If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

The aftershocks of the collapsed observation tower still lingered on the northern wall of the capital. In the night, the corrugated iron sheet and cloth curtains trembled together, and the air seemed to be folded and then quickly released by an invisible hand, leaving a lingering oppressive feeling that made it hard to breathe.

Qin Shuang frowned, her fingers resting on the newly repaired copper ring at the top of the tower, and gently tapped it. The tower itself stopped swaying, but the magical runes at the base pulsed within the cracks, as if trying to swallow a person whole. She whispered, "The wind over there is flowing backwards; the observation zone has suddenly narrowed, like a receding tide."

Zhou Yang stood at the foot of the tower, looking up at the once stable pillars. The hidden array eyes he had placed inside the tower over the past few days were now silently glowing. The light pierced through the night fog and stretched towards an open space in the center of the capital, where the old altar had once been, and was now a temporary site used by the Heavenly Principle Sect to summon external gods.

"Can you hold out?" he asked, turning his head to the side.

"Hold on," Qin Shuang answered crisply. She pointed to the dilapidated torch on one side, "The formation left by Fang Tian is being reinforced. As long as that line doesn't break, the observation tower's vision won't completely fall into darkness. However—" She paused, her voice low, "the observation zone is out of control, there's a crack in the sky."

The rift was located slightly north of the city center. Several neighborhood dogs suddenly barked wildly at midnight, then the wind stopped. Someone saw a pale purple circle crack open in the night sky, like an eye watching over the city. Several practitioners Qin Shuang had gathered set up talisman flags at the alley entrance, gathering wind direction. Zhou Yang placed his hand on the jade slip; it was as cold as if it had just been taken from an ice cellar.

"With the breach wide open, the Outer God's forces will take advantage of that gap to move south," Qin Shuang said. "The capital's defenses have a crack, and the Heavenly Principle Sect has immediately sent people."

"They didn't send ordinary people." Zhou Yang looked down at the jade slip. Eight blurry images appeared on the screen, all of them tall figures huddled under cloaks. The oppressive feeling of space rolled in his palm, like a giant python crawling up his forearm.

"At least seven Outer God servants," Qin Shuang added, following the image. "They will close the rift and then use a series of attacks to secure the observation tower. We prefer that they seal the rift; the tighter they seal it, the easier it will be to create an opening."

"I'll go." Zhou Yang looked up. "You stay at the top of the tower and keep an eye on the wind direction. Don't let those people open up the crack again."

Qin Shuang nodded, her eyes gleaming in the shadows. "Remember, you control the terminal energy. You have to time your ultimate move perfectly."

"The opportunity lies at the edge of the rift." Zhou Yang walked into the plaza next to the rift. The ground had already cracked open, and dust was flying everywhere. He saw blue and white smoke rising from the edge of the rift, and a shadow inside was constantly twitching, like a body that was not controlled by gravity.

He pressed the jade slip close to the crack. The jade slip absorbed a layer of coldness, then emitted a wave back into space. He uttered a phrase Fang Tian had taught him: "Reverse contraction."

Dragon energy flowed rapidly within the rift, and twelve small talismans spun in his palm. As he folded them in his hand, the talismans, like tightly wound ropes, suddenly receded outwards. An invisible chain of power appeared in the space, pulling back inch by inch whatever was blocking the rift.

The movements of the outer god's servants were immediately distorted. Their legs were pressed down by an inexplicable force, and even their breathing became shallow. Qin Shuang stood on a higher platform further away and saw the kite string in the distance taut and shiny at that moment, as if it would snap at any moment.

"Calm down," she whispered. Then she raised her long sword and waited.

Zhou Yang closed his eyes, feeling the plane groan in pain. Those servants, their origins unknown, possessed a deep, hollow emptiness within their souls. Their skin tingled from the contracting waves, their eye sockets bulging repeatedly. Zhou Yang pointed to the ground, and the spatial ripples tightened like a shrinking net. The servants knelt directly at the edge of the rift, their spines feeling as if they had been drained dry.

With a single slash, Qin Shuang's two longswords flashed, leaving double shadows in the night. She knew these servants wouldn't last long. They had witnessed her entire Imperial Guard besiege the Heavenly Principle Sect that night, and today they were facing a reverse contraction. Finding a moment of respite, she shattered one of their energy shields with each blow. Before the rest could react, she used the blades as nails, slamming them to the ground again and again.

While maintaining the reverse wave, Zhou Yang kept adjusting the frequency. He suddenly heard a deep voice from the jade slip: "The higher-dimensional networks have also begun; they are monitoring." He took a breath and moved closer to the crack.

"Are you watching?" he asked.

"The high-dimensional observation terminal is above the capital. It's focusing on the crack. The reverse wave you activated triggered a deeper feedback," Qin Shuang shouted from the top of the tower. Her voice trailed off, and the array on the other side reflected even more light. She had already wiped the mirrors of the observation tower clean and aimed them at the crack. The beam of light on the tower now became clear, like a large, flashing eye.

The outer god's servants' formation was broken. Qin Shuang released several hidden blades beside the pillar of light, connecting them according to Zhou Yang's signal. Blade flashes and fine flame patterns left blood-red scars in the night. The cracks began to narrow, and the purple aura receded. The fingers of several servants felt as if they were being burned, and shattered light emanated from their heads.

Zhou Yang took a deep breath, trying to shield himself from the pain. The runes in the jade slip flickered on and off one by one, and he inserted a thin thread into the crack. This thread was originally a silver wire he had bought in the small town, wrapped with graphite powder. Now it became his medium for manipulating space. He gently tugged, and the cold wind on the other side of the crack seemed to be pulled out of his back.

Qin Shuang spun around, her blade piercing the last arm that emerged from the gash. The arm recoiled swiftly, drops of purple blood falling to the ground. She then flung out a bundle of hidden arrows, each with a small rune embedded in its fletching, striking another servant in the waist.

The other side finally collapsed. Three of the seven servants knelt on the ground, their foreheads cracked from the impact. The others tried to rebuild the rift with their remaining magical energy, but Zhou Yang raised his hand and bound them again, like whipping them back from a distance.

"Tear it again," Qin Shuang shouted.

Zhou Yang increased the frequency of his operations. The reverse wave became even faster, and the crack seemed to be jammed by a force, shrinking back inward. The servants were locked inside the net, their internal energy flowing backward, causing cracks to appear. The last standing servant was pulled directly into the pillar of light, his purple eyes rolling back in the arc of light before he collapsed to the ground.

A low, rumbling sound echoed through the night sky. The crack finally closed, leaving a bluish-white mark, like a brushstroke wiped away by an artist. The wind chime-like copper plates of the observation tower tapped gently in the wind, the sound deeper than usual, as if recording the moment of closure.

Qin Shuang jumped down from the platform, her footsteps landing with a dull thud on the dust. She didn't know the extent of the feedback Zhou Yang's reverse wave had on the ancient formation, only that this harvest had to be thorough. She walked to his side, her blade lightly touching his wrist, and whispered, "Save it."

Zhou Yang slowly withdrew his hand, and the light within the jade slip gradually dimmed. The reverse wave hadn't completely extinguished; only a tiny blue cone remained in the crack. Qin Shuang followed the light and discovered a fine line etched on the inner wall of the crack, with purple threads shimmering within it. She reached out to touch it, and the instant her fingers touched it, it felt as if the entire observation tower trembled.

"It's a higher-level perspective," she said.

The jade slip suddenly vibrated gently, providing new feedback. Zhou Yang approached, and a long, complex structure appeared on the screen, resembling a palace floating above the capital. The palace's outer side was surrounded by six intertwined rings, while the inner side contained countless small windows, the light filtering through not from ordinary stars. In the image, several dark figures were moving in and out through a portal. Within the portal, a pair of purple eyes slowly gazed down from above, their gaze lingering on every corner of the city, overlapping with Zhou Yang's observation tower.

He didn't turn around immediately. The jade slip continued to update: "Those eyes are already watching the movements of the Heavenly Principle Sect. It also wants to redraw the rift. Now it seems it's looking for Longhua's mark."

Qin Shuang gently pulled out a cold iron hairpin and tapped it on the ground. The sound was absorbed by the night, echoing only in their ears. She said, "That higher-dimensional endpoint isn't just one. The capital, the Chen residence, the octagonal platform—these are all people it can grasp. When it's watching you, all the tentacles of the Heavenly Principle Sect will be watching closely. Now that you've experienced a reverse contraction, it feels it's been seen through."

Zhou Yang put the jade slip into the cloth bag at his waist. Inside the bag were several jade dates sent by Fang Tian, ​​emitting a faint glow. He tried to memorize the feedback structure he had just heard. Gao Weiduan was observing the capital city, like a spider placing its head on a high place, its silk threads winding down to the human world. Each thread represented a strategy, an observation.

"Is the higher dimension part of the observation tower its own?" he asked.

"No," Qin Shuang said, "it's just an eye. Behind the eye is a hand, holding a much larger chessboard. Our observation tower is now being watched by two eyes simultaneously."

He looked up at the sealed crack. The crack was scabbing over again, like a broken wire soldered with gold thread. Qin Shuang patted him on the shoulder from behind, "Next time, it'll be your turn to pick on the flaws with me. Instead of reversing the contraction, we'll use the cracking directly to induce it. The Outer Gods' methods can't compete with us head-on."

"It's time to change the observation strategy." Zhou Yang shifted his gaze to the south of the city, where there were still chess pieces he hadn't prepared. He already sensed the next clue from the jade slip: a low-dimensional element was abnormally restless beneath the inner wall of the crack. A higher dimension was touching the nerves of this city.

Qin Shuang smiled slightly. She said, "Sometimes, hurting the high-dimensional observation terminal is the best counterattack. What we're showing it isn't the blood of the capital, but our own hands."

A torch, swaying in the night wind, cast a beam of light onto Zhou Yang's face. Though the rift had been sealed, its lingering chill still permeated the surrounding area. The Outer God's servant lay on the ground, half his face covered in cold ash. Qin Shuang picked up a tattered cloth and wiped the blood from the blade; the streak of blood carried the scent of night.

They did not celebrate. Only the wind penetrated, like a gentle yet cold hand, slowly passing through the old streets and alleys of the south of the city.

Going against the current

The alleys in the south of the city are deep and narrow.

A gust of wind blew in along the wall, carrying the dampness of the river. Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang walked one after the other, their footsteps making no sound on the bluestone slabs. Both were dressed in inconspicuous short-sleeved clothes, like ordinary people returning home late at night.

The destroyed octagonal platform is no longer visible. But the feeling of being watched, like a thorn that hasn't been completely removed, still lingers on the back of my neck.

"The place where the elderly live should be safe," Qin Shuang said softly.

The knife in her hand had been sheathed. The chilling murderous aura from before had also vanished. Now, she was just a woman walking quickly down a dark road.

Zhou Yang hummed in agreement. His mind was still replaying everything that had just happened: the mental shock, the fallen Outer God servant, and Qin Shuang's words, "Make the higher-dimensional observation terminal hurt."

Qin Shuang always manages to explain complex matters in a very direct and ruthless way.

They crossed two streets and turned into a dead end. Zhou Yang walked to a wall, reached out and tapped the blue bricks three times, two slowly and one quickly. A slight clicking sound came from inside the wall, and a door slid open silently.

Behind the door is the courtyard of the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets.

The old man was not asleep. He was sitting at the stone table, a half-finished chess game laid out before him. The oil lamp flame flickered steadily, casting a soft glow on the deep wrinkles of his face.

"You've arrived." The Old Man of Heavenly Secrets didn't even look up, but simply picked up a black chess piece and gently placed it on the chessboard. "Sit down. Have some hot tea."

Two cups of tea were on the table, steaming hot.

Zhou Yang pulled out a stone bench and sat down. He didn't touch his teacup but went straight to the point: "There's new information. The Heavenly Principle Sect has pulled something up at the construction site in the south of the city. I ran into them."

As he spoke, he pulled a small piece of jade from his pocket. It was something he had taken from the servant before he left. A faint purple light still lingered on the jade, like the breath of a dying firefly.

The old man of the heavens put down the chess piece and picked up the jade. He did not use his divine sense to examine it, but simply gently stroked the surface of the jade with his fingertips.

"It's a fragment of the 'mirror'," the old man said. "Their ritual was to open a smaller crack in the great mirror of the capital, so that the 'eyes' could see more clearly."

"I used lifespan calculations to deduce that it interfered with their connection. But it seems the other side was only pushed and wasn't injured. That madman named Chen Xuanzhi might be even more anxious."

The old man nodded and placed the jade piece back on the table. "You did the right thing. We don't need to confront him head-on. We just need to make sure he gets covered in mud every time he peeks."

As he spoke, he stood up and went into the inner room. When he came out, he was holding a yellowed scroll. The scroll was made of some kind of animal hide, its edges were worn, and it smelled of old paper and ink.

He slowly unrolled the animal skin on the table.

Zhou Yang peered over to take a look. There were no maps or writings on the animal hide, only some strange lines and symbols, like a child's scribbles.

"What's this?" Qin Shuang also came closer.

"The descent of the Outer God did not come out of thin air." The old man pointed to the animal skin scroll. "It laid out a three-layered mirror image in the capital. It's like throwing three stones into water, creating three ripples. The outermost circle is the illusion, the most ordinary and the most widespread. The middle circle is the echo, which amplifies emotions and distorts perception. The innermost circle is the anchor point where the 'eye' itself lands."

His finger pointed to a hollow circle at the very center. "All we did before was splash around in the first ripple, making it fog up. But now, things have changed."

He looked at Zhou Yang. "You disrupted the ritual in the South City, which is like tearing a hole in the first layer of the mirror image. Although it's not big, it's enough for us to see what's inside."

Zhou Yang understood.

"So what we need to do now is go against the current." He stared at the three-layered structure, "go in layer by layer, find the core anchor point, and then smash it."

"That's right." The old man of the heavens showed a hint of approval. "But the difficulty lies in how to proceed. Each layer of the mirror has its own rules. If you rush in, you will be swallowed by those rules."

The old man spoke with a heavy tone, but Zhou Yang's mind was racing.

Instead of looking at the complicated symbols, he thought of something else.

The fragment of the dragon's spine that was stolen by the Heavenly Principle Sect.

On that fragment, there was a blank space that originally belonged to another piece. It was like a chipped key, or an unfinished instruction.

"Perhaps we don't need to look for the key," Zhou Yang said slowly.

The old man Tianji and Qin Shuang both looked at him.

"Let's just build one." Zhou Yang stretched out his finger and drew an incomplete square in the dust on the table. "They took a piece of that dragon spine fragment. The blank space on it is a natural gap, an unstable structure. We can use this structure."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

"We can mimic the material and texture of a dragon's spine to create a new sensory field. This sensory field can fill that empty space. But it's not for repair, it's for 'injection.' We inject a counter-command, a 'open the door' command."

Zhou Yang's eyes lit up.

"When their fragments absorb our sensory field, they will form our own 'backdoor' inside the three layers of mirrors. We don't need to break the rules layer by layer; we can directly open a path from within the rules. A path straight to the core."

After he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the courtyard quieted down.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered slightly.

The old man of the heavens stared at the dusty drawing on the table, remaining silent for a long time. He neither immediately agreed nor disagreed. He simply looked at the simple, incomplete square, as if he were examining a profound formation.

A glint of light flashed in Qin Shuang's eyes. She understood Zhou Yang better than the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets. She knew that Zhou Yang could always come up with some wildly imaginative yet incredibly practical methods. That was his greatest value.

"This idea... is very bold." The old man finally spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse. "Using the opponent's instability to create our own stability. It's like in a storm, using the power of another wind to build a ship against the wind."

"Is it feasible?" Qin Shuang asked. This was the most crucial question.

Zhou Yang grinned, revealing a hint of white teeth. "Whether it's feasible or not, we'll find out by burning some of our lifespan. Anyway, it's more reliable than forcing our way through the three layers of mirror images."

He reached for the cup of tea on the table, which had cooled down a bit, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Moreover," he put down his teacup, lowering his voice even further, "we also have outside help."

He looked at Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang understood immediately. She took out a small jade slip from her sleeve and placed it on her forehead. A moment later, she opened her eyes.

"It's all arranged," she said. "Outside the capital, supply points and support personnel along the three routes are already in place. Once we penetrate deeper, they will immediately cut off our intelligence flow and create chaos. The Heavenly Principle Sect and Chen Xuanzhi are too busy to surround us."

Her voice was calm, as if she were talking about something perfectly ordinary. But Zhou Yang knew how much manpower and financial resources would be needed to achieve this. Qin Shuang had silently paved the way for this behind the scenes.

Zhou Yang looked at her. Under the lamplight, the woman's profile was soft, but her eyes were firm. She never asked him what he wanted to do; she simply cleared away any obstacles in his path when he decided what to do.

"Logistics will be your responsibility," Qin Shuang said to Zhou Yang. "You just need to focus on building that ship sailing against the wind."

The old man listened to their conversation and sighed deeply. He looked at the two young men before him, one daring to dream, the other daring to stand up for what he believed in.

He pulled out another yellowed map from under the table and spread it out next to the animal skin scroll. It was a detailed map of the capital city's underground pipe network.

"I have a rough guess about the anchor point of the three mirrored layers." The old man drew a circle on the map with his finger, circling an abandoned palace deep within the imperial city. "That's the end of the capital's dragon vein, and also the deadly point where yin and yang meet. 'The Eye' loves places like that."

"To create your 'sensory field,' you'll need a special material: 'Star Marrow Copper.'" The old man looked up at Zhou Yang. "The Imperial Household Department's storeroom should have some. However, it's heavily guarded."

"Stealing is my profession." Zhou Yang smiled, a hint of malicious excitement in his smile.

He picked up the map and his gaze fell on the red circle.

Going against the current.

These four words are easy to say, but in practice, every step is fraught with difficulty.

But they had no other choice.

A breeze blew in from outside the courtyard wall, making the rolled-up animal hides on the table rustle softly. The sound was like the echo of distant ocean waves.

Zhou Yang tapped lightly with his knuckles within the circle on the map.

[A Spark Can Be Found]

As night fell, the lights of the capital city still flickered.

Zhou Yang reached into the jade slip in his robes and gently stroked it.

The jade-like surface shimmered faintly, like drops of blood falling into dark water.

"Start," he murmured the remaining command.

Faint characters appeared on the short film, like fine lines.

Soon, information flooded into his mind like a tidal wave.

Those were fragments of the script left behind by the audience.

The written language has no words or sentences, only diagrams and symbols.

He saw a map with the city walls of the capital city at the center.

Inside the city walls, three layers of chessboards are arranged in an alternating pattern.

The first layer is the layout of streets, alleys, and government offices.

The second layer is the command network of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The third layer is the spiritual net laid out by the Outer God.

Each layer is marked with runes.

The runes emitted a pale purple light, like starlight flickering in the dark.

Zhou Yang frowned.

He always thought of himself as a pawn, someone who could be manipulated at any time.

This time, the word "variable" appeared in the message.

The spectators did not regard him as an ordinary chess piece.

He is a "variable" in the game.

Variables can disrupt the expected course of events.

This message ignited a fire within him.

If we can utilize this, perhaps we can break free from the shackles of the Outer Gods.

But information alone is not enough.

We need manpower and resources.

He raised his hand and gently tapped the back of the note to send a message.

The signal shot out like a thin line towards the distant city tower.

Soon, Qin Shuang's text reply appeared on the jade slip.

"Received. Where are you?"

"The information about the old warehouse in the north of the city has been copied."

"Come to me immediately."

Zhou Yang seized this brief opportunity.

He put away the jade slip and turned to walk towards East Street.

The mud in the streets and alleys was washed away by the rain and was no longer sticky.

The oil sheen of the lanterns swayed in the wind, emitting a faint hum.

His steps were steady, yet carried a hint of urgency.

When they arrived at the inn in the south of the city, Qin Shuang was sitting on a dilapidated wooden chair.

Her blue dress was already soaked by the rain, and the cuffs were slightly rolled up.

"Give me the things." Her words were devoid of any politeness.

Zhou Yang placed the jade slip on the table and lightly touched its surface with his fingertips.

The light patterns pulsed again, and a purple light was reflected in Qin Shuang's eyes.

"The Outer God has set up a triple chessboard in the city," Zhou Yang said.

"We only see the surface, but we overlook the deeper structure."

Qin Shuang stared at the short film, her eyebrows slightly raised.

Her voice was deep, yet sharp.

"If we can break through the second layer of the command network, we can cause internal affairs to spiral out of control."

"Then the third layer of the spiritual network?"

Qin Shuang smiled, her voice like a blade slicing through metal.

"Let it collapse on its own. We just need to light a torch at the crucial moment."

torch?

Zhou Yang frowned slightly.

"How exactly do we do it?"

Qin Shuang stood up, her steps light and quick.

She drew back the curtains, revealing the city walls outside, washed clean by the rain.

"I am preparing to mobilize the secret passage units of the Embroidered Uniform Guard," she said.

"They could sneak in behind the city walls and open a secret passage leading to the inner palace."

"But this would leave us without our rear defenses."

Qin Shuang's gaze was like a cold star.

"What we lost was the defense, but what we gained was a breakthrough."

She took out a black seal from her bosom.

The seal is engraved with ancient patterns, like bloodstains intertwined with starlight.

"This seal can activate the seal on the secret passage," she explained.

"As long as we complete the ritual before midnight, there will be a brief blind spot in the Outer God's spiritual network."

Zhou Yang nodded.

He knew time was running out.

The two returned to the old warehouse and placed the jade slip on the stone table in the center.

The stone table was covered in dust, with only the faint light of the paper flickering.

Zhou Yang ignited his lifespan at his fingertips, a brief flash of white light streaking across the sky.

He felt as if a portion of his life had been taken away in an instant, but he had no regrets.

"This way we can quickly unlock the commands for the second layer," Qin Shuang said in a low voice.

She placed the seal on the stone table and pressed it lightly a few times.

The runes lit up, and purple light spread around the stone table.

The sound of the wind outside the wall became muffled.

The iron chains of the city gate trembled slightly.

"The ceremony is complete." Qin Shuang's voice was devoid of any emotion.

The information on the short film flipped instantly, revealing new coordinates.

The coordinates point to the underground warehouse of the inner palace.

"The Outer God's 'Core Key' is stored here; we must obtain it."

Zhou Yang took a deep breath, feeling a fire burning in his chest.

"This time, I am no longer a pawn to be manipulated."

Qin Shuang nodded, a resolute glint in her eyes.

"We will use this key to break the shackles of the Outer God."

In the darkness of night, the sparks have already been lit.

The shadows of the two figures were elongated by the lamplight, like two spears piercing the darkness.

They didn't say anything more.

Only the echoes of footsteps and heartbeats remained.

A well-organized plan has been launched.

All that remains is for that lamp to be lit on the other side of the city wall.

Zhou Yang put the jade slip away and tucked it into his sleeve.

He felt the lingering warmth of life trembling in his fingertips.

"Take action," he whispered.

Qin Shuang's eyes were like knives, piercing the silence of the night.

"Walk."

The two turned and stepped onto the rain-soaked stone path.

Rainwater splashed up tiny droplets at my feet, like fragments of sparks.

The hustle and bustle of Beijing continues.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, another game of chess is quietly being set up.

The wind whispered in my ears, like an ancient horn.

A spark may ignite, but variables have already begun to shift.

【Break】

The rain stopped.

The outline of the old temple appeared particularly eerie in the moonlight. Most of the plaster had peeled away, revealing the blackened bricks underneath. The statues of the gods had long been toppled, leaving only half of their stone pedestals standing in the center of the main hall.

Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang posted them on both sides of the temple gate.

"This is it." Qin Shuang lowered her voice. "The Heavenly Principle Sect's secret guards have set up an array here, sealing off the space within a three-mile radius."

Zhou Yang narrowed his eyes. He could feel an invisible barrier in the air, like a cage woven from spider silk.

"Breaking formations is my forte," he said softly.

He pulled three jade slips from his sleeve. He had spent a fortune to buy them on the black market, specifically to counter spatial blockades. The previous experiments had all been successful, and this one should be no exception.

"You break the formation first, I'll keep an eye on the outside." Qin Shuang gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.

Zhou Yang nodded.

He pressed the first jade slip against the doorframe. The jade slip emitted a faint blue light, like a firefly fluttering in the wind. Then, he bit his fingertip and used his blood to draw a talisman on the jade slip.

"Use blood as a guide, and simplicity as a door," he murmured.

The jade slip suddenly lit up.

The invisible barrier in the air was like a balloon punctured by a needle, making a faint "wave" sound before dissipating.

"It's done," Zhou Yang said.

Qin Shuang stepped into the temple first.

The main hall was empty, with only a few rotten logs piled in a corner. But Zhou Yang could sense that something was watching them from the shadows.

"Come out," he said calmly. "I know you're here."

No one responded.

Zhou Yang sneered. He tossed the second jade slip into the air.

The jade slip hung in the center of the hall, spun around a few times, and then suddenly exploded. A blinding beam of light shot out from the jade slip, illuminating the entire hall.

The hidden guards in the corner had nowhere to hide.

It was a man dressed in a gray robe, his skin as pale as paper. His eyes were gray and expressionless. In his hand he held a black short sword, its blade engraved with eerie runes.

"A dog of the Heavenly Principle Sect," Qin Shuang said coldly.

The gray-robed man remained silent. He raised his hand, his short sword pointing at Zhou Yang.

"Let's do it," he said.

The temperature in the main hall suddenly dropped.

Zhou Yang felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet and rush to his head. This was a mental attack; the other party was trying to invade his consciousness.

He immediately clenched his teeth and bit his tongue until it bled. The excruciating pain kept him conscious.

"You're asking for it," he growled.

He slammed the third jade slip onto the ground.

The moment the jade slip shattered, a blue vortex appeared in the center of the hall. The vortex spun faster and faster, stirring up the dust on the ground and forming a thick tornado.

"Open the gate of reverse flow!" Zhou Yang shouted.

The gray-robed man's expression changed. He wanted to run, but it was too late. The suction force of the vortex was too great; he was swept up like a withered leaf caught in the wind.

"No!" he screamed.

But no one paid any attention to his screams.

The vortex swallowed him up.

Silence returned to the main hall. Only the scattered fragments of jade slips on the ground proved what had just happened.

Zhou Yang was panting heavily. He was exhausted, and beads of sweat were dripping down his forehead.

"Are you alright?" Qin Shuang walked over and took his arm.

"It's nothing," he waved his hand. "I'm just a little tired."

He looked at the blue vortex. The vortex was still spinning, but it had shrunk considerably. It resembled a door leading to another dimension.

"He's inside," Zhou Yang said. "I sent him into the Gate of Reversal. It's a special space I created using secret techniques; inside, time flows backward, and space is distorted. He won't get out so easily."

"But you can't get in either," Qin Shuang said.

"Yes." Zhou Yang nodded. "However, I can open a crack and let some of his power leak out. As long as I can grasp that wisp of spiritual consciousness, I can know the Outer God's weakness."

He sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

The Gate of Reversal is one of his trump cards. Creating this space requires a huge amount of lifespan, but the effect is excellent. Inside, the power of any living being is weakened, and time is reversed to their weakest moment.

Now, that gray-robed man should have been exposed for what he truly was.

Zhou Yang took a deep breath and sank his consciousness into the vortex.

……

dark.

The boundless darkness.

The gray-robed man floated in the darkness. He felt as if his body was being torn apart, the pain excruciating. His power was draining away, slowly being absorbed by this eerie space.

"Damn it..." he gritted his teeth.

He was an apostle of the Outer Gods, ordered to set up an ambush here, waiting for the two prey to take the bait. But he didn't expect that the other side would have the means to break the spatial blockade.

"What do I do now?" he asked himself.

He tried to resist, but it was no use. The space was too strange; he couldn't unleash his power at all.

Just when he was in despair, a light appeared.

It was a blue crack, as if space itself had been torn open. From the crack, a hand reached out.

The hand was large with well-defined knuckles. It was stained with blood, but it looked very strong.

"Grab it." A voice came from the crack.

The man in the gray robe paused for a moment. Then, he reached out his hand.

The moment their hands clasped together, Zhou Yang opened his eyes in the main hall.

A wisp of gray mist appeared in his hand. It was a fragment of the gray-robed man's consciousness, containing a portion of his memories and power.

"Got it," he said.

Qin Shuang immediately leaned closer, "How is it?"

"Interesting." Zhou Yang stood up and stored the fragment of spiritual consciousness into a jade slip. "He is one of the apostles of the Outer Gods, responsible for setting up surveillance in the capital. It seems that the Heavenly Principle Sect has already noticed our actions."

"Outer Gods..." Qin Shuang frowned. "What exactly do they want to do?"

"I don't know," Zhou Yang shook his head, "but there should be clues in this fragment of spiritual consciousness. Once we hand it over to those old guys at the Star Gazing Pavilion, they should be able to analyze something."

Footsteps could be heard outside the main hall.

Zhou Yang's expression changed slightly. "Someone's here."

"They're reinforcements from the Heavenly Principle Sect," Qin Shuang said. "We need to leave quickly."

"No rush." ​​Zhou Yang smiled. "I've already achieved my purpose for coming here. It's their turn to leave."

He put the jade slip away and then looked at the blue vortex that was about to disappear.

From within the vortex came the screams of the gray-robed man. His consciousness was being drained by Zhou Yang, leaving only an empty shell.

"Close the gate of reverse flow," Zhou Yang said softly.

The vortex completely disappeared.

The hall returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

But there was a pool of black blood on the ground, left by the gray-robed man.

"Let's go," Zhou Yang said.

The two jumped out of the window behind the temple and disappeared into the night.

……

A quarter of an hour later, a team of Heavenly Principle Sect secret guards arrived at the old temple.

What they saw was an empty hall and a pool of blood.

"Where is the master?" the lead guard asked.

No one answered.

All they knew was that the apostle they served had vanished completely.

……

The Star-Gazing Pavilion is located on the west side of the capital.

When the Pavilion Master received the jade slip from Zhou Yang, he was drinking tea.

"Sir, there's been progress," the subordinate reported.

The pavilion master put down his teacup and took the jade slip. He gently stroked the jade slip with his finger, and a wisp of gray mist floated out.

"This is..." The sect leader narrowed his eyes, "a fragment of spiritual consciousness. Interesting."

He gathered the mist into his sleeve, then stood up and walked toward the secret chamber.

"Notify all the elders to come here," he said. "We have important matters to discuss."

The subordinate accepted the order and left.

The pavilion master stood by the window, looking at the night view of the capital.

"Has the impasse been broken?" he said softly. "Interesting."

A night breeze blew by, bringing a touch of coolness.

The lights in the distance are like guiding stars.

Between the virtual and the real

After the rain, the air in Beijing was filled with a damp, earthy smell.

Zhou Yang stood at the foot of the wall in the courtyard of the old man Tianji, watching as the old man took out a dull jade slip from his robes. The surface of the jade slip was covered with cracks, as if it had been forcibly broken into pieces and then pieced back together.

"This thing was taken from the brain of that corpse," the old man said in a low voice, as if afraid of disturbing something. "Fragments of the spectator's spiritual consciousness. Those firefly-like things you saw before."

Zhou Yang nodded. He remembered that feeling—like being stared at by something, making the hairs on his body stand on end.

"The slice analysis is complete." The old man placed the jade slip on the stone table and gently patted off the dust. "This frequency, this rhythm... interesting."

"What do you mean?"

The old man of heavenly secrets did not answer directly. He turned and went into the house, emerging with a piece of paper in his hand. The paper was covered with densely packed lines, resembling some kind of musical score, or perhaps...

"Frequency diagram." The old man flattened the paper. "I spent three days breaking down that fragment of spiritual consciousness into its most basic rhythmic units. Then I compared it with the spatial trajectory recorded in the jade slip. Look here—"

He pointed to a point on the paper where the two lines intersected, forming a sharp angle.

"There is a point of symmetry here."

Zhou Yang frowned: "A point of symmetry?"

"The spectator isn't omnipotent," the old man said with a hint of a smile. "It can see the past and the future, but it can't see 'simultaneity.' In its vision, time is linear, and space is flat. So it needs someone to fill in those gaps—those corners it can't see."

"So the people of the Heavenly Principle Sect are its eyes?"

"Not really eyes. More like a chess piece." The Old Man of Heavenly Secrets shook his head. "But even a chess piece is a useful one. Without the Heavenly Principle Cult operating openly, the spectator is blind. It can only perceive the outside world through fragments of spiritual consciousness, and this perception... is delayed."

Zhou Yang's eyes lit up.

"How long will the delay be?"

"Based on the rhythm of this fragment, it's estimated to be about three breaths," the old man said, holding up three fingers. "Three breaths is enough to do a lot of things."

Zhou Yang remained silent. He was thinking.

Three breaths. For an ordinary person, that's just the time between two breaths. But for a top martial artist, it's enough to decide life or death.

"If we can complete two attacks within three breaths," Zhou Yang said slowly, "it will only see the first one, and it won't have time to react when the second one happens."

"Yes." The old man of the heavens nodded. "That's the significance of symmetry. The first attack triggers its observation, and the second attack is completed in the gap of its reaction. It thinks it's watching, but in reality—"

"What it actually sees is just an afterimage."

"Clever." The old man smiled, a hint of weariness in his smile. "That's why I need your cooperation. I've already deciphered all the nodes near the capital in the spatial trajectory within the jade slip. What you're looking for is that symmetrical point."

He pulled a map from his sleeve. The map marked all the streets and alleys of the capital, but in one place, he drew a circle with a vermilion pen.

"This is the northeast corner of the inner city, near Chongwen Gate," said the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets. "The Heavenly Principle Sect has a hidden spy here. Based on frequency calculations, this spy should be the place where the audience's gaze is most concentrated. If you want to interrupt their observation, this is the best entry point."

Zhou Yang took the map and glanced at it.

What is the success rate?

"Forty percent."

"What can 40% do?"

"Enough to get you back alive." The old man's tone was calm. "This kind of thing is like dancing on a knife's edge. Forty percent is already very high. When I was young, I would have dared to go even with a thirty percent chance."

Zhou Yang glanced at the old man. He knew that the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets was not joking.

"Okay." He nodded. "What do I need to prepare?"

"A team," said the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets. "The real kind. If you act openly, your position will be exposed. The spectators may have a delay, but they're not fools. You have to make them think you're using a feint."

"How can we use a feint attack?"

"The juxtaposition of reality and illusion." The old man's voice lowered further. "This is something I've only recently come to understand. The audience observes the 'result,' not the 'process.' So if you produce two different 'results' at the same time and in the same space—"

"It will be misleading."

"Not only confusing," the old man shook his head, "it will be forced to process two signals simultaneously. The three-breath delay will be stretched to five, six, or even more. If the timing is right, it will be enough for you to uproot that hidden stake."

Zhou Yang took a deep breath.

This is very dangerous.

But risks often come with rewards.

"I'm going to find Qin Shuang," he said.

The Old Man of Heavenly Secrets nodded: "Go. Remember, the time must be dusk. Dusk is the moment of transition between yin and yang, when the audience's perception is weakest."

Zhou Yang didn't say anything more. He put away the map and strode out of the courtyard.

Several pieces of clothing were hanging out to dry in the yard; they were Qin Shuang's clothes from yesterday. Zhou Yang glanced at them as he passed by and noticed a new tear in the cuff.

He paused for a moment, but did not stop.

time is limited.

()

Qin Shuang was in a house in the south of the city.

This house belonged to Qin Shuang and was usually uninhabited, with only a few old servants responsible for cleaning it. When Zhou Yang pushed open the door, Qin Shuang was sitting in the courtyard wiping her knife.

The knife in her hand was a goose-feather blade, long and narrow, its edge gleaming coldly in the setting sun.

"I'm here." She didn't even look up.

"You're here." Zhou Yang walked over and sat down opposite Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang put down the knife and glanced at him: "You have a plan?"

Zhou Yang spread the map on the stone table and explained the Heavenly Mystery Elder's analysis in detail.

Qin Shuang listened attentively without interrupting. Only after Zhou Yang finished speaking did she frown.

"Simultaneous use of deception and reality..." she repeated the phrase, "You mean, striking simultaneously in two places at the same time?"

"That's right." Zhou Yang nodded. "One is in the light, and one is in the dark. The person in the light is responsible for attracting attention, while the person in the dark is responsible for destroying the hidden agents. The spectator will receive two signals at the same time, and it takes time to process them."

"How do I time it?"

"Use this." Zhou Yang took out a small bottle from his pocket. The bottle contained several black pills with a faint sulfur smell.

"What is this?"

"Exploding pills," Zhou Yang said. "Given by the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets. They can be detonated twice within three breaths. The first is a sound, the second a flash of light. Spectators will only see the 'result,' thinking we're using a feint, but in reality—"

"It was actually true both times."

"right."

Qin Shuang remained silent for a while. She picked up the black pill and examined it carefully between her fingertips.

How confident are you about this plan?

"Forty percent."

Qin Shuang laughed: "What can 40% do?"

"Enough to come back alive."

"Okay." She put the pills back in the bottle. "When are we going to make our move?"

"Tomorrow at dusk."

Qin Shuang nodded. She stood up and walked towards the house. Zhou Yang thought she was going to get something, but she simply took the goose-feather knife off the wall.

"I'm leaving," she said.

Zhou Yang was taken aback: "Where to?"

"Let's scout it out." Qin Shuang glanced at him. "You don't think having a plan is enough, do you? I know the area around Chongwenmen well. Let's check out the terrain first, so we don't end up clueless later."

Zhou Yang couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing," he shook his head, "I just feel... it's quite worry-free to work with you."

Qin Shuang snorted: "Stop flattering me. Let's go."

The two walked out of the house one after the other.

As dusk fell in Beijing, the setting sun bathed the entire street in gold. In the distance, someone was hawking tofu, and children were chasing and playing on the street; everything seemed peaceful.

But Zhou Yang knew that this peace wouldn't last long.

()

Near Chongwenmen, at dusk.

Qin Shuang led Zhou Yang through several turns in the alley, finally stopping at the end of a dead-end street. At the end of the alley was a wall with an inconspicuous little door.

"This is the Heavenly Principle Sect's secret agent," Qin Shuang said in a low voice. "On the surface, it's a silk shop, but in reality, it's an intelligence relay station. Every three days, someone will come here to deliver messages."

Zhou Yang surveyed the surrounding terrain. The alley was narrow, only wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The walls were high, too high for ordinary people to climb over. But for martial artists, it was no problem.

How many guards are there?

"Three are in the open, and two are in the shadows," Qin Shuang said. "The ones in the open are nothing to worry about, but the ones in the shadows are a bit troublesome. One is a second-rate expert, and the other is a third-rate expert."

"I'll handle the second-rate stuff, you take care of the third-rate?"

"right."

Zhou Yang nodded. He calculated the time; it would take about fifteen minutes to get from here to the inner city gate. If the operation went smoothly, they could leave before the gates closed.

Are there any other exits?

"Yes." Qin Shuang pointed to the other side, "That's the main street, lots of people. But we can't go that way, it'll be too easy to be spotted."

Why choose sunset?

"Because dusk is the changing of the guard time," Qin Shuang explained. "The guards at the city gate will change shifts at this time, and there's about a quarter of an hour of chaos before and after. We can take advantage of this time difference."

Zhou Yang nodded again. He realized that Qin Shuang's understanding of the capital was far deeper than he had imagined. This was not surprising; after all, she was a former member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and knew every alley and corner of the capital like the back of her hand.

"Get a good rest tonight," Qin Shuang said. "Meet here at the end of the morning tomorrow."

"So early?"

"The sooner the better. The people of the Heavenly Principle Cult are very vigilant, so it's harder to make a move at night."

()

Silent all night.

The next morning, Zhou Yang arrived at the agreed location on time. Qin Shuang was already waiting there, carrying a bundle in her hand.

"This is for you." She handed the bundle to Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang opened the bundle, inside was a set of night clothes and a human skin mask.

"Where did you get these things?"

"The channels of the Embroidered Uniform Guard," Qin Shuang said. "Don't ask so many questions. Put the mask on; the size should fit."

Zhou Yang picked up the mask and examined it closely. The mask was very finely made, with ordinary facial features; it was the kind of mask you'd easily lose in a crowd.

"Do you do this often?"

"Occasionally." Qin Shuang turned around. "Let's go, we don't have much time left."

The two walked through the alley and came to the wall. Qin Shuang climbed over first, followed closely by Zhou Yang.

The silk shop's backyard was small, with only a few side rooms. The yard was empty except for a few chickens leisurely foraging.

Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang exchanged a glance and then went their separate ways.

Qin Shuang was responsible for dealing with the guards in the open, while Zhou Yang was responsible for the two experts in the shadows.

()

Two guards lay in front of the west wing of the courtyard. They were leaning against a pillar and appeared to be asleep.

Zhou Yang didn't hesitate. He moved with lightning speed, delivering a chop to each of them. Neither of them uttered a sound before collapsing limply to the ground.

At the same time, Qin Shuang came over from the other side. She winked at Zhou Yang, indicating that things were settled.

Zhou Yang nodded. He pressed his ear against the window of the side room and listened, but there was no sound inside.

"Is he not here?" he mouthed to Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang shook her head. She pointed to the roof.

Zhou Yang understood. The two of them leaped onto the roof at the same time.

Sure enough, there were people on the roof.

A middle-aged man dressed in gray sat cross-legged with his hands on his knees, seemingly meditating. His breathing was steady, clearly indicating he was a master.

Zhou Yang didn't act immediately. He gestured to Qin Shuang, indicating that he was waiting for a signal.

Qin Shuang nodded. She took out a Explosive Ball from her sleeve.

Zhou Yang took a deep breath.

coming.

()

"boom--"

The first explosion occurred on the west side of the backyard. The sound was so loud that the entire yard shook.

The man in gray opened his eyes instantly. He reacted quickly, immediately standing up and looking around warily.

But the moment he stood up, the second explosive pellet exploded on the east side.

Flames shot into the sky.

The man in gray hesitated for a moment. He didn't know which direction was a real attack and which was a feint.

In that brief moment of hesitation—

Zhou Yang moved.

He moved like an arrow, instantly reaching the gray-clad man. A flash of sword light appeared in his hand, aimed straight for the man's throat.

The man in gray hastily raised the knife in his hand.

"when--"

The two blades clashed, producing a crisp metallic sound.

But Zhou Yang's second strike had already come.

This strike was faster and more ruthless, aimed straight for the opponent's chest.

The man in gray managed to turn to the side, but he was a fraction of a second too late. The blade sliced ​​across his arm, drawing a spray of blood.

"you--"

He was about to say something when Qin Shuang's knife stabbed at him from the side.

The knife pierced straight through the gray-clad man's shoulder.

()

"Is it all done?"

"Um."

Zhou Yang pulled the knife out of the corpse and shook off the blood.

The courtyard was filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood. The two explosions had alerted the nearby residents, but Qin Shuang had already ordered the news to be kept under wraps.

"Where are the things?" Qin Shuang asked.

Zhou Yang pulled a small booklet from his pocket. He had found it on the man in gray.

"It should be the intelligence book," he said.

Qin Shuang took it, flipped through it, and glanced at it a few times, her brows gradually furrowing.

"There's definitely a problem." She handed the booklet to Zhou Yang. "The Heavenly Principle Sect is preparing for a major operation. The target is... the post stations outside the capital."

"A post station?"

"It seems to be targeting a specific person," Qin Shuang said. "It doesn't specify who it is in the booklet. It only says the date is set for three days from now."

Zhou Yang pondered for a while.

"Let's go back first," he said. "Let the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets take a look at this booklet."

()

It was already dark when the two left the silk shop.

Zhou Yang glanced back. The fire had gone out, but the smell of burning still lingered in the air.

"The audience should have already noticed," he said.

"Yes," Qin Shuang nodded, "but it can only see the results. It sees that we blew up the silk shop, killed people, and looted. It doesn't know what we really want."

"This is the juxtaposition of the real and the virtual."

"right."

The two remained silent on the way back to the old man's courtyard.

The old man Tianji sat in the courtyard, holding a cup of tea. His expression was calm, as if he had known they would come all along.

"Did you get it?" he asked.

"Got it." Zhou Yang handed over the booklet.

The old man with the secrets of heaven took the booklet, flipped through a few pages, and his brows gradually furrowed.

"Three days later..." he murmured, "the post station. It seems they can't wait."

"What kind of post station?"

"The Shili Post Station outside the capital," said the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets. "Every three months, important goods pass through there. The Heavenly Principle Sect has been keeping an eye on it for a long time."

"Whose goods are these?"

"It's from the imperial court." The old man of Heavenly Secrets put down the booklet. "I don't know exactly what it is. But for the Heavenly Principles Sect to value it so much, it must be something extraordinary."

Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang exchanged a glance.

"Should we get involved?" Zhou Yang asked.

The old man of heavenly secrets glanced at him: "How do you intend to insert it?"

"It's simple," Zhou Yang said. "Since the Heavenly Principle Sect wants to seize the post stations, we'll leak this information to the imperial court. This will allow them to increase their vigilance, and then—"

"The Heavenly Principle Church will fail then," the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets interrupted him. "But do you think the Heavenly Principle Church will give up so easily? If they fail once, they will come back a second and a third time. The imperial court cannot prevent them from doing so every time."

"What should we do then?"

The old man of the heavenly secrets fell silent.

()

Night was falling.

An oil lamp was lit in the courtyard, its flickering light illuminating the faces of the three people.

"There is a way," the old man of heavenly secrets said slowly, "but it's very dangerous."

"What method?"

"Stir up the muddy waters." The old man's voice was low. "Isn't the Heavenly Principle Sect trying to seize the post stations? Let them seize them. But what they'll seize isn't the goods, but—"

He paused, then pulled a black token from his sleeve.

"But this."

Zhou Yang took the token. The token was heavy and had a complex pattern engraved on it.

"What is this?"

"A mobilization order from the Heavenly Principle Sect," said the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets. "With this, we can mobilize a portion of the Heavenly Principle Sect's influence in the capital."

Zhou Yang's eyes lit up.

"You want us to impersonate members of the Heavenly Principle Sect?"

"Yes." The Old Man of Heavenly Secrets nodded, "But not as an imposter, but rather—to fish in troubled waters. The Heavenly Principle Sect is not a monolithic entity; there are conflicts between its various branches. If we can make them doubt this operation—"

"Internal strife," Qin Shuang replied.

"That's right." The old man of the heavens smiled slightly. "Once they fall into chaos internally, the audience's attention will be diverted. That will be our opportunity."

Zhou Yang looked down at the token in his hand.

This is indeed a risky plan. But risk often comes with reward.

"Okay," he said. "I'll do it."

()

Three days later, at Shilipu Post Station.

As dawn broke, guards were already deployed outside the post station. The imperial goods were passing through here today, and to ensure their safety, the number of guards had been doubled.

Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang mingled in the crowd, watching from a distance.

"They're here," Qin Shuang said softly.

In the distance, a carriage slowly approached. The carriage was ordinary, but the driver looked extraordinary—he was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit and had a long sword at his waist, clearly a martial arts practitioner.

"The goods are on the truck," Zhou Yang said. "Hopefully, the old man's deduction is correct."

"That should be right," Qin Shuang said. "The Heavenly Principle Cult members are already lying in ambush in the woods by the roadside. They'll make their move as soon as the carriage enters the encirclement."

Zhou Yang nodded. He glanced at the sky; it was already Chen Shi (7-9 AM). According to the plan, the Heavenly Principle Sect would launch their attack in a quarter of an hour.

What they had to do was to spread false information before that happened.

()

"stop!"

Suddenly, a group of people rushed out of the woods, each armed with weapons, and blocked the carriage's path.

The carriage stopped. The driver jumped down and looked warily at the interceptor.

"Who goes there? How dare they intercept the imperial goods!"

The leader of the men in black sneered, "Leave your things behind, and we'll spare your lives."

"court death!"

The two sides immediately began fighting.

But at that moment—

"stop!"

A loud shout came from afar. A group of soldiers rushed over, led by Zhou Yang, who was in disguise as the leader of the Tianli Sect branch.

"One of our own?" The Tianli Sect members were stunned.

"What do you mean, 'one of us'!" Zhou Yang shouted. "I'm here to deliver a message! Headquarters has ordered that this operation is canceled!"

"Cancelled? Why?"

"Because someone leaked the information!" Zhou Yang declared righteously, "The imperial court already knows about our plan! It's still not too late to retreat, otherwise—"

Before he could finish speaking, a bugle call suddenly came from afar.

"They are reinforcements from the imperial court!"

"Run!"

The members of the Heavenly Principle Sect were thrown into chaos. They abandoned their goods and scattered in all directions.

()

"It worked?"

Seeing the Tianli Sect members in disarray, Qin Shuang stepped out of her hiding place.

"Yes." Zhou Yang nodded, "But it's only temporary. They'll realize it sooner or later."

"Let's go back and talk about it first."

The two left the woods and returned to the old man's courtyard.

The Old Man of Heavenly Secrets was waiting for them. The tea was already brewed and steaming hot.

"Sit down," the old man said. "There's something I need to tell you."

Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang exchanged a glance and sat down opposite the old man.

"There's movement from the spectators."

()

"A spectator?"

"Yes." The old man's expression was very serious. "Just now, I detected a violent fluctuation in its spiritual consciousness. It was as if... it had been stimulated by something."

"Is it because of our actions today?"

"That's possible." The old man nodded. "But what concerns me more is another possibility—it has discovered that we are interfering with its observations, so it has begun to actively search for our location."

Zhou Yang frowned: "It can find us?"

"Not in the short term," said the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets. "But it has already locked onto a general area. It will definitely take action near the capital."

"So what do we do?"

The old man of the heavenly secrets remained silent for a while.

"There's only one way," he said. "Take the initiative."

"Take the initiative?"

"Yes." The old man of the heavens looked at Zhou Yang. "Haven't you always wanted to find the true form of the spectator? Now you have an opportunity."

"What opportunity?"

"When I was analyzing that fragment of spiritual consciousness just now, I discovered a pattern," said the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets. "Each time the spectators conducted large-scale observations, they left traces in a specific location. That location should be its energy source."

"Where?"

"About thirty li northeast of the capital," the old man pointed on the map, "there is an abandoned temple there called Fahua Temple."

Zhou Yang noted down the location.

"you mean……"

"Yes." The old man nodded. "We'll go to that temple and lure the audience out. Doesn't it like watching plays? Then let it watch to its heart's content."

()

Night falls at Fahua Temple.

The temple was small and looked quite dilapidated. Half of the courtyard wall had collapsed, and the courtyard was overgrown with weeds.

Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang stood at the temple entrance.

"Are you sure you want to go in?" Qin Shuang asked.

"Since we're already here," Zhou Yang smiled. "Besides, with you here, what do I have to be afraid of?"

Qin Shuang rolled her eyes at him: "You're still in the mood for jokes at a time like this."

The two entered the temple.

The courtyard was quiet; there wasn't even a sound of wind. Zhou Yang could hear his own heartbeat.

()

Is anyone there?

He shouted.

No one answered.

But the instant his words fell—

The surrounding scenery suddenly changed.

The temple was still the same temple, but the air had become thick, as if something was pressing on my chest.

"They've arrived." The voice of the Heavenly Mystery Elder rang in his ears. He maintained contact with Zhou Yang through a jade slip.

Zhou Yang gripped the knife tightly in his hand.

()

"The audience..." he whispered, "I know you can hear me."

There was no response from any direction. But Zhou Yang could feel a gaze fixed on him.

That gaze was cold, as if it were cast down from the highest sky.

"I've seen through your tricks," Zhou Yang continued. "You think you're so clever, but in reality—you're just a coward who's afraid to show his face."

Still no response.

But Zhou Yang could sense that the gaze had become sharper.

()

"Still not coming out?" Zhou Yang sneered. "Then I'll force you to come out."

He raised the knife in his hand, its blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"This cut is for you."

After saying that, he suddenly slashed the ground with his sword.

"boom--"

A crack appeared in the ground.

Light shone through the crack.

()

The light was so bright that it blinded people.

Zhou Yang instinctively covered his eyes with his hand.

But he still saw it.

A figure can be seen in the light.

The figure was blurry, and Zhou Yang couldn't make out its face. But he could sense that it was watching him.

()

"Zhou Yang..."

The voice rang directly in Zhou Yang's mind.

"You're fine."

"Thank you for the compliment," Zhou Yang said.

"But you're not smart enough," the voice said. "You think you can threaten me like this?"

"A threat?" Zhou Yang laughed. "I just want to tell you—the game is over."

()

"Game over?" The spectator's voice carried a hint of sarcasm. "Do you think you have the right to say that?"

"No," Zhou Yang shook his head, "but some people do."

He had barely finished speaking when Qin Shuang moved.

She pulled a black pill from her sleeve and smashed it on the ground.

"boom--"

The shockwave from the explosion spread in all directions.

The spectator's figure swayed slightly.

"Now!" the Heavenly Mystery Elder shouted into the jade slip.

()

Zhou Yang did not hesitate. He rushed forward, his knife aimed straight for the spectator's chest.

But just as the blade was about to pierce—

The spectators disappeared.

It dispersed like mist, blending into the surrounding darkness.

()

"They ran away?" Qin Shuang frowned.

"No." Zhou Yang looked around. "It's still here."

As soon as he finished speaking, the voices of the audience rang out again.

"That's interesting," it said, "but not enough."

()

The surrounding space began to distort.

Zhou Yang felt his body become heavy, as if he were being pressed down by something.

"Be careful!" The old man's voice came from the jade slip, "It's trying to pull you into the imaginary space!"

Zhou Yang gritted his teeth and resisted the suction with all his might.

But that force was too powerful; he simply couldn't resist it.

()

"Zhou Yang!"

Qin Shuang rushed over and grabbed his hand.

"Together!"

She pulled hard, and the two of them were pulled backward at the same time.

Finally, the suction force lessened.

But the surrounding scenery had completely changed.

()

This is not Fahua Temple.

The surroundings were a void; there were no roads on the ground and no sky above.

Only darkness.

And...the spectators.

It finally revealed its true form.

()

It was a very strange entity. It had no physical form and looked like a flowing mass of light.

But Zhou Yang could sense that it was watching him.

"Welcome to my world," said one of the spectators.

Zhou Yang took a deep breath.

"It would be my great honor."

()

He raised his knife.

"This cut is for myself."

The blade flashed, aimed directly at the spectators.

()

"when--"

The blade was blocked.

The spectator raised his hand, and a ball of light appeared in the center of his palm.

Your attacks are ineffective against me.

"Yeah?"

Zhou Yang smiled.

"What about this one?"

()

In his other hand, he held a black token.

That was a token given to him by the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets, used to mobilize the power of the Heavenly Principle Sect.

But now, it has another use.

Zhou Yang crushed the token with force.

()

"boom--"

The fragments of the token emitted a blinding light.

The spectators stepped back.

It clearly hadn't expected Zhou Yang to have this trick up his sleeve.

()

"Walk!"

Zhou Yang grabbed Qin Shuang's hand, and the two rushed out at the same time.

The surrounding darkness began to collapse.

()

"Trying to run?" The spectator's voice turned icy. "Not so easy!"

()

But it was too late.

Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang broke out of the imaginary space and returned to Fahua Temple.

()

The temple is still the same temple.

But the audience had vanished.

()

"Did you succeed?" Qin Shuang asked.

Zhou Yang looked at the fragment of the token in his hand.

"I don't know," he said, "but at least...we know what it looks like."

()

The voice of the Celestial Mystery Elder came from the jade slip.

"Zhou Yang, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you."

"The Heavenly Principle Sect is already experiencing internal strife," said the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets. "Your plan has worked."

Zhou Yang smiled.

"That's good."

()

At daybreak, the two returned to the capital.

The capital city remained as bustling as ever, as if nothing had happened.

But Zhou Yang knew that something had changed.

()

"What do we do next?" Qin Shuang asked.

Zhou Yang looked at the distant sky.

"Keep going," he said. "The game has only just begun."