Spirit Realm Wanderer

Chapter 22: The Night Wanderers’ Council

He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. Deviating from the mainstream implies something out of the ordinary. Until he knew whether it was good or bad, he couldn’t go around talking about it. Besides, since there was no relevant information on the forum, it meant that the Black Full Moon was not something those at lower levels could understand. The higher the level of something, the more it must be kept secret—that’s a principle everyone understands. Especially since he was still a rookie, lacking both the ability and experience to handle unexpected situations. Why is the character card Bing Ge gave me different from a regular Night Wanderer’s? That bastard won’t tell me a thing, and now he’s gone missing. Next, he exited the thread and clicked the forum’s search bar, intending to look up information on the Goddess Temple on San Dao Mountain. After typing “San Dao Mountain Lady Temple,” he found two results: one was a dungeon guide he’d seen before (the Five Elements Alliance version), and the other was an introduction to the San Dao Mountain Lady Temple. “The Lady of San Dao Mountain Temple was a shrine on San Dao Mountain in Songjiang Prefecture during the early Ming Dynasty. It was dedicated to the Lady of San Dao Mountain, a deity renowned for summoning rain, exorcising demons, refining elixirs to cure illnesses, and bringing blessings to the local community. After the Lady of San Dao Mountain ascended to immortality, local officials, along with local gentry and commoners, contributed funds to build a temple in her honor. “The Temple of the Lady of San Dao Mountain fell into disrepair early on, and many valuable research materials have been lost—excerpted from the Song Prefecture Library.” Excerpt from the Song Prefecture Library....... As he read those words, Zhang Yuanqing’s expression froze, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Did the Temple of the Lady of San Dao Mountain actually exist? Did it exist in history? If so, did that Lady actually exist? Or was she herself a real person? Could a real person appear in the Spirit Realm? If she’s a real person, might she crawl out of the Spirit Realm to find me...? Zhang Yuanqing was startled by his own thoughts. “Sister Guan Ya, I have a question...” If there was something he could ask, he never racked his brain over it himself. Guan Ya turned around. Zhang Yuanqing shared his speculation about the Lady of the Three Paths Mountain with her. “The Squad Leader must have told you that the Spirit Realm exists somewhere between reality and illusion.” The Senior Priestess raised her cup, took a sip, and said “Many scenes in the Spirit Realm are based on reality. For example, the ‘Linggang Reservoir’ and ‘Xiangshui Amusement Park’—these Spirit Realm trials for the Night Wanderers all have corresponding locations in the real world. But obviously, these places don’t actually exist in reality; otherwise, everything would have fallen into chaos long ago.” So, although the Lady of the Three-Path Mountain really did exist, the one I saw was a figment of the Spirit Realm’s imagination? Zhang Yuanqing felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. Old Bangzi, you’d better just stay put in the Spirit Realm. Beijing, Beishuimen Airport. The slender Yuan Ting sat in a spacious business-class seat, dressed in a black suit and black shirt, his hair combed immaculately—the very picture of a business executive. Through the narrow airplane window, he looked down at the myriad lights below, dazzling and brilliant. He had just reported to the organization today that the Sheling Tunnel had been cleared, and by the afternoon, he would be summoned to the Capital. However, this trip had nothing to do with the Sheling Tunnel; the Grand Master of the Taiyi Sect had summoned the Night Wanderers scattered across the country to Beijing for a meeting. Large-scale meetings like this are usually held only at the end of each year, as that is when Night Wanderers from across the country come to the capital to submit their annual reports and account for their work. Any exception to this must signify a major event. He hoped it wasn’t bad news... Yuan Ting gazed at the city lights drawing ever closer, his mind racing with thoughts. The plane touched down smoothly. Yuan Ting disembarked, dragged his suitcase straight to the parking garage on the second basement level, and boarded the private car sent to pick him up. Forty minutes later, the car arrived at a five-star hotel. Yuan Ting stowed his luggage and took the elevator to the large conference room on the top floor. A banquet was in full swing; gentlemen and ladies dressed in black suits, black jackets, and black evening gowns were circulating among the delicacies with glasses in hand, laughing and chatting as they clinked glasses. “Oh, look, Captain Yuan is here.” Just as Yuan Ting was about to take a glass of wine from a server’s tray, he saw a man in a black shirt approaching him—with a neat crew cut, bright eyes, chiseled features, and a classic V-shaped physique. “Jian Ji!” Yuan Ting looked at his old friend and smiled. “It’s been a long time.” “Everyone’s been waiting for you. Come on, let’s go say hello.” Jian Ji slung his arm around Yuan Ting’s shoulder and led him to the table, where six people were seated—three men and three women. These were the Night Wanderers who had trained alongside Yuan Ting when he first joined the Taiyi Sect. Now scattered across different regions, they had all risen to the rank of team leader. After a few brief pleasantries, Yuan Ting asked “Why did the Sect Leader summon everyone to the capital this time?” Yang Qian, with her hair in a ponytail and dressed in a leather jacket and pants, pursed her lips and whispered “We were just discussing that very topic. All we know is that it’s classified at a very high level—not even the stewards are in the know.” With her graceful figure and neatly styled hair, she wore no makeup or jewelry, exuding a bold and spirited presence. Not even the stewards are authorized to know? Yuan Ting nodded slightly and didn’t ask any further. Jian Ji smiled and raised his glass. “We’ll find out naturally once the meeting starts. There’s no point in worrying about it now. By the way, anything interesting happening lately?” The spirited Yang Qian laughed and said “I actually do have an interesting story. A while back, the eldest son of the Xiahou family from the coastal region was crippled by the Palace Master of the ‘Palace of Ceasing Slaughter.’ I heard that by the time the Xiahou elders arrived at the scene, he was already on the verge of death. “Although they managed to save him with Life Essence, he was severely weakened. I doubt he’ll dare set foot outside for quite some time, and if there’s a Spirit Realm mission coming up soon, he’ll surely die.” “The Palace of Cease-Killing?” A male classmate looked at Yuan Ting. “If I’m not mistaken, that’s an organization of Spirit Realm practitioners in the Songhai region. How did they end up clashing with the Xiahou family?” Yuan Ting shook his head. “The people of the Palace of Non-Killing have very extreme personalities, especially that Palace Master—she’s a complete madwoman. It wouldn’t be surprising if they got into a fight with anyone. However, they’re generally quite friendly toward official organizations and usually keep to themselves.” Yang Qian mused, “That Palace Master is a high-level Spirit Realm traveler; even an Executive might not be her match. With someone like that, as long as she doesn’t go too far, we should just turn a blind eye.” After chatting for a while longer, Jian Ji looked around and said, “We still have too few Night Wanderers. We can only watch as other classes stir up trouble and steal all the limelight.” “Come to think of it, our sect hasn’t produced a truly outstanding Night Wanderer in many years,” said Xia Liang, a cute, round-faced girl, her voice soft and slightly coquettish. Now that the topic had come up, Yuan Tinglai’s interest was piqued, and he said “I actually have some big news—it has to do with us Night Wanderers.” Everyone at the table turned to look at him, their faces full of curiosity. “Do you remember the Sheling Tunnel?” Yuan Ting asked. “Yeah, that beginner-level bugged Spirit Realm. That’s where Jiang Lin and Zhao Kai died back then,” Jian Ji asked, puzzled. “Has that haunted place killed someone else again?” “From now on, there’ll be no more first kills in the Sheling Tunnel—some kid has already cleared it.” Yuan Ting’s words hit like a stun grenade, silencing the Night Wanderers at the table. After a few seconds, Jian Ji said blankly, “Is that true?” Xia Bing widened her eyes and exclaimed in her sweet, high-pitched voice, “Yuan Ting, you’re not joking, are you?” The others looked skeptical. Yuan Ting nodded firmly. “This has already been reported to the Order. You can ask your respective superiors—as long as you ask without mentioning the walkthrough, the stewards should tell you.” The skepticism turned to gasps of astonishment, and the Night Wanderers around the table looked both stunned and excited. “This is huge news.” “That guy’s a beast! How did he pull that off? Holy crap, all I want to do right now is read the walkthrough—I don’t want to be in this meeting anymore.” “Snap out of it—your access level probably doesn’t allow you to see it.” Yang Qian looked around and asked, “Has this newcomer joined the Taiyi Sect? Is he in the capital?” Yuan Ting seemed even more eager to talk; he shook his head regretfully and said “You don’t know the whole story. That guy was recruited by the Five Elements Alliance. Fu Qingyang personally called Elder Sun to ask for the guide, but as soon as Elder Sun heard the trial mission was the Sheling Tunnel, he immediately said he didn’t want him. “Words spoken are like water poured out—they can’t be taken back. Sigh, the Elder was so foolish.” “He really is foolish.” “Elder Sun’s… this… this… I’m furious.” Just as they were venting their frustration at that high-and-mighty Elder, Yuan Ting suddenly saw a middle-aged man in black walking toward him, heading straight for him, and said “Yuan Ting, Elder Sun says that after the meeting, don’t leave just yet—go see him.” Yuan Ting’s expression froze instantly. The banquet was quickly drawing to a close, and the waitstaff cleared away the plates and drinks. The soft lighting gave way to the bright, intense lights of the meeting hall. The Night Wanderers filled the room, seated at their respective round tables, waiting in silence. Over a hundred people sat in complete silence—you could hear a pin drop. Amid the long wait, an elderly man dressed in a white training robe stepped into the conference room to the eager anticipation of the crowd. He stood nearly two meters tall, with a commanding presence; his face was wrinkle-free, his gaze sharp as a knife, and a golden sun, like a tattoo, shone between his eyebrows. Were it not for the silver hair covering his head, which betrayed his age, he would have looked more vibrant and vigorous than any young man. The Grand Elder of the Taiyi Sect, Spirit Realm ID: Red Sun Executioner. The Night Wanderers sat upright with their backs straight, showing due respect to the strongest Night Wanderer beneath the Sect Master. Red Sun Executioner scanned the multitude of disciples below and spoke slowly “Not long ago, the Sect Master sensed the Demon Lord’s demise; the greatest threat to the Taiyi Sect has been eliminated. However, the Demon Lord’s character card has not returned to the Spirit Realm, and its whereabouts remain unknown. From now on, you must devote all your efforts to searching for the Demon Lord’s successor.” “This successor has two defining characteristics: their occupational emblem is not a crescent moon, but a black full moon. Upon clearing the Spirit Realm, they receive a character card reward not available to ordinary Night Wanderers.”