After being reborn, the villain comes with a spoiler tag.

"But things are different now. The first person in over six hundred years to bear the Vermilion Bird mark has appeared—the current Eighth Prince! Those unfounded rumors have been completely dispelled!"

At this point, Lian Hu patted Long Yucheng on the back with great enthusiasm and laughed loudly:

"I said earlier that Brother Long and Brother Huo, your arrival was just in time, because not only did you catch the Thousand Candles Ceremony, but the Eighth Prince will also undergo his coming-of-age ceremony and formally ascend the throne as Emperor! This Thousand Candles Ceremony will be the grandest in six hundred years!"

Long Yucheng's eyes lit up, and he patted Lian Hu on the shoulder, replying:

"Then I really can't miss it. I'll have to rely on Brother Tiger as my guide then!"

In less than an hour, the two had become fast friends and wished they could become sworn brothers on the spot. They addressed each other as "Brother Dragon" and "Brother Tiger," and Huo Yu, who was already three hundred years old in this life, was super-demoted to "Brother Huo."

Huo Yu gained a new understanding of Long Yucheng's social skills, but compared to that, he was more concerned about the legend.

Vermilion Bird, Vermilion Bird City, Vermilion Bird Mark...

And the mystery of reincarnation that has been passed down in the Taoist community to this day, which can neither be proven nor disproven.

The Zoroastrian Church's recall of all its disciples seems to be for the coronation ceremony of this "true emperor," a once-in-six-hundred-years event.

But Huo Yu's intuition told him that it wasn't that simple.

……

Perhaps because the grand ceremony was approaching, every street in Zhuque City was bustling with activity during the day, with tourists coming and going in droves.

Uniformed officers were everywhere, maintaining order on the streets. As the three chatted and laughed, they happened to pass by a small team on duty.

The team consisted of five people. The first four were dressed in black uniforms embroidered with bird patterns, each carrying a sword. Their steps were uniform and their demeanor was imposing.

The one walking at the very back was dressed in a striking crimson robe, with shimmering silver ornaments that sparkled in the sunlight; he was clearly a disciple of the Zoroastrian Church.

Passersby instinctively gave way when they saw the woman in red, but their eyes showed no fear, only reverence and envy.

After the group had walked away into the distance, Long Yucheng asked Lian Hu:

"Do the ordinary people here seem to take the appearance of Zoroastrian monks on the streets for granted?"

Lian Hu's gaze followed the back of the Zoroastrian disciple until he disappeared from sight, a faint hint of envy in his eyes.

He wasn't surprised by Long Yucheng's question and explained:

"That's natural. The Holy Church has always followed Lord Suzaku's will and has taken on the responsibility of protecting the Suzaku Kingdom since Lord Suzaku fell into slumber. The prosperity of the Suzaku Kingdom today is not only due to the hard work of successive emperors, but also inseparable from the protection of the Holy Church."

"Moreover, the disciples of the Holy Church have always upheld justice. In this Holy City, as long as one abides by the law and behaves oneself, there is no need to worry about any danger. For us mortals, there is no safer place in the world than the Holy City!"

"I see."

Long Yucheng nodded, silently closing the newly popped-up system notification: "Side Quest: Join the Zoroastrian Cult."

He has now completely grasped the logic of the system.

Apart from the main quests being seamlessly connected, all quests issued by the system are triggered only when the player obtains relevant information, enters relevant areas, or meets relevant people.

While Lian Hu was recounting the history of Vermilion Bird City, the system seemed to unleash a flood, popping up several tasks for him one after another, from [Get to know the Eighth Prince] to [Absorb the Sacred Flame of Vermilion Bird].

There's even a quest called "Get to know Suzaku".

That's a cultivator at the Mahayana stage! He doesn't even dare to mention his name. Does he think he can just get to know him whenever he wants?

This is yet another irrefutable proof that the system is artificially stupid:

When the system issues tasks, it completely disregards Long Yucheng's cultivation level and identity.

None of these tasks seem like something he could do, including this newly popped-up task of joining the Zoroastrian cult.

He now not only belongs to a sect, but is also a disciple of the demonic path. Although he doesn't know if the Zoroastrianism pays attention to this aspect, he has a lot of secrets on him now, and he really doesn't want to participate in any more "tests" unless absolutely necessary.

—Who knows what the test will reveal?

Let's not even talk about the system; it's probably very difficult to detect.

However, when he joined Duoying Peak, something was obviously done to him, leaving a gap in his memory that prevented him from mentioning the mysterious restrictions of Duoying Peak and its strange concealment technique.

There's no guarantee there aren't some other strange things he doesn't know about.

What if some secret he possesses angers the Vermilion Bird during that trial, and he's executed on the spot?

Of all these tasks, only the side quest "Participate in the Thousand Candles Ceremony" seems feasible.

The reward is twenty points. Although Long Yucheng's standards are a bit high now, even a small amount is still something.

Long Yucheng then asked Lian Hu some more questions about the details of the ceremony.

As we were chatting, a commotion suddenly broke out on the street ahead, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, the ripples spreading rapidly in all directions.

Suddenly, a man with agile movements, like a wild horse, darted out from the dense crowd, knocking aside several passersby.

Just as he brushed past Huo Yu and the other two, time seemed to freeze for him.

The person was as if bound by invisible shackles, frozen in mid-air, with their raised foot dangling. Only the muscles in their face could move, revealing a hint of bewilderment.

Just like someone in a martial arts movie who has had their pressure points struck.

Soon, a flash of realization crossed his eyes, and then his face turned deathly pale in an instant, as if he had thought of something that terrified him.

Several officials dressed in flying bird robes followed closely behind. Upon seeing the scene before them, the officials showed no surprise. Instead, they quickly drew ropes from their waists and skillfully bound the man's hands and feet tightly.

Only at this moment did the person break free from that strange, frozen state, and his body collapsed limply to the ground.

This sudden turn of events immediately attracted the attention of passersby. Pedestrians stopped in their tracks, pausing to watch from a distance, and murmurs of discussion rose and fell among them.

After the thief was subdued by the officials, a path suddenly parted among the onlookers, and a Zoroastrian disciple stepped out from the crowd.

Clearly, it was this person who had immobilized the fleeing prisoner earlier.

When Huo Yu first discovered this person in his divine sense, he felt that the person looked somewhat familiar, while Long Yucheng recognized him immediately and exclaimed in surprise:

"Junior Sister Guan?"