The slender root, thin as a thumb, surged with golden flames that quickly turned to ash. The roots climbing the walls suddenly stirred to life, moving like a dense swarm of serpents crawling across the surface. The fig spirit was astonished by the extraordinary wisdom of this foreign mortal; upon realizing her lies had been exposed, she abandoned pretense and declared sharply, "Since you refuse to come, then die right here." The ground of the cave split open, fragments rising like domes, and thick, sturdy roots burst through the soil, twisting like grasping tendrils, sweeping toward Zhang Yuanqing. At this distance, even without the red slippers, Zhang Yuanqing could have easily escaped. Indeed, he intended to deceive me into approaching... Instead of retreating, Zhang Yuanqing slid and avoided the entangling roots, closing the gap between himself and the fig tree, then leapt into the air, rising several meters high, once again evading the sweeping motion. More and more roots broke through the surface, dancing wildly throughout the cave. Zhang Yuanqing darted and leapt gracefully among the roots, evading them completely. Without having tamed the Red Dance Shoes, relying solely on his Fumagong Staff, novice practitioners faced an extremely high mortality rate in this stage. Dashing, dashing—on the wall, the Red Dance Shoes raced swiftly, dodging the roots' entanglements and blows, then snapped both knees to propel Zhang Yuanqing like a swift arrow through the roots' relentless pursuit, striking the trunk. Seeing the human surge toward it, the trunk displayed clear alarm. Boom! Cracks spread from the base of the roots, and more roots surged forth like a geyser, forming a solid wooden wall. Zhang Yuanqing struck the wooden wall firmly with his Fumagong Staff. Golden flames spread across the surface, inciting the榕tree spirit to roar in furious anger. Seizing the momentum, Zhang Yuanqing broke through the carbonized wall and drove the three-pointed tip of his staff with great force into the trunk. Ho! The three-pointed tip sank deeply into the trunk, and a brilliant, resplendent sun erupted from the dark cavern. The golden light warped the tree trunk, twisted the faces, and sent them shrieking in agony, their bodies releasing hissing steam. In that instant, the souls hidden within the trunk also turned to mist, vanishing in the cries of pain. All the spirits were gone, erased by the golden radiance. As the light faded, the cavern returned to darkness—but now it felt clean and fresh. Zhang Yuanqing’s first action was not to check whether the fig tree spirit had perished, but to swiftly remove the red slippers and store them in his inventory. Since entering the cavern, nearly five minutes had passed. Only after securing the red slippers did Zhang Yuanqing turn his attention to the great fig tree—now withered, its bark cracked and dry, its roots scattered throughout the cavern. A cold voice echoed in his mind: 【叮，Congratulations! You have successfully completed the S-tier trial mission. The character card has been unlocked and rewards are being processed.】 【Item/Equipment Obtained: The Vengeance Staff.】 【Experience Points Awarded: 100%.】 【You have now become the Night-Wanderer God.】 】 【Experience Points Awarded: 20%】 【Role Card Reward Activated. Reward Item: Red Dance Shoes.】 【Exiting the Spiritual Realm in five minutes...】 At last, it's over... Zhang Yuanqing felt utterly drained, as if his body had been emptied. He had successfully passed through the Shé Ling Tunnel—a feat no one had accomplished in decades. As the notification tone sounded, the black moon seal on his forehead became prominent, and a strange, mysterious force surged forth from the warm seal, forcefully entering his body with an almost unruly determination. His skin turned crimson, like boiled shrimp, as this mysterious force flowed over his body, integrating into each cell and seeping into each bone, visibly healing his arm injuries. He involuntarily twitched, two ethereal black moons appearing in his eyes before gradually fading away. The pain soon subsided, giving way to a soothing warmth reminiscent of soaking in a hot spring. So comfortable... Zhang Yuanqing felt a deep languor throughout his body, eager to stretch. Instinctively, he lowered his head and was startled to see his body standing still. Has my soul left my body? A sense of panic surged within him. Without thinking, he reached out to return to his physical form, and as soon as he formed the intention, his soul immediately sank, merging back into his body. Once he regained control of his physical form, Zhang Yuanqing noticed something new—something called innate talent. He naturally embraced this talent, as though it had always been part of him from birth. He also felt an endless surge of energy and strength within his body, as if he could single-handedly obliterate an entire planet with one punch. Zhang Yuanqing opened the character attribute panel: 【Name: Yuan Shishen】 【Race: Human】 【Profession: Night Wandering Spirit】 【Level: 1】 【Skills: Night Wandering, Soul Devouring, Yin Spirit】 【Experience: 20%】 【Moral Value: 60 (initial value)] 【Night Wandering (Active): Concentrates Yin energy to envelop oneself, entering the Night Wandering state. During skill activation, the character briefly becomes invisible and gathers their scent and breath, masking bodily sounds and heat. Duration: 6 seconds.】 【Soul Devouring (Active): Consumes souls to enhance one's spiritual essence.】 【Yin Spirit (Passive): The Night Wandering Spirit possesses a robust physique, strong vitality, and powerful self-healing capabilities. These attributes are significantly amplified under the cover of night.】 He has officially become a Night Wandering Spirit, now with an additional 20% experience points, plus item rewards—this trial of the spiritual realm has proven exceptionally rewarding. Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory. The red ballet shoes lay quietly in the first slot, and the thirty-minute countdown had vanished. He had officially become the owner of the red ballet shoes. Two minutes later, he had adjusted to his bodily condition, and the wounds on his arms had fully healed. Then, Zhang Yuanqing turned his gaze toward the stone sarcophagus. The task was complete, meaning his exploration level had reached 100%, so the sarcophagus should be empty, right? "It seems the tree spirit has been serving as the temple steward. Now all the characters have appeared—how did he become a tree spirit? And where is his physical body inside the sarcophagus?" As he thought this, Zhang Yuanqing strolled over to the sarcophagus, intending to lick his package, perhaps finding some treasure buried with him. He still had over two minutes until he could exit the spiritual realm—enough time. To be safe, he summoned the red ballet shoes once again and selected the wearing mode. The sarcophagus was wrapped and encircled by dry tree roots. With his magical mallet, Zhang Yuanqing severed each of the dehydrated roots one by one, finally revealing the full appearance of the sarcoph About two meters in length, the coffin is intricately carved with delicate patterns, and a thin layer of dust rests on the lid. "Zhaa... zhaa..." He slowly pushes open the lid, gazing intently into the coffin. As a night-wandering deity, even without the aid of his magical staff, he can easily penetrate the darkness. Inside the stone coffin lies a female corpse, dressed in an ancient silk gown that has long since rotted, her arms crossed over a flat abdomen, her waist slender as willow branches, her figure graceful and remarkably preserved—no signs of decay. Her face is strikingly beautiful, with refined contours defining a perfect shape, a refined and elegant nose, sensuous lips tinged pale, and closed eyes with dense, interlacing lashes. A truly exquisite beauty. Was the origin of the missing temple disciples the Lady of San Dao Mountain? For a moment, he felt overwhelmed and began to doubt his own judgment, and such doubt inevitably brought with it a major crisis. "No, that's not right—my mission has indeed been completed, which means my assumption is correct. So, is the Lady within the stone sarcophagus part of a hidden quest?" Zhang Yuanqing suddenly regretted having carelessly opened the sarcophagus. Since the Lady of San Dao Mountain lay within the stone sarcophagus, there must surely be deeper story unfolding within the mountain temple shrine. This could very well trigger a chain of adverse consequences, such as activating a hidden quest. As he reached to close the sarcophagus again, he suddenly noticed a deep, dark sheen emerging from the lips of the female corpse. Something? With a slight hesitation, he grasped the pointed jaw and gently pried open the full, sensuous lips, and clearly saw the dark gleam. It was a perfectly black, pure bead. [Name: Spirit Crystal] [Type: Consumable] [Function: None] [Description: A soul crystal purified by the power of the Sun God, rich with potent spiritual energy, and the most cherished nourishment sought by the Night-Wanderer God.] [Note: The Three-Mountain Lady has already purified the impurities within the crystal. Please feel free to consume it with confidence.] Next, as the countdown proceeded, Zhang Yuanqing felt increasingly restless and anxious, especially worried about any unexpected disruptions—such as accidentally triggering a hidden task that might interrupt the return sequence. Fortunately, nothing went wrong. Zhang Yuanqing watched the timer on the glowing blue panel begin to count down: 5, 4, 3… Suddenly, a long, resonant breath echoed through the quiet, dark cavern. Zhang Yuanqing: “…." The lid of the coffin opened from within, and a pale, delicate hand emerged, grasping the edge of the coffin. Then, the lady inside the stone sarcophagus sat up. Her deep, still eyes, like those of a tranquil pond, swept across the cavern, meeting directly with Zhang Yuanqing’s expressionless face. She gazed at him, her lips curling slightly. That smile nearly sent Zhang Yuanqing into a sudden collapse. At that moment, the scenery around them—like ripples on water disturbed by the wind—began to fragment and blur as the countdown concluded. The world around them became hazy and indistinct. Soon, the scene stabilized, bright, white light streaming down from above. The white walls, the desk, the computer, the television, the double bed—all came into focus. The curtains swayed in the wind, and outside, clear bird songs filled the air. He had returned to the world of the living.