Under the silent gaze of the giant on the throne, Little Fatty lay prostrate, reporting Yuanshi Tianzun's request for cooperation to the Southern Faction's Grand Elder, who stood beneath only one person.
The hall fell quiet for a few seconds before an ethereal voice—indistinguishable in age and gender—drifted down:
"The power behind Sect Master Chunyang is Dark Night Rose."
As an exceptional Illusionist, Little Fatty immediately grasped the Grand Elder's meaning. While Dark Night Rose was not an evil faction, it was hostile toward the official authorities. For the Nihility Sect, watching two tigers fight from the hilltop was undoubtedly an ideal scenario.
However, Sect Master Chunyang was an Illusionist as well, with an instinctive craving for an Illusionist's spiritual energy. Thus, he was an enemy to the Nihility Sect.
"Which Dominators are in charge of capturing Sect Master Chunyang?" came the ethereal, inscrutable voice from within the cloak.
"Elder Hongying of the Taiyi Sect, and Elder Gao Feng, 'Challenge Peak', from the Five Elements Alliance's Hang City branch," Little Fatty replied.
Exchanging basic information was a prerequisite for reaching a cooperation agreement; Yuanshi Tianzun had already sent these details to his mailbox.
The Grand Elder pondered in silence once more. After several breaths, he said slowly:
"Reply to them. In two days, you will represent us to negotiate the cooperation."
*Huh? Me represent us?*
Little Fatty's expression turned bizarre, feeling as if he had lifted a stone only to drop it on his own foot.
The Grand Elder agreeing to cooperate was within expectations. The Southern Faction had already lost two Saints; for an evil organization with few members, Saints were precious.
Moreover, given Sect Master Chunyang's status and power, losing two Saints was only the beginning.
Nipping the threat in the bud was a wise decision, but why did he have to be the one to step up? He had just advanced to Saint, his best days were still ahead of him, and he had no desire to be dragged into this vortex of conflict...
Little Fatty protested inwardly, not daring to speak a word aloud.
The tall, cloaked giant tilted his head down to stare at him, his voice rolling forward like countless voices merged into a single tide:
"Unwilling?"
Terrified, Little Fatty pressed his head against the ground and cried out loudly:
"Subordinate is willing to go through water and tread fire for the sect, shrinking from no sacrifice!"
"Very good." The sound lowered to a normal volume, and the cloaked giant said, "What movements has Past Free of Traces made recently?"
"At the end of August, he plans to gather the team members to chant scriptures and preach the Dharma to dissolve hostile energy," Little Fatty reported frankly.
When he first met Master Wuhen back then, he had openly admitted he was from the Nihility Sect. After joining the hotel, he had even more candidly stated to Master Wuhen that the Nihility Sect had ordered him to keep watch.
Master Wuhen had permitted it.
"Grand Elder, Master Wuhen lives in seclusion from the world. Though his path differs from ours, well water does not intrude upon river water. In my humble opinion, there is no need to pay special attention to them," Little Fatty said, carefully voicing his thoughts.
Inside the hall, a sigh drifted down:
"Twenty years ago, Past Free of Traces was already a peak Dominator. The Sect Master said that he is very likely to take that final step and reach the demigod level."
*Master Wuhen is already nearing the demigod level? What did the Sect Master mean by that? Does he not want to see Master Wuhen reach that realm?*
Little Fatty was thoroughly shaken, astonished by Master Wuhen's height and anxious about the Sect Master's attitude.
Just as he was about to probe further, he suddenly saw the hall blur. After passing through a kaleidoscopic, hazy space, he opened his eyes.
The Grand Elder had sent him out of the dream.
"Phew..."
Little Fatty sat up, his brow furrowed, a faint foreboding creeping over him.
Without realizing it, he had grown fond of this peaceful life—no enemies, no pressure. Delivering takeout every day might be dull, but it was fulfilling.
*I need to go see Master Wuhen...*
He climbed out of bed and rushed out of the room.
***
Zhang Yuanqing took the folder, opened it, and quickly scanned the training class roster.
Most official walkers had only one chance to enter Qinfeng Academy: after surviving their probationary period and becoming full official walkers.
Then they would enter the academy for a seven-day training course to learn about various factions, professions, and, of course, the spirit realm.
Zhang Yuanqing flipped quickly through the roster, memorizing the Night Walkers marked in red, planning to cross-reference them one by one once Sun Miaomiao's list arrived.
Leaning back against his chair, Fu Qingyang said, "If you want to uncover the identity of Dark Night Rose's leader through the training roster, it's impossible. You've overlooked one thing."
Zhang Yuanqing shifted his gaze from the folder and looked over. "What thing?"
"Before the Chu family was exterminated, Dark Night Rose had no leader. It isn't hard to deduce that at that time, Dark Night Rose's leader was already dead, and he—or she—was revived using the Chu family's rule-based item, the Mother Goddess's Womb." Fu Qingyang glanced at the folder. "Meanwhile, Qinfeng Academy was founded only fourteen years ago. It's impossible for Dark Night Rose's leader to have attended Qinfeng."
Zhang Yuanqing froze. "You're right..."
He had forgotten that detail. Qinfeng Academy had been established fourteen years ago; the late dean, Li Yanxi, had mentioned it, but at the time Zhang Yuanqing had been entirely absorbed in pondering the identity of the armored man.
As a result, he hadn't committed the detail to memory.
Different professions possessed different traits. Eidetic memory—photographic and echoic—was a passive skill of the Scholar profession, while Scouts, who specialized in observation and deduction, only possessed half of that aptitude.
"Still, that doesn't make sense. If they never entered Qinfeng and only heard there was a hidden quest inside, how could it be a lifelong cherished wish?" Zhang Yuanqing frowned.
Unless Dark Night Rose's leader had seen the Takamagahara key and, like Fu Qingyang, recognized the connection between the two, thereby deducing that a great treasure lay behind the stone door.
Yet that was impossible. The Takamagahara key was unearthed only after World War II and had always been kept by the Thousand Cranes Group. Imagine if Dark Night Rose's leader had known about it; the ashes of every single member of the Thousand Cranes Group would have been scattered long ago.
"He must have entered Qinfeng Academy. Only someone who had entered Qinfeng Academy could have a general understanding of the hidden quest," Zhang Yuanqing said with certainty.
In the lounge area, Lingjun, holding his phone while flirting with beauties, said casually, "I advise you to stop investigating. Dark Night Rose's leader is at an extraordinarily high level. High-level Night Walkers can peer into their own destiny through Stargazing. If you uncover his identity, it will trigger a chain of consequences, allowing him to notice you through the shifts in his fate."
The young master spoke in the tone of someone who lived only for the moment: "Isn't laying low and living your life great? Why seek your own death?"
*You're a pampered prince—of course you wouldn't understand the pressure on me as the Demon Lord's successor and Zhang Zizhen's flesh-and-blood son. Your only responsibility is sleeping with women...* Zhang Yuanqing grumbled inwardly.
Besides, he was not panicking, because the Lunar fragment would interfere with deductions about him; any divination or deduction would only show as "normal."
Fu Qingyang cast a cold gaze at Lingjun. "Which is why you're trash."
"Boss is brilliant! Boss really has an eye for people!" Zhang Yuanqing called out loudly.
Lingjun looked down at his phone and sneered, "Truly family, so united against outsiders."
Even though the Qinfeng Academy training roster had proven useless for that purpose, Zhang Yuanqing continued flipping through it. "Boss, which cohort was the Fear Heavenly King in? I want to see what his spirit realm ID was."
Fu Qingyang's face darkened, and he said nothing.
Lingjun grew interested instead. "I forgot which exact cohort, but it seemed to be three years ago. Go flip through."
Three years ago... Zhang Yuanqing followed the dates back to 2019. That year's training program had two sessions: one for Extras and one for Saints.
Zhang Yuanqing's eyes scanned quickly, stopping on a spirit realm ID, and he blurted out:
"Dove of Freedom?"
"Pfft!" He couldn't hold it back and burst into laughter.
That truly was the Fear Heavenly King's style. So he had yearned for freedom even back then?
He recalled Dean Li Yanxi mentioning that the female Grand Marshal and the Fear Heavenly King were classmates from the same cohort. Continuing to examine the list, his eyes suddenly stopped on a certain name:
"Boss, who is this Fu Qingxuan...?"
A premonition struck him as a shocking hypothesis surfaced in his mind.
The female Grand Marshal was not among the first generation of spirit realm walkers; she was very young. Guan Ya had mentioned that her elder cousin had extraordinary innate talent and was the only junior pampered by the clan's council of elders.
And the Fu family was a prestigious, veteran spirit realm family of the White Tiger Guards.
Lingjun and Fu Qingyang looked over at the same time. The latter said flatly,
"My elder sister."
The former added, "She is the Grand Marshal of the White Tiger Guards."
*It really fucking is her...* Even though Zhang Yuanqing had anticipated it, stormy waves still surged through his heart.
No wonder Fu Qingyang dared call the Grand Marshal trash; no wonder he was ambitious enough to seek entry into headquarters. Backing him was not just the Fu family, but an elder sister who was a Grand Marshal.
*Damn, talk about a protagonist template. Far better than that fake protagonist Xiahou Aotian.*
*Wait, if the Grand Marshal is Fu Qingyang's elder sister and Guan Ya's cousin, doesn't that mean my path to the top is guaranteed?*
Yet right after, another thought occurred to him: who knew what the female Grand Marshal thought about Guan Ya's marriage? If she also favored a political marriage, that would spell disaster.
Even though countless thoughts flitted through Zhang Yuanqing's mind in an instant, Fu Qingyang's keen insight saw right through his inner melodrama. He said calmly:
"Trash doesn't meddle in affairs.
"In fact, every Alliance Leader is subject to the checks and balances of headquarters. The affairs of the Five Elements Alliance are typically handled and decided by headquarters. Alliance Leaders hold veto power, but they may not participate in concrete affairs unless it involves a major matter concerning the survival of the Five Elements Alliance.
"This was a rule established at the founding of the Five Elements Alliance by the five Alliance Leaders, witnessed by the state."
*Because absolute power leads to absolute corruption?* Zhang Yuanqing gave an "Oh," and then heard Fu Qingyang ask:
"Lingjun, what does the Taiyi Sect think about Dark Night Rose?"
The topic returned to serious business.
Zhang Yuanqing set down the folder as well and looked toward the young master.
"How should I know?" The young master shrugged. "Matters like this are usually discussed in internal elder meetings; they never inform us of the findings. But one thing is certain: the Taiyi Sect can't find Dark Night Rose's leader."
"The Sect Master is the strongest Night Walker in the world, specializing in the Stars. Even he can't do it?" Fu Qingyang knitted his handsome sword-like brows.
Lingjun set down his phone and said seriously:
"You should know that the Lunar aspect counters the Astral aspect. After the Black Impermanence incident ended, the Taiyi Sect conducted a grand health check, but found nothing at all.
"I heard Elder Zhao say that Dark Night Rose's leader likely specializes in Lunar, and is a powerhouse who has touched the origin. He is shielding the members of Dark Night Rose."
*Touched the origin?* Zhang Yuanqing's heart stirred.
*Could Dark Night Rose's leader also control a Lunar origin fragment?*
*Since the black full moon in my character card is a fragment, there must be other fragments.*
*In that case, it makes sense that the Taiyi Sect Master cannot locate Dark Night Rose's leader.*
*Of course, that doesn't mean the Sect Master is inferior to Dark Night Rose's leader. It can only be said their specialties differ: Dark Night Rose's leader is more skilled at concealment, but in terms of deduction and scheming, they are weaker than the Taiyi Sect Master.*
*Wait!*
Zhang Yuanqing suddenly realized something.
*Although the Demon Lord wasn't a demigod, he also possessed a Lunar origin fragment, and the Lunar aspect counters Stargazing. That's why the Taiyi Sect Master couldn't calculate where the Demon Lord's successor was. By that same logic, the Taiyi Sect Master couldn't calculate the Demon Lord either...*
*Then was the announcement he made about the Demon Lord's death truly accurate?*
In the sweltering early autumn, a sudden chill rose in Zhang Yuanqing's heart.
Chapter 456