Chapter 1 Fu Qingyang Clears S-Rank Dungeon

Xia Hou Aotian's embarrassment was fleeting, replaced by excitement and joy. With Yuan Shi Tianzun unreachable, the "Return of the Dead" team was like a ship without a rudder.

Leaving him to wallow in decadence, indulging in wine and women with Zhai Cai.

He lamented, the end of the world is coming, and I, as the protagonist, can only humiliatingly enjoy the lavish material comforts.

Now, with Fu Qingyang's return to reality, the team finally had its mainstay back.

Returning to his study, Fu Qingyang's eyes naturally fell upon Xia Hou Aotian in the reception area, and the single-lineage knight draped in a smooth black sable coat.

He showed neither surprise nor astonishment, his calm gaze sweeping over them with the indifference of a grand marshal facing a mountain collapsing before him, or an army storming his gates.

Then, he noticed his treasured Qianhong and cigars, unwrapped and uncorked, being enjoyed by the two of them.

Xia Hou Aotian's eyes darted about, and he hastily poured a glass of wine for Qian Gongzi: "To celebrate Elder Fu clearing the S-rank dungeon and advancing to level nine, Dominator!"

Fu Qingyang accepted the wine glass, glancing down at the liquid inside.

At this moment, the single-lineage knight walked over, a cigar in one hand and a wine glass in the other, and said with a smile, "Sorry for helping myself to the collection without the master's permission. You're not angry, are you?"

Fu Qingyang said indifferently, "It's nothing."

Despite his words, Zhai Cai and Xia Hou Aotian felt their hackles rise, every pore feeling as if pricked by a sword. At the slightest thought from the cold-faced swordsman, they would be pierced by a thousand blades.

*It's nothing, my ass! He cares to death!* Xia Hou Aotian thought inwardly.

At the same time, he was filled with surprise. The pressure and sense of danger emanating from Fu Qingyang, newly promoted to level nine Dominator, was even stronger than that of his grand-uncle.

His grand-uncle was a peak Dominator, and although the Scholar profession was relatively gentle compared to the overtly aggressive Scout, it still suggested that Fu Qingyang was no ordinary level nine Dominator.

He must have had a fortuitous encounter in the S-rank dungeon. Seeing the two of them stiff and apprehensive, not daring to move, Fu Qingyang slowly took a sip of the cognac, smacked his lips, and commented, "It's best to keep it in an ice bucket when savoring it. The wine isn't expensive, but it's relatively rare. If you want to drink it, tell me next time."

He set down the wine glass, pulled over a high-backed chair, and sat down, gazing at Xia Hou Aotian like a majestic ruler.

"Fighting the dungeon alone was more difficult than I imagined. I wasted a lot of time in there and failed to clear it by the agreed time. What's the situation with Yuanshi?"

From their subtle expressions, he saw pessimism, gravity, and a hint of self-abandonment.

*The scramble for the Sun Origin is already over. You're eating leftovers...* Xia Hou Aotian muttered inwardly. Of course, he dared not say it aloud.

He sighed and said, "Yuan Shi Tianzun has become the Lord of the Sun. Alas, I am a failure, unable to keep up with his progress. Perhaps it's not my time yet."

The news that Yuan Shi Tianzun had become the Lord of the Sun was completely unexpected for Fu Qingyang. The cold, majestic expression of the superior being instantly crumbled, replaced by a brief moment of blankness.

In that instant, the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from advancing to level nine Dominator vanished. The usually proud Qian Gongzi felt a rare sense of helplessness, thinking, *Why was Yu born, when Liang was already here?*

Soon, these emotions turned into deep relief. He regained his cold, majestic expression and nodded.

"It seems a lot has happened outside while I was in the dungeon."

Immediately, Zhai Cai and Xia Hou Aotian told Fu Qingyang about the Star Lord convening the demigod conference, forcing the Goddess of Beauty and the Void God to hand over the compass fragments, and initiating the battle for the Sun Origin.

As for how Yuan Shi Tianzun was able to enter the dungeon and become the Lord of the Sun, they did not know.

Xia Hou Aotian sighed, "According to the announcements from the Five Elements Alliance headquarters and the Taiyi Sect, the Star Lord has betrayed the Lawful faction and become our greatest enemy. It is said that he and Yuanshi also have a decisive battle, and I don't know if we can help."

Fu Qingyang used a mere two minutes to completely digest the information and calm the storm in his heart, demonstrating an extraordinary mental fortitude.

He calmly asked, "Where is Yuanshi? Has he returned to reality, or is he fighting in a dungeon?"

Zhai Cai replied, "Last night he fought with Shura in the Northwest, and the Void Demigod was in Yang, teleporting the entire city's population to the suburbs of Songhai. Now the government is mobilizing resources to settle the refugees. Just now, he seemed to be fighting in the Lingjing Xingzhe again. We are too low-level to participate or even watch."

Xia Hou Aotian said indignantly, "Yuanshi has gotten arrogant since becoming the Lord of the Sun and doesn't bother to share information with us. We haven't been able to contact him at all."

Zhai Cai glared at Xia Hou Aotian, dissatisfied, and said, "Don't interrupt me. I heard from the Void Society that the ultimate goal of the Evil faction is to destroy Earth, and the gods behind them will personally intervene."

Fu Qingyang swept his gaze over the two of them and said coldly, "So, with the end of the world imminent, you're hiding in my study, stealing my wine."

Zhai Cai shrugged, adopting a nonchalant attitude, "Live for the moment!"

He trotted out that set of theories again.

Fu Qingyang looked at the single-lineage knight and said faintly, "Yuanshi is right! You really are a punching bag."

"What do you mean?"

Fu Qingyang pondered for a few seconds and said, "You two get out. I need to convene the Nine Elders meeting!"

Zhai Cai and Xia Hou Aotian each snatched a box of cigars and a bottle of cognac before leaving the study.

Crab City, the Xie family's old mansion.

The Palace Master of Zhisha, clad in a red dress, appeared out of thin air in the courtyard. The silver mask on her face was gone, revealing delicate and lovely features. A beauty mark at the corner of her eye and mouth added a touch of playfulness and charm. Beyond these qualities, there was an added layer of maternal radiance.

She had successfully advanced to level eight and mastered the "Conceive" skill.

As the core skill of an level eight Siming, "Conceive" had three manifestations: one was to force a target to become pregnant, the fetus taking away a portion of the target's spiritual power as it developed.

The second was to conceive a clone of herself. The clone possessed 70% of the original's strength, and was a true living being with the same personality and preferences as the original. If necessary, it could also serve as a backup for the original's resurrection.

The third was to swallow the flesh and blood and residual spirits of a newly deceased person, and use herself as a womb to give birth to them again. The reborn person would be no different from a fetus, and would possess most of their memories from before death. The core of the skill was to replenish the residual spirit and reshape the physical body.

This third point was very similar to the Mother Goddess's womb.

This last ability was only available to female musicians. Male musicians could not use it because men do not have a uterus.

The Palace Master of Zhisha's nimble eyes turned, looking at the pink and tender child sitting at the stone table, enjoying yellow wine and hairy crabs.

"You've arrived." The pink and tender child raised his eyes and looked over.

The Palace Master of Zhisha smiled and said, "My current level should be able to barely accommodate the Wa Huang's body. But to truly control it and become a demigod, I need to advance to level nine."

Xie family's Old Ancestor took a sip of his little wine and said, "Once you accommodate the Wa Huang's body, I'll give you the Holy Infant. Taking care of children is a woman's job; it's a waste for him to be here with me. However, it's not meaningful for you to become a demigod...."

Seeing that the Old Ancestor's words had hidden meaning, the Palace Master of Zhisha frowned slightly. "What is it?"

"While you were in the gang dungeon, the outside world underwent earth-shattering changes." Xie family's Old Ancestor put a piece of crab roe in his mouth, enjoying the rich and fragrant taste, but his tone was filled with emotion, "The Star Lord betrayed us, Ling Tuo died, the Lawful demigods collectively fell into slumber, and Yuan Shi Tianzun advanced to become the Lord of the Sun, but he is not complete."

The Zhisha Palace Master was first stunned, then silent. She sighed, "He has regained his memories..."

As an important figure in helping the Demon Lord resurrect, she was not surprised that Yuan Shi Tianzun had advanced to become the Lord of the Sun. The shock just now stemmed from the Star Lord's betrayal.

Like all Lawful practitioners, she found it hard to believe and could not accept that the Star Lord was actually a Fallen One.

"Old Ancestor, what exactly happened? Tell me in detail." The Palace Master of Zhisha sat down at the stone table.

Xie family's Old Ancestor then recounted the entire battle for the Sun Origin from beginning to end.

The Palace Master of Zhisha frowned, finally understanding why the Old Ancestor said that fusing with the Wa Huang's remains would not be meaningful.

Unless one was a demigod, it would be difficult to influence the outcome of the battle.

The struggle between Yuanshi and the Taiyi Sect Master was the highest level of competition in the Lingjing Xingzhe. "If Yuan Shi Tianzun can complete the Sun Origin, and the Star Lord happens to fuse with the Taiyin, then the odds of winning are fifty-fifty. If the Star Lord fails to successfully fuse with the Taiyin, then Yuan Shi Tianzun will surely win," said Xie family's Old Ancestor.

"Conversely, the Star Lord will surely win. Therefore, they are all racing against time to complete themselves and fuse with the Taiyin before the other succeeds."

The Palace Master of Zhisha asked, "What's the situation now?"

Xie family's Old Ancestor smiled, "I don't know. We just have to wait for news. Perhaps news will come soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, a man wearing a silver mask and a burgundy suit appeared in the courtyard.

"Yo, Yu'er is out of seclusion!" Mr. President sighed, "Just in time to catch the finale, although it might be a tragedy."

The Palace Master of Zhisha frowned, "What do you mean?"

Mr. President did not answer, but looked at Xie family's Old Ancestor and said, "Old man, stop eating crabs. The Lord of the Sun is summoning us. Something bad has happened. Alas, our young Lord of the Sun has fallen into the old fox's trap."