The small conference room on the second floor of the villa was bathed in the crimson light of the setting sun. The blood-red rays streamed through the glass windows, staining the white wool carpet with a crystalline crimson glow.
Li Dongze, Green Vine, White Dragon, Tang Guoqiang, Big Muscle, and other Captain-level figures sat ramrod straight around the conference table. Nearly all the Captain-level Spirit Realm Walkers from Kangyang District who could attend were present.
In addition to the Five Elements Alliance Captains, Yuan Ting, who had just returned from the Capital City, also attended the meeting.
As a Scout, Li Dongze immediately noticed Yuan Ting's poor mental state. Frowning, he asked, "Are you injured?"
Pale-faced, Yuan Ting leaned weakly against the back of his chair, his eyes closed in rest. At the question, he opened his eyes and replied calmly, "No, Elder Sun took a great interest in me during my trip to the Capital City. He believes I will become a pillar of the Taiyi Sect and insisted on personally training me. The excessive training has left me exhausted."
The others looked at him with solemn respect.
Fu Qingyang glanced at Yuan Ting without comment, then turned serious. "Let's get down to business. What did Primordial see in Ou Xiangrong's memories that made you rush back here?"
The Captains immediately turned grave gazes toward Li Dongze.
After leaving the morgue, he immediately summoned everyone to Centurion Fu's office, declaring a major incident.
When asked for details, he remained tight-lipped, leaving them anxious and impatient.
Li Dongze cleared his throat and surveyed the group gathered around the table. "Our Nightwalker has gleaned from Ou Xiangrong's memories the true nature of the Holy Grail. It's a Rule Item belonging to the Eerie Eye Judge, known in full as the Fallen Holy Grail."
"Eerie Eye Judge... Fallen Holy Grail?"
The Captains seated on either side of the conference table exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions a mix of gravity and bewilderment.
The Eerie Eye Judge was the Vice President of the Eastern Branch of the Spiritual Energy Association.
The Spiritual Energy Association, a notorious and malevolent organization among Spirit Realm Walkers, was composed of powerful and deranged Witchcraft Masters. The Eerie Eye Judge, as Vice President of the Eastern Branch, ranked eighth on the Five Elements Alliance's bounty list—a powerhouse capable of moving mountains and draining seas.
No one had expected Ou Xiangrong's case to involve figures of such magnitude.
The bewilderment stemmed from their unfamiliarity with the Fallen Holy Grail.
"Ou Xiangrong was searching for the Eerie Eye Judge's Rule Item?" Big Muscle frowned, speaking bluntly. "The kid's brain really is fried, huh?"
A mere Transcendent Stage Seductive Demon dares to covet the tools of high-level Spirit Realm Walkers.
Ignoring Big Muscle's remark, everyone turned to Fu Qingyang.
Fu Qingyang paused for a few seconds, his tone unusually grave. "I'm about to share classified intelligence with you. However, given your current rank, you're not authorized to know this level of information. So, once you leave this room, this stays buried deep inside you."
Hearing this, the group instinctively straightened their backs and adopted serious expressions.
"The Fallen Holy Grail is a Rule Item belonging to the Witchcraft Master class, of extremely high tier. Its function is to control Spirit Realm Walkers. The Eerie Eye Judge has used this artifact to enslave numerous Walkers from other classes. A significant portion of the 'Fallen Ones' we deal with annually are creations of the Eerie Eye Judge. Intelligence indicates that once tainted by the Fallen Holy Grail, victims remain enslaved for life, with death being the only escape. There is no known cure.
"Furthermore, those tainted must undergo a 'Holy Grail baptism' at regular intervals. Failure to do so will drive them mad and lead to their death."
Li Dongze nodded and continued, "Ou Xiangrong is a servant of the Eerie Eye Judge."
This revelation made everything click into place for the captains, like a sudden flash of enlightenment.
White Dragon nodded at first, then frowned. "What does this have to do with Zhao Yingjun's murder? Besides, this doesn't seem like a major incident."
"Zhao Yingjun was also a servant of the Eerie Eye Judge," Li Dongze explained. "He infiltrated the Five Elements Alliance, posing as an advisor to the Public Security Bureau while secretly recruiting new members for the Eerie Eye Judge, acting as a henchman for the tyrant." He paused, then continued with grave solemnity, "Recently, the Eerie Eye Judge suddenly perished. His trusted lieutenant, the Black guard of Impermanence, fled with the Holy Grail and the roster containing the identities of all the Fallen Ones. Now, not only are Fallen Ones like Ou Xiangrong searching for the Black guard of Impermanence, but so is the Gu King, another vice president of the Spiritual Energy Association's Eastern Branch, along with his entire faction.
"Once the Black guard of Impermanence obtains the roster, he'll inevitably contact the Fallen Ones to claim the Eerie Eye Judge's legacy. Zhao Yingjun's undercover status makes him a crucial asset, and it's highly likely he's already made contact with the Black guard of Impermanence. Therefore, Ou Xiangrong likely sought to extract the Black guard of Impermanence's whereabouts through Zhao Yingjun."
Their minds went blank.
The Eerie Eye Judge, a high-level Spirit Realm Walker, was dead?
The news was so shocking that even the usually composed Fu Qingyang's expression froze for a moment.
In the suffocating silence, Fu Qingyang tapped the table and frowned. "The Eerie Eye Judge's Roster contains a vast number of Fallen Ones. Black guard of Impermanence has hidden himself with the Roster and the Holy Grail. He can't possibly control all his 'servants'; lunatics like Ou Xiangrong are clearly not isolated cases."
Li Dongze forced a bitter smile. "So, this is a major incident."
The Captains nodded heavily, their spirits sinking.
Fu Qingyang continued, "Black guard of Impermanence is hiding in Songhai. The city won't remain peaceful for long. I'll report this to the Elders' Council immediately and have them alert our colleagues nationwide to prepare for the Fallen Ones losing control.
"Effective immediately, all vacations are canceled. Everyone must keep their devices on 24/7 and remain on standby."
The Captains nodded heavily again.
Fu Qingyang's expression darkened. "I must criticize all of you for this incident. Your negligence, complacency, and lack of vigilance have been unacceptable."
Then, his face softened.
"In the Ou Xiangrong incident, Primordial Heavenly Venerable played a crucial role. From killing Ou Xiangrong to inquiring the soul and uncovering the Eerie Eye Judge's demise, he handled everything. A group of experienced veterans was outdone by a rookie. As your superior, I find this deeply embarrassing."
Li Dongze and the others wore ashamed expressions.
Huh? What? The newly promoted Nightwalker killed Ou Xiangrong, the Seductive Demon?
Yuan Ting froze, looking left and right before raising his hand. "Centurion Fu, are you saying Chief Li's Level 1 Nightwalker killed Ou Xiangrong?"
Li Dongze quietly puffed out his chest and lifted his chin.
Big Muscle exclaimed, "That kid has incredible combat talent. His potential is limitless—he might even reach the Saint Stage and become a Deacon-level figure!"
The captains nodded in agreement.
Captain Green Vine explained, "He first discovered Ou Xiangrong's trail and launched a decisive attack. By the time we arrived, the battle was already over. Even though Ou Xiangrong was wounded and likely mentally unstable, killing him still wouldn't have been easy."
This... this is the kind of genius we're talking about? Yuan Ting stared blankly for a few seconds before his heart ached so fiercely he could barely breathe.
Elder Sun, you fool!
Fu Qingyang cut off the discussion with a dismissive tone. "That's enough."
"Meeting adjourned."
Li Dongze and the others rose from their seats and left the room.
Yuan Ting remained behind. After the captains had exited, he suppressed his surging regret and frustration and spoke:
"Centurion Fu, I need your help with something."
Fu Qingyang looked at him.
Yuan Ting explained, "When the Sect Lord summoned us to the capital this time, he revealed a classified piece of information: the Demon Lord is dead."
Fu Qingyang froze. Then, his sculpted, handsome face filled with shock—a reaction even the death of the Eerie Eye Judge hadn't elicited.
The Demon Lord—a name that struck terror into the hearts of all Official Spirit Realm Walkers. A fallen Nightwalker, he was known for his twisted, brutal nature and insatiable bloodlust. His mastery of assassination and concealment had claimed the lives of countless Spirit Realm Walkers.
At the Demon Lord's peak, even the elders of the Official Organization lived in constant fear, maintaining a low profile and daring not to reveal their identities in the real world.
The Demon Lord was equally despised by evil organizations, as he slaughtered indiscriminately, treating both righteous and wicked factions as equal targets.
It wasn't until early last year, when he encountered the Female Marshal of the White Tiger Corps in a high-level adversarial Spirit Realm, that the peerless woman severely wounded him, forcing him into hiding.
"And then?" Fu Qingyang's expression turned cold again.
"The Sect Lord gave us a mission to find the Successor of the Demon Lord," Yuan Ting said. "Starting two months ago and continuing until the end of the year, all new Nightwalkers are our targets for screening."
Fu Qingyang frowned. "Even if a lucky individual obtains the Demon Sovereign Character Card, they'd have no actual connection to the demon lord. Why would your Sect Lord want to find them? Don't tell me it's out of some misplaced sense of talent appreciation."
When a Spirit Realm Walker dies, the Spirit Realm clears all the character's "data" and then seeks a new Master for the Character Card.
When high-level Spirit Realm Walkers perish, the Character Card's formatting process leaves behind remnants—perhaps a special perk or a unique privilege.
Such Character Cards are inherently superior to ordinary ones.
But Fu Qingyang doubted this minor advantage would warrant such a grand operation by the Taiyi Sect Lord. After all, even the demon lord himself was of a lower rank than the strongest Nightwalker of this era.
Yuan Ting shook his head. "How would I know? I'm just following orders. Only four rookies in Songhai have advanced to Nightwalker this year. One died in the Spirit Realm, and two joined the Taiyi Sect and were sent to the training camp. The last one is under Li Dongze's command. I want to question him."
Fu Qingyang stared intently at Yuan Ting, his deep brown eyes sharp and penetrating.
Yuan Ting met his gaze, forcing himself to maintain eye contact.
"Fine, but no matter the outcome, you must report to me first. You are not to take it to Capital City without my permission."
At his desk, Zhang Yuanqing opened his computer and pondered for a long time before calling out, "Sister Guan Ya, how should I write this report?"
Guan Ya, who was engrossed in watching a drama, replied dismissively, "Didn't I send you the template? Just follow that."
"It's not the format, it's the content," Zhang Yuanqing said, his brow furrowed in frustration.
He needed to write a report on killing Ou Xiangrong, but he was struggling to explain the events without mentioning the Red Dancing Shoes. After all, this wasn't something he could gloss over in a few sentences.
"Ugh, you're so annoying," Guan Ya said, swiveling her office chair around to face him. "What do you want to write?"
Zhang Yuanqing paused, considering his words. "I want to reasonably emphasize how I used my overwhelming charisma to intimidate Ou Xiangrong, then, with my exceptional skills and sharp intellect, I battled the Seductive Demon for three hundred rounds before finally slaying this fiend who nearly plunged Songhai into a bloodbath."
The half-human, half-demon beauty rolled her eyes.
"Instead of rationally highlighting these nonexistent feats, why not irrationally lower Ou Xiangrong's intelligence? You showed remarkable quick thinking in the garage—why are you acting foolish now?"
Ah, right. Ou Xiangrong's mental state was already unstable, and he had suffered severe injuries. The extent of his condition was unknown to outsiders, allowing Zhang Yuanqing to freely embellish the details. After all, Ou Xiangrong couldn't rise from his coffin to defend himself. Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up:
"I understand now. Thank you, Sister Guan Ya."
He immediately began typing, describing Ou Xiangrong's madness and irrationality. He had also decided how to handle the Blade of Bloodlust.
The Demon Subduing Pestle was primarily designed for purification and demon suppression, not close-quarters combat. The Blade of Bloodlust perfectly compensated for this weakness.
Its inherent bleeding and armor-piercing effects were an ideal match for the Nightwalker's assassin-like attributes.
The only concern was blood deficiency.
Once Zhang Yuanqing gained more experience and improved his abilities, the Nightwalker's formidable vitality and self-healing capabilities should be able to sustain both items simultaneously—the pestle crushing demons and the blade slaying madmen. The thought was quite appealing.
After completing his report and sending it to Li Dongze's email, Zhang Yuanqing asked:
"When will the rewards for clearing the She Ling Tunnel and this mission be distributed?"
"Your Merit Points and the funds need approval from the Elders' Council," Guan Ya replied with a smile. "They'll likely be included with next month's salary. What's the rush? Eager to treat your sister to a meal? Hmm, I want abalone, sea cucumber, Peking duck, imported ham, and premium steak."
No, that's too expensive. I can only afford Jianbing Guozi with sausage and two eggs, Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.
He glanced at the time—it was already 2:30 PM—and decided to head home.
"Where did Chief Li and the other Captains go?" Zhang Yuanqing asked before leaving.
After learning about Ou Xiangrong's memories, Li Dongze had unceremoniously rushed the Captains away without a word of explanation.
"To a meeting," Guan Ya replied, leaning back in her chair, cradling her phone, and accentuating her impressive figure. She chuckled, "The Kangyang District Spirit Realm Walkers' large-scale and mid-level meetings are usually held at Centurion Fu's place. Once you've been with the organization for over six months and gained some seniority, you can join the fun there too."
"What's fun about meetings? I hate them," Zhang Yuanqing said, uninterested.
Guan Ya winked, a knowing smile spreading across her face. "There are plenty of beautiful bunny girls there."
Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up with longing. "I can't wait to participate in the organization's meetings and contribute to its development!"