Holy shit! Zhang Yuanqing broke out in a cold sweat, instantly grasping the gravity of the situation.
The reason Spirit Realm walkers nowadays are willing to keep to the rules is largely that Morality Points restrain their bolder ideas.
Even the most vicious Evil professions have to weigh the consequences of their Morality Points dropping below sixty, and so they only dare to stir up trouble in subtle, small-scale ways instead of running amok.
You could say that the stability of modern society—and the ability to keep the existence of Spirit Realm walkers hidden from the masses—depends crucially on Morality Points.
Just imagine: if superhumans were making trouble everywhere, even the authorities couldn't cover it up if they wanted to.
To get back to the point: the Order camp and the Evil camp fight endlessly, yet on the whole they leave each other in peace, again because Morality Points exist.
Otherwise, the Evil professions would have far too many tricks at their disposal.
And now there was a high-tier Night Walker, an ancient big shot who had also trained in Illusionist spells, with no Morality Points to hold him back. It was terrifying just to think about.
The tomb incident had escalated again. He had to inform Fu Qingyang as soon as possible and have him pass the news to the Hangcheng branch, or even headquarters.
Zhang Yuanqing drew a deep breath and asked:
"My Lady, what rank exactly is your master?"
Lady Sandao parted her red lips. "Golden Crow!"
A Dominator. Zhang Yuanqing sighed, and not a shred of hope remained.
In the Northern Song era that man had been invincible under heaven. His disciple—herself a Golden Crow—had led the entire sect to besiege him, and it had cost them terribly to seal him. With fighting strength like that, how could he be a Saint? He had to be a Dominator.
Lady Sandao said:
"Don't worry too much. He was sealed for a thousand years and is extremely weak; for now he can't stir up any storms. He should choose to lie low and recover in secret."
"He can still recover? Isn't there no spirit power left in the real world?" Zhang Yuanqing frowned.
Lady Sandao glanced at him.
"But there are Spirit Realm walkers—Starlords like you, Illusionists. The spirit power in your bodies is the finest nourishment. With enough nourishment, he'll recover quickly."
Wasn't that the man-eating evil art from the late Song and early Ming? The Pure Yang Sect Master's main targets were Illusionists and Night Walkers. Zhang Yuanqing's heart grew heavy.
Lady Sandao drove the knife in deeper.
"My master hates me to the bone and will surely take revenge. You used the Demon-Subduing Pestle in front of him, which means he has marked you. Be careful from now on."
Zhang Yuanqing's expression went blank. He thought, so having my identity as the Demon Lord's successor exposed isn't such a big deal after all.
Evil organizations have marked me, an ancient fiend has marked me—I've got the whole world against me now.
Seeing the young man with the silver tongue deflate on the spot, Lady Sandao's lips curved upward.
"You're already tangled in karma. One more tangle won't hurt."
On that cool, aloof face there was a rare hint of teasing amusement.
Zhang Yuanqing sighed. "My Lady, the companion staying next door also went down into the tomb. Please allow me to go check on her."
Hearing this, the old crone turned her gaze toward the wall, and a dreamlike starlight surfaced in her clear, beautiful eyes. A moment later she withdrew her gaze and said:
"No need. She hasn't been possessed."
Zhang Yuanqing nodded.
He hadn't thought Old Driver could be possessed either. Swordsmen had the passive skill Iron Will—firm willpower and tough spirit—and the Pure Yang Sect Master was weakened, so possessing Guan Ya was unlikely.
Besides, on the ride back he and Guan Ya had sat in the back seat, and whenever the Queen and Little Green Tea weren't looking, Zhang Yuanqing had gotten in plenty of groping at Old Driver's rear and thighs.
If the Pure Yang Sect Master had possessed Guan Ya, then the exalted Sect Master—Guan Ya might put up with a greenhorn pawing at her like that, but a Sect Master could not.
His earlier panic had come from a lover's instinctive worry, not from reason.
Then the old crone asked:
"Do you know the Demon Lord?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she noticed the young man's breathing suddenly quicken, then rapidly steady.
Zhang Yuanqing said gravely:
"The Demon Lord was outrageously lecherous—rape, plunder, no evil was beyond him. This junior never met him, but I've heard of his foul reputation. Mm, the man Bai Lan saw back then was the Demon Lord."
Hearing Yuanshi Tianzun's description of the Demon Lord, Lady Sandao recalled Commandery Princess Yinyao's reaction at the time, and her face darkened at once.
After the latter half of his words, the old crone raised an eyebrow. "Him? What is your relationship with him?"
Zhang Yuanqing shook his head.
"This junior has no connection with the Demon Lord. Moreover, the man Bai Lan saw wasn't the Demon Lord—someone disguised himself as the Demon Lord. The real Demon Lord is already dead; an Alliance Leader-level Spirit Realm walker vouched for it, so it can't be false."
The old crone nodded and asked no more.
"Have the authorities of your real world issue a wanted notice. It would be best to capture the Pure Yang Sect Master before he recovers. Be very careful in everything you do—he won't let you go. I know his methods well. Once he has recovered most of his strength, he will definitely come for you. And he will definitely find you."
So you're just pinning this on me? Zhang Yuanqing felt a chill at her words.
"If you find any trace of the Pure Yang Sect Master, inform me at once," Lady Sandao said heavily. "So long as my master lives, I cannot eat or sleep in peace."
With that, she was about to return to the Spirit Realm, but Zhang Yuanqing called her back. "Wait—My Lady, this junior may hold an official post, but my sleeves are empty and I love the people as my own children. I couldn't bring myself to embezzle or extort..."
Lady Sandao frowned.
"Speak plainly!"
Zhang Yuanqing said, "The materials to summon you are too expensive. I can't afford them, and the authorities don't reimburse me every time."
Lady Sandao was taken aback—so it was these yellow-and-white things. Since her ascension to Golden Crow she had dined on wind and drunk dew, roaming the world, and had long regarded gold and silver as dung. She had overlooked that Yuanshi Tianzun lived in the real world, where nothing could be done without money.
She pondered for a few seconds.
"Did you obtain any of the Pure Yang Sect's cultivation texts in the demon-sealing ground?"
"I did!"
"In the Taiyin Soul Refining Chapter there is a talisman called the Evil-Breaking Talisman—a high-grade talisman drawn with the divine power of the sun. I will teach you the technique for drawing it. From now on you can use the divine power of the sun within the Demon-Subduing Pestle to make Evil-Breaking Talismans, which will fetch you some silver," she said.
I'm rich. Zhang Yuanqing was overjoyed and bowed his head to the ground. "Thank you, My Lady!"
She nodded in satisfaction, then asked:
"When will you enter the Spirit Realm again?"
"Within half a month."
The old crone pondered for a few seconds. "I will give you several summoning scrolls. In the future, once you have returned to the real world, use them to call me."
Ah... A pang of reluctance rose in Zhang Yuanqing's heart. "This junior understands."
In the end, the Demon-Subduing Pestle had to be returned; he couldn't keep someone's yang soul for himself. If the old crone had been some evil demon, he might well have pocketed the pestle.
But this aloof Lady was unexpectedly upright, and she had treated him well besides.
By feeling and by reason, he had to return it. Fortunately the old crone hadn't cut off this bond of karma—she had agreed to give him the parchment.
At first light, Zhang Yuanqing sat at his desk and stretched.
On the desk lay a thick stack of yellow paper talismans, their spirit script flowing, every stroke completed in one breath, carrying an indescribable Daoist resonance. These were the talismans the old crone had drawn.
The trash can was stuffed with crumpled yellow paper, the bright red strokes crooked and skewed—Zhang Yuanqing's failed drafts.
He had practiced all night and hadn't produced a single success.
A few had come close, but in the end a single slip of Zhang Yuanqing's hand had ruined the whole talisman, which left the Five Elements Alliance's young genius thoroughly dejected.
But the old crone had sighed and remarked that ancient cultivators studied talisman drawing for three years before they could even begin, whereas the Spirit Realm simply bestowed on them the gift of spirit script; in as little as a few days, or as long as half a month, they could master a high-grade talisman.
"To ancient cultivators, cultivation was the work of a lifetime, advancing slowly, so they had plenty of time to study their own abilities and develop all kinds of spells. But for Spirit Realm walkers, there's an instance once a month and a life-or-death solo instance every three months—just surviving takes everything they have. Who has time to research spells?"
That was why a contemporary Spirit Realm walker with good talent could become a regional big shot in just a few years.
An ancient cultivator, by contrast, might toil for half a lifetime and only reach Saint—and that was when the spirit power of heaven and earth had not yet thinned.
But ancient cultivators had a low death rate, while Spirit Realm walkers died at a high rate. After a few years, a whole crop of mid- and low-level "geniuses" might be replaced.
Gain always comes with loss.
Putting the yellow paper talismans back in the drawer, Zhang Yuanqing pinched the bridge of his nose and once again felt a headache coming on over the Pure Yang Sect Master.
"Night Walker is a peak profession to begin with, and the Pure Yang Sect Master also knows a pile of flashy spells, plus he's trained in Illusionist skills—and Illusionist is another peak profession. Add to that a heart demon gnawing at him, raving mad, with no bottom line in what he does..."
Zhang Yuanqing thought, who could possibly stand against that?
"I certainly can't, that's for sure. Report it to Fu Qingyang—when the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up; let the elders have the headache. Hmm, but I'm in danger too. I've essentially taken on part of the old crone's karma. The upside is that my entanglement with her has deepened."
The deeper the entanglement of karma, the harder it was to disentangle. Without this business with the Pure Yang Sect Master, for example, his karma with the old crone would most likely have ended once he returned the Demon-Subduing Pestle.
But now that the Pure Yang Sect Master had appeared, there was no shaking her off anytime soon.
He rose from the desk, transformed into a streak of dreamlike starlight, and vanished from the bedroom.
Mute Village.
In the ancient tomb in the mountains, within the main burial chamber, a golden light pierced the earth and shone into the dim underground palace.
"Commandery Princess, Commandery Princess! That old witch is back again—"
The Yin Jade Doll set in the wall niche let out a shrill, childish scream and toppled over with a clatter.
In the neighboring niches, the Ghost Mirror and the silver box of rouge trembled.
Commandery Princess Yinyao floated out of the jade coffin and stood in attendance beside it, watching Lady Sandao slowly descend within the golden light. She said respectfully:
"Master! You went to the real world?"
"Then—that man who summoned you, was he Yuanshi Tianzun?"
Lady Sandao descended slowly to the ground and the golden light faded. She nodded.
"The very same."
Before Commandery Princess Yinyao could "speak," the old crone said coldly, "Do you still have unfinished wishes in this place?"
Commandery Princess Yinyao's pale face went blank for a moment. "What does Master mean?"
The old crone said:
"Within half a month, I will find a way to get you out of the Spirit Realm to serve Yuanshi Tianzun. Your master owes him a debt of gratitude. He will face a crisis before long, and you are to protect him. As for the matter of the jade coffin, I will not hold it against you."
Commandery Princess Yinyao stood frozen on the spot.
Fujia Bay.
It was first light—five thirty in the morning, half an hour before the bunny girls' shift began. Zhang Yuanqing went straight to the door of the third-floor master bedroom, raised his hand, and knocked: bang, bang, bang.
Fu Qingyang had a nasty flaw: he was far too much of an entitled young master, with strict rules. The bunny girls didn't dare disturb him during his rest hours for fear of being scolded.
Zhang Yuanqing didn't want to put them in a difficult spot either.
The bunny girls staying in the guest rooms on the same floor opened their doors, still bleary-eyed, and poked their heads out. Seeing it was Yuanshi Tianzun, they silently withdrew.
A dozen seconds later, the master bedroom door opened automatically. An armor-clad puppet stood in the doorway, "cold and heartless," and said, in a voice that clearly meant "I really want to beat you to death":
"Why didn't you call?"
I'm right next door—why call when I can just glide over? Zhang Yuanqing said:
"Boss, I've seen the Lady. I have something important to report."
"Wait in the study!" Fu Qingyang's cold voice came from inside the armor puppet.
Zhang Yuanqing lowered his voice. "I think it's best we talk now."
The tone of "I really want to beat you to death" became "I'll listen first, then decide whether to beat you to death."
"Come in! Wait in the outer room."
Zhang Yuanqing entered the bedroom at once and looked around. Behind the door was a spacious outer room: in the center, a fine reception sofa and tea table; along the wall, a cigar cabinet, a liquor cabinet, a refrigerator, and potted plants; on the other side, a curio shelf displaying antique porcelain; directly opposite the bedroom door was a bay window with a large desk before it.
The outer room could also serve as a study, but Fu Qingyang rarely received subordinates here; it was probably for receiving relatives and friends.
Zhang Yuanqing sat down by the sofa. Ten-odd minutes later, Fu Qingyang—washed up, hair combed immaculately, dressed in immaculate formal white—opened the door to the inner room.
He really does carry himself like an idol, Zhang Yuanqing grumbled inwardly.
"What is it?" Fu Qingyang's face was stern.
Probably because he had been woken by this man's phone calls in the middle of the night too many times, Fu Qingyang was displeased but also felt this sort of thing was only normal.
Zhang Yuanqing didn't keep him in suspense and went straight to the point:
"The Lady told me the Pure Yang Sect Master isn't dead yet—"
He had barely gotten out half a sentence when he saw Fu Qingyang's expression freeze, then his pupils contract. He recovered quickly, but his face turned extremely grave.
Fu Qingyang shifted instantly into work mode, the trace of displeasure in his heart dissipating. He strode to the sofa and sat down, fixing his trusted subordinate with a burning stare:
"Repeat what she said, in detail."
Zhang Yuanqing then told Fu Qingyang exactly what the old crone had said, word for word.
A Dominator-level Day Wanderer who also practiced Illusionist skills, mad enough to become a demon, feeding specifically on Spirit Realm walkers, unrestrained by Morality Points... Even someone as confident as Fu Qingyang was dazed for a few seconds, and then he grew restless.
"Given the nature of this matter, it warrants convening a Council of Ten Elders." Fu Qingyang's dashing brows knitted tight. "The Bacchus Club incident isn't resolved yet, and now a Pure Yang Sect Master turns up. This year is truly a troubled season."
He rose quickly. "I'm going to the study. Make yourself at home."
With that, he left the study at a brisk pace.
There. The hot potato was off his hands. Zhang Yuanqing had shifted the pressure onto Fu Qingyang, and his body and mind relaxed at once.
Nine thirty in the morning, Jiangchen Apartments.
Wearing a baseball cap and a mask, Zhang Yuanqing entered the building, took the elevator, and stopped in front of the security door of Room 608.
Knock, knock!
He rapped on the door with his knuckles.
Soon footsteps came from behind the door, and a blonde woman with a fiery figure opened it, asking in a foreign language:
"Are you Mr. Yuanshi?"
Zhang Yuanqing replied in the same foreign language. "Yes. I'm here to see Mr. Bill. We had an appointment."
"He told me," the blonde said, stepping aside to clear the way.
Zhang Yuanqing entered and passed the entryway. On the sofa of the spacious, luxurious living room sat Mr. Bill, exuding the appeal of a mature man, a laptop resting on his knees—whether he was working or browsing the internet, it was hard to tell.
"Please, sit! Coffee or tea... oh, cola—your favorite." Mr. Bill told the blonde to fetch coffee and pointed to the single armchair opposite.
"Where's Annie?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, looking around after sitting down.
It was a large single-level flat of nearly two hundred square meters, decorated in a typical Western style.
"You may have misunderstood my relationship with Annie." Mr. Bill shook his head with a smile.
"She's my assistant, nothing more. I'll admit Annie is fatally alluring to men, but my reason tells me freedom is more important."
After that brief explanation, he didn't beat around the bush:
"What do you want to buy this time?"
Zhang Yuanqing liked the foreigner's blunt manner. "I want to buy the Sliding Shovel Shoes."
He had two goals for this visit: buy the Sliding Shovel Shoes, and buy materials for making talisman paper.
Not for Evil-Breaking Talismans, of course, but for peach-wood talismans, misfortune-warding talismans, thunder talismans, and the like.
He planned to sell some of the Evil-Breaking Talismans, as well as the bronze cauldron.
The Sliding Shovel Shoes' life-saving ability was simply too good. If the Pure Yang Sect Master ambushed him in the future, one more means of staying alive meant one more hope.
"Do you have a hundred million ready?" Mr. Bill pondered for a few seconds.
"Honestly, even if you were willing to pay a hundred million, I wouldn't want to sell it. Money matters, of course, but once money accumulates to a certain point, its value isn't so high anymore.
"We also have to consider inflation. Items aren't like that—items never inflate. Mr. Yuanshi, if you can produce an item that satisfies me, I'll consider it."
Chapter 327