Chapter 171: Crisis Arrives

Chapter 171: Crisis Approaches

But this time, Zhang Yuanqing believed he could evade the scanning of the Demon Eye King.

With the Silencer mask sealing his power, he was no different from an ordinary person. Judging by the unsettling feeling in his heart, the Demon Eye should be far away... At such a distance, with the vertical eye covering such a wide range, he didn't believe the Demon Eye could clearly perceive everyone's mental state...

As everyone knew, the larger the area a skill covered, the harder it was to execute precise manipulation.

Time ticked by, second by second. After about five minutes, the spine-chilling gaze vanished.

Gone? Had its attention shifted elsewhere?

Zhang Yuanqing still dared not relax. He stood by the window, staring intently into the silent night.

He now feared two things most: one was a knock at the living room door, the Demon Eye King in his sporty headband paying a visit—that would be even more terrifying than an unseen wraith knocking.

The other was the Demon Eye King's face suddenly thrust outside the window, saying with a grin: "Finally found you, Yuanshi Tianzun!"

That would truly make one's heart stop.

Half an hour later, all was calm. The thing Zhang Yuanqing had feared did not happen. Only then did he heave a sigh of relief, close the window, draw the curtains, drag his weary body back to bed, and fall into a deep sleep.

……

Several hundred meters away, atop a residential building, the vertical eye on the Demon Eye King's forehead emitted a scarlet light, sweeping from building to building.

After a long while, he retracted his "gaze," wrapped his sporty headband, sat on the edge of the rooftop, and let the sultry wind blow over him.

"Not in this area..."

"We scared them away yesterday. Yuanshi Tianzun wouldn't flee Songhai, would he? Sigh, it's not easy to come to the south. Between Yuanshi Tianzun and the Stop Killing Palace Master, I need to accomplish at least one thing."

"I'll go check things out at Songhai University tomorrow."

The Demon Eye King leaned back, fell spread-eagled on the balcony, and snored loudly.

……

The next morning, Zhang Yuanqing, now with the constitution of an ordinary person, was awakened by the ding-dong of message notifications.

Forgot to mute the "White Tiger Guard" group chat... He cursed inwardly as he picked up his phone and checked the messages.

Youfeng Laiyi: "Chief, I've uploaded the files on Bill Tarantino and Annie to the group files. I've also clarified the purpose of their visit to the mainland. Do you need a private chat?"

Youfeng Laiyi's avatar was a very cute Scottish Fold cat. Zhang Yuanqing tapped to open the profile and saw, oh, it was a woman.

Fu Qingyang: "Just say it directly."

Youfeng Laiyi: "Bill's purpose in coming to the mainland is twofold: first, to trade with our Five Elements Alliance; second, to escort the chairman of the Merchant Guild back to the Western Continent. As for why the chairman of the Merchant Guild is on our side, I haven't found out yet."

Youfeng Laiyi: "Annie is a member of the Beauty God Association. The Beauty God Association and the Merchant Guild are allied, similar to the five major factions of the Five Elements Alliance. Annie is Bill Tarantino's assistant. Her goal in coming to the mainland is to uncover the truth about the Demon Lord's fall."

Youfeng Laiyi: "Chief, this intelligence-gathering cost 500,000 dollars. Please reimburse."

Upon reading this, Zhang Yuanqing's mind cleared significantly. His first reaction was: can such classified information be casually discussed in the group?

Then he realized that the White Tiger Guard might really be Fu Qingyang's confidants—the kind who could gather and discuss rebellion. That's why Fu Qingyang felt comfortable discussing important matters in the group.

No wonder the centurion said that inviting me to join the White Tiger Guard required a group meeting and discussion...

It took so long to bring me into the faction. Does it mean that everyone was initially against it? It wasn't until the Bronze Sparrow Tower case was closed that Fu Qingyang suddenly added me to the faction.

Was it because of that incident that the White Tiger Guard's perception of me changed, and they accepted me?

Zhang Yuanqing, lost in these thoughts, continued watching the messages.

Little Tiger: "The chairman of the Merchant Guild, have you heard of this person? If he's active on the mainland, he shouldn't be unknown. Also, why is he on our side?"

Youfeng Laiyi: "I don't know. The people from the Merchant Guild are very secretive about it, refusing to reveal anything no matter what. Even offering more money didn't work."

Fu Qingyang: "Strictly speaking, he is not the chairman of the Merchant Guild. He is the strongest in the Void profession. The Merchant Guild forcibly gave him the position of chairman and enshrined him as their king. Also, he is one of us."

Qici Lang: "Boss, boss, is there some gossip about this person? Tell us."

Fu Qingyang: "Nothing much to say. This person is mysterious and low-profile. The Five Elements Alliance has no information about him at all."

Chairman? Void profession? In the country?

Having just listened to the Demon Lord's audio, Zhang Yuanqing was particularly sensitive to high-level Void professions. He quickly sent a message asking:

"Centurion, are there many Void professionals in the country? @Fu Qingyang"

Qici Lang: "Yuanshi Tianzun really is a rookie. How could there be Void professionals in the country? Otherwise, what's the point of the Spirit Realm partitions? Even if there are Void professionals in the country, they are foreign Walkers coming over, like Bill Tarantino. But such people are few in number."

Few in number, even fewer at high levels. Could the Void professional the Demon Lord encountered be the chairman of the Merchant Guild? This guy had purposefully cultivated the Demon Lord. His attitude towards the Demon Lord's successor was hard to tell—good or bad—but he would definitely be attentive.

I need to pay attention to this.

Just as Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts were racing, Fu Qingyang sent another message:

"@Youfeng Laiyi, focus on investigating the Beauty God Association. Their relationship with the Demon Lord is unusual. If they just wanted to know the reason for the Demon Lord's fall, an email would suffice. The matter of the Demon Lord and Guiyan Panguan dying together is no secret; the Five Elements Alliance won't hide it."

Youfeng Laiyi: "I'll try, but Chief, you'd better not have too high expectations. The women of the Beauty God Association are very cunning. However, I do have an idea."

Youfeng Laiyi: "Instead of going to great lengths with the Beauty God Association, why not try to seduce Annie? The Demon Lord was a Night Walker. If I tell Annie that Ling Jun is the crown prince of Taiyi Sect, she will definitely take the bait."

Qici Lang: "Hahaha, great idea. @Ling Jun"

Hengsaotianxia: "Envious, @Ling Jun."

Ling Jun: "Get out of here, all of you. Do you think I can touch a woman from the Eros profession? Believe it or not, before I can extract any information, I'll be controlled by the enemy first. Unless you can give me a way to resist 'demand.'"

The mature and steady Little Tiger joined in: "Ling Jun makes sense. Annie is at the Saint realm. For a Spirit Realm Walker of the same level, it's hard to resist her charm and her 'demand.' The only way to get information from her would be to kidnap and beat a confession out of her, but that would blow things up and do more harm than good."

For a moment, no one spoke.

This point was indeed very tricky.

From their understanding of the Eros profession, resisting the temptation of beauty was extremely difficult. Once physical relations occurred, it was absolutely impossible to refuse the other's "demand."

Even the purification ability of the Night Walker profession wouldn't work.

"Demand" was essentially not a negative buff.

"Freeloading off an Eros professional—what's so hard about that?" Zhang Yuanqing typed a message:

"Actually, it's not hard. I have a way for you to freeload off an Eros professional without any worries. @Ling Jun"

Ling Jun: "Don't use the word 'freeload,' it's too vulgar. It's a union of spirit and flesh, a resonance of souls. Hmm, you really have a way? Let's hear it."

Ling Jun actually didn't believe Yuanshi Tianzun could offer any valuable advice.

This kid was talented, sure, but his knowledge base was really lacking, and knowledge came from accumulation.

Yuanshi Tianzun: "I recall there's a profession abroad called 'Knight.' They have the ability to make contracts. Is it possible to use a Knight profession artifact to sign a contract with an Eros professional that forbids demanding compensation?"

Ling Jun: "!!!"

Qici Lang: "!!!"

Hengsaotianxia: "!!!"

Little Tiger: "It seems, perhaps, feasible... How did I not think of that? Yuanshi Tianzun, your angle is stunning."

Youfeng Laiyi: "Truly a stroke of genius. Why didn't we think of that before? Chief, this new little guy you recruited has a good head on his shoulders."

Ling Jun: "Yuanshi, why are you so sharp in this area?"

The keen one isn’t me, it’s the Demon Lord. Not thinking of this is normal—who among decent folks would study how to freeload off Eros professionals? Only the Demon Lord... Zhang Yuanqing muttered inwardly.

Fu Qingyang: "Primordial's suggestion is excellent. I'll find a way to get a Knight class item. @Lingjun"

"Centurion, when you get such an item, you must lend it to me—I also want to discuss ideals with Annie..." Zhang Yuanqing took the opportunity to speak actively, and he grew closer to several White Tiger Guards who often surfaced.

They gradually changed how they addressed him, shortening it to "Heavenly Lord".

When the White Tiger Guard chat group fell silent, Zhang Yuanqing dialed Fu Qingyang's number.

"Centurion, last night I sensed the Demon Eye King's gaze—he found his way to my home. Although the Silencer Mask helped me dodge disaster, it's not a permanent solution."

Zhang Yuanqing wept to his leader about the Demon Eye King's outrageous bullying and relentless pressure.

Fu Qingyang was silent for a full ten-plus seconds, then said slowly:

"I understand. I'll relay your situation to Elder Dog—we really can't delay any longer."

This cat-and-mouse game might be tiring and troublesome for the Demon Eye King, but for the Primordial Heavenly Lord, a single mistake meant mortal danger.

……

Songhai University.

Demon Eye King held a small notebook in his hand, chewed on the pen cap, and asked:

"You're a teacher for freshmen, right? In your memory, has any student been absent for a long time recently?"

Opposite him was a middle-aged man wearing black-framed glasses and a short-sleeved shirt.

The middle-aged teacher's gaze was somewhat dazed, and he replied:

"I don't know. I can't be bothered to take attendance. Even if I did, I've forgotten by now. Who cares about such things?"

"Ah, well..." The Demon Eye King said helplessly, "What an irresponsible teacher."

The middle-aged man replied truthfully:

"No, I think I'm still fairly responsible. At least I lecture properly. Whether they listen or not is the students' own business. Adults must take responsibility for their own choices."

"Students who want to learn will naturally learn something. Forcing underachievers who don't want to learn is useless."

That made sense, in a way... The Demon Eye King thought for a moment, then asked:

"Have you done anything bad? For example, using your authority to force female students into relationships, or abusing your position for improper gains."

A look of struggle appeared on the middle-aged teacher's face:

"My health isn't very good, I'm past that age... I haven't sought improper gains..."

The Demon Eye King nodded slightly:

"Teach well and educate people. You can go."

He dismissed the middle-aged teacher and sought the next target. Over the course of a morning, through tedious screening, the Demon Eye King gathered information on more than thirty students who had recently been skipping classes severely.

Approaching noon, a group of students walked out of the teaching building and passed by the Demon Eye King.

"Wait a moment!"

The Demon Eye King called out to those students.

The young students heard him and looked over. They saw a pair of blood-red pupils, with strange runes inscribed in the irises.

Their expressions instantly froze, and their minds lost the ability to think.

The Demon Eye King smiled. "We're good classmates, good brothers, right?"

"Ah, yes, yes..." The students' faces were blank as they nodded repeatedly.

One by one, they were all bewitched.

The Demon Eye King looked at the young student who was tall and thin, with puffy bags under his eyes, and asked:

"Are you a freshman? What's your name?"

The tall, thin male student replied instinctively:

"My name is Li Lesheng. I'm a freshman."

After saying that, he asked with some confusion: "Aren't we good brothers? How come you don't even know that?"

The Demon Eye King said with a smile, "Just asking. By the way, are there any students who have been skipping class for a long time lately in your class?"

"Skipping class for a long time..." Li Lesheng thought for a moment, then said, "Yes, that kid Zhang Yuanqing hasn't been here for a long time. Last time I added him as a friend and invited him to a gathering, he clearly agreed, but then I couldn't find him anywhere."

The Demon Eye King said "Oh," then asked, "How is his name written?"

"The surname Zhang, and the given name Yuanqing, from the Yuan and Qing dynasties." Li Lesheng said.

The Demon Eye King noted the name and habitually asked: "Have you done anything bad, like using your position..."

At this point, he looked at the other's cheap clothes, shoes worth one or two hundred yuan, and the dark circles from staying up late to play games... The Demon Eye King silently swallowed the rest of his words and waved his hand:

"Go eat."

The first batch of names was nearly collected. The next step was to sneak into the school's archives, match names to records, and search for all the people on the list.

The Primordial Heavenly Lord was an official Walker. His name would certainly have been erased. It would be impossible to find him in the school archives.

Whose name couldn't be found—that person was the Primordial Heavenly Lord.

……

Pet Store.

The curly-haired Teddy sat upright on the table. A potted plant on the corner of the desk automatically extended its tendrils, opened the computer, entered the password, and logged into the meeting software.

A few minutes later, the elders of the Songhai branch came online one after another. The sixth was the Zhisha Palace Master.

Elder Dog sighed:

"Everyone, Fu Qingyang just contacted me. The Demon Eye King found his way to Primordial's home.

"The arena tournament organized by headquarters will start in another week. This matter cannot be delayed—we should deal with the Demon Eye King.

"Luo Shen, you've fought the Demon Eye King before. How strong is he in combat."