As far as the eye could see, there was only dense fog. Granular mist moved with the airflow like flowing stream water, like dancing gossamer. Zhang Yuanqing did not wander around blindly, remaining cautiously where he stood.
*Li Xianzong summoned this heavy fog—does that mean he doesn't plan to give up? The longer he stalls, the smaller his chances of escape. Does this guy have something else to rely on, or has he lost his mind?*
*Besides, even though Fu Qingyang couldn't be reached, the Public Security Bureau definitely reported the situation up the chain. It's understandable if the Deacons can't make it in time, but can't even Elder Gou get here?*
*Next time I see him, I'm definitely going to ruffle that dog head of his vigorously again...*
Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard a gunshot. His heart skipped a beat, and he dove and rolled instinctively.
*Bang! Bang!*
Two more gunshots rang out. Pain flared in Zhang Yuanqing's lower abdomen, telling him he had been hit.
Relying on memory, he rolled all the way to the public waiting benches, using the information desk to shield himself against further bullets.
*Tap, tap, tap...*
Footsteps sounded from deep within the dense fog, followed by a lazy chuckle:
"I have two minutes left, Yuanshi Tianzun. If you can last two minutes against me, we can play again next time. Otherwise, yours truly will wrap up this trial early today and turn your head in for the bounty."
*Arrogant bastard!* Zhang Yuanqing was feeling unusually irritable and quick to anger. Subconsciously, he moved to raise his pistol and fire toward the sound, but he quickly reined in his temper.
*He's goading me to reveal myself...* Zhang Yuanqing recalled the details from moments ago.
When the first gunshot sounded, he had been standing motionless. If the enemy had already locked onto him then, his head would have been blown off right away.
Yet the bullets only struck his abdomen after he began rolling.
Was a moving target easier to hit than a stationary one? Obviously not. Rather, standing still hadn't given away his position; it was during his roll that he got targeted.
*He's likely tracking my location through the ripples in the fog. Let's test it...* Zhang Yuanqing quietly summoned Little Doubi and directed him to climb onto the information desk and knock over a potted plant.
*Crash! Bang!*
The sound of the potted plant shattering coincided exactly with the gunshot.
*Sure enough, he relies on disturbances in the fog to locate targets...* The instant the gunshot rang out, Zhang Yuanqing lunged out and fired toward the source of the shot.
The slide racked, and the muzzle belched flame and smoke. The bullet streaked a faint red trail through the dense mist.
The bullet failed to hit the enemy, ricocheting between the walls as a stray shot.
*This* was his true shooting ability.
*Damn it, missed...* Zhang Yuanqing rolled repeatedly, entered stealth, and fled toward the exit of the waiting hall.
There was no need to clash head-on with this guy. The hostages had already been saved; retreating was the smart move.
He had plenty of comrades—why bother dueling one-on-one?
The moment he moved, the mist behind him surged forward like a raging tide.
Without a second thought, Zhang Yuanqing spun around and fired.
The attacker behind him seemed to anticipate his move before it even happened. Just as Zhang Yuanqing turned and raised his arm, the man tilted his head aside, and the faint red streak flashed right past his ear.
"In my fog, you cannot escape..."
They were close enough now that through the thick vapor, a sharply chiseled face emerged—high-bridged nose, knife-sharp eyes, and a faint smirk hovering on his lips, mocking and provocative.
The moment Zhang Yuanqing saw his face, he also noticed bizarre dark-red runes surfacing in the man's eyes.
Bewitchment!
The signature skill of a Bewitching Demon at the Transcendent stage. Prolonged bewitchment could manipulate others like puppets, while a brief bewitchment dealt an immediate shock to one's spiritual power.
Zhang Yuanqing remained completely unmoved, raising his gun to fire a shot straight at him.
Drawing on his past experience fighting Ou Xiangrong, he had already applied a Purify to himself in advance.
Li Xianzong's face showed clear astonishment. Yet he displayed the rapid reflexes expected of a Bewitching Demon, leaning back and snapping his right leg upward. *Smack!* His foot kicked Zhang Yuanqing's wrist, sending the bullet into the ceiling.
The explosive pistol flew from Zhang Yuanqing's grip, spinning over the railing and tumbling toward the first-floor lobby.
Without any hesitation, Zhang Yuanqing used his Night Walk skill, fading from sight.
At that very moment, he saw Li Xianzong raise his gun muzzle, aiming directly at where he had already dodged to the side.
*Can he see me? No, he's tracking my position through the flow of the fog!* Zhang Yuanqing's heart chilled.
Night Walk masked sound, breath, and heat, but it did not make him truly incorporeal. Movement inevitably displaced air.
To a certain extent, this ability of the Bewitching Demon was a hard counter to a Night Wanderer's stealth.
*Bang! Bang!*
Bullets cracked against the floor tiles, splintering them. Having dodged the gunfire, Zhang Yuanqing hunched low and circled behind Li Xianzong, closing the distance so the man wouldn't have room to shoot.
Holding the Demon-Subduing Pestle in one hand and the Bloodthirsty Blade in the other, he stabbed the former toward the heart from behind and thrust the latter toward Li Xianzong's neck.
Li Xianzong's lips curled. He took a diagonal step to the side and spun around. His right fingers danced, flicking open the silver butterfly knife like unfolding wings to reveal its deadly blade.
With a backhanded slash, Li Xianzong caught the edge of the Bloodthirsty Blade squarely. *Clang!* Sparks flew in all directions.
Zhang Yuanqing's palm went numb at the webbing, nearly losing his grip on the hilt.
Suddenly, in Zhang Yuanqing's vision, he saw Li Xianzong's leg muscles bulge, followed immediately by his lower back and waist tensing to unleash a force surging from the top down.
The Eye of Insight granted him the ability to anticipate the enemy's moves.
Zhang Yuanqing instantly pressed a single palm downward.
*Crack!*
A faint fracturing sound echoed as his metacarpal bones cracked against the rock-hard knee.
Zhang Yuanqing stumbled backward.
The dense fog still impeded his vision somewhat, or he would have reacted even faster.
Flames flared on Li Xianzong's knee, burning through his trousers and scorching his skin, yet as if immune to pain, he launched his follow-up attacks without a pause.
The butterfly knife thrust, flicked, slashed, and stabbed, carving wounds across Zhang Yuanqing's body that refused to heal.
At the same time, Li Xianzong's free hand and legs served as terrifying weapons, beating Zhang Yuanqing back step after step.
Li Xianzong's close-quarters combat skill was several tiers above Zhang Yuanqing's, and his Level 3 physical constitution surpassed that of a Level 2 Night Wanderer.
Had the Eye of Insight not granted him predictive vision and the Ruffian Boxing Gloves not boosted his agility, Zhang Yuanqing would have already lost his head.
*Squelch!*
Li Xianzong's blade slashed open Zhang Yuanqing's chest, releasing a violent gush of blood. Tasting blood, the Bewitching Demon's eyes turned crimson, his battle lust soaring.
*Thud, thud, thud...*
Zhang Yuanqing staggered backward, panting heavily.
He was in terrible shape. His whole body screamed in agony, and the unhealing wounds were bringing on signs of severe blood loss—dizziness, fatigue, and weakness.
Clearly, the butterfly knife in Li Xianzong's hand had a bleeding effect as well.
*Why haven't reinforcements arrived yet? Is the heavy fog keeping them out? I can barely hold on... Fortunately, I didn't use the Heavenly Toad Censer, or I'd have burned myself alive...*
Zhang Yuanqing's physical condition plummeted.
Under the enemy's torrential barrage of attacks, he didn't even have time to retrieve the Red Bridal Veil. Besides, summoning the Ghost Bride required two to three seconds of channeling before she would appear, making it unsuitable for a moment like this.
He had to create an opening, no matter what...
"Not bad, but way weaker than I imagined." Li Xianzong flicked out his tongue, seemingly wanting to lick the blood off his blade, but held back for some reason. He grinned broadly:
"One minute left. Don't count on reinforcements saving you. The fog makes them lose their bearings, creating an effect like a ghost wall. Nobody is coming to save a piece of meat on the chopping block."
Even as he spoke, his movements never slowed. Giving Zhang Yuanqing no room to catch his breath, he sprang forward.
*Arrogant, your ass!*
Flames flared in Zhang Yuanqing's eyes. Clenching both fists, he slammed them together hard against his chest.
*Boom!*
Flames and shockwaves surged, tearing through the waiting hall.
With fury boiling in his eyes, Zhang Yuanqing didn't stop at all, slamming his fists together repeatedly.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Explosions detonated one after another, the shockwaves crashing outward like tidal waves.
Rattled by the dense barrage of blasts, Li Xianzong was thrown backward by the air pressure slamming into his chest. He was forced to curl up defensively, abandoning his assault.
The explosions lasted over a dozen seconds before finally subsiding. Zhang Yuanqing collapsed to the floor, blood trickling from his facial orifices and several internal organs suffering damage, but he had finally bought himself the opportunity he needed.
Without hesitation, he immediately summoned the Red Bridal Veil.
Yet right then, Zhang Yuanqing broke into violent coughing, hacking up bloody fluid while blood seeped from his nose. Hallucinations swam before his eyes, his lungs burned as if on fire, and his kidneys rapidly began to fail.
He had been poisoned.
Curled on the ground, Li Xianzong burst into laughter. Arrogant, exultant laughter echoed as he slowly rose and curled his lip:
"A Night Wanderer's vitality truly is formidable. The gu poison I coated my blade with took over a minute to kick in. Filthy and lowly as Witch Doctors are, their tricks certainly do the job."
*He killed a Level 4 Witch Doctor; he has gu poison...* Zhang Yuanqing's vision grew blurrier, strength drained from his limbs, and his heartbeat weakened to a faint flutter. Despair filled his mind.
Li Xianzong wasted no more words. Drawing the pistol tucked at his waist, he aimed it squarely at Zhang Yuanqing's head:
"Sorry about this, but I'll be taking your head..."
In the next instant, his vision went black.
Down by Li Xianzong's shin, a tiny infant spirit was clinging with all his might, exchanging for his sight.
*Little Doubi...* Zhang Yuanqing was stunned. He hadn't given Little Doubi any attack command—partly because he had been overwhelmed fending off the enemy, and partly because the Ruffian Boxing Gloves made him reckless and unthinking.
Yet seeing his master in peril, Little Doubi had acted on his own. Come to think of it, he had already developed quite a bit of intelligence.
Seizing this chance, Zhang Yuanqing's hands trembled violently as he painstakingly draped the Red Bridal Veil over his head.
"Hmph!"
Deprived of vision, Li Xianzong did not panic. He retrieved a foul-smelling overcoat from his inventory and threw it over his shoulders.
Then, pressing his palms together, he bowed toward his feet.
Fortune Diminishment! Curse!
A Witch Doctor's Fortune Diminishment and Curse did not differentiate between flesh and spirit. While not as effortless against spiritual bodies as an Illusionist's methods, for a low-level resentful spirit, this Saint-grade item was remarkably effective.
Dark light rippled across the filthy coat, washing like a tide over the infant spirit clinging to his calf.
Little Doubi shrieked as his form rapidly degraded and turned turbid, tainted by grime, but he refused to let go.
One second, two seconds, three seconds, four seconds...
The vision exchange ran its course. Little Doubi held on until the very end, slumping to the floor as he grew fainter and fainter...
The moment his sight returned, Li Xianzong looked toward Zhang Yuanqing and saw red cloth draped over his head. A terrifying, majestic wave of Yin energy descended with overwhelming force, like a surging tide, a raging tsunami.
Li Xianzong's hairs stood on end as his Bewitching Demon instincts screamed warnings.
He fired two shots at his enemy's head, didn't bother checking the result, and swiftly fished a piece of chalk from his pocket to draw a circle on the floor.
In the next instant, a hazy yellow light barrier enveloped the circle, engulfing him.
Li Xianzong vanished into the light barrier.
At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing's body was taken over by the Ghost Bride. His arms turned pitch-black, muscles bulging with knotted black veins, while sharp claws snapped out from all ten fingertips.
Yet the enemy was already gone.
Unable to find a foe, the Ghost Bride stood dazed where she was.
*Go... save him...* Zhang Yuanqing pleaded silently in his heart.
Feeling his will, the Ghost Bride walked slowly toward Little Doubi, who hovered on the verge of dispersing.
Influencing the Ghost Bride, Zhang Yuanqing slowly knelt, spreading his arms to embrace the fading infant spirit in his arms, as if holding something precious lost and found again.
He merged Little Doubi into his body, and finally, with a sense of relief, lost consciousness.
***
Fujia Bay.
The sun was setting. Inside the spacious conference hall, Fu Qingyang's face was frosty as he listened to his subordinates' reports.
Seated around the conference table were Bailong, Qingteng, Teng Yuan, Dajiba, Quanwang, and other Kangyang District captains, along with several key members.
"In this attack on Pingtai Hospital, seven people were killed, and twenty-three suffered minor injuries. The bombs have been dismantled, but this has caused severe public fallout. It has now been handed over to the Public Security Bureau to handle..."
Li Dongze briefly glossed over the aftermath. These matters were not the Five Elements Alliance's responsibility; their primary duty was eliminating rogue Spirit Realm walkers.
"Except for the mastermind, Li Xianzong, who fled, the remaining thugs have all been killed. Li Xianzong planned this for a long time. He bewitched the Fallen, reinforcing their desire for mutual destruction to launch a suicide attack, while Li Xianzong himself had already prepared an escape route..." Li Dongze raised a remote control and turned on the projector.
A photo appeared on the screen, showing a circle drawn in chalk.
"Following our on-site investigation, we uncovered Li Xianzong's means of escape. Based on analysis from colleagues in the Central Court, this should be an item from the Earth Monster profession. Unfortunately, the surveillance cameras were shut down at the time, so we could not observe the exact details," Li Dongze said.
Ling Jun, who rarely attended such meetings, remarked, "Fortunately, this kind of attack is difficult to replicate. Under the Morality Points penalty mechanism, even though the Fallen did the killing, Li Xianzong bewitched them, so he will still be deducted a certain amount of Morality Points. He won't dare pull a stunt like this again for a long time."
The Morality Points mechanism distinguished between direct and indirect acts. Indirect killing referred to Spirit Realm walkers using their abilities to control others into committing crimes.
Compared to direct killing, indirect actions deducted fewer Morality Points, and the penalty varied based on the degree of control. For example, directly controlling a "puppet" to commit murder deducted the same Morality Points as direct killing. However, instigating or egging someone on to commit a crime reduced the penalty by varying degrees or halved it, depending on the level of incitement.
The Spirit Realm had no bugs; like a meticulously coded program, it had anticipated every loophole a human mind could conceive.
At this point, Jiang Jingwei complained, "If the Elder had arrived in time, everything would've been resolved long ago."
She spoke the words the captains didn't dare say aloud. They knew Fu Qingyang had been ambushed by Yichuan Mei, a female Guardian of the Nihility Sect, but they couldn't fathom why Elder Gou had failed to show up.
Fu Qingyang glanced around the table and said, "Elder Gou went to the capital on business."
*To purify the red dancing shoes for Yuanshi Tianzun.*
After that brief explanation, he looked at Guan Ya and asked, "How is Yuanshi?"
Guan Ya sounded somewhat downcast: "We injected him with Life Essence. His life isn't in danger, but after waking up, he's been rather dispirited."
The captains couldn't help recalling the scene when Yuanshi Tianzun was found. He had been kneeling on the floor, both arms curved as if hugging something, motionless, his vital signs already critically weak. When examining his injuries, they found more than a dozen knife wounds across his body, two gunshot wounds, severe blood loss, and organ failure. It was hard to imagine what kind of brutal onslaught he had endured in that brief minute or two.
Fu Qingyang's brow furrowed slightly before smoothing out. "Surviving against Li Xianzong is already a stroke of luck. Yuanshi rose too fast; suffering a setback won't do him any harm."
Pausing for a moment, he added, "No one is to console him."
*That would only wound his self-esteem.*
Fu Qingyang continued:
"Next, your mission is to conduct a full-scale manhunt for Li Xianzong in your respective jurisdictions and warn the subordinates in your teams to stay alert for potential ambushes.
"Those of you who are Level 3 walkers, do not move around alone anymore. Keep your phones reachable. I injured Yichuan Mei, so she won't be appearing anytime soon. Ling Jun and I will remain on call twenty-four hours a day.
"As for Yuanshi, have him stay home for the next few days. He is not to go out."
The evil organizations' trial missions were jointly initiated by the Spirit Society, the Lord of War Cult, and the Nihility Sect, open to all evil professions. Anyone could hunt down official walkers to claim bounties. Most of the time, clashes between minor figures were viewed as petty scuffles that drew little attention; duels between prodigies or top powerhouses were the real main event.
The captains nodded slightly. Experienced official walkers, they had lived through this scenario many times before. In the middle and end of every year, the evil professions launched unilateral hunts against official walkers. Both sides engaged in reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, hunts and counter-hunts, trading casualties.
Overall, the official factions still held the upper hand. The only headache was that these rats in the gutters excelled at guerrilla warfare. Their unpredictable movements put official walkers on the defensive. They didn't fear them going toe-to-toe; they feared ambush and sucker punches.
"Meeting adjourned!" Fu Qingyang glanced at the mixed-race beauty. "Guan Ya, stay behind."
The others filed out of the conference hall, leaving only the cousins inside the vast room.
"You should be entering the Spirit Realm soon, right?" Fu Qingyang asked.
"Within half a month." Guan Ya nodded.
Fu Qingyang opened his inventory and produced a rifle roughly 1.2 meters long. The rifle body was pitch-black and traced with gilded patterns, dazzling to behold.
He slid the rifle toward Guan Ya. "I remember you applied to the family for this item, but the Council of Elders refused because they were dissatisfied with your slackness. From now on, it's yours."
Guan Ya raised an eyebrow. "The Council of Elders agreed?"
Fu Qingyang shook his head.
"This was a reward the family gave me, an early celebration for my entrance into the Council of Elders—provided I advance to Sovereign in the mid-year Killing Instance. You've intentionally kept yourself capped at Level 2 for a long time. For this upcoming Spirit Realm, I want you to reach Level 3. This rifle will qualify you to participate in the mid-year instance.
"You can't keep this up forever. Even Yuanshi is Level 2 now."
This time, Guan Ya did not refuse. Looking down at the weapon she had longed for so long, she fell silent.
***
Songhai outskirts, underground bar.
The lighting was soft, the air thick with cigarette smoke and sweat, and mellow music played from the speakers. Though a bar, it lacked dazzling strobe lights or deafening noise, because this was a black market where evil professions gathered to exchange intelligence, trade goods, and make clandestine contacts. Indulging in wine and women was secondary.
Booths were filled with evil professions, around twenty to thirty people in total. Some conversed in hushed whispers, some haggled over prices, and others engaged in indecent acts in plain view.
Li Xianzong came down the stairs into the underground bar and sat down beside Tian Lingling. "Get me a bottle of booze, whatever you have."
The bartender slid over a glass of beer.
Li Xianzong chugged it down in one breath, letting out a loud, satisfying burp.
"Killing and drinking—the ultimate pleasures of life." Tian Lingling patted the younger man's shoulder with a grin. "We've all heard about what you pulled today. You just got to Songhai and you're already making a huge name for yourself, kid."
Li Xianzong sneered. "I haven't killed Yuanshi Tianzun yet. If you want to celebrate, wait until I slaughter that brat."
Tian Lingling swirled his glass. "You traded blows? How is the kid? Is he really as eerie as the rumors say?"
"He really is quite something. He has a Saint-stage item. As for the guy himself, decent enough, but slaughtering him won't be difficult," Li Xianzong remarked casually.
"Good, as long as you're confident." Tian Lingling nodded, then asked, "What kind of item?"
"A piece of rag, belonging to the Night Wanderer profession. Uncle Tian, do you have any channels to get me an Illusionist item? Without something to counter that piece of cloth, killing him will be tough." Li Xianzong revealed the purpose of his visit.
Hearing this, Tian Lingling chuckled. "Go find Yichuan Mei. With your build and looks, all you need to offer is your two kidneys."
Li Xianzong rolled his eyes.
Tian Lingling stood up, looked toward the crowd, and called out loudly, "Everyone, did you hear about Pingtai Hospital today? Wasn't that satisfying?"
The evil professions halted what they were doing and turned toward them, shouting in unison:
"Satisfying!"
"Did it feel good?"
"Hell yeah!"
"Let's welcome our big hero—drinks are on the house today!"
The clamor grew wilder:
"You kid really don't fear death! Managing to walk away in one piece from that—well done! I love maniacs like you!"
"Hahaha! The trial just started and you already dealt the Songhai Branch a heavy blow. Way more badass than the punks who went to the capital!"
"Did you beat the crap out of that Yuanshi Tianzun kid?"
"Big hero, we're rolling with you from now on! Take us along to kill official walkers and make some extra cash!"
Whoops and laughter rose in waves.
The woman engaged in the indecent acts let out a deliberately high-pitched shriek.
Li Xianzong grinned. "A bunch of dumbfucks!"
Once the noise died down, Tian Lingling asked, "You weren't followed, were you? Did you clean up your tail?"
Li Xianzong said carelessly, "I know what I'm doing. I timed it carefully and left before any Saints or Elders could arrive."
Among walkers at the Transcendent stage, anyone capable of tailing him hadn't been born yet—not even a Scout.
Right as he said that, footsteps sounded from the stairway.
*Thud, thud, thud...*
The footsteps were peculiar. Each step paused for a few seconds, like a toddler learning to walk.
At first, no one paid attention, but gradually, more and more people frowned and turned toward the stairwell.
The footsteps descended steadily, maintaining a slow, measured rhythm, as if deliberately trying to draw attention.
Finally, they saw the newcomer clearly.
It was a woman dressed in a flowing ancient crimson gown embroidered with magnificent gold thread, wearing a silver mask.
In her hand, she held an ethereal red thread that flickered in and out of view.
Li Xianzong's expression changed abruptly. He jerked his head down and saw that at some point, a hair-thin red thread had been tied around his ankle.
The crimson-gowned woman let go of the red thread, allowing it to dissipate into thin air. Tucking her hands behind her back, she stood on tiptoe like a little girl and giggled:
"Oh my, how lively! What's everyone playing? Can I play too?"
Her gaze shifted behind the silver mask toward the bald man. She exclaimed in delight:
"Ah, it's you, Tian Lingling. I've finally found you~ Do you still remember the massacre of the Chu family twenty-one years ago?"
Chapter 118