Fragment of Taiyin Origin undoubtedly referred to the black full moon inside his character card.
Zhang Yuanqing was no longer the newbie he used to be back then. After graduating from Qinfeng Academy, his knowledge of the spirit realm had grown increasingly rich.
The black full moon left behind by the Demon Lord symbolized the power of Taiyin, and at the very highest tier.
It fully matched the title "Taiyin Origin."
The word "Fragment," however, caught Zhang Yuanqing somewhat by surprise. He had always assumed the black full moon was whole, only to realize now that it was merely a fragment.
On second thought, it made total sense.
If the Demon Lord had possessed the complete black full moon, he would have ascended to demigod long ago.
*This damn thing is exposing my deepest assets right off the bat!* Zhang Yuanqing maintained a calm exterior while responding mentally: *Reject!*
The dialogue box vanished immediately. A moment later, a new prompt surfaced:
[Exchange Item: Heaven Worship Set.]
[Do you agree?]
Zhang Yuanqing nearly laughed out of exasperation, thinking, *You piece of shit, can't you ask for something cheap? You're trying to bleed me completely dry.*
Then his heart stirred; he realized how useful this feature was.
He could use the exchange ticket's trading function to ferret out the relic left behind by his father. According to the Palace Mistress, his deceased father had left something unknown in his soul.
That thing was the culprit behind his split soul, yet even now, Zhang Yuanqing still had no idea what it was, let alone where to find it.
*I'll test it out after I leave this place...* Suppressing his excitement, he rejected the offer once more and tossed the exchange ticket into the guild warehouse.
"President, sir," Zhang Yuanqing said, remaining where he stood. "You mentioned the Perfect Human Skin earlier. It's a karmic-type item. Why did Mr. Bill sell it to me?"
The President reclined lazily on the sofa with his legs crossed, holding a glass tumbler in his palm as he gently swirled the liquor. He chuckled softly.
"You can think of it as an investment. Ever since the Compass of Light emerged in the world, every organization has been looking to invest in promising Night Walkers. Bill is an exceptional merchant; he saw potential in you."
"Why is everyone investing in Night Walkers? What does the prophecy of the Compass of Light actually mean?" Zhang Yuanqing asked hurriedly.
The President did not answer. He took a sip of the strong liquor and smiled.
"Knowing too much information that doesn't match your level is not a good thing.
"Take that as a piece of advice!"
*If it were Boss, he definitely would have told me without hesitation!* Zhang Yuanqing sighed internally and said,
"I have no more questions, President, sir."
"In that case, I won't keep you." The silver-masked President put down his glass and snapped his fingers with a sharp *snap*:
"Ban—"
"Ah, wait!"
Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly interrupted him. Pulling out his phone, he leaned close to the big boss with a flattering smile. "Add me as a friend?"
The President reached toward his pocket, but stopped himself, resuming his lazy posture.
"If anything comes up, just contact Bill."
Before Zhang Yuanqing could speak, he snapped his fingers again. "Banish!"
Zhang Yuanqing only felt a blur before his eyes. The luxurious private room of the nightclub dissolved rapidly, replaced by bright streetlights and a dark night sky.
He found himself outside the Fujia Bay Villa complex.
"The Void class is pretty badass. Teleportation is way more convenient than flying on the wind," Zhang Yuanqing muttered. Imitating the President's gesture, he snapped his fingers:
"Star Escape!"
A stream of dreamlike starlight flared up, and he appeared right outside Fu Qingyang's study.
He knocked and stepped inside.
Dressed in pristine white, Money Prince sat upright behind the desk. The space before him was completely empty, clearly showing he had been waiting for him.
Zhang Yuanqing suddenly felt a touch of warmth, like a drifter returning home to find someone waiting. It would have been even better if Money Prince were replaced by Miss Qian.
Well, currently, the Fu family's Miss Qian was in the middle of breaking up with him.
"Boss, I'm back." Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward and took out the Myriad Realms Firm Exchange Ticket. "This was rewarded to me by the President."
A visible flicker of curiosity crossed Fu Qingyang's deep, calm eyes. Taking the tiny stamp, he focused on reading the item's information.
Because he knew of the President's feat of fighting three demigods single-handedly, he harbored a keen interest and curiosity toward this item.
Zhang Yuanqing explained the exchange ticket's properties beside him.
After listening, Fu Qingyang placed the stamp on the desk and pushed it back, his voice mellow and cool.
"I advise you to wait until the Dominator stage before using it. Fighting across rank tiers among high-level spirit realm walkers is an extraordinary luxury."
Achieving cross-tier combat with a few top-tier items was mostly seen among Transcendent and Saint ranks.
Once at the Dominator stage, even Money Prince, whose skills bordered the Dao, lacked the confidence to defeat a Level 8 Dominator.
Of course, with the Sword Master Cloak, he felt he could give it a try.
Yet across the entire spirit realm, the Sword Master Cloak was likely one of a kind; there wouldn't be a second item with comparable effects.
*I've decided to use it at the demigod stage—I'll take on three!* Zhang Yuanqing took back the exchange ticket and lowered his head, saying:
"Uh, well, Boss... Sister Guan Ya broke up with me. If she comes to her senses tomorrow morning, um, could you not tell her about the red string?"
Hearing the words "broke up," the corner of Fu Qingyang's mouth twitched upward. "I can do that. But why are you keeping your head down?"
*Because I don't want you to see that I want to sleep with your cousin...* Zhang Yuanqing hung his head and sighed.
"I'm heartbroken."
"You don't strike me as someone who would be heartbroken."
"Ah, it's getting late. Boss, get some rest early!"
Zhang Yuanqing fled with Star Escape.
Leaving Fujia Bay Villa, Zhang Yuanqing took out the Gale Gloves, planning to ride the wind home, when his phone chimed in his pocket, signaling an incoming text.
He pulled out his phone to check.
[Palace Master of Halting Slaughter: Midnight tonight. The usual place.]
*Seriously, only replying now to a message from the daytime...* Zhang Yuanqing texted back: "Okay."
Midnight, late at night.
Outside the café, a fierce wind gusted, lifting wisps of dust and swirling them into the sky.
A figure descended from above, landing in front of the café doors.
Zhang Yuanqing stepped through the open glass doors and saw the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter brewing coffee behind the counter.
She was as breathtaking as ever—her red dress fiery, her black hair cascading like a waterfall, and her silver mask reflecting the overhead lights with a dazzling gleam.
Without expression, Zhang Yuanqing bypassed the counter, picked a round table by the window, and waited in silence.
A few minutes later, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter walked over gracefully, her hem brushing the floor, carrying two cups of coffee.
"I added two spoonfuls."
Setting the coffee down, she gave a playful wink.
Zhang Yuanqing didn't look at the coffee. He raised his eyes to stare at the Palace Mistress right before him. Ancients used the line "Her artful smiles so charming, her beautiful eyes so captivating, her plain beauty so dazzling" to describe a lovely maiden.
It meant that when the girl smiled she looked playful and lively, her shimmering eyes alluring and enchanting, her fair skin possessing a stirring elegance.
The ancients truly had culture—unlike Zhang Yuanqing, who, upon seeing a gorgeous girl with a hot body, could only blurt out: *Holy shit, huge tits!*
Right now, though, he wasn't in the mood to praise her with a "Holy shit, huge tits," because he was furious.
"Last time I asked if you knew about Empress Wa, you said you didn't. But I remember that when Demonic Eye was hunting you down and you fled back to Songhai, you clearly said you had an item called 'Empress Wa's Embrace.' Why did you lie to me?" Zhang Yuanqing pushed the coffee aside, making his stance clear.
In truth, he had long forgotten about that, and only remembered what she had said that day after hearing "Empress Wa's Embrace" again at Qinfeng Academy.
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter said gigglingly,
"Well, I really don't know whether Empress Wa actually exists or not."
Zhang Yuanqing gave her a cold look for a moment. "Fine. We'll set Empress Wa aside for now."
He took the Myriad Realms Firm Exchange Ticket from his inventory and set it on the tabletop. "Do you recognize this? If you don't, it doesn't matter. It has a function: detecting the items on your person. No matter how well-hidden something is, it can uncover it.
"Yet from start to finish, I never saw it detect anything left by my father. Palace Mistress, how much of what you told me was actually true? Can I still trust you?"
He stared at her with an icy, sharp gaze.
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter rested her chin on a delicate hand, smiling faintly. "What do you think?"
Zhang Yuanqing said, "Your concealment gives me not a shred of trust. The trip to Takamagahara is off, and we won't be contacting each other from now on."
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter stared at him for a long time, her lips curling into a smile. "So your threads of love have been cut. No wonder you've become so cold and ruthless."
She slowly rose to her bare feet, walked around the round table, and made a move that caught Zhang Yuanqing completely off guard.
—She wrapped her arms around his neck and sat down on his lap.
In all the time they had known each other, let alone intimate physical contact, Zhang Yuanqing had never even held her hand.
This sudden move shocked him so much that his whole body went stiff. He didn't dare move, all the more terrified that his lack of experience with women might cause him to inadvertently bump up against the Palace Mistress down below.
This woman was a lunatic, after all.
"At a loss for words, so you're using such a clumsy trick to regain the upper hand?" Zhang Yuanqing's mouth was stiffer than his tool.
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter lowered her head, the beautiful eyes beneath her mask gazing deeply into his. She murmured softly,
"Controlling you is easy. Do you really think I need to use a honeypot on you? Yuanshi, after stitching your soul, I became fickle and insane. You are the only person I endure my temperament for, whom I cannot bring myself to hurt."
"So what!" Zhang Yuanqing's words remained stubbornly rigid.
She let out a soft sigh. "I do have many things I've kept from you, but trust me, you wouldn't want to know the truth. For the current you, it is an unbearable pain."
After a long silence, Zhang Yuanqing gently pushed her away.
"Tomorrow morning at eight. We go to Takamagahara."
***
Seven in the morning, Protagonist Struggle Group.
[Yuanshi Tianzun: Everyone, I've fallen under Baihui's suspicion. They realized that students may have opened the stone doors. @Xiahou Aotian, don't sell the goods through your family's auction house. I'll recommend a place. Go to Du and contact Brother Red Chicken. Have him take you to a black market called Wanbao House, and ask the proprietress of Wanbao House to help auction them.]
[Xiahou Aotian: Wanbao House? Is she reliable?]
[Yuanshi Tianzun: Reasonably reliable. Of course, remember to disguise your appearance before going. Also, if she recommends that you use a certain furnace to craft items, you must, absolutely must refuse.]
[Xiahou Aotian: Fine!]
[Yuanshi Tianzun: Everyone, once the antiques are auctioned, it's best to hold cash. A sudden massive influx of funds into your accounts will be hard to explain; your accounts are definitely being monitored. @Zhao Chenghuang, after nine o'clock, pull Sun Miaomiao back into the group. She'll be crying and apologizing to me.]
***
Leather City, the Xiahou family.
In his villa bedroom, Xiahou Aotian held *Alchemy* in his left hand, gripped his phone in his right, and wore a black earpiece over his ear.
—It allowed the user to hear the voices of spirits.
"I never planned on selling the antiques in person anyway, but a sudden sum of funds in my account would indeed be hard to explain. I'll take a trip to Du tomorrow then."
Xiahou Aotian put down his phone. While fondling his dark iron thumb ring, he continued listening to the Qin fangshi's lecture.
After a long time, the aged voice spoke:
"Rest for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
Xiahou Aotian finally spoke up: "Old Fangshi, your cultivation mindset is flawed. Cultivating deathsworn warriors with pills won't fly in modern times. We spirit realm walkers have Morality Points."
The old fangshi had been explaining the finer details of pill refinement based on the recipes in *Alchemy*—heat control, vessel selection, water additions, dosages, and the like.
At the same time, he was teaching him the proper combat methods of a fangshi.
One of these was refining pills to nurture deathsworn warriors who feared neither life nor death, felt no pain, and possessed immense strength.
The aged voice let out a sneer:
"Your talent is so mediocre; you truly disappoint this old man. Morality Points restrict you from harming fellow humans, but they don't restrict you from slaughtering other living creatures."
Xiahou Aotian's eyes lit up. "I see what you mean! I can use a Wood Demon item to gather animals, then feed them the pills. That would pack far more combat power than ordinary deathsworn warriors."
Having said that, Xiahou Aotian only then rebutted his Ring Grandpa's earlier remark:
"Pitiful old man, does belittling me bring you pleasure? Is your heart consumed by envy and jealousy? This protagonist won't stoop to your level. How could the strong care about the opinions of an ant?"
A brief silence fell from inside the ring before the voice said slowly:
"This old man finally understands why everyone turned against you."
***
Ten o'clock in the morning.
At Mount Fuji in the island nation, Zhang Yuanqing revisited the familiar place. Wearing a mask, sunglasses, and hiking gear, he disguised himself as a tourist.
Following his memory, he stopped at the entrance to Takamagahara.
The area was sparsely populated. Wary of Heaven's Punishment discovering Takamagahara's existence, the Thousand Cranes Group had not stationed members here for surveillance or guard duty, as that would only risk exposing Takamagahara's location.
Doing nothing was the best secrecy, so Zhang Yuanqing didn't have to worry about being watched during this operation.
"It's right beneath our feet."
Pointing at the ground, he turned his head toward the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter.
This big sister was still dressed in her red gown and silver mask. Her skirt trailed on the ground, yet it picked up not a speck of dust or mud, remaining immaculately clean.
All along the way, the tourists at the foot of the mountain had paid her no heed whatsoever. For a time, Zhang Yuanqing couldn't tell whether this was an Arbiter of Fate ability or whether she was relying on an item—
Such as one from the Void class.
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter nodded slightly. Behind her, countless red threads exploded outward with a soft pop, waving like dancing tentacles.
These red threads plunged en masse into the ground, tearing through rock layers and soil to reveal a pitch-black abyss.
With fluttering skirts, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter plunged into it.
Zhang Yuanqing, on the other hand, turned into a stream of dreamlike starlight and arrived at the bottom of the cavern first, where he saw the towering stone sculpture of the three-legged Golden Crow.
From above came the soft rustle of skirts fluttering against the rushing air, and moments later, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter landed lightly.
"The three-legged Golden Crow..."
Gazing at the stone carving, her vivid red lips parted. "Legend says that beyond the Eastern Sea stands a sacred Fusang tree, the resting place of the ten suns. The Bronze Sacred Tree inside Takamagahara is likely the Fusang tree."
"A more accurate way to put it is that the legendary Fusang tree refers to that bronze tree." Zhang Yuanqing took out the jade plate, used Star Escape to teleport to the sculpture's eye socket, and fitted the "pupil" into place.
The next second, blinding red light erupted from the Golden Crow's pupil, beaming straight onto the rock wall and projecting a tall gate of light.
Chapter 449