Spirit Realm No. 068

The moment the jade talisman shattered, a man in a dark-red suit and a silver mask appeared in the dim room. "There's no stalling any longer," Zhang Yuanqing said, glancing at Donna, whose beautiful eyes were glazed over. "If we drag this out any further, I'll have no choice but to sacrifice my virtue. Since the gathering has already started anyway, let's head straight in." At this hour, there were bound to be Dominators from the evil faction who had yet to arrive. After all, the gathering started at sunset and lasted until dawn, so members were bound to join midway through. However, entering early had its advantages as well: less risk for their side. Donna's reputation for beauty and allure was simply too great—what if every Dominator in the freedom faction wanted a taste? When the time came, they might end up in a 7-versus-10,086 situation. "Understood! Friendly forces will reach the battlefield in three seconds!" He raised his hand and snapped his fingers with a sharp crack. The next moment, six more figures appeared in the dim room—the six Dominators participating in the operation. The President, meanwhile, had already slipped away quietly, cloaking both his presence and his name. The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter immediately looked toward Donna. Seeing her wrapped in a quilt with her two pale, shapely legs bare, her eyes instantly turned cold. But a moment later, her gaze softened back to normal; her abilities as a Red Phoenix Star Official allowed her to see that Yuanshi and Donna had no romantic thread between them—not even the connection of a casual fling. This meant the two hadn't engaged in anything intimate yet. "Y-you..." Donna's expression shifted slightly as she reined in all her seductive charm, looking at the intruders with startled wariness. She didn't panic excessively. On the one hand, the innate charm of the Desire class gave her immense confidence. On the other, as a Dominator, though amorous and promiscuous, she had weathered her fair share of great storms and wouldn't be reduced to clutching a quilt and screaming. Kris held a small fishbowl in her hands, from which the multicolored little fish, Ruth, sneered, "A slut whose head is filled with nothing but screwing. What else can you people of the Desire class do besides seduce men?" Winnie Berrent let out a scoff, her disdain unmistakably evident. As former lovers of the Demon Lord, they naturally bore no affection for Donna. Of course, the tension between Winnie and Kris was just as combustible, neither able to stand the sight of the other. Demon Eye Heavenly King and Fu Qingyang remained silent, disdaining to speak. Neither spared a second glance at the number-one beauty of New York County. The Money Prince had always regarded beauty as nothing, while Demon Eye Heavenly King's eyes were solely set on cleansing the world—there was no room for beauty in his mind. On the other hand, peak Dominator Panxi Edison appreciated Donna's smooth, lustrous legs and said with a smile, "President Donna, to cut a long story short: the Covenant of Freedom arranged for a Dream Master to approach you so they could lure you into an evil faction instance. Once there, they planned to corrupt you with high-rank power, distort your cognition, and use you to control the upper echelons of the orthodox faction." "A Dream Master..." Donna's face changed, and she turned her gaze toward Jumang. "We've already hunted down that Dream Master, which is how we uncovered the evil faction's entire scheme. So we had Jumang beat them at their own game and trick the evil faction into holding the gathering as planned. Our mission now is to enter the instance and hunt down the evil classes at the gathering," Panxi Edison said. "President Donna, you've been far too indolent during the faction war here in New York County, and the headquarters of the Association of God of Beauty is very dissatisfied with you. They sent two emails instructing you to conduct internal audits, yet you turned up nothing. If you wish to continue leading the New York County branch, now is your chance to prove yourself. We need your charm." Donna's expression shifted through a succession of emotions. She stared deeply at Zhang Yuanqing. "So you've been lying to me. Deceiving me from start to finish." Zhang Yuanqing said apologetically, "My apologies, President Donna..." At his side, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter let out a cold huff. Zhang Yuanqing immediately straightened his expression and said solemnly, "It was all for the greater good. I hope President Donna can understand." Donna gave a soft huff and ignored him, looking instead toward Panxi Edison, the highest-ranking person present. "I understand. I will do my part to eliminate the evil faction." Panxi Edison nodded, then shifted his gaze to Jumang. Zhang Yuanqing wasted no more time. Taking out the silver triangular talisman, he crushed it with a sharp snap. The triangular talisman dissolved into bright silver starlight dust that clung to the empty air, before bursting with blinding brilliance that burned a circular portal into space. By now, Donna had already put her bohemian dress back on. Glancing back at Zhang Yuanqing, she was the first to dive into the spatial portal. The impatient Siren, Kris, was second into the dark portal, followed by Demon Eye Heavenly King, Fu Qingyang, Winnie, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, and Edison. Zhang Yuanqing, holding the lowest rank, brought up the rear. *** Dionysus Club guild instance, Spirit Realm No. 068. In this Spirit Realm, the sun had just set and the moon had yet to rise. Between the twilight sky and earth, an ancient colosseum built from pale stone blocks was lit up with light. The Covenant of Freedom's gathering venue had been converted from a medieval colosseum, with wooden chairs and separate square tables added atop the uneven rows of seating. Each square table represented a seat, laid with delicacies native to the Spirit Realm and fine liquor brewed by the Dionysus Club. Standing along both sides of the stone steps were primitive stone pillars, each topped with a soccer-ball-sized orange-yellow crystal emitting soft, bright, warm light. Cocktail, who had narrowly survived the battle at the harbor, sat lazily at his seat, chugging down cup after cup with hearty gulps before letting out a satisfied, resounding burp. Though he had survived the harbor battle thanks to his Alcoholic abilities, the ordeal had left him with no small psychological shadow. He had fled New York County overnight to hide in Windy City. First and foremost, Jumang's killing spree had terrified him. There were only so many peak level-sixes in New York County, and Jumang had killed two-thirds of them. If he hadn't fled, he would have been next. Secondly, the harbor battle had decisively settled the Saint-level clash between the two factions. The evil faction had lost; moving forward, they would either have to lie low or the conflict would escalate into mutual hunting among Dominators. His time on the stage was over. Besides, year-end was fast approaching. Cocktail planned to recuperate for a while, getting into optimal condition to face the year-end slaughter instance. The first half of the auction had already concluded. The finale item had been the wife and daughter of a level-six inspector from Windy City, bought by an Aberrant from the same city. Judging by the smile that Aberrant had worn earlier, the fate awaiting that mother and daughter would likely be worse than death. The purpose of the freedom faction's monthly gatherings was to provide a venue for interaction among Orderly and Freedom classes within the faction—auctions, mission postings, intelligence trading, and the like were the real business. The silver party was merely one facet of entertainment. The upcoming gladiatorial match was another entertainment item. The duelists were reportedly two Second-Class Executive Officers from Heaven's Punishment. During a recent operation, they had crossed paths with a Dominator from the Biological Alchemy Society; their team members had been slaughtered, and the two of them captured. That Dominator had tossed the pair into the colosseum on a whim for amusement—a duel between comrades where only one could survive. Such spectacles were commonplace at these gatherings. There were duels between father and son, mother and son, father and daughter, teacher and student. Imprisoned members of orthodox organizations trampling over morality and humanity just to survive was the scene the Freedom classes delighted in most. While waiting for the duel, Cocktail emptied another pot of liquor and began anticipating Donna. As an indulgent Freedom practitioner, he naturally coveted New York County's number-one beauty, but a Dominator-level member of the Desire class was far beyond his reach. Donna was different from Catherine. Catherine was indiscriminate and far looser, while Donna was much pickier about her lovers. Moreover, in the midst of faction conflict, even if Donna were as loose as Catherine, he wouldn't dare touch her. Why did the Dominators of the freedom faction avoid approaching Donna? Freedom classes indulged their desires, so entertaining designs on Donna was no different from a moth darting into a flame—they would simply end up manipulated by that woman through the exaction of a price. As these thoughts churned in his head, Cocktail cast his gaze across the elevated seats opposite him, then glanced back at the elevated seats behind him. "There are quite a lot of Dominators tonight..." At normal gatherings, the number of Dominators varied—seven or eight at most, three or four at fewest. But right now, there were eleven Dominators seated up high. He pulled back his gaze and lowered his head for another sip of liquor, thinking they had probably come for Donna. After all, she was New York County's number-one beauty, and even among the Desire class, there were tiers of distinction. Donna's looks, figure, and presence were all of the highest caliber; otherwise, how could she have outshone all the other beauties to become president of the New York County branch? Just then, the host of the gathering took the stage wearing a mask. Walking into the center of the colosseum without a microphone, his voice nonetheless resonated clearly in the ears of the forty-some members present. "Before the second half of the auction begins, please enjoy a gladiatorial performance. Now, welcome the 'beasts' to the arena!" As the host's words fell, the sky above the colosseum suddenly collapsed inward, tearing open a circular portal. Before the eyes of the audience, an exquisite beauty in a bohemian dress tumbled out, landing steadily on the colosseum floor. Donna!! In the stands, many Saints stood up in shock. The gathering had only started two hours ago, the auction wasn't over, and many members had yet to arrive. Yet tonight's main event, Donna, had made her appearance this early? While the evil classes in the stands were bewildered, seven more figures dropped from the spatial portal. Three among them were familiar faces: Kris Gustav, Winnie Berrent, and Panxi Edison. After a brief silence, an uproar erupted from all directions: "What's going on?! How can Dominators from the orthodox faction be here?!" "The orthodox Dominators have breached the place!" "Let me out of the Spirit Realm! Hurry, let me out of the Spirit Realm..." The Saints present felt as though facing their greatest nemesis. Jumang? Cocktail shot up like a coiled spring in sheer reflex. *** Dessen River Valley, Polopol Winery. Two hundred mu of grapevines swayed in the wind. The harvest season had already passed; yellowing leaves clung to the vines, while a layer of decaying foliage accumulated beneath them. New York County had a warm, pleasant climate well-suited to growing grapes, making it a world-famous wine-producing region. In the valley east of the Dessen River, there were over a dozen wineries of various sizes, dotting the idyllic farmland landscape. Polopol Winery was not large and appeared rather unremarkable compared to its peers, yet the wine it produced was always snapped up immediately. Furthermore, it wasn't sold to the public, accepting only advance reservations. Every year, politicians, businessmen, prominent attorneys, and bankers arrived in luxury cars to visit the winery's owner, all hoping to secure a single barrel. The owner was an old man in his sixties whom the employees called Old Mac; his real name was unknown. Old Mac was normally a man of few words, his greatest passion being winemaking. From harvesting, sorting, destemming, and crushing to fermentation, he was involved in every step. As night fell, a man wearing a silver mask and a dark-red suit arrived at the winery. Swirling a wine glass in his hand, he clicked his tongue in admiration. "Nectar of the gods... absolute nectar. To brew ordinary grapes into such a flavor—from a certain perspective, the Alcoholic class is the Spirit Realm's blessing to all wine lovers." Inside the winery beneath its wooden roof, all was silent. The President gave a chuckling scoff and drained the red wine in his glass in one gulp. "If you don't come out, I'll destroy this winery—and ruin all the wine in your cellar along with it." After a brief silence, an aged voice drifted from within the winery: "A coward who knows nothing but running—since when did you dare trespass onto my domain?" As he spoke, the surrounding scenery began to warp, and the world seemed to split, giving rise to an identical Mirror World. In that world, the sky became the earth, rivers hung suspended midair, and green vine tendrils writhed, springing to life with bared fangs and brandished claws. And yet, this entire spectacle was riddled with fractures. The Distorted Realm! "Oh? Your Distorted Realm still hasn't been repaired?" the President chortled. "Unlike you, I've got money to burn. Let me show you my Myriad Treasure Tree—it's got even more treasures now." A wisp of golden light bloomed beneath his feet, and a golden sapling broke through the soil, growing at astonishing speed. In an instant, the sapling grew into a towering tree a thousand feet tall, its trunk massive, its foliage lush, with layered canopies spreading like parasols. Hanging among the dense branches and leaves were item after item radiating golden radiance—sabers, spears, swords, halberds, kettles, bottles, jewelry, clothing, home appliances, cosmetics... hundreds of items in all. The moment it appeared, the distorted world immediately ground to a halt.