To the Saints present, the factional struggle between Orderly and Evil had always existed and never truly faded. Yet compared to the apocalyptic showdown foretold by the Compass of Light, their past clashes seemed like child's play. They could still take part in child's play, but the war among gods prophesied on the horizon was beyond the reach of "ordinary mortals"—and every Saint in this room was unquestionably one of those ordinary mortals.
Even if, in the eyes of most spirit walkers, they were prominent figures.
"The final factional war isn't far away..." Tianxia Guihuo murmured to himself, tapping his fingers lightly against the tabletop.
A powerful sense of urgency welled within his chest. Being a Saint was not enough. In a decisive clash between factions, only Dominators could hope to protect themselves, let alone exert any meaningful influence.
Guan Ya, Brother Red Chicken, and the others felt that same urgency; all of them knew of the Compass of Light's prophecy.
Asano Ryo was struck with sudden realization, finally grasping the true cause behind the recent flurry of conflicts across New York.
The Stars and the Taiyin had already returned to their positions, leaving only the Sun. Sun Miaomiao and Zhao Chenghuang exchanged a glance, their expressions turning complicated.
As Night Walkers, they occasionally fantasized about attaining the demigod status. Yet after joining Return of the Dead, they had learned that the ultimate culmination of the Night Walker path consisted of only "Sun, Moon, and Star." Now, the Stars and the Taiyin were already claimed, leaving behind only the Sun.
This left both young prodigies thoroughly disheartened. Among their peers, there were talents far exceeding their own, such as the Demon Lord and Yuanshi, while the older generation was teeming with them.
—Every Day Wanderer was a genius.
Zhao Chenghuang pondered for a few seconds before asking, "Roughly how long will it take for the Sun to return to its position?"
If it took years, or even a decade or two, that would still be manageable. But reason told him it wouldn't take that long. According to Yuanshi Tianzun, the war between the two factions had already begun, which meant the Sun's return would not be far off.
Everyone turned their eyes toward Zhang Yuanqing in unison.
"I don't know!" Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment and said, "But if you maintain your current leveling speed, you should be able to advance to Dominator before the decisive war between the Evil and Orderly factions arrives."
He truly could not estimate it. From his own perspective, he wouldn't reach Dominator until the end of the year, after which the intervals between instances would stretch out; he might not even get more than a few chances to enter instances in an entire year.
Even Fu Qingxuan, the fastest riser of all, had spent a full year progressing from Dominator to demigod.
As for the Night Walkers backed by the various great factions, there was simply no way to guess, because any Night Walker receiving that kind of backing was bound to be at the Dominator stage already.
Any one of them could attempt to claim the Lord of the Sun at any moment.
"So, our guild's development plan for the coming year is for everyone to advance to Dominator together?" Brother Red Chicken rubbed his fists eagerly.
Tianxia Guihuo said coldly, "Between now and the end of next year, there will be at most three large-scale killing trials, with a maximum of three new Dominators per trial—unless we somehow sweep all the slots across all three."
Brother Red Chicken flared up. "I was just joking! You shoot me down every single time. Looking for a fight, are you?"
Zhang Yuanqing raised a hand and said in a grave voice, "When I'm speaking, please do not interrupt."
Brother Red Chicken still deferred to him and immediately held his tongue.
Zhang Yuanqing continued, "The clash between the Dionysus Club and the Merchant Guild is the opening prelude to the final war between the two factions. For now, the Dominators have not entered the field. For you, this is a prime opportunity to jump into the fray early, adapt to the tempo of battle, and prepare for the ultimate showdown to come.
"Now, let's establish the team's public leader. Guan Ya, you're a Scout, so I'm entrusting this position to you."
Zhang Yuanqing did not reveal his undercover mission to the group. It had nothing to do with trust; the more critical an operation was, the less it could be spoken aloud.
He turned his gaze to the others. "My current spirit realm ID is 'Jumang,' a Level 4 Beast King and Guan Ya's assistant. Remember this, all of you—especially Brother Red Chicken. Don't slip up."
Jumang was an identity created for him by Fu Qingyang, but it wasn't fabricated out of thin air. Jumang was officially registered at the Songhai Branch as a member of the White Tiger Guards.
Even if Heaven's Punishment sent people to Songhai to investigate, the findings would not change.
Unless their inquiry led straight to the White Tiger Guards themselves. But the White Tiger Guards were Fu Qingyang's trusted confidants, and they kept their names hidden and maintained an extremely low profile; tracking them down was practically impossible.
This cover was rock-solid.
With business concluded, the group resumed their meal.
After lunch, they needed to meet the two top leaders of Heaven's Punishment's New York branch: Chief Executive Officer Sean Meade and Chief Prosecutor Winni Berent.
The members of Return of the Dead were generally Level 5. Even in major organizations like the Five Elements Alliance or Heaven's Punishment, they were pillars of strength—Senior Deacons who warranted a Dominator's serious attention.
Once lunch ended, the group left the conference room and took the elevator up to the 101st floor.
From the 100th floor all the way to the 108th at the top, the entire block belonged to Heaven's Punishment's offices.
In a large conference room on the 101st floor, Zhang Yuanqing met Winni Berent.
She looked even more stunning and vibrant in person than in her photograph. Dressed in a white shirt and trousers, her lightly curled chestnut hair cascaded over her shoulders. A high nose, deep-set eyes, and graceful contours framed delicate, three-dimensional features.
Around thirty years old, she was in the prime of mature feminine allure.
Her expression was veiled in frost, and her stern aura often caused people to overlook her beauty, instilling an instinctive sense of reverence.
Aside from Winni Berent, the large conference room held only a few female clerks in skirt suits attending to reception duties, serving tea and water. There was no sign of Chief Executive Officer Sean Meade.
*She really is gorgeous, and her presence is impeccable. The Demon Lord's lovers truly outdo one another in beauty,* Zhang Yuanqing mused inwardly, recalling the popular sayings:
*You mock the Demon Lord for dying so young;
The Demon Lord mocks you for having no maidens won.*
*Envy neither mandarin ducks nor immortals in the sky;
Envy the Demon Lord every single day passing by.*
Winni Berent's calm gaze swept over the eighteen spirit walkers from the Five Elements Alliance before she spoke coolly:
"My name is Winni Berent, Chief Prosecutor of Heaven's Punishment's New York Branch. From now on, I will be your direct superior. During your work in New York, you must obey my arrangements.
"If you run into any trouble in your daily life or require assistance, you may contact my assistant."
Her tone was aloof, but she spoke in Chinese. While not entirely fluent, her voice was crisp, clear, and very pleasant to the ear.
This small detail revealed that the frosty, glamorous prosecutor was not headstrong or arrogant by nature.
Finishing her words, Winni glanced at the lightly freckled woman beside her.
Dressed in a skirt suit and white shirt, Emma smiled and said, "I'm Emma Smith. You can reach out to me for both work and personal matters. Director Winni is a fair and rigorous prosecutor; you can place your complete trust in her.
"New York has been turbulent lately. Evil organizations are attempting to overturn the rule of the Orderly—"
Before she could finish, Brother Red Chicken cut in, "The final war between the two factions is about to kick off, right? We know all about that, so you can skip the recap."
Winni and Emma frowned at the same time.
Guan Ya said placidly, "He is our team's Fire Demon."
Hearing that, Winni and Emma's brows relaxed simultaneously. Ignoring him, Emma carried on:
"New York has been very unsafe lately. During your stay, I hope you will keep a low profile, avoid black market activities as much as possible, and steer clear of gatherings hosted by unofficial walker organizations. In addition, try not to interact with members of the Desire class."
At the words "try not to interact with members of the Desire class," everyone from Return of the Dead cast discreet glances toward Zhang Yuanqing.
Noticing the looks from the Five Elements Alliance Saints, Winni and Emma couldn't help but look at Zhang Yuanqing as well.
He possessed clean, handsome features and a gentle demeanor, looking like a harmless young man. Having reviewed the files, Winni and Emma quickly recalled Zhang Yuanqing's dossier.
—Jumang, Beast King, Level 4.
*By the looks of it, this guy is one of those high-libido Wood Monsters obsessed with reproduction!*
"I will keep my companions in check," Guan Ya replied, before adding, "I would appreciate it if Assistant Emma could compile an overview of the current situation, along with information on the major Evil and Orderly organizations, and send it to me. We Chinese believe that 'knowing oneself and knowing the enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles.' Until the foundational intelligence is in place, we won't be carrying out any missions."
Emma nodded slightly, showing an approving expression. "As expected of a Scout from the Fu family. I'll get the materials to you as soon as possible. Tomorrow evening, I plan to host a gathering and invite elites from the Sea God Church and the Association of God of Beauty. That will give you a chance to familiarize yourselves with New York's Orderly organizations."
After exchanging a few more words, Director Winni announced the meeting adjourned.
Then, looking toward Guan Ya, she said, "You, stay behind."
Emma said, "Everyone else, follow me. I've arranged your office area."
Aside from Guan Ya, the group followed Emma out of the conference room.
Once the doors shut, Winni Berent fixed her eyes on Guan Ya and said, "I heard that you were Yuanshi Tianzun's girlfriend."
Guan Ya's expression darkened, but she recovered quickly and nodded.
She kept her persona as a woman who had lost her beloved firmly in mind.
Winni Berent hesitated for a few seconds before probing, "Did you ever see a small speaker on him? About palm-sized, capable of recording audio, and able to produce the sounds of suonas and drums. It's of Extraordinary quality, but the effects it displays sometimes make people question its true grade."
Guan Ya put on a thoughtful look. "Yes, he did have an item that played suonas and drums, but he always kept it tucked away in his waist pouch. He never brought it out in public."
Winni cut straight to the chase. "Did he leave that item to you? I would like to purchase it. Name any price you want."
*Is that item of Yuanshi's really that important? Enough for Winni to care this much?* Doubts flashed through Guan Ya's mind as she shook her head. "I'm sorry. When it comes to the Demon Lord's items, he didn't leave any to me, nor did he leave them to Fu Qingyang. The item you're looking for probably returned to the spirit realm along with him."
Winni stared at her intently for a moment. Saying nothing further, she rose coldly and exited the conference room.
On the 104th floor, Emma had prepared a spacious office area for the Five Elements Alliance support team. Every Saint had a private office, while the Extraordinary assistants worked in the open communal area.
Asano Ryo applied to join them and received Emma's permission, hurrying off happily to pack her belongings.
Zhang Yuanqing carried a cup of water and stood by the dispenser, chatting idly with the Saints:
"We didn't see Sean Meade, and we were assigned directly under Winni Berent. Given our team's strength, there's no way Sean wouldn't try to vie for us."
Tianxia Guihuo nodded. "Which means Sean lost, leaving him no choice but to yield us to Winni."
Sun Miaomiao knitted her brows. "Does that mean we have to take sides? To be honest, I really don't want to get dragged into petty office politics."
"No!" Tianxia Guihuo shook his head. "Taking sides is mandatory. As outsiders, if we don't pick a side, both will discard us and treat us as cannon fodder in this factional war. Better for Five Elements Alliance Saints to die than their own trusted subordinates."
"Even if we pick a side, we might still end up as cannon fodder," Zhao Chenghuang remarked coldly.
"That will depend on Captain Guan Ya's leadership," Zhang Yuanqing smiled.
Tianxia Guihuo looked toward Zhang Yuanqing. "I suggest she curry favor with Winni, or find an opportunity to make contact with Sean Meade."
"No way!" Brother Red Chicken objected immediately. "I remember Ryo-chan mentioning that someone named Meade bullied her. If we side with Sean Meade, wouldn't we be pushing Ryo-chan into the fire?"
In the entire team, Brother Red Chicken was the most fiercely loyal to his comrades.
Just then, Guan Ya walked into the office area with furrowed brows, looking weighed down by worry.
"What happened?" Zhang Yuanqing waved her over.
Guan Ya approached and whispered, "Winni wants to buy one of the Demon Lord's relics. I told her he didn't leave it to me when he died, but she didn't seem convinced."
"Oh!" Brother Red Chicken changed his tune at once. "Then let's side with Sean Meade after all."
Tianxia Guihuo seized the chance to sneer, "As expected of a former gang member. Quite the pragmatist."
Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to speak, Asano Ryo's sharp rebuke rang out from the office entrance:
"Brady Meade, stop pestering me, or I'll report you to the Disciplinary Department and investigate you myself!"
Chapter 677