A roaring voice echoed across the clear skies of the northwest.
Two three-meter-tall Ancient Gods of War, each with three heads and eight arms, muscles cast like steel, and eerie demonic patterns etched across their bodies, were hammering away at each other's rock-hard frames with heavy thuds.
At the words "Five Elements Alliance," Demonic Eye Heavenly King, who had been fighting with genuine fury, forcefully suppressed his battle lust and ceased attacking.
Fear Heavenly King showed even greater mastery over his composure. With a kick, he shoved Demonic Eye away, his hulking frame shrinking back to normal human proportions.
Demonic Eye followed suit, returning to his regular form.
Both Heavenly Kings were bare-chested, wearing only bronze faulds below the waist. Sunlight glistened over their sculpted physiques and sharply defined abs, radiating masculine dominance and valor.
An onlooker might easily have mistaken them for actors shooting a historical idol drama.
Demonic Eye Heavenly King produced an athletic headband and strapped it across his brow.
Taking a single stride, Fear Heavenly King appeared directly before Silver Moon Heavenly King. An elegant smile surfaced on his face, which always seemed to yearn for freedom. "It appears we have an unexpected bonus."
Silver Moon Heavenly King nodded and cut straight to the chase, reporting without pleasantries:
"At the tribunal, Yuanshi Tianzun unleashed demigod-level combat strength and slaughtered four Dominators, including Cai Qinhe, suffering complete obliteration of body and spirit and returning entirely to the Spirit Realm.
"On the spot, four elders and sixteen senior deacons announced their resignation from the Five Elements Alliance, including Lingjun and Huang Taiji. Among grassroots official realm-walkers, over two hundred people announced their withdrawal from the Spirit Realm.
"The Five Elements Alliance is facing the greatest crisis of trust since its founding."
Fear Heavenly King laughed heartily, clicking his tongue in wonder.
"The three major freelance organizations have clashed with the Five Elements Alliance for so many years, yet the damage we inflicted doesn't even match what they did to themselves in a single bout of infighting. Interesting, truly interesting.
"It's just a pity about Yuanshi Tianzun."
"A pity?" Silver Moon Heavenly King snorted coldly. "If that brat had grown to full power, he'd likely have become another demigod, or at worst an Elder-level powerhouse. His death is good news; the entire Soldier Master sect is celebrating."
Pausing briefly, he continued his report:
"According to the advisory council's analysis, this crisis of trust will last for years. In the meantime, as long as we put pressure on the Five Elements Alliance, take the initiative to hunt official realm-walkers, and push them toward further collapse, more and more grassroots members will quit the official ranks.
"Once that happens, official influence will wane, private organizations will rise, and the strength of the orthodox faction will scatter."
Fear Heavenly King beamed with delight. "Then what are we waiting for?"
Divine General Silver Moon nodded, then glanced at Demonic Eye, who stood motionless as a statue. "Didn't you hold Yuanshi Tianzun in high regard? Now is the perfect time for you to take revenge on the officials."
Demonic Eye Heavenly King stared blankly toward the setting sun on the horizon, a deep melancholy washing over his expression. "He's already returned to the Spirit Realm... I want to know the truth and the specific details of what happened."
All he knew was that Yuanshi Tianzun had faced a tribunal from the Five Elements Alliance on charges of "colluding with evil classes" and "murdering an official elder."
Yet regarding the truth and intricate details of the matter, even the senior deacons present at the tribunal had only realized what really happened after Yuanshi Tianzun chose mutual destruction.
When it came to official intelligence, evil classes usually managed to glean only an outline; uncovering deeper specifics required time and digging.
Divine General Silver Moon said:
"Cai Qinhe used the outcasts from the Wuhen Hotel as bait to set up an ambush and execute Yuanshi Tianzun, but the elder sent out was killed instead. That led them to turn the scheme around into an official tribunal.
"Hmph, that fellow Yuanshi Tianzun was a freak, just like you. You're a freelancer who spends every waking moment obsessing over exterminating villainy, and he actually spoke up for a bunch of freelancers! Laughable!"
*Spoke up for a bunch of freelancers... spoke up for a bunch of freelancers...*
The words seemed to pierce Demonic Eye Heavenly King straight to the core. From beneath his headband, crimson blood began to seep.
It was a tear of blood, weeping from his vertical eye.
Demonic Eye Heavenly King suddenly clutched his head and bent double, his body trembling violently as if racked by excruciating agony. The bloody tears surged from his brow, staining half his face crimson.
Fear Heavenly King frowned. "Demonic Eye?"
What answered him was a low chuckle. "Ha... haha... hahaha..."
Hunched over, Demonic Eye began to laugh. He laughed until his entire frame shook, his laughter growing increasingly frenzied and desolate.
Across his bare torso, pair after pair of scarlet-gold demonic eyes snapped open, tightly packed, sinister, and terrifying.
Every vertical eye spewed forth beams of golden-red light, and every radiant streak carried horrifying corruption.
On that day, every Bewitching Demon at the Soldier Master sect headquarters was corrupted, descending into madness.
***
As the evening sun dipped below the horizon, Yin Ji sat before the floor-to-ceiling window of the apartment building where disciples of the Taiyi Sect resided, silently gazing out at the city as evening lights began to flicker on.
After an entire day, the sorrow and pain lingering in her heart had not dissipated in the slightest; instead, it brewed and churned, growing ever more intense.
Yuanshi Tianzun's death had struck her hard. That young man had undoubtedly held affection for her, striking up conversations and chatting with her from time to time—wanting to draw closer, yet sensibly keeping his distance.
Yin Ji had occasionally felt guilty. Her heart had long been filled by the Demon Lord, leaving no room for another man, making it impossible for her to return his affection. Yet there was no denying that Yuanshi Tianzun was an exceptional young man, and she had held immense admiration for him.
Setting aside romance, strictly as a friend, she had liked Yuanshi Tianzun immensely. That bond had surpassed her feelings for most of her fellow disciples in the Taiyi Sect.
Yuanshi Tianzun's return to the Spirit Realm left her hollow and bereft.
A bright starlight rose within the bedroom, interrupting Yin Ji's thoughts. She hastily stood and bowed.
"Master!"
The newcomer was none other than Elder Hongying.
Elder Hongying examined her, then let out a low sigh. "Still grieving over Yuanshi Tianzun's death? Sigh, it's fortunate you two never became lovers, otherwise..."
Otherwise, the despair would have been unimaginable—first the Demon Lord, and now Yuanshi.
Yin Ji bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, revealing her vulnerability before her master. "He wasn't in the wrong. He did nothing wrong. He shouldn't have met such an end..."
Elder Hongying sighed once more. "He is gone; dwelling on it serves no purpose. I came to share some news with you, something I believe you have a right to know."
Yin Ji drew a deep breath, blinking back her tears. "Please speak, Master."
"Just now, the Grand Elder convened a meeting and disclosed something..." Elder Hongying looked at her disciple with a complex expression, pausing for several seconds. "Yuanshi Tianzun was the Demon Lord's successor."
Yin Ji froze entirely, staring blankly at her teacher.
Elder Hongying smiled bitterly. "No one expected it. To think it was him all along, someone even the Tiger Tally failed to detect."
Yin Ji's mind fell into complete turmoil. In that instant, the two figures in her memory merged into one. There were so many questions and doubts she yearned to resolve, yet answers would forever remain out of reach.
She stood dazed in the room, sorrow surging relentlessly in her chest.
***
Late at night.
Miao Teng'er was dressed in a plain white gown, her beautiful hair swept up high, stripped of all hairpins and jewelry in stark, modest elegance.
Ever since the tribunal ended, she had worn this attire, as if in mourning for someone.
She walked through the lush green courtyard and wound past a succession of sunrooms, ignoring the little animals along the path that tried to fawn over her, arriving downcast in the deeper reaches of the botanical research station.
Beneath an ancient pine, a middle-aged man in emerald green robes held a handful of pine nuts, feeding two plump squirrels.
"Uncle!" Miao Teng'er halted several paces away.
"Did Lingjun leave?" Yunzhongzi's voice sounded somewhat heavy.
Miao Teng'er let out a quiet "Mm" and murmured, "Cousin said he won't ever come back. He said that since Grandfather raised him, he cannot bring himself to condemn him, but he can never forgive Grandfather for driving his brother to his death."
Yunzhongzi snorted coldly, then sighed. "In a single day, headquarters received three hundred letters of resignation. Today's tribunal has dealt a devastating blow to the Five Elements Alliance's vitality."
They had lost a peak Dominator and a genius of limitless potential.
More fatal still was the total loss of public credibility.
To put it bluntly: they had lost the hearts of the people.
Those who resigned went without saying, but even those who did not resign harbored grievances. They simply needed a job, but deep down, none of them would ever trust headquarters again.
That man named Zhou had sought to manipulate public opinion and thoroughly ruin Yuanshi Tianzun's reputation, and the initial effect had indeed been potent. But now public sentiment had backfired uncontrollably.
Such was the price of manipulating public opinion.
"Has Grandfather not returned yet?" Miao Teng'er asked.
Yunzhongzi's expression darkened instantly. "Gang Leader Jiang and the Palace Mistress have returned. The two alliance leaders were furious upon learning about these matters. Your grandfather and the other eight were... summoned into the Spirit Realm for a conference.
"Never mind them..." Yunzhongzi scattered the pine nuts across the ground and turned to face his niece's delicate, ethereal face, his tone solemn.
"Just now, the Crimson Sun Executioner from the Taiyi Sect sent word: Yuanshi Tianzun was the Demon Lord's successor."
*Yuanshi Tianzun was the Demon Lord's successor?*
The revelation struck Miao Teng'er's heart like a thunderclap, causing her to stagger and nearly lose her footing.
*It was actually him? It was really him!*
*Then... the person from that night was him as well?* Miao Teng'er's vision swam, waves of dizziness washing over her.
***
Beijing.
In a sprawling suburban estate, there were vast gardens spanning several acres, sunrooms, a grand swimming pool, fountain ponds, and castle-like main pavilions.
Security personnel clad in suits and leather shoes, equipped with earpieces and pistols, stood sentry or patrolled the grounds.
On the second floor, inside a European-style study, the curtains were drawn tight and no lights were lit.
Amidst the quiet darkness, a figure abruptly materialized upon the high-backed chair behind the desk.
His hair was tied back in a dashing short ponytail, his handsome face sharply chiseled. Compared to the past, his gaze was far more concentrated, his aura markedly more mature and imposing.
The suit he wore was shredded to tatters and soaked in blood. His chest, abdomen, thighs, and back were covered in wounds so deep they exposed bone.
Three fingers on his left hand were severed, and even that face, handsome enough to take a woman's breath away, was crisscrossed with scars.
Fu Qingyang had returned.
He surveyed the study without minding his injuries, immediately picking up the phone on the desk and lighting up the screen.
October 4th, 2:30 AM.
"A margin of twelve hours." He nodded in satisfaction. Though he hadn't managed to return to reality before October, he had at least made it back at the start of the month.
Fu Qingyang had paced his time strictly inside the dungeon.
He flicked his finger, sending a wisp of sword qi whistling forward to hit the wall switch by the door.
*Click!*
A small chandelier illuminated the room, while the sword qi dispersed upon contact without damaging the switch.
The light brightened, illuminating his peerless face as well as the white-haired woman in riding boots seated on the sofa across from the desk.
The woman had her legs crossed, her breathtaking visage aloof and regal, exuding the presence of an empress holding sway over the world. In a clear, cool voice, she remarked:
"Your control over sword qi is seasoned to perfection—truly enviable. I dare say among Scouts, the only person whose micro-control of sword qi can rival yours is that old fellow from the Sword Pavilion."
She took out two bottles of life fluid, casually tossed them over, and frowned.
"Treat your wounds. In less than a month, you forced your way through nine dungeons. If you lack the talent, don't force it. You're clearly a useless little brother, yet you love to play the hero. Back when I cleared faction dungeons, I was far steadier than you."
She hadn't felt comfortable leaving her useless brother unattended, so she had entered the dungeons to spectate.
Over the course of half a month, Fu Qingyang had cleared nine dungeons in succession: one S-grade, three A-grade, and five B-grade.
The B-grade dungeons had been manageable enough, amounting to close calls without true disaster. But the three A-grade dungeons and the single S-grade dungeon had made Fu Qingyang suffer immensely; he was either lingering on the brink of death or on the way to it.
In truth, he had already died several times over. The generous reserves of life fluid in his inventory had been entirely exhausted over the past two weeks.
Healing items had been consumed again and again.
Even so, he had nearly perished inside the dungeons. Surviving had relied not only on his solid foundation and exceptional gear like the cloak, but also a generous measure of luck.
Fu Qingxuan simply couldn't understand why he hadn't taken a gentler approach—resting for a few days between dungeons to recover his energy would have vastly reduced the risk.
Yet Fu Qingyang had acted as though he were rushing to be reincarnated, refusing to give himself a single breath of respite.
"I don't have time," Fu Qingyang said flatly.
Fu Qingxuan didn't bother pressing further, saying:
"Don't enter any more faction dungeons this year. Accustom yourself to the Level 8 realm, hone the proficiency of your Dominator stage skills, and wait until next year to attempt clearing dungeons again. I'm telling you, every single Level 8 dungeon carries a casualty rate exceeding seventy percent for you, and Level 9 dungeons have a fatality rate above ninety percent.
"Unless you encounter miraculous opportunities or achieve a qualitative leap in your swordsmanship, peak Level 8 will be your limit. Of course, with the boost from the Sword Master Cloak, you might be able to put up a fight against an early Level 9 Dominator."
Ignoring his elder sister's lecturing, Fu Qingyang injected the life fluid while opening his contacts to dial Yuanshi Tianzun's mobile phone.
"The number you have dialed is currently powered off..."
Powered off? His scheduled dungeon for the month shouldn't be until mid-October... Fu Qingyang furrowed his brows and dialed Guan Ya instead.
*Beep, beep, beep...*
The call connected, but no one answered.
Just as Fu Qingyang prepared to hang up, the line clicked open. However, the voice coming through the speaker wasn't Guan Ya's, but that of his aunt, Fu Xue.
"Q-Qingyang? You're back?"
His aunt's voice was heavy and congested, drenched in exhaustion.
Fu Qingyang didn't particularly care for this aunt of his, and he frowned slightly. "You came to Songhai? Yes, I'm back. Let Guan Ya and Yuanshi know that I'll return to Songhai tomorrow."
The moment he finished speaking, he heard sniffling on the other end of the line.
Then came Fu Xue's choked sob: "Qingyang... Yuanshi has returned to the Spirit Realm."
Chapter 640