Chapter 186: Tu Di Gong

Chapter 186: The Earth God

Zhu Rong. As expected, there was audio of her too... Hearing the Demon Lord's words, the corner of Zhang Yuanqing's mouth twitched.

Back when the Demon Lord mentioned capturing the Zhu family patriarch's younger sister, Chi Yue'an's ex-wife, he had suspected that such an audio recording would surface sooner or later.

Sure enough, here it came.

I should record all these audios. In the future, I could release "Those Years: The Women the Demon Lord Slept With" or "The Demon Lord's Lovers: The Complete Collection" on the black market. It would probably sell like crazy.

After all, the women who had relations with the Demon Lord back then were now all noble ladies of considerable status, heaven's favored daughters.

It would likely make a fortune, but doing such a thing was too damn unethical. It would ruin those women's reputations. Although the women who hooked up with the Demon Lord weren't exactly good people, there were also those like Yin Ji who had been deceived emotionally. Hmph, let's tentatively count her as emotionally deceived...

Faced with the Demon Lord's cold mockery, Zhu Rong didn't know whether it was humiliation that made her unwilling to respond, or the overly vigorous exercise that left her no leisure to speak.

Listening to the dense, rhythmic muffled groans emanating from her nasal cavity, Zhang Yuanqing suspected it was the latter.

"How come you're not speaking?" The Demon Lord sneered.

"You, you, bastard, may you die a horrible death..." Zhu Rong panted delicately while gritting her teeth.

"When you brought people to besiege me, you said the same thing. And now? Aren't you still drenched in fluids beneath me? If your dead companions knew you sold yourself out to survive, who knows what they'd think."

"Surviving by any means is to kill scum like you, to execute justice on heaven's behalf."

"Oh, quite the hard mouth. But just now when you were tasting it, weren't you plenty soft?"

As he spoke, Zhang Yuanqing heard the mattress creak. By his experience, this was the sound of someone rising from the bed.

Then came the sound of bare feet padding on the floorboards, very chaotic. It should be Zhu Rong being dragged up from the bed by the Demon Lord, the former unwilling, forcibly hauled along.

Followed by the clatter of miscellaneous objects hitting the ground, then a loud "bang," and then the sound of a table being struck.

A new round of exercise began. The Demon Lord chuckled darkly:

"Execute justice on heaven's behalf? You people from the Spirit Realm's great clans have done no shortage of unspeakable deeds behind the scenes. How thick must your faces be to shout 'execute justice on heaven's behalf'? I've never killed ordinary people. Heh, you want to kill me for nothing but fame. Since you want to step on me to make a name for yourselves, you should've been prepared to be killed in return. There's no reason others should stretch their necks and wait for you to slaughter them.

"I gave you a choice: die with your companions, or become my captive. You chose the latter.

"When you were besieging me just now, what did you say? As long as I knelt and kowtowed, crawled through your companions' crotches, you'd let me live a few more minutes. Now I'll give you another choice: from today onward, pleasure me once a day. If I'm satisfied, I'll let you live one more day. Otherwise, I'll kill you on the spot.

"If you agree, the contract takes effect immediately. If you refuse, I'll send you back to the Spirit Realm right now."

Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing frowned. The Demon Lord at this time should still be in the Transcendent realm, but compared to the previous few times, his personality had clearly become more extreme, with a hint of being neither wholly righteous nor wholly evil.

The corruption of the Fallen Holy Grail is rather terrifying. The Demon Lord's mental distortion is progressing faster than I imagined. Right now he still has some bottom line, finding himself a justifiable reason. By the later stages, he'll probably have completely fallen into the evil path...

After a long silence, Zhu Rong whimpered, her voice broken and intermittent: "I, why should I believe you."

"I never deceive women!"

"...Fine."

"Hah? What? Speak louder."

Zhu Rong's voice, carrying a sobbing tone, shouted: "I agree!!"

By the time the two finished their carnal exchange, Zhang Yuanqing had lost count of how many times he had entered Night Roam. He only felt exhausted all over, his physical strength excessively depleted, wishing he could just collapse and sleep.

Good grief, every time I listen to the Demon Lord's carnal plays it's this exhausting; for a hot-blooded youth like me, this audio is far more stimulating than any video—I really should listen less in the future... Zhang Yuanqing thought, spiritually drained.

In the audio, the Demon Lord and Zhu Rong breathed softly, neither speaking for a long while.

After a moment, the Demon Lord sneered:

"Paralyzed like that? Seems your husband didn't satisfy you; perhaps in a month's time, you won't be able to leave me.

"Now let's talk business. Heard your Zhu clan's ancestor was among the first Spirit Realm Walkers? What era was he from?"

Zhu Rong did not speak.

*Smack!*

A loud crack rang out, Zhu Rong cried in pain—god knows where she'd been struck.

The beaten woman instantly grew docile, whispering low:

"Late Qing, early Republic."

"Heh, modern era indeed!" the Demon Lord said: "Then do you know why Evil classes and Lawful classes are bitter as fire and water?"

Listening to the dialogue from the audio, Zhang Yuanqing perked up, thinking there was actually some substance here, not just pure smut.

He'd actually wondered about this himself—felt the opposition between Lawful and Evil lacked intrinsic drive; mere factional hostility could hardly make Walkers of both camps view each other as mortal enemies.

After all, reality isn't a game; a single setting can't make men spill their blood and lay down their lives—in games you respawn, in reality death is truly the end.

Without tangible benefit, who'd risk their life?

"You, what do you mean?" Zhu Rong seemed not to understand.

"Truly a brainless scion of a noble house. I'm a Lawful class, right? But since becoming a Spirit Realm Walker, I've never done a Lawful thing. Meaning I can completely ignore Evil classes. So isn't it strange that Lawful and Evil camps are bitter enemies?" the Demon Lord said:

"Besides, killing across enemy camps rewards only Reputation. Reputation's nice, but it can't make someone risk a deathmatch with an enemy—the cost and return aren't proportional.

"Meaning the hostility between the two camps isn't actually that severe. Yet reality shows official organizations treat Evil classes with kill-on-sight, and Evil organizations likewise—don't you find that odd?"

Zhu Rong said: "Family elders taught us from childhood: Evil classes are universally condemned, kill on sight."

The Demon Lord said: "Oh, then I take back my words—it's not that you lack brains, but that you've formed a fixed mindset. What I want to ask: did family elders ever mention *why* Evil classes must be killed?"

Zhu Rong said:

"I don't know; family elders never mentioned it. But I recall something—Lord-level elders go out every year to hunt Evil classes, all of them without exception. They prioritize hunting Evil classes on par with Spirit Realm dungeons. Yet they... aren't exactly haters of evil. Thinking back now, it is indeed strange."

The Demon Lord pondered long, then scoffed: "Then I've roughly guessed the cause."

The audio ends here.

...Zhang Yuanqing nearly smashed the speaker in his hand, thinking: What about the rest of the dialogue? What's the cause? Spit it out already!

This Demon Lord, though crooked of heart and lustful to the bone, is indeed clever... Zhang Yuanqing leaned back in his chair, pondering the conversation.

He suddenly recalled the Yin-Yang Sanren's Cultivation Record, which mentioned that Evil classes and Lawful classes could coexist in ancient times.

Though they also hunted each other, it was based on clashing worldviews, acting on heaven's behalf—not innate opposition.

"Before the Spirit Realm appeared, Orthodoxy and Heresy were freely realized in the heart. After the Spirit Realm appeared, Evil and Lawful camps emerged. Therefore, it is the Spirit Realm driving camp hostility.

"But the Spirit Realm's guidance isn't obvious, only the Reputation setting exists. No, perhaps it's not that it's unclear, but that my level hasn't reached it yet. According to Zhu Rong, hunting evil Professionals is extremely important for Dominators. This importance surely stems from the Spirit Realm—perhaps a Spirit Realm quest, or some other function."

"Also, hunting evil Professionals likely benefits Guilds as well, which is why the officials have bounties, and evil Professionals do too. Why does the Spirit Realm guide factional opposition?"

"Sigh, Zhu Rong really has been warped by the Demon Lord's 'training,' her mind twisted, which is why she started keeping male concubines and abusing them. It's all the Demon Lord's fault..."

Zhang Yuanqing put away the Cat King speaker and returned to Xiao Doubi's side, picking up the controller.

Moments later, the frozen screen sprang to life, the game character once again slaughtering in all directions.

Xiao Doubi instantly cheered up, immediately forgetting the tiny doubt from just moments ago.

...

The next day, 7:00 AM. Zhang Yuanqing finished breakfast, washed up, and returned to the bedroom, planning to catch a few more hours of sleep. He had stayed up gaming until 4:00 AM the previous night.

Of course, for a Night Wanderer, this didn't count as staying up late; it was merely a lack of rest at night, making him more prone to drowsiness during the day. It was an occupational hazard of the Night Wanderer.

"Sleep for two hours, set the alarm for 8:50. There's a match today. Although I probably won't play two days in a row, other Star-level players will take the stage. Watching their battles is necessary."

Zhang Yuanqing lay back on the bed and silently logged into the forum.

Enjoy some flattery before sleeping... His gaze suddenly sharpened. He spotted a rather conspicuous post on the homepage. It wasn't highlighted or pinned, but due to an astonishing comment count, it had been bumped to a prominent position at the top.

#Five Elements Alliance Harboring Yuan Shi Tian Zun#

The post was reposted from the Tai Yi Sect's official forum. The content was simple: accusing the Five Elements Alliance of harboring Yuan Shi Tian Zun. As for what exactly was being harbored, the post claimed: "Bound by contract, cannot elaborate, but those who know, know!"

"Yuan Shi Tian Zun has done such a thing, utterly devoid of conscience. If the Five Elements Alliance doesn't give an explanation, our Tai Yi Sect will refuse to participate in the Arena Tournament. Furthermore, regarding the Night Wanderer who violated the Convention, the Tai Yi Sect, as an official organization, also has the authority to handle it."

Obviously, the Tai Yi Sect's Night Wanderers were referring to the matter of the Spirit Servant.

Other Professionals might not see it, but Night Wanderers could clearly perceive Xiao Doubi's existence.

Refining an infant into a Spirit Servant not only violated the rules, but the nature of the act was also extremely vile.

Tsk. The Maoshan Sorcerer's defeat left the Tai Yi Sect's Night Wanderers unreconciled. They want to suppress me using the Spirit Servant issue? Hmm, this is indeed my weak point. Can't blame them for attacking...

Zhang Yuanqing felt not a shred of panic in his heart. Xiao Doubi's origins were legitimate; it was born from an accident, not privately refined by him. The matter had been reported at the time, and the detailed case file was recorded clearly in the archives. Guan Ya had also been involved.

At most, he was guilty of privately harboring an Infant Spirit. The nature of that offense was lighter by orders of magnitude, barely even counting as a transgression.

Zhang Yuanqing scrolled down to take a look. The Five Elements Alliance's Spirit Realm Walkers—some were asking what happened, some were vague and evasive, and some admitted Yuan Shi Tian Zun was indeed in the wrong.

Official Walkers mostly stood on the side of reason. So even those defending him lacked conviction.

For Spirit Realm Walkers in the know, privately refining a Spirit Servant was a major offense, especially refining an Infant Spirit.

At that moment, a harsh ringtone cut through the air. The caller ID read Fu Qingyang.

"Centurion!"

Zhang Yuanqing answered the call.

Fu Qingyang's low voice came through: "The Tai Yi Sect has reported you to the Songhai Branch for privately refining a Spirit Servant—and an Infant Spirit at that. Elder Gou personally called me, demanding an explanation from you."

These damn dogs actually reported me? Zhang Yuanqing immediately replied:

"Centurion, I did not privately refine a Spirit Servant. The Infant Spirit came into my possession during an accident..."

He immediately recounted the entire sequence of events.

Finally, he added, "Guan Ya was also involved in this matter; she can testify for me. Moreover, I filed a report when handling it. The case details, Wang Qian's testimony—it's all in the files. You may review them."

Fu Qingyang's tone improved somewhat. "Then there is no issue. I will report back to the Elders. The forum administrators will issue an announcement to clear your name. I will do my best to have it published before nine o'clock."

Zhang Yuanqing gave an "Mm."

Fu Qingyang continued, "Dog Elder has some intelligence that needs to be relayed to the Palace Master of the Slaughter-Stopping Palace through you."

"What is it?"

"Before the Chu Clan's extermination, the Night Rose had no leader," Fu Qingyang said. "Dog Elder wishes to know her opinion on this."

"Understood."

About half an hour later, the Wuxing Alliance forum administrators posted a thread, highlighted in red and pinned to the top.

The content was simple: a mission report. The mission report regarding the handling of the Infant Spirit incident. This report carried a very low confidentiality rating, a routine case for Spirit Realm Walkers; its release posed no problem.

However, this allowed certain official Walkers, previously unaware that the Primordial Heavenly Venerate possessed a Spirit Servant, to deduce a great many things from this report.

The Wuxing Alliance's Spirit Realm Walkers perked up immediately upon reading the report.

"So that's how it is. Why didn't you say so earlier? Forward this to the Taiyi Sect forum."

"Thank goodness. I almost thought the Primordial Heavenly Venerate's persona had collapsed."

"Already forwarded it ages ago. Those idiots went silent. Just a few stubborn ones left, babbling about 'disregarding the facts, is the Primordial Heavenly Venerate blameless then?'"

Naturally, the Wuxing Alliance also meted out fair punishment for the Primordial Heavenly Venerate's private possession of a Spirit Servant: a single demerit on his record, and one month's salary docked.

...

At nine in the morning, figures appeared one after another in the antique colosseum.

There was no opening address today, no need to sign contracts. Upon entering the grounds, the official Walkers instinctively sought out friends and acquaintances; the scene was noisy and chaotic.

Wearing the Silencer's mask, Zhang Yuanqing found Old Driver Ji as he had hoped. The Queen and Little Green Tea came over on their own. Jiang Zhenwei didn't come looking for the Primordial Heavenly Venerate today; she was hanging out with her brother, Huo Gongzi.

"If no star-level figures take the stage today, I'm going back to sleep."

Zhang Yuanqing said, stifling a yawn.

Little Green Tea asked curiously, "What did Brother do last night?"

Nothing much, just listened to the Demon Lord and Zhu Rong play poker for over half an hour... Zhang Yuanqing said, "Played games."

Little Green Tea nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"The Taiyi Sect people are watching you." Guan Ya suddenly whispered.

Their seats today weren't far from the Taiyi Sect's section; they could see each other's faces clearly.

As a Scout, Guan Ya was the first to detect the gazes cast by the Night Wanderers.

Zhang Yuanqing followed her gaze. Those were eyes full of hostility.

However, renowned Saints like the Yin Princess and the Fengdu Ghost King were not paying him any attention.

The Night Wanderers in the arena who loathed him were, almost without exception, at the Transcendent stage.

"Huh...?"

Zhang Yuanqing spotted Sun Miaomiao, surrounded by her fellow disciples, and was about to marvel at her beauty when he suddenly realized the look in her eyes was... off.

It was a complex gaze. If forced to describe it, it was like Tom looking at Jerry—excitement laced with covetousness, covetousness laced with sheer, unadulterated aggression.

"..." Even Zhang Yuanqing, adept at social maneuvering, couldn't help but avert his gaze, unwilling to meet her eyes.

What was this girl's deal?

At that moment, the Armored Swordsman took the stage, announcing the match rules as per custom. Immediately, the match list popped up in the field of vision of every Spirit Realm Walker present:

"Zhou Bapi VS Arrogant Youth"

"Too Tired to Care VS Only Drinks Sweet Soy Milk"

"Long Qianqian VS Girl Next Door"

"Lord of the Land VS Zhurong"

"Pawn Crossing the River VS Likes Handsome Brothers"

...

Still forty pairs, eighty contestants total. Today, two Star-rated players were matched: Lord of the Land, ranked second in the Transcendent stage, and Pawn Crossing the River, ranked tenth.

Zhang Yuanqing's interest was instantly piqued. The top three were championship favorites. Ranked second, Lord of the Land boasted an invincible defense, having nearly worn last year's champion down to exhaustion and forced a concession.

For Zhang Yuanqing, he was undoubtedly a major obstacle on the road to the title.

He couldn't wait to see just how damn durable this Lord of the Land really was.

As for Pawn Crossing the River, Zhang Yuanqing was equally curious. This was a Scout, after all. Everyone knew a Transcendent-stage Scout was a "True Eye"—one might ask, what combat power could a True Eye possibly have?

Yet Pawn Crossing the River had squeezed into the top ten among a crowd of powerhouses. This kid was definitely not simple.

After sitting through several fairly spectacular bouts, Lord of the Land finally made his entrance.

"Match four: Lord of the Land versus Zhurong."

The Armored Swordsman stood in the center of the arena, his voice ringing out.

As his words fell, a fireball streaked from the stands, plummeting into the arena. Instantly, the flames swelled violently, coalescing into a tall, resolute young man.

His entrance pose was incredibly cool, earning a roar of approval.

Zhang Yuanqing's gaze swept quickly, then locked onto an old man wearing a leather jacket and pants, black sunglasses, a cigar clamped between his teeth.

This old man looked like an aging rock star, exuding an unruly, trendy vibe from every pore.

The moment he stepped onto the stage, cheers exploded— the high-popularity contestant effect.

This isn't the white-bearded, benevolent-looking Lord of the Land I imagined... Zhang Yuanqing grumbled internally.

Once both parties had entered, the youth with the ID 'Zhurong' spoke impatiently:

"Lord of the Land, this time last year, I was only a Level 2 Pyromancer. Watching you dominate the arena, I was so envious. Things are different now. I'm Level 3 too. I believe I can beat you."

His pronunciation was peculiar; one listen to his accent and you knew he hailed from a region where they regularly ate people from Fu Province.

The Earth God clamped a cigar between his teeth, cursing as he spoke: "Bro, can you speak Mandarin?"

"This is standard pronunciation."

The Earth God waved a hand: "Forget it, cut the crap, let's fight."

Worthy of the title Fire Master, he wasted no words upon hearing this; flames erupted beneath his feet, tremendous kinetic force propelling him forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

"Not bad, your fire control has reached mastery." The Earth God praised generously.

"There's better." Zhurong let out a low roar, his fist igniting with high-temperature flames, smashing a punch toward the Earth God's face.

But when his fist drew within three inches of the trendy old man, it was blocked by a hazy yellow halo.

Bang bang bang... Zhurong's whole body wreathed in flames, he punched and kicked with all his might against the barrier, clusters of fire exploding like grenades, producing a detonation-like effect.

The Earth God didn't budge an inch, his glasses not even askew.

Seeing this, Zhurong's expression shifted slightly, and he spoke to save face:

"I've got more tricks. Hmph, wood overcomes earth in the five elements; this time you won't hold."

With that, he summoned a verdant wooden saber.

Bang bang bang... Zhurong swung the wooden saber, circling the Earth God, hacking and slashing horizontally and vertically, brimming with confidence.

A few minutes later, the Earth God stood unmoving as a mountain.

"Can't overcome it?" Zhurong gritted his teeth: "I've still got one more move..."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly felt wave after wave of dizziness, his limbs growing weak.

The Earth God leisurely exhaled a mouthful of blue smoke, mimicking Zhurong's accent, and said:

"You thought I smoked a cigar to copy you young folks acting cool? You're poisoned, kid. Before you even became a Spirit Realm Walker, I was already Level 3. How can you beat me? Pack it in!"

A massive backhand slap knocked the poisoned Zhurong unconscious.

The Armored Sword Master announced loudly: "Earth God wins!"

The arena erupted in thunderous cheers, acclaiming the old grandpa.

So strong, this defense... honed to a level rivaling a Saint, perhaps... Zhang Yuanqing couldn't feel happy at all.

Actually that Fire Master wasn't weak, his attacks fierce; you should know, a Fire Master's melee combat ranks among the top in Order-class professions, yet facing the Earth God, he looked like a total novice.

Guan Ya turned her head to look at him, leaning in to whisper:

"Got a sense of his defense now? How is it, any confidence?"

Zhang Yuanqing shook his head slightly: "I can't damage him."

The Bloodthirsty Blade can't break defense of this caliber, the Yin-Yang Robe can't counter the Trendy Old Man either. Racking his brains, the only strategy Zhang Yuanqing could think of was—play dirty!

Utilize the Red Dancing Shoes' pursuit effect, wear him down death by a thousand cuts.

While he himself, as the master, would use Night Roam, Flame Blink and other skills to entangle.

But defense was merely one of the Earth God's tricks; as a veteran earth-spirit, he surely had others up his sleeve.

If the second was this formidable, the first could only be more terrifying, and the third would hardly lag behind.

Zhang Yuanqing felt a pressure the likes of which he had never known.

…