The members of Return of the Dead urgently turned their heads and looked around the moment they entered the Spirit Realm. Then, in the exact same instant, their eyes locked onto Yuanshi Tianzun, standing not far away.
Everyone stared blankly at him. No one spoke; no one showed any expression; no one even seemed to breathe. They simply watched him, as if he were an illusion made of bubbles that would scatter at the slightest breath.
In truth, when the guild dungeon had arrived, these elites had already suspected as much. Seeing a living, breathing Yuanshi Tianzun now confirmed their guesses.
He really hadn't died. Yet none of them understood how someone whose body and soul had been completely annihilated could still be alive.
*Everyone looks so haggard...* Zhang Yuanqing's gaze swept over the guild members. Xiao Yuan's long hair was messy and unkempt, with faint dark circles beneath her eyes. It was obvious at a glance that she hadn't washed up in days, and her sleep had been terrible.
Sun Miaomiao had washed her hair properly; her lovely locks remained sleek and glossy. But her eyes were naturally big and round, so when she lacked rest, the bags under her eyes grew exceptionally prominent. Paired with her large eyes, the puffy bags actually looked rather cute.
Guan Ya was in great shape, having already known that her boyfriend had returned from the dead.
The female members were all wearing pajamas or nightgowns, looking decent enough.
By contrast, the entrances made by the male members were striking, to say the least. Brother Red Chicken appeared to have been hard at work plowing fields before entering the Spirit Realm; he was stark naked, looking utterly dazed.
Tianxia Guihuo was tightly wrapped in an air-conditioning quilt. Xiahou Aotian was wearing boxer shorts, with his trousers pooled around his ankles before he'd had time to pull them up.
The only one dressed normally was Zhao Chenghuang, in black suit trousers and a black shirt.
*Tsk, tsk. Both Fire Practitioners were busy enjoying themselves. Fire Practitioners really have boundless energy. And Xiahou Aotian was answering nature's call, wasn't he? How can a protagonist take a dump? He clearly isn't cut out to be a protagonist. Wonder if he wiped his ass properly... You can enter the Spirit Realm wrapped in a quilt—does that mean if you're naked, a wrapped blanket is treated as clothing by default?* Zhang Yuanqing chuckled softly.
"Everyone, I have resurrected. Are you surprised? Are you shocked?"
Those words broke the silence, and life instantly rushed back into the guild members' faces.
"Yuanshi..." Xiao Yuan's vision blurred in an instant, overwhelmed by a tangle of grief and joy. For the first time in her life, she felt the world's gentleness. She felt favored by heaven, and a profound gratitude for everything welled up in her heart.
If heaven hadn't favored her, how could it have returned Yuanshi to her?
Yuanshi was one of the few lights in her life, and now that the hotel team was wiped out, he was the only light left.
Over the past few days, every minute and every second had been agony for Xiao Yuan. She had lost all motivation and hope to go on living.
If she had to name any lingering attachment, it was probably that she worried about Kou Beiyue.
*He really is alive... He's still alive...* Tears welled in Sun Miaomiao's large eyes and spilled over in heavy drops. Her nose soon turned red, and she began to sob softly.
Excitement, agitation, and surprise flashed through Tianxia Guihuo's eyes in turn.
Yuanshi Tianzun was alive. As a friend who had faced life and death with him multiple times, he was genuinely happy. At the same time, he rejoiced that the emotion and friendship he had invested in Yuanshi Tianzun had not gone to waste like drawing water with a wicker basket.
As long as Yuanshi Tianzun lived, this friendship would bear fruit again and again in the future, paying off time and time again.
Zhao Chenghuang raised his head and took a deep breath, feeling a sour prickle in his nose.
The listlessness vanished from Xiahou Aotian's eyes, replaced instantly by brilliance. His pupils trembled slightly as agitation and joy filled his heart. While rejoicing, he pulled up his pants.
Brother Red Chicken laughed wildly. "Yuanshi Tianzun, you're actually still alive! How are you still alive? This is amazing!"
Swinging his giant pendulum, he opened his arms wide and came forward joyously to embrace him.
Zhang Yuanqing pointed at his body. "Where are your clothes?"
Only then did Brother Red Chicken realize he wasn't wearing anything. He slammed on the brakes, glanced around, and zeroed in on Tianxia Guihuo.
"Get lost!" Tianxia Guihuo took two wary steps back.
Brother Red Chicken said shamelessly, "Let me in, or I'll burn the quilt."
"..." The Disgrace of Fire Practitioners' cheeks twitched a few times. Giving in, he turned slightly and silently opened the quilt. "Get in."
And so, two buck-naked Fire Practitioners huddled together under the quilt, poking out only their two heads.
Sun Miaomiao asked through her sniffling, "Weren't you dead? How are you alive again?"
Everyone turned to look at him. This was what they all wanted to know most.
Zhang Yuanqing didn't rush to reply. He waited until everyone had calmed down before recounting the details of his resurrection, explaining the functions of the Mother Goddess's Womb and his backup plan involving a spare avatar.
At the same time, he told them about his decision to go abroad.
"Well, Return of the Dead truly lives up to its name now," Tianxia Guihuo sighed with emotion.
"So that's how it is. Isn't resurrection supposed to be exclusive to the protagonist? What right do you have to resurrect?" The stiffest part of Xiahou Aotian's entire body was his stubborn mouth, and he feigned disdain.
"Did you wipe your ass clean?" Zhang Yuanqing shot him a sideways glance.
Xiahou Aotian flushed red. "Damn it, you might as well return to the Spirit Realm! Even resurrecting, you're just a menace!"
Zhang Yuanqing ignored him, pulled out the Knight badge, and said, "Everyone, take an oath not to leak the news of my resurrection."
The members raised no objections. Passing the badge around, they made their oaths one by one.
Once everyone had finished swearing, Zhang Yuanqing rubbed his hands together greedily. "Ahem, well, since I'm back from the dead, could everyone please return my items?"
"..."
*Damn it, you might as well return to the Spirit Realm! Even resurrecting, you're just a menace!* Xiahou Aotian's curse surfaced in everyone's minds simultaneously.
Zhao Chenghuang reluctantly took out Little Red Riding Hood. "The yin corpses are all inside, including Yinyao. I couldn't reach Guan Ya these past few days."
His precious yin corpses hadn't even been properly warmed up before he had to give them back.
The others sighed and took out the items to return them: Tianxia Guihuo's Enchantment Perfume, Brother Red Chicken's Thunder God Seal, and Xiahou Aotian's Sliding Shoes. As for Guan Ya's Heaven Worship Set and matchbox, and the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter's Perfect Human Skin, they had already been returned to Zhang Yuanqing earlier.
Now he was only missing Little Green Tea's astrolabe and Queen's Mountain God Scepter.
As well as Sun Miaomiao's three spirit servants.
Sun Miaomiao said aggrievedly, "You promised you'd give them to me... I can give back Yi Chuanmei and the Ghost Bride, but can't you let me keep Little Doubi?"
"No way. He's my son. You must return him," Zhang Yuanqing flatly refused. Seeing Sun Miaomiao pouting on the verge of tears, he amended, "I can give you Yi Chuanmei."
He truly couldn't stand that masochistic pervert anyway and had long stopped wanting her around.
Besides, he had completely mastered the skills of the Illusionist profession, so Yi Chuanmei's usefulness had dropped dramatically, making her dispensable.
"I just want Little Doubi! I only want Little Doubi!" Sun Miaomiao threw a tantrum.
Zhang Yuanqing raised a palm. "Care for a slap upside the head?"
Sun Miaomiao immediately succumbed to the guild master's tyrannical abuse of power. Wiping her tears, she spat out Little Doubi and the Ghost Bride.
Brother Red Chicken gloated from the side, "Back at Qinfeng Academy, the mirror already told you—you won't get that little spirit servant unless you give birth to one yourself."
"Get lost, you dog of a thrice-divorced man!" Sun Miaomiao vented her fury on the vulgar Fire Practitioner.
Putting away the items, Zhang Yuanqing continued:
"Actually, aside from the yin corpses and spirit servants, those items of yours aren't essential to me. But I couldn't just take back the yin corpses and spirit servants; that wouldn't be fair to Miaomiao and Little Zhao. So I simply took everything back together.
"How about this: I'll put them in the guild storage. You can apply to borrow them whenever you need."
The members' eyes lit up, and their lingering reluctance and gloom vanished instantly.
If those items were kept in the guild storage as collective property, they would actually have access to even more items. They could use them whenever needed, which was far more cost-effective than being stuck with just one piece each.
Tianxia Guihuo, who came from grassroots beginnings, asked, "Why are you going abroad?"
"The world is vast; I should go out and see it. If I don't advance to Dominator, I won't come back," Zhang Yuanqing replied.
"Of course you wouldn't dare come back, you Demon Lord's successor!" Sun Miaomiao huffed. "You little bastard fooled every single one of us."
"Miaomiao!" Zhao Chenghuang scolded in a low voice. "That's classified."
"Classified? The official high-level leaders already know, and which of the second- and third-generation scions doesn't know by now?" Sun Miaomiao curled her lip.
The Demon Lord's successor? Except for Guan Ya, the rest stared at Zhang Yuanqing in shock.
The news caught them completely off guard. So Yuanshi Tianzun was the Demon Lord's successor whom the Taiyi Sect had been desperately searching for!
Tianxia Guihuo was dumbfounded. "So that time Miao Teng'er was kidnapped by the Demon Lord's successor, you orchestrated and acted out the whole thing yourself?"
"Back then, I couldn't expose my identity. Now it doesn't matter," Zhang Yuanqing shrugged. "Of course, don't go spreading it around either. Remember to keep it secret for me."
"Bullshit! You're actually the Demon Lord's successor?" Xiahou Aotian's eyes turned red with envy.
Surprise aside, whether he was the Demon Lord's successor didn't really affect the guild members much. After chattering over it for a bit, they stopped dwelling on it.
By comparison, the reality that Yuanshi Tianzun had returned from the dead brought them far more excitement and joy—enough to savor for an entire day.
The gloom that had weighed on them over the past few days gradually dispersed.
"That's all for today's gathering. If anything comes up, reach me on my phone."
After chatting for another half hour, Zhang Yuanqing opened the guild interface and chose to exit the Spirit Realm, bringing the gathering to an end.
Over the next three days, he met privately with Little Green Tea, Queen, and Xiao Yuan, retrieving his natal item, the astrolabe, from Little Green Tea.
He also retrieved Queen's Mountain God Scepter and deposited it into the guild storage as a shared guild item.
The two girls who dreamed of becoming concubines cried their hearts out. Nothing Zhang Yuanqing said could console them. Queen even tried to force herself on him, declaring she didn't want to leave any more regrets behind.
But Zhang Yuanqing was an upright gentleman who had no fondness for seafood or fermented bean curd, so he didn't let Queen have her way.
He did, however, spend a night resting at Xiao Yuan's place. The voluptuous fullness of a mature woman left Zhang Yuanqing lingering with fond memories, utterly captivated.
Xiao Yuan's physique was sturdier than Guan Ya's, but not by much. In the first half of the night, she could still trade blows with him back and forth, locked in fierce and ceaseless combat; lying and kneeling by turns, she displayed all the resilience and elegance of an older woman. By the second half of the night, however, she collapsed limp in bed, playing dead and letting him do whatever he pleased.
***
Songhai International Building.
Annie sat at her office desk, utterly distracted. The glow of the computer monitor illuminated her exquisitely sculpted, stunning face.
Her azure eyes were glazed and hollow.
Even a week later, she had not recovered from the blow of Yuanshi Tianzun's return to the Spirit Realm. Vast regret and disappointment hung over her.
Yuanshi Tianzun had been the man she chose, just as Betty had chosen the Demon Lord. She had thought her career for many years to come would rest upon his shoulders.
Who could have foreseen fate's cruel twists? Before this legendary genius could fully rise, he had returned to the Spirit Realm so prematurely.
After learning of what Yuanshi Tianzun had said and done at the trial, she had felt genuine admiration and reverence from the bottom of her heart, and her fondness for him had soared rapidly.
It had nothing to do with talent; it was a woman's appreciation for a man.
That was why she felt such deep regret.
Just then, a crisp notification chimed from the computer speakers.
A new email had arrived.
Annie took hold of the mouse and opened the email. It had been sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Association of God of Beauty.
The contents stated that a distinguished male guest of the Association of God of Beauty would be traveling to the Free Confederation tonight and required a guide and assistant. The foreign affairs department planned to assign Annie to this role.
The foreign affairs department also stated in stern terms that the guest possessed an extraordinary identity and was of immense importance to the Association of God of Beauty. She was instructed to provide impeccable service and satisfy all of the guest's needs—including physical intimacy.
Annie's brow furrowed deeply as she read.
She was not a diplomat who served clients with her body. The foreign affairs department maintained a few chaste diplomats who dedicated themselves to serving only one client in their entire lives.
Those clients were without exception top-tier big shots or exceptionally talented favorites of heaven.
This email from foreign affairs implicitly hinted at the guest's status: a heavyweight from some organization, or a transcendent genius.
In the past, Annie would have complied unreservedly with the arrangements of the Association of God of Beauty. But right now, she was in no mood whatsoever to entertain any so-called client, much less give herself away.
Even though Mr. Yuanshi had already returned to the Spirit Realm, she couldn't pull herself out of these feelings just yet and had no interest in dealing with other men.
Furthermore, after witnessing a legendary figure like Yuanshi Tianzun, ordinary geniuses and big shots simply failed to catch her eye.
Even regarding Money Prince, whose skills approached the Dao, Annie would at most nod and say, "Not bad, I suppose."
Looking across the entire First District and Second District, Yuanshi Tianzun was undeniably among the absolute pinnacle of geniuses. Figures of his caliber could be counted on one's fingers.
With those thoughts in mind, Annie's hands flew across the keyboard. She composed a brief, tactful refusal and replied to the foreign affairs department.
Once sent, the email vanished like a stone dropped into the sea; the foreign affairs department offered no response whatsoever.
Around noon, a female assistant knocked and opened the office door. "Miss Annie, a guest is here to see you. He's waiting in the reception room."
Hearing this, Annie's delicate brows knitted tight.
The guest had come anyway. The foreign affairs department had ignored her email of refusal.
Annie drew a deep breath to suppress the irritation rising in her chest. Rising from her chair, she habitually smoothed her hands over her hips to flatten any creases in her skirt suit.
Settling her emotions, she stepped out of her office, crossed the open work area, and pushed open the door to the reception room.
Inside the spacious reception room, a young man sat leisurely against the back of an armchair.
His features were quite handsome, his jawline sharp and defined, carrying a bright, sunny air that naturally lifted one's spirits.
Annie searched her memory through all the Spirit Realm walkers of the Second District, confirming that she did not know this young man.
She forced a smile and said, "Hello, I am Annie from the Association of God of Beauty. How should I address you?"
The young man smiled brightly. "Yuanshi Tianzun!"
Annie felt as if struck by lightning.
She stared blankly at the unfamiliar face of the young man. After who knew how long, with reddened eyes and a radiant smile, Annie said, "Mr. Yuanshi, we meet again."
Two streams of tears slid silently down her cheeks.
(End of Volume)
Chapter 649