Ambushed on All Sides

Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! The word echoed relentlessly in Zhang Yuanqing's mind, a turbulent wave of shock and disbelief that nearly shattered his composure on the spot. First: Catherine couldn't possibly be Donna. As the vice president of the Hunter Guild, Catherine was an open, known figure—a Dominator-stage Desire practitioner. There were only so many Dominators in existence. The Killing Dungeons yielded merely six new Dominators each year, a handful that could be counted on one's fingers. Every single one had to be officially recorded on roster files. The Association of God of Beauty had undoubtedly investigated Catherine. Even if Spirit Realm IDs were withheld during Killing Dungeons, Donna was the sole Desire Dominator in New York County. She was bound to attract scrutiny and be thoroughly vetted. Even if the Association had overlooked Donna, the President would have investigated her. Neither side had moved against Donna, which proved her background was clean. Second: If Donna truly were Catherine, then many high-ranking figures across New York County's orthodox organizations were her lovers. Had that been the case, the factional struggle should have been completely one-sided—unless the evil faction was playing an immense long game, keeping those lovers untouched for future use. Third: If Donna was Catherine, tonight's gathering was a trap designed to lure them into a cage, which meant Tongtian Jiaozhu's cover had been blown long ago. Yet if that were true, why hadn't Catherine directly demanded her price and asked him for the Sacred Plate shard? It wasn't just Zhang Yuanqing. Even the panicked Saints and several Dominators wore looks of sheer disbelief. In this entire hall, only the president of the Hunter Guild knew that Catherine and Donna were the same person. *Catherine is Donna?* Cocktail stared dumbfounded at the familiar gray-haired beauty, caught completely off guard. But in the next second, his expression turned ecstatic. So this had been a plot all along—a scheme by the organization to hunt down orthodox Dominators. Looking at it now, he might not die after all, while Jumang was as good as dead. A great sense of relief washed over him. Glancing at the nearby Saints, he saw them also breathing sighs of relief, their faces glowing with pleasant surprise. "Bitch! I come out whenever I want. You stopped being able to suppress me long ago," Catherine muttered under her breath. Regaining her balance, she took subtle steps backward while sweeping her eyes over Zhang Yuanqing and the others, savoring their grave, grim expressions. "Donna is Catherine..." Panxi Edison said in a heavy voice. "How is that possible? How did you slip past the headquarters of the Association of God of Beauty?" *How did you slip past the President?* Zhang Yuanqing added silently in his heart. Catherine beamed. "Because I'm not Donna. I'm Catherine. That weak bitch merely shares a physical shell with me." "A split personality," Fu Qingyang said coldly. "I used to be, but not anymore," Catherine replied with a smile. "When I was a teenager, my stepfather molested me. To maintain a comfortable lifestyle, my birth mother chose to endure, play dumb, and even helped him control me. After prolonged periods of torture, I was born. "Every time that man violated me, Donna would choose to let me take over, forcing me to face that disgusting creature over and over again, to be violated time and time again." Catherine's voice and expression dripped with hatred and disgust. "Why was I the one who had to endure all the pain and agony while she got to remain the popular student admired by everyone, the star pupil in teachers' eyes? When she reached adulthood, she broke free of that family, used her beauty to hook wealthy heirs, and no longer needed me. But I didn't vanish—I merely lay dormant. Until years later, when the great deity awakened me, and another supreme existence granted me an independent soul." Hearing this, many of Zhang Yuanqing's lingering questions were resolved. No wonder Catherine harbored both jealousy and hatred toward Donna. No wonder Catherine had been lurking inside the Association of God of Beauty all along, yet could never be rooted out. An independent soul... Two souls sharing one body? That was why the President and the Association had found nothing amiss—Donna herself genuinely was clean... "You said another supreme existence gave you an independent soul. Who was that?" Zhang Yuanqing pressed. Catherine smiled playfully. "Why should I answer you, Tongtian Jiaozhu, you liar?" Tongtian Jiaozhu?! Kris, Winnie, and Panxi Edison all turned to stare at Jumang in shock. Jumang was Tongtian Jiaozhu? Tongtian Jiaozhu hadn't been secretly hunted down after all? Following the revelation that Donna was Catherine, yet another truth caught them completely unprepared. *She really does know I'm Tongtian Jiaozhu. My cover was blown ages ago...* Zhang Yuanqing's heart seized. Just then, he heard Panxi Edison whisper in a low voice: "The plan has failed. I'm getting you out of here." With that, Panxi swiftly raised his hand and made a forceful grasping motion at the empty air before them. The void shuddered violently, rippling like cloth caught in a gale, but the anticipated spatial rift failed to open. High up in the spectator stands, Apophis, shrouded entirely in darkness, spoke placidly: "Edison, you may leave. I cannot stop you. But you won't be taking them with you." A peak Dominator of the Void class could not be held even by a Lethal Alchemist or Alcoholic demigod; only an Evernight demigod adept at seals and slumber could trap them. Panxi Edison's face darkened. The space inside the colosseum was locked down; he couldn't open a spatial corridor. Although he could use Void Traverse to penetrate any seal or barrier, that was an active skill exclusive to his class—he could only escape by himself and could not carry anyone else along. Elder Fu of the Five Elements Alliance had been right. The evil faction had come prepared. *No wonder they let Catherine ramble on—they have nothing to fear.* Forcing down his anxiety and rising sense of crisis, Zhang Yuanqing took the initiative to speak to Catherine: "When did you start suspecting me? How did you figure out I was Jumang?" He wanted to buy time for his comrades to formulate an escape plan, or at the very least give them time to deduce combat strategies. The combat potential displayed when fighting after careful deliberation was completely different from scrambling into battle unprepared. Catherine looked at the man she had shared passion with multiple times, her demeanor flirtatious and alluring. "This time it's definitely your true body, isn't it? Don't worry, I won't kill you. I'll imprison you as my manservant. After the Demon Lord, you are the only man who has kept me yearning day and night." Zhang Yuanqing sneered. "Compared to Donna, you really fall far short." He knew Catherine too well. As long as he compared her to Donna and praised Donna, Catherine's composure would shatter. Sure enough, Catherine's lovely face hardened. She said coldly: "Do you think you hid yourself flawlessly? True, with your heavy spiritual corruption and your Illusionist class, I had no reason to suspect you. But a spy is a spy—you were bound to slip up in action. "I arranged for you to assassinate Jumang, yet that very night, Jumang's movements were abnormal. He drove alone to Hudson River Park. Bacchus and Hecate returned to the Spirit Realm, while you managed to flee back. Afterward, the surveillance footage around Hudson River Park was wiped clean without a trace. But think about it from the other direction: why clean it up so thoroughly? What was being covered up?" Zhang Yuanqing said nothing, waiting for her to continue. These points alone didn't prove Tongtian Jiaozhu was a traitor; they barely even warranted suspicion. Catherine continued: "The battle at New York Harbor was the same. Every operation you took part in ended in catastrophic defeat for us, yet you always returned alive. "You claimed to have crossed official organizations in the Second District, yet hardly anyone in the Second District had ever heard of you. Neither the Southern nor Northern Faction had ever heard your name. They even checked members who had cleared the Killing Dungeons over the past few years, but found no one named 'Tongtian Jiaozhu'—though of course, it was possible you used a fake Spirit Realm ID. "You were constantly unreachable. Whenever I messaged you, you took a day or two to reply. It seemed you couldn't use your phone freely and had to wait for designated times to check your messages. "Most importantly, I once attempted to demand a price from you, but failed. From that moment on, I began to suspect that Tongtian Jiaozhu might not be your true self. If so, who was your true self? "Who your true self was didn't matter. What mattered was which faction you belonged to, and what your purpose was in approaching me. That led to the plan to approach Donna—it was a test aimed at you. "That day when you approached Donna at Tartar Restaurant, I confirmed you were with Heaven's Punishment. The dining habits of the companion you brought gave away his identity. Faces can be faked, but habits never change. "As for guessing that Tongtian Jiaozhu was Jumang—heh, once I knew you were an official member, it only took a little imagination and a bold guess." *She still doesn't know my real identity...* Zhang Yuanqing inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, Stephen Simpson's chilling voice carried across the arena: "Catherine, storytime is over." Listening to her gloat for this long was already the utmost respect and tolerance afforded to a companion and fellow Dominator. "I did what I could!" Zhang Yuanqing looked toward his companions and whispered, "I'm sorry. This was my oversight. I dragged you all into this. Don't worry about me in the coming fight—focus on survival." There was no need for melodramatic apologies, let alone pessimistic despair. Every one of them had clawed their way through storms of blood to reach their current level and realm. Near-death crises were nothing new; worst case, they would simply return to the Spirit Realm. Fu Qingyang spoke in rapid-fire succession: "I took a quick look just now. The enemy has twelve Dominators: three Lethal Alchemists, three Alcoholics, one Evernight, two Wind Mages, two Lightning Mages, and one Desire. "Ignore Apophis of the Evernight class. His sole role is locking down space, and he won't join the fight. Donna of the Desire class is troublesome. As a Swordsman, I have the passive skill Iron Will, so her Charm has little effect on me, and Demon Eye doesn't care for female charms either. The only concern is Jumang. Facing level suppression and lacking a heart resistant to women, you hold the Golden Crow Seal; if Donna seduces you, that item could very well fall into enemy hands." *This Heavenly Venerable has always been aloof from female temptation...* Zhang Yuanqing grumbled defensively to himself. "I'll keep my eyes on her," the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter said. A Red Phoenix Star Official's Red String Connection was by no means inferior to Desire's Charm. Fu Qingyang continued his analysis, his words falling like driving rain: "The Lethal Alchemists and Alcoholics can both be countered with the Golden Crow Seal. The biggest threat is Cowboy Locke, a Level 9 peak Dominator. The Golden Crow Seal's power might not be enough to suppress him, so we'll have to take him head-on. Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, you are in charge of healing to extend our endurance. "Except for Demon Eye, none of us have strong defenses. The Wind Mages' crowd-control abilities and the Lightning Mages' lightning strikes pose an immense threat to us. Therefore, the battle plan is to eliminate the Wind and Lightning Mages first, then kill the other Level 8 Dominators, and finally concentrate our strength to confront the peak Dominators. If the enemy's strength far outmatches ours, focus on defense to stall for time and await rescue." Zhang Yuanqing swept his gaze across the heights. Facing the eleven combatant Dominators present, he had actually favored hunting the Lethal Alchemist Dominators, given his strong resistances to petrification, poisonous mist, and aberration. With support from Fu Qingyang and the others, plus defensive items, he had high confidence they could kill one. However, since Money Prince had already laid out the plan, he wouldn't interfere with counter-orders. Lethal Alchemists and Alcoholics could be suppressed with divine solar power, whereas the Wind and Lightning Mages were indeed far more threatening. Fu Qingyang then looked toward Panxi Edison. "Vice President, will you stay, or will you go find reinforcements?" Panxi Edison wore a grave expression and sighed. "I'll stay." There were no reinforcements to fetch. Only Void practitioners could traverse the Spirit Realm freely, and the only person capable of saving them was a demigod-level Void practitioner—namely, the President. Since this ambush had been meticulously planned, the President was undoubtedly facing powerful enemies right now. Even using his toes to think, Panxi knew the President had to be trapped inside the Distorted Realm. A demigod-level rule-based item was something Panxi could not enter. Therefore, he couldn't fetch reinforcements. Even taking a step back, supposing he could actually find the President, what about the colosseum? Fu Qingyang's battle plan was predicated on having a peak Dominator on their side. The moment Panxi left, four Level 8 Dominators, one Level 7 Dominator, and a peak Saint would have to face twelve enemy Dominators, two of whom were Level 9. They would be wiped out in minutes. That wouldn't be fetching reinforcements; that would be notifying the President to come collect their corpses. Fu Qingyang took a deep breath and declared: "Everyone, if we cannot all attain apotheosis in this battle, then we shall return to the Spirit Realm together!" Catherine smiled sweetly. "Leveling up isn't easy, so why be in such a rush to return to the Spirit Realm? Fighting and dying aren't your only options. You could also listen to the deities' revelation, join the Covenant of Freedom, and become one of us." Her voice was gentle and seductive, laced with mesmerizing power. Paired with eyes as limpid as a doe in the forest, it sounded like the most sincere advice in the world. This was why the evil faction's Dominators had been willing to wait. If they could bring them into the fold, the Covenant of Freedom's power would swell yet again. Among these people, Fu Qingyang was the youngest power-holder in the Five Elements Alliance. Kris Gustav was one of the heirs to the Gustav Financial Group. Winnie Berrent was the Chief Prosecutor of Heaven's Punishment's New York County branch. The woman in red had an unknown identity, and even Jumang, who possessed the lowest rank among them, held the potential to become a Dominator. As for combat prowess, while these individuals were extraordinary among the younger generation, standing against veteran Dominators would require several more years of leveling up. "My only requirement is that those Saints stay alive—don't touch my blood bags," Demon Eye Heavenly King instructed his teammates. He strode forward and surveyed the spectator stands. "To me, purging the First District or the Second District makes no difference." He turned to glance at Jumang, then drew his gaze back, speaking almost to himself: "I've looked forward to this day for a long time. Let us join hands and cleanse this world." The corners of his mouth curved upward as he stripped off the sports headband from his forehead. In an instant, pairs of scarlet-gold demonic eyes manifested across his forehead, cheeks, chest, arms... High-rank corruption descended! The Saints present went mad in unison.