Declaration of Death?

"I've forgotten most of what happened when I was little, and I can't quite remember the spirit servant's level. But since Great-Grandpa values the basement so much, the guardian spirit servant's level won't be low—most likely at the Dominator stage." With that thought, Zhao Chenghuang picked up his phone and sent a message to Yuanshi Tianzun: "I need an item that can temporarily restrain a Dominator-level spirit servant." Yuanshi Tianzun replied within seconds: "If it's just restraining it, I'll draw a few Evil-Breaking Talismans for you. In ten minutes, go collect them from the guild warehouse." Ten minutes later, Zhao Chenghuang opened the guild warehouse, found the Evil-Breaking Talismans, and tapped to withdraw them. Having obtained the talismans, he immediately rose and walked toward the western wing. That was the room where his great-grandpa kept miscellaneous items and discarded materials. Pushing open the long-shut wooden door, a faint smell of mildew drifted into his nostrils. The storage room was piled with old belongings from over a decade ago, as well as inert materials that had lost their spirituality after being used in refining yin corpses and spirit servants. He even spotted the wooden sword and toy gun he had played with as a child, along with the scooter he had snatched from Sun Miaomiao. All of these items were coated in a thin layer of dust, as if sealed away by time. Zhao Chenghuang stepped into the room, striding and hopping across the cluttered floor, leaving behind a trail of footprints. Soon, he reached a corner of the room, lifted an iron sheet partition, and saw a square entrance. At the mouth was a flight of steep concrete steps. Zhao Chenghuang vaulted into the cellar opening, landing lightly, and arrived in a narrow corridor. The passageway was pitch-black, but to the eyes of a Night Wanderer, everything stood out in crisp detail. The four walls were plastered with concrete, while the ceiling's cracked surface exposed tangled layers of pagoda tree roots. He strode forward, quickly covering the dozen-plus meters of the corridor, and stopped before a rudimentary wooden door. He vaguely recalled that there had been such a wooden door when he was small. Even back then, it had fallen into disrepair, and now it was thoroughly rotted. Yet Zhao Chenghuang knew the wooden door was a mere decoration; what truly guarded the basement was a spirit servant. The moment he drew near the door, dense, chilling yin energy spilled out from the cracks. Upon the decayed wooden surface, a gruesome, rotting ghost face with white pupils surfaced. "No entry!" The evil spirit's "voice" echoed beside Zhao Chenghuang's ears, cold, ethereal, and laden with tightly suppressed malice. Zhao Chenghuang took out a talisman and slapped it onto the door. A clear, pure golden light flared up, illuminating the dark, frigid underground space. The ghostly face at the entrance let out a furious roar, collapsing amidst the golden light and shrinking back into the basement. Pinching a fresh talisman between his fingers, Zhao Chenghuang hesitated for a few seconds. He gritted his teeth and pushed open the rickety wooden door. Just then, Elder Zhao's stern, sharp voice rang out behind him: "What are you doing?" For a fleeting moment, a chill raced down Zhao Chenghuang's spine, and a sensation of impending disaster gripped him. But he quickly reined in his emotional turbulence, turned around, and looked at his white-haired, stern-faced great-grandpa. He replied: "Nothing, just came down to take a look." Elder Zhao stared at him coldly. "I told you before: do not enter the basement." Zhao Chenghuang clearly saw a flicker of sullen anger in his great-grandpa's eyes. Cold sweat broke out quietly as he hurriedly said, "Understood, I understand..." Elder Zhao's expression softened slightly, and he gave a slight nod. "You've been away from home for two months, and your cultivation has advanced significantly. What level are you now, and what's your experience percentage?" Zhao Chenghuang said submissively, "Level 5, eighty percent experience." Elder Zhao let out a satisfied grunt. "Reaching Level 6 before next June shouldn't be difficult. Advancing from Level 4 to Level 6 in a single year—that's the advancement speed of a top prodigy. However, becoming a Dominator isn't so simple. It's commonplace for many prodigies to remain stuck at Level 6 for five or ten years. "Chenghuang, you must prepare yourself mentally and not rush. Moving forward, I will help you refine Level 6 yin corpses and spirit servants, and teach you some Lunar arts. When you can gain the blessing of Taiyin through night wandering, you will be able to advance to Dominator." He seemed to have reverted into the strict, earnest elder offering gentle counsel once more. Zhao Chenghuang took a deep breath. "I will keep your teachings firmly in mind, Great-Grandpa." Elder Zhao grunted in acknowledgment. "Go back and rest first." Zhao Chenghuang bowed and transformed into starlight, vanishing from the corridor. Once he had departed the courtyard residence, Elder Zhao walked over to the wooden door and touched its faintly warm surface. "Solar Divine Power... Yuanshi Tianzun?" Drawing back his hand, he asked in a deep voice, "Did Chenghuang glimpse anything inside?" The hideous, white-pupiled ghostly face resurfaced. "No..." Elder Zhao's expression relaxed slightly. *** "A mysterious basement?" In his villa at Fujia Bay, Zhang Yuanqing received Zhao Chenghuang's reply and instantly furrowed his brows. "If that basement contained 'evidence' that Elder Zhao is a Corrupted, then the basement wouldn't exist in the first place. Although guarded by a Dominator-level spirit servant, which Dominator of the Taiyi Sect fears a wraith? "Setting up a basement like that would be tantamount to manufacturing proof that exposes himself. An accident could reveal it at any time." Having dealt with Corrupted ones on many occasions, Zhang Yuanqing immediately dismissed Zhao Chenghuang's conjecture. Whatever was in that basement had nothing to do with the Corrupted; perhaps it was Elder Zhao's personal secret. His original intention in disclosing this to Zhao Chenghuang was to have him speak frankly with his great-grandpa and fish for intel regarding the Tongzhou Society. Even if Elder Zhao were indeed a Corrupted, he would proactively share some information when questioned by his great-grandson to avoid suspicion; Zhao Chenghuang wouldn't have been in any real danger. Instead, Zhao Chenghuang had spooked himself over the basement issue and didn't dare bring it up at all. "Little Zhao can't even handle a tiny matter like this properly. Guess I'll have to step in myself and go ask Old Zhao directly to get to the bottom of it." Zhang Yuanqing typed a reply to Zhao Chenghuang: "I'll make a personal trip to the capital tomorrow." Tonight, he was hosting a banquet at Fu Qingyang's villa, inviting friends to attend and giving Guan Ya and Tianxia Guihuo a proper welcome-back dinner. After the banquet, he also planned to converse with the girlfriend he hadn't seen in days about the grand philosophy of creating life. Just after putting down his phone, he heard a chime. He picked it up and saw a message from Asano Ryo. In the message, Asano Ryo tactfully conveyed the Thousand Cranes Group's wish to recover the Yata no Kagami. *When did I ever take your Yata no Kagami!* Zhang Yuanqing replied: "Spilled water cannot be gathered again!" *Spilled water cannot be gathered again?* Asano Ryo's Chinese was only at a beginner level, and she had only a vague grasp of the idiom. She sent a probing message: "Yuanshi-kun, does 'spilled water' refer to the Yata no Kagami?" *What else, nuclear wastewater?* Zhang Yuanqing snorted inwardly and didn't reply. Setting his phone aside, Zhang Yuanqing walked over to the balcony. Overlooking the grand villa next door, he saw bunny girls and staff in wine-red uniforms busy decorating the lush green courtyard for the banquet. Tonight, there would be an open-air banquet. Guests would include Songhai's senior Deacons, friends from within the official organization, and high-ranking figures from folk organizations. It served as both a welcome dinner for Guan Ya and Tianxia Guihuo and Zhang Yuanqing's first public appearance. At the same time, the dinner was a test aimed at the evil faction. Zhang Yuanqing wanted to see if the Southern Sect would seize the opportunity to retaliate, and just how strong Ling Tuo's intent to kill him truly was. To guard against mishaps, Zhang Yuanqing had asked his cousin and uncle to keep watch in secret. Elder Dog's Zoo could be shifted over at any moment, and combined with the presence of multiple Dominators, the security level was exceptionally high. At eight in the evening. Waiting at the villa entrance, Zhang Yuanqing welcomed the first batch of guests. Leading the group was a middle-aged man wearing an off-white suit, with a pair of exquisite mustaches at the corners of his mouth. He held a walking cane and wore gleaming leather boots, exuding refinement and elegance from top to bottom. It was none other than Li Dongze. Behind Li Dongze came his old colleague Wang Tai, who suffered from mild social anxiety, and a young woman with lightly curled brown hair and remarkably delicate makeup. "Oh, good heavens, my old boss, you're as elegant as ever." Zhang Yuanqing went up to greet him, beaming. Deeply moved, Li Dongze patted his shoulder. "Nowadays, you're the one who is the most elegant." Turning toward the young lady behind him, he introduced, "She's a newcomer in Team Two. Her Spirit Realm ID is Little Demon Fairy, and she's a big fan of yours." The young woman, sweet-tempered with bright, sparkling eyes, flushed with excitement. "Hello, hello..." Zhang Yuanqing extended his hand with a smile. "Team Two truly produces beauties in abundance." After escorting Li Dongze's trio into the villa, Zhang Yuanqing noticed a commercial van pull up along the curb. Miao Teng'er and Lingjun stepped out of the vehicle. "I don't recall inviting you," Zhang Yuanqing said, opening his arms to embrace his teacher. "Wherever there's a gathering, there are beauties; wherever there are beauties, there am I." Lingjun suddenly gritted his teeth. "I came to settle scores with Fu Qingyang. If he had told me earlier that you were in the killing trial, I might already be a Dominator by now." *What difference does being a Saint or a Dominator make to you? Well, maybe you could try sleeping with Dominator-level women?* Zhang Yuanqing roasted Lingjun internally, then turned to Miao Teng'er with a warm smile. "Sister Teng'er, long time no see. You've grown even more charming and beautiful." Miao Teng'er, whose features were delicate and ethereal, forced a smile. She glanced left and right, and seeing no one around, asked in a low voice, "I heard from my grandfather that the Demon Lord's lingering obsession once descended into the killing trial, borrowing your body to resolve the crisis regarding Morality Points." Zhang Yuanqing's smile faded, his expression turning solemn. "What do you want to say?" Miao Teng'er drew a deep breath. "Did... did he mention me? Did he ask you to pass any words along to me?" *Foolish girl...* Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly. The Demon Lord's lingering obsession hadn't even spoken with Yin Ji, nor had he exchanged a single glance with her, let alone someone else. He said in a somber voice, "Teng'er, that was merely a strand of obsession—an obsession born of grievances, hatred, and fury." Miao Teng'er understood his meaning, and disappointment was written all over her pretty face. Lingjun spread his hands toward Zhang Yuanqing, looking equally helpless. As nine o'clock approached, more and more guests arrived. In addition to colleagues from Songhai, Yu, Natsuki's Love, and Elder Gaofeng from neighboring Jiangnan Province also came to join in the lively occasion. Seeing Elder Gaofeng in his mountaineering attire, with his receding hairline and an aura of utter poverty radiating from him, Zhang Yuanqing felt an immense sense of security. Furthermore, Xie Lingxi, who had played the obedient daughter in the Xie family for two months, finally threw herself into her Brother Yuanshi's embrace. Amidst the clinking glasses and lively chatter, Zhang Yuanqing was, unsurprisingly, encircled by a flock of women, showcasing his enviably dazzling popularity with the opposite sex. "Damn it! Yuanshi Tianzun is actually this popular with women? Am I, Xiahou Aotian, not handsomer than him? Am I not richer than him?" Xiahou Aotian drank alone, wishing desperately for someone to keep him company. Tianxia Guihuo remarked regretfully, "I originally wanted to watch Guan Ya get jealous over all those women..." Yet with so many women swarming around Yuanshi Tianzun, Guan Ya instead acted with consummate grace and poise. "No need to be jealous." Lingjun strolled over, holding a wine glass, and said, "For Yuanshi Tianzun, this is a Peach Blossom Calamity. It's not a blessing." "Indeed," Xiahou Aotian nodded. "His destiny horoscope is exceedingly bizarre." Lingjun paused, surprised. "How so?" "A few days ago, when I was practicing divination, I cast a hexagram for him. The first reading showed a flawed destiny. The second reading came out perfectly normal. And on the third attempt, it indicated an early death!" Xiahou Aotian shrugged. "In any case, all three results were completely different. It felt like I wasn't divining for one person, but three separate people." Lingjun asked in wonder, "Did you tell him about this?" Xiahou Aotian shook his head. "A divination must not be read to the limit, nor must every word be spoken, lest one invite retribution from heaven." "Then why the hell did you tell us?" Tianxia Guihuo shot him a look of deep concern for the intellectually challenged. Xiahou Aotian froze, then muttered, "Just pretend you never heard it." Admiration, envy, lust, yearning, covetousness... Zhang Yuanqing walked through the crowd holding his wine glass, sensing the varied emotions directed toward him by different individuals. The admiration and envy mostly came from the men, while the yearning, covetousness, and lust came from the women. Today, he had repeatedly endured the kind of "female gaze" that delicate modern boys found intolerable. Right at that moment, he suddenly caught a trace of pure malice, gone in the blink of an eye. Zhang Yuanqing's heart tightened. Tracing that malice with his gaze, he spotted a waiter in a wine-red vest keeping his head down and hurrying toward the restroom. *Did some small fry actually manage to sneak in?* Passing his glass to a nearby server, he strode toward the public restroom in the corner of the garden. Walking along the cobblestone path, he entered the restroom. Inside the fairly spacious men's room, the waiter in the wine-red vest stood quietly by the urinals, facing the doorway. Seeing Yuanshi Tianzun walk in, a sinister smile crept onto his face. "You are about to die!"