That tree root, as thin as a thumb, rapidly erupted with golden flames before turning into charred coal.

The roots covering the tunnel walls were instantly stimulated, coming "alive" all at once, like dense swarms of snakes crawling on the walls.

The banyan tree spirit hadn't expected this outsider to possess such unusual wisdom. Seeing that its lies had been exposed, it simply stopped pretending and said sternly,

"Since you're unwilling to come over, then go to hell!"

The floor of the grotto cracked in response, and fragments rose up as thick tree roots burst out of the ground, like twisted tentacles coiling toward Zhang Yuanqing.

At this distance, even without the Red Dancing Shoes, Zhang Yuanqing could escape.

*As expected, it was trying to trick me into getting closer...* Instead of retreating, Zhang Yuanqing advanced, sliding to avoid the entanglement of the roots, closing the distance between himself and the banyan tree. Then, he sprang up, leaping several meters high, once again dodging a sweeping attack.

More and more roots broke through the surface, dancing wildly in the grotto.

Zhang Yuanqing leaped and bounded among the tentacles with elegant movements, unable to be caught by the roots no matter how hard they tried.

If he hadn't subdued the Red Dancing Shoes and only had the Demon Subduing Pestle, the mortality rate for novices facing this trial would be extremely high.

*Deng deng deng...* The Red Dancing Shoes sped along the wall, avoiding the roots' entanglement and strikes. With a spring of his knees, they propelled Zhang Yuanqing like an arrow through the encirclement, crashing into the tree trunk.

Seeing the human shooting toward it, the face on the tree trunk revealed obvious fear.

*Boom!*

The stones at the base of the roots cracked open, and even more roots erupted like a geyser, forming a wooden wall.

Zhang Yuanqing thrust the Demon Subduing Pestle forcefully.

Golden flames spread across the surface of the wooden wall, causing the banyan tree spirit to shriek in furious pain.

Zhang Yuanqing took advantage of the situation to break through the carbonized wooden wall, driving the triangular point of the Demon Subduing Pestle deep into the tree trunk.

*Duo!*

The triangular spikes pierced deeply into the tree trunk, and a dazzling sun burst forth from the dark cave.

The golden light twisted the tree trunk, twisted the human face, causing it to emit a shrill scream and hiss with green smoke.

In an instant, the souls hidden within the tree trunk also turned into green smoke amidst the screams.

All the ghosts and monsters vanished, annihilated in the golden light.

The golden light dissipated, and the cave returned to darkness, but suddenly became clean and clear.

The first thing Zhang Yuanqing did was not check whether the banyan tree spirit was completely dead, but to quickly remove the Red Dancing Shoes and store them in his inventory.

It had been almost five minutes since he entered the cave.

After putting away the Red Dancing Shoes, Zhang Yuanqing turned his attention to the great banyan tree, which was now withered, its bark cracked, devoid of moisture, and its roots scattered around the cave.

A cold voice rang in Zhang Yuanqing's mind:

[Ding, congratulations on completing the S-level trial mission. Character card unlocked. Calculating rewards.]

[Obtained item/prop: Demon Subduing Pestle.]

[Experience points awarded: 100%]

[You have become a Night Wanderer.]

[Experience points awarded: 20%]

[Character card reward activated, reward item: Red Dancing Shoes.]

[Leaving the Spirit Realm in five minutes...]

*Finally, it's over...* Zhang Yuanqing felt utterly exhausted, as if he had been completely drained.

He had cleared the She Ling Tunnel, accomplishing something that no one had been able to do for decades.

As the prompt sounded, the black moon mark on Zhang Yuanqing's forehead became prominent. A strange and mysterious power was released from the burning mark, rushing into his body with an almost unreasonable force.

His skin turned red, like a boiled shrimp. The strange and mysterious power washed over his body, integrating into each cell, each bone. The injuries on his arm healed at a visible rate.

He couldn't help but twitch, and two illusory black moons appeared in his eyes before disappearing.

The pain quickly subsided, replaced by a comfortable sensation like soaking in a hot spring.

*So comfortable...* Zhang Yuanqing felt lazy all over, wanting to stretch out comfortably. He instinctively looked down and was shocked to see his body standing in place.

*Did my soul leave my body?*

Panic arose in his heart. He subconsciously wanted to return to his body. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, his soul immediately sank down and merged with his body.

After regaining control of his body, Zhang Yuanqing realized that it possessed something new, something called talent.

He naturally accepted this talent, as if it were innate.

At the same time, he felt that his body was filled with endless energy and power, even having the illusion that he could punch a planet into pieces.

Zhang Yuanqing opened his character attribute panel:

[Name: Yuan Shi Tian Zun]

[Race: Human]

[Class: Night Wanderer]

[Level: 1]

[Skills: Night Wander, Soul Devour, Spirit of Taiyin]

[Experience: 20%]

[Morality: 60 (initial value)]

[Night Wander (active): Condenses the power of Taiyin to envelop oneself, entering a state of Night Wander. During skill activation, briefly becomes invisible and gathers one's scent, breath, and conceals sounds and heat emitted by the body. Time limit: six seconds.]

[Soul Devour (active): Devours souls to enhance one's spirituality.]

[Spirit of Taiyin (passive): The Night Wanderer's physique is strong, possessing vigorous vitality and powerful self-healing abilities. In the night, the Night Wanderer's abilities will be greatly enhanced.]

He had officially become a Night Wanderer, and he had also gained 20% experience. Combined with the item rewards, the gains from this trial in the Spirit Realm were truly substantial.

Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory. The Red Dancing Shoes were quietly lying in the first slot, the half-hour countdown having disappeared.

He had officially become the owner of the Red Dancing Shoes.

Two minutes later, he had preliminarily adjusted to his physical condition, and the wounds on his arms had completely healed.

Then, Zhang Yuanqing turned his gaze to the stone coffin.

The end of the mission meant that the exploration level had reached 100%, so the stone coffin was empty?

"It seems that the banyan tree spirit was the temple keeper. In that case, all the 'characters' have appeared. How did he become a tree spirit? Is his body inside the stone coffin?"

Thinking this, Zhang Yuanqing strolled to the stone coffin, intending to loot it. Perhaps there were treasures buried with it.

There were still more than two minutes before leaving the Spirit Realm; there was enough time.

As a precaution, he summoned the Red Dancing Shoes again and selected the wear mode.

The stone coffin was wrapped in withered tree roots. Zhang Yuanqing waved the Demon Subduing Pestle, cutting off these dehydrated roots one by one, finally seeing the full appearance of the stone coffin.

It was about two meters long, with delicate patterns carved on the coffin. The coffin lid was covered in a thin layer of dust.

"Zha zha..."

He slowly pushed open the coffin lid and peered inside. As a Night Wanderer, even without the divine power of the Demon Subduing Pestle, he could easily see through the darkness.

Lying in the stone coffin was a female corpse, wearing an ancient silk dress that had long since rotted, her arms crossed over her flat abdomen. Her waist was as slender as a willow, her figure graceful and uncorrupted.

The female corpse had a beautiful face, with cheekbones that outlined a perfect face shape, a delicate and refined nose, and sensual lips with a pale color. Her eyes were tightly closed, and her eyelashes were thick and intertwined.

An exquisite beauty.

This... Zhang Yuanqing was so shocked that he staggered back, with only one thought in his mind:

*Is that really the Three Dao Mountain Goddess?!*

Compared to the statue in the main hall, this female corpse lacked the goddess's benevolence, possessing more coldness. She lacked the goddess's plumpness, possessing the slenderness of a maiden.

But the features were definitely seven or eight parts similar.

"Could it be that the banyan tree spirit was telling the truth? Was the source of the missing disciples in the temple the Three Dao Mountain Goddess?"

For a moment, he was terrified and began to doubt his own judgment, and a wrong judgment would inevitably be accompanied by a huge crisis.

"No, that's not right. My mission has indeed been completed, which means that my deduction is correct. So, the goddess in the stone coffin is part of a hidden mission?"

Zhang Yuanqing suddenly regretted opening the coffin.

Since the Three Dao Mountain Goddess was lying in the stone coffin, then the Mountain God Temple must be hiding a deeper story.

This was very likely to trigger a series of bad chain reactions, such as triggering a hidden mission.

Just as he was about to put the coffin lid back on, he suddenly saw a dark glint between the female corpse's lips.

Something was there?

After hesitating slightly, he pinched her pointed chin and pried open her full, sensual lips, clearly seeing the dark glint.

It was a pure black bead.

[Name: Spirit Body Crystal]

[Type: Consumable]

[Function: None]

[Description: A soul crystal purified by the power of the Sun God, containing vast spiritual power. It is the most desired nourishment for Night Wanderers.]

[Note: The Three Dao Mountain Goddess has already purified the impurities in the crystal. Please consume it with confidence.]

Zhang Yuanqing extended two fingers and pinched out the bead.

The bead quickly dissolved, turning into a viscous energy that shot into his forehead.

[Ding, you have gained 22% experience.]

Zhang Yuanqing's body surged with power, once again creating the illusion of punching a planet into pieces.

He felt that he had clearly become stronger. Without even checking the attribute panel, he could clearly perceive the improvement in his skills.

The delay time of Night Wander had increased by three seconds, from six seconds to nine seconds.

He had unexpectedly become stronger. Goddess, please rest in peace... Zhang Yuanqing silently put the coffin lid back on, pretending that he had never opened it.

Next, during the countdown process, Zhang Yuanqing was restless, extremely anxious, fearing that something bad would happen, such as triggering a hidden mission and interrupting his return.

Fortunately, nothing happened. Zhang Yuanqing watched the timer on the fluorescent blue panel begin to count down:

5, 4, 3...

Suddenly, a long sigh sounded in the dark and silent cave.

Zhang Yuanqing: "..."

The coffin lid was pushed open from the inside, and a pale, delicate hand reached out, grabbing the edge of the coffin. Then, the beauty in the stone coffin sat up.

The female corpse's deep, pool-like eyes swept across the grotto, meeting the gaze of the stiff-faced Zhang Yuanqing.

She stared at Zhang Yuanqing, and the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile.

This smile almost scared Zhang Yuanqing to death on the spot.

At this moment, the scenery shattered like the reflection on the water being torn apart by the wind, the countdown ended.

Everything was blurred.

After a moment, the picture gradually stabilized. Bright, snow-white fluorescent lights shone down from above, white walls, a desk, computer, TV, double bed...

The curtains swayed in the wind, and outside the window were the crisp chirps of birds.

He had returned to the human world.

.....

ps: That's all for today. I post consecutive chapters so the plot has continuity, giving you a better reading experience. I will fix any typos after updating.