Zhang Yuanqing's head buzzed with a loud boom, as if a grenade had detonated inside his skull, blasting his soul to smithereens and grinding his consciousness into powder, leaving behind only a blank void. Tinnitus rang incessantly in his ears.
He had no idea how much time had passed before Guan Ya's increasingly urgent calls jolted him back to his senses.
"Yuanshi, what happened to you?"
"Aren't you at Fu Qingyang's villa? Why do you suddenly have a portrait of the Demon Lord? What's wrong? Do you want me to come over?"
As a Scout, Guan Ya had keenly sensed that something was amiss from Yuanshi's prolonged silence.
Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, trying his best to keep his voice from trembling, and said, "I'm fine, Sister Guan Ya. Thanks for the help. Something's come up on my end, so I have to hang up now!"
He couldn't wait to hang up. The moment he pressed the end-call button, his strength evaporated completely, and he slumped against the back of his chair, gasping for breath.
*Fuck! The Demon Lord isn't dead! The Demon Lord is still alive! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck...*
*If the Demon Lord isn't dead, what does that make me, the Demon Lord's successor?*
*Is keeping the character card on me a hidden danger? How could it be such a coincidence that the Demon Lord appeared that night and took away the little sun from the Fallen Holy Grail?*
*The Demon Lord didn't kill me that night. He clearly knew I possessed his character card. Did he spare me because he had some other motive?*
*Did Brother Bing know the Demon Lord was still alive? No... was the person who mailed me the character card that day truly Brother Bing?!*
All kinds of thoughts and doubts bubbled up, dense and chaotic, until his mind could no longer think straight.
The Demon Lord's appearance sparked a deep fear in Zhang Yuanqing's heart. That fear swallowed his sanity, driving him to his feet and toward the door.
—*Report it to the organization! Tell the Five Elements Alliance that the Demon Lord isn't dead, even if it means exposing my identity as the Demon Lord's successor!*
Right then, the Elvis speaker on his bedside table suddenly let out a sizzling hiss of electric current. Then, a deep voice, sounding as though it was suppressing some sort of pain, echoed out:
"For any Spirit Realm walker, only death can sever the binding of a character card. Even the five alliance leaders of the Five Elements Alliance or the supreme leaders of the evil organizations are no exception..."
Zhang Yuanqing, whose hand was already on the doorknob, froze instantly.
It was Master Wuhen's voice.
He remembered. He remembered that conversation he had once had with Master Wuhen. After the mysterious man took the "little sun," he had secretly wondered whether that man was the Demon Lord, which had caused him deep anxiety.
So the next day, he had hurried to the Wuhen Hotel in Jinshan City to ask Master Wuhen, a Dominator.
The answer he had received was the audio clip the Elvis speaker had just played.
*That's right... I clearly confirmed it. The Demon Lord is dead...* Zhang Yuanqing took several deep breaths. As his emotions settled slightly, he let go of the doorknob, walked back to the desk, and sat down.
Mulling over it, pondering...
"The Sect Master of the Taiyi Sect said the Demon Lord is dead! That peerless Night Wanderer, the strongest in the world today, is even more powerful than the five alliance leaders. Moreover, Yin Ji seemed to mention that the Sect Master's primary profession is Stargazer, renowned for being omniscient.
"Could someone like that sense it wrongly? That's obviously impossible. Furthermore, the Demon Lord was connected to many big shots—the President of the Goddess of Beauty Association, Marshal White Tiger of the Five Elements Alliance... If the Demon Lord had the skill to deceive all of them, there would have been no need for him to fake his death. That makes no sense."
People always believe what they want to believe. As if clutching concrete evidence, Zhang Yuanqing immediately overturned the possibility that the Demon Lord was still alive, feeling immense relief and joy surging within him.
"However, the Ghost Bride shouldn't be lying to me, nor does she have any reason to..."
At this thought, two questions popped up in Zhang Yuanqing's mind. First, the Demon Lord should have sensed the Ghost Bride back then, right? Why would he let her see his face?
Second, the Demon Lord had once entered Jinshui Amusement Park, so why wouldn't the Ghost Bride recognize him?
He immediately exhaled a wisp of lunar energy beside him. The faint black yin energy curled gracefully, condensing into a figure dressed in bridal robes and veiled beneath a Red Bridal Veil.
A touch alluring, a touch eerie.
"Wife, I just remembered there's something I forgot to ask." Looking at the portrait on the desk, Zhang Yuanqing said, "Do you have any impression of this person?"
The Ghost Bride stood motionless like a wraith—well, she was a wraith to begin with.
In a soft, delicate, yet slightly ethereal voice, she answered, "Husband, I do not know this man."
*She doesn't recognize him...* Zhang Yuanqing frowned at first, but then it dawned on him that Jinshui Amusement Park hadn't originally been an S-rank dungeon; its difficulty had changed under the influence of Lady Sandao.
In the original version, the ghost wedding was not a mandatory attraction.
The Demon Lord and Brother Bing probably hadn't done the ghost wedding. Or perhaps the Ghost Bride had merely been a low-level wraith back then with low intelligence, so even if she had seen him, she might not have remembered.
*Come to think of it, now that I've taken the Ghost Bride away, the difficulty of Jinshui Amusement Park might be downgraded to A-rank. Ah well, who cares...* Zhang Yuanqing said, "I understand. Thank you, wife."
Just then, light footsteps passed outside the door and gradually faded into the distance.
It was probably one of the bunny girls walking by.
From beneath the Red Bridal Veil, the Ghost Bride's delighted voice suddenly drifted out: "There are so many young women here. Which one does Husband fancy? I can possess her and consummate our marriage with Husband."
Although the Spirit Realm's setting for her was a bride-to-be keen on choosing a husband, the Ghost Bride was an astral body without physical flesh.
*Ah, this...* Zhang Yuanqing only now realized that the Ghost Bride had so many applications! Did marrying a single ghost mean marrying thousands upon thousands of beauties?
He cleared his throat. "Having my wife by my side is more than enough to satisfy me."
He quickly swallowed the Ghost Bride back into his belly.
With this brief interlude, Zhang Yuanqing's mood calmed considerably, and his train of thought grew much clearer.
*If... if the mysterious man isn't the Demon Lord, why would he disguise himself as the Demon Lord? He certainly wasn't putting on a show for Hei Wuchang—there's no need to act in front of a dead man.*
*Assuming the mysterious man sensed the Ghost Bride peeking, then he disguised himself for her to see. But what was the purpose? Did he want to relay a message through the Ghost Bride to someone? To me?*
*Yet there is no way he could have predicted I would return to Jinshui Amusement Park, nor that I would subdue the Ghost Bride... Wait. If that person could disguise himself with the Demon Lord's appearance, he must know the Demon Lord very well. Could he also have predicted that at some point in the future, I would obtain a teleportation jade talisman?*
His thoughts were becoming clearer, yet all his questions ultimately circled back to the initial puzzle: what was the mysterious man's purpose in impersonating the Demon Lord?
And why did he deliberately show his face to the Ghost Bride?
Compared to his initial confusion about who the mysterious man was, he had merely shifted from one question to another; it had done nothing to bring him closer to uncovering the truth.
*Still, at least there's a direction now. The final answer is always pieced together little by little through collecting clues. Rather than agonizing over the mysterious man's motives, what I need to decide right now is: should I pretend nothing happened and keep this secret, or confess the truth to the organization and seek protection? Maybe the Five Elements Alliance could give me an answer.*
After weighing the pros and cons for a moment, Zhang Yuanqing chose to conceal the matter.
Whatever the mysterious man was plotting or aiming for, he had not presented any immediate pressure or crisis.
On the other hand, if his identity as the Demon Lord's successor were exposed, the factions and prominent figures involved with the Demon Lord—at least the ones Zhang Yuanqing knew of—were already far beyond what even Elder-level figures could shield him from.
Sweeping aside the layers of fog and looking strictly at the core issue of "danger," anyone with a brain would choose the former.
***
Wuhen Hotel.
At 4:30 in the afternoon, after the peak hours for food delivery had passed, Kou Beiyue finally had time to return to the hotel. Pushing open the glass doors, he first stood under the air conditioning vent by the entrance, enjoying the modern convenience of human technology.
Then, letting out a satisfied sigh, he walked over to the front desk and said, "Xiao Yuan, I gathered some vital intelligence."
Xiao Yuan looked down at her phone without raising her head, letting out a perfunctory "Mm."
Dissatisfied, Kou Beiyue slapped the marble counter of the front desk and grumbled indignantly, "It really is important intelligence!"
Xiao Yuan gave another "Mm." "Is it that Yuanshi Tianzun came out of a dungeon? Or that a dungeon guide triggered a dispute between the Taiyi Sect and the Five Elements Alliance? Or that Heavenly King Demonic Eye went missing? Or that some evil class murdered someone somewhere?"
"Y-You're bringing up ancient gossip! Mine is brand-new!" Kou Beiyue glared and said, "I found out that the evil organizations are going to hold a summit in Jiangnan Province to discuss how to assassinate Yuanshi Tianzun. He's in huge danger!"
With an "I knew it" look on her face, Xiao Yuan set down her phone and looked at him solemnly. "In which year haven't the evil organizations held a summit? In which year haven't they targeted the official faction's geniuses?"
"..." Kou Beiyue choked on his words. Unwilling to concede, he argued, "Whatever, I'm not talking to you anymore. Anyway, I already agreed with Human Blood Bun that I'll use participating in the killing trial as an excuse to go to Jiangnan Province and attend the summit."
Xiao Yuan's indifferent expression broke as her eyes widened abruptly. In a grave voice, she demanded, "You're going to attend the summit?!"
Seeing Xiao Yuan's dark expression, Kou Beiyue's momentum instantly deflated, and he asked meekly, "Y-Yeah... Is there a problem? Don't worry, I definitely won't enter the killing trial. I'm just fooling them so I can attend the summit and gather intel."
Xiao Yuan sneered. "You think you're the smartest, do you? The higher-ups of the Spirit Society, the Soldier Master sect, and the Nihility Sect are all fools, and I'm a fool too. How did I ever raise an idiot like you?"
Kou Beiyue was unconvinced, but he didn't dare argue with Xiao Yuan, whom he viewed as both an elder sister and a mother figure.
Xiao Yuan's face turned stern. "The summit isn't something just anyone can attend. You need recommendations from the three major organizations, and there are other tests at the entrance. You're acquainted with Yuanshi Tianzun, and you cultivate under Master Wuhen. You aren't on the same path as them.
"The moment your identity is exposed, you're dead for sure!"
Kou Beiyue's face changed instantly, and he stammered, "There are other tests? Human Blood Bun didn't mention any of this to me..."
Xiao Yuan scoffed. "Exactly. Why didn't Human Blood Bun mention it to you?"
Seeing that Kou Beiyue hadn't caught on, Xiao Yuan raised her voice in frustration, sounding just like a mother tutoring a hopeless child with homework: "He's testing you! He wants to see your origins, your background, to see if there's something fishy about you!"
Kou Beiyue finally understood and blurted out, "T-Then I won't go."
"Then Human Blood Bun will know something's wrong with you—or at least suspect you. You won't be able to hang out with him anymore, and you can't deliver food either," Xiao Yuan said.
Kou Beiyue nodded, feeling somewhat reluctant. "I heard that the higher-ups of the evil organizations issued a strict order: either Fu Qingyang or Yuanshi Tianzun must die. I wanted to blend in and see what arrangements they're making..."
Xiao Yuan's expression shifted, and she changed her tune: "If you insist on attending the summit, it's not as though there's no way."
Overjoyed, Kou Beiyue asked, "What way?"
"Ask Master Wuhen for help. He can help you conceal yourself from the evil organizations' tests. Back when I was in the Transcendent stage, I attended the summit once, and Master Wuhen helped me then. That's how I know there's a testing procedure at the entrance." Saying this, Xiao Yuan stepped out from behind the counter and walked toward the depths of the hotel.
"Wait a minute!" Kou Beiyue eyed her suspiciously. "Why did you change your mind the moment I said either Yuanshi Tianzun or Fu Qingyang has to die? Aren't you worried I'll be in danger?"
"No one would suspect an idiot like you of being an undercover agent," Xiao Yuan replied calmly.
"Liar!" Kou Beiyue snapped angrily. "It's because of Yuanshi Tianzun, isn't it? Am I not as important as Yuanshi Tianzun in your heart? Xiao Yuan, I consider you the most important person, yet all you care about is Yuanshi Tianzun!"
He swallowed the word "Sis."
"That's not true."
"Yes it is!"
"It isn't."
***
At 7:30 in the evening.
Having finished dinner, Zhang Yuanqing sat before his computer. The screen was lit, displaying the interface of a conference software developed internally by the officials.
With practiced ease, Zhang Yuanqing entered his ID account name, "Yuanshi Tianzun," and his password, then clicked log in.
Login successful.
The interface abruptly shifted, revealing a layout similar to online classroom software, looking like a miniature bird's-eye view of a large lecture hall.
At the very front was the "podium," and below it were profile pictures accompanied by Spirit Realm IDs.
Yuanshi Tianzun was in the first seat of the front row, with Zhao Chenghuang beside him, and Sun Miaomiao beside Zhao Chenghuang.
Apart from them, he also saw familiar figures like World Returns to Fire, Jiang Jingwei, Yuan Ting, Maoshan Daoist, and Crossing-River Pawn.
Thirty-eight people in total.
It was worth mentioning that because Qingsongzi had conspired with Zhu Rong to secretly harm Yuanshi Tianzun, he had been locked up by the Five Elements Alliance and missed out on the killing trial.
At that moment, the Elders on the podium had not yet logged on, and the participants were all muted.
In the chat box below, lines of text began popping up:
[Jiang Jingwei: Yuanshi Tianzun is here! Let's swap seats, I want the first seat!]
[Little Match Boy: Respectfully welcoming Yuanshi Tianzun! Long live Venerable Tianzun!]
[Peony Fairy: Yuanshi Tianzun, once we enter the killing trial, can I follow you, pretty please?]
[Maoshan Daoist: Heh!]
[Long Live the White Tiger: Venerable Tianzun has arrived! Tsk tsk, once we enter the killing trial, I'll advance and retreat alongside Tianzun!]
[Jiang Jingwei: Don't type so fast, you're burying what I said!]
Chapter 239