"Back then, Heaven's Punishment seized two fragments of the Compass. One of them was forged into an item called the 'Mirror of Prophecy.' It's a rule-based item—though, of course, the compass fragments themselves are inherently rule-based."
Speaking of this item, Annie's expression turned grave and solemn.
"This item possesses three prophetic functions. First: foretelling an ill omen for the bearer within a single day. Second: foretelling an auspicious omen for the bearer within a single day. Third: foretelling the bearer's objective within a single day."
"Isn't that... way too overpowered?" Xie Lingxi and Queen listened with dumbfounded looks.
"Eyes on the road," Zhang Yuanqing reminded Queen.
"Ah, right, right..." Queen focused back on driving, though she still couldn't hide the shock and envy in her eyes. "That's practically a god-tier cheat. If only I had a treasure like that. Master, what is the Compass of Light?"
"A top-grade treasure that demigods fight to the death over. Every single one of its fragments is rule-based, and the core fragment is even more absurd. But don't ask me how absurd, because I don't know either." Zhang Yuanqing fell into deep thought after speaking.
He was worried about something. Because he possessed the Fragment of Taiyin Origin, any deduction performed on him with Stargazing showed everything as completely normal, rather than blocked or counter-divined.
The Fragment of Taiyin Origin possessed a power akin to causality, so no matter how formidable a high-level Night Wanderer was, they wouldn't detect anything unusual about him.
But what about prophecy?
Could the Mirror of Prophecy foresee things concerning him? Would it foretell normally, or outright block anything about him, thereby causing the prophecy to fail?
If it was the latter, things would get awkward.
Demon Hunter would wonder: *Why can a mere Yuanshi Tianzun shield himself from the prophecy of a rule-based item?*
*There is definitely something wrong with this kid!*
Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment and asked, "What's the price for using the Mirror of Prophecy?"
Since Heaven's Punishment had authorized Demon Hunter to use the Mirror of Prophecy, it meant the item was deployed regularly. With the diplomatic methods of the Association of the God of Beauty, uncovering detailed information about it wouldn't be difficult.
There was nothing a roll in the sheets couldn't solve. And if there was, let their president do the sleeping.
Sure enough, Annie was well-informed and replied:
"There are two prices to pay: 'Those who play with fate will ultimately be played by fate'; and it can only be used once per day, choosing only one option from auspiciousness, calamity, or target each time."
*Mm, the first cost works to my advantage. Even if a prophecy concerning me is distorted, it can be explained away as 'being toyed with by fate.' The Mirror of Prophecy's scope is one day, which means Demon Hunter can't directly foresee the final outcome of capturing Pluto or specific events along the way, because there's no way he could advance things to that stage within twenty-four hours...*
*This also means Heaven's Punishment won't be able to immediately pinpoint Pluto in the short term. I should be able to stay ahead of them...*
Zhang Yuanqing said, "Skip the meat rice dumplings, Queen. Reach Kecheng before dark. I have a few batches of lackeys to clean up."
***
Three days later, the unremarkable white sedan reached the outer suburbs of Nanming City in Bagui Province.
Dusk had just fallen. The car cruised along a dusty national highway bordered by rice paddies and rolling mountains beneath a blue-black night sky where scattered stars twinkled sparsely.
"Bagui Province has so many mountains—they're everywhere! Sister Annie, the scenery in Bagui is truly stunning. I'll take you sightseeing later," Xie Lingxi said, leaning against the car window and peering out.
Over the past three days, the little green tea had grown close to Annie. Green teas were exceptionally good at making friends: they would first win their way into your heart by acting cute and docile, then suddenly stab you with a smile and say, *Brother is mine.*
In those three days, Zhang Yuanqing had hunted down over twenty evil class practitioners, mostly in the Extraordinaire stage, with only three Saints among them.
His lunar power had grown considerably, though not quite enough to control an additional Level 6 yin corpse yet.
Annie took out her phone and checked a map app. "There's no rush for sightseeing; business comes first. We've reached the border city. Yuanshi, should we head to the Five Elements Alliance branch first, or use Stargazing to locate him?"
"Let's stargaze and pinpoint his direction first," Zhang Yuanqing said. "Queen, pull over."
The white car slowed and came to a halt by the roadside.
Zhang Yuanqing used Star Escape to appear atop the roof of the car. Sitting cross-legged, he took out the Daluo Astrolabe and placed it before him. This top-grade item allowed his Stargazing to rival that of Star Officials who specialized in astral power, and it had now become his indispensable tool for divination.
Without it, he would never have been able to locate Pluto.
Opening his Star Eyes, he channeled astral power into the Daluo Astrolabe and looked up at the stars. Over ten minutes later, the starlight in his eyes receded, and a look of delight spread across his face.
"Annie, we've reached our destination."
The car door swung open immediately, and the tall, glamorous blonde hopped out, beaming up at him.
"Pluto is hiding in Nanming City?"
Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "He's around this area, but I can't pinpoint his exact location. He could be hiding in the city proper, in a subordinate county-level town, or even out in the countryside."
On a national map, Nanming City was merely a speck the size of a sesame seed, but in reality, trying to uncover an evil practitioner skilled in concealment across such a region was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
*Let me check Nanming City's situation using Guan Ya's account first.* Returning to the car, Zhang Yuanqing said, "Lingxi, hand me the laptop."
Xie Lingxi hastily presented her laptop to her big brother.
Zhang Yuanqing took the laptop, logged into the official database using Guan Ya's account, and searched for the Nanming City Branch.
The information popped up quickly. The Nanming City Branch was subordinate to the Qinghe Branch, managed by Senior Deacon Poison Chaser. It had a total of 32 Spirit Realm walkers divided into six squads.
The notes provided a brief overview of Nanming City: located within the sphere of influence of the Spirit Society's Western District Branch, it suffered from rampant activity by Spirit Society Witch Doctors.
Furthermore, being a border city, drug cartels, foreign fugitives, domestically wanted Spirit Realm walkers, and evil class members of the Spirit Society's Western District Branch congregated here in a messy mix, making public security notoriously poor.
These criminal syndicates engaged in drug trafficking, human trafficking, telecommunications fraud, and other illicit rackets, reaping exorbitant profits. Far from fearing official organizations, they were arrogant enough to hunt down the residences of Nanming's official walkers.
Their brazenness was appalling.
Whenever the Qinghe Branch rallied forces for a major crackdown, the criminals would immediately retreat across the national border to seek temporary refuge abroad.
The casualty rate among official walkers in Nanming City ranked in the top three of the Qinghe Branch. Compared to the wealthy, tranquil Songhai, the official walkers in this border city endured an extraordinarily grim situation.
"This doesn't make sense. The Qinghe Branch ought to be the strongest branch in the Five Elements Alliance. The ancestor of the Qinghe clan was someone capable of trading blows with the Lord of the Central Court." Zhang Yuanqing frowned deeply.
After a moment's thought, he deleted "Nanming City Branch" and typed in "Qinghe Branch."
The results of this search astonished him. The casualty rate of official walkers in the Qinghe Branch actually ranked among the top three of all provincial branches across the entire Five Elements Alliance.
The dossier described it like this: *Captains are frequently replaced; deacon posts remain vacant year after year.*
In other words, captain-level Spirit Realm walkers frequently perished, there were not enough Saints, deacon positions went unfilled, and no one was willing to take up a post in the Qinghe Branch.
"This makes no sense..." Zhang Yuanqing muttered to himself.
The chaotic state of the Spirit Realm walker community in Bagui Province significantly raised the difficulty of capturing Pluto. The harsh plight of his colleagues in the Qinghe Branch also left him puzzled and displeased.
Although his fallout with headquarters had been bitter, that had nothing to do with other regional branches. Seeing fellow official walkers struggling so terribly instinctively stirred in him a sense of shared indignation against their common enemies.
"The more chaotic a place is, the more you need help from local guides. Let's head to the Nanming City Branch first to seek assistance from the local colleagues and ask what's going on with the Qinghe Branch as a whole. While chaos is inevitable in a border city, this is far too tragic. Given the Qinghe Branch's supposed might, it shouldn't be like this."
The white sedan started up and continued along the national highway.
Half an hour later, the car entered the city proper. Another thirty minutes after that, following the address recorded in the official database, they arrived at the Nanming City Public Security Bureau—the outpost of the Nanming City Branch.
It was an aged security bureau building with peeling, faded walls that radiated the weathered grime of an eighteenth-tier small town.
Flanked by three beauties of distinct charms, Zhang Yuanqing stepped into the administration building, climbed the stairs to the third floor, and arrived at the branch's offices.
It was already eight in the evening, yet the third floor was brightly lit. Clerks with somber faces bustled in and out with hurried steps.
Zhang Yuanqing overheard someone say that an arrest was scheduled for eight-thirty.
It seemed the Nanming City Branch had an arrest operation underway, keeping the entire staff working overtime.
Nanming City was located in the southwest, right near the border. The locals' appearance and demeanor differed slightly from people in Songhai: their skin was darker, their builds slightly leaner, but they looked tougher and more capable.
"Who are you?"
A dark, wiry man noticed them and walked over, his eyes scrutinizing the uninvited guests.
He didn't lower his guard despite the striking beauty of the three women. His gaze remained sharp and wary as he said:
"This is an internal area of the bureau. Unauthorized personnel aren't permitted. If you're here to report a crime, go down to the first-floor lobby to register."
Zhang Yuanqing said, "Colleague, we're from the Songhai Branch, here on a secret mission."
Playing along, Queen opened her handbag, took out a document, and handed it over.
This document was a letter of endorsement issued by the Songhai Branch, certifying that Zhang Yuanqing was a member of the branch deployed on a classified assignment whose identity needed to be kept confidential, requesting cooperation from local branches.
In addition to the written text, Fu Qingyang's seal was stamped at the bottom alongside a mission code.
Any official walker could enter the code into the database to locate the corresponding case filed by the Songhai Branch.
He had specifically asked Fu Qingyang for this letter so he could make contact with local authorities whenever necessary.
However, he couldn't reveal his true identity. Yuanshi Tianzun had countless enemies; evil organizations dreamed of killing him, and plenty of people within the official ranks wished him dead as well.
Once outside Songhai, he had to keep a low profile. To that end, he had used Yi Chuanmei's disguise skill to alter his appearance.
The wiry man took the paper suspiciously, but upon reading the contents, his tone and expression immediately softened. "Please have a seat in the reception room. I need to verify this first."
He pointed toward the reception room, then hurried off with the document.
Zhang Yuanqing and his companions waited where they were for about ten minutes, until a middle-aged man in formal attire emerged from the back of the office and approached at a brisk pace.
"You're the colleagues from the Songhai Branch, right? I'm the captain of Nanming's Team Three. My Spirit Realm ID is Boundless Sea of Learning." He warmly extended a hand.
Zhang Yuanqing shook hands while sizing up the man.
Unlike the locals of Nanming City, this suit-clad middle-aged man had a potbelly, a round face, and fair skin, showing no signs of being a native.
Judging from his grip strength, muscle resilience, and skin firmness, he was either a Musician or a Scholar.
And based on his Spirit Realm ID, he was most likely a Scholar.
"We're in the middle of executing an arrest operation and are a bit short-handed, so forgive my poor hospitality. Please, have a seat inside," Boundless Sea of Learning said apologetically.
He led the four colleagues from Songhai into the reception room and poured them tea—or rather, warm water from the water dispenser.
After serving the water, Boundless Sea of Learning pulled out a chair, sat down, and said:
"Deacon Poison Chaser is personally leading the operation in the field and isn't at the bureau. If you need anything, tell me, and I'll do whatever I can to accommodate you."
Zhang Yuanqing said, "We're here to apprehend a wanted fugitive—a foreigner who fled into our territory. Reliable intelligence confirms he's hiding within Nanming City's jurisdiction. I'd like to ask: where do foreign fugitives usually lay low around here?
"If possible, I'd also like to access Nanming City's traffic surveillance cameras through your office."
Boundless Sea of Learning offered a wry smile. "That would be a massive amount of work. You've seen our branch's situation; we're severely understaffed. If it isn't urgent, you could wait until the deacon returns."
He probed cautiously, "What level is this fugitive?"
Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "Not that high. I can handle him on my own."
Boundless Sea of Learning looked closely at the young man. His appearance was utterly ordinary, and he showed no aura of a high-ranking figure; he was probably a captain-level individual.
Carrying out a secret fugitive capture with only three subordinates suggested he didn't have much experience points—likely early Level 3.
A Level 3 captain with maxed-out experience points would have a subordinate cap of ten.
"Well, whatever you need, just ask," Boundless Sea of Learning smiled.
Zhang Yuanqing had been looking for a chance to inquire about the Qinghe Branch, so he promptly said:
"This is my first time visiting Bagui Province. I looked up some information on the road, and the situation of the Nanming Branch—actually, the entire Qinghe Branch—seems quite rough. What's going on? If I recall correctly, the Qinghe clan is supposed to be very powerful."
"Ah..." Boundless Sea of Learning gave another wry smile.
"The Qinghe Branch is strong, but that has nothing to do with us. The entire Qinghe Branch is actually split into two main factions: the municipal branches directly under the Five Elements Alliance, and the Qinghe clan itself.
"Although the Qinghe clan submitted to the official alliance, they answer mobilization calls but refuse central summons. What's more, their clan ancestor strictly forbids members from having much contact with the outside world. We can't rely on them at all."
"Sounds like feudal warlords," Little Green Tea remarked.
"Pretty much," Boundless Sea of Learning shrugged. "The Qinghe clan was reluctant to submit to the alliance from the start. Later, they claimed they would only ensure public order in Bagui Province wouldn't collapse, touting themselves as the regional pillar of stability. But in reality, evil classes are restrained by merit points; even if they wanted to completely topple order in Bagui, they couldn't. Hah, those Qinghe clan folks take eighty percent of the annual budget allocated by headquarters yet do nothing. Cunning bastards.
"Meanwhile, our colleagues bleed and die for a monthly salary of just six thousand..."
He stopped abruptly, letting out an awkward laugh. "Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue. Just listen and let it go. Please don't repeat this, or I'll be in an awful spot."
To vent like this to strangers, his resentment must have been festering for ages. The Qinghe clan truly was crossing the line... Zhang Yuanqing frowned. "Does headquarters know?"
He had heard that the Qinghe Branch was unique, but he hadn't imagined it was this severe or rotten.
"Of course headquarters knows, but what can they do? In the past, the Qinghe clan was involved in the drug trade too. Living deep in the Shiwan Dashan, they were strapped for cash. Unable to make a living through conventional means, they resorted to crooked paths. The current arrangement is already considered good—just view it as paying them annual protection money to keep them quiet. Stability comes first, after all," Boundless Sea of Learning said with a laugh.
His laughter was practiced, yet filled with helplessness.
*Spending that much money to pamper a bunch of freeloading lords—you might as well invite Demonic Eye Heavenly King to purge evil and punish villains...* Zhang Yuanqing mused for a moment, then said, "The records also mentioned that evil organizations run rampant here and even hunt you down sometimes?"
"That's the work of the Spirit Society. Their headquarters is in neighboring Dian Province, so our area falls under their territory. Official influence along the border is indeed weak, but we've grown used to it. As long as we keep a low profile day-to-day, we get by," Boundless Sea of Learning said nonchalantly.
Evil organizations held immense power in border cities and could slip across the frontier into small Southeast Asian nations at any moment, making them extraordinarily difficult to deal with.
"Things have actually been gradually improving in recent years. Headquarters dispatches elites to the border provinces every year, and the Spirit Society has expanded its revenue channels, so while clashes happen regularly, they aren't as savage as before. It was dreadful back then. Local official walkers often had their entire families butchered by the Spirit Society or transnational syndicates. One colleague in our branch hasn't dared to return home in ten years; his family thinks he's dead.
"Local colleagues pinch every penny trying to save enough to move their families out of the province so they have no ties holding them hostage. As for those transferred in from outside, most don't last three years. Within three months of arriving, they frantically submit transfer applications, begging to leave."
Zhang Yuanqing studied him. "You don't look like a local."
"Right. I was transferred from another province ten years ago," Boundless Sea of Learning said.
"Why didn't you transfer out?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.
"I wanted to leave at first. I'm a Scholar—I just wanted to do academic research, not fight and kill. Less than a month after being transferred here, I wanted out. But later on... I couldn't leave."
"Why couldn't you?"
"Because my comrades all died here. Batch after batch. I have to stay and guard this place for them."
Zhang Yuanqing fell silent for a moment before moving past the subject. "They control criminal syndicates to traffic drugs, smuggle people, and run telecommunications scams—don't they worry about merit points?"
Hearing this, Boundless Sea of Learning immediately took him for a rookie. "They have methods to wash their Morality Points. First off, they don't directly control criminal syndicates; they act as protective umbrellas, eliminating enemies the gangs can't deal with, and collect massive protection fees in return. Playing the edge like that minimizes the deduction of Morality Points.
"Next, they establish numerous charities overseas. By donating the fortunes they made domestically abroad, they reap Morality Points in massive windfalls. In the Spirit Realm's judgment, charity knows no borders. And those small Southeast Asian countries are all too happy to give them the green light—so long as money is donated, they'll cooperate with anything.
"Even though most of the money made has to be donated to offset the loss of Morality Points, it's still a lucrative business. On top of that, the Spirit Society performs good deeds abroad—killing criminals, upholding justice. If you put your mind to it, there are plenty of ways to earn Morality Points. It's just that all their merit is accumulated overseas.
"It's not just the Spirit Society; plenty of evil organizations and civilian factions do this. It's nothing new."
Following their conversation, Zhang Yuanqing gained a fairly detailed understanding of the Nanming Branch's situation.
Just as they were speaking, a female clerk pushed open the frosted glass door of the reception room in a hurry, panic etched across her face.
"Captain, the boss just lost contact! Someone blocked his signal. He needs backup!"
Chapter 567