"Light Bind!" Zou Moan reflexively hurled a beam of light. Despite its name suggesting restraint, this skill merely launched a spherical glow that enveloped targets, disorienting them completely—effectively immobilizing through confusion.

Simultaneously, Wang Qi’s muscles coiled like a wild beast’s. He launched himself skyward from the carriage, fist aimed at a mysterious falling object.

The two most battle-hardened among them reacted on pure instinct. Wang Qi honed his reflexes through constant skirmishes on the grasslands, while Zou Moan had sparred endlessly at the magic academy. Though his opponents were mere children, combat instinct deepens with every clash.

"Foolish thief! Return this Sovereign’s ring!" Golden light flashed. Zou Moan’s spell vanished into nothingness. Wang Qi was struck mid-air and slammed to the ground.

Zhang Yemiao and Li Pingtian—slower to react—finally registered the attack. Li Pingtian instantly cast a Divine Art toward Wang Qi’s crash site. Zhang Yemiao summoned his Great Longsword from subspace, stance locked and ready.

**CRASH!**

The impact shattered the wooden carriage into splinters. Standing atop the wreckage was a girl blazing with golden light. Her hair was an unassuming pale brown, yet her entire presence shimmered—as if anime sparkles clung to her skin. Her youthful face clashed with her strikingly mature figure, barely covered by golden ribbons wrapped like makeshift clothing. She stood boldly amid the debris.

Zhang Yemiao pushed himself up, relieved he’d shoved Li Pingtian clear earlier. *Almost crushed by splinters.*

"You thieves! Hand over this Sovereign’s property!" The radiant girl jabbed a finger at Zhang Yemiao, who staggered to his feet. "Girl, don’t resist. Surrender it quietly. This Sovereign senses the ring is near—you *will* return it!"

*What is she talking about?* Zhang Yemiao’s mind reeled. This powerhouse was far beyond their league. Zou Moan’s hesitation—only casting one light spell so far—proved it. Wang Qi, still downed and bleeding, confirmed it.

*Ring…?* Only one came to mind: the one he’d meant to give Wang Qi. Activating Mastery of Objects, he scanned for weaknesses—but felt only helplessness. Like fighting Wang Qi, her entire body seemed riddled with openings. Either she couldn’t fight… or she was like Wang Qi: brute strength rendering finesse meaningless.

*She’s our strongest opponent yet.* His thoughts raced. *Why would someone this powerful target us? She must believe we have her ring.*

*But what ring?*

Trembling, he pulled out his handmade ring. "I-Is this it?"

"Not that!"

The ring vanished from his palm—then reappeared. He hadn’t even seen her move. The sheer gap in power was staggering, yet Zhang Yemiao exhaled. *She’s reasonable.* If they were innocent, they had nothing to fear.

He softened his expression. "Esteemed one, if you’re certain—"

"Elira," the girl cut in sharply.

"Elira-dono," Zhang Yemiao corrected carefully, "if you truly sense your ring nearby, please search us freely. We genuinely don’t know where it is."

Elira frowned. A wave of Mental Power swept over them—then shattered against an invisible barrier. Her eyes widened. Another surge followed, hammering Zhang Yemiao’s magical shield to dust.

"Interesting." She materialized before him. "If I knew exactly where it was, I wouldn’t ask. I only sense its presence nearby… not the precise location."

"I might know."

Wang Qi pushed himself up, coughing blood. Despite his battered state, a grin split his face. "I think I ate it."

"Ate it? Ate it—*what?!*" Elira nodded absently at first, then froze. Shock contorted her features. In an instant, she stood before Wang Qi.

"Try running over there." Her palm pressed against his chest. His abrasions sealed; color flooded his pale cheeks. Fully healed, Wang Qi sprinted where she pointed.

Elira closed her eyes. Nodded. "Confirmed. If it wasn’t hidden on you… you truly swallowed it."

"Then it’s fine."

Her sudden calm stunned everyone. *Fine?* After that explosive entrance? Wang Qi had braced for disembowelment—Physical Enhancement might’ve saved him—but *fine*?

Elira’s gaze softened with pity. "Tsk tsk tsk… This Sovereign forgives your earlier insolence. Cherish the time you have left." Her eyes flicked to Wang Qi’s heart-shaped pendant, then to Zhang Yemiao.

As abruptly as she arrived, she vanished. Like a gust of wind, she left only wreckage and bewilderment.

Once certain Elira was gone, the group huddled together.

"Divine Art! Scan!"

"Arcane Magic! Scan!"

Divine Power and magic probed Wang Qi’s body relentlessly. He didn’t resist, scouring his own bloodstream for the ring. Nothing.

Zhang Yemiao watched anxiously. "Was it that thing you swallowed earlier?"

"Must’ve been. It felt… digested instantly. I thought it was me—but it’s the ring. What *is* it?" Elira’s parting words echoed: *Cherish your time.* A death sentence.

Wang Qi ruffled Zhang Yemiao’s hair, smiling. "Relax. She’s some overpowered NPC, sure—but she doesn’t know we’re *transmigrators*! We’ve got cheat skills! Even if this ring’s lethal, it’ll only last a few days max. We’ll pull a classic protagonist move: cheat death, grasp the Dao of Life and Death, become invincible—"

"This is a *magic* world!"

Zou Moan interjected, "Actually… Time Magic could preserve Wang Qi’s current state. When he dies, we rebuild him with Life and Arcane Magic. A perfect replica."

"A *clone*? Screw that!" Wang Qi snapped. "That’s not *me*!"

"I’m trying to save your ass! Funerals are for the living—if you die, a fake you is better than nothing!"

"You’re asking for a beating!"

"Eat my Fireball!"

Their bickering shattered the gloom.

Zhang Yemiao sat beside the silent Li Pingtian. "Upset?"

After a long pause, Li Pingtian turned. "…Yeah." She fought to keep her voice steady, but her eyes burned with frustration. "I dragged you all out here… yet when trouble came, I was useless. Couldn’t fight. Couldn’t even speak to her—"

The encounter had stripped her bare. Moments ago, she’d boasted to Wang Qi about becoming a god. *A god?* She felt like a joke. *Do I even deserve to walk the path of divinity?*