Chapter 598: Taking Action Personally

The illusion gradually dispersed. Under the intense stimulation of fear, fragments of memory surged within Fang Ji’s mind.

He was indeed an operator of The Midnight Watchers Society.

A little over half a month ago, the Plague Taisui lockdown zone was suspected of being attacked by the Miracle Order, sustaining significant damage. He, along with operators who had come from nearby cities to assist, formed a five-person squad and participated in the lockdown zone’s restoration efforts.

At that time, one of the damaged points was located deep within the lockdown zone. Repairing it posed an extremely high risk of danger, and for a while, no one was willing to venture there. Only their five-person squad volunteered to go deep into the lockdown zone for the restoration.

Some things simply have to be done by someone.

What happened after that, he still couldn’t recall. He only remembered waking up within the lockdown zone to find he was the only one left of the five-person squad, gravely injured and on the verge of death.

Then…

He encountered a figure shrouded in golden light, clinging to life just as he was, with barely half of his life left.

That figure extended an invitation to him, inviting him to share life together. Afterward, he inexplicably appeared in Qianqiu Town.

The question “Who am I?” that had plagued Fang Ji’s heart for so long was finally answered, but even more questions sprouted in his mind like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

What is the Holy Relic?

What is the conspiracy hidden behind it?

After sharing life with that figure, why did I inexplicably feel a sense of closeness toward Lu Yibei?

The shock of fear upon his nerves, the agony brought by the emerging memory fragments, and the torrent of questions disrupting his thoughts… Fang Ji soon could no longer withstand it and once again fell into unconsciousness.

————

6:37 AM, the Back Mountain of the Great Pure Palace.

The celestial wind had blown away the thin mist accumulated overnight, revealing the contours of the beautiful mountain. Verdant peaks rose like carved jade, and blue clouds piled around the peaks. The firmament bore the indistinct, blurry gray unique to the moments before dawn.

Although it was already early summer, when daybreak should come earlier, ever since the nights had grown long, even in summer, one had to wait until at least half past seven to see the sky fully brighten.

Within Moon-Gazing Cave, the candle flame that had flickered all through the night had already extinguished.

Zhang Huainan sat at his desk, one hand propping up his head. The ambiguous, unclear light before dawn scattered faintly across the tabletop. He stared at the long-silent Paper Cicada Immortal on the desk, brows tightly furrowed, his mood sullen.

Why on earth must I be treated this way, an old man like me?

This old man, I really am about to get angry!

At that moment, someone was ascending the winding stone steps along the mountain path outside the cave behind the mountain, heading in the direction of Moon-Gazing Cave. Their light footsteps brushed against the grasses flanking the path, sending dewdrops plummeting into the soil.

From a great distance, Zhang Huainan keenly caught the faint sounds coming from the other end and gave a slight frown. A few seconds later, he heard the copper knocker outside Moon-Gazing Cave being struck.

“Clang, clang, clang—!”

“Disciple Qingxiazi, paying respects to the Headmaster. I have an urgent matter to report.”

Qingxiazi? Zhang Huainan glanced toward the cave entrance, straightened his posture, and calmly said, “Hmm. Since it is urgent, come in and discuss it in detail!”

As he spoke, he reached out to pick up the Paper Cicada Immortal from the desk, smoothly tucking it into the wide sleeve of his Daoist robe. But just then, he suddenly noticed the items scattered messily on the desk—a mobile phone, snacks, a bottle of soda—and his aged eyes flickered with panic.

“Wait…” Zhang Huainan called out nervously toward the cave entrance, but it was already too late.

Qingxiazi had already entered Moon-Gazing Cave.

The air conditioner hummed breezily. The luxurious massage chair placed within the cave, the high-spec computer, the several mobile phones, the pile of novels and comic books stacked haphazardly upon the desk, the vast assortment of snacks, the half-finished soda… all of this rushed into her eyes in an instant.

She stood frozen at the cave entrance, stunned. Taking in the sights within this moderately sized chamber, she felt a jolt of shock, followed immediately by a sense of stunned realization dawning in her heart.

It had been over five years since her last visit to Moon-Gazing Cave. Never had she imagined that in those five-plus years, Moon-Gazing Cave would undergo such earth-shattering changes.

No wonder the Headmaster had grown increasingly fond of secluded meditation recently!

Just as Qingxiazi was grumbling inwardly, the moisture in the air beside her abruptly thickened. Immediately following, a powerful suction force seized her, instantly pulling her right next to Zhang Huainan.

“Qingmei, your Martial Uncle here has treated you pretty well all these years, hasn’t he?”

Hearing Zhang Huainan directly call her by her given name, Qingxiazi instantly realized the gravity of the situation. She quickly said, “Rest assured, Martial Uncle Headmaster. This disciple will absolutely never mention what I saw today to anyone else!”

“Hey now, don’t be so nervous!” Zhang Huainan turned to look at Qingxiazi, his eyes narrowed in a smile. “You also know the results of this old man’s previous divinations targeting the Esoteric Society. These things are merely items I took up on a whim to study.”

“However, you are absolutely right about one point. This trifling matter is not worthy of being shared with outsiders!”

*If you want me not to be nervous, then perhaps you should first disperse the psychic energy fluctuation you’ve imposed on me!* Qingxiazi muttered to herself, composed her mind, and bowed slightly toward Zhang Huainan, steering the conversation back on track.

“Martial Uncle Headmaster, the urgent matter this disciple just mentioned is precisely related to the Esoteric Society.”

“Oh?” Zhang Huainan’s slightly narrowed eyes suddenly opened, a peculiar gleam flashing in his gaze. He pressed, “Continue.”

“Yes!” Qingxiazi acknowledged, and then recounted the detailed content of the message Huá Sāng had sent her, repeating it verbatim for Zhang Huainan.

“…Such is the whole course of events. The on-duty Elder Wang at Chenyi Inn has already gone to the site to investigate. The situation is currently still stable. I have already assembled a group of disciples on standby and will lead them to the scene shortly.”

“You said Lu Yibei is trapped inside?” Zhang Huainan pursued.

“Uh, yes. However, that is merely Huá Sāng’s speculation and hasn’t been confirmed yet,” Qingxiazi replied.

“…”

*No wonder Gu Qianqian hasn’t responded to me for so long. If Lu Yibei met with an accident and she rushed to support him, that would explain it!*

*Presumably, the two of them are now trapped together…*

*Speaking of which, that kid Lu Yibei, in just one night’s time, he managed to kick up such a big story? As expected of Senior Brother Qing Ji’s descendant!*

Thinking up to this point, Zhang Huainan nodded, rose to his feet, and addressed Qingxiazi, “Qingmei, go back and have those disciples disperse, alright?”

“They spent all day yesterday training. Making them rush off again early in the morning must be quite tiring for them.”

Hearing this, Qingxiazi revealed a puzzled expression, “But, Martial Uncle Headmaster…”

“Rest assured!” Zhang Huainan smiled and patted Qingxiazi on the shoulder. “This old man intends to go personally!”

“A perpetrator of a psychic incident capable of creating an energy fluctuation level of at least A+, who is also suspected of controlling a Divine Land—ordinary disciples going there wouldn’t be of much help and could easily find themselves in grave danger just from a single misstep.”

“Later on, once the disciples have rested well, finished morning lessons, and had their breakfast, you can bring them over to handle the follow-up matters.”

Upon hearing Zhang Huainan’s explanation, Qingxiazi let out a sigh of relief, bowing slightly. “This disciple understands!”

*The Dark Emperor Zhang Huainan, the most powerful psychic of The Midnight Watchers Society, has decided to take action personally. What room could there possibly be for any petty, villainous wretches to stir up trouble?* Qingxiazi thought.

——————

Elsewhere, deep within Chili Hall, in the private workshop specifically belonging to Gu He, or rather, Hu Chuan.

The room was unlit. The alchemical equipment on the operation console flickered with multicolored dim lights, casting the dimly lit space in a layer of bizarre, motley hues.

Far in the depths of the room, Hu Chuan knelt before an enormous floor-to-ceiling mirror, his upper body bared, his expression agonized. His body convulsed and spasmed, low, guttural moans issuing incessantly from his mouth.

Upon his chest, a scar in the shape of a human face writhed and struggled, its mouth opening wide in a silent scream. Alongside its writhing, the skin on his chest gradually tore open, blood welling out, as if something was about to burst forth from within his body at any moment.

Heterogeneous, alien psychic energy carrying intense negative emotions crisscrossed and churned within his body, transforming into the most primal pain, relentlessly tormenting his consciousness.

That face was gaunt and elongated, a fierce, malevolent aura lurking between its brows. Were Lu Yibei here, she would surely be able to discern the similarity between that face and Zhang Shuo’s features.

Yes, just as he had told Lu Yibei, Zhang Shuo had not truly died. Instead, he had been turned into an “object,” sealed within his body.

Only in this way could he establish a connection with Zhang Shuo’s consciousness, feel at every moment that Zhang Shuo was still alive, distinctly sensing Zhang Shuo’s suffering worse than death, and savoring the immense pleasure this process brought him.

Furthermore, doing so allowed him to completely command the six Spirit Patterns that Zhang Shuo had possessed.

That’s right, Zhang Shuo possessed six Spirit Patterns, not the four described in the intelligence held by the haunting chat group.

In truth, Zhang Shuo had almost been able to possess a seventh, or even more, Spirit Patterns. Just a little bit more… if only he could have found the unformed Spirit Pattern hidden years ago by that defector operator from The Midnight Watchers Society.

Alas, he encountered the unforeseen variable that was Hu Chuan.

Hu Chuan had lied when communicating with Lu Yibei. It wasn’t that he repeatedly infiltrated major psychic organizations due to being hunted by Zhang Shuo; rather, it was that Zhang Shuo had dispatched him to continuously search for the unformed Spirit Pattern he had accidentally lost back then.

It was just that Zhang Shuo never imagined that, in the process of dispatching Hu Chuan to infiltrate various psychic ability organizations in search of that unformed Spirit Pattern, Hu Chuan would seize the opportunity to turn the tables on him.

For a very long time after being turned into an “object,” Zhang Shuo’s residual consciousness lay dormant. But Hu Chuan’s recent frequent contact with “Gu Qianqian” seemed to show him a sliver of hope for breaking free from control, or perhaps ending his existence, thus triggering this unprecedented struggle.

“Ha, ha ha ha ha…” Under the ceaseless assault of agony, Hu Chuan suddenly burst into laughter, a sound that seemed to carry notes of enjoyment. “Zhang Shuo, after so long, you still haven’t given up?”

“Struggle on, continue struggling! The longer you delay giving up, the more torment you endure, and the happier I become… Ha, ha ha ha!”

“You think Gu Qianqian will be the lifesaving straw you grasp at? No, no one in this world can save you!”

After a long while, it seemed Zhang Shuo’s residual consciousness finally relented in its struggle, and the human face upon Hu Chuan’s chest ceased its writhing accordingly.

Distinctly feeling the despair and fury emanating from Zhang Shuo’s residual consciousness, Hu Chuan gave a cold chuckle. “Heh, is it over already? I really thought this time you might bring me more joy. What a pity!”

“But don’t you worry, as long as I am alive, you will never find release.”

As he spoke, he casually reached to the operation console beside him, picked up a cleaning rag, and wiped the blood spilling from the torn scars on his chest without a care. He tossed the rag aside, preparing to observe, through his objects, the progress of those Esoteric Society members moving to intercept and kill “Gu Qianqian.”

Just at that moment, he suddenly noticed a message sent by An Qi. After reading the information, he closed his eyes, sensed the Diamond-Ring Girl’s presence through the “object” she carried, and then his expression darkened.

“A bunch of incompetent fools! For something like this, I have to go personally!”

As his words fell, his intention flickered, and every object within the entire residential district was awakened in unison, initiating the hunt…