Surprise

High above the monochrome city, Zhang Yuanqing's entire body was stiff—physically stiff. Aside from his mind, which could still turn, his limbs were utterly immobilized. The overbearing pressure of a supreme entity bore down on his shoulders like a mountain, sending spasms through his muscles as cold sweat poured forth like water through opened floodgates. *I have the protection of Concealment, so how did Ling Tuo lock onto me? He came out of the old alley—does he know about the seed's existence? Impossible. Most of my movements were carried out under concealment; he couldn't possibly have observed them from the river of destiny...* Zhang Yuanqing felt both shock and fury. Though bitterly unwilling to accept it, Ling Tuo's appearance here and precise pinpointing of him mid-Night Walk meant that all his efforts during this period had amounted to nothing more than doing Ling Tuo's bidding. He had never underestimated the Lord of Taiyin, yet this demigod's might surpassed his wildest imagination. After days of grueling running about, not only had it all been like drawing water with a wicker basket—a total waste of effort—he was even being subjected to such humiliation. The sky-spanning face slowly spoke: "Originally, this seat never took you seriously. Especially after stripping the Fragment of Taiyin Origin from your character card, you lost all value. "Yet you insisted on bouncing about, thrusting yourself into my sight time and again. This seat suddenly realized that you harbor many secrets—secrets beyond merely being the Demon Lord's successor." Hearing these words, the real Zhang Yuanqing, far away in Songhai, didn't hesitate to pick up the Yata no Kagami and dismiss his clone. Yet the colossal face in the sky remained. The grayish-white world persisted. The dismissal had failed. His clone had been concealed; the Yata no Kagami could not recall it. A chill welled up from the soles of Zhang Yuanqing's feet. Lunar power resembling black smoke crept up his ankles, his calves, and around his waist. Unable to move, Zhang Yuanqing's pupils trembled violently with unprecedented dread. He already knew what Ling Tuo intended to do. Spirit Devouring! Beneath the demigod's oppressive aura, he could do nothing—not even commit suicide. He could only watch helplessly as the black smoke enveloped him. Suddenly, the black smoke enshrouding Zhang Yuanqing dissipated, and a faint sound of surprise from Ling Tuo echoed from the sky: "This clone clearly possesses soul fluctuations, yet it cannot be devoured..." Zhang Yuanqing was also taken aback, followed by a surge of pleasant surprise. The body and soul replicated by the Yata no Kagami were not real. Since the soul wasn't genuine, it naturally couldn't be devoured! Right! Creating souls was an authority belonging to the domain of Taiyin, whereas the Yata no Kagami clearly wasn't an item of the Night Wanderer class. Its ability to replicate body and soul most likely derived from the Musician class, as the material used to forge it had been retrieved by Xu Fu from the depths of the Pond of Immortality in Takamagahara. "A Musician class trait..." Ling Tuo swiftly identified the nature of the clone. From the face coalesced of black smoke, a disc the size of a round dining table flew out. One half of the disc was white, the other red, its material indistinguishable. It aimed at Zhang Yuanqing from afar, its face spinning rapidly. Zhang Yuanqing felt the surrounding world begin to rotate along with it, his brain spinning in tandem, until every thought and spark of cognition was flung right out of his head. *Not good... He—he wants to hypnotize me...* Zhang Yuanqing's consciousness grew progressively groggy, despair surging like an ocean tide in his heart. If Ling Tuo discovered his true background, his maternal grandparents would be doomed. Even with his uncle's protection, the entire family would be hunted to the ends of the earth. Crucially, given the Lord of Taiyin's strategic acumen, once his secrets were exposed, it would be equivalent to laying all his cards faceup before the enemy. Every move he made from then on would fall within Ling Tuo's calculations. When your goals, schemes, and methods were all laid bare, the Lord of Taiyin would undoubtedly deduce your future with absolute clarity. *I've been concealed... Uncle can't find me... M-my brain is getting more and more jumbled...* Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts faltered in fragments, his heart sinking deeper and deeper into a dark abyss. Suddenly, a crisp cracking sound rang out within the silent world of concealment. Zhang Yuanqing's body fractured like a shattered mirror, covered in cracks. An instant later, his form vanished into thin air before Ling Tuo's eyes. Songhai, his maternal grandparents' home. Sitting by the desk, Zhang Yuanqing felt a massive weight lift from his chest. He exhaled a long, shuddering breath of utter exhaustion, then looked down with an expression of pure agony at the Yata no Kagami cleaved in two beside his hand. Although the clone had been concealed, what sustained its existence was the Yata no Kagami, not Ling Tuo. As long as the item was destroyed, the clone would naturally dissipate. It was just a pity to lose a Dominator-grade item like this. *Now is not the time to mourn the item...* Zhang Yuanqing quickly picked up his phone and dialed Zhao Chenghuang. After ringing for a few seconds, the call connected, and Little Zhao's voice came through: "What is it?" "First check if your great-grandfather is dead," Zhang Yuanqing said in a heavy voice. "What?!" Zhao Chenghuang was shocked. "If he isn't dead, have him go down to the basement and check whether that thing is still there." After finishing his sentence, Zhang Yuanqing hung up and waited for a callback. Roughly five minutes later, Zhao Chenghuang called back. What came through was Elder Zhao's voice, solemn and laced with urgency: "The seed is gone. What happened?" *The seed really is gone...* Though he had anticipated it, intense anger and defeat still surged within Zhang Yuanqing. "It's Ling Tuo..." With that, he recounted his recent efforts and today's encounter to Elder Zhao from start to finish. A prolonged silence fell over the other end of the line. After quite a while, Elder Zhao sighed deeply: "It is fate! "Yuanshi Tianzun, although Ling Tuo is not the Lord of the Stars, one can cultivate both Taiyin and Stars simultaneously. If he possesses a divine artifact endowed with stargazing capabilities, his Stargazing might very well make him second to none beneath the Lord of the Stars." Zhang Yuanqing immediately thought of the Great Luo Astrolabe. Dual cultivation of Stars and Taiyin was indeed possible; the two were not inherently conflicting, except that there could only ever be one supreme existence at the pinnacle. Given Ling Tuo's status, practicing the Star path was a matter of downward compatibility. Backed by a rule-based item of the Star domain or a high-grade Dominator item, ordinary Taiyin concealment might not necessarily fool him. Yet, if he could predict my moves and reposition in advance, he could have intervened forcefully during the hunt for the Southern Sect elders to bury all the Dominators of Return of the Dead. Why go through all this extra trouble? *Right. Without Sect Master Chunyang's scare, I probably would have left after gathering intel on the Same Boat Society. I wouldn't have wondered, 'Since the intelligence isn't very valuable, there was no need for Ling Tuo to frighten me,' which led me to dig to the very bottom and unearth Miao Fengling's relic.* *So, Ling Tuo didn't annihilate Return of the Dead during the hunt for the Southern Sect elders because he wanted to use my hands to dig up Miao Fengling's seed!* *The seed's priority is actually higher than wiping out the Dominators of Return of the Dead?!* *That shouldn't be. Back in New York County, during the Covenant of Freedom gathering, Ling Tuo didn't hesitate to burn his trump card Donna just to kill me, Fu Qingyang, Demon Eye, and the Palace Master.* *That shows our priority was high—exceptionally high. So just how damn important is that seed left behind by Fengling?!* Thinking up to this point, Zhang Yuanqing felt vexed all over again. He had likely missed out on a critically vital object. *No, it wasn't that I missed it. I already gave it my absolute best. Failure isn't my fault; the enemy is simply too formidable. Sigh, the gap in status is just too vast. Trying to play schemes and strategies against Ling Tuo... I really was too naive.* "The Demon Lord's remnant obsession was right. I shouldn't draw all the focus onto myself; I should develop with a low profile..." Zhang Yuanqing suddenly rubbed his face and gave a self-deprecating smile. "I almost let Ling Tuo bluff me. What does 'low profile' even mean? As long as I keep taking action, as long as what I do harms the evil faction, I naturally become the center of attention. Unless I do nothing at all—but the decisive battle between orthodox and evil isn't far away. Doing nothing is tantamount to self-exile. How could I ever compete for the position of Lord of the Sun then? Ling Tuo mocking me as a petty clown was just an attempt to shake my dao heart. "He is wary of me. He fears I'll replicate the path of the Grand Marshal and the Demon Lord, becoming a peak Dominator in the short term. Tomorrow I'm entering an instance, dammit..." Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yuanqing reeled in his stray thoughts, pulled out his phone, and dialed Lingjun's number: "Tell your aunt to head back. This matter won't work out." Lingjun was taken aback, pressing urgently, "How can it not work out? What happened?" Zhang Yuanqing sighed. "Ling Tuo played me. Your mother's relic is gone." The sound of Lingjun grinding his teeth came through the phone. After offering a few words of comfort, Zhang Yuanqing hung up. He transferred the cleaved Yata no Kagami into the faction warehouse and dialed Xiahou Aotian next. "Protagonist, I need a favor," Zhang Yuanqing said. "I need your help repairing an item. It's in the faction warehouse; apply to take it out." "No problem!" Xiahou Aotian agreed immediately. A few seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing received Xiahou Aotian's request and promptly approved it. "Holy crap, this is a mid-to-high-grade Dominator item, and the materials are extremely rare. I can't fix this," Xiahou Aotian cursed after examining the materials. "Only the Family Head could repair something like this." "Then ask Family Head Xiahou for help. The price is negotiable." Zhang Yuanqing had turned to Xiahou Aotian instead of Lian Sanyue precisely because the Xiahou family was brimming with talent. Lian Sanyue was also a Level 7 Artisan, but she might not be able to fix the Yata no Kagami, and her terrible relationship with her native Zhao family meant she was essentially out of the question. Xiahou Aotian was different. The Protagonist was a figure whom even the Xiahou demigod was helpless against—the most dazzling darling of the Xiahou family. Xiahou Aotian probed, "Is there an agent's fee?" "The agent's fee is letting bygones be bygones regarding your unauthorized embezzlement of company property and public funds," Zhang Yuanqing said. "..." Zhang Yuanqing pivoted: "You can haggle with Family Head Xiahou. Whatever you manage to knock off the price is yours to keep." Only then did Xiahou Aotian hang up, satisfied. Jiangnan Leather City. Xiahou Aotian dashed out of his house, mounted his homemade sky-motorcycle, and flew high above the Xiahou family grounds to the roar of its engine in the most ostentatious manner imaginable before touching down in Family Head Xiahou's courtyard. Family Head Xiahou's grandson came over at the sound. Seeing Xiahou Aotian, he quickly put on a flattering smile and greeted him: "Brother Aotian, what can I do for you?" The very same grandson who had once ordered the security guards that "Neither Aotian nor dogs may enter" now had no choice but to obediently play the grandson. "I'm looking for Granduncle," Xiahou Aotian said, striding straight in. "Grandfather is in the crafting room. I'll take you there," the grandson offered eagerly. Xiahou Aotian nodded and strode forward. After walking for a bit, he suddenly unleashed a flying kick, sending the Family Head's grandson flying. The grandson protested indignantly: "It was one thing when you kicked me before, but why are you still kicking me now?!" Xiahou Aotian glanced sideways at him. "I still prefer your unyielding, rebellious look." "..." Familiar with the route, Xiahou Aotian made his way to Family Head Xiahou's crafting room. Looking at the white-haired elder standing before the furnace with his hands clasped behind his back, he cut straight to the chase: "Old man, help me repair an item." Family Head Xiahou turned around and asked with interest, "Bring it over and let me see." Xiahou Aotian hurriedly took out the fragments of the Yata no Kagami and handed them over. Family Head Xiahou received the two halves of the Yata no Kagami and put on a monocle. Holding them up to gaze closely at times and lowering them to inspect at others, he said in a deep voice: "The material of this item is exceedingly rare, originating from the Musician class... According to the monocle's material analysis, it formed after settling in a rare environment over countless ages. That is its most precious quality..." Xiahou Aotian cut him off impatiently. "Just tell me if you can fix it or not." Family Head Xiahou nodded slightly. "All the pieces are intact. If it's just a matter of repair, it won't be difficult. However, the labor fee..." Xiahou Aotian said in a hurry, "Granduncle, the item belongs to Yuanshi Tianzun. The cheaper you make it, the higher my cut as the middleman will be. I exhausted all my savings advancing to Dominator—you have to give me a chance to make some money!" Family Head Xiahou gave a low grunt and asked back, "Then how much do you think this old man should charge?" Xiahou Aotian pondered for a moment, then probed, "Free?" Family Head Xiahou hurled the Yata no Kagami straight toward the doorway. "Get the hell out!" 11:00 AM. Before lunch, Zhang Yuanqing phoned Fu Qingyang to inform him of the entire sequence of events regarding the "seed." The two discussed it with heavy hearts for quite some time. Zhang Yuanqing had originally intended to tell his uncle first, but when he knocked on the door next door, his aunt said that the scum of the family had gone out fooling around early in the morning. When his calls went unanswered, Zhang Yuanqing knew the scum of the family had gone roaming through the Spirit Realm. He had just ended his call when the bedroom doorknob turned. Dressed in tight red trousers and a purple suit, his uncle leaned against the doorway in a flamboyantly coquettish posture, grinning: "Surprise~" Zhang Yuanqing said with joy, "Uncle, you're finally back! I have something to tell you... Wait, surprise?" It suddenly hit him. "Did you find the Thunder God Set? Or did you rescue the sole-heir Knight?!"