Reunion

"!!!" Thunder, tsunamis, and avalanches seemed to roar in Alicia's ears, leaving her utterly dumbfounded. Only after several seconds did she turn to look at Qingzhu with an expression that said, *Has an illusion clouded your mind?* Unless an illusion had affected his brain, she simply could not fathom why Qingzhu would utter that name. Yuanshi Tianzun—someone who had already returned to the Spirit Realm. As a peak Saint of Heaven's Punishment, a Dominator-in-training, and a senior deacon, Alicia knew more than ordinary walkers. Heaven's Punishment's intelligence briefings stated plainly: "Yuanshi Tianzun fought and killed Cai Qinhe using a Myriad Worlds Firm exchange ticket, suffering total destruction of both form and soul!" His physical body and astral projection had turned to ashes on the spot; there was no possibility of survival. Qingzhu muttered, "It's him... it's him... Greed Divine General, Bai Ren Zhan, and that Rogue Turntable..." Alicia shook her head blankly. "Before Yuanshi Tianzun died, he left his items to those close to him. Jumang has used those items before." Qingzhu snapped his head toward her. "Jumang? Right, Jumang! Jumang is him too! It's been him all along! A peak Beast King appeared out of thin air in the Five Elements Alliance, slaying several peak Saints in New York in an unstoppable blaze of glory... No wonder! No wonder! Other than Yuanshi Tianzun, who else could pull that off?!" The more Qingzhu spoke, the more agitated he grew. Whether from the overwhelming emotional turbulence or pure shock, his body trembled slightly, his lips quivering. Yuanshi Tianzun, Daode Tianzun—similar Spirit Realm IDs... Both Night Wanderers. If the Taiyi Sect had possessed someone this formidable, he would have made a name for himself long ago; how could he have remained completely unknown for decades? Not only did he have Yuanshi Tianzun's items, but even the yin corpses were the same... Alicia stood frozen in a daze. She still had countless doubts, unable to accept or believe it, yet logic told her this was undeniable reality. By then, Zhang Yuanqing had finished cleaning up the battlefield. He recalled his yin corpses and spirit servant into the Little Red Riding Hood space, and also gathered the corpses of the evil-class walkers. The two Aberrants could be refined into yin corpses, and the Illusionist's spirit form could be made into a spirit servant. Next, he began collecting the items and artifacts. He had no use for the items, but he could toss them into the guild warehouse for guild members. Zhang Yuanqing bent down, detached the gourd from Hundred-Armed Demonic Insect's waist, and examined it for a moment. He found that the man and woman trapped inside were still hanging on with bitter endurance. Raising the Eight-Sided Han Bronze Sword, he struck down with all his might. With a sharp crack, fissures webbed across the gourd. The spiritual power sealed within surged violently outward, detonating with the force of a high-explosive grenade. Amid the blast of turbulent shockwaves, two figures tumbled out. One was a bewitchingly gorgeous bee woman, her forehead antennae drooping, her body splattered in blood and filth, and her voluptuous bee abdomen marked with large swaths of acid corrosion. Her cicada-wing gossamer wings had melted away. The other was a stern, composed young man in a tattered suit, exposing marble-hard muscles beneath. His eyes were weary, his breathing faint. They were none other than Xiao Yuan and Huang Taiji. "It really is you two..." Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief, the weight hanging over his heart finally dropping away. Xiao Yuan and Huang Taiji warily took in their surroundings. Finding none of their expected enemies, yet seeing the blood-soaked ground and signs of fierce combat everywhere, they understood immediately. Quietly shielding Xiao Yuan behind him, Huang Taiji spoke in a low, resonant voice, "Thank you, sir, for coming to our rescue." Xiao Yuan cast a cold eye over the three orthodox walkers. Given typical orthodox behavior, seeing that she was a Witch Doctor meant they would almost certainly try to kill her for trial points. Neither of them recognized him. An Illusionist's disguise technique was not something mortal eyes could see through, not even those closest to him. Had he not cleared the battlefield—if Greed Divine General and Yinyao were still out—it might have been a different story. Zhang Yuanqing gazed warmly at the two and chuckled. "Godfather, it's me!" The familiar voice, the familiar form of address—Huang Taiji froze solid, standing petrified with a blank look on his face. Xiao Yuan's pupils quivered. Her icy demeanor melted like spring snow, like an unthawing river. She stared blankly at Zhang Yuanqing, a glistening sheen welling in her obsidian, gem-like eyes. After several seconds, she calmed the fluttering in her heart and nodded. Over the past two months, they had video-chatted frequently. Reunited now, what filled her was longing and delight rather than the shock of rediscovering a lost love. Compared to Xiao Yuan's "composure," Huang Taiji felt as if he were trapped in a dream—or rather, he suspected he had succumbed to an illusion and fallen into a dreamscape. Otherwise, how could he hear Yuanshi's voice? From a person who had clearly returned to the Spirit Realm? If it were an illusion, that would make sense, because Yuanshi's death had practically become an inner demon to him. As a friend, his own grandfather had a hand in Yuanshi's death—his grandfather had killed the benefactor who saved his life, returning kindness with enmity. Huang Taiji's conscience had known no peace. As an official member, watching an official walker with illustrious merits die wrongfully was a betrayal of righteousness. Even after two months, he had never been able to let it go, which was why he had protected Xiao Yuan with his very life. *I love seeing familiar faces make this expression...* Zhang Yuanqing explained, "It really is me. I've been resurrected. You aren't under an illusion, and you aren't dreaming." As a Dream Master, he sensed the intense disbelief in Huang Taiji's emotions, beneath which lay excitement, agitation, and a touch of sorrow. He briefly recounted the story of his resurrection, explaining how, with the help of the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, Demon Eye Heavenly King, and Fu Qingyang, he had revived from the Mother Goddess's Womb shortly after his death. He didn't describe the process in minute detail, knowing Huang Taiji would understand enough. Huang Taiji stared at him, his voice deep and gravelly. "Jumang is you too?" "Godfather's eyes are as sharp as ever!" Zhang Yuanqing smiled. Huang Taiji remained silent for several seconds. Suddenly, he stepped forward, clapping a firm hand onto Zhang Yuanqing's shoulder, and looked at him deeply. "Good. That is good..." His expression was as solemn as ever, but Zhang Yuanqing could feel how hard that hand pressed down on his shoulder, trembling ever so slightly. "Godfather, Xiao Yuan, how did you end up trapped inside the gourd?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. After Huang Taiji explained, Zhang Yuanqing learned that his godfather had suffered rotten luck: Exhibition Hall 4 had been filled entirely with evil-class walkers, and Huang Taiji was the sole orthodox walker among them. Naturally, he was besieged on all sides. Xiao Yuan had stepped in to help him fend off the attackers, but she was sucked into the gourd by Hundred-Armed Demonic Insect. Huang Taiji had willingly entered the gourd solely to protect Xiao Yuan; otherwise, given Xiao Yuan's level, she would have long dissolved into a pool of bloody water. His original plan had been to grit his teeth and endure: as long as Hundred-Armed Demonic Insect perished in subsequent stages, he and Xiao Yuan would still have a slim chance of survival. Such was the resilience and confidence of an Earth Monster. A surge of warmth touched Zhang Yuanqing's heart. Just as he was about to speak, Qingzhu and Alicia hurried over in excitement. "Yuanshi Tianzun, you really aren't dead! You're really alive!!" Qingzhu danced with excitement. Alicia doubted no longer; she had heard everything Yuanshi Tianzun just said. Daode Tianzun was Yuanshi Tianzun, and Jumang was Yuanshi Tianzun too. A prodigy dead for months had returned to life and advanced to Dominator. If this news spread outside, there was no telling what kind of tempest it would stir up. "How did your Spirit Realm ID change?" Huang Taiji asked. "We'll talk about that once the killing trial is over," Zhang Yuanqing said, looking around at his teammates. "First, let's clear the second floor. Xiao Yuan, Godfather, you two need to put extra effort into collecting artifacts, or your points won't be enough." Once they reached the third floor, he would assist them in hunting evil-class walkers to seize their points. "In my stargazing divination, I saw that Qingzhu dies in black water. The second-floor exhibition hall is extremely dangerous," Zhang Yuanqing warned. Qingzhu's heart skipped a beat, and the other three also reined in their emotions, sharpening their focus. Alicia looked toward the distant bronze door. "Let's head over and take a look first." The group immediately crossed the hall and stopped before the bronze door. Touching it yielded no item information. Relying on experience, Zhang Yuanqing said: "The main objective should be finding the key to open the bronze door. Let's search the display cases." Alicia shook her head. "I already took a quick look at the artifacts in the display cases earlier. The artifacts here don't have descriptions, and none of them fit the groove on the bronze door." Zhang Yuanqing strode back toward one of the display cases and looked closely. Inside lay a pair of wings, indeed lacking any descriptive text. "If there's no description, we test it ourselves!" Zhang Yuanqing turned to Huang Taiji. "Godfather, give it a shot!" Huang Taiji nodded, walked up to the display case, and slammed his fist down. *Hum!* His fist was instantly repelled by a powerful ward, sending him staggering back. *It can't be broken?* Huang Taiji frowned. He clenched his fist again, striking the display case repeatedly, but each time was thrown back by an even stronger force. The display case was protected by a potent barrier. Seeing this, the five dispersed to check different display cases. Without exception, none could be broken. *This...* Zhang Yuanqing's brow furrowed tightly. The second-floor hall provided no hints, and the display cases couldn't be opened. Even he felt at a total loss for where to begin. Right then, an aged voice drifted from a display case in the western corner: "Stop knocking, stop knocking! You're disturbing an old man's rest."