Zhang Yuanqing's body, along with the Cat King Speaker, vanished into thin air. The indescribable, utterly shameful sound effects disappeared along with the 'erasure' of his flesh.
Fuck. Last time I praised the Demon Lord for not being obsessed with women and for having proper recordings. How long has it been? And now he pulls this on me. Good thing it's night and the family's asleep.
If Grandpa, Grandma, or my aunt heard this, I'd never be able to show my face again.
My aunt's not so bad—she knows what's in my 'study materials.' As his thoughts wandered, he emptied his mind, leaned back in the ergonomic chair, and waited for the sex scene to end.
His ears were filled with lewd moans.
A few minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing shifted his posture and muttered inwardly—This woman's voice is so soft and seductive. Just from her voice, you can tell she's beautiful. The Demon Lord is one lucky bastard with women.
Another ten minutes passed. Zhang Yuanqing moved from the desk back onto the bed, thinking—Is the Demon Lord's stamina really this good? Why isn't it over yet?
A few minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing unconsciously picked up the tissues on the desk and set them by the headboard.
Fuck! He snapped back to his senses and jerked his hand back as if reining in a horse at the edge of a cliff, then said in a fit of embarrassment and anger:
'Is this ever going to end? Demon Lord, you're fucking toxic. Hurry up and end the audio, or I'll smash this crappy speaker.'
The last sentence was directed at the Cat King Speaker; he knew the item had a consciousness of its own.
By now, the cries coming from the speaker had grown somewhat hoarse.
And the loud sounds never let up—even Zhang Yuanqing, who had watched plenty of porn, had rarely seen anything like it.
At the same time, after repeatedly entering the Night Wandering state for nearly half an hour, his Taiyin power had been drained excessively. His stamina began to give out, and waves of exhaustion washed over him.
'Zzzzt.'
Threatened, the Cat King Speaker chose to follow its heart—or rather, its survival instinct—and the lewd sounds stopped at once. After a few seconds of silence, a woman's voice came from the speaker, soft and seductive but hoarse:
'It's already dawn, Lord Demon Lord. How are you so vigorous tonight? You've nearly sent my soul flying.'
Then came the Demon Lord's deep voice:
'You Wood Demons are in heat all the time. If I didn't prepare a secret weapon, how would I show a little minx like you what I'm made of?'
The woman had clearly been fucked into submission. She said softly, 'Secret weapon?'
The Demon Lord chuckled. 'A while back I met a Merchant and bought a bottle of spray from him. It really works wonders.'
At that, Zhang Yuanqing's head buzzed and his expression changed abruptly.
Spray? Could the Demon Lord be talking about the Endurance Spray? An item he once used?
If that was the case... Zhang Yuanqing's face filled with shock as a thought flashed through his mind: the items rewarded by the character card are the Demon Lord's items!
To verify this guess, he carefully reasoned it out:
'The character card rewards: the first item was the Red Dancing Shoes, the second was the Disguise Ring, the third was the Endurance Spray.'
'If the items rewarded by the character card are items the Demon Lord once possessed, then there's a reasonable explanation for how he got past Widow Xu's stage.'
In the Yinyang Town trial, there was one question Zhang Yuanqing still hadn't figured out: how had the Demon Lord cleared Widow Xu's segment?
Based on the Cat King Speaker's recording, he could infer that the Demon Lord had definitely slept with Widow Xu. Widow Xu's abilities were terrifying—even Chi'ou, an Earth Monster famed for his stamina and endurance, would have been hard-pressed. Never mind a Night Wanderer!
If he'd used the Endurance Spray, then it all made sense.
'Wait, that's not right.'
Zhang Yuanqing suddenly frowned. The Red Dancing Shoes were also a character card reward, but they couldn't possibly have been the Demon Lord's item.
The reason was simple: the legend of Sheling Tunnel dated back to the last century. The construction crew had been wiped out—trampled to death by the Red Dancing Shoes. It was precisely because the Red Dancing Shoes had intruded that Sheling Tunnel became a bug-level trial Spirit Realm.
If the Red Dancing Shoes were the Demon Lord's item, he would have taken them with him, wouldn't he? The bug in Sheling Tunnel wouldn't have persisted forever.
That didn't add up.
Zhang Yuanqing fell silent for a long, long time, his mind racing. Suddenly, he caught a forgotten detail:
[Your dancing is as terrible as ever!]
His expression froze, and a stormy wave surged through his mind.
'So that's what the Red Dancing Shoes meant.'
When he had first completed the dance and broken the Red Dancing Shoes' rules, this rule-based item had once displayed this puzzling line.
At the time, Zhang Yuanqing's life had been precarious, and he'd known nothing about the Spirit Realm, so he hadn't thought much of it.
Now, looking back, the more he thought about it, the more terrified he felt.
'I don't know why the Red Dancing Shoes stayed in Sheling Tunnel all this time, but one thing is certain: the Demon Lord once went to the Mountain God Temple. He and the Red Dancing Shoes knew each other.'
Zhang Yuanqing pinched the bridge of his nose. He had finally solved the secret of the character card rewards.
After the Demon Lord died, his items weren't reclaimed by the Spirit Realm. Instead, they were stored away by the character card in some way, becoming character card rewards.
Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts were soon interrupted by the woman's moans. After resting for a few minutes, the shameless pair in the audio were at it again, burning like dry wood and a roaring fire.
Are Wood Demons really this outrageous? In heat all the time? What ordinary woman could withstand such intense plowing? This recording must have taken place in spring. Zhang Yuanqing's head was full of complaints.
'Zzzzt.'
A crackle of static sounded as the Cat King Speaker automatically skipped that part. After a few seconds of silence, the Demon Lord's deep voice came through, sounding as if his vocal cords had been damaged:
'The evaluation is over. That guy didn't lie to me—the Endurance Spray really is useful. My function in that department is perfectly normal, but what man could refuse endurance? Five million well spent.
'However, unless there are two or three female companions around, or a Wood Demon woman in heat, I can't use the spray under normal circumstances. Otherwise, I'd lose control even at the sight of a sow.'
Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself: Demon Lord, you really should be more careful. Later on, you were utterly unrestrained when it came to men and women. For a taste of seafood, you were willing to step into the Desire profession's trap. It's all the Endurance Spray's fault. Have you forgotten its price?
Also, could you stop mentioning sows?
The Cat King Speaker continued playing the audio:
'Time flies. It's already been three months since I became a Spirit Realm walker. To put it bluntly, there are very, very few people in the Transcendent stage who can beat me. Unfortunately, to advance to the Saint stage, I have to wait for the year-end Slaughter Trial to open.'
'Before that, no matter how many trials I clear, I can't advance to level 4. It's as if a lock bars the door from Transcendent to Saint, and the key can only be obtained in the Slaughter Trial.'
'My personal analysis is that Spirit Realm walkers at the Saint stage change class. After changing class, they gain a new title and new power. But paranormal trials reward Taiyin power, not the new power gained after changing class. So one must participate in a large-scale Slaughter Trial. The new power rewarded after clearing it is the key to advancing to Saint.'
The Demon Lord's angle was impressive. He had essentially analyzed the essence of the Slaughter Trial spot-on. This guy really had a good head on his shoulders. Then again, he'd become an outstanding figure in the Transcendent stage in just three months—and that was despite his bad timing, since the Slaughter Trial only opened at midyear and year-end. Zhang Yuanqing clicked his tongue and kept listening.
'I ran into that Void profession again today. Every time he appears, it's without a sound. Say what you will, but with that kind of coming-and-going-without-a-trace skill, there probably aren't many people in this world who could kill him.'
'He knows I'm controlled by the Grail and sympathizes deeply. But the Fallen Holy Grail is a high-level rule-based item. Most of the time, a rule means there's no solution—only a rule can break a rule.'
'He said that to break the Fallen Holy Grail's control, I must obtain a certain item belonging to the Night Wanderer profession. It symbolizes supremacy and light. Only by obtaining that thing can I escape the Deceitful Eye Judge's control.'
'I get the feeling he has ulterior motives in telling me this, but that doesn't stop it from being good news. My life isn't bleak anymore. I will definitely regain my freedom and kill the Deceitful Eye Judge. No one can enslave me—no one!'
Static crackled as the Cat King Speaker prepared the next recording.
Zhang Yuanqing took the chance to think. So the Demon Lord had learned how to break the Fallen Holy Grail's hold from a Void profession—one who sounded like a very high-level Merchant.
What was this Merchant's relationship with the Demon Lord? Did he know the Demon Lord had already fallen?
He was eager to learn more, but what followed were fragmented, disjointed messages from the Demon Lord—scattered, without a core, more like casual notes on his thoughts and daily life:
'Zzzzt... Damn it, a female Saint from the Five Elements Alliance is hunting me. I nearly died. Once I advance to Saint, the first thing I'll do is sleep with her... Hmm? Why did I think of sleeping with her instead of killing her for revenge?'
'Zzzzt... I finally know why that female Saint has been chasing me so relentlessly. Turns out the Wood Demon I slept with last time was her daughter. She only looks to be in her thirties—how could her daughter be that old? I've been wronged! Her daughter was the one riding me and twisting her waist.'
'Zzzzt... I've finally thought of a way to sleep with someone from the Desire profession for free: find an item from the Knight profession, establish a contract proving the relationship is consensual, so afterward neither party can use it as an excuse to demand payment from the other.'
Zhang Yuanqing poured himself a glass of water and muttered inwardly:
Draw up a contract before getting into bed? So that's allowed. Is this where all the Demon Lord's intelligence and talent went? What kind of bullshit is this? Could we get to something useful?
What about the rest of the story with that Void profession?
'Zzzzt... Today I heard something interesting from Ah Ya. The wife of the Soldier Master sect's Wrath Divine General used to be the Lust Divine General's sex slave. Even now, she's a bitch who comes when called and is sent away with a wave. Hahaha, if the Wrath Divine General knew, he'd go berserk with rage. Too interesting.'
'Zzzzt... The task of hunting down ten orthodox professionals this month is complete. Tsk tsk, there are plenty of pests among the orthodox professions too. By the way, the Musician and Wood Demon professions have the most women who play the field.'
'Zzzzt... Today I was surrounded by a group of orthodox professionals. At some point I became a stepping stone for others to make a name for themselves. Everyone wants to kill me for fame. Since that's the case, they can't blame me for being merciless. Among this group of orthodox professionals was a very pretty young married woman—the sister of the Zhu family head, no less. Ha, interesting. I'm going to train her well.'
'Pfft!' At that, Zhang Yuanqing sprayed out a mouthful of water.
The Zhu family head's sister—could that be Chi Yue'an's ex-wife? She'd been trained by the Demon Lord? So that's why her temperament changed drastically and she began to abuse her kept men and her husband?
And because of that, Chi Yue'an became psychologically twisted and created the Bronze Sparrow Tower?
This—this... A phrase flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind: When will the cycle of vengeance ever end!
So you were the culprit behind everything, Demon Lord. A strange feeling welled up in Zhang Yuanqing's heart. This Demon Lord character had far too many ridiculous aspects.
Call him a formidable figure—and he was. There were only a handful of powerhouses like him in the world.
But all he thought about was sleeping with women. He lacked the dignity expected of a great figure—at least, that was true during his Transcendent stage.
Call him a wise man—that works too. He wasn't stupid, and his talent was exceptional. In less than three months, he became an outstanding figure in the Transcendent stage. The way he analyzed trials and the Spirit Realm was clear and methodical.
But he always stumbled into pitfalls in ridiculous places—like sleeping with someone from the Desire profession and regretting it so much he nearly squealed like a pig.
Call him a villain—he was one. This guy had done plenty of bad things and was officially certified as a Fallen. But he was also pitiful. When he was weak, he was controlled by the Fallen Holy Grail, and the evil power twisted his mindset bit by bit.
Every month he still had to complete his master's tasks. In the end, for freedom, he went down together with the Deceitful Eye Judge.
A deeply tragic figure.
While he was silently complaining, the Cat King Speaker played another recording:
'Zzzzt.'
'You seem to favor me especially. You don't look gay, and we have no ties to each other. Why?' It was the Demon Lord's voice.
Then an unfamiliar man's voice answered:
'Because you're a Night Wanderer.'
'What about being a Night Wanderer? They're rare, but not that rare,' the Demon Lord retorted.
'But wild Night Wanderers are rare. Most of them are firmly controlled by that person from the Taiyi Sect. It's very hard to cultivate a Night Wanderer I can trust.'
'Cultivate?'
'Yes. I want to cultivate a Night Wanderer. Actually, most Supremes want to cultivate Night Wanderers, including those from the evil professions.'
'Why?'
'Because the Night Wanderer is a very special profession. Anyone who has seen the Compass of Light prophecy knows that.'
'What's so special about Night Wanderers? And what is the Compass of Light?'
'More than twenty years ago, a powerful figure in the West dug a compass out of the Spirit Realm. That compass had the ability to predict the future, an ability that didn't belong to any known profession. After it appeared, it caused a sensation, and countless Spirit Realm walkers fought over it.
'Among them were the five Alliance Leaders of the Five Elements Alliance, which you know of, the Taiyi Sect's sect master, the leaders of the three great evil organizations, and the heads of the major orthodox and evil professions in the West.
'The result of that battle: a prophecy came into being. People learned that the Spirit Realm has three major districts, one of which had never opened. The Marshal of the White Tiger Battalion, the Pope of the Church of the Sea God, and the President of the Spirit Society's Eastern District Branch—three Supremes—fell.
'That battle also directly brought about the founding of the Five Elements Alliance—the five great gangs forming an alliance.'
The Demon Lord asked, 'What was the prophecy?'
The man laughed. 'That I can't tell you. When you advance to Dominator someday, I'll tell you.'
With a burst of static, the Cat King Speaker fell completely silent.
That was a lot to take in. Zhang Yuanqing pulled open the drawer, put the speaker away, took out the Silencer mask, and put it on. Then he walked to the window and stared blankly at the night view.
The night was quiet. In the residential building across the way, the windows were dark one after another, while the corridor lights burned all night.
On the street outside the residential compound, the streetlamps cast a lonely glow, and for a long time not a single car passed.
Zhang Yuanqing sank into thought in the silent darkness of the night.
He knew the Spirit Realm was divided into three major districts, but he hadn't expected that one of them still hadn't opened.
The Five Elements Alliance's database hadn't mentioned that either.
The Night Wanderer profession is very special. I remember the President of the Goddess of Beauty Association also showed unusual curiosity about the Demon Lord. Because he was a Night Wanderer?
If I could learn the exact contents of the prophecy, I could probably guess why Night Wanderers are special.
These secrets were too distant. Zhang Yuanqing didn't dwell on them and turned his thoughts back to the exclusive rewards attached to the Demon Lord's character card.
In the past, he had regarded the character card's exclusive rewards as a small cheat—an extra reward every time he cleared a trial compared to others.
But now that he knew the items rewarded by the character card were all items the Demon Lord had once used, Zhang Yuanqing had to overturn his old assumptions and reexamine the matter.
The Demon Lord's character card held another secret—that could be confirmed. But as the Demon Lord's successor, I still can't reach the core secret. So when will I be able to?
When would the things the Demon Lord left behind become mine? In what manner would they be given to me?
Now he knew—through the character card's exclusive rewards.
Everything the Demon Lord left behind would be handed to him one piece at a time through the exclusive rewards. For now, they were items. What about later?
When the Taiyi Sect searched for the Demon Lord's successor, they had clearly and bluntly pointed out: the black full-moon mark and the character card's exclusive rewards.
Now it seemed the Taiyi Sect had already given him the answer.
Just then, as Zhang Yuanqing's imagination ran wild, a sudden palpitation struck him—a palpitation for no reason at all. His face went pale, his breathing became strained, and his adrenaline spiked.
He had the feeling of being 'watched.' That sensation made him instinctively think of Heavenly King Demonic Eye.
The experience of being stared at directly by that vertical eye yesterday had been exactly the same as this. The difference was that this gaze was 'gentler' and wouldn't cause real physical harm.
Had Demonic Eye found him here?
A carpet search had reached my residential compound?
So he really is using the vertical eye on his forehead to screen Spirit Realm walkers.
This time Zhang Yuanqing had experience. He slowed his breathing, emptied his mind, and made himself calm.
Chapter 170