Amidst the foul stench, the spectral figure gradually solidified. It swirled like a cloud of pitch-black smoke through the woods before finally taking the form of a tall, burly man.
His appearance intensified the foul stench already permeating the air, making it almost suffocating.
The ten members of the Time Girl Group now gripped their weapons tightly, their internal Elemental Power pushed to its limit. They were ready to react instantly at the slightest disturbance.
The pale, ashen Ghost Infant, as if it had found a sanctuary, leaped onto the man's shoulder and nestled against him.
Were it not for the acrid stench and the man's palpable, sinister aura, one might mistake him for a simple corpse, dead for who knows how long.
Upon closer inspection, one could even see maggots writhing in his flesh, a sight that made one's skin crawl.
The familiar stench reminded Zong Yajuan of Yu Kailin. 'Yu Kailin must have died at this man's hands!'
Zong Yajuan's expression darkened, and her eyes glinted with cold killing intent.
She gripped her longsword, its tip aimed squarely at the rotting man.
"HEHEHE..." The man let out a sinister laugh filled with mockery and contempt.
He slowly backed away, leaving them with a chilling parting phrase. "We'll be seeing each other again very soon."
Zong Yajuan swung her longsword. A surge of Elemental Power instantly transformed into a peerless rainbow of light that shot toward the man.
But the rotting man vanished into the shadows like a phantom, leaving behind only the pervasive stench and the echo of his laughter hanging in the air.
Gao Yimin's expression was also extremely grave. She knew what was happening in the Demon Cave was no trivial matter.
The ten members of the Time Girl Group stuck together as they meticulously inspected the entire Demon Cave from top to bottom. What they discovered was a horrifying truth...
All but one of the seals in the Demon Cave had been utterly destroyed!
Zong Yajuan's brows knitted together. "We can't hide this any longer. We have to report it to Her Majesty the Queen at once.
"Otherwise, this hole will only grow larger, eventually swallowing us all whole."
Even knowing this action could have unpredictable consequences, she made her decision without hesitation at this critical moment.
The whole affair felt deeply unsettling.
Gao Yimin shook her head firmly. "Absolutely not.
"Her Majesty the Queen dispatched twelve King-level experts—a lineup considered top-tier anywhere in the world.
"It's more than enough to annihilate even the most powerful Evil Spirits with ease.
"Even back when Evil Spirits ran rampant, the Great Jing Empire never deployed such a stacked combat force.
"If we report this, wouldn't we just be exposing our own weaknesses and making the Time Girl Group look incompetent?
"The entire Great Jing Empire is watching us right now, waiting for us to fail. Countless people are questioning the capabilities of women.
"Her Majesty the Queen once said that women hold up half the sky. We absolutely cannot afford to make a single mistake."
Zong Yajuan asked worriedly, "Then what should we do?"
A confident light gleamed in Gao Yimin's eyes as she spoke slowly. "We need to showcase our strength with overwhelming force.
"On the livestream, we will eliminate the Evil Spirits one by one, as if crushing dry weeds.
"The ten of us are all exceptionally gifted. Even against that rotting man from before, if we work together and attack with our full strength, we can eliminate him in seconds."
She continued, "I suggest we conduct a sweeping search. The moment we find an Evil Spirit, we kill it on sight.
"Then, we need to restore the Demon Cave's seals as quickly as possible to prevent more Evil Spirits from escaping."
...
On a nearby mountain peak, Liu Yuzhu and several others were quietly observing the scene.
A cold sneer tugged at the corner of Liu Yuzhu's mouth. "That woman, Ji Shengyue, must be blind," she said contemptuously. "The Time Girl Group she picked is nothing but a pack of idiots."
A man beside her chimed in. "Exactly. These women have had it too easy. That, combined with their King-level strength, has made them arrogant. They still haven't grasped how savage the Evil Spirits truly are."
Liu Yuzhu said mockingly, "And that's exactly what we wanted to see.
"The Evil Spirits are reawakening, and they now possess human-level intelligence.
"They've already slipped away from the broken seals and are beginning to infiltrate every corner of the Great Jing Empire, spreading like a virus.
"Meanwhile, those foolish members of the Time Girl Group still think the Evil Spirits are holed up in the Demon Cave.
"Let them search."
She waved her hand and commanded, "Give the order. All our people can pull back. Those foolish women are beyond saving now."
...
Amidst the bustle of the Royal City, a faint, pleasant fragrance filled a hotel room, shutting out the clamor of the outside world.
Thanks to her cousin's meticulous arrangements, Gu Shuling had an "unexpected encounter" with Xiao Cangqing, whom she hadn't seen in ages.
"Xiao Cangqing, I never expected to see you here again."
Gu Shuling's gaze rested on Xiao Cangqing as she said wistfully, "I was at the banquet last night, too. It was just so crowded with influential people, you probably didn't notice me."
Xiao Cangqing nodded slightly. His appearance now was a far cry from his unpolished school days. "Oh, it's you, senior. I heard you've run into some trouble recently. I'm sorry to hear that."
Gu Shuling sighed softly, as if letting go of all pretense to face the man before her with complete honesty. "Yes. I was young and foolish. I made some bad choices, and this is where it led me."
"Pseudo-God."
Xiao Cangqing suddenly brought him up, his tone dripping with contempt.
Gu Shuling knew he was talking about Chu He.
The man to whom she had been married in name only.
"The truth is, my marriage to Chu He was a complete sham."
Gu Shuling said, "There was never anything physical between us. I'm... still a virgin."
Xiao Cangqing's interest was piqued.
He gently took Gu Shuling by the wrist and carefully checked her pulse.
A moment later, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. He realized Gu Shuling was telling the truth.
She really was still a virgin!
"In that case," he said, "why don't we go upstairs and... talk more."
Xiao Cangqing said nonchalantly, his eyes glinting with excitement and a hint of amusement.
Gu Shuling lowered her head slightly. She knew what would happen next.
'But this was precisely why I came here today.'
'Once I have this kind of relationship with Xiao Cangqing, it'll be natural for us to get together.'
'Then, once the news gets out, my company's problems will be solved.'
'Besides, from the looks of it, Xiao Cangqing is far superior to Chu He...'
...
「Meanwhile, in another corner of the Royal City」
An important discussion was underway inside the Council Pavilion.
"The Demon Cave is now secure, while Chu He is out there running rampant on a killing spree.
"This proves my judgment was correct."
Ji Shengyue sat on the throne, her gaze sweeping across the faces of her ministers.
The ministers all lowered their heads. The facts were plain to see, and they could no longer oppose Ji Shengyue's decision as easily as they once had.
Just then, a secretary hurried in from outside the Council Pavilion.
He approached Ji Shengyue's side and whispered in her ear, "Your Majesty, an Evil Spirit incident has suddenly broken out in Dalang City. The death toll has already surpassed one hundred."
Ji Shengyue's brow furrowed slightly at his words.
But her expression quickly returned to one of calm. "Send Xiao Cangqing to Dalang City. Livestream the entire operation."
'This was the perfect time to play her shining new card: the National Guardian War God.'
'It was the perfect opportunity to showcase Xiao Cangqing's strength and talent.'
'It was also time to further demonstrate my own exceptional competence and the flourishing fortune of my reign!'
'Otherwise, how could the Great Jing Empire be producing so many brilliant individuals?'
And yet, a sliver of doubt couldn't help but surface in Ji Shengyue's mind.
'Why would an Evil Spirit incident like this happen so suddenly?'