A knocking sound echoed in the quiet office. Hei Wuchang, with his narrow eyes and equine face, cast a glance at his subordinate. Shaofu crept cautiously toward the door and asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"
A deep, familiar voice answered from outside: "It's me!"
Delight showed on Shaofu's face, and he hurriedly opened the door.
He got along well with Tiandao Bugong. In Hei Wuchang's circle, the tastes of people like Zhu Jingyao had already been assimilated by their boss, Hei Wuchang, and they had gradually lost interest in normal human women.
Only Tiandao Bugong and Shaofu still maintained a passionate attraction toward two-legged females and kept far away from female beasts.
In the darkness outside the door, Tiandao Bugong stood silently, his cold gaze sweeping across Hei Wuchang and Shaofu as if confirming something.
Seeing his companion's detached expression and unfamiliar stare, Shaofu's heart dropped abruptly. Right after, he saw "Tiandao Bugong" pull a palm-sized clay figurine from his pocket.
The clay figurine depicted a bare-chested giant struggling forward under the weight of a mountain.
Under the astonished gazes of Hei Wuchang and Shaofu, Tiandao Bugong tossed the clay figurine into the office.
Thump!
The figurine hit the floor with a heavy, muffled thud.
In the next instant, Hei Wuchang and Shaofu were rooted to the spot. Their bodies trembled, their shoulders feeling as though they bore a massive mountain, making it almost impossible to move.
Standing outside the door, Tiandao Bugong drew the pistol tucked in his waistband, aimed it at Shaofu's head, and pulled the trigger with cold composure.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets burrowed into Shaofu's skull one after another, blowing away his cranium and sending blood and brain matter splattering.
At this moment, Shaofu's body had only just begun to mutate; hard keratin covered barely half his skin before life was snatched from him.
Remaining at the doorway, Tiandao Bugong shifted his aim toward Hei Wuchang at the back of the room, unleashing the rest of the magazine. Bullets poured into Hei Wuchang.
Yet they failed to harm the Saint in the slightest. Even without transforming into a Gu form, a Witch Doctor could easily withstand bullets through sheer physical toughness.
Seeing that the gunfire was futile, Tiandao Bugong collapsed stiffly to the ground. From the darkness beyond the doorway, a white-clad figure strolled forward at an unhurried pace.
Hei Wuchang stared at the approaching white shadow and said, "The Holy Grail is in my inventory. If you kill me, the Spirit Realm will reclaim it."
Fu Qingyang reached into empty air and caught the Eight Directions Bronze Sword as it appeared in his hand. He said flatly, "It makes no difference."
Returning to the Spirit Realm meant that for a very long time to come, no Witch Doctor would be able to obtain this rule-based item.
Hei Wuchang let out a cold laugh and shouted, "Did you hear that? The Five Elements Alliance wants the Holy Grail to return to the Spirit Realm!"
***
Inside the convenience store, Zhang Yuanqing finished his instant noodles and ordered a portion of oden. Leaning against the counter, he chatted amiably with the middle-aged shopkeeper.
"Oh, your son goes to the business school, Auntie? That's great! Business schools are full of pretty girls. His girlfriend must be gorgeous," Zhang Yuanqing said with feigned envy.
"Sigh, so-so, I suppose," the auntie sighed. Finding the young man pleasant to talk to, she asked, "Young man, what university do you attend?"
Zhang Yuanqing wore a wistful look. "I didn't go to college. I started working right after graduating high school. That's why I think anyone who gets into university is elite. My dream back then was to get into Songhai University."
"Songhai University? That's quite an extraordinary school," the auntie said, then comforted him, "College students aren't worth much nowadays, and degrees aren't as sought after as they used to be. Once you enter society, you still have to rely on your own hard work."
For some reason, even though her son was just an ordinary college student, a surge of pride welled up within her, lifting her spirits significantly.
"Yes, you're right, Auntie. You speak from experience." Zhang Yuanqing nodded repeatedly. "Could you add a spoonful of soup for me, Auntie?"
The auntie ladled an extra spoonful for him.
"Thank you! Your cooking is delicious. Could you throw in a skewer of kelp too?"
After a brief hesitation, the auntie handed him a skewer.
Sipping the spicy, hot broth while casually chatting with her, Zhang Yuanqing was suddenly struck by an intense palpitation in his chest.
The fight has started!
Hei Wuchang really was hiding in Songhai Third Primary School... Zhang Yuanqing kept his expression steady, quietly summoning Little Doubi and ordering him to go watch the battle.
He planned to observe through his spirit servant's eyes. It felt terrible having the situation out of his view; if an accident occurred, grasping the developments immediately would help him formulate countermeasures.
Furthermore, he yearned to witness high-level Spirit Realm walkers fight.
Little Doubi sprawled on the floor, lifting his head. His attention was immediately snared by the snacks and drinks on the shelves to either side, his dark, glossy eyes brimming with desire.
You can't even eat! Get to work! Zhang Yuanqing commanded him.
At worst, I'll buy some snacks later and eat them right in front of you so you can feast your eyes, he added inwardly.
With reluctant backward glances, Little Doubi crawled out of the convenience store and melted into the night.
***
Following Hei Wuchang's shout, a streak of crimson flame shot in from the distance, detonating beside Fu Qingyang.
Like blooming fireworks, it abruptly lit up the silent campus.
Amid the scattering tongues of fire, a tall, burly figure emerged. Rather than engaging in close combat with the Fu family scion—who was reputed to be invincible below the Dominator Realm—he reached out and clenched his fist violently.
The wisps of fire in the air condensed into flaming arrows, their points aimed downward at Fu Qingyang.
Facing a Scout at the peak of the Saint stage, close combat was by no means wise, even for a Fire Master.
"Which branch of the Five Elements Alliance are you a Deacon from? Or are you a Fire Master cultivated in secret by Dark Night Rose?"
Fu Qingyang stood with his sword resting on the ground. Despite the looming danger, his expression remained unchanged.
The masked man spoke in a harsh, unidentifiable voice, "You have no need to know."
Pressing his clenched right fist downward, the sky full of flaming arrows shot forward.
Fu Qingyang strolled through the rain of arrows, turning sideways, stepping across, or retreating. The Eight Directions Bronze Sword in his hand swept out afterimages; every arrow that struck the blade shattered into blinding sparks.
Like a supercomputer with immense calculating power, he anticipated the falling trajectory of every single arrow.
Taking advantage of this opening, Hei Wuchang dragged his trembling body step by step out of the office.
The Fire Master from Dark Night Rose had bought him precious time.
"I was careless. I didn't expect you had already covertly taken control of Tiandao Bugong." Hei Wuchang sneered. A spherical bulge formed in his abdomen, slowly traveling upward until it lodged in his throat.
"Gag—" Hei Wuchang retched violently, vomiting up a toad the size of a soccer ball.
"Croak... croak..." The toad pumped its belly and let out a loud bellow. Then, opening its gaping maw, it spewed a dense purple fog.
The purple fog billowed like thick smoke, spreading and gathering above the campus to form a low cloud layer. The vegetation across the school withered rapidly, drained of all vitality.
Fu Qingyang's brows furrowed. Scouts possessed no poison resistance, and toxic fog could not be evaded by dodging alone.
Suddenly, the purple mist blanketing the school began flowing toward a certain corner, draining away rapidly like water rushing through a floodgate.
Hei Wuchang's expression shifted slightly. Turning toward the drainage point, he saw a three-meter-tall humanoid mass of flesh opening a vast mouth, greedily devouring the purple fog.
The toxic mist that even Saints feared had no effect on him whatsoever.
"Gu King?!" Hei Wuchang shrieked. "Why are you here?! Fu Qingyang, you're actually colluding with the Gu King! Ha! Well done, Young Master of the Fu family! Well done, Deacon of the Five Elements Alliance!"
The Fire Master sneered. "Fu, you and I are two peas in a pod; neither of us is nobler than the other. Dark Night Rose is at least part of the orthodox faction. Your bottom line is even lower than mine."
Fu Qingyang did not deign to explain, choosing to remain silent.
The Gu King let out a wild laugh. "Well said! Fu Qingyang, thanks for the intel. I'll make sure to repay you properly!"
Amid his maniacal laughter, the Gu King finished inhaling the purple fog. The flesh across his body swelled as he gathered strength. A moment later, fine, needle-like sprays of bloody mist shot out from his pores.
This bloody mist did not disperse over the campus; instead, it condensed into a five-meter-tall giant with blurry facial features.
As a Witch Doctor of the Dominator Realm, the Gu King could poison the population of an entire district of Songhai if he wished. But that kind of brute-force approach was too crude. For a powerful Witch Doctor, precise control over mist was where true artistry lay.
In this regard, Hei Wuchang, who was merely in the Saint stage, lagged far behind the Gu King.
The giant of blood mist strode forward with light, swift steps, closing in on Hei Wuchang.
Just then, a pillar of clear, pristine light plunged from the heavy night sky, striking the Gu King squarely.
Sizzle...
The bloody mist dissolved in the golden radiance, and the Gu King let out an agonized roar.
Divine power of the sun!
The instant the pristine beam of light descended, the Great Protector revealed his position.
He stood atop the roof of the classroom building, cloaked in black and wearing a black mask, looking down upon the crowd below.
In the night wind, a slender red thread reached forward like a tentacle. Immediately afterward, tens of thousands of red threads burst forth, resembling dense radioactive beams, sweeping toward the Great Protector in clusters and sheets.
The source of these red threads was a woman dressed in a Song-style gown and wearing a silver mask. She hovered in midair, her skirt billowing, graceful and transcendent.
The Great Protector vanished into thin air, only to reappear a moment later suspended in midair. Wrapped around his ankle was a red thread as thin as an ox hair; it was this very thread that had dragged him out of his Night Walk.
"Humph!"
A snort sounded from the Great Protector's nose.
In an instant, bright, scorching golden flames flared along the red thread, incinerating it with ease.
At this moment, a sigh sounded in the night sky: "All kinds of monsters and freaks have truly come out of the woodwork today..."
As the voice faded, the withered vegetation across the campus burst with vitality. Clumps of tender green grass sprang up, and saplings pierced through the concrete, growing into towering trees within seconds.
In an instant, the primary school was swallowed by a forest brimming with life.
Not only that, phantom beasts descended from the sky. Some were troops of monkeys, some were two-meter-tall brown bears standing upright, some were giant elephants like white jade, and some were solitary, striped tigers...
These animals had hollow, cold eyes, staring grimly at the living beings below.
Outside the school's iron fence, the plump, adorable infant spirit clung to the gaps in the railing, peering inside while trembling with fear.
Inside the spirit servant's body was Zhang Yuanqing's consciousness.
At this moment, only one thought filled his mind: I don't understand it, but I'm thoroughly awestruck.
True strength did not necessarily require world-ending destruction. The auras radiated by those high-level Spirit Realm walkers in the school and the skills they displayed made Zhang Yuanqing shudder from the bottom of his heart.
Particularly when the forest descended and the animals appeared, Zhang Yuanqing keenly sensed that the primary school had been sealed off.
A hazy greenish-blue light barrier enveloped the area.
The Baihui Elder is higher level than I thought. This is good news, but also bad news...
The good news was that Hei Wuchang and the Dark Night Rose members would find it difficult to escape anytime soon.
The bad news was that if the authorities seized the dominant position, even if the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter secured the roster, she would be forced to compromise. He could only hope she would be smart enough to destroy it.
Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing sensed Little Doubi leaving the fence, crawling toward the intersection outside the school.
This was not Zhang Yuanqing's doing, nor was it Little Doubi's own intention; it felt more like an instinct...
After a brief moment of astonishment, Zhang Yuanqing immediately understood what was happening. At this critical juncture, Little Doubi's treasure-seeking instinct had triggered.
The infant spirit was still young, having only just mastered the exchange ability, while his higher-level treasure-seeking skill remained beyond conscious control.
It seemed some treasure nearby had caught his attention, awakening his instinct to seek it out.
Chapter 105