Chapter 167: Thrilling

Chapter 167: Thrilling

Why is he here?

Holy shit, why did he show up at Songhai University?

Zhang Yuanqing’s heart inevitably raced, adrenaline surging wildly, as if he were walking deep in a mountain forest and stumbled upon a white-browed, golden-eyed tiger.

He froze in place, his mind spinning frantically.

—Coincidence? Demon Eye appearing at Songhai University—was it a coincidence?

If not, then he must have come for me. My age is right here—a Songhai native in my early twenties, high probability of attending university. I killed Ou Xiangrong at Songhai University back then.

Though that incident wasn’t widely publicized, quite a few official Walkers in the Songhai branch knew about it. Given Demon Eye Heavenly King’s status and ability, it wouldn’t be hard for him to dig up that intel.

I remember Demon Eye Heavenly King has the ability to “identify” Spirit Realm Walkers; that’s how he found Kou Beiyue.

Demon Eye Heavenly King might have already searched Songhai University many times without my knowledge. Luckily, I haven’t been coming to school much these past few days, inadvertently dodging a bullet…

Thinking this, cold sweat almost broke out on Zhang Yuanqing’s forehead.

“Calm down, calm down. Demon Eye doesn’t know me. Fu Qingyang analyzed that his method of identifying Spirit Realm Walkers is a skill that requires active use, not a passive ability always active… Pretend to be a passerby and brush past him, then slip out through the back gate. I can’t come to school anymore…”

Zhang Yuanqing took a breath. While Demon Eye was earnestly sweeping the floor, he pulled a mask from his pocket and put it on. Maintaining a relaxed and casual stride, he pulled out his phone and sent a mass message to Fu Qingyang, Guan Ya, and Li Dongze:

“Help!! Demon Eye Heavenly King is at the Songhai University gate!!”

His eyes were calm, his fingers typing as steady as an old dog—all the raging storms hidden deep inside.

After sending the message, Zhang Yuanqing calmly put his phone away, kept his gaze straight ahead, unchanged in his path, and walked toward Demon Eye Heavenly King with the sports headband.

One step, two steps, three steps…

Finally, he brushed past Demon Eye Heavenly King. The latter bent over, earnestly sweeping the floor, indifferent to the students coming and going, paying them no attention.

Zhang Yuanqing fought to steady his breathing, not showing any micro-reactions like “sigh of relief” or “weight off his shoulders.”

Only after crossing the square at the school gate and turning into a secluded path leading to the teaching buildings did he finally let out a relieved sigh.

Phew… So terrifying, so terrifying. As long as Demon Eye Heavenly King remains, I can’t rest easy. That guy says he needs evidence to kill—I believe he’s already had me investigated and knows I’m a law-abiding citizen. But he still came to Songhai University to scout the area, which means he doesn’t intend to let me go.

An evil profession is an evil profession—they have flexible moral standards. All that talk about killing with evidence is just bullshit…

Cursing inwardly, Zhang Yuanqing walked quickly, planning to leave through the back gate of the school.

Just then, a light voice came from behind him, carrying a sunny smile:

“Do you know me?”

…Zhang Yuanqing’s steps halted, his body suddenly stiff. Then, his neck turned like a rusty gear, inch by inch, slowly.

On both sides of the path, trees cast dappled sunlight through their leaves.

In the scattered, swaying patches of light, the young man with a sports headband around his forehead leaned on his broom, smiling as he sized him up.

“You… you’re talking to me?”

Zhang Yuanqing’s emotions exploded inside, but the more panicked he felt, the more expressionless he became—utterly calm.

Demon Eye Heavenly King leaned on his broom, clicked his tongue, and said:

“Your odd behavior at the school gate was too obvious. Of course, that’s not your fault. For us Ancient War Gods, any slightest stir on the battlefield is glaringly clear.

“There were too many people at the gate, so it wasn’t convenient to act directly. I followed you all the way.

“Tsk, how would a Songhai University student know me? And what a coincidence—I’ve been looking for someone named Yuanshi Tianzun lately, and he’s also a Songhai University student. It couldn’t be you, could it?”

Without a second thought, Zhang Yuanqing instinctively prepared to use Night Walk and make a run for it.

But at that moment, Demon Eye Heavenly King pulled off the sports headband from his forehead. “First, let me confirm if you’re a Spirit Realm Walker.”

As the headband slid off, a vertical eye was exposed—its socket crimson, its iris pale gold. This eye was cold and merciless, filled with evil and chaos, rolling with a “gurgling” motion.

“Boom!”

The moment he saw that vertical eye, Zhang Yuanqing’s mind exploded, shattering into countless chaotic fragments. There was no pain, no fear—only a return to the most primal stillness.

But in reality, his face twisted into a ferocious grimace, blood and tears streaming from his eye sockets. The Taiyin force within him ran wild, destroying his body’s vitality, turning his shell toward a corpse.

“Roar!”

Suddenly, a clear and stirring dragon’s roar echoed through Zhang Yuanqing’s sea of consciousness.

That dragon roar seemed to have the power to cleanse the soul, pulling him back from the abyss of collapse. His thoughts reassembled, his mind suddenly clear.

He regained consciousness and once again saw Demon Eye Heavenly King a few meters away, saw that terrifying vertical eye.

It was still chilling, still horrifying, but it no longer seemed as dreadful.

What was that dragon roar just now… Zhang Yuanqing was both bewildered and overjoyed. Without time to wonder, he quickly performed Night Walk, turned invisible, and bolted away.

“Interesting!”

Demon Eye Heavenly King didn’t give chase; instead, he curled his lips. “A little Songhai University actually hides a Rain Master.”

“Woo—”

A mournful wind howled. The sky, unbeknownst to all, had been covered with a layer of dark clouds, like a black curtain drawn over the world, plunging everything into gloom.

A gale swept over the area. The greenery around Demon Eye Heavenly King bent all to one side, tree trunks curving into semicircles as if about to snap at any moment.

Students far and near were thrown into chaos—lightweight girls even lifted off the ground by the wind, screams filling the air.

Glass from nearby buildings shattered piece by piece.

In this apocalyptic storm, blood and tears flowed from the vertical eye on Demon Eye Heavenly King’s forehead as it fully awakened. Starting from the eye socket, twisted black lines spread like tattoos, rapidly crawling across his body.

“Hey, hey, hey…” Demon Eye Heavenly King leaned on his broom. “Fighting is one thing, but if you involve innocents, I’ll get angry.”

He split his mouth into a manic grin.

…

“Huff, huff, huff…”

Dragging his severely injured body, Zhang Yuanqing burst with a speed he had never reached in his life, racing out of Songhai University and continuing in the direction of the Fu family compound.

His speed surpassed that of a speeding car, drawing astonished stares from passersby. Some shouted as they pulled out their phones to record, but by the time the phone was out, he was already gone.

Over ten minutes later, having run who knew how far, Zhang Yuanqing stopped in a secluded park.

He collapsed onto the grassy lawn, his chest heaving violently, gulping oxygen in rapid, urgent breaths.

After two or three minutes, his breathing steadied somewhat. Zhang Yuanqing finally mustered a shred of energy to assess his own condition.

The greatest damage was to his soul—it felt as if it had been shattered and then reassembled. The main feedback to his body was a headache, a splitting pain at his temples like a crack in his skull.

A headache no less severe than the recurrence of an old ailment.

Then there was damage to his internal organs, his body temperature extremely low—the result of the Taiyin force running wild and out of control.

“Just one look nearly killed me. This is a Dominator-level Seductive Demon… And that was with him not intending to kill me; otherwise, I wouldn’t even have had the chance to resist—I’d have been turned to ashes…”

After the shock, he recalled the dragon roar that had saved him.

“Who helped me? Being able to interrupt Demon Eye Heavenly King’s spell—definitely a Dominator. I remember Guan Ya or Fu Qingyang said there was an elder at Songhai University.

“The gale and the dragon roar—I don’t know which profession that elder belongs to, but definitely not a Fire Master.”

At that moment, a sharp ringing came from his trouser pocket.

Sooner or later, I'll change this damn ringtone… Zhang Yuanqing's heart instinctively skipped a beat as he took out his phone. The caller ID showed:

Fu Qingyang!

He quickly answered, and the speaker emitted the voice of the young master Fu, sounding somewhat relieved:

"It seems the elder of Water God Palace arrived just in time."

What does that mean… Zhang Yuanqing's heart stirred: "Did the centurion notify him?"

Fu Qingyang grunted in affirmation, then shifted the topic without any hint of self-importance, "Were you exposed?"

"Yes…" Zhang Yuanqing replied wearily.

When he used Night Wander to escape the scene, Magic Eye King had definitely seen him. A Songhai University student, a Night Wanderer—any fool could connect the dots.

Fu Qingyang pondered for a moment, "Your student records were destroyed and classified when you joined the Five Elements Alliance. It would be very difficult for Magic Eye to track down your home address through that channel. You haven't disclosed your address to any classmates, have you?"

Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment and shook his head: "No."

Even if Magic Eye King knows I'm a student at Songhai University, he doesn't know I'm Zhang Yuanqing. And there's no information about Zhang Yuanqing in the school archives.

As long as I don't go to school for now, it'll be hard for Magic Eye to find me quickly. But that's not a long-term solution. Damn it, this guy is so annoying.

Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of irritation.

It was Li Xianzong who tried to kill him first, and killing Li Xianzong was a matter of skill. Magic Eye, using his strength to bully the weak, had no shame.

No, the blame really falls on the Mistress of Life-Seizing Palace.

Magic Eye came to Songhai to kill her; I was just collateral. If it weren't for that woman attracting trouble, Magic Eye King wouldn't have traveled all the way to Songhai for a nobody like me.

That wretched woman…

Fu Qingyang said:

"Magic Eye has got a hold on you. Given his style, I estimate he'll find your home within a week. I'll urge the elders to wrap up the net and deal with him as soon as possible."

He'll find my home in a week… A chill ran down Zhang Yuanqing's spine. "What if the elders don't manage to deal with him?"

What if it's the elders who end up being dealt with?

Fu Qingyang mused, "Then you'll be in danger. My plan is to find a way to mask your aura so Magic Eye can't track you. If you were a Saint-tier Night Wanderer, you might manage it, but now you'll have to rely on an item. However, such items are rare, and the Songhai branch has none in stock. I'll request a similar item from headquarters for borrowing, if they have one."

Magic Eye King's blanket search will eventually find Primordial. If they can block Magic Eye's methods, perhaps they can avoid disaster.

The application process is tedious; just waiting for a reply will take several days. What if the item arrives after Magic Eye has already found my home? And what if headquarters doesn't have one… Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help complaining.

"Thank you, Centurion."

After thanking him, they ended the call. Zhang Yuanqing then sent messages to Guan Ya and Li Dongze to let them know he was safe.

He looked around, saw no one nearby, and quietly took out the Vajra Pestle, gently pricking it into his thigh.

A dazzling golden light burst forth, purifying his body like an antivirus.

Two faint golden glints flashed briefly in Zhang Yuanqing's eyes. Under the purifying power, his mind became exceptionally clear, and suddenly he thought of someone.

Bill Tarantino.

This Void Walker from abroad was in Songhai for trade and probably had a large stock of items.

Ling Jun had said that the Merchant Guild's inventory was the richest among all major Spirit Realm Walker organizations worldwide.

He could ask Fu Qingyang to step in and purchase an item that could mask aura. But then, in the ensuing negotiations, the Centurion would be at a disadvantage…

And if the branch made the purchase, the item would belong to the organization; he could only borrow it at best.

An item that could mask aura was well worth acquiring. If he bought it, he'd never regret it. When he no longer needed it, he could sell it to the Songhai branch. Better to go see Mr. Bill himself.

Though this would let Mr. Bill know he was a Spirit Realm Walker.

But Zhang Yuanqing felt that Mr. Bill had probably already guessed as much. After all, an injury that required the little blue pill to treat was most likely related to Spirit Realm Walkers.

Void and Eros are both Order professions. Given Mr. Bill's globe-trotting philosophy and his connections and status, he must have a wide circle of friends. To him, I'm just one of many friends.

So having him know my identity as a Spirit Realm Walker shouldn't be a big problem. But I can't reveal my Spirit Realm ID, considering the extraordinary status and fame of Yuanshi Tianzun in Songhai.

As soon as he thought of it, he acted. Zhang Yuanqing dialed Bill Tarantino's number.

"Beep, beep—"

After a few rings, Annie's gentle voice came through:

"Hello, who's calling?"

She spoke in a foreign language.

Who's calling? Didn't she save my number? You two foreigners don't value this Great Deity at all… Zhang Yuanqing replied in the same foreign language:

"Ms. Annie, it's me, Chen Shu's son."

There was a silence of about two or three seconds. Then Annie finally remembered who he was, her tone turning warm: "May I ask what this is about?"

"I'd like to purchase some things from Mr. Bill."

"Have you made up your mind to spend ten million to acquire the information on the pill users?" Annie asked excitedly.

You're dreaming! Zhang Yuanqing neither denied nor confirmed, saying solemnly: "I want to meet Mr. Bill, now. Is that convenient?"

"Of course!" Annie agreed readily, "Do you need me to send a car to pick you up?"

"No need."