Hearing Elder Cai's words, Secretary Zhou's expression contorted slightly in exasperated humiliation.
Yes, he was afraid.
He was terrified of a wet-behind-the-ears kid who had been a Spirit Realm walker for less than half a year.
Previously, no matter how much trouble Yuanshi Tianzun stirred up, at most he was the foremost below the Dominators; true Dominators could still look down on him and crush him like an irritating bug that pinched their fingers.
Yet now, this irritating bug had hunted down and killed a veteran level 7 elder.
The secretary to one of headquarters' Ten Elders was also a level 7 Dominator. Although, as the secretary to one of the Ten Elders, his foundation and resources were certainly far beyond what the Southern Sect's Sixth Elder possessed, he had to admit that Yuanshi Tianzun had already become a threat to him.
And that rebellious brat was only a Saint right now.
If he ascended to Dominator, he would probably slaughter those of the same rank just like Fu Qingyang.
"Elder Cai, are we just going to sit by and watch him grow?" Secretary Zhou lowered his voice even further, as though speaking of a topic that could never see the light of day.
The friction between headquarters' Nine Elders and Yuanshi Tianzun was a minor issue. If that rebellious brat ever reached the demigod realm, the Nine Elders would at most bow their heads, admit fault, offer some compensation, and the matter would blow over.
Neither side had an irreconcilable feud.
Elder Cai, however, was different. Elder Cai's beloved grandson had died at Yuanshi Tianzun's hands. His subsequent retaliation at the trial hearing and his deliberate obstruction during the airplane ambush had only deepened their enmity.
The only reason the two sides had maintained peace was that Yuanshi Tianzun's wings had not yet fully formed, while Elder Cai hesitated to act for fear of collateral consequences. But an eruption between them was only a matter of time.
Unless Elder Cai yielded and offered Yuanshi Tianzun compensation of his own accord—yet as a Peak Dominator, how could Elder Cai possibly fear someone still in the Saint stage, even if he might become a Dominator in the future?
To put it bluntly, a Peak Dominator killing a level 7 Dominator was no different from swatting a dog to death.
Not to mention a Peak Dominator like Elder Cai, whose experience bar was above 70% and who possessed a Dominator-grade rule-based item.
"Yuanshi Tianzun is a genius nurtured with priority by the official faction. The greater his achievements, the greater the benefit to the organization," Elder Cai said mildly. "You don't need to be afraid. The friction between you and him is just a small matter."
Secretary Zhou was taken aback, then gave a wry smile. "A fair reprimand, Leader. I was overthinking things. Although Yuanshi Tianzun and I have had our frictions, we are both members of the Five Elements Alliance after all. It's just a minor dispute—once talked through, it will pass."
He had been too impatient. How could Elder Cai ever state his true stance over the phone?
Before hanging up, Elder Cai said meaningfully, "Everything is within the game."
*Everything is within the game...* Secretary Zhou knitted his brows, pondering the words deeply.
***
Fujia Bay, rooftop.
Zhang Yuanqing laid out the materials and the parchment scroll for summoning Empress Sandao, picked up his phone, and dialed Li Chunfeng's number.
"Chunfeng, shut off the residential complex's surveillance cameras." After giving the instruction, Zhang Yuanqing put down his phone and channeled spiritual energy into the parchment scroll.
As if fire had caught paper, the spirit talisman formations on the parchment scroll began to churn, ravenously drawing upon the spiritual energy of the materials.
Zhang Yuanqing promptly pressed his palm onto the parchment scroll, calling out in his mind: *Youqing, Youqing, come out quickly...*
He figured that calling her "Empress" might not catch the old crone's attention immediately, but calling someone's given name would make anyone instinctively look toward the voice.
Sure enough, after he called twice, Empress Sandao directed her gaze from the Spirit Realm.
A golden radiance bloomed across the sky above Fujia Bay, rippling outward in expanding rings, like cannon shells of pure light hammering an invisible barrier.
Beside Zhang Yuanqing's feet, the Demon-Subduing Pestle vibrated violently. It sensed its master's summon, but Empress Sandao's power could not penetrate from the Spirit Realm into reality, preventing her from truly calling it back.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing grabbed the Demon-Subduing Pestle and channeled the divine power of the sun into it.
Having lost the Demon-Subduing Pestle, it was somewhat difficult for the empress to breach the Spirit Realm's barrier, so she needed him to work in coordination from within and without to give the old crone... to give Youqing a helping hand.
Infused with the divine power of the sun, the Demon-Subduing Pestle revived instantly, shooting into the sky as a streak of golden light.
*Buzz!*
Amid a burst that sounded like an exploding shockwave, the azure sky, touched with faint gold, suddenly cracked open into a circular passage.
The passage was deep and pitch-black, connected to the Spirit Realm. The Demon-Subduing Pestle vanished into it.
"Impudent brat!"
The old crone's cold snort came from beyond the passage.
It was the kind of sound only Night Walkers and resentful spirits could hear.
"Empress You—Empress, don't leave just yet!" Zhang Yuanqing, long accustomed to teetering on the edge before mighty figures, pretended not to notice the old crone's displeasure. Vibrating his psychic power, he said, "I suspect Sect Master Chunyang isn't dead yet."
He immediately stated his hypothesis aloud via the Night Walker method of communication.
After listening to his description, the passage fell silent for several seconds before Empress Sandao's "voice" drifted out:
"His sanity is highly unstable, and every time he seizes a body to reincarnate, the damage to his primordial spirit worsens, deepening his madness. Compounded by my mockery and the blow of suffering two crushing defeats at the hands of his disciple, he will grow increasingly insane and erratic.
"When the time comes, there are only two outcomes. One is that he takes the risk of hunting Stargazers or Dream Masters who are too powerful and dies from the backlash. The other is that his mind completely loses control, and he is eliminated by your Five Elements Alliance."
In other words, Sect Master Chunyang was essentially ruined? Hmm, he'd have to start over from scratch, so he wouldn't be much of a concern in the short term... Zhang Yuanqing said "loudly": "This junior understands. Respectful farewell, Empress Youqing."
"Impudent brat!!"
The old crone's words carried the sound of gnashing teeth, yet she was powerless. She couldn't very well leave the Spirit Realm just over this minor annoyance to beat him up in the mortal realm.
The passage in the sky slowly contracted until it disappeared entirely.
*Ancient people are so touchy. It's just a name...* Zhang Yuanqing muttered inwardly.
Watching the passage vanish, he felt a pang of reluctance. Well, not for the empress, but for the Demon-Subduing Pestle—his faithful, humble companion through thick and thin.
That thing had accompanied him since his humble beginnings, and now the empress had taken it back.
Zhang Yuanqing used Star Escape to return to the villa's living room.
Xie Lingxi was sitting on the sofa, holding a laptop and reading an instance guide for Musicians; she was due to enter the Spirit Realm soon.
"Brother Yuanshi, don't forget the crab feast at the end of the month!" Xie Lingxi picked up a slice of apple on a fork, wanting to feed Zhang Yuanqing.
The crab feast was in the ninth lunar month, which corresponded to October on the solar calendar.
Zhang Yuanqing snapped it up in his mouth, chewing as he said, "Alright!"
The Xie family had a demigod patriarch overseeing them, along with a host of Dominators and Saints. Unless Asura himself arrived, the evil factions wouldn't storm into the dragon's pool and tiger's den of the Xie family just to kill him.
Hearing him agree, Xie Lingxi pursed her lips shyly.
Her father had told her that once Yuanshi Tianzun attended the crab feast, the old ancestor would act as matchmaker and marry her off to Brother Yuanshi.
Although the old ancestor was overbearing and unreasonable, strictly adhering to feudal traditions of parental dictates and matchmaker's words, if the partner was Brother Yuanshi, Xie Lingxi was more than willing to become his little bride.
"By the way, did your dad enter an instance?" Zhang Yuanqing asked suddenly.
"Huh? How did you know, Brother?"
*Because your dad didn't congratulate me this morning...* Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to reply, his phone chimed in his pocket. He checked it; it was a message from the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter:
[Crazy Palace Master: Ask the official faction for me if they're interested in buying the Earth Spirit Vestment. I need a Dominator-grade item, preferably one with both defensive and close-combat capabilities.]
After a few seconds, she added another complaint:
[Crazy Palace Master: This damn robe is too heavy. I can't fight in it at all; I can only hide in it like a turtle in its shell.]
Zhang Yuanqing typed a reply: "So you want to swap heavy armor for light armor, right?"
[Crazy Palace Master: Smart.]
The toll of the Earth Spirit Vestment was indeed too steep. While its defense was formidable, wearing it was equivalent to binding oneself, leaving one unable to do anything in battle except take hits passively... Zhang Yuanqing had an idea, thinking that Huang Taiji would definitely love it.
Weight wasn't a drawback for an Earth Monster. Handing an Earth Monster item to an Earth Monster would yield higher bonuses than giving it to other classes. Moreover, Zhang Yuanqing had noticed that despite being the Grand Elder's grandson, Huang Taiji didn't seem to possess a single Dominator-grade item.
A Saint at the peak of level 6 would naturally yearn for a Dominator-grade item.
Selling the Earth Spirit Vestment to Huang Taiji would do him a favor on one hand, and on the other, young master Huang had money to burn.
"Alas, a veteran Dominator only had two Dominator-grade items on him, and low-tier ones at that. Looks like once I reach the Dominator stage, my title of Item Heavenly Lord is going to take a hit."
Lamenting to himself, Zhang Yuanqing messaged his godfather—no, Little Huang. He sent Little Huang a text: "I have an Earth-attribute Dominator-grade item called the Earth Spirit Vestment. Interested in acquiring it?"
He edited the item attributes of the Earth Spirit Vestment and sent them over.
Huang Taiji's phone call came almost instantly.
Zhang Yuanqing answered, hearing Little Huang's voice over the speaker, steady yet laced with a hint of excitement: "Name your price."
"I need a Dominator-grade item with both defensive and close-combat capabilities. No restriction on type, but hopefully the drawback isn't too severe," Zhang Yuanqing said.
Hearing this, Huang Taiji gave a wry laugh. "I don't have any Dominator-grade items."
If Yuanshi Tianzun wanted money or materials in exchange, he would scrape together every last copper to get it.
*I was waiting for you to say that,* Zhang Yuanqing thought.
He changed his tune: "How about this: I want to sell two Dominator-grade items, spoils from hunting down the Southern Sect's Sixth Elder. But I'm not keen on dealing with those old bastards at headquarters, so I'd like to ask my godfather to help me handle it.
"My requirement is a mid-tier Dominator-grade item with the functions I just mentioned."
In truth, even a mid-tier item wouldn't equal two low-tier ones. While the gap between mid-tier and low-tier was significant, it wasn't overwhelmingly decisive, and two items represented two different classes; in practical combat, one more skill meant one more chance at victory.
The difference in value was essentially a favor Zhang Yuanqing was giving to Huang Taiji.
Huang Taiji could easily use a low-tier item plus a large sum of materials and cash to purchase a mid-tier item from headquarters. As Di Hong's grandson, headquarters wouldn't refuse him.
Huang Taiji paused briefly, then said in a deep voice, "Thank you. I owe you a favor. I'll scout around for an item for you and get back to you within three days."
Hanging up the phone, Zhang Yuanqing sent another text to Guan Ya: "I'm staying at home for a few days."
Next up was lying low in Songhai, lying low until the deadly calamity passed, lying low until the end of the year, lying low until ascending to Dominator.
The reason he had declined Demonic Eye's invitation was that Ling Tuo, as a demigod-level Night Walker, possessed the ability to see the river of destiny; hunting the Third Protector would be nothing more than flying like a moth into a flame.
Demonic Eye was just an uncouth God of War; when it came to being old and cunning, he was no match for a Night Walker.
Therefore, Zhang Yuanqing believed that lying low was the right move.
***
Songhai No. 2 Middle School.
A man wearing a peaked cap entered the school with brazen ease, while the security guard looked right past him as if he didn't exist.
After entering the school, he walked straight toward the teaching building.
It was recess. Boys were chasing each other through the hallways, girls were walking to the restrooms in pairs, and cheerful chatter and laughter filled the air.
The man in the peaked cap entered the teaching building and came to the teachers' office on the first floor.
Standing by the doorway, he knocked on the door: *Thump, thump.*
The teachers in the office experienced a momentary daze before noticing the man in the peaked cap at the door, greeting him one after another: "Teacher Chunyang!"
The man in the peaked cap gave an "Mm," pulled out his phone, opened a photo, showed it to the teachers, and asked, "Do you recognize the person in this photo?"
The photo showed a handsome young man.
The teachers examined it closely for a moment, then shook their heads one by one.
The man in the peaked cap silently departed. In this manner, he went through all the teachers across all three grades, but turned up empty-handed.
"Not just Songhai University—even the middle school teachers have been hypnotized?"
Standing in the hallway with both hands resting on the railing, the man in the peaked cap muttered to himself.
Over the past few days, he had visited every middle school in Songhai, yet not a single teacher recognized Yuanshi Tianzun.
Evidently, the Five Elements Alliance had "erased" Yuanshi Tianzun's existence, making him someone who could not be found through any real-world channels.
Yet Sect Master Chunyang was not discouraged. As someone born and raised in Songhai, Yuanshi Tianzun had surely left traces behind in this city. Even the official faction could not erase them completely; that was simply beyond human capability.
As long as he found that loose thread, he could follow it to uncover Yuanshi Tianzun's real-world identity.
"If the active teachers have all been hypnotized, then what about those who retired in recent years? Among the teachers who retired from Songhai over the past few years, perhaps someone still remembers Yuanshi Tianzun.
"Yuanshi Tianzun, you must... you must die..."
Deep within Sect Master Chunyang's seemingly calm eyes, a madness on the verge of losing control was brewing.
Chapter 618