The sound rumbled, echoing in the clear northwest sky.

Two ancient war gods, each towering over two meters tall with muscles like cast iron and bodies covered in strange demonic纹 patterns, hammered each other's steel-like bodies with "Bang, bang, bang" sounds.

Hearing the words "Five Elements Alliance" and "Second Realm," the Demonic Eye Heavenly King, who had been fighting with real fire, forcibly suppressed his anger and stopped fighting.

The Fear Heavenly King was even more composed, retracting his foot from the Demonic Eye. His tall and robust body shrank, returning to a normal human form.

The Demonic Eye immediately reverted to its normal state.

Both the Demonic Eye Heavenly King and the Fear Heavenly King were shirtless, wearing only bronze armor on their lower bodies. The sunlight shone on their streamlined bodies, revealing clearly defined abdominal muscles, exuding masculinity, dominance, and bravery.

An uninformed observer might have thought they were filming an ancient costume idol drama. The evil Demonic Eye Heavenly King pulled out a sports headband and put it on his forehead.

The Fear Heavenly King took a step forward and stood before the Silver Moon Heavenly King, a faint, elegant smile on his face. "It seems there's an unexpected gain."

The Silver Moon Heavenly King nodded, reporting directly without any unnecessary words: "Yuanshi Tianzun unleashed demigod-level combat power at the trial, fighting to the death against four Sovereigns, including Cai Qinhe. He was utterly annihilated in both body and spirit, and completely returned to The Way of the Extraordinary after the fight ceased."

"Four elders and sixteen senior deacons have announced their withdrawal from the Five Elements Alliance, including Ling Diao and Huang Daji. The number of official Way of the Extraordinary members at the lower levels who have announced their withdrawal exceeds 200."

"The Five Elements Alliance is experiencing the biggest crisis of confidence since its establishment." The Fear Heavenly King chuckled, his smile carefree. "The three major free organizations have been fighting the Five Elements Alliance for so many years, and the damage they've caused is not as great as a single internal strife within the Five Elements Alliance. Interesting, very interesting. It's just a pity about Yuanshi Tianzun."

The Silver Moon Heavenly King snorted coldly. "If this kid had grown up, he would probably have become another... at worst, a member of the Ten Elders."

"It's good that he's dead. The entire Church of Battle is cheering!" After a pause, he continued to report: "According to the analysis of the advisory group, this crisis of confidence will last for a long time. During this period, as long as we put pressure on the Five Elements Alliance, take the initiative to attack, and hunt down official Way of the Extraordinary members, we can further break down the Five Elements Alliance. More and more grassroots Way of the Extraordinary members will withdraw from the official organization."

"The official forces will weaken, and the non-governmental organizations will rise. The power of the Lawful Good faction will be dispersed."

The Fear Heavenly King smiled with pleasure. "Then what are we waiting for?"

The Silver Moon Heavenly King nodded, then looked at the motionless Demonic Eye Heavenly King, who resembled a statue. "Aren't you very fond of Yuanshi Tianzun? Now is a great opportunity for you to take revenge on the official organization!"

The Demonic Eye Heavenly King looked at the setting sun on the horizon with a troubled expression, a hint of sorrow in his eyes. "He has already returned to The Way of the Extraordinary... I want to know the truth and specific details of the incident."

He only knew that Yuanshi Tianzun was facing a trial by the Five Elements Alliance for colluding with evil professions and killing an official elder.

But the truth and details of the incident were only belatedly understood by even the senior deacons who participated in the trial after Yuanshi Tianzun had self-destructed.

Official sources and evil professions can usually only know a general outline of the news; more detailed content takes time to investigate.

The Silver Moon Heavenly King said: "Cai Qinhe used the aberrations in No Trace Hotel as bait, preparing a trap to lure and kill Yuanshi Tianzun, but the elders he sent out were killed instead. Thus, he decided to use Yuanshi Tianzun's plan."

"That guy Yuanshi Tianzun is a freak like you. You, a free profession, are always thinking about eradicating evil, while he actually speaks out for a group of free professions. Ridiculous!"

"Speaking out for a group of free professions..." These words seemed to deeply sting the Demonic Eye Heavenly King. At the bottom of the headband on his forehead, crimson blood tears seeped out.

They were blood tears flowing from the vertical eye.

The Demonic Eye Heavenly King suddenly clutched his head and bent over, his body constantly trembling, as if he were enduring some kind of intense pain. The blood moon on his forehead surged, staining half of his face red.

The Fear Heavenly King frowned. "Demonic Eye?"

What responded to him was a burst of low laughter: "Hahaha, hahaha."

The Demonic Eye Heavenly King, bent over, laughed, his whole body trembling with laughter, his laughter growing more and more insane, more and more desolate.

On his naked upper body, one pair after another of crimson golden demonic pupils opened, densely packed, bizarre, and terrifying.

Every vertical eye was spewing golden-red beams of light, and every beam of golden-red light carried terrifying pollution.

On this day, the inducement demons in the entire Church of Battle headquarters were polluted and fell into berserk rage.

The setting sun sank below the horizon. In the office building of the Taiyi Gate, Yin Ji sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, silently watching the city as the lights began to come on.

The sorrow and pain lingering in her heart, instead of dissipating after a day, were brewing, churning, and becoming more and more intense.

The death of Yuanshi Tianzun had a great impact on her. That young man should have had feelings for her, occasionally striking up conversations and chatting with her, wanting to get close but rationally keeping his distance.

Yin Ji often felt guilty. Her heart was already filled with the Demon Lord, unable to accommodate other men. She really couldn't reciprocate his affection.

But undeniably, Yuanshi Tianzun was a very excellent member of the opposite sex, and Yin Ji was full of admiration for him. This friendship even surpassed that of most of her fellow disciples in the Taiyi Gate.

Yuanshi Tianzun's return to The Way of the Extraordinary made her feel lost.

Bright starlight rose from the bedroom, interrupting Yin Ji's thoughts. She quickly got up and bowed respectfully. "Teacher!"

The visitor was none other than Elder Hongying.

Elder Hongying scrutinized her, then sighed softly. "Are you still grieving over Yuanshi Tianzun's death? Alas, it's fortunate that you and he didn't develop into lovers, otherwise... otherwise, how despairing it would be. First the Demon Lord, then Yuanshi."

Yin Ji bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes, revealing her vulnerability in front of her teacher.

"He was not wrong, he was not wrong, he shouldn't have had such an ending..."

Elder Hongying sighed again. "The person is already gone, so saying more is useless. I'm here to tell you some news. I think you have the right to know."

Yin Ji took a deep breath, holding back her tears.

"Just now, the Grand Elder summoned us to a meeting and said something..." Elder Hongying looked at her disciple with a complex expression, pausing for several seconds. "Yuanshi Tianzun is the Demon Lord's successor."

Yin Ji was stunned, staring blankly at her teacher.

Elder Hongying said with a wry smile: "No one expected it to be him. Even the Tiger Talisman didn't detect it."

Yin Ji's mind was in a mess. At one moment, the two figures in her mind merged. She had too many doubts and questions to seek answers for, but she was destined not to have any answers.

She stood in the room, distraught, her heart filled with sorrow.

Miao Teng'er wore a plain white dress, her beautiful hair was tied up high, removing hairpins and jewelry. She looked elegant and simple.

After the trial, she changed into this attire, as if mourning for someone.

She walked through the lush green courtyard, bypassed a sunny room, and ignored the flattery and affection of the small animals along the way. Feeling depressed, she came to this botanical research institute.

Under an ancient pine tree, a middle-aged man in a green robe was feeding a plump squirrel with a pine cone.

"Uncle!" Miao Teng'er stopped a few meters away.

"Ling Jun is gone?" Yun Zhongzi's voice was somewhat low.

Miao Teng'er gave an "Mm" sound and whispered, "Cousin said that he will never come back in the future. He said that his grandfather raised him, so he cannot blame his grandfather, but he cannot forgive his grandfather for killing his brother."

Yun Zhongzi snorted coldly, then sighed again. In just one day, headquarters received three hundred resignations. Today's trial was a heavy blow to the Five Elements Alliance.

The loss of a peak Sovereign, a genius with limitless potential, and even more fatal, the official credibility was gone.

To put it bluntly, the people's hearts were lost.

The people who resigned, needless to say, but those who didn't resign didn't mean they didn't have any opinions in their hearts. They just needed a job. But in their hearts, they probably no longer trusted headquarters.

That Zhou wanted to manipulate public opinion, wanted to ruin Yuanshi Tianzun's reputation, and the effect was indeed very good, but now the public opinion was backfiring and was out of control.

This was the price of manipulating public opinion.

"Grandpa, hasn't he returned yet?" Miao Teng'er asked.

Yun Zhongzi's face was immediately filled with gloom. "Helper Jiang and Palace Master have returned. The two Alliance Leaders know about this and are extremely angry. Your grandfather and another person were dragged into The Way of the Extraordinary for a meeting."

Yun Zhongzi scattered the pine cones on the ground, turned to look at his niece's pure and refined face, and said in a deep voice: "Just now, the Scarlet Sun Executioner of the Taiyi Gate sent a message: Yuanshi Tianzun is the Demon Lord's successor."

Yuanshi Tianzun is the Demon Lord's successor?

This news was like a thunderbolt, echoing heavily in Miao Teng'er's heart, causing her body to sway, almost falling to the ground.

It was actually him? Then the person that night was also him? Miao Teng'er felt her vision darken, and waves of dizziness washed over her.

Beijing

A new large manor in the suburbs, covering an area of hundreds of acres, with gardens, sunrooms, large swimming pools, fountains, and a castle-like main building.

Security personnel in suits and leather shoes, wearing headsets, equipped with pistols, either stood guard or patrolled.

On the second floor, in a European-style study, the curtains were tightly closed, and no lights were on.

In a silent darkness, a figure suddenly appeared on the high-backed chair behind the old desk.

His handsome short ponytail was tied, his handsome face was like a knife carving, and compared to the past, he was much more refined, and his temperament was more mature and majestic.

The suit on his body was tattered and stained with blood. His chest, abdomen, thighs, back... his whole body was covered with bloody wounds.

Three of his left fingers were broken, and even that handsome face that made women suffocate was covered with scars.

Fu Qingyang had returned.

He glanced around the study, ignoring his injuries, and grabbed the phone on the desk as soon as possible to light the screen.

October 4th, 1:30 am.

"Error of 12 hours." He nodded in satisfaction. Although he didn't return to reality before October, he finally came back in early October.

The time Fu Qingyang spent in the instance was very tight.

He flicked his finger lightly, and a sword aura roared out, hitting the switch at the door.

"Pa Da!" A small chandelier lit up, and the sword aura scattered without damaging the switch.

The light lit up, illuminating his incomparably handsome face, and also illuminating the woman on the sofa opposite the desk.

The woman crossed her legs, her beautiful face cold and majestic, like a generation of empresses who controlled the world. Her voice was cold and judged:

"The level of controlling the sword aura is superb. It's really enviable. I can guarantee that among the scouts, only the old man in the Sword Pavilion can compare with you in the micro-manipulation of sword aura."

She took out a bottle of life essence, threw it gently, and frowned: "Heal your injury. In less than a month, you have broken into nine instances. If you don't have the talent, don't force yourself. You are obviously a useless younger brother, but you still like to be brave. When I broke into the gang instance, I was much more stable than you."

She was not very relieved of her useless younger brother, so she entered the instance to watch the battle.

In more than half a month, Fu Qingyang broke into nine instances in a row, including one S-level, three A-level, and five B-level.

The B-level was okay, it could be considered thrilling, but the three A-level and S-level instances made Fu Qingyang suffer a lot. He was either on the edge of life and death, or on the way to the edge of life and death.

In fact, he had died several times, and the life essence in the inventory, which was abundant, was used up in half a month.

Healing props were used again and again.

Even so, he almost died in the instance. In addition to his own excellent foundation and excellent props (cloak), luck also accounted for a large proportion to survive.

Fu Qingxuan didn't understand why he could completely use a gentler method to break through. For example, rest for a few days after each instance to recuperate, and the danger factor would be greatly reduced.

But Fu Qingyang seemed to be rushing to reincarnation, not giving himself a chance to breathe.

"I don't have time." Fu Qingyang said lightly.

Fu Qingxuan was too lazy to ask more and said, "Don't enter the gang instance this year. Adapt to the 8th-level realm and improve the proficiency of the Sovereign-level skills. Try to break through next year. I tell you, for you, every 8th-level instance has a casualty rate of more than 70%. The mortality rate of 9th-level instances exceeds 90%. If you don't have adventures or a qualitative leap in swordsmanship, the peak of the eighth level is your scale. Of course, with the Swordsman Cloak, you can fight against the Sovereign at the early stage of the ninth level."

Fu Qingyang ignored his sister's ear-to-ear advice.

He injected the life essence, opened the address book, and dialed Yuanshi Tianzun's mobile phone. "Sorry, the phone you dialed is turned off?"

It's only been a month in the instance, it should be mid-October... Fu Qingyang frowned, and then dialed Guan Ya's phone.

"Beep, beep, beep."

The phone was connected, but no one answered. Just when Fu Qingyang was about to hang up, it was finally connected, but the voice from the loudspeaker was not Guan Ya's, but his aunt Fu Xue.

"Qing, Qingyang? You're back?"

His aunt's voice was heavy, and her tone was full of exhaustion.

Fu Qingyang didn't like this aunt very much, and frowned slightly. "Are you here in Songhai? Well, I'm back. Tell Guan Ya and Yuanshi that I will return to Songhai tomorrow."

Just after he finished speaking, he heard sobbing from the other end of the phone.

Then came Fu Xue's choked voice: "Qingyang, Yuanshi has returned to The Way of the Extraordinary!"