In a high-end apartment near the Public Security Bureau in the Health and Wellness District.
On a large bed filled with constellation plushies, Guan Ya suddenly sat up, the last remnants of sleep vanishing instantly from her startled state.
"Yuanshi, Yuanshi..."
She shouted several times but received no response, anxiously scratching her head, cursing her luck. How could that kid be so unlucky?
An ordinary Spirit Realm Traveler might never encounter an S-rank mission in their entire life; if they do, it could be just once—once and for all...
But Yuanshi—this brat—had just survived a bug-level trial mission, and now he's thrown into a multi-person S-rank dungeon.
Why the hell did he pick the name "Yuanshi Tianzun"? Who else could handle a name like that?
Guan Ya hung up abruptly and dialed Li Dongze's number.
"You don't usually call me after work. Let me guess what's happened…"
Li Dongze was about to reply with his usual elegant humor but was cut off rudely:
"Yuanshi entered a dungeon—Jinshui Amusement Park."
"What?!" Li Dongze's voice shot up, elegance thrown out the window.
Guan Ya heard a clatter over the line—clearly the sergeant hurriedly stood up, bumping into the table and knocking things over.
"Oh my god, oh my god..." Li Dongze muttered repeatedly, his mind spinning.
Just as feared, an S-rank appeared in a multi-person dungeon at the Transcendent stage. Both Captain Fu and Li Dongze had intended to play it safe when giving Zhang Yuanqing the old version's walkthrough.
Preparation and caution.
Who would have thought that kid would actually enter an S-rank dungeon?
At that moment, Li Dongze was flooded with the dread and unease that had gripped him during the "Sheling Tunnel" incident.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his worry and anxiety, and the urge to curse loudly in a very unrefined way.
In a low voice, he said:
"I understand...
I'm as worried as you are, but no one can help him now. All we can do is pray that he isn't someone with a short life and wait until dawn."
Dungeons at the Transcendent stage don't last long. Spirit Realm Travelers at this level have normal bodily needs. If everything goes smoothly, the dungeon is usually cleared within 24 hours.
Otherwise, it means someone died inside.
That's why posts on the forums dare speculate that official Travelers have already sacrificed themselves.
"Understood," Guan Ya sighed and hung up.
She flopped onto the soft bed, spreading her arms and legs wide, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The purple silk nightgown clung gently to her curves, outlining graceful lines. The hem barely covered her thighs, revealing long, smooth, alabaster legs.
"Such a pain..." she whispered.
Li Dongze hung up and sat silently for a moment before lighting up his phone and dialing Captain Fu Bai's number. The young captain had casually told him to notify him if Yuanshi Tianzun entered the Spirit Realm.
Captain Fu Qingyang was currently overwhelmed with the Black Wuchang incident but still made time to track Yuanshi—showing how important the matter was.
Villa, open balcony.
Ling Jun, dressed casually and comfortably, lounged lazily in a single armchair with a laptop resting on his knees.
He looked up from the screen toward Fu Qingyang and sighed:
"I heard from Elder Sun that the awakened boss is the Third Mountain Mother from the Sheling Tunnel's Mountain God Temple. She slaughtered rampantly inside the Night Wanderer Spirit Realm, causing the powers of high-rankers to leak out, invading some lower-level dungeons and triggering changes in dungeon difficulty."
"Sigh, if she can freely roam Spirit Realms, her level must be higher than we imagined."
Fu Qingyang held a wine glass filled with crimson liquid and took a sip calmly.
"What's Taiyi Sect's plan? I gave Uncle Sun the Mountain God Temple intel immediately. You should have prepared by now."
Ling Jun shook his head:
"For Spirit Realms that have already changed difficulty levels, we have no solution. We can only hope the Night Wanderers clear the dungeons quickly and share walkthroughs. Taiyi Sect has many talents, and there are quite a few wild Night Wanderers who are experts.
"As for the Third Mountain Mother, it's up to my father and the elders to try to meet her inside the Spirit Realm and cut off the source. Or, if they encounter a scene of equal level, they could try to balance Spirit Realm with Spirit Realm."
Bosses roaming between different Spirit Realms is rare but not unheard of; the officials observed this phenomenon years ago.
This also factors into why dungeons sometimes change unexpectedly.
Officials speculate that crossing between Spirit Realms exacts a steep price, though this hasn't been confirmed.
"I'm just a Beast King. Night Wanderer business isn't really my concern," Ling Jun shrugged.
At that moment, a slender, curvy bunny girl approached, respectfully holding out a phone.
"Young master, your call."
The Flower Prince sighed: "Qian Gongzi surrounded by flowers and beauties, truly enviable."
Fu Qingyang ignored him. Seeing it was Li Dongze calling, he felt a stir and answered:
"Speak."
"Captain, Yuanshi has entered Jinshui Amusement Park."
Fu Qingyang's expression flickered with surprise but quickly returned to normal.
"Got it. Update me first thing tomorrow."
He hung up and frowned:
"One of my Night Wanderers has entered Jinshui Amusement Park."
Ling Jun blinked in surprise and comforted him:
"My condolences."
Fu Qingyang gave him a cold glare:
"How do you know he won't come out alive?"
Ling Jun laughed heartily:
"Then how about a bet?"
Fu Qingyang stayed silent.
Ling Jun stopped pestering him and seriously analyzed:
"He cleared Sheling Tunnel and has experience with S-rank walkthroughs. Based on the Spirit Realm's matching mechanism, such Travelers are more likely assigned high-difficulty dungeons, but if they fail multiple times, their rating drops.
"Too bad, Jinshui Amusement Park is a death-type dungeon. There's no way out."
The scene before Zhang Yuanqing cleared from blurry to sharp.
He found himself in the plaza of an amusement park. The first thing in his sight was a towering Ferris wheel, slowly turning, adorned with dazzling lights.
Below the Ferris wheel was an open bumper car arena, flanked on both sides by a giant pendulum and a pirate ship ride.
Opposite the Ferris wheel was a steel roller coaster resembling a winding dragon, with empty cars rushing along the tracks, as if filled with invisible passengers.
His gaze slowly swept over the park, noting a carousel playing gentle music, a drop tower, and some disorganized roofed structures.
He stood in the center of the plaza beneath a deep night sky.
The amusement park glittered magnificently, lights weaving a dreamlike tapestry. Every ride was running, music played—but there was no one around.
Lonely yet lively. Dreamlike yet horrifying.
"So beautiful..."
Zhang Yuanqing heard a girl whisper nearby.
Looking over, he saw a young girl with long, straight black hair flowing over her shoulders, a delicate heart-shaped face, and eyes large and bright like the most beautiful gemstones, reflecting the glittering lights.
Her figure was slender but not yet fully mature, resembling a fresh willow branch in early spring.
In this era where perm hairstyles were common, such natural black straight hair was rare.
Zhang Yuanqing was struck by her rare beauty but didn't linger. Instead, he looked at the other Spirit Realm Travelers.
There were seven of them in total.
They all looked around, their expressions grim.
Zhang Yuanqing understood the urge to curse.
Clearing his throat to gather attention, he spoke loudly:
"Everyone, glad to be here at Jinshui Amusement Park. We'll face dangers together in the tasks ahead, so although strangers now, we're closest allies.
"Let's introduce ourselves so we know each other. I'll start. I'm Wang Tai, an experienced Spirit Realm Traveler. I've done four solo Spirit Realms, seven multi-person ones, and cleared an A-rank dungeon. S-rank? I'm curious to see how tough it really is."
His calm demeanor and confident tone seemed contagious, easing the group's anxiety.
In times like this, a teammate with solid confidence can be a strong source of reassurance.
Zhang Yuanqing knew how to socialize well and how to lighten the mood to build goodwill.
He introduced only his name, leaving out his profession, as that could be sensitive and raise others' defenses.
Encouraged by him, others chimed in:
"Anyone who can enter an S-rank Spirit Realm isn't a newbie. If we work together, we can clear it. No big deal. I'm Fire Demon."
The speaker was a skinny young man with dyed red hair, small sharp eyes, and slanted brows, giving off an irritable, rough vibe.
He's probably a Fire Master... everyone thought silently.
A man dressed in black pants and hoodie said in a dull voice:
"He Bo."
"I'm Xie Lingxi," said the long black-haired girl softly, with a sweet smile.
A middle-aged man with a dull expression and taciturn demeanor raised his hand cautiously:
"Disgraced father."
What? Even though Spirit Realm IDs are always strange, that name was just... odd. Zhang Yuanqing was full of mental notes. The others looked surprised, too.
"What kind of name is that?" a young man wearing loafers and tight pants mumbled, then lifted his chin and loudly declared:
"I'm Qi Tian Dasheng, just call me Dasheng."
Everyone looked toward the last member—a mature woman aged around 30-35, with full breasts, a rounded hipline, bright red lips, and lightly made-up eyes. She looked alluring and confident.
Very experienced.
Fire Demon and Dasheng glanced at her frequently. The gloomy He Bo watched the serious "Disgraced Father" carefully.
She smiled charmingly and said:
"I'm Xi Shi."
Her eyes flicked toward Zhang Yuanqing coquettishly:
"Big brother, you gotta lead us."
You're older than my aunt, Xi Shi? With such a flashy name? Zhang Yuanqing rolled his eyes internally but smiled boldly:
"Don't worry, we're comrades. We're all in this together."
He quickly sized up the woman's style—someone who knew how to use her gender advantage.
After introductions, the awkward distance eased slightly.
Zhang Yuanqing took charge:
"S-rank dungeons are full of dangers. Before we face them, why don't we discuss a strategy?"
No one objected.
Xi Shi's eyes sparkled as she asked in a sweet voice:
"Are there any official members here? I heard Jinshui Amusement Park's difficulty has changed. If only we had the old version's walkthrough."