At 9:45 PM, Queens, No. 69 Hamburg Street, a massage and wellness club.
Wearing a peaked cap, a face mask, and sunglasses, Zhang Yuanqing arrived once again at the wellness club bathed in the suggestive glow of a pink neon sign.
This Japanese-style club featured wooden sliding doors, tatami mats, and white paper lanterns painted with Japanese characters. The interior was decorated in authentic Japanese fashion, yet every attendant standing poised inside was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Western woman.
He stepped through the main entrance, glanced around, and walked straight over to a young woman in a pink uniform with meticulously drawn eyebrows and makeup. "I'm looking for Catherine. I was here last time."
As he spoke, he pulled down his mask.
The young woman in pink immediately adopted an obsequious, humble smile the moment she recognized him. "Right this way, sir."
This gentleman was a client permitted into the manager's private suite—in all likelihood, Manager Catherine's new favorite.
Following the young woman deeper inside, Zhang Yuanqing passed through a dimly lit hallway lined with nude portraits of women before arriving outside the private room once again.
*Knock, knock!*
The young woman tapped lightly on the door, said nothing, and quietly retreated.
Zhang Yuanqing turned the handle and pushed open the door embossed with brass reliefs.
A cloying fragrance hung in the air. He scanned the suite: rose petals floated quietly on the surface of a bath over ten square meters in size, and the red indicator on the surveillance camera was off.
On a single armchair in the lounge area sat Catherine, her silver hair cut short, dressed in a black tulle gown. Her delicate skin was flushed with a soft rosy glow.
"Tell me about the gathering!" Zhang Yuanqing sat down beside her, casually picked up the teapot from the round glass table, and poured himself a cup.
Catherine looked up at the clock on the wall. Seeing there were still ten minutes before the gathering began, she smiled.
"What you're attending tonight is an internal Hunter Guild gathering—the highest-tier gathering for the Saint stage. Everyone taking part is a peak Saint.
"This is your first time attending one like this. Remember to keep a low profile later. Don't let yourself be provoked, don't lose your temper, and don't get into conflicts with anyone..."
The corner of Zhang Yuanqing's mouth curled up. "I've already been provoked!"
He meant that, as a peak Saint and an Illusionist skilled in emotional control, being warned not to lose his temper or get provoked was itself an insult.
Fundamentally, it was a challenge to his professional capability.
Catherine merely shrugged without explaining.
With a normal Illusionist, she would never have offered such a warning. But Sect Master Tongtian was different—he was an evil class whose malevolence had seeped to the bone, someone utterly deranged and fanatical.
After the assessment that day, the president of the Hunter Guild had evaluated this man: evil classes fell into two categories. One was the purely wicked.
The other consisted of those who were innately good at their core, driven mad by the injustices of the mortal world.
Sect Master Tongtian belonged to the second type. Such people were far more obstinate; having lost all faith in humanity and society, their minds were consumed by either destroying the world or reshaping it.
The prime exemplar of this kind was Demon Eye Heavenly King of the Second District!
Such individuals usually refrained from petty villainy and could even possess a stronger sense of justice than Orderly classes, but their sense of justice was twisted, pathological—the mark of a thorough lunatic.
"Time's up!" Catherine said, checking the wall clock.
The next instant, the Spirit Realm's notification chimed in Zhang Yuanqing's ears:
[Ding! The Hunter Guild invites you to enter the Spirit Realm—"Whispers Beneath Wind and Thunder," No. 667. Do you accept?]
*The gathering is held inside a Spirit Realm? 'Whispers Beneath Wind and Thunder'... tsk, maxed out on mockery. Wonder if I'll get to name my own guild's Spirit Realm in the future...* Without hesitation, Zhang Yuanqing accepted.
[Ding! Loading Spirit Realm map. Entering the Spirit Realm in 10 seconds. The Spirit Realm you are entering this time is "Whispers Beneath Wind and Thunder," No. 667.]
Ten seconds later, ripples distorted his vision, blurring the world.
Immediately following, Zhang Yuanqing found himself in a classically styled conference room. In the center sat a solid wood conference table carved with bizarre, exquisite patterns, flanked by twelve retro high-backed chairs.
At the head of the table sat the enchanting, silver-haired vice president, Catherine. To her left and right sat four people: two wore cloaks with hoods and masks.
Of the remaining two, one was a drowsy, listless youth with curly chestnut hair, a high-bridged nose, delicate fair skin, and a face dotted with freckles.
The other was a middle-aged man with a bulbous red nose, messy brownish-yellow hair, a prominent beer belly, and a full beard—the spitting image of a middle-aged drunkard.
Seeing these two, Zhang Yuanqing felt a jolt of surprise.
The drowsy youth was Hecate of the Night God Church, ranked fourth on New York's A-rank wanted list. The potbellied drunkard with the red nose was none other than the famous Bacchus, ranked second on the A-rank wanted list.
A peak Saint reputed to be even stronger than Osmond and Hoover.
*Both of them are members of the Hunter Guild? I never expected to run into Bacchus here... he's the one the president specifically ordered me to take out...* As Zhang Yuanqing studied them, the four were also evaluating the newcomer.
"Tsk, so he's the new recruit from the Second District, the Dream Master who killed Julian Meade?" The hooded, masked figure on the left gave a scoffing chuckle.
"I heard you Dream Masters are good at assassinations, but in a straight-up fight, you're as frail as women."
From his emotional aura, Zhang Yuanqing sensed pure disdain: *What makes you think you're qualified to sit at the same table as me?*
Furthermore, the man's emotions were saturated with arrogance and conceit.
*His temperament and emotions feel a lot like a Siren's. Concealing his face under a hood and mask—is he from the Sea God Church?* Zhang Yuanqing replied coldly, "If I can kill a Wind Mage, I can kill a Siren just the same."
The moment those words landed, the hooded figure on the left suffered a violent spike in emotion. The gaze behind the mask turned sharp and murderous, as though he might lash out at any moment to butcher this fragile Illusionist.
The drunken Bacchus and the drowsy Hecate both narrowed their eyes at once, reevaluating Zhang Yuanqing.
"Sect Master Tongtian, have a seat!" Catherine pointed toward the third chair on the right.
Zhang Yuanqing took his seat in silence.
Catherine glanced around. "Where's Cocktail?"
"Who knows!" The hooded and masked figure on the right shrugged.
Catherine pondered for a few seconds, her gaze turning vacant—she was likely checking her attribute panel or the guild interface.
Then, cocking her head as if listening for a moment, she said, "Cocktail will be here shortly. Wait a moment."
The conference room fell silent. No one spoke.
About fifteen minutes later, a figure materialized in the conference room accompanied by the pungent stench of blood. It was a tall, gaunt young man with a shaved head, his scalp reflecting the light and covered in black tattoos.
At first glance, his facial features appeared normal. On closer inspection, however, his eyes were different sizes and set at different heights, his upper and lower lips were asymmetric, and his left nostril was noticeably larger than his right.
Even his eyebrows differed in height and thickness.
His entire visage exhibited an extreme asymmetry and disorder.
*Anyone with OCD would want to jump out a window looking at him. Did he cultivate his Chaos skill right onto his face?* Zhang Yuanqing's lips twitched as he averted his gaze.
Cocktail was a Senior Deacon of the Dionysus Club, of the Alcoholic class—a born outlaw, a loophole in order, a master of chaos.
"Sorry. I was busy butchering an enforcement squad from Heaven's Punishment!" Ignoring the bloodstains on his clothes, Cocktail took a seat with a grin.
Zhang Yuanqing, who had just looked away, immediately snapped his gaze back.
He remembered that Heaven's Punishment's Enforcement Department had recently been deploying an operation to surround and eliminate Cocktail.
"So, who did you kill?" the hooded figure on the left—the suspected Sea God Church member—asked in a deep voice.
"Wiped out two enforcement squads—eighteen people in total, seven Saints, two of whom were Level 6 Wind Mages. Forgot their names, but they weren't Heaven's Punishment's seed Saints anyway. I lost three Level 5 subordinates too..." Cocktail reached habitually for his waist, but finding no flask, he snapped impatiently, "Hurry up and start the meeting. My cravings are kicking in."
*Both enforcement squads were wiped out? Given Heaven's Punishment's roster, they shouldn't have lost so disastrously...* Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank. He suspected an internal mole had leaked the operational deployment.
The enforcement squads must have walked straight into an ambush set by Cocktail and his men.
Catherine's lips curved upward. "Well done. Consider it payback to Heaven's Punishment!"
Her tone then turned grave. "Beast Haas is dead. Gentlemen, the conflict between the two camps has escalated. In the coming war, all of you peak Saints will be swept up in it, and all of you face the risk of death.
"According to our post-incident analysis, Beast Haas was located through specialized means by the Five Elements Alliance support team. That means every single one of you could suffer the exact same fate.
"The Five Elements Alliance team has one peak Saint and five Level 5 Saints. A lineup like that is more than capable of taking down any one of you."
The masked figure suspected of belonging to the Sea God Church sneered. "Don't compare us to that brute whose brain was ruled by his groin. In our eyes, Level 5 Saints are like children holding knives—zero threat.
"Catherine, the only one you need to warn is that Dream Master you brought in. A class with virtually no front-line combat capability will be dead meat the moment he gets cornered."
Zhang Yuanqing had originally intended to ignore him, but keeping his persona in mind, he retorted coldly, "Are you eager to return to the Spirit Realm?"
The implication was clear: *Are you looking to die?!*
The suspected Siren said arrogantly, "You're welcome to apply to Catherine for an arena match! I'll butcher you tonight!"
The others looked on, eager for a show.
Zhang Yuanqing said no more, quietly manipulating the emotions of the participants other than Catherine and the Siren.
Seeing the Dream Master from the Second District back down, the Siren scoffed with contempt.
Catherine, on the other hand, cast an approving look toward Sect Master Tongtian, commending his composure in choosing not to challenge a formidable opponent.
She said, "Do not underestimate that Five Elements Alliance support team. Among them are a Night Wanderer, a Fire Mage, a Scout, a Water Ghost, and a Wood Monster. Each class has distinct traits, and if they coordinate well, they are strong enough to kill anyone below the Dominator stage. Of course, if any of you possess the caliber of Fu Qingyang or Yuanshi Tianzun, forget I said anything."
The room fell utterly silent.
Catherine continued, "Following our team's analysis, the Five Elements Alliance team's tracking and locating abilities pose a direct threat to all of you, to the Saints of our faction, and even to Dominators.
"The president has personally issued a mission: hunt down Jumang, the leader of the Five Elements Alliance support team! The reward is a top-tier Saint-grade item. If the entire Five Elements Alliance squad is wiped out, the reward will be two top-tier items.
"This mission requires a minimum of three participants to accept."
She looked around at the peak Saints seated around the table. "Who's interested?"
*I've been targeted by the Hunter Guild? Tsk, Heaven's Punishment has so many elites—why target me? I'm just a mercenary!* Zhang Yuanqing's mind screamed with curses.
Bacchus was the first to raise a hand. "I've got nothing to do lately."
The others raised their hands one after another, indicating their willingness to accept the mission.
Two top-tier Saint-grade items were more than enough to tempt them. Besides, in the eyes of these peak Saints, a squad featuring only a single Level 6 Saint posed little real danger.
Catherine looked toward Sect Master Tongtian, the only one who hadn't raised his hand, and frowned. "You don't want to take it?"
Zhang Yuanqing replied calmly, "Hunting a Stargazer is foolish. A Level 5 Stargazer can detect our movements through stargazing. My recommendation is to target only Jumang."
He had no desire to drag his teammates into danger.
Hecate of the Night God Church drawled languidly, "Rest easy. All preparations will be carried out under the veil of night. A Stargazer won't sense a thing."
*Now that's a problem...* Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself. Keeping his expression blank, he said, "In that case, I apply to accept the mission."
He had no excuse left to refuse.
Chapter 697