"The meeting ended before I could even ask about the killing trial? Is Elder Shibu in a hurry to kill someone, or rushing off to a date?" Zhang Yuanqing grumbled internally as he closed the conference software, opened the officially developed internal email client, and logged into his Yuanshi Tianzun account.
Sure enough, an email from headquarters had arrived:
#List of Evil Organization Transcendent Stage Members and Rogue Walkers#
Zhang Yuanqing clicked to download the two attached spreadsheets, opening the evil organizations' Transcendent stage roster first.
1: A-Yi: Level 3 Witch Doctor.
2: Good Ministers Slay Their Masters: Level 3 Illusionist.
3: My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven's: Level 3 Illusionist.
4: Human Nature Is Evil: Level 3 Illusionist.
5: Nothing Is Taboo: Level 3 Bewitching Demon.
6: Trampling the High Heavens: Level 3 Witch Doctor.
7: ...
"Every single Spirit Realm ID from this bunch reeks of hostility." Zhang Yuanqing felt a touch disappointed at the absence of embarrassing, socially fatal usernames.
Then again, it made sense. Those who walked evil professions were mostly people consumed by bitter hatred. Who had the leisure to come up with hilariously shameful names?
The list held ten names in total, all seeded contenders cultivated by the three great evil organizations. Each came with commentary and combat records, and every one of them was an exceptionally dangerous figure.
The top three—A-Yi, Good Ministers Slay Their Masters, and My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven's—stood out above all. Each had successfully entrapped and hunted Level 4 Saints.
Whether through engineered ambushes, powerful items, or coordinated teamwork, regardless of the methods used, they had overcome superior foes and slain Saints.
After all, a chasm separated the Saint stage from the Transcendent stage. It was not something any random Level 3 walker could accomplish simply by gathering a few friends.
"With my current strength, backed by spirit servants and items, hunting a Level 4 Saint wouldn't be a problem, but it would have to be someone newly advanced. If their experience exceeded fifty percent, the outcome would be uncertain; at ninety percent, even playing every card I have wouldn't secure a win.
"The monsters cultivated by the evil organizations really are terrifying..."
Zhang Yuanqing suddenly thought of Li Xianzhong. Had the man not died, he would easily have ranked among the top five.
Back in Yinyang Town, killing him had depended entirely on opportunism. By the time they reached their final showdown, Li Xianzhong had fought through two trials, suffered at the hands of the ultimate boss, carried lingering injuries, and seen his stamina severely depleted.
Meanwhile, once Zhang Yuanqing activated the Yinyang Array, his water and fire avatars possessed no concept of stamina, allowing him to wear Li Xianzhong down to death.
*One-on-one, I'm not afraid. But if they gang up on me, it'll be far worse...* Zhang Yuanqing clicked open the rogue walkers' roster next.
1: I Alone Am Supreme: Level 3 Water Ghost.
2: All Under Heaven Is White: Level 3 Bewitching Demon.
3: Undead Knight: Level 3 Night Wanderer.
4: Justice Lies in the Blade: Level 3 Witch Doctor.
5: Peeking Through a Tube: Level 3 Earth Monster.
6: Dropout Fish: Level 3 Scout.
7: ...
The rogue list made no distinction between lawful and evil factions. Prominent civilian names, walkers with rich combat achievements, and Transcendent stage powerhouses monitored by official forces were all compiled together.
Among them, the first-ranked "I Alone Am Supreme" and the sixth-ranked "Dropout Fish" were highlighted in red, marking them for special attention.
I Alone Am Supreme's listed achievement was fighting a Five Elements Alliance Deacon to a draw in a duel!
This individual possessed an item called the "Water God Seal," which could conjure an actual body of water. A Water Ghost with geographical advantage could rival any peak profession.
Coupled with I Alone Am Supreme's masterful water manipulation, no Saint could kill him before his strength was exhausted, barring items or skills specifically designed to counter the water element.
"Conjuring a real body of water... that's somewhat similar to my Yinyang Robe. Regardless of the list, anyone who takes first place has real tricks up their sleeve. Then there's this Dropout Fish..."
Zhang Yuanqing read the commentary and notes beside the name, which consisted of a single, terse line: *Dual blades. Superb blade technique. Suspected to possess strength rivaling a Swordsman. Rarely acts.*
"If I remember correctly, Swordsman is the advanced profession for a Scout. Dropout Fish possesses strength rivaling a Swordsman? Does that refer to an item? But if it were an item, the notes would have stated it outright... Superb blade technique? Is that why he rivals a Swordsman?"
Aside from those two, the top ten on the rogue list were all top-tier figures, yet they fell noticeably short when compared to officially cultivated seeds like Zhao Chenghuang.
There was still a divide between regular troops and mercenaries.
"I'm already among the very best of the participants. They should fear me, not the other way around. Still, the killing trial involves Saint stage perils. In such a complex environment, real combat is a different matter. After all, I'm only stronger than them, not completely overwhelming..."
Sitting by the desk, Zhang Yuanqing deduced the various scenarios he might encounter after entering the dungeon, watching the hours slip swiftly by.
***
Early the next morning, Kou Beiyue arrived at the logistics company run by Human Blood Bun. The two had agreed the previous night to meet here before heading to Jiangnan Province for the summit.
Kou Beiyue had deliberately put on mature-looking black trousers and a black shirt, only to find Human Blood Bun standing at the company entrance still dressed in a food delivery courier's uniform.
He asked in astonishment, "You're not changing?"
The baby-faced Human Blood Bun countered, "Why should I change?"
Kou Beiyue said as if it were obvious, "For such an important occasion, you have to mind your attire. A delivery uniform lacks dignity. Wearing it to a formal gathering will just invite contempt."
Human Blood Bun chuckled. "Anyone who dares look down on me can just be killed. If I can't beat them, then being despised by someone stronger is only natural. Besides, delivery is a sacred profession. In this uniform, I feel as though I've donned battle armor.
"Beiyue, people like us do as we please. Don't worry so much about rules. You don't act like a Bewitching Demon at all."
*Xiao Yuan always tells me to obey the rules and carry myself with dignity...* Unable to persuade him and unwilling to listen to him ramble, Kou Beiyue said, "Are we setting off now?"
Human Blood Bun pointed to the black business van parked outside the company. "We'll take that van over. But before we leave..."
He stepped up to Kou Beiyue and patted him down, searching from top to bottom, explaining with a smile, "Standard procedure. Go on, take out your phone, turn it off, and leave it at the company."
After a thorough search confirmed that Kou Beiyue had only one phone and no spare communication devices, Human Blood Bun waved over a courier and handed the phone off.
"Don't lose it, all right? It's brand new. Cost me fifteen hundred yuan."
Kou Beiyue's eyes followed his beloved phone.
He was not worried about anyone prying into the device. Before coming, he had deleted every contact for Xiao Yuan, Yuanshi Tianzun, and the rest of Master Wuhen's crew.
The two climbed into the business van. The electric sliding doors closed on their own, and the vehicle pulled into the roadway, steadily driving away.
***
Zhang Yuanqing's morning began with soft knocks at his door from a bunny girl.
*Seriously, I didn't ask for bed service... wait, I mean wake-up service,* Zhang Yuanqing grumbled irritably, calling out, "What is it!"
He assumed it was time for breakfast.
The bunny girl outside spoke in a gentle, melodic voice. "Mister Yuanshi, the Young Master asked me to invite you downstairs. He's waiting for you on basement level one."
*Waiting for me on B1... Did he hunt down a Bewitching Demon?* Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up, his sleepiness vanishing instantly. He threw off the quilt, pulled on his clothes, washed up in haste, and hurried down to the basement.
With the bunny girl swiping him through the private holding cells' access doors, Zhang Yuanqing found Fu Qingyang in the second cell near the staircase.
The snow-white-clad Centurion stood straight as a spear in the single cell.
Lying on the bed was a tall, curvaceous... stunner.
Indeed, the evil walker Fu Qingyang had hunted down for him this time was a woman. She had a delicate oval face, an elegant, straight nose, lovely crimson lips, and long, straight eyebrows. Her eyes were closed beneath dense lashes.
The instant Zhang Yuanqing saw her, the thought flashed through his mind: *Which live-streaming influencer is this?*
This Bewitching Demon's face fit the classic influencer mold, and among the very highest tier of that look at that.
Her body was mature and fiery. Even lying flat, her generous chest was unmistakable; her waist was slender, her stomach flat, and below her waist, her curves swelled generously into rounded thighs and a firm, high seat.
It was a gym-sculpted physique crafted specifically to entice the opposite sex.
Seeing him enter, Fu Qingyang nodded in greeting, then looked toward the woman on the bed to brief him: "With limited time, this was the only body I could secure. Her Spirit Realm ID is 'Blood Rose,' a Level 3 Bewitching Demon with around forty percent experience. She worked as an influencer and harbored an intensely pathological hatred for men.
"She specialized in manipulating men in her stream to shower her with gifts, then asked for their contact information, lured wealthy men offline with her looks, and murdered them. The White Tiger Guards have had an eye on her for a long time, intending to play the long game to uncover the faction behind her..."
Having outlined her background, Fu Qingyang added, "I just fed her poison. In another three minutes, she will be completely dead."
The Money Prince looked detached, his tone placid, as if executing a piece of worthless garbage rather than a stunningly gorgeous woman.
Given Blood Rose's crimes, death was naturally the fairest sentence.
Fu Qingyang glanced toward a cart in the corner of the room. "I've prepared the materials for refining a yin corpse. Additionally, there is an Explosive Stone and a piece of Spirit Wood. In the five elements, Wood fuels Fire; the two attributes will complement each other, and this is the limit of what you can currently refine. If it fails, I'll provide another set."
*Provide another set if it fails...* Zhang Yuanqing nearly dropped to his knees in reverence. Back when he bought the materials for Corpse No. 1, it had cost him a full four million yuan.
Feigning modesty, Zhang Yuanqing said, "Centurion, how much do the materials cost? I'll transfer the money to you."
Fu Qingyang glanced at him and said coolly, "Use the method you're best at."
Zhang Yuanqing bowed deeply on the spot. "Thank you for your patronage, Centurion! The Centurion is wise and valiant, winning people over with virtue! I am proud to have joined the White Tiger Guards, and I will remain loyal to the Centurion forever!"
Fu Qingyang gave a satisfied "mm." "She's dead. Begin."
Without delaying any longer, Zhang Yuanqing walked over to the cart and skillfully mixed the ink used for drawing spirit talismans. Holding the cup filled with ink in one hand and a fine brush in the other, he stepped to the bedside.
Placing the cup and brush on the nightstand, he summoned the Bloodthirsty Blade. The edge ran down Blood Rose's collar, slitting her T-shirt, then sliced through her skirt, stripping the body bare in moments.
The corpse still held residual warmth, resting in optimal condition. Poison was the best method for preserving a physical shell. Though Zhang Yuanqing had never specified this to Fu Qingyang, how could the Money Prince, with all his experience, fail to know?
Zhang Yuanqing lifted the brush and drew spirit talismans across Blood Rose's flesh, fusing her residual spirit body back into the shell.
Fu Qingyang had not been mistaken; this female Bewitching Demon indeed harbored a severe aversion to men, as she remained tightly guarded and pristine.
With his experience from refining Corpse No. 1, he worked swiftly, completing both the array pattern and body inscriptions in under half an hour.
Placing Blood Rose's body, the Explosive Stone, and the Spirit Wood into the array, Zhang Yuanqing's eyes flooded with pitch-black energy as he channeled lunar energy into the spirit talisman formation.
Amidst an array of shifting, kaleidoscopic light, his second yin corpse was refined.
Impatient, Zhang Yuanqing stirred the brand in his sea of consciousness to inspect the yin corpse's abilities.
First, the Bewitching Demon's passive trait, "Bloodthirsty Frenzy," had been preserved. Second, the Spirit Wood granted the yin corpse enduring stamina, similar to Corpse No. 1's resilience.
There was no need for its master to constantly replenish it with lunar energy; the yin corpse maintained tremendous endurance on its own. Even if Zhang Yuanqing's stamina were entirely drained, the corpse could keep battling for three hundred rounds.
Next came flame resistance. The corpse could hold out in burning flames for half an hour, reducing damage from attacks like fireballs and fire spears by fifty percent.
Finally came the blended ability derived from the Spirit Wood and Explosive Stone. The yin corpse could use its internal wood-attribute spiritual energy as fuel to trigger the Explosive Stone's power, unleashing a brief surge of immense combat prowess similar to the Saint stage Fire Specialist skill, "Rager."
Of course, it could not reach that level of amplification.
The cost was that the burst lasted only five minutes. Once time ran out, the corpse would enter a weakened state with heavily reduced combat capability, requiring two hours to recover.
*Stacking this burst ability with the Bewitching Demon's Bloodthirsty Frenzy... who knows how far these two buffs will push her? She feels significantly stronger than Corpse No. 1...* Zhang Yuanqing was overjoyed.
He reckoned that with both buffs active, even if his yin corpse could not beat Zhao Chenghuang's Saint stage corpse, she could at least hold her own for a time.
Watching the refinement finish, Fu Qingyang said, "I have other matters to attend to."
Without waiting for Zhang Yuanqing's reply, he turned and left.
"Take care, Centurion!" Zhang Yuanqing called out after his retreating figure.
Once the Centurion's footsteps faded, Zhang Yuanqing scrutinized his yin corpse: a pointed chin, large eyes, flawless facial features, a classic influencer appearance. Only her wide, round eyes were dull and lifeless.
That diminished her charm considerably.
*Right! I can have the Ghost Bride possess the yin corpse. A 'fresh' body is the ideal vessel for a spirit servant!* A sudden spark of inspiration gave Zhang Yuanqing the idea to combine his spirit servant with the yin corpse.
No sooner had the thought occurred than he exhaled the Ghost Bride.
As the female ghost in her vivid red bridal gown appeared, an eerie, somber chill filled the room.
"Wife, try entering this body."
Hearing this, the Ghost Bride drifted toward the yin corpse, her red-robed form overlapping with the flesh.
The next instant, a glimmer of spiritual light coalesced deep within Blood Rose's pretty eyes. Her lashes fluttered, and a pair of lively eyes gazed tenderly at Zhang Yuanqing, filled with affection.
A melodious voice floated from her cherry-red lips:
"Husband, is this the physical body you found for this humble wife?"
Delighted, she spun in a circle, a gentle, radiant smile gracing her face.
Her smile and expression were indistinguishable from a living person's.
*Though her fundamental nature as a yin corpse hasn't changed, having someone beside me who can speak and laugh is far better than dragging a cold corpse around...* Zhang Yuanqing nodded and went along with it. "As long as you like it!"
The Ghost Bride's eyes flickered with deep affection as she moved toward Zhang Yuanqing. Her steps were light, elegant, and dainty, instantly bringing to mind the image of lotus-like footfalls.
She leaned blissfully into her husband's embrace.
Zhang Yuanqing had initially intended to push her away, but considering that "bride" was the character identity the Spirit Realm had assigned her, forcibly demanding that she keep her distance and remember her place might conflict with her persona, causing negative repercussions.
For example, lower loyalty, heightened resentment, or corrupted yin energy... so he simply let her be. There was no one around anyway.
Just then, the Ghost Bride murmured shyly, "Husband, in finding this body for this humble wife, did you intend for us to consummate our marriage?"
Only the lack of blood in a yin corpse kept her face from flushing crimson.
Zhang Yuanqing suddenly felt as though he had shot himself in the foot. Without a physical body, he could have brushed it off with excuses; now that she had one, he couldn't think of a reason to refuse.
*But I'm not the Demon Lord!*
Right at that moment, steady footsteps echoed down the corridor, and Fu Qingyang appeared outside the doorway.
He had likely returned after forgetting to mention something, but that no longer mattered. The moment the Money Prince saw the scene inside, his calm gaze snapped taut.
Across that perpetually detached face flashed bewilderment, shock, disgust, and a deep pang of heartache...
Zhang Yuanqing froze, his voice trembling. "Centurion, let me explain—"
Fu Qingyang said coldly, "Save your breath. Stay away from Guan Ya in the future."
Zhang Yuanqing: "..."
***
Three hours later, the business van arrived in Jiangnan Province, pulling into a place called Tong Town.
It appeared to be a tourist destination. Visitors holding umbrellas bustled about the lively streets. There were no paved roads here, only flagstones. Clear river water wound through the town as black-awning boats carrying passengers glided gently beneath stone arch bridges.
Taverns and teahouses lined both banks, their fabric shop banners fluttering in the light breeze.
After buying tickets to the scenic area, Kou Beiyue followed Human Blood Bun into the ancient town. Walking through the antique Jiangnan setting, as an underage youth who had rarely traveled, he felt eager to explore.
Before they had walked far, however, the two arrived outside a teahouse.
Human Blood Bun lowered his voice. "This is the summit venue. Once inside, remember not to speak out of turn."
Kou Beiyue spoke up immediately: "I need to use the bathroom."
That was the truth. After a three-hour drive from Songhai to Tong Town, he had needed a restroom for a while.
"I told you to drain your tank at the rest stop, but you wouldn't go..." Human Blood Bun grumbled in annoyance. "There's a restroom inside. I'll go with you."
The two entered the teahouse, asked the front desk for directions, and headed straight for the corner restroom.
Kou Beiyue bypassed the urinals and slipped into a stall. While unzipping, he opened his inventory and retrieved a pitch-black jade talisman.
He had deliberately avoided using the rest stop bathroom just to create an opportunity to use this jade talisman.
Before entering the venue, a test was guaranteed. Prior to that test, he needed to contact Master Wuhen to borrow his power and bluff his way through.
*Flush—*
*Snap—*
Under cover of the flushing toilet, Kou Beiyue gently crushed the jade talisman. An invisible ripple immediately expanded, washing through his soul like a spring breeze.
Kou Beiyue tossed the talisman fragments into the bowl to let the swirling water flush them away, zipped up, and pushed open the stall door.
"Let's go!" he said to Human Blood Bun waiting outside.
Chapter 241