Taiji Ziwei Six Fiends Formation

A black sedan drove into the Kangyang District Security Bureau. Chen Yuanjun sat in the back seat looking gaunt and exhausted. His brows were knit tight, the vertical furrow between them deepening as his mind churned with heavy thoughts. He had slept unconscious in a Hangzhou hospital for two full days. His subordinate Xiao Gao had told him, "You were in the middle of talking on the phone, Captain, and then you just went silent. When I rushed back to the hotel, I found you collapsed by the window." And so Chen Yuanjun had been rushed to the hospital. The doctors ran tests for half a day without finding anything wrong, so they hooked him up to an IV drip and told Xiao Gao to make sure the patient got plenty of rest. Chen Yuanjun woke up two days later. He did not leave the hospital right away, instead lying in the sickbed burdened with worries for a full day, slowly untangling his jumbled memories. Yuanzi had already gone missing four years ago. Back then, the "mole" who received Aunt Zhou was none other than himself. It was his aunt who had hypnotized him, directing him to use his position to delete the case files. A few days later, Yuanzi returned, but the boy who came back was an intellectually disabled simpleton. Yet the entire family had lived with that simpleton for over three years without noticing the slightest thing amiss. Chen Yuanjun had every reason to suspect that his aunt had hypnotized the whole family. He did not know why she had done it, but he knew that Yuanzi and his aunt were likely, perhaps, probably Spirit Realm walkers. They belonged to that extraordinary group. All along the way, Chen Yuanjun had been wondering whether he should sit down and have an open, honest talk with them. Yet he was not an impulsive man. On the contrary, as a security captain, he possessed an exceptionally cool head. Since his aunt and Yuanzi had never revealed their identities to him, perhaps pretending not to know remained the best choice. Even so, he felt an intense urge to investigate what had followed Yuanzi's disappearance. He did not even know whether the Yuanzi of today was still his cousin. Beyond that, among the memories that had returned to him was one that felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat—one that made him impatient to confront Yuanzi and verify the truth. As these thoughts wheeled through his mind, the black sedan pulled up before the office building. Chen Yuanjun took a deep breath and said, "Xiao Gao, don't stop at the office. Take me straight to my front door, and then you can head home." Hearing that, Xiao Gao eagerly cranked the steering wheel, stepped on the gas, and surged out of the Security Bureau compound. ... Fujia Bay villa. A ray of golden sunlight pierced the floor-to-ceiling windows and spilled into the study. Zhang Yuanqing's figure materialized in the golden light. Fu Qingyang, who had just finished organizing their defensive deployments in preparation for the evil faction's carnival of slaughter, felt a sudden premonition and looked up. Their eyes met, both falling silent. Zhang Yuanqing withdrew his gaze and smiled. "I should keep looking into your eyes to see how long Boss can withstand the overbearing pressure of the solar origin." Fu Qingyang replied blandly, "Now that you're the Lord of the Sun, your eyes no longer have room for mere mortals." *Always so sarcastic...* Zhang Yuanqing opened his palm and set a three-inch-tall figurine on the desk. The figurine wore a snow-white suit, had its hair tied back in a short ponytail, and possessed no facial features, though its skin was indistinguishable from a real human's. Fu Qingyang cast his gaze upon the figurine. "A gift for you, Boss," Zhang Yuanqing said. "The primary material is the causality-type item 'Perfect Human Skin.' I had Patriarch Xiahou handcraft it. It can take a death in your place once, but you need to smear your blood on it to claim ownership. "Originally, I intended to use it as a safeguard against the evil faction's doomsday carnival, but now that won't be necessary. Still, since it's already made, you might as well keep it." The grade of the Perfect Human Skin was too low. Even as a causality-type item, it could not substitute for the death of the Lord of the Sun, so it was no longer of much use to him. As for why he gave it to Fu Qingyang: his aunt was shielded by Empress Wa's shed mortal remains and could hardly be killed by ordinary means, while Xiao Yuan, Guan Ya, Yin Ji, and his other lovers were unlikely to become prime targets of the evil faction. Only Fu Qingyang—having just ascended to level nine without yet reaching the peak—might be hunted and besieged by the evil faction's peak Dominators during a doomsday rampage. Of course, for friends like his aunt, Yin Ji, Xiahou Aotian, Zhai Cai, and Ling Jun, he had prepared lifesaving means as well—either the essence blood of the Lord of the Sun or Evil-Breaking Talismans. Formidable items invariably brought terrible prices, making them inferior to demigod-tier consumables. Fu Qingyang did not refuse. He nicked his fingertip and smeared crimson blood across the figurine's blank face. The next instant, lifelike eyebrows and eyes took shape on the figurine, turning it into an exact likeness of the peerlessly handsome Money Prince. He then frowned. "What do you mean by 'won't be necessary'?" Zhang Yuanqing beckoned casually, summoning a bottle of whisky and two thick-bottomed tumblers. He quickly prepared two mizuwari drinks, handed one to Fu Qingyang, and swirled the ice sphere in his glass. "I've already refined the Merit Roster. Any Spirit Realm walker whose Morality Points fall below sixty can be obliterated with a single thought. Notify the Five Elements Alliance and the Taiyi Sect to ensure our people avoid harming ordinary citizens as much as possible. As for the evil classes, the moment they dare butcher civilians or commit atrocities, I can strike them dead on the spot." "In other words, there won't be any 'doomsday carnival.'" Fu Qingyang came to a sudden realization, his eyes betraying a hint of surprise and joy. That Yuanshi Tianzun had refined the Merit Roster was not particularly astonishing; after all, the Merit Roster was an affiliated divine artifact of the solar origin, much like the Lunar Companion Spirit Moon. What surprised him was that the Merit Roster possessed such a capability. Still, it was undeniably good news. The fiercest clashes between the factions would take place within Spirit Realm dungeons. The real world was spared a bloodbath, and before victory or defeat was decided, ordinary people would suffer no losses. Fu Qingyang looked as though a heavy weight had been lifted from his heart. He let out a soft breath, then grew solemn. "In battles among demigods, peak Dominators are mere side characters, expendable and irrelevant. If you still have time, I'd like to run a tactical simulation for your coming battle against the Lord of the Stars." Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "My thoughts exactly!" Stargazing was being disrupted, rendering future predictions useless. Under such conditions, the tactical simulation and strategic analysis capabilities of a level-nine Puppeteer were of paramount importance. Of course, another reason was that he could tell Fu Qingyang earnestly wished to do something, to contribute his own strength to this decisive battle. Rather than waiting powerlessly for news. Fu Qingyang closed his eyes, pondered for several seconds, and opened them again. In a deep, grave voice, he said, "When two armies clash, one must first know oneself and know the enemy, holding a clear assessment of both sides' strength. It is difficult for me to gauge the gap between you and the Lord of the Stars. You know best." Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "We're evenly matched!" Though the union of Lunar and Astral could suppress the solar origin, Zhang Yuanqing did not possess only the solar divine power; he also held a portion of the Illusion God's authority within him. That was the trump card Master Wuhen had left him. Furthermore, after refining the Merit Roster, he possessed a causality-type item with tremendous offensive output. He had no reason to fear the Lord of the Stars. Fu Qingyang continued, "The demigods of the orthodox faction who can still participate in battle are: the Goddess of Beauty, the Twin Gods of Wind and Thunder, Void, Old Ancestor Xie, and you. "Meanwhile, the evil faction's demigods are: the Lord of the Stars, Asura, two Illusion Gods, Candle Dragon, Fear Heavenly King, and Bacchus." Fu Qingyang could assert with certainty that Bacchus had already been resurrected. The Money Prince analyzed, "The Twin Gods of Wind and Thunder possess extreme speed and the most violent destructive power, playing a greater role in team combat than Asura. The Void demigod can trade for power through the Myriad Realms Mall, serving as a frontline pillar comparable to Asura. Having obtained the Demon Refining Pot, Old Ancestor Xie effectively wields two portions of demigod authority. The Goddess of Beauty herself holds no low status, and she provides powerful crowd control." Zhang Yuanqing concluded, "So, although we have fewer demigods than the enemy, if it comes down to a team fight, we won't necessarily lose." "My view is that you won't get the chance for a team fight." Fu Qingyang's expression was grim. "Given the strategic cunning of the Lord of the Stars, he will certainly exploit his numerical advantage, isolating each demigod and defeating them one by one like in Tian Ji's horse race strategy. But separating demigods won't be easy. What specific means he will employ, I cannot guess. The Lord of the Stars possesses far too many methods and has rarely revealed his hand. He is virtually impossible to guard against." Zhang Yuanqing's eyes narrowed instantly, his expression turning equally solemn. "Unless he exploits the advantages of a Spirit Realm dungeon..." Just as he finished the sentence, the Spirit Realm chime rang in his ears: [Ding! Spirit Realm map opening. Entering the Spirit Realm in 30 seconds. The Spirit Realm you are entering is the "Taiji Ziwei Six Fiends Formation," Designation: 0.] [Difficulty Level: Unknown.] [Type: Multiplayer (Death Match).] [Main Quest: Break the Taiji Ziwei Six Fiends Formation.] [Remarks: Non-Spirit Realm items cannot be brought inside.] [Dungeon No. 0 Introduction: To overcome the Lord of the Sun and seize the solar origin, the Lord of the Stars has taken Lunar and Astral as the foundation to form the primary Yin-Yang Array, adopted the Ziwei Star Array as the meridian conduits, and integrated high-grade materials from three classes—Illusionist, Bewitching Monster, and Gu Master—to forge six subsidiary formations, namely: Ying Huo, Qing Yang, Tuo Luo, Di Jie, Di Kong, and Ling Xing.] Zhang Yuanqing's face sank. He now knew what method the Lord of the Stars was using to divide the demigods—formations! What caught him even more off guard was that the Lord of the Stars could actually generate dungeons and issue quests through the Spirit Realm! This was already infinitely close to administrator privileges. The status of the Lord of the Stars was higher than anyone had imagined, yet he had concealed his strength until now. ... The Xie family residence. After returning to reality, Old Ancestor Xie opened his inventory and brought out an infant's head, followed by its torso, arms, and legs. Very quickly, a plump little baby was pieced together. The next instant, the infant opened clear, bright, pitch-black eyes that had virtually no whites. Its mouth parted, about to let out a resonant wail. Old Ancestor Xie immediately tossed it toward Jiang Yu'er as though it were a scalding coal. Jiang Yu'er reached out and caught the baby, cradling it in her arms. The infant, which had been on the verge of crying loudly just a moment earlier, closed its eyes the very next second and drifted into a tranquil slumber. Without needing to store it in her inventory, Jiang Yu'er naturally read the information and functions of the Holy Infant. The Holy Infant was the very first "human" Empress Wa had created in this world. Unlike ordinary mortals, it was fashioned to be a "pet," a "son," and a "helper." Born with the power of rules, it was a living humanoid item. The Holy Infant shared the same origin as Empress Wa's shed mortal remains. Amplifying each other, they could elevate gestation and nurturing skills to maximum potency—so potent that even demigods could not escape their effects. Furthermore, it could cause inanimate objects endowed with spirituality to conceive "life," such as prompting an item to give birth to miniature items. This was an ability that even Old Ancestor Xie did not possess. Looking at the peacefully sleeping Holy Infant, Old Ancestor Xie felt a trace of reluctance and remarked with emotion, "The Holy Infant doesn't want a male mother. Leaving it to you makes the best use of it!" The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Old Ancestor." Suddenly, Old Ancestor Xie and the Void demigod both tilted their heads, listening to the chime of the Spirit Realm: [Ding! Spirit Realm map opening. Entering the Spirit Realm in 30 seconds. The Spirit Realm you are entering is the "Taiji Ziwei Six Fiends Formation—Tuo Luo Formation," Designation: 0-1.] [Difficulty Level: Unknown.] [Type: Multiplayer (Death Match).] [Main Quest: Break the Tuo Luo Formation.] [Remarks: Non-Spirit Realm items cannot be brought inside.] [Dungeon No. 0-1 Introduction: The Tuo Luo Formation is one of the subsidiary formations of the "Taiji Ziwei Six Fiends Formation." This formation governs filth, concealing venomous insects and fierce beasts while dispersing cursed miasma. Those trapped within will find their mental platforms covered in grime and suffer the Five Decays of Heaven and Man.] ... [Ding! Spirit Realm map opening. Entering the Spirit Realm in 30 seconds. The Spirit Realm you are entering is the "Taiji Ziwei Six Fiends Formation—Ling Xing Formation," Designation: 0-2.] [Difficulty Level: Unknown.] [Type: Multiplayer (Death Match).] [Main Quest: Break the Ling Xing Formation.] [Remarks: Non-Spirit Realm items cannot be brought inside.] [Dungeon No. 0-2 Introduction: The Ling Xing Formation is one of the subsidiary formations of the "Taiji Ziwei Six Fiends Formation." This formation governs chaos, where heaven and earth are overturned and the four directions inverted. Those trapped within will suffer scrambled consciousness and be overcome by drowsiness.] ... At the same time, far away in the Free Federation, the Twin Gods of Wind and Thunder and the Goddess of Beauty simultaneously received the Spirit Realm prompts, entering the Ying Huo Formation and Di Jie Formation respectively.