S-Rank Trial Mission Cleared

The root, as thin as a thumb, instantly erupted with golden flames before turning into charcoal.

The roots covering the tunnel walls were suddenly stimulated, all "coming to life" like a dense swarm of snakes slithering across the stone.

Banyan Tree Spirit had not expected this outsider mortal to possess such keen wit. Seeing its lie exposed, it simply dropped the act and shrieked:

"Since you refuse to come over, then go to your death!"

The floor of the grotto cracked open in response, chunks of stone heaving upward as thick, sturdy roots burst from the soil like twisted tentacles, coiling toward Zhang Yuanqing.

At this distance, even without Red Dancing Shoes, Zhang Yuanqing could have escaped.

So you really wanted to trick me into getting close. Zhang Yuanqing didn't retreat but advanced instead, using a sliding tackle to dodge the coiling roots. He closed the distance between himself and the banyan tree, then launched himself upward, leaping several meters high to evade a horizontal sweep.

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

Zhang Yuanqing darted and leaped between the tentacles with elegant grace; no matter how hard the roots tried, they simply couldn't catch him.

If he hadn't subdued Red Dancing Shoes, relying solely on Demon Subduing Pestle, the mortality rate for a novice facing this trial would be extremely high.

Thump, thump, thump. Red Dancing Shoes sprinted along the walls, avoiding the coiling and lashing roots. With a spring of his knees, they propelled Zhang Yuanqing like an arrow through the encirclement, hurtling him toward the trunk.

Seeing the human shooting toward it, the face on the trunk displayed clear terror.

BOOM!

The stones at the base of the tree split apart as more roots erupted like a geyser, forming a wooden wall.

Zhang Yuanqing struck hard with Demon Subduing Pestle.

Golden flames spread across the surface of the wooden wall, causing Banyan Tree Spirit to shriek in fury.

Zhang Yuanqing took the momentum to smash through the carbonized wall, driving the three-edged tip of Demon Subduing Pestle deep into the trunk.

THUD!

As the three-edged spike pierced deep into the trunk, a brilliant, scorching sun erupted from within the pitch-black grotto.

The golden light twisted the trunk and the human face, forcing it to emit a shrill, miserable scream as it hissed with blue smoke.

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

All the ghosts and monsters vanished, obliterated by the golden light.

As the golden light faded, the grotto returned to darkness, but it was suddenly clean and clear.

The first thing Zhang Yuanqing did wasn't to check if Banyan Tree Spirit was truly dead, but to quickly deactivate Red Dancing Shoes and store them in his inventory.

From the moment he entered the grotto until now, nearly five minutes had passed.

With Red Dancing Shoes put away, Zhang Yuanqing finally turned his attention to the great banyan tree. It had withered, its bark cracked and dehydrated, with roots scattered all over the grotto.

A cold voice rang out in Zhang Yuanqing's mind:

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

[Obtained item/prop: Demon Subduing Pestle.]

[Reward EXP: 100%]

[You have become a Night Wanderer.]

[Reward EXP: 20%]

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

[Exiting Spirit Realm in five minutes.]

Finally over. Zhang Yuanqing felt physically and mentally exhausted, as if he had completely collapsed.

He had cleared Sheling Tunnel, accomplishing something no one had managed in decades.

As the prompt sounded, the Black Moon mark on Zhang Yuanqing's forehead stood out. A strange, mysterious power was released from the burning mark, rushing into his body with an almost overbearing force.

His skin turned bright red, like a boiled shrimp. The strange, mysterious power scoured his body, merging into every cell and every bone, healing the wounds on his arms at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He twitched uncontrollably, two illusory black moons appearing in his eyes before fading away.

The pain vanished quickly, replaced by a sensation of comfort akin to soaking in a hot spring.

So comfortable. Zhang Yuanqing felt his whole body go limp, so relaxed he wanted to stretch. He instinctively looked down and was startled to see his own body standing in place.

Is my soul out of my body?

Panic welled up in his heart, and he subconsciously wanted to return to his physical form. As the thought crossed his mind, his soul immediately sank, merging back into his body.

Upon regaining control of his flesh, Zhang Yuanqing realized this body had gained something—something called a talent.

He accepted this talent naturally, as if it had been with him since birth.

At the same time, he felt his body brimming with infinite energy and strength, even harboring the illusion that he could punch a planet to pieces.

Zhang Yuanqing opened his character attribute panel:

[Name: Yuanshi Tianzun]

[Race: Human]

[Class: Night Wanderer]

[Level: 1]

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

[Experience Points: 20%]

[Morality Points: 60 (Initial Value)]

[Night Wanderer (Active): Condense the power of Taiyin to shroud yourself and enter the Night Wanderer state. During the skill's duration, you gain brief invisibility, suppress your scent and breathing, and mask the sound and heat emitted by your body. Duration: six seconds.]

[Soul Devour (Active): Devour souls to strengthen your own spirituality.]

[Spirit of Taiyin (Passive): The Night Wanderer possesses a robust physique, vigorous vitality, and powerful self-healing capabilities. Under the cover of night, the Night Wanderer's various abilities receive a massive boost.]

He had officially become a Night Wanderer, and with an additional 20% experience points plus the item rewards, the harvest from this Spirit Realm trial could be called bountiful.

Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory; the Red Dancing Shoes lay quietly in the first slot, the half-hour countdown having already vanished.

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

Two minutes later, he had initially adapted to his physical state, and the wounds on his arms had already healed.

Then, Zhang Yuanqing cast his gaze toward the stone coffin.

The mission had ended, which meant the exploration rate had reached 100%, so was the stone coffin empty?

It seems the Banyan Tree Spirit was the temple keeper. With that, all the "characters" have appeared. How did he become a tree spirit, and is his physical body inside the stone coffin?

Thinking this, Zhang Yuanqing strolled over to the stone coffin, intending to loot it; perhaps there were treasures buried with the corpse.

There were still over two minutes left before exiting the Spirit Realm; there was enough time.

To be safe, he summoned the Red Dancing Shoes again and chose the wear mode.

The stone coffin was wrapped and entangled in withered tree roots. Zhang Yuanqing swung the Demon Subduing Pestle, severing these dehydrated roots one by one, only then seeing the full appearance of the stone coffin.

It was about two meters long, the coffin body carved with exquisite patterns, and a thin layer of dust had accumulated on the lid.

"Creak."

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

Inside the stone coffin lay a female corpse dressed in long-rotted ancient robes. Her arms were crossed over her flat lower abdomen, her waist as slender as a willow, her figure graceful, with no signs of decay.

The female corpse had a beautiful appearance; the lines of her cheeks outlined a perfect face shape, her nose was straight and delicate, her lips were sexy yet pale, her eyes were tightly shut, and her eyelashes were thick and interlaced.

A stunning beauty.

This... Zhang Yuanqing recoiled in shock, a single thought flashing through his mind:

Is this really the Lady of Three Paths Mountain?!

Compared to the sculpture in the main hall, this female corpse lacked benevolence and possessed more cold elegance; she lacked the roundness and had the slender build of a young woman.

But the features were definitely seventy or eighty percent similar.

Could the Banyan Tree Spirit have been telling the truth? Is the source of the missing disciples in the Mountain God Temple the Lady of Three Paths Mountain?

For a moment, he felt inexplicably terrified, doubting his own judgment, and a wrong judgment would inevitably be accompanied by a huge crisis.

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

Zhang Yuanqing suddenly regretted his itchy hands for opening the coffin.

Since the Lady of Three Paths Mountain was lying in the stone coffin, the Mountain God Temple must hide an even deeper plot.

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

He had just wanted to cover the stone coffin back up when he suddenly saw a glimmer of pitch-black luster between the female corpse's lips.

Is there something there?

After a moment of hesitation, he pinched her sharp chin and pried open her plump, sexy lips, seeing that pitch-black luster clearly.

It was a pitch-black, pure bead.

[Name: Spirit Crystal]

[Type: Consumable]

[Function: None]

[Introduction: A soul crystal purified by the power of the Sun God, containing vast spiritual power; it is the most craved supplement for a Night Wanderer.]

[Note: The Lady of Three Paths Mountain has already purified the distracting thoughts within the crystal, please consume with peace of mind.]

Zhang Yuanqing extended two fingers and pinched out the bead.

The bead quickly dissolved into a viscous stream of energy that darted into the center of his brow.

[Ding, you have gained 22% experience points.]

Zhang Yuanqing felt his strength surge, once again experiencing the illusion that he could punch a planet to pieces.

He felt that he had become significantly stronger; without needing to check his attribute panel, he could clearly perceive the improvement in his skills.

The delay time for Night Wanderer had increased by three seconds, going from six seconds to nine seconds.

Unexpectedly became stronger. Lady, you should just rest in peace. Zhang Yuanqing silently covered the stone coffin back up, pretending he had never opened it at all.

During the countdown that followed, Zhang Yuanqing felt restless and incredibly anxious, terrified that some negative anomaly might occur, such as triggering a hidden quest that would interrupt his return.

Fortunately, nothing happened. Zhang Yuanqing watched the timer on the glowing blue panel begin its countdown:

5, 4, 3

Suddenly, the sound of a long, drawn-out breath echoed through the dark, silent cavern.

Zhang Yuanqing: "..."

The coffin lid was pushed open from the inside. A pale, delicate hand reached out, gripping the edge of the coffin, and then, the beauty within sat up.

The female corpse's eyes, deep as pools, swept across the stone grotto and locked onto the stiff-faced Zhang Yuanqing.

She stared at Zhang Yuanqing, the corners of her mouth curling upward.

That smile nearly scared Zhang Yuanqing to death on the spot.

At that moment, the scenery was torn apart like a reflection on water disturbed by the wind; the countdown had ended.

The world blurred into nothingness.

A moment later, the image gradually stabilized. Bright, snow-white fluorescent lights shone down from above, revealing clean white walls, a desk, a computer, a television, and a double bed.

Curtains swayed in the breeze, and outside the window, birds chirped crisply.

He had returned to the human world.