*Fuck.* Zhang Yuanqing felt his scalp tingle, frustration and anger welling up uncontrollably.
Success had been right within his grasp, only to slip away at the final hurdle.
Level 6 Stargazing became unreliable whenever Dominators were involved. Moreover, too many factions were tangled up in this—the Qinghe Branch, Heaven's Punishment, and Pluto himself—any of which could interfere with the technique.
Thus, this scene before him was entirely outside his plans.
The old man beside Osmond was unquestionably a Dominator. Taking Pluto away right under his nose was impossible now. Retreat with the Palace Mistress?
Toss Little Red Riding Hood to her, let her stash Pluto into its inner space, and then teleport away together? But he had only one teleportation jade talisman left. She could enter the hat as well, but that Dominator clearly wouldn't give him an opening to act...
Hand over Pluto, kowtow in surrender, and use his official Deacon identity to make a graceful exit? The odds of leaving safely were high, yet he was deeply unwilling...
In a flash, numerous countermeasures crossed Zhang Yuanqing's mind.
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter stood motionless where she was. The red strings emerging from beneath her skirts all locked onto the space behind her, coiled and raised like cobras waiting to strike.
Zhang Yuanqing sensed her tension; she didn't even dare to twitch.
This Dominator of the Qinghe Clan was higher in level than he had imagined—at least Level 8—because an ordinary Level 7 Dominator wouldn't make her this wary.
Osmond's gaze first fell upon Pluto, who was tied up like a zongzi. His eyes lit up, then shifted to the woman in the red dress and the ordinary-looking young man.
"You want Pluto too?" His eyes swept across the three of them, his tone icy. "Heh, who put you up to this?"
Zhang Yuanqing ignored him.
Wu Agui spoke in a conciliatory, reasonable tone: "Leave the man behind, and I'll let you go."
*This Dominator doesn't seem keen on fighting... I remember who he is now. Wu Agui, Patriarch of the Qinghe Clan, famous for being a good-natured pushover. Maybe I should just give up on capturing Pluto...* Zhang Yuanqing's eyes flickered. If it was him, getting away in one piece wouldn't be difficult.
"Why waste words with them!"
Osmond struck without hesitation. He curved his arms before his chest in an embrace, and gurgling seawater surged together, forming an azure steed with a shoulder height of 1.7 meters. As he flung his arms wide, the lifelike steed—complete with fluttering mane and tail—reared its head, kicked its hooves, and charged toward the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter.
Tentacle-like red strings shot forward, piercing the steed's body and ripping outward with a light tug.
The azure horse disintegrated into white foam, splashing across the ground.
The Palace Master let out a cold snort, and the red strings, their momentum unabated, snaked toward Osmond.
The honest-faced Wu Agui hastily raised a palm and pressed downward. In an instant, immense gravity descended. The thrashing red strings were immediately slammed flat against the ground, unable even to squirm.
The Palace Master's slender frame trembled slightly, her shoulders bearing what felt like the weight of a mountain.
Zhang Yuanqing and Pluto were not nearly as resilient; one immediately fell to his knees in a bow, while the other lay completely flat on the ground—literally.
Wu Agui looked at Osmond and reasoned, "The man was snatched, so just take him back. There's no need to escalate—talk it out."
He then turned to the back of the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter and said earnestly, "You can't take him away. Leave this place. If you agree, nod your head."
Seeing this, Osmond knew better than to defy a Level 8 Dominator, even a good-natured one. He sneered:
"I'll spare you for today. I don't care who you are—I will investigate afterward. Once I uncover your identities, prepare to return to the Spirit Realm, you pathetic inferiors."
"You're courting death!" the Palace Master hissed coldly.
*Pathetic inferiors? Daring to act so arrogant on Five Elements Alliance turf... This guy is used to acting like he owns the world. Does he really think everyone fears Heaven's Punishment?* With his forehead planted against the pine-needle-covered ground, Zhang Yuanqing let out a hoarse laugh:
"Young man, don't be so hostile. The last guy with such heavy hostility was Yuanshi Tianzun, and he's already changed his face and doesn't dare show himself."
Osmond was decisive and ruthless. Hearing this, he drew a large-caliber pistol straight from his inventory, aiming it right at the head of the blowhard.
Still maintaining his prostrated posture, Zhang Yuanqing shouted, "I am a Senior Deacon of the Five Elements Alliance!"
*Bang!*
The gunshot rang out at the same instant.
Like a hardworking farmer spotting a wild boar rooting up his crops, Wu Agui dashed forward a few paces, reached out, and caught the bullet in his palm.
"You..." Staring at the prostrated young man, he considered for a moment before demanding, "What proof do you have?"
As he spoke, he gently waved his hand, dispelling the gravity crushing the youth.
Zhang Yuanqing sprang to his feet, stretched his aching limbs, and patted the dirt off his clothes. Only then did he produce the document credentials from the Songhai Branch and hold them high. "Here is my proof."
Vines suddenly sprouted from the pine tree behind him, wrapping around the paper document and tossing it toward the honest, rustic old farmer.
Wu Agui took the paper, glanced at the official seal of the Songhai Branch, and said, "I recognize the seal, but as for what's written on it... I can't read."
*...?* The imposing aura Zhang Yuanqing had just worked up instantly stalled. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he said, "The Songhai Branch sent me on a secret mission to capture Pluto. Now that he has been apprehended, I hope the Qinghe Branch will assist me."
"How can we assist?" Wu Agui's attitude underwent a complete turnabout.
"Let us leave." Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Osmond.
"No way!" Osmond's expression darkened, his blue eyes narrowing. "Patriarch Wu Agui, the Qinghe Branch took our money and agreed to help us seal off the area."
*No one plays Heaven's Punishment for fools. Anyone who does will pay a bitter price,* he added silently.
"The money can be refunded." Wu Agui folded up the document and said to Zhang Yuanqing, "I can support your mission, but the two of you must come back with me. I need to have someone check the computer... hm, and have Yun Meng read what's written on here."
"No need to look!"
A majestic, resonant voice echoed from deep within the dense forest.
Zhang Yuanqing looked toward the sound. On a pine tree behind Wu Agui, a white flower bud as tall as two meters bloomed.
The bud slowly unfurled, revealing an old man standing among the stamens. He wore the traditional attire of the Qinghe Clan and had a full head of white hair, just like Wu Agui. But unlike the honest and rustic patriarch, this elder possessed thick brows and large eyes, exuding dignity without wrath, his white beard styled into goat-horn braids.
Wu Youhua, Minister of the Qinghe Branch's Investigation Department, enforcer of the clan rules, and one of the most powerful figures in the Qinghe Branch—most of the time, the "one of" could be dropped.
*Domineering, irascible, bellicose, and greedy as hell...* The profile flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind, and his heart sank.
At the same time, loud rustling and swaying echoed from the treetops in the darkness, as though a troop of monkeys were clambering and leaping among the branches, rapidly drawing near.
Soon, figure after figure came into view. It was a crowd of Wood Monsters even more agile than apes. They leaped between the treetops, soaring more than a dozen meters with every swing.
Others sprinted along the ground, treating the uneven, rugged forest floor like flat ground.
Wood Monster passive ability—Climber.
No complex terrain posed a challenge to Wood Monsters. In ancient times, they had been the vanguard specialized in storming perilous mountain passes and isolated citadels.
The Wood Monsters of the Qinghe Branch arrived first, clustering in droves behind Wu Youhua. These Wood Monsters were troops under the Investigation Minister's command, whereas the Earth Monsters belonging to Patriarch Wu Agui, hindered by their speed, were still on the way.
*Whoosh!*
Fierce gales whipped up, the powerful currents bending the pine forest until tree trunks bowed tautly.
Two figures rode the wind into view—Demon Hunter and Hoover, the latter holding the solemn, rigid young Knight, Chazo.
The Heaven's Punishment team had arrived as well.
Now, the people of Heaven's Punishment and the Qinghe Branch completely surrounded Zhang Yuanqing and the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter.
Looking down from above, Demon Hunter's customarily gentle eyes were now cold and ruthless.
Hoover, another Wind Mage, wore an expression of indolent detachment, while Chazo was as grave as ever. Osmond curled his lips into a sneer, displaying the amusement of a cat playing with a mouse.
With allies above and below, these two had nowhere left to run.
The Qinghe clansmen looked on with scrutiny and curiosity, murmuring among themselves about the unfolding sequence of events.
Standing among them, Yun Meng listened for a moment and discovered to her astonishment that she had somehow become one of the central figures in this affair.
—Someone had impersonated her, feeding false information to the clan to lure Heaven's Punishment and the Qinghe warriors away from the settlement in an attempt to hijack the wanted criminal known as Pluto, and they had nearly succeeded.
Yun Meng scrutinized the two closely. The young man looked entirely ordinary—the sort she wouldn't glance at twice—yet something about his demeanor felt strangely familiar.
The woman in the red dress was surely a remarkable beauty; though masked and draped in an exquisite gown, her graceful, enchanting bearing drew Yun Meng's gaze, inspiring admiration even in another woman.
*But I don't know them. Why impersonate me?* Yun Meng furrowed her delicate brows, sensing something amiss.
According to the clansmen's account, the imposter had even interacted with her grandfather without being exposed.
"Executive Officer, sir, these are the two who tried to intercept Pluto!" Osmond called out loudly.
Demon Hunter answered with wind blades, unleashing a torrential barrage aimed directly at the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter and Zhang Yuanqing below. The former was still pressed down by gravity, unable to evade.
Wu Agui frowned. The soil beneath Zhang Yuanqing and the Palace Master bulged upward, forming a spherical earthen barrier.
*Thud! Thud!*
The wind blades slashed against the barrier, kicking up clouds of gray dust.
Demon Hunter's eyes narrowed. "Patriarch Wu, what is the meaning of this?"
"They are Senior Deacons of the Five Elements Alliance. You cannot kill them," Wu Agui said, shaking his head. He looked over at Wu Youhua and somewhat haltingly explained the situation, taking out the document as he spoke:
"Sixth Uncle, we are part of the Five Elements Alliance. According to the rules, we should detain Pluto first, and once the Songhai Branch confirms everything, escort him to Songhai."
"The Songhai Branch's operations have nothing to do with us," Minister Wu Youhua scoffed. He snatched the paper from his nephew's hands and tore it to shreds, saying indifferently, "Now he's no longer an Alliance Deacon. Drive these two away. If they continue to make trouble, crippling them is fine too."
As he spoke, he shot a stern glare at his nephew. Eight million Federal Dollars was practically free money; why turn away wealth right within their grasp?
One truly didn't know the price of rice and salt until running the household. This nephew and patriarch of his, who knew only how to farm, had no idea how difficult it was to manage a clan of twenty thousand people.
In the crowd, Yun Meng watched the torn scraps of paper flutter away in the wind, her brows knitting slightly.
She disliked how Sixth Granduncle treated her grandfather, but neither her seniority nor her strength gave her the right to speak up.
Not a few Qinghe clansmen shared her sentiment. Toward their patriarch, the Qinghe people held respect rather than fear—they were not afraid of him, but they respected him deeply.
Wu Agui fell silent for a few seconds before saying earnestly:
"Sixth Uncle, don't fool yourself. Even if you tear up the paper, he is still an official Senior Deacon. This Pluto may be an important criminal; handing him over to Heaven's Punishment won't do. At the very least, we must consult the Songhai Branch first."
He paused, then added, "Think about it: what if Headquarters docks our funding next year?"
Wu Youhua didn't care about the Songhai Branch's attitude, but docking their funding hit him right where it hurt.
Demon Hunter frowned slightly. Hovering in the air, he said loudly, "If Patriarch Wu insists, I won't force the issue. However, please have the Qinghe Branch refund our three million deposit."
The Qinghe clansmen below shifted uncomfortably.
Hoover smiled and chimed in, "If the Qinghe Branch is willing to do Heaven's Punishment this favor, we will add another two million Federal Dollars, making it ten million in total."
The crowd below erupted into an uproar. People instinctively calculated the exchange rate—ten million Federal Dollars was worth seventy million in local currency!
Wu Youhua beamed, stroking his goat-horn beard with a chuckle.
"Heaven's Punishment is generous indeed. A pleasure doing business with you!"
He turned back to his nephew and said sternly:
"Agui, at most Headquarters will hold us accountable; they won't deduct our funding. Funding was our condition for joining the Five Elements Alliance. If Headquarters dares cut it, we dare make a scene. If you insist on cutting off our clan's fortune, ask them if they agree."
"We don't agree!" someone shouted immediately.
Soon, cries of "We don't agree!" rose one after another. The Qinghe clansmen were energized, their passions running high.
Osmond clicked his tongue in admiration. Such was the power of money.
He stole a sideways glance at Wu Agui.
Zhang Yuanqing exchanged a look with the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, who shook her head faintly.
Under the present circumstances, taking Pluto away was out of the question; escaping unscathed would already be a stroke of fortune.
Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts raced:
*The Qinghe Branch isn't afraid of Headquarters, cares only about money, and has been completely bought out by Heaven's Punishment. The chance of completing the mission is practically zero.*
*If I don't want to give up, the first step is to make the Qinghe Branch back down. That way, teaming up with the Palace Master, plus Wanderer of the Mortal Realm lurking in the shadows, we can contend with Heaven's Punishment's team. It all comes down to whether it's worth it.*
His gaze swept coldly over the arrogant Osmond, then over Hoover, who had severely injured Yin Ji.
*Is it worth it?*
*I don't know if it's worth it, but I want to beat the shit out of them...* Zhang Yuanqing's expression turned frigid.
He had already harbored no goodwill toward these people from Heaven's Punishment, and after the exchange summit, his opinion of them had hit rock bottom.
For people who came barging into his home turf to slap them in the face, if not for fearing his identity as the Demon Lord's successor might be exposed, his personality would have driven him to teach them a lesson right at the conference.
He hadn't expected that while he missed his chance at the summit, he would clash with them here in the Shiwan Dashan.
*To make the Qinghe Branch back off, a nameless Deacon's identity definitely won't cut it. I have to log onto my main account! With Yuanshi Tianzun's prestige, plus the Grand Marshal's deterrence and my connection with Yun Meng, it might be possible to get the Qinghe Branch to withdraw voluntarily. It all depends on how I play it...*
Zhang Yuanqing's brain worked at full throttle.
Just then, another group of Qinghe clansmen arrived, and among them was an acquaintance—Deputy Minister Poppy.
Dark-skinned and stern-mannered, Deputy Minister Poppy froze upon seeing Zhang Yuanqing, then gritted her teeth, shoved through the crowd to the front, and cried fiercely:
"Big Brother, Sixth Uncle, he's the one who injured me! He's the one who embezzled our assets!
"He's no Sanqing Daozu at all—he's just a petty coward who doesn't dare show his real ID!"
As soon as those words fell, the looks in the eyes of the surrounding Qinghe clansmen changed. They had all heard about what happened to Deputy Minister Poppy a few days ago.
Supposedly, this Senior Deacon named "Sanqing Daozu" had embezzled nearly a hundred million in illicit funds—money that should have gone into the Qinghe Branch's accounts.
Not only had he stolen money from the Qinghe Clan, but he had also severely wounded Deputy Minister Poppy.
Wu Youhua's eyes instantly turned frigid. Tender green tendrils surged from his sleeves, ensnaring Pluto—who was already trussed up tight—and yanked with forceful vigor.
The snapping of silk strings rang out continuously, and the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter grunted softly as she lost the contest of strength.
Bound by the tender green tendrils, Pluto looked left at the Qinghe Clan, right at Heaven's Punishment, and then glanced back at the Palace Master and Zhang Yuanqing. Beyond sheer despair, his eyes held a hollow daze, having lost all will to live.
Stepping on Pluto beneath his foot, Wu Youhua stared at Zhang Yuanqing and said coldly:
"I don't care who you are. Harming my clanswoman makes you our enemy. Out of deference to your status as an Alliance Deacon, break one of your own arms, and then get lost!"
These words amounted to publicly humiliating a Senior Deacon.
Every pair of eyes turned to Zhang Yuanqing—some with mocking jeers, some with spiteful satisfaction, others grinning as they watched the spectacle unfold.
The murderous intent in the Palace Master's eyes burned all the fiercer.
"Forcing me to break my own arm?" Zhang Yuanqing raised a hand and pressed it to his forehead, having made up his mind completely. At worst, he would just forfeit the bounty.
"Not even the Ten Elders at Headquarters have ever spoken to me like that. What immense authority you wield, Minister Wu! Why don't you take a look at who I really am!"
With that, he wiped his hand across his face. The ordinary-looking visage rippled like water, morphing into a handsome, youthful face.
Chapter 584