Chapter 169: Prophecy of the Light Compass

Chapter 169: The Prophecy of the Light Compass

Twilight.

Zhang Yuanqing dragged his weary body home by taxi.

After leaving the International Building, he turned toward the Fu Family Bay villa, handing the cash to Fu Qingyang and having the rich young master transfer it into Yuanshi Tianzun's account.

Then he confessed his deal with Mr. Bill, and after that, called Guan Ya, inviting her to Fu Family Bay to spar in body arts.

Every time he faced a crisis, every time he took a beating, Zhang Yuanqing would always burst forth with a spirit of tenacious perseverance.

Fu Qingyang's observation of him could be described as meticulous in the extreme.

At the dining table, Zhang Yuanqing chewed on the cloyingly sweet, slightly sour sweet and sour pork, and asked:

"Grandma, is Cousin working overtime again?"

Grandma picked up some spring bamboo shoots and said blandly, "Your aunt took him out for social engagements."

"Yo, how strange, Sister-in-law taking my big nephew out for social engagements?" Aunt exclaimed in an exaggerated tone.

A delicate sister-in-law taking a steady, mature nephew out for social engagements—it sounded just like an unreliable big brother dragging his nephew out to start a business.

Grandma wore the expression of one gossiping; clearly at home, she unconsciously lowered her voice:

"In a few days, the officialdom of Songhai is going to be shaken by an earthquake."

Finishing, she saw her daughter and grandson simultaneously don expressions of not understanding but feeling it's impressive, and felt a surge of satisfaction, continuing:

"I hear many in the public security system will suffer; many positions will open up then. Yuanjun, you know, these years he's worked diligently and made quite a few merits, but officials in Songhai are hard to promote. No matter the merits, seniority is key, so he's been stuck as a deputy captain for years.

"Right now opportunity knocks, doesn't it? Your aunt wants to pull some strings, see if she can bump Yuanjun's position up. Oh right, the contact was introduced by your grandfather."

Introduced by Grandfather... Zhang Yuanqing looked at Grandfather.

Grandfather worked in the public security system all his life; his connections were still vast. Only, the old man prided himself on integrity, never forming cliques for private gain. He knew many, but had no deep dealings with them.

How had he changed his nature now?

Facing the gazes cast by his grandson and daughter, the upright and stern grandfather coughed once, "Just asking if there's an opportunity, that's all."

Jiang Yuer "oh"-ed: "How much money did Sister-in-law prepare?"

Grandfather coughed forcefully twice: "Just asking if there's an opportunity."

Zhang Yuanqing "oh"-ed: "Is five hundred thousand enough?"

Grandfather's expression cracked, and he roared: "Eat!"

Zhang Yuanqing and Jiang Yuer ate obediently; mockery must know its limits. The old man wasn't like the old woman; the old woman's anger was bluster, not real beating.

When the old man got angry, a big slap came flying without warning.

Over in Kangyang District, the Bureau Chief was pushed off the building by the Magic Eye, leaving a vacancy, but Cousin couldn't jump two ranks in a row; his hope lay in Shakou District. But the problem was, right now was when the wind was tightest; pulling strings now, even with gifts, no one would dare accept...

Cousin's performance was enough for a promotion to Captain, but Songhai was famous for relying on connections and seniority; promotion was hard. Without outside help, it was a bit difficult... I'll ask Guan Ya later, see if she has connections.

I destroyed the Copper Sparrow Tower, achieved a great merit; the Branch hasn't cashed in on this merit for me yet, just the chance to make a demand.

Although the Five Elements Alliance does not meddle in the System’s internal affairs, rules are rules, and rules cannot stem the tide of human sentiment.

After finishing his meal, Zhang Yuanqing washed up and returned to his room, lying down and silently donning the "Silencer" mask.

From now on, aside from eating and combat, the mask must not come off.

The instant he put it on, an indescribable weariness surged through him; his essence, energy, and spirit all "degenerated" into those of an ordinary man. His spiritual body, constitution, and skills were all sealed away.

*Hiss.* A supernatural-grade artifact possesses such power. Foreign Evil classes are rather terrifying. I wonder what the class name is... Zhang Yuanqing clicked his tongue inwardly.

However, according to the Spirit Realm's settings, foreign Evil classes are likely stronger than Order classes as well.

One just wonders if there exists a pinnacle class akin to the Night Wanderer among the Order classes.

"The Spirit Realm has three major Zones. Logically, each Zone should have Evil classes. If there are three per Zone, that makes nine Evil classes in total. Order classes would be even more numerous. I’d really love to see the foreign server classes for myself."

As Zhang Yuanqing let his thoughts wander, a Spirit Realm notification chimed in his ear:

[Ding! Fu Qingyang invites you to join the White Tiger Guards.]

Simultaneously, a fluorescent blue dialogue box popped into his vision—Confirm or Decline.

Huh, the Centurion’s meeting is over? The White Tiger Guards agreed to let me join?

Zhang Yuanqing clicked "Confirm."

[Ding, you have joined the White Tiger Guards. Please read the gang rules carefully. Faction benefits can be viewed in the Warehouse tab.]

Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly opened his character attributes, found "White Tiger Guards" under the [Faction] column, and clicked it. The White Tiger Guards' introduction and rules appeared.

The White Tiger Guards' rules were simple: no indiscriminate killing, no bullying the weak, no consorting with Evil classes, no violation of public order and morals, no betraying faction brothers; uphold Order and duty, remain loyal to the Leader's commands.

As for benefits, aside from an additional salary benchmarked against a Five Elements Alliance position, and a house worth twenty million yuan allocated in a first- or second-tier city, there was also a firm dedicated solely to serving the White Tiger Guards.

Next, Zhang Yuanqing opened the faction warehouse...

A "Holy shit" slipped right out.

The faction warehouse had forty slots, crammed full of artifacts and materials, encompassing all seven major Order classes, three major Evil classes, and even foreign class artifacts he didn't recognize.

Just the contents of this warehouse alone were worth at least several billion.

Zhang Yuanqing silently opened the "Return of the Dead" warehouse, glanced at the Scarecrow and the Endurance Spray, and wept silently in his heart.

Fu Qingyang had shown him the disparity of the world.

*Ding-dong!*

His phone rang, signaling an incoming message.

Zhang Yuanqing closed the faction warehouse and picked up his phone to check.

[Fu Qingyang invites you to join the group chat]

The newly added group was named "White Tiger Guards," with sixteen members.

Spirit Attendant: "The newbie's here. Newbie, send a red packet, quick."

Sweeping the World: "The newbie's here. Send a red packet, quick. Best include a cross-dressing photo."

Qi Qilang: "Send the red packets, then I'm off to bed."

Has this perverse custom of sending red packets upon joining a group already infested the whole world? Even Spirit Realm Walkers play this game? Zhang Yuanqing's mouth twitched, and with great reluctance, he sent a one-hundred-yuan red packet.

Yuanshi Tianzun: "Big brothers all, the gift is light, the sentiment heavy."

The red packet was claimed in its entirety within three seconds.

Ling Jun: "Ten bucks, not bad, thanks boss, @Yuanshi Tianzun, the White Tigers in this group are all Sages, suck up good and proper, find them if you've got trouble later."

Ah? Everyone's a Sage?! Zhang Yuanqing was startled.

Though he knew Fu Qingyang's White Tiger Guard would hardly be low quality, an entire squad of Sages was beyond his expectations.

Fu Qingyang: "Perhaps before long, it'll be you lot sucking up to him."

Qi Qilang: "Boss, that's crossing a line. Yuanshi Tianzun's talent may be formidable, but we're no pushovers either."

Xiao Nafu: "Say, Yuanshi Tianzun is a Level 3 Night Wanderer, right? Boss figures you'll ascend to Sage in the mid-year Carnage Instance, hence the exceptional invitation. But if memory serves, you advanced to Level 3 in Yin-Yang Town."

Qi Qilang: "Is that so? Then for Yuanshi Tianzun to crack the top ten in the Carnage Instance will be difficult. Usually, those ranking in the top ten of the mid-year and year-end Carnage Instances are geniuses with experience bars exceeding ninety percent."

Same Level 3, the gap between one percent experience and ninety-nine percent is vast.

Yuanshi Tianzun: "With luck, I should enter a Solo Spirit Realm once more before the mid-year major Carnage Instance. By the way, any experience with the Arena Tournament? Are the organization's reward items powerful?"

Xiao Nafu: "Naturally powerful. Among the best for the corresponding stage, I'd wager. But taking first is brutally hard. If the Taichi Gate participates this year, harder still."

Ling Jun: "In unrestricted combat, I'd say Yuanshi Tianzun is absolutely among the strongest in the official Transcendent stage. But the Arena may impose restrictions. Yuanshi's martial arts still need work."

Zhang Yuanqing chatted idly with them, gradually forming a preliminary impression of his several gang brothers.

Qi Qilang's personality was flighty, lively, skilled at banter—the troublemaker type.

Xiao Nafu leaned steady, spoke with measured gravity, giving a reliable feel.

Hengsao Tianxia seemed to have an unfortunate household; in just ten-odd minutes he'd complained several times about his wife PUA-ing him, disrespecting him.

But everyone tacitly ignored him.

As for the others, they didn't surface to chat—whether because a Transcendent-stage rookie wasn't worth their enthusiastic welcome, or purely from lack of group-chat habit, was unknown.

Before long, no one spoke in the group.

A not-very-active group; the White Tiger Guard fellows weren't easy to get along with... Zhang Yuanqing silently exited the chat software.

...

A magnificent private room, decorated in dark gold and rose pink, combining for a high-end luxurious effect.

On the dining table, a retro-exquisite silver candelabra sat at the center, six white candles emitting a soft glow.

The dinner was sumptuous: prime steak, caviar, foie gras terrine, ham slices, pan-seared scallops, lobster baked in cream, seafood bisque...

Bill Talentino sat restrained at the table's edge, slicing the steak on the silver platter.

Opposite him sat a man in a dark blue casual suit, wearing a silver mask.

The mask covered to the nose, thus not hindering the man from eating heartily.

"I only came for the feast," the man said, scooping up a spoonful of caviar and speaking as he ate, "but don't even mention the business of me going West with you."

"You know I'm from the Mainland, right? My family, my friends—they're all here. Why on earth would I go West to be some chairman, just because I'm the Walker with the highest Void profession level?"

Bill Talentino set down his knife and fork, his tone sincere:

"We can arrange immigration for your family. Why not seek your fortunes in a better environment? The West has a vaster sky; a heaven-born genius like you should spread your wings and soar there."

He glanced over the table, smiling:

"A dinner like this is mere daily fare to me. But you are an existence a hundred times nobler than I. You are destined to hold the reins of that vast commercial empire, to become the leader of all 'Merchants'."

"Not interested!" the man said.

Bill Talentino's bellyful of words lodged instantly in his throat; in the end, he could only let out a soft sigh.

In the hundred-odd years since the Spirit Realm opened, the Merchant profession had produced talent in droves, all yearning to scale that unique throne—yet so many geniuses and forebears had perished on the ascent.

In the end, the summit was seized by a fellow from a foreign land—ah, no, that word 'seized' is derogatory in Chinese; it should be 'won the laurels'.

The Merchant Guild was ecstatic at first; the profession had finally birthed an existence capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the supremes of the world's major Spirit Realm organizations.

But unexpectedly, this new Chairman was so stubborn—he not only spurned the olive branch the Guild extended, but threatened them not to disturb his dull, tasteless life.

Over these years, through the Guild's tireless efforts, the world's strongest Merchant had finally shown a softening in his stance.

The Guild planned to strike while the iron was hot and welcome the Chairman back.

Hence Bill Talentino's visit to the Mainland this time.

The man wolfed down the foie gras terrine and caviar, then leaned back satisfied in the high-backed chair with a contented sigh, and said:

"Wanting me to join the Guild and be your Chairman isn't impossible, but..."

Bill Talentino perked up: "But what?"

"Wait!" the man said.

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for the Demon Lord!" the man said slowly.

The Demon Lord... Bill froze for a moment; a few seconds later, he finally recalled the relevant intel on this figure, and said:

"I heard from Annie that the Demon Lord is dead—this was told to her by the Chairwoman of the Goddess of Beauty Association. Could the intelligence be wrong?"

As a Walker from across the ocean, he didn't know much about the Demon Lord, yet he knew a little, because the Merchant Guild and the Goddess of Beauty Association were close, and that Demon Lord seemed to be the Association Chairwoman's most favored lover.

After Annie became his female assistant, she had privately lamented several times that after the Demon Lord's death, the Chairwoman's temperament had changed drastically, often punishing Association members for no reason.

The rage had burned for months without abating.

"No, the Demon Lord is dead, body and soul annihilated. I witnessed it myself." The man lifted his stemware, sipping the tart wine, and said:

"The one I wait for is a new Demon Lord. Bill, do you know the prophecy of the Luminous Compass?"

Bill Talentino frowned and shook his head.

"Right. The number of people in the world who know this prophecy doesn't exceed ten, and they are all Supremes." The man set down his glass, drew a deep breath, and spoke word by word:

“When the sun, moon, and stars return to their stations, the gods slumbering in Chaos shall awaken. The King enthroned on high shall lead the pantheon to reignite the war, and the world shall enter a new cycle.”

Bill Talentino fell into deep thought.

A long while passed before he asked, a hint of hesitation in his voice, “The gods slumbering in Chaos… are you referring to that unopened Major Zone?”

It was common knowledge that the Spirit Realm possessed three Major Zones, yet Walkers of one Zone had never manifested. For now, this world held only two Major Zones. The major organizations knew of the third only because, within Spirit Realm instances, they had unearthed items belonging to no profession of the existing two zones.

Take that Perfect Human Skin, for instance—its functions found no match in any profession of the current era.

There were many such items.

“Precisely. The day the sun, moon, and stars align is the day that Zone reboots. Then, the Spirit Realm shall reveal its primordial face.”

“What does this have to do with the Demon Lord?”

“Nothing to do with the Demon Lord, but everything to do with the Night Wanderer. And the Demon Lord… he has already touched the Night Wanderer’s source. He left that secret inside a Character Card.”

“I understand…”

…

Late at night, Zhang Yuanqing was roused by a sharp, crackling static.

He squinted, body moving on instinct to throw off the duvet, slip on his slippers, and settle at the desk. He yanked open the drawer, retrieving the Cat King speaker…

The next second, a woman’s passionate moans and the brutal slap of flesh echoed through the room.

Holy shit!!

Zhang Yuanqing’s drowsiness vanished in an instant; a jolt ran through him. He ripped off the “Silencer” mask with practiced ease, clutched the Cat King speaker, and entered the Night Wander.