Fujia Bay Villa.
In the luxurious, spacious dining room, Zhang Yuanqing sat at a carved red sandalwood round table. Underneath him was a handcrafted high-backed chair of the same wood, intricately carved with openwork dragons and phoenixes.
"This furniture set is gorgeous. Where did you buy it, Boss?"
"I brought it out of the Spirit Realm. They're Song dynasty antiques. I've been back in the country for a few years now, and I plan to gradually replace everything in the house with traditional Chinese decor."
"The concept is nice, but sitting at a Chinese-style dining table eating caviar and pan-fried cod with a knife and fork feels kind of weird. Mmm, the fatty tuna belly is great, though. Can I have a whole fish?"
"Palates don't change overnight. Take it slowly. I remember there's an unthawed bluefin in the cold storage. I'll have the bunny girls prep it for you later."
"Thanks, Big Boss! I remember Lingjun saying you don't like domestic food because in middle school, he tricked you into eating Sichuan cuisine and you spent the whole day blasting the toilet like a jet engine?"
"I just remembered that we seem to be out of bluefin."
"That's out of line! Lingjun really crossed the line! Given the chance, I'll definitely fly to Beijing and teach him a lesson on your behalf. By the way, now that the business with Ling Tuo is settled, why hasn't he returned to Songhai yet?"
"Apparently, Victoria won't let him come back."
"I heard Lingjun mention her once. Isn't she an elder of the Taiyi Sect?"
"She took care of Lingjun when he was a child."
"And then Lingjun showed his filial devotion all the way into her bed?"
No sooner had Zhang Yuanqing finished speaking than Guan Ya kicked him under the table.
At the table, the Fu family cousins and Zhang Yuanqing enjoyed a sumptuous dinner. It was their first meal after exiting the dungeon. The three of them chatted leisurely over food, painting the picture of a harmonious, cozy family dinner.
Most of the time, it was Zhang Yuanqing rambling away. Fu Qingyang maintained his aloof expression, yet answered every question. Guan Ya played the role of a gentle, dutiful woman at his side, smiling softly as she poured wine for her cousin and Coca-Cola for her boyfriend, wishing only for life to remain peaceful and serene like this forever.
"Oh, right. Xiahou Aotian got a secret manual on mechanism arts. Boss, you can use it to equip the White Tiger Guards, but you'll have to provide the materials yourself. That kid is dead broke," Zhang Yuanqing recalled.
Fu Qingyang glanced at him. "Do you know why the Spirit Realm clans have been able to grow and thrive? Aside from the fact that their ancestors were among the first batch of Spirit Realm walkers on par with the Alliance Masters, the most important reason is that the three Scholar clans are the official item suppliers, while the three Musician clans supply life fluid."
"You mean..."
"We can become the suppliers of mechanism weapons. They're cheap to manufacture and can be rolled out on a large scale to boost the combat strength of the official grassroots members," Fu Qingyang said. "This is both an administrative achievement and political leverage for us."
With that, he took the rare initiative to raise his glass.
Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly raised his iced Coke to drink with his boss, thinking to himself that Boss was truly something else—his own political acumen was far too low.
"One more thing, Boss. Give me Huang Taiji's phone number," Zhang Yuanqing said. "His Breathing Earth is still with me."
Fu Qingyang didn't overthink it and gave a slight nod.
After finishing dinner, Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya said their goodbyes, returned to the villa next door, and turned off the lights to get down to baby-making.
The next day, 9:30 AM.
In the Kings Guild chat group.
[Asano Ryo: In a few days, a First-Class Executive from Heaven's Punishment will be leading a team to our island nation. I won't be able to enter the dungeon. Everyone, my apologies.]
Yet no one paid any mind to the absence of a background character. Instead, everyone was intensely interested in Heaven's Punishment's visit to the island nation.
[Sun Miaomiao: Heaven's Punishment is sending people to the island nation again? What are they up to this time? We haven't had any conflicts with Heaven's Punishment lately, have we?]
Although the Order factions of various nations were allies under the broader picture, squabbles were inevitable. The greatest struggles stemmed from two fronts: first, the competition for talent.
Heaven's Punishment did not merely recruit Order classes from the First District; for a century, they had relentlessly poached talent from the Second District.
As a Scout clan, the Fu family had fraternized with Heaven's Punishment for decades, and there were many similar organizations and prominent clans.
Second: the battle for influence in the Spirit Realm.
Virtually all sizable Order organizations neighboring China were lackeys of Heaven's Punishment, with the Thousand Cranes Group being the prime example.
Whenever friction arose between Heaven's Punishment and the Five Elements Alliance, senior figures from Heaven's Punishment would lead a delegation to visit the Thousand Cranes Group. They would discuss peace in the Asian region, the development of the Thousand Cranes Group, and cooperation between the First and Second Districts.
In short, the Thousand Cranes Group was a tool used by Heaven's Punishment to slap the Five Elements Alliance and the Taiyi Sect in the face, as well as a benchmark displayed to Spirit Realm walkers across the globe.
It was to show everyone who was truly the boss.
Of course, when evil organizations actually stirred up trouble, the world's two largest official bodies still cooperated as needed.
[Asano Ryo: It seems like they're planning something big, but the group leader didn't tell me...]
[Tianxia Guihuo: Who is leading the team? What color Executive?]
[Asano Ryo: I'm not sure who it is. The color is Bronze.]
[Yuanshi Tianzun: What does Bronze mean? What level is a First-Class Executive?]
[Brother Red Chicken: Same question!]
[Zhao Chenghuang: A First-Class Executive is equivalent to an elder, divided into three stages: Bronze, Silver, and Gold, corresponding to Levels 7, 8, and 9. Executives are primarily Wind Mages, while Prosecutors are primarily Thunder Mages. Of course, there are other classes as well, considering Heaven's Punishment has absorbed a vast number of Order classes.]
*So that's how it is...* Zhang Yuanqing understood. His knowledge of the First District was limited. After all, right after advancing to Saint, he had been demoted over the Wei Yuanzhou affair and lost clearance to view intelligence on foreign factions.
Though he could use Guan Ya's or Fu Qingyang's credentials, he had always operated domestically and had virtually no overlap with foreign forces, so he had lacked the motivation to look into overseas organizations that were completely disconnected from him.
In any case, whenever official business came up, he could always obtain information from Fu Qingyang.
The only overseas group he had substantial contact with—and keen interest in—was the Association of the God of Beauty. However, he couldn't use Guan Ya's account since it would leave browsing history, nor could he use Fu Qingyang's.
Using Young Master Qian's account to search for information on the Association of the God of Beauty would be like hacking his social media and posting: *Lonely night, looking for fun!*
Young Master Qian would strike him down with a sword art bordering on the Dao.
Just then, Zhao Chenghuang sent him a private message:
[Zhao Chenghuang: I went to see my great-grandfather yesterday. He hinted at some bizarre things.]
[Yuanshi Tianzun: Tell me.]
[Zhao Chenghuang: He didn't say it explicitly. Based on my own interpretation, he wanted to tell you through me: You are trapped in the game; look out for yourself.]
Zhang Yuanqing's heart thumped wildly a few times in instinctive panic, wondering if his secrets were completely exposed before those big shots.
Yet he quickly steadied his emotions and thought it through calmly.
Within the official ranks, Zhao Chenghuang was jokingly referred to as the crown prince of the Taiyi Sect, on par with Lingjun, primarily because he was the sole direct descendant of Elder Zhao.
Lingjun, on the other hand, had countless half-siblings.
Elder Zhao kept a fairly low profile in the Taiyi Sect, but he was actually among the first generation of Spirit Realm walkers—a Level 9 peak Dominator who was hardly inferior to Grand Elder Red Sun Executioner.
A figure like that likely possessed a clear understanding of Ling Tuo's corruption and the destruction of the Xiaoyao Organization.
Therefore, Elder Zhao had to be well aware that Ling Tuo and the Sect Master would target an exceptionally gifted wild Night Walker.
*Is Old Zhao worried I'll follow in the Demon Lord's footsteps?*
[Yuanshi Tianzun: Thanks for letting me know. I'll stay on my guard.]
After replying, he checked the time; it was already ten o'clock.
He immediately switched interfaces and returned to the guild chat group:
[Yuanshi Tianzun: We're entering the Spirit Realm shortly. If there are no issues, sound off.]
The members checked in one by one.
[Yuanshi Tianzun: Xiahou Aotian, sound off. @Xiahou Aotian]
[Yuanshi Tianzun: Where is Xiahou Aotian?]
Xiahou Aotian was nowhere to be seen.
[Brother Red Chicken: We're doomed. Did he go back to his clan to brag and get his kidneys harvested? @Yuanshi Tianzun, I uploaded the Life Source Fluid to the guild warehouse. Go collect it.]
[Sun Miaomiao: That really sounds like something Xiahou Aotian would do.]
[Guan Ya: No, it shouldn't be about the manual. Although I haven't interacted with him much, he acts flamboyant on the surface but is actually quite calculating. He probably couldn't make it because of something else.]
[Yuanshi Tianzun: I'll contact the Xiahou family later. You guys head into the dungeon first, don't worry about him.]
Everyone had access to the guild quests.
With that, he selected the participants' IDs on the guild interface and activated the dungeon.
Seconds later, the fully equipped Guan Ya beside him turned translucent and vanished.
Zhang Yuanqing first dialed Xiahou Aotian's cell phone, only to find it switched off.
He then called Fu Qingyang to get the number for the Xiahou clan's customer service.
*Ring... ring...*
The call connected, and a sweet female voice came through the speaker:
"Hello, this is the Xiahou Clan Service Hotline. Are you calling regarding business cooperation or—"
Zhang Yuanqing interrupted, "This is Yuanshi Tianzun!"
From the other end came the sudden clatter of an overturned chair, followed by what sounded like a hand covering the receiver. After several minutes, the girl's trembling voice returned:
"A-Are you still there, sir?"
*Am I really that terrifying?* Zhang Yuanqing gave an affirmative grunt. "I'm looking for Xiahou Aotian. His phone is turned off."
"Ah? Th-This..." The girl had never expected such an inquiry and stammered, "Xiahou Aotian is a direct descendant of the main family. I-I'm not too clear on his situation. Please hold, sir, I'll have the manager speak with you."
Moments later, a steady male voice came on the line: "Hello, I am Xiahou Pei. You wished to inquire about Xiahou Aotian's recent situation, correct?"
"Yes," Zhang Yuanqing replied.
Xiahou Pei's tone grew somewhat peculiar. "He... has been hung in the sky by the Old Ancestor."
"What?" Zhang Yuanqing was dumbfounded. "What do you mean, hung in the sky?"
"Literally. According to rumors within the clan group chat, Xiahou Aotian provoked the Old Ancestor for unknown reasons. In his anger, the Old Ancestor personally built a drone, strung him up in the air, and left him floating above the Xiahou estate for a full day and night."
"..." Zhang Yuanqing probed, "Your Old Ancestor won't execute him, will he?"
"The Old Ancestor's thoughts are beyond our reckoning, but most likely not. I hear Xiahou Aotian has advanced to Level 6."
"Alright, understood."
"You are very welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Xiahou Pei asked respectfully.
"Nothing else, thanks." Zhang Yuanqing hung up, pondered for a moment, and decided to leave Xiahou Aotian be.
Whatever had enraged the Old Ancestor certainly wasn't the mechanism manual. A demigod wouldn't care about such trinkets; Xiahou Aotian had probably pulled some ridiculous stunt again.
Spirit Realm clans placed great emphasis on bloodlines and talent. Now that Xiahou Aotian was a Level 6 Saint, as long as he hadn't done something rebellious like declaring, *Now that I have attained earthly godhood, I invite the Old Ancestor to step forward and die,* his life shouldn't be in danger.
Zhang Yuanqing promptly dialed Huang Taiji's number.
"Who is this?"
Huang Taiji's steady, experienced voice came over the phone.
"Godfather, it's me!" Zhang Yuanqing said warmly.
"...Speak properly," Huang Taiji sighed.
"Brother Huang, your Breathing Earth is still with me. Give me an address, and I'll deliver it in person," Zhang Yuanqing said.
Huang Taiji fell silent for a few seconds. "You need a favor?"
"Brother Huang truly has eyes like a hawk! Well, I'd like to buy two items from you—items with dual cultivation functions. Ideally, items that only have that single function."
Items with a single function were cheaper.
"Dual cultivation is an innate talent of the Earth Monster class. Its effects are diminished for other classes, and items possessing dual cultivation capabilities are exceptionally rare..." Before Huang Taiji could finish, Yuanshi Tianzun's loud cry came through the receiver:
"Godfather!!"
Huang Taiji sighed. "I do have a few in my inventory. I'll send you their item descriptions later so you can pick."
"Thank you, Godfather!"
Huang Taiji quietly hung up.
Zhang Yuanqing rolled around on the bed in excitement. Then, his phone rang.
He checked the caller ID—it was Annie!
Chapter 548