Chapter 1 A Starry Sky

The spirit realm world was studded with stars. A round, inky moon reflected on the Milky Way, perfectly blended into the darkness, imperceptible, undetectable, and unknowable.

In the bright moon, sat a figure wearing a cloak.

Beneath the cloak, wisps of starlight flickered. Through repeated deductions and observations of the stars, he seemed to have found the future he desired. Thus, he condensed a wisp of soul power at his fingertip, imbued with knowledge, memories, and fragments of his soul.

With a flick of his finger, this wisp of soul power transformed into a beam of light and disappeared into the depths of the "Milky Way."

Then, the starlight converged, and his gaze fell on a certain copy at the end of infinity. Immense Taiyin power surged like a tide towards that star.

Each time it was about to engulf it, it was dispelled by the bright and clear sunlight, repeating endlessly.

"It seems we can only confront them head-on. The strangeness in Nanyuan will strike when the black smoke rises, but how are we supposed to fight enemies in the black smoke?" Demon Subduing Heavenly King frowned.

Xiahou Aotian added, "What's even more troublesome is that the strangeness that beheads will prioritize intelligent enemies. Puppets can't block the blade for us. And if we're beheaded, our spirits will be sealed. Even if Palace Master Zhisha saves us, we'll lose our ability to act."

Silver Hare Princess raised her small horn, "Maybe the strange attacks aren't as strong as we think. The two yin corpses controlled by Yuanshi Tianzun are both Transcendent."

Fu Qingyang shook his head slightly, "That Xuanzhen Elder died in the pavilion. To become an Elder of Shushan, he's likely a Ruler. That means a Ruler can't withstand it."

Palace Master Zhisha pondered for a few seconds and said, "Swordsmen have weak defenses. Just because that Xuanzhen Elder couldn't withstand the attack doesn't mean we can't."

During the discussion, everyone took out their defensive items.

Zhang Yuanqing summoned the Violet-Gold Suit, activating the armor mode. At the same time, he took out the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon and the Craftsman's Ring, switching the former to shield mode.

Finally, he took out the Form and Spirit Extinguishing Blade, holding it in his right hand. He had originally wanted to use the Sky-Swallowing Beast for defense, but the side effects of this item were too great. Once activated, it wouldn't stop until it was fed full. And the enemy was currently unknown, and the black smoke attacks had ten-minute intervals. If the Sky-Swallowing Beast couldn't get energy, it would turn on its master.

Therefore, he decided against using it.

Besides him, the most extravagant was Xiahou Aotian. After this kid advanced to Ruler, he took out a loan from his family that would take a hundred years to repay and forged several Ruler-grade items, although the quality wasn't high.

Palace Master Zhisha, Fu Qingyang, and Devil's Eye each only had one Ruler-grade defensive item. The best quality belonged to the Palace Master, after all, she had a "Demigod brother."

As for Silver Hare Princess, she had no protection. As a Ruler-level Yin item, merely having her head chopped off wouldn't kill her. Her main role was to increase everyone's survival rate.

Xiahou Aotian looked around and said, "Apart from Yuanshi Tianzun, you only have one defensive item? Too poor, aren't you?"

Demon Subduing Heavenly King scoffed, "My physical body is harder than all your junk. You should worry about yourself."

Xiahou Aotian sneered, "The protagonist has a lucky aura. The same goes for you. Worry about yourself."

Palace Master Zhisha said indifferently, "With me here, your lives won't be in danger. What you need to do is lock onto the enemy in the black smoke and then eliminate it."

You guys shouldn't make rash promises, you're all like old generals on stage. I'm the safest and most secure one, Zhang Yuanqing muttered to himself.

"Yuanshi, what's your opinion?" Fu Qingyang looked at the only Day Traveler in the group.

Zhang Yuanqing pondered, "The black smoke has a concealment effect. It's impossible to detect the enemy with skills. But concealment has a flaw. As long as they attack, they will definitely reveal themselves."

"So, using the Yin corpses and Xiahou Aotian's drones for carpet searching is the most effective method."

Fu Qingyang nodded and added, "I've calculated the time between when you and Xiahou Aotian heard the footsteps and when you were attacked. The attack will come within thirty seconds of hearing the footsteps, and then the black smoke will dissipate."

"We must find the enemy within thirty seconds, focus our fire and kill it, before Yuanshi Tianzun summons the Yin corpse army."

He added, "I have a better way to find the enemy." Saying that, Fu Qingyang took out a crown woven with fresh flowers and placed it on his head.

Instantly, his temperament gained a hint of brightness and allure, and his features became more androgynous, like a famous actor in ancient opera.

This floral crown was called "Forest Queen," a low-grade Ruler item from the scholar family Liu. Fu Qingyang bought it for a high price.

The three great scholar families regularly provide the official organization with a small number of Ruler-quality items each year. Some of these items are included in the Five Elements Alliance's guild warehouse, and some are sold to the elders within the organization at a discount as a benefit.

Fu Qingyang had been in power for some time, and his wealth had gradually increased.

"Forest Queen" could cause the surrounding grass and trees to grow wildly and flowers to bloom, turning the area into a home field suitable for his own combat. Because it was a low-quality item, Fu Qingyang usually used it as an auxiliary item and rarely used it. After all, for him, the effect of low-quality Ruler items wasn't great.

It's worth mentioning that the price of Forest Queen was to make the user more beautiful and charming, attracting the surrounding males.

Fu Qingyang waved his hand gently, and wild grass and flowers grew from the ground of the Yaoguang Palace.

He stepped out of the doorway of the Yaoguang Palace. Wherever his gaze reached, flowers and green grass broke through the earth and grew vigorously. In an instant, this area seemed to have become a primeval forest, full of lush vegetation.

The mountain breeze blew, and dandelion seeds and spores from other plants fluttered and filled the sky. These plants were Fu Qingyang's eyes and ears. As long as the enemy wasn't a spirit, as long as it stepped on or disturbed the plants, the plants would transmit the information to the floral crown, and he could quickly lock onto the opponent.

Zhang Yuanqing, Xiahou Aotian, and Devil's Eye stared blankly at him.

How did the boss suddenly become so beautiful? Could it be that he's been a woman disguised as a man all along?

Fu Qingyang is suddenly more pleasing to the eye than Yuanshi.

His floral crown has the effect of attracting males. If it were me, I would change the cost to attracting all surrounding creatures. That would be much more satisfying.

As Fu Qingyang turned to look at the three of them, they quickly returned to normal.

This bit of charm wasn't enough to make them infatuated.

Fu Qingyang swept his gaze across the faces of the three, his expression turning cold. "It's almost time. Prepare to meet the enemy." As soon as he finished speaking, deep black smoke surged in from all directions.

Xiahou Aotian grabbed a two-meter-long white feather fan and waved it towards the black smoke.

"Whoosh!"

A strong wind rose, and the black smoke trembled violently, but showed no signs of being blown away. On the contrary, the plants nurtured by Fu Qingyang were uprooted in a large area and flew into the sky.