[Ding! Congratulations on completing the solo Spirit Realm quest—Horror Cruise, Difficulty: S-rank. Calculating rewards...]
[Rewards acquired: Items/Equipment: Unyielding Will, Bracer of Thunder, Whisper of the Smoker]
[Reward: EXP: 35%]
[Calculation complete! Exiting the Spirit Realm in 30 seconds.]
A countdown interface materialized, ticking down rapidly.
Zhang Yuanqing felt a potent, sinister surge of spiritual power descend from the unseen void, pouring into his body and coalescing toward his heart before being completely absorbed by the pitch-black heart in his chest cavity.
The seal on the heart loosened slightly further, and corruption from the Illusionist eroded deeper into his will, only to be crushed and wiped away by the Sun Divine Power in the blink of an eye.
"The EXP for clearing the dungeon wasn't given to me..." Rather than being disappointed, Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief.
This matched his expectations. Dungeon rewards of EXP—spiritual power—had always been channeled into the character card. Its ultimate destination could only be this heart inside his chest, having nothing to do with him personally.
As a Night Wanderer, what would happen if he were injected with spiritual power from other classes, especially an evil class?
Sect Master Chunyang, that brilliant genius, was a living cautionary tale.
Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory to examine the three items granted as dungeon rewards.
Unyielding Will was a dark-purple pill shaped like a quail egg, looking as though it had been kneaded together from filthy dregs.
Zhang Yuanqing grasped the quail egg and waited two or three seconds. The item details surfaced:
[Name: Unyielding Will]
[Type: Consumable]
[Function: Buff]
[Description: A pill forged through the clash and blend of a will carrying the Sun Divine Power and the world's most extreme corruption. Ingesting this pill grants immunity to petrification, aberration, and toxic smoke at the Saint stage, and 50% immunity to petrification, aberration, and toxic smoke at the Dominator stage.]
[Note 1: For an Aberrant, it seems pretty useless, huh?]
[Note 2: Being a consumable, it carries no drawback.]
Zhang Yuanqing's eyes brightened at once. Inverting the note's implication meant: if you were not an Aberrant, this was a peerless pill!
The Unyielding Will pill would be an Aberrant's worst nightmare. Complete immunity to Saint-stage Aberrant skills, and 50% immunity against Dominator-stage ones—this meant Zhang Yuanqing could now butcher Aberrants like dogs.
Once he advanced to Dominator, he would slaughter Dominator-stage Aberrants just as easily.
Returning the Unyielding Will pill to his inventory, he proceeded to inspect the Bracer of Thunder and Whisper of the Smoker.
[Name: Bracer of Thunder]
[Type: Weapon]
[Function: Lightning Manipulation]
[Description: An item forged by an indescribable entity after collecting lightning cores. It boasts remarkable offensive and defensive power. Item Skills: Electromagnetic Shield, Thunderblast.]
[Note 1: One of the components of the Thunder God Battlegear. The remaining four parts are: Armor, Boots, Helmet, and Spear. Gathering the full five-piece set grants the Power of the Thunder God.]
[Note 2: The more electricity injected, the greater the might of Thunderblast.]
[Note 3: Please exercise caution when using Thunderblast, unless you wish to be reduced to charcoal.]
The Bracer of Thunder was a bright-blue bracer. Blinding lightning condensed and churned within, radiating scorching heat.
Part of a set, and even on its own, a top-tier Saint-stage item!
Zhang Yuanqing swallowed hard, an intense rush of joy welling up in his chest. Even though he was nicknamed Item Tianzun and possessed countless supreme items that drew the envy of Spirit Realm walkers, seeing the attributes of the Bracer of Thunder still gave him the thrill of striking gold.
In the Spirit Realm, item sets were even rarer than rule-based items, and every completed set commanded unfathomable, godlike might.
"Power of the Thunder God? A title touching upon godhood... if I assemble the entire set, could I wield demigod-tier power?"
He would definitely pick Lightning Mage for his November dungeon. Furthermore, this was an Aberrant dungeon, yet it rewarded the Bracer of Thunder—meaning it could only have originated from the Holy See's Spirit Realm walkers.
The Bracer of Thunder was most likely an item owned by the Cardinal "in life." In that case, could the Holy See's treasury hold the other components?
Zhang Yuanqing indulged in a pleasant daydream.
With time running short, he swiftly inspected the third item. It was a fist-sized egg covered in pores and wrapped in blood vessels, identical in appearance to the demon seed in the bottom hold—a miniature replica.
[Name: Whisper of the Smoker]
[Type: Consumable]
[Function: Corruption]
[Description: Emits terrifying whispers that corrupt all living beings within a fifty-meter radius, plunging them into delirium, lowering their intelligence, and inducing aberration.]
[Note: Bear in mind: all living beings.]
Both the description and note were concise, yet Zhang Yuanqing's scalp tingled—especially because the note reiterated the description's "all living beings."
This meant Whisper of the Smoker was a rule-based consumable!
"The status of that demon seed really was strange. It didn't belong to the Saint stage at all..." Zhang Yuanqing muttered under his breath.
By now, only five seconds remained before his exit from the Spirit Realm. Unhurriedly, he fetched Little Red Riding Hood, stored away the three yin corpses, and gave the Cardinal a nod.
"Farewell!"
In the next instant, the scenery of the bottom hold began to twist and blur like ripples across water.
***
Inside an abandoned, uninhabited house in Kings County, enveloped in pitch darkness, Zhang Yuanqing broke away from the dungeon and returned to reality.
He glanced around. Finding neither the Yata no Kagami nor his avatar, his expression shifted drastically. He bolted over to the cabinet and yanked the door open, discovering that the Form and Spirit Annihilation Blade, the Chaotic Oil Painting, and several Dominator-quality materials inside had completely vanished.
*Fuck...* Cold sweat broke out on Zhang Yuanqing's forehead as he felt his blood pressure climb sharply.
*Gone?*
*All my treasures are gone?!*
*Who took my Dominator items and materials?!*
It was impossible for him to have been tailed. As a Night Wanderer and an Illusionist—the two stealthiest classes in the Second District—there wasn't a soul alive who could track him.
Even a demigod-tier Void walker like the President could only pinpoint him via an imprint.
*I clearly had my avatar guard the items and materials. Both the avatar and Yata no Kagami are gone, yet there are no signs of battle here...* Zhang Yuanqing surveyed the room, gradually recovering his composure.
He had a rough idea of what must have happened. Picking up his phone, which had fallen to the floor when he entered the Spirit Realm, he checked it.
After five days of pure standby, the phone still had 15% battery left.
Zhang Yuanqing opened his messages, and sure enough, found a text from Guan Ya:
"The situation in New York County has grown increasingly tense over the past few days, so he had to get involved. If left unattended, those things might have been scavenged by someone from the Void class, so he left them with me."
Reading this, Zhang Yuanqing breathed a huge sigh of relief.
With clashes between New York County's orthodox and evil factions turning increasingly fierce, his avatar had been compelled to accept quests from the Hunter Guild. Lacking an inventory, the avatar could not carry the items safely, leaving Guan Ya as the only option for safekeeping.
Zhang Yuanqing sent Guan Ya a message:
"I'm back! How's the situation in New York County?"
Roughly ten minutes later, Guan Ya sent over two spreadsheets: one detailing casualties among New York County's orthodox organizations, and another listing confirmed kills of evil class members.
Over the course of five days, a total of 180 Spirit Realm walkers from the orthodox and evil factions had died in battle, with 240 wounded. Among the fallen were 46 Saints, including three Level 6 Saints.
Jumang's successive kills of Demonic Beast Haas, Hecate, and Bacchus had escalated the factional conflict to a fever pitch.
Unable to swallow such a humiliation, the evil faction mounted a frantic counteroffensive, while the orthodox faction sought to press the advantage and completely shatter the enemy's fighting will. Both sides plunged into intelligence warfare, skirmishes, assassinations, and more.
In just five days, clashes erupting across New York County had triggered considerable social unrest and drawn international scrutiny.
The New York County municipal government chalked it all up to "terrorist attacks carried out by foreign armed militants."
Currently, Heaven's Punishment, the Merchant Guild, and the Sea God Church were all mobilizing elites from regional branches to reinforce New York County, while the evil faction was likewise slipping elites into the city.
This international metropolis had effectively turned into the primary battleground between the two camps.
"The Dominators haven't stepped onto the field yet. Those old fogies value their lives more than anyone!" Zhang Yuanqing muttered.
Upon reaching the Dominator stage, one was powerful enough—and cautious enough—that public clashes of brute force were exceedingly rare.
Dragging a Dominator into the fray required a catalyst.
Zhang Yuanqing transformed into a streak of starlight and vanished from the vacant house.
***
Half an hour later, inside the headquarters building of the Bank of New York County.
In Guan Ya's bedroom, starlight rose. Zhang Yuanqing stepped out from the glow and saw his mixed-race girlfriend clad in a purple camisole nightgown, clutching a Scorpio plushie while staring at her computer.
The screen was playing a popular drama from the Free Confederation revolving around a romance between a vampire and a werewolf.
"You're back?" Delighted, Guan Ya rose and hooked her arms around his neck.
Zhang Yuanqing lowered his head, pressing his lips to hers in a long, warm kiss. After a while, they parted, and Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the computer monitor. "Bored?"
"I told Winnie you went into a dungeon, so the Five Elements Alliance team is entirely on standby. She agreed it was best, lest the evil faction ambushed us and wiped out the team," Guan Ya explained.
She then retrieved Yata no Kagami, the Form and Spirit Annihilation Blade, and the other items and materials. "That wretched blade of yours has to drink blood and devour spirits every single day. I've nearly slaughtered every stray dog in the neighborhood."
"Did you feed it today?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Only then did Zhang Yuanqing stash them away with peace of mind.
Guan Ya brewed a pot of coffee and led him to the sofa by the window. Sipping coffee, she listened as her boyfriend recounted his ordeal in the dungeon.
As a Scout, she frowned repeatedly throughout the tale.
"You think there's something off about the demon seed too, don't you?" Zhang Yuanqing said. "Tomorrow I'll ask Winnie to help check whether a ship named *Petrel* really went missing from the United Nations of Ireland back in 1900."
Although the headquarters of all the official organizations in the First District were located in the Free Confederation, they maintained branches across Europe. If Winnie was willing to help, it would be a matter of a single email.
As for Heaven's Punishment's database, the organization had not even been founded in 1900.
Guan Ya offered her own suggestion: "That would draw Winnie's scrutiny. I don't think there's any need to go through Spirit Realm walker factions. Contacting the Navy Headquarters of the United Nations of Ireland directly is more discreet and reliable. The Fu family has channels for that—leave it to me."
The United Nations of Ireland today was different from the past; so long as one could pay, even the most classified records could be accessed.
Zhang Yuanqing considered it. "Let's do that, then."
Guan Ya nodded. "Now let me catch you up on recent events."
"Let's talk in bed," Zhang Yuanqing chuckled, sweeping his girlfriend into his arms and carrying her toward the large bed.
***
The following day, having just returned to reality, Zhang Yuanqing was summoned to the office of Director Winnie.
With slightly wavy chestnut hair resting on her shoulders, the cool, mature director showed a faint smile at the corners of her lips. "What difficulty was the dungeon?"
"A-rank!"
Winnie nodded. "Have you considered entering the Slaughter Dungeon at the end of the year?"
"I can hardly wait for December to arrive right now," Zhang Yuanqing said truthfully.
Leaning back against her chair in a languid, easy posture, Winnie smiled. "Every Slaughter Dungeon grants only three Dominator quotas. Yuanshi Tianzun may have returned to the Spirit Realm, but the Second District still has plenty of peak Saints. What are your chances?"
Before Zhang Yuanqing could answer, she continued, "Setting aside those well-known Saints, a Level 6 Dream Master recently surfaced in New York County. I think he will prove a formidable rival for you. If you can eliminate him before the Slaughter Dungeon opens, your odds of ascending to Dominator will be much higher."
Zhang Yuanqing probed, "A Level 6 Dream Master?"
Winnie said in a solemn tone, "His Spirit Realm ID is 'Tongtian Jiaozhu.' You should be familiar with him—he was the one who participated in the hunt against you that day.
"During the few days you were in the Spirit Realm, he was exceptionally active, killing two Saints from the Sea God Church, two from Heaven's Punishment, one from the Merchant Guild, and one from the Association of God of Beauty.
"He has already been placed third on the A-rank Most Wanted List, replacing Bacchus. And compared to Bacchus, this Dream Master is far more elusive. His assassinations are virtually impossible to anticipate, and his movements cannot be pinned down."
*Six Saints in five days? Nicely done, avatar!* Zhang Yuanqing praised inwardly.
This way, his avatar would become a heavyweight Saint within the Hunter Guild, highly valued and relied upon.
"Given the chance, I will send him back to the Spirit Realm," Zhang Yuanqing said with absolute confidence.
Winnie was well pleased by his demeanor, then added, "We received intelligence yesterday that the Dark Night Rose, the Soldier Master Sect, and the Nihility Sect (Southern Sect) from your Second District will be dispatching Saints to reinforce New York County's evil faction.
"Headquarters takes this matter very seriously and has ordered us to intercept and neutralize the Saints of these three factions."
Chapter 713