Chapter 80: Demon Lord's Message
This guy is testing me, Zhang Yuanqing realized right away. He was no rookie anymore. The telltale traits of Demon Lord's successor were nearly impossible for outsiders to identify.
The only suspicious detail was his frequent entry into high-difficulty Spirit Realms, but that alone proved nothing. It wasn't as though no Nocturnal Specter newbie had ever entered the Sheling Tunnel before. The trial mission itself was S-rank, which hardly constituted evidence of being Demon Lord's successor. As for Jinshui Amusement Park, the Spirit Realm had a matchmaking mechanism. The stronger the Walker, the harder the dungeon they'd be matched with. It was perfectly reasonable.
All that confirmed that Ling Jun was just testing him. The Taiyi Sect would never easily give up their search for Demon Lord's successor. More probes like this were sure to come.
Zhang Yuanqing let out a derisive snort and put on an air of pride, making himself fit the image of a natural genius, and said dismissively, "Who exactly are you looking down on? Demon Lord's successor? What's that supposed to mean to me?"
Ling Jun's face was all smiles. "It seems I guessed wrong. If you really were Demon Lord's successor, that would make Elder Sun look even more foolish."
This guy's skin is thicker than armor, Zhang Yuanqing concluded. He didn't pursue the topic any further, but asked curiously, "Don't you Taiyi Sect people get in trouble for badmouthing an elder like that?"
"Of course there's trouble to be had, but when everyone says it, it's basically the same as no trouble at all. No matter how angry Elder Sun gets, he can only go after the one who started it, which would be Yuan Ting, the Squad Leader in charge of the Kangyang District," Ling Jun said with undisguised glee. "Though Elder Sun is still inside a dungeon and hasn't come out yet."
Zhang Yuanqing offered a silent moment of mourning in his heart. Poor Squad Leader Yuan. I'll burn some incense for you.
Just then, Fu Qingyang returned with a cold expression on his face, with Guan Ya trailing behind him looking thoroughly sulky.
After leaving a few elite personnel behind to clean up the scene, the group departed. Li Dongze and the others headed back to recover, while the Support team that had arrived went to search for Rampaging Recklessly's true hideout. Zhang Yuanqing had identified the apartment's location based on the memories he'd seen in the spirit interrogation.
***
While riding back to the Bureau in the black SUV, Guan Ya sprawled lazily across the leather seat and frowned. "I don't know what's gotten into Fu Qingyang today. He chewed me out for no reason."
Zhang Yuanqing laughed. "Maybe it's because he's got more money than sense?"
Guan Ya froze, then shot him a suspicious look. "Did you say something to him?"
He laughed again. "Maybe it's because I've got a wandering eye but no guts to act on it."
"Oh, you little punk, you actually sold me out! Are you ready for the consequences?"
"Bold words from an open-minded lady. How do you know it won't be you begging for mercy?"
"Bring it!"
"Bring it!"
Li Dongze silently glanced at his two subordinates, both radiating murderous intent while their backsides remained firmly glued to their seats. What a pair.
***
Fu Qingyang returned to the luxury villa where he lived and climbed the stairs to the second floor without a word, shutting himself in his study. After closing the doors and windows, he dialed the phone of Elder Teddy, the elder overseeing the Black Wuchang case.
Elder Teddy was not, in fact, a teddy bear. His Spirit Realm ID was "The Old Man and the Dog." He was a highly respected senior figure who, according to rumor, had lost both parents as a child and grown up with nothing but a dog for company. Because of this, he frequently possessed various canines and rarely appeared in his true form. Of course, this also served as a means of concealing his identity.
The call connected quickly. Fu Qingyang heard a bark come through the speaker, followed by a throat-clearing cough. Only then did Elder Teddy's voice come through.
—What is it?
The tone was gentle, yet carried an undercurrent of authority.
"Earlier tonight, my squad of Spirit Realm Walkers was ambushed while attempting to apprehend Rampaging Recklessly."
After that introduction, Fu Qingyang relayed the events in a calm, measured voice.
Elder Teddy spoke slowly, and his voice was heavy with concern.
—Someone leaked the information. How bad are the losses?
"Three seriously injured, while the rest sustained only minor wounds." After which, Fu Qingyang added deliberately, "By all rights, they should have been completely wiped out."
—Oh?
"The newly-recruited Nocturnal Specter killed Rampaging Recklessly and saved the entire team." Fu Qingyang emphasized this point specifically to build credit for Yuanshi Tianzun, to increase the newcomer's importance in the elder's mind. That way, the Elders themselves would willingly deflect most of the complications Taiyi Sect would be throwing at them.
Elder Teddy was silent for a few seconds, then he chuckled.
—Well done. It's been a long time since we've had such an interesting newcomer. We certainly can't hand him over to Taiyi Sect.
He sighed with appreciation, and his mood noticeably improved.
—Anything else?
Fu Qingyang proceeded to recount the intelligence obtained through the spirit communion. After that, Elder Teddy fell silent. The line went completely quiet, and even the faint barking in the background disappeared.
Fu Qingyang's eyes flickered. "Elder? Do you know the details behind Dark Rose?"
A sigh came through the phone speaker.
—The last time I heard that organization's name was over twenty years ago, in connection with an upheaval involving one of the Spirit Realm noble families.
"An upheaval involving Spirit Realm noble families?" Fu Qingyang pondered for a moment, seeming to recall something. "Of the three Musician clans, one was destroyed twenty-one years ago."
On the other end of the line, the Elder's voice grew expressionless.
—That's not something you need to know about, and it's certainly not something I can disclose. If you want answers, go ask your own family. The Marshal has already approved my application. The Tiger Seal will be sent to Songhai before long. The annual full inspection is coming up soon as well, and I intend to combine the two things. Heh. Let's see just how many black sheep are hiding in the Five Elements Alliance.
***
At two in the morning, Zhang Yuanqing took the elevator back to his front door, slipped around the corner to a blind spot in the corridor's surveillance coverage, and activated Night Wandering.
He pushed open a corridor window and climbed nimbly out, using the outdoor air-conditioning unit as a platform. With a powerful leap, he flew across the gap, caught the windowsill of his own bedroom and swung himself inside. He'd deliberately left the window open before heading out on the mission.
He changed out of his torn clothes then turned the handle of his room door and stepped outside, pretending as if he'd just gotten up to use the bathroom. He stepped into the washroom and took a shower.
He scrubbed away the grime and bloodstains, at the same time feeling like he was washing away the exhaustion and minor injuries along with them. He emerged from the washroom feeling refreshed and clearheaded. Given a Nocturnal Specter's powerful vitality, no medical treatment was necessary as long as the wound he suffered wasn't fatal and as long as he wasn't missing any limbs.
Back in his room, he sat at the desk, closed his eyes, and ran through the night's battle in his mind.
With my current arsenal, taking on three Level 3 Walkers on my own wouldn't be a problem. The Red Dancing Shoes can handle one, and the Ghost Bride can handle three, while the Cat King Speaker controls the field and Little Goofball plays support.
Too bad the Bloodthirsty Blade and the Demon-subduing Awl don't have their own consciousness. They can't fight off enemies on their own.
He opened his eyes, flipped open his laptop, logged into the official database, and typed "Spirit Realm origins" into the search bar.
Dozens of results came up, but all the posts seemed to be mere speculation from various official Walkers. The more credible theories suggested the Spirit Realm was the product of an alien civilization, or technology left behind by some ancient prehistoric one. The less credible posts claimed the Spirit Realm was a real, parallel world that existed physically. One poster had argued his case quite passionately, and described his own experiences in detail.
During a certain dungeon run, he'd fallen for a warm and outgoing woman. Unable to help himself, he'd given her everything he had, and the woman had enthusiastically welcomed his generosity. That experience, he insisted, had been completely indistinguishable from reality. Therefore, the Spirit Realm had to be a real, parallel world that existed in the physical plane.
What the hell. The further down I read, the worse it gets. No, it's not getting worse, it's getting downright dirty. Why hasn't this post been moderated? Zhang Yuanqing exited the database in exasperation.
Every post he'd found was just wild speculation from official Walkers. The organization hadn't endorsed any of it, and there was no trace of any official stance on the matter. Either they had no related research, or his clearance level wasn't high enough.
I'll have to wait until I get promoted to dig into this. Right now, what I need to deal with is Taiyi Sect's probing, hunting down Black Wuchang, and getting payback on that bastard Xiahou Tianyuan.
Zhang Yuanqing pushed himself away from the desk, ready to go to sleep. That was when the Cat King Speaker, tucked away in his drawer, began to emit a faint crackling of static.
Zhang Yuanqing gave a start, stopping in his tracks. Was it about to play a song, or some audio from a dirty clip? He pulled open the drawer, and almost simultaneously, a low, hoarse voice emerged from the speaker's grille.
"Just finished a solo Spirit Realm today. Ming Dynasty setting. I noticed something strange in there. They actually obtained their transcendent powers through cultivation. Is that just background flavor, or is there another reason?
"Forget it. No point overthinking it. I'm already Level 3. Once I clear my first Slaughter Dungeon, I can advance to the Saint tier. I still haven't found a way to break through the restriction, though. Hopefully the Saint tier will yield something."
Zhang Yuanqing's eyes narrowed. It was Demon Lord's voice. He held his breath and listened intently.
"Not joining the official organization was my biggest mistake. Solo Spirit Realms for Nocturnal Specters are way too hard. Without dungeon guides, even A-rank Spirit Realms are enough to make your scalp go numb, and S-rank ones have a death rate as high as ninety percent. I wonder if there are even harder dungeon tiers out there. Whatever. It's not like I could join those officials anyway. I'd never pass the full inspection.
"I hear the female Marshal of the White Tiger Legion was already clearing S-rank dungeons back when she was still in the Transcendent and Saint tiers. What an incredible woman. I want to sleep with her."
Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but roast the recording. No, you definitely didn't sleep with her. She would beat the living daylights out of you later.
So, back when Demon Lord was still at the Transcendent tier, the White Tiger Legion's female Marshal had already established herself at that rank. Just how old was she now?
"The female Marshal is the pinnacle of Spirit Realm Walkers. Far too distant a goal. She can be a long term aspiration, but what matters now is keeping my feet on the ground. I need to go hunt Evil-class Walkers. Without enough reputation points, I can't attack Lawful-class Walkers. I have to kill ten Lawful-class Walkers every month. That's my quota.
"I'm still one short of this month's numbers. Today I captured a Wood Demon from the Hundred Flowers Society. Smooth skin, tender flesh. She said she'd trade her body for her life, even though I think the quota is more important. That Hundred Flowers Society Wood Demon was really something, though. A real beauty. In the end, I didn't kill her. Heh. A man's got to keep his word."
Zhang Yuanqing's eyebrow twitched violently as he listened. Keep his word, my ass!
It was only now that he truly understood why Yuan Ting of the Taiyi Sect had called Demon Lord a fallen Nocturnal Specter. The man's moral compass was utterly broken. He was no righteous figure by any stretch of the imagination. How had Bro Bing gotten mixed up with someone like that?
The Cat King Speaker crackled with static again, and Demon Lord's voice gradually faded. Zhang Yuanqing waited a moment before a second recording began to play.
This time, Demon Lord wasn't talking to himself. He was speaking with someone else.
"I killed a Five Elements Alliance steward today. Saw some interesting things in his spirit memory."
"Spit it out," a sharp, cutting voice demanded.
"Turns out the guy was Five Elements Alliance on the surface, but secretly loyal to Dark Rose."
"Dark Rose?"
"Oh, so even you haven't heard of them. This organization must run deep. Based on the intelligence I've gathered so far, the leader of Dark Rose should be a Nocturnal Specter. Heh, though at that level, they probably aren't called Nocturnal Specters anymore. I can give you their contact information. You've always wanted to bring down the Five Elements Alliance, haven't you?" Demon Lord said with a laugh.
"Deal. You'd better not be lying to me, or I'll make you pay," the sharp voice warned him.
"Then hand over the guide for Spirit Realm 0029," Demon Lord said.
After over ten seconds of silence, Demon Lord spoke again, satisfaction ringing through his voice. "Transaction complete. Black Wuchang, you're about to enter a solo Spirit Realm soon, aren't you?"
"That's none of your business."
"Try not to die. I'm very interested in that head of yours. One day, I'll take it myself. And your boss's, too."
