Master of the Cease-All-Kills Palace... when she appeared at the underground bar, Tian Lingling's face paled instantly, and the glass cup in her hand shattered with a crisp sound. Master of the Cease-All-Kills Palace? When did she start keeping an eye on me? I've never had any interaction with people from the Cease-All-Kills Palace. Li Xianzong looked utterly astonished, his mind automatically conjuring up the information about the Master. She was a musician, possibly at the peak of the Saint Realm, who had calmly retreated during the recent siege of the Xiaohou family, now under official pursuit. Although Tian Lingling desperately wanted to burst Kexianzong's head like a dog's, she still made a rational decision. As a 5th-level Mist Master with a chaotic background, he could hold his own against a 6th-level lawful character. While Zhi-Sha Palace Master, though at the peak of the Saint's realm, was beyond his reach, she could still engage her for a while. Moreover, there were twenty or thirty chaotic characters here—each one with a fiercely eccentric temperament yet formidable combat prowess. At this moment, the evil warriors in the underground tavern had yet to react. Several men near the stairwell exchanged amused glances and blew soft whistles, teasing: "Such a lovely young lady, coming out in such fine attire? Honestly, this dress is exquisite—looks just like a refined noblewoman from ancient times." "A refined noblewoman," one of them said, "could you lift your skirt so we can take a closer look?" Laughter rippled through the group, and they assumed the young woman in traditional red robes had come to the tavern specifically to socialize with like-minded companions. Zhi-Sha Palace Master turned her head and glanced at the man who had just made the remark. At that very moment, a thread as fine as a hair was whipped forward, emitting a piercing cry. The man's timid smile froze on his face, and then his head slowly slid down from his neck. The thread wound around his head, rolling it steadily toward the stair entrance, leaving a trail of blood that eventually reached the hem of the palace's chief, whose gown it stained. She lifted her delicate, slender foot and gently stepped onto the face of the fallen head, giggling softly, "Does my gown look nice?" The underground bar fell instantly silent. What on earth was going on? This manic laughter, this decisive, ruthless nature—so much more bloodthirsty than even the most seductive of spirits, so much more eccentric than any illusionist—was simply astonishing. Tian Ling cried out, "Everyone take care! She is the chief of the Stop-Killing Palace, a master musician at the peak of the Saint's rank. We must unite and eliminate her together!" Hushed murmurs turned into a wave of movement—everyone rose to their feet, their faces serious, eyes fixed on the red-gowned woman at the stair entrance. Several men and women paused mid-motion. The woman released her legs that had Ah, so this madwoman is the Master of the Cease-Combat Palace—now that makes sense... As native travelers of the Songhai region, they naturally know the Master's reputation; she's one of the top-tier warriors below the level of Elder. "Drafting a plan? Good heavens, I came here to spend money, not to die!" "What's to fear? As long as this woman dares to come here, we'll wear her down with our wheel-of-war tactics—anyone below the Sovereign level won't make it out alive." "Even a Saint-level being, with our support, won't stand a chance against this wild woman." The Master of the Cease-Combat Palace bent down, dipped her palm into her own blood on her head, and gently wiped it across the silver mask, revealing a face both poignant and striking. In the next instant, countless slender red threads extended from behind her, like a cluster of blooming red flowers, or like twisted, terrifying tendrils. The bartender grabbed a hunting rifle from a drawer in the wine cabinet and tossed it to Tian Lingling, who caught it, aimed it at the Master, and pulled the trigger. "Bang!" The muzzle spewed smoke, and a barrage of bullets surged toward the stairwell. The powerful spread shot was easily deflected by the slender red cords, delicate as hair strands. This first volley sounded the call to battle—those evil travelers near the lounge with guns drew them out, those with props retrieved their props, and those with nothing at all engaged in skill-based or close-combat maneuvers. As the Sovereign of the Stilled Kill raised her snow-white, graceful neck, a melodious and resonant song erupted from her throat. Amid the song’s resonance, the evil assailants beneath the lounge felt a subtle mental drift, their killing intent fading, their fear dissolving, and their minds settling into an extraordinary calm. Musicians could convey emotions through song and influence their listeners. The mainstream musicians possessed three core abilities: hypnotizing, soothing, and inspiring. More experienced musicians could perform finer manipulations—such as enhancing the emotional depth embedded in a piece’s melody and lyrics, thereby evoking specific emotional responses in the listeners. The greater the variety of musical pieces, the broader the range of techniques available. As the crowd lost their resolve and was being pacified, streaks of red surged from behind the Master of Zhishā, splitting into two streams—one targeting the evil wanderers at the card booth, the other striking the Tian Lingling and Li Xianzong at the bar. Pfft, pfft, pfft... Six or seven people were instantly pierced through the head or heart by the red streaks, falling dead silently. A stage magician screamed loudly as she drew her final breath—her voice, though far from matching the Master's vocal grace, was like a small stone dropped into still water, sending ripples that caused Tian Lingling, who had been struggling to maintain her song, to jolt awake. The mental shock from the magician's final cry helped her break free from the song's hold. Li Xianzong suddenly awoke with a start, without hesitation, summoning a soiled, foul-smelling robe and wrapping it around himself. He closed his eyes, murmuring, "Can't hit me, can't hit me..." The surging crimson lines pierced Li Xianzong's abdomen, thighs, and arms, yet the attacks aimed at vital points—his head and heart—strangely diverged, some veering toward the ceiling, others landing on the ground. He was employing the third ability of this Saint-level artifact—Prayer! Since curses and the draining of fortune could not shake the Master of the Stop-Killing Palace, he simply decided to improve his own fortune. "Ahhh—" Li Xianzong winced, his facial muscles contracting with pain. On the other side, Tian Lingling remained motionless, her muscles swelling and eventually tearing her outer robe. With a series of crisp "shriek" sounds, two ethereal, slightly translucent arms emerged from her shoulder blades—one holding a long blade, the other a shorter one. With the long and short blades in motion, she severed the surging crimson lines. The lines fell gently, like a light rain of red. Tian Lingling was about to grasp her twin blades and engage in close combat with the Master of Zhishake Palace, when suddenly she noticed the red-dressed woman at the stairwell raising her snowy, pale wrist and giving a sharp snap of her fingers. "Crack!" The severed red threads revived, flowing like tendrils and wrapping around Tian Lingling, layer upon layer, binding her tightly. The threads continually contracted and tightened, gradually cutting into the skin of the fifth-tier Mist Master, blood seeping through the fine crevices of the wounds. "Master?" Tian Lingling's expression finally changed. A fifth-tier Mist Master possessed a signature ability—the unyielding strength of bronze head and iron arms. This ability had established the spirit-witch as a dominant force in close-range combat, and Tian Lingling was supremely confident in her defensive capabilities, believing even a peak-level, lawful holy-class character would struggle to breach her defenses. Yet, just upon first contact, her proud, steel-like body had been breached by the red threads from the Master of Zhishake Palace. When had she become a Master? The killing quest hadn't even begun yet... Master? Li Xianzong's heart skipped a beat; he quickly pulled distance from Tian Lingling and fled toward the corner of the underground bar, simultaneously drawing a chalk stick from his pants pocket. Her true target was Tian Lingling—not me. As long as Tian Lingling could hold off this madwoman, I could make it out. On Tian Lingling's bald head, the intricate, twisted tattoos glowed with a deep, dark light, the radiance swirling into vortexes that distorted the mind, inducing hallucinations and phantom sounds. The patterns on Tian Lingling's head were not merely tattoos—they were manifestations of the evolved power of influence, reaching its peak in the transcendent stage. In that phase, the symbols resided within her eyes; by the time she reached the level of a Saint, they would gradually spread across her entire body. At the level of Sovereign, the influence symbols would cover her completely, and even lower-tier practitioners would suffer mental confusion and be entranced simply by gazing upon her. "Kill her. Kill her without regard for cost," Tian Lingling's voice was low and ethereal. Instantly, the evil professionals still alive at the corner of the booth had their eyes blazing crimson, and they charged furiously toward the Master Zhi-Sha raised her arm and swept it forcefully. Dense threads of red light burst forth like a fountain, twisting and arching, sweeping across the entire room. Crashing sounds echoed as chair backs were snapped, bar counters cracked with fine fissures, tables split neatly in two—while the evil professionals' bodies were torn apart, their heads flying off, severed at the waist, limbs scattered... Li Xianzong, relying on his prayers, evaded most of the attacks. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his neck as a fine thread of red light grazed him. He clutched his neck, staggered backward, and blood gushed from between his fingers. "Blood! I need blood!" He glanced wildly around, spotting a few meters to his side, an evil wanderer whose upper and lower bodies had separated, struggling desperately but not yet dead. He wavered toward his destination. At that moment, Tian Ling managed to cut through the threads binding him and fled toward the back door of the bar, grabbing a worn black ceramic jar from the item shelf and shattering it upon impact. Instantly, layered, twisted illusions filled the space. The sovereign of the Stop-Killing Palace suddenly dissolved, transforming into a surge of red waves that surged into the illusion, chasing after Tian Lingling. Li Xianzong seized the moment and immediately drew out his butterfly knife, plunging it into the evil wanderer's heart. The bloodthirsty passive ability of the mesmerizing demon was activated, causing a deep crimson glow to illuminate Li Xianzong's pupils, continuously siphoning the other's vital essence, while the wound on his neck slowly healed. Then, disregarding the terrifying, distorted illusions around him, he quickly knelt down and drew a circle around himself. A hazy light curtain descended, enveloping him and vanishing with him. "May the heavens be blessed, may the earth be blessed—tell me, who among the Heavenly Kings led the massacre of the Chu family twenty-one years ago, and where are the Chu family's rule-related artifacts..." She recited it repeatedly, then swallowed her spirit in one go. Thus, Li Xianzong is exceptionally strong and cannot be taken lightly. This attack marks the beginning of the Evil Professions' trials—please remain vigilant for potential surprise assaults in the coming weeks. As for the future developments involving Yuanshǐ Tianzun and Li Xianzong, this post will be updated regularly; please feel free to follow and stay tuned. In recent times, official Xingzhe from various regions have been on high alert, though so far, the overall situation remains calm. As the post noted, Li Xianzong's series of terrifying events has indeed opened the curtain on the Evil Faction's trials. In the coming phases, evil professionals across the regions will surely respond, launching targeted hunts against their chosen targets. The longer the journey: I never expected Yuanshǐ Tianzun to be outmatched by Li Xianzong so quickly—only able to hold for two minutes. The days ahead will be long: Yuanshǐ Tianzun still lacks depth, though strong at the Transcendent stage, he still falls short of the truly outstanding figures. This conflict has finally given us a clear picture of his capabilities. [Call me Queen: Why aren't the two upstairs shouting "Celestial Sovereign"? Don't dampen others' morale by underselling yourself. Yuan Shi Tian Zun has only been a traveler in the Spiritual Realm for about a month and a half. Give him another six months, and he might still not beat Li Xianzong.] [Pig George: I had expected him to be targeted by the evil organization—never thought it would be Li Xianzong. I hope he can weather this storm.] [Jiang Yang: To be safe, I think Yuan Shi Tian Zun should step back and hide for now, at least until the immediate pressure subsides.] [The Sentimental Jenny: Old Jiang is falling back again—what's the point of hiding? He's been actively hunting down Li Xianzong, eliminating him, and collecting rewards.] Across the forum, official travelers from various regions are actively participating in the discussions. The forum is always the busiest and most serious during mid-year and year-end. Perhaps today's hero will be tomorrow's victim at the hands of an evil organization. In response to Li Xianzong's high-profile assault, the official envoys from various regions were indignant yet powerless—after all, it wasn't within their jurisdictions. They could at best offer suggestions, urging Yuan Shixian to step aside and weather the storm, reminding themselves that a gentleman's revenge takes time. With patience, calmness, and a little resilience, perhaps Li Xianzong would fall victim to a coordinated campaign within a few days without needing their direct intervention. One of the teammates standing beside the champion kept glancing at the betting table, speaking softly: "Boss, the odds on Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn and Li Xianzong have now reached 1:20. You just returned from your meeting—shouldn't you have some updates? What do you think about buying a win for Li Xianzong?" The champion glanced at him: "Go for a draw, but don't bet on Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn winning." The several younger teammates behind immediately understood that the forum posts were indeed accurate. "Are you not also like that...? The female assistant was suddenly mocked, feeling deeply unconvinced. Xie Lingxi gently furrowed her brows, "If the post isn't exaggerated, the gap between Yuan Shi and Li Xianzong is indeed quite significant. Alas, he's now in danger—perhaps he should just retreat and avoid the spotlight." The female assistant replied, "After all, he's one of the outstanding talents nurtured by the Commander of the Army, a rising star in the Transcendent stage." Xie Lingxi closed her laptop and looked at the assistant, "My father previously advised me to closely observe Yuan Shi. Now that this incident has occurred, he hasn't reached out to me at all. Hm, did he privately speak with you today? What did he say?" The assistant hesitated, then reported truthfully, "He didn't say much. The Master instructed me to remain watchful, to keep a close eye on you and limit your interactions with Yuan Shi Tianzun—probably hoping to see if he can survive." "Understood. Investment should always be cautious—this has always been his style." Xie Lingxi remarked, pursing her lips. "But I have my own She picked up her phone, softly sent a voice message: "Brother Yuan Shi, could you come by the hotel tomorrow? I'd like to have dinner with you." "We must rise to Level 3 as soon as possible..." Defeated by Li Xianzong, it was impossible not to feel disheartened, despite his higher rank. In terms of age, they were nearly the same—true peers, both in the Transcendent stage. The fact that he had spent too little time as a Spirit Realm Traveler to console himself now felt increasingly self-deceptive. Today, not only had he sustained serious injuries, but even the little comic had nearly perished. This grudge had to be avenged—yet, considering the gap in their combat strength, Zhang Yuanqing found himself once again dispirited and overwhelmed. At that moment, light footsteps echoed from outside. Simply by the sound of the steps, he knew his aunt had arrived.