Chapter 33: Fallen Holy Grail

 Chapter 33: Fallen Holy Grail 

On the second floor of the villa, in a small conference room. The setting sun cast a blood-red glow through the glass windows, staining the white wool carpet with a shimmering red.

Li Dongze, Qingteng, White Dragon, Tang Guoqiang, Big Muscle Man, and several other captain-level figures sat upright by the meeting table. Almost all the captain-level figures from the Kangyang District Spiritual Realm Walker team who could attend were present.

In addition to the captains from the Five Elements Alliance, Yuan Ting, who had just returned from the capital city, also attended this meeting.

As a scout, Li Dongze keenly noticed that Yuan Ting was not in good spirits and furrowed his brows, asking, "Are you injured?"

With a pale face, Yuan Ting weakly leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest. Upon hearing the question, he opened his eyes and calmly replied, "No, it's just that Elder Sun attached great importance to me during this trip to the capital. He believes that I will become a cornerstone of the Taiyi Sect and insisted on personally training me. The excessive training has affected my condition."

The others showed their respect.

Fu Qingyang glanced at him without expressing any opinion and said seriously, "Let's get to the point. What did Yuanshi see in Ou Xiangrong's memory that made you rush over here?"

The other captains immediately fixed their gazes on Li Dongze.

This guy called them all here without explaining anything, causing them to feel anxious and uneasy.

Li Dongze cleared his throat and looked around the table. "From Ou Xiangrong's memory, our Night Wanderer learned what the Holy Grail actually is. It's an item belonging to the Eye of Deception Judge, and its full name is the Fallen Holy Grail."

"The Eye of Deception Judge... Fallen Holy Grail?"

The captains on both sides of the meeting table couldn't help but exchange serious and puzzled looks.

The Eye of Deception Judge was the vice president of the Spiritual Ability Society and the vice president of the Eastern District Branch.

The Spiritual Ability Society was a notorious evil organization among the Spiritual Realm Walkers, composed of a group of powerful and insane witch doctors. As for the Eye of Deception Judge, he ranked eighth on the Five Elements Alliance's wanted list and was a formidable figure capable of moving mountains and filling seas.

They never expected that Ou Xiangrong's case would involve such a character.

As for the confusion, it was because they had never heard of the Fallen Holy Grail before.

"Ou Xiangrong was looking for the Eye of Deception Judge's artifact?" Big Muscle Man frowned, speaking bluntly, "That kid's mind is really messed up."

A mere Transcendent Realm demon actually dared to covet the artifact of a higher-level Spiritual Realm Walker.

Ignoring Big Muscle Man's words, everyone turned their attention to Fu Qingyang.

After a few seconds of silence, Fu Qingyang's tone became unusually serious. "Next, I will share with you some information, but your current level of cultivation is not qualified to know about this, so keep it to yourselves after leaving this room."

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but straighten their backs and put on serious expressions.

"The Fallen Holy Grail is a rule-based artifact of witch doctors. Its level is extremely high, and its function is to control Spiritual Realm Walkers. The Eye of Deception Judge uses this artifact to enslave many other professions' Spiritual Realm Walkers. A significant portion of the 'Fallen' individuals we deal with every year are created by the Eye of Deception Judge. According to intelligence, once contaminated by the Fallen Holy Grail, a person will be enslaved by the Eye of Deception Judge for their entire life, and there is no way to escape except through death.

"In addition, the contaminated individuals have to undergo the Holy Grail's baptism periodically; otherwise, they will go mad and die."

Li Dongze nodded and continued, "Ou Xiangrong is the servant of the Eye of Deception Judge."

With this statement, everything started to make sense, and the captains were enlightened.

White Dragon nodded first, but then furrowed his brow, asking, "What does this have to do with him killing Zhao Yingjun? And besides, doesn't this still count as a major event?"

"Zhao Yingjun was also a servant of the Eye of Deception Judge. He was undercover in the Five Elements Alliance, appearing as an adviser to the Public Security Bureau, but secretly helping the Eye of Deception Judge recruit new members, acting as an accomplice."

Li Dongze paused for a moment and continued with a very serious tone, "Not long ago, the Eye of Deception Judge suddenly fell, and his confidant, Black Wuchang, took the Holy Grail and a registry containing the identities of the Fallen, hiding themselves away. Now, not only Ou Xiangrong and other Fallen individuals are looking for Black Wuchang, but also the vice president of the Eastern District Branch of the Spiritual Ability Society, Gu Wang, and his subordinates."

"Once Black Wuchang gets the registry, he will definitely contact these Fallen individuals to inherit the Eye of Deception Judge's legacy. Zhao Yingjun's undercover identity is crucial, and it is highly likely that he has already made contact with Black Wuchang. Therefore, Ou Xiangrong wanted to use Zhao Yingjun to find out the whereabouts of Black Wuchang."

This revelation left everyone stunned and their minds blank.

The Eye of Deception Judge was a high-level Spiritual Realm Walker, and such a formidable figure had actually died?

The impact of this information was enormous, even the usually composed Fu Qingyang seemed momentarily dazed.

In the suffocating silence, Fu Qingyang knocked on the table and furrowed his brow, saying, "The registry of the Eye of Deception Judge contains a large number of Fallen individuals. Black Wuchang took the registry and Holy Grail into hiding, and he cannot possibly take in all of the 'servants.' Individuals like Ou Xiangrong, mentally deranged lunatics, are not an exception."

Li Dongze wryly smiled, "So, it is a major event indeed."

The captains were filled with a heavy atmosphere.

Fu Qingyang continued, "Black Wuchang is hiding in Songhai. The following days in Songhai won't be peaceful. I will report this news to the Elder Council as soon as possible, so they can inform colleagues in various regions to be prepared for the uncontrolled Fallen individuals.

"Starting today, cancel everyone's holidays, keep your phones on 24/7, and be ready at any time."

The captains nodded with grave expressions.

Fu Qingyang's face remained serious as he said, "I must criticize all of you for being negligent, lax, and lacking vigilance in handling this matter."

Then his expression softened, "In the Ou Xiangrong case, Yuan Shi Tianzun made significant contributions, from killing Ou Xiangrong to asking the spirits and finding out about the Eye of Deception Judge's death. It was all his doing. A group of experienced veterans are not as good as a newcomer. As your superior, I feel ashamed."

Li Dongze and the others looked ashamed.

Huh? What? The one who killed the Transcendent Realm demon Ou Xiangrong was that newly promoted Night Wanderer?

Yuan Ting was stunned, looking around in disbelief before raising his hand. "Captain Fu, are you saying that Li Dongze's Level 1 Night Wanderer killed Ou Xiangrong?"

Li Dongze quietly straightened his chest and lifted his chin.

Big Muscle Man sighed, "That kid has extremely strong combat talent; his future achievements are limitless. He might even advance to the Saint Realm and become a steward-level figure."

Several captains nodded slightly, agreeing with him.

Captain Qingteng explained, "He was the first to discover Ou Xiangrong's whereabouts and decisively launched an attack. By the time we arrived, the battle had already ended. Although Ou Xiangrong was injured and his mind was mostly confused, it was still not easy to kill him."

What kind of genius is this... Yuan Ting was dumbfounded for a few seconds before feeling a heartache that made it difficult to breathe.

Elder Sun is really confused!

Fu Qingyang didn't let the topic continue and said calmly, "Let's adjourn."

Li Dongze and the others got up and left their seats one after another.

However, Yuan Ting didn't leave. After the captains exited the conference room, he suppressed the surging regret and frustration and spoke up, "Captain Fu, there's something I need your help with."

Fu Qingyang looked at him.

Yuan Ting explained, "During this gathering called by the Sect Master in the capital, a confidential piece of news was announced... the Demon Lord is dead."

Fu Qingyang was stunned, and then his sculpted handsome face showed a look of shock. Even the death of the Eye of Deception Judge hadn't caused such a strong emotional fluctuation in him.

The Demon Lord was an ID that terrified all official Spiritual Realm Walkers. He was a Fallen Night Wanderer, known for his cruel and bloodthirsty nature. His proficiency in assassination and concealment had led to the deaths of numerous Spiritual Realm Walkers.

During the peak of his madness, even the elders of the official organizations were cautious and afraid, not daring to reveal themselves in public.

The evil organizations detested him as well because the Demon Lord showed no mercy in killing, making no distinction between those from the righteous path and the evil path.

However, he disappeared from the scene early last year after a confrontation with the female marshal of the White Tiger Corps, who was at a higher level, resulting in a severe defeat.

Fu Qingyang's face turned solemn as he said, "The Demon Lord is dead... Are you sure about this news?"

Yuan Ting nodded, "Yes, the Sect Master announced it. He said that the Demon Lord was killed by a powerful force and won't be a threat anymore."

Fu Qingyang fell into deep thought, seemingly pondering something. Finally, he said, "Keep an eye on the situation. If there are any more updates, report them to me immediately."

Yuan Ting nodded gratefully, "Thank you, Captain Fu."

With that, Yuan Ting left the room, leaving Fu Qingyang to contemplate the implications of the Demon Lord's death. This information could have far-reaching consequences for the Spiritual Realm Walker world.

"And then?" Fu Qingyang regained his cold demeanor.

"Our Sect Master gave us a task to find the successor of the Demon Lord. Starting two months ago and until the end of this year, all newcomers who become Night Wanderers will be our candidates for screening," Yuan Ting explained.

Fu Qingyang furrowed his brow, "Even if someone gets lucky and obtains the Demon Lord's character card, they have no real connection with the Demon Lord. Why does your Sect Master want to find him? Don't tell me it's for his talents."

After a Spiritual Realm Walker dies, the Spiritual Realm will clear all the "data" related to that character and then search for a new owner for the character card.

When high-level Spiritual Realm Walkers fall and their character cards are formatted, some remnants may remain, offering certain privileges or special benefits. These character cards are naturally more powerful than regular ones.

However, Fu Qingyang didn't think this slight advantage would be enough to warrant the Sect Master of the Taiyi Sect taking such drastic measures. Even if it were the Demon Lord himself, his level would still be lower than that of the most powerful Night Wanderer in the world.

Yuan Ting shook his head, "I don't know either. I just follow orders. Among the newcomers promoted to Night Wanderers in Songhai this year, there were only four. One person died in the Spiritual Realm, two joined the Taiyi Sect and were sent to the training camp. The last one is the person under Li Dongze's command, and I want to have a conversation with him."

Fu Qingyang stared at Yuan Ting with sharp and profound brown eyes.

Yuan Ting met his gaze head-on.

"Alright, you can do that, but no matter what the outcome is, you must tell me first, and you're not allowed to take him to the capital without my permission."

.......

In front of his office desk, Zhang Yuanqing opened his computer and contemplated for a long time before calling out, "Sister Guan Ya, how should I write the report?"

Guan Ya kept brushing her script and replied indifferently, "Didn't I send you the template? Just follow that."

"It's not about the format, it's the content..." Zhang Yuanqing looked distressed.

He had to write a report about killing Ou Xiangrong, but what troubled him was that it would be difficult to describe the process of killing Ou Xiangrong convincingly without revealing the existence of the Red Dancing Shoes. After all, it couldn't be easily explained in just a few sentences.

"Oh, you're such a bother." Guan Ya turned her office chair gracefully and faced him, scolding, "What do you want to write?"

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Yuanqing said, "I want to reasonably emphasize how I relied on the aura of the King to intimidate Ou Xiangrong, and then, with extraordinary skills and a keen mind, I engaged in a battle of three hundred rounds, finally slaying this demon who nearly caused chaos in Songhai."

The mixed-blood elder sister rolled her eyes, "Instead of reasonably highlighting these non-existent things, why not reasonably lower Ou Xiangrong's intelligence? You showed great wit in the garage, so why act foolish now?"

Ah, right, Ou Xiangrong's mental state is already abnormal, and he's severely injured. The extent of his injuries is unknown to outsiders, so I can freely describe it. After all, he can't rise from the grave to defend himself... Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up.

"I understand now. Thank you, Sister Guan Ya."

He immediately started typing on the keyboard, describing Ou Xiangrong's madness and irrationality, while also making a decision on how to handle the "Bloodthirsty Blade."

The function of the Demon Suppression Staff leaned more towards purification and demon suppression rather than close combat. The Bloodthirsty Blade undoubtedly made up for this aspect. Its self-contained effects of bleeding and armor-piercing were a perfect match for the Night Wanderer's assassin attributes.

The only thing to consider was anemia.

When my experience value goes up and my abilities improve, the Night Wanderer's strong vitality and self-healing power should be able to support both items simultaneously... to suppress demons with the staff and slay villains with the blade. It sounds quite good... After completing the report, Zhang Yuanqing sent it to Li Dongze's email and asked, "When can I receive the rewards for clearing the She Ling Tunnel and this mission?"

"Your merits need approval from the Elder Council, and the fund transfer is also subject to the same process. It will probably be distributed together with next month's salary," Guan Ya said with a smile, "Why, in a hurry to treat big sister to a meal? Hmm, I want abalone, sea cucumber, roasted duck, imported ham, and prime steak..."

No, that's too expensive. I can only treat you to a pancake with a sausage and two eggs... Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.

Looking at the time, which was already half-past two in the afternoon, Zhang Yuanqing decided to head home.

"Where did the Chief and the other captains go?" he asked before leaving.

Upon learning about Ou Xiangrong's memories, Li Dongze hurriedly left with the other captains without leaving any explanations.

"They are having a meeting," Guan Ya replied, holding her phone and leaning back in her chair, showing off her proud career line. She smiled, "In the Kangyang District, large-scale meetings and mid-level meetings for Spiritual Realm Walkers are usually held by Captain Fu. Once you've been in the organization for over half a year and gain more experience, you'll get a chance to attend."

"What's so fun about meetings? I hate them the most," Zhang Yuanqing showed no interest.

Guan Ya blinked her eyes and revealed a seductive smile, "There are many beautiful bunny girls there."

Zhang Yuanqing looked fascinated, "I really want to participate in the organization's meetings early and contribute to the organization's development."