Elegy

"I didn't come here for the Holy See's relic," Zhang Yuanqing said, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, showing no intention of standing up as he scrutinized Deng Jingguo. "Is Alliance Leader Deng injured?" "During the period when Morality Points vanished, some members of the evil classes wreaked havoc in Chinatown. I took my people to clean them up, which drew out a Dominator from the evil faction," Deng Jingguo explained briefly. *Ah, injured by an evil Dominator. The reason New York didn't suffer a total collapse is that these non-official orthodox walkers truly played their part. If we had relied solely on official walkers, they never could have kept up!* Smiling, Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory, produced a vial of diluted life fluid, and tossed it over. Catching the life fluid, Deng Jingguo raised an eyebrow. He walked down the stairs and took a seat opposite Zhang Yuanqing. "What do you need me for?" As he spoke, he set the life fluid on the coffee table. "I want to absorb the Anti-Black-and-White League," Zhang Yuanqing got straight to the point. Deng Jingguo's eyes narrowed instantly, his tone turning cold. "Are you here on behalf of the Five Elements Alliance? Looking to develop the Anti-Black-and-White League into an auxiliary organization? My apologies, but while the Anti-Black-and-White League is composed of Chinese expats, we have nothing to do with the First District, and we have no interest in working with the Five Elements Alliance." It was very common for official organizations to court non-official groups. After all, wild rogue cultivators were far too numerous to eradicate, nor could they all be formally recruited. Developing them into auxiliary forces was the best option. It was much like an imperial court winning over local magnates. With a few benefits tossed their way, those local powers would work for the authorities without requiring formal positions, all while helping maintain order in their territories. As for minor offenses and infractions committed by those magnates—a little lawbreaking was perfectly understandable. So long as the broader situation remained stable, it could be tolerated. Against the backdrop of the evil faction's relentless onslaughts, the Five Elements Alliance's desire to rally forces was understandable, but Deng Jingguo would never agree. First, as a local organization native to the Free Confederation, he felt no sense of belonging toward the Five Elements Alliance. Second, he had no wish to be controlled by others. And lastly, the incident of Yuanshi Tianzun's return to the Spirit Realm had left him with an abysmal impression of the Five Elements Alliance. *Sigh, the Five Elements Alliance doesn't have the best reputation in our fellow countrymen's eyes...* Sensing Deng Jingguo's resistance and distaste, Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "I don't represent the Five Elements Alliance. I represent myself." "Yourself?" Deng Jingguo scrutinized the swordsman before him with an aggressive gaze. As a forceful, hot-tempered Lightning Mage, the only reason he hadn't laughed out loud was out of respect for their meager past acquaintance. Zhang Yuanqing gave a light smile and brushed a hand across his face. "Perhaps like this, our conversation will go a bit more smoothly." Ripples washed over the cold, stern visage, quickly settling into a youthful, spirited countenance. Staring at the face, Deng Jingguo was taken aback, finding it instinctively familiar. A few seconds later, he shot to his feet, shock plastered across his stern, square face. "Y-Yuanshi Tianzun?!" "It's me!" Zhang Yuanqing rose alongside him, opened his inventory, and retrieved the Heaven Worship Set to equip it. Activating the set effect, he raised a hand and snapped his fingers. *Snap!* Starlight flared, and he appeared beside the dining table. A moment later, amidst a dreamy veil of starlight, he returned to the sofa. "I also have another identity!" Light rippled across his face once more, transforming him into Jumang. Then, he brought out Dominator items such as the Form and Spirit Annihilation Blade and the Demon Oil Painting. Deng Jingguo was struck dumb, rooted to the spot. No further words were necessary. He already believed that the person before him was truly Yuanshi Tianzun, and at the same time realized that Jumang, the rising star who had taken New York by storm, was actually Yuanshi Tianzun in disguise. No wonder he was so formidable. No wonder Jumang could freely wield and command Yuanshi Tianzun's legacy. After a long time, Deng Jingguo sat back down, a hidden excitement gleaming in his eyes as he stared at Zhang Yuanqing. "You didn't die?" "I was resurrected!" Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "In the Second District, there is an item called the Mother Goddess's Womb, a rule-based item of the Musician class." Deng Jingguo nodded slowly without pressing further. He reached out to pick up the vial of diluted life fluid from the coffee table and injected it into an arm vein. Moments later, his pale complexion gradually turned ruddy. Seeing this, the corners of Zhang Yuanqing's lips curled up. Setting down the syringe, Deng Jingguo asked, "You've advanced to Dominator?" Zhang Yuanqing nodded. Deng Jingguo pondered. "You want to build your own faction?" Zhang Yuanqing nodded again. Deng Jingguo considered it for a few seconds, then said, "If it's you, I don't mind cooperating. But honestly, with your talent and potential, joining an official organization is the better choice. Every official organization in the world only reached its current scale after a century of accumulation. "Trying to build your own faction from scratch is simply too hard. In ten years, your upper limit would still only be a large non-official group. But what would that do for you? In ten years, you could have already entered the Five Elements Alliance headquarters and become one of the most powerful people in the world." The investment and the return were completely disproportionate. For a peerless genius, joining the official establishment bypassed the decades of painstaking effort needed to become the leader of a major organization. Fu Qingxuan was the prime example. Had Fu Qingxuan not joined the Five Elements Alliance and instead founded her own faction, she would at most be a demigod with a respectable force under her command. That could never compare to the prestige and glory of the Grand Marshal. Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "I'm not cultivating a faction from the ground up; I'm assembling one. Right now, our core organizations include the Relief Society in the Free Confederation, and back home, the Mechanism Technology R&D Company, Zhisha Palace, and the Spirit Realm faction I founded myself. Among them, there are seven Dominators. Backing us are the Merchant Guild, the Association of God of Beauty, and Fu Qingyang of the Five Elements Alliance. "Now, I want to develop the Anti-Black-and-White League into a partner organization. Down the road, I can help you swallow up the Black Dragon Hall, Baolin Hall, and the Hong Gang—or bring them under our banner as well." Deng Jingguo was utterly stunned. "Th-this..." Zhang Yuanqing crossed his legs. "Alliance Leader Deng, have you ever heard of the Lord of the Sun?" *** In the early hours before dawn, beside the Desen River in New York. Zhang Yuanqing sat on the riverbank. Above him was the deep twilight of the sky; before him lay the dark, rippling surface of the water. Having just endured a catastrophe, order had yet to be restored. The river, usually bustling with shuttling boats, lay dead silent, vast and desolate. "You're actually still alive?" a voice called out from the distance. A tall, upright young man strolled over against the chilly morning breeze. He sported messy, stylish short hair straight out of an idol drama, handsome features, and a cynical smile lingering at the corner of his mouth. It was none other than the sixth-generation sole successor Knight of the Holy See. He came to a stop beside Zhang Yuanqing, leaning his hands on the railing as he looked out across the pitch-black river. "What did you want to see me for? I told you last time, I'm preparing for a trial." "As long as you haven't entered the trial yet, you wouldn't just sit by and watch evil class members wreak havoc everywhere. So asking you to meet me in New York isn't an interruption." Zhang Yuanqing turned his head, looking at that face that was punchable as ever. "Chazo is dead. He died in the killing trial. He chose to sacrifice himself for order. I felt I should let you know." Zhai Cai fell silent. He let out a sigh. "That is a Knight's destiny!" When he spoke those words, there was not the slightest trace of exaggeration or cynicism on Zhai Cai's face—only gravity and sincerity, like an article of faith. The two did not speak for a long time, as if silently mourning the Knight who had fallen in the trial. After a moment, Zhang Yuanqing, still gazing out at the river, said, "There's one more thing. I've successfully advanced to Dominator and want to establish my own faction. But unlike a Spirit Realm guild, it won't have the Spirit Realm's binding constraints. So I want to ask for your help—to have the core members of the organization sign a contract never to betray one another and never to harm each other." Hearing this, Zhai Cai scoffed. "Friend, you're thinking too small. For something minor like that, I can just lend you an item. Why would a Knight like me need to step in personally?" Zhang Yuanqing had been waiting for those exact words, and his smile widened happily. "The core members are all Dominators—at least eight of them!" Zhai Cai's expression stiffened, his eyes going wide. "How the hell did you rope in that many Dominators?" Zhang Yuanqing's smile grew even more delighted. "Through character and charisma." *** At daybreak, a thick fog enveloped a remote northern city. At an orphanage far from the urban center, a crude iron gate lay abandoned on the ground, rust-eaten and twisted out of shape, having been torn down by brute force. Yellow police tape wound around the broken hinges again and again, crisscrossing to seal off the empty gateway. A figure emerged from the dense fog and stopped at the orphanage entrance. He wore a thin jacket and an athletic headband. With his hands shoved into his pockets and his head slightly lowered, his popped collar concealed half his face. He stood before the orphanage gate like a statue. After a long while, as if he had finally gathered enough courage, he lifted his foot and stepped inside. The crisscrossed tape sealing the entrance snapped on its own, hanging limply down. The once lively orphanage was now dead silent. There was no vitality, no human presence, and even the camphor tree in the corner looked limp and withered. On the small playground, a rust-pitted basketball hoop stood alone, its mottled pole covered in dew, while several shocking streaks of blackish-red marred the cracked ground. Those were bloodstains that had yet to be washed away. Demon Eye Heavenly King walked slowly across the small playground and pushed open the classroom door—the orphanage had only one classroom. The desks and chairs inside had all been shoved into the corners to clear an open space, where sixteen small bodies lay, sealed in body bags. The city's crematorium and hospital morgues were completely overwhelmed. The crematorium was working around the clock to incinerate bodies, but because these children had no families, they had been temporarily left here, awaiting transfer to a hospital or the crematorium. Demon Eye Heavenly King stood quietly in the classroom with his hands in his pockets, uttering not a word. From beneath the athletic headband, crimson blood trickled down.