.
The Chromie Demon stumbled backward before violently catching his footing. Ignoring his gushing chest, he hooked his left fist around and flattened his right hand into a blade, stabbing directly at the armored chest.
The youth clad in purple-gold armor neither dodged nor deflected. Sparks flew from his chest, and his head tilted slightly after taking a punch. In the next second, a torrential flurry of punches hammered *thud-thud-thud* into the Chromie Demon's chest, caving in the iron-hard dark red musculature.
The strikes sent the Chromie Demon staggering backward, his entire body trapped in resonance, his muscles turning limp and powerless.
After unleashing a lightning-fast burst of Wing Chun, Zhang Yuanqing clamped his left hand over the Chromie Demon's face. A dark, hollow cannon muzzle opened in his palm as purple lightning rapidly gathered.
*Boom!*
Amid a thunderous roar, a blue-purple lightning orb detonated in his palm. The Chromie Demon's horned head burst like a watermelon, showering bone fragments, blood, and brain matter everywhere like rain.
The towering demon collapsed heavily to the floor.
The giant-fiend-suppressing property of the Unyielding Will pill had finally achieved a qualitative leap and maximum release after he became a Day Wanderer and attained the Body of the Sun.
The three-headed hellhound lunged from the flank, dodging Winnie's lightning strike with nimble footwork. Springing into the air, all three heads gaped wide to bare drool-coated fangs, snapping toward Zhang Yuanqing's head.
Zhang Yuanqing twisted his waist and delivered a punishing downward hammer fist, knocking the two-meter-long vicious beast to the ground, then mounted it, pinning it beneath his weight.
*Boom!*
A searing purple glow flooded the room as a jagged, tree-shaped bolt of lightning struck Zhang Yuanqing. Both man and hound stiffened simultaneously, halting the hellhound's follow-up struggles before they could begin.
This was the price of the Thunderstorm Cannon.
With every shot fired, the wielder suffered a lightning strike.
Relying on the defense of the Purple Thunder set to negate most of the damage, Zhang Yuanqing was the first to shake off the paralysis. He swung his right fist down, pounding it again and again into the hellhound's central head.
His right fist had merged with the War Drum Golden Urn Hammer.
Three punches in, the bronze-and-iron skull was pulverized into powder and mush. Meanwhile, the hellhound's other two heads bit frenziedly into Zhang Yuanqing's thigh and left arm, ripping through the purple-gold armor and tearing away chunks of flesh.
Deep purple venom tainted the wounded flesh, only to be burned away by pure, clear golden light.
Just then, the Chromie Demon, whose head had just been blown off, bolted upright. Flesh squirmed on his empty neck as a second head sprouted.
Every giant fiend possessed three lives—a passive trait derived from the three-headed hellhound form.
Their active benefits lay in enhanced bite force and toxic smoke.
The toxic smoke of the three-headed hellhound was the most potent among the nine forms, and its bite force was proven by its ability to tear through the defenses of the purple-gold set.
Flapping both wings, the Chromie Demon blurred into an afterimage and darted toward Zhang Yuanqing, who was locked in combat with the hound.
At the critical moment, Winnie Berrent's agile figure intervened. Conjuring a lightning orb in her palm, she clashed violently against the Chromie Demon's palm.
A deafening explosion rang out as plasma splattered everywhere. The Chromie Demon was pushed back several steps, enveloped in crackling electric arcs and paralyzed, while Winnie Berrent was sent flying backward.
Seizing the opening Winnie created, Zhang Yuanqing pulled out a slender bamboo switch and whipped it down *crack* against the three-headed hellhound.
The beast froze instantly. Its snarling, ferocious expression softened into tranquility, and bewilderment flickered in its cruel, slitted pupils.
*Where am I? Why am I fighting?*
Taking advantage of the creature entering the transcendent state of "self-forgetting non-action," Zhang Yuanqing clenched his fist and smashed it down with everything he had.
*Thud, thud, thud!*
Punches rained down. Under the devastating resonance effect, the hellhound's second head exploded into gore and red mist.
Without breaking rhythm, Zhang Yuanqing hammered toward the final head.
After three punches, a deafening blast erupted. The hellhound's last head and Zhang Yuanqing's right arm blew apart into dust at the same time.
The hellhound's body went completely limp, slumping lifelessly onto the floor.
Zhang Yuanqing felt as though he were standing on a running engine; his brain, internal organs, and muscle cells were all shuddering violently, on the verge of disintegrating.
Trapped in the backlash of the resonance, he froze in a daze.
Suddenly, a massive shadow fell over him. With membranous wings spread wide, the Chromie Demon appeared at his flank, his sharp, horned right hand sweeping toward Zhang Yuanqing's neck like a blade.
Winnie's expression shifted. Forcing her spiritual energy together, she formed a lightning orb of tremendous explosive power, swung her arm, and hurled it toward the Chromie Demon.
She was not in good condition, and the Blazing Sun God of War domain dampened the surrounding lightning energy. Summoned lightning bolts could not threaten the Chromie Demon, leaving her no choice but to rely on her internal spiritual power to condense the orb.
The Chromie Demon flapped his wings, whipping up a wave of blue flame that collided directly with the lightning orb.
Amid the flash of fire and electricity, both attacks annihilated each other.
Just as the sharp palm-blade was about to sever Zhang Yuanqing's head, a streak of golden light wound gracefully through the air, wrapping tightly around his intact left arm. It was the golden five-clawed dragon.
The dragon's eyes flashed faintly.
*Hum!*
The palm-blade bounced off a barrier of golden light.
*Tap, tap, tap...* Winnie Berrent's body crackled with leaping currents as she lunged forward in a blur of lightning. Kicking the Chromie Demon back, she formed a four-foot-long lightning blade and slashed relentlessly, filling the air with sharp sizzles of electricity.
After hastily dodging several strikes, the Chromie Demon sidestepped a slash and launched a cannon punch at Winnie Berrent, whose body dispersed into a bolt of lightning that rebounded away.
*Whew, it finally saved its master. All that summoning wasn't in vain. Yeah, its defense is formidable, but it's just like the Little Smart phone my uncle used when I was a kid—it cuts out several times during a single bathroom break!*
Even as he complained inwardly, Zhang Yuanqing let out a lingering sigh of relief.
In Blazing Sun God of War mode, yin corpses and spirit servants could not be used, and his Illusionist abilities were currently stuck at peak Saint tier, posing no threat to Dominators. In other words, eighty percent of his usual toolkit was unusable, which felt deeply unnatural to him.
He had nearly lost his head just now.
The Chromie Demon watched as the empty light in Yuanshi Tianzun's eyes cleared. The youth produced a jade-green belt, fastened it around his waist, and green light flared up, instantly regenerating his severed arm before liquid purple-gold flowed over it once more.
A wave of despair crested in the demon's heart. He opened his inventory and hauled out a half-man-tall black iron chest engraved with reliefs of the God's Nine Offspring.
"Then let's die together!"
With a savage grin, the Chromie Demon ripped off his own left arm and began chanting an incantation.
His severed arm fell to the ground, transforming into a magic circle covered in grotesque runic patterns. Blood sprayed from his severed shoulder, painting the illusory circle blood-red and infusing it with spirituality.
*Clang, clang, clang!*
The lid of the black iron chest rattled violently as something slammed against it from within.
Both Zhang Yuanqing and Winnie sensed an ominous danger.
Without hesitation, Zhang Yuanqing condensed his solar divine power, forming a golden sun above his head.
Brilliant, pure golden light illuminated the entire floor. Under the combined might of Sunrise and the Blazing Sun God of War, the ambient spiritual energy was utterly snuffed out, leaving only the solar divine power that purified and illuminated all things.
The blood-red circle crumbled piece by piece, and the black iron chest fell silent.
Zhang Yuanqing flicked his left arm. The golden dragon coiled around it roared into the air, hovering mid-flight, and breathed golden flames down upon the Chromie Demon.
Under Sunrise, the Chromie Demon could not channel spiritual energy to activate skills. He lunged frantically to evade, but the golden flames licked his wings, igniting him in an instant.
Donning the Artisan's Ring, Zhang Yuanqing closed in for a flurry of melee strikes. He alternated between heavy punches and rakes with his steel nails, gouging bloody furrows to inflict bleeding.
Above them, the golden dragon continuously poured down dragon breath, engulfing both master and foe in flames.
Under this dual onslaught, the Chromie Demon struggled for a few minutes before his body suddenly stiffened. His dark red muscles heaved and trembled, then detonated into fine dust.
Zhang Yuanqing collapsed onto his backside, hurriedly dispelling the purple-gold set, feeling as though his brain had been shaken into mush.
The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon twisted its body, swiveled its head toward Winnie Berrent, and opened its jaws to breathe fire at her.
"That one's an ally!" Zhang Yuanqing roared, hastily commanding it to stand down.
*This thing isn't very bright!*
The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon looked at its master with clear, innocent eyes. Torn between killing enemies, obeying orders, and going to sleep, it hesitated for half a second before decisively choosing the latter two.
Flying over to its master, it coiled itself into a heap, rested its head on its body, and drifted off into a deep, snoring slumber.
Zhang Yuanqing rested for a moment until the resonance subsided, then looked at Winnie Berrent and chuckled:
"Minister Winnie, your skills have slipped. Two Level 7 giant fiends nearly took you down."
Pushing against his knees to stand, he walked over to Winnie and cast Purification.
Winnie's mutations rapidly receded, and her eyes returned to their light hazel hue. She looked at him with complex emotions. "Yuanshi Tianzun, I never imagined you were right beside me."
A thought struck Zhang Yuanqing. "Do you still want to buy the Elvis Presley speaker?"
Those words made Winnie's fair face flush the color of pig liver in an instant, feeling as though all the rectitude and dignity of a Lightning Mage had abandoned her.
*For the sake of the help the Demon Lord once gave me, I won't bully his woman.* Zhang Yuanqing turned toward the black iron chest and examined its attributes.
It was a high-grade Dominator item. A giant fiend could sacrifice flesh and blood to summon a powerful demon. Judging by the aura earlier, the demon corresponded to the mid-to-late eighth level.
A remarkably potent item—no wonder it was kept as a trump card. Unfortunately, only giant fiends could use it; the class restriction was too severe.
*I'll put it away for now. Once I'm back in the country, I'll have Lian Sanyue melt it down!* Zhang Yuanqing stowed the black iron chest into his inventory. "Minister Winnie, what are the casualties in New York County?"
Hearing this, all trace of Winnie Berrent's embarrassment vanished. Her mood turned somber, and she gave a bitter smile. "There's no way to tally them yet. You can go out and see for yourself."
Chapter 805