Chapter 125: Disappearance

****

Upon hearing the question from Three Paths Mountain Goddess, a dense aura of darkness surged briefly.

The goddess leaned in to listen for a few seconds, her expression darkening slightly. She said, "He has visited the Golden Water Amusement Park, and you missed him."

She seemed somewhat angry.

The Ghost Bride bowed once again and continued to speak.

Three Paths Mountain Goddess' expression eased a bit, and she pondered, "You're saying he has had three opportunities to summon you, and now only one chance remains. If he calls upon you again, you will fetch the Demon-Sealing Staff for me?"

The Ghost Bride gently shook her head.

"Very well, since you can't open the storage artifacts of people like him, we'll do this. I will leave a trace of my divine consciousness within you. If he summons you again, I will immediately sense it."

The Ghost Bride suddenly knelt down.

Three Paths Mountain Goddess then wore a stern expression, "You've requested that I don't harm him. Is he your husband? Hmph, I operate in my own way; there's no need for your interference."

Soon after, she softened her expression and added, "I am a legitimate deity bestowed with authority by the imperial court, not one of those unruly members of dark cults."

The Ghost Bride then rose and silently conveyed her message.

Three Paths Mountain Goddess contemplated for a while, her beautiful eyes brightening.

"You're saying that on that night, you discovered a purer form of solar energy than what I possess? Unfortunately, you were blocked from the physical world at that time. Did you get a clear look at that person? Very well, draw his image for me."

In an instant, several small ghosts brought over brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, setting them nervously at the Ghost Bride's feet.

The brush began to move on its own, dipping into ink and swiftly sketching on the paper. After a few minutes, the image of a young man emerged. His features were ordinary, with a faint smile, an appearance of vitality, and hidden depths of hardship in his eyes.

Three Paths Mountain Goddess stared at it for a few seconds, memorizing the man's appearance, then waved her sleeve, causing the paper to burst into golden flames and turn to ashes.

She turned her gaze towards the deep night sky, pondering for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"When I saw him in the temple that day, I sensed that his destiny was tumultuous and entangled with karma. Truly intriguing."

Late at night, in a suburban area, in a certain hotel.

Li Xianzong stood by the window, holding an old-fashioned mobile phone, patiently listening to the voice coming from it:

"In some time, a new Mist Lord will arrive in Songhai and establish a secret foundation. The death of Tian Ling Ling was all because of you. The organization temporarily suspends its pursuit of you. If you can advance to the rank of Saint in the mid-year slaughter mission, your slate will be wiped clean."

The voice sounded relatively young with a smoky tone, quite magnetic.

Li Xianzong asked softly, "Lord of the Evil Eye, is the Stop Killing Palace Master a survivor of the Chu family's massacre twenty-one years ago? Who was responsible for that massacre?"

The Lord of the Evil Eye chuckled, "It wasn't me. These days, I received information that some followers from the Northern Territory died at the hands of that woman. She has come to the north and likely gathered a lot of information from Tian Ling Ling."

Li Xianzong was surprised, then sneered, "She's just a novice Sovereign-class professional. Does she dare seek revenge against a Tianwang (heavenly king)? She doesn't know her place."

The Lord of the Evil Eye smiled, "I don't care about that. I'm more concerned about when your Multi-Spirit Realm mission will arrive."

Li Xianzong replied, "Within ten days."

"Once you complete the Multi-Spirit Realm mission and your experience points reach Level 3 Peak, you will truly enter the strongest elite stage. By the way, how is the talent of the Primordial True Lord in Songhai?"

"Lord of the Evil Eye, you don't need to worry about such a minor character. The Primordial True Lord has some items and a bit of cleverness, but he's indeed a rookie. You can rest assured that within half a month, you will receive news that I have successfully hunted down the Primordial True Lord in Songhai."

At that moment, Li Xianzong heard the innocent laughter of a child on the phone:

"Uncle, Uncle, let's play!"

The Lord of the Evil Eye then said, "Let's end it here."

Li Xianzong respectfully said, "Understood."

End of the call.

In a remote county in the north, in the suburbs of an inn.

Under the brilliant sunlight, a young man was distributing candies, snacks, storybooks, and plush toys to the children in the modest courtyard of the welfare institution. The children ranged from five to ten years old, dressed simply, with cheerful and innocent smiles on their sun-kissed faces.

The young man, around twenty-six years old, had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and thin lips. He had a good appearance and was dressed in a black T-shirt, black sportswear, and a black headband around his forehead.

He exuded a sunny and cheerful aura.

The director of the institution was a middle-aged woman with gentle features and a kind demeanor. She walked out of the building, entered the shade of the trees, and smiled, "Mr. Yang, you're here?"

The young man replied with a sound of agreement, "Yes. Has the overdue subsidy from above been released?"

The director sighed, "It's finally been released. It's quite a coincidence; I heard that the leader from the Civil Affairs Department mysteriously disappeared, apparently fleeing with embezzled funds. The new leader immediately approved the overdue subsidies for us."

The young man's smile brightened, "That's great, that's great!"

The director suggested, "Mr. Yang, why don't you have lunch with the children in the cafeteria at noon?"

The female director took over the management of this welfare institution this year. She originally didn't want to take the job because the previous directors always mysteriously disappeared, and there had been several of them in a row. However, her superiors told her that if she stayed here for three years, she could transfer to the city.

For someone without connections like her, it seemed like she had no choice.

After coming to this welfare institution, the female director had diligently spent half a year, completely transforming the place. The children here were pure and obedient, staying away from the office disputes, intrigues within the system, and she had also met Mr. Yang, who was full of compassion.

Mr. Yang had been silently contributing to the welfare institution long before she arrived. He regularly brought snacks, toys, played with the children, and the kids all liked him.

"Director, you must be busy. I'll take the children to fly kites." The young man smiled brightly.

The female director nodded and instructed the children to listen to Uncle Yang. Then, she turned and went back into the building.

The young man gathered the children and brought them to the lawn outside the welfare institution. He gently touched the children's heads and asked:

"Do you like the new director?"

"Yes, we like her!"

"Do you find the food in the cafeteria tasty? Does she scold you? Does she provide you with clothes regularly?"

After patiently listening to the children's answers to all the questions, the young man nodded in satisfaction and smiled:

"Remember, if you ever stop liking the director, make sure to tell Uncle."

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Zhang Yuanqing continuously threw punches at Guan Ya, at times advancing, at times retreating, at times dodging, primarily using straight and hook punches with elbows and arms as supplementary techniques.

After a week of intense training (getting beaten up), his combat skills had improved significantly, and he could withstand Guan Ya's strong attacks for three minutes without defeat.

In Jing Wei's words: "I didn't expect you to be a martial arts prodigy."

Unfortunately, his training was still short, and he didn't know how to utilize the power of his lower body effectively. He was only at a basic level when it came to using his legs.

"You're making rapid progress," Guan Ya dodged Zhang Yuanqing's hook punch effortlessly and kicked him in the chest. She said, "But don't get too proud. Novices experience a leap in skill after entering the door, but further improvement becomes more challenging."

"What should I do then?"

Zhang Yuanqing staggered backward but regained his balance and launched a series of rapid punches up close.

Guan Ya dodged effortlessly and said, "Under normal circumstances, there are three paths to follow: First, strength training to make your physique stronger, which can compensate for your lack of technique. Second, learning martial arts techniques to understand your body better. Third, extensive practical combat experience."

"Well, theoretically, there's a fourth path."

Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up, and he slowed down his attack. "Tell me about it."

Guan Ya smiled:

"The fourth path is to provoke your opponent, incite their emotions, make them lose their rationality, and turn them into a mindless brute who only uses brute force. You're an expert at this, and you've figured it out on your own."

"You mean taunting, right?" Zhang Yuanqing's eyes sparkled.

Guan Ya's expression turned serious, "If you use the 'Dragon Claw Strike' on me again, I won't go easy on you."

"Don't worry, I won't use it this time. I'll use the 'Black Tiger Seizes the Heart' technique!"

"Wham!" Guan Ya executed a spinning roundhouse kick, sending him flying.

Three hours later, Zhang Yuanqing, with a bruised and swollen face, left the combat room. He dragged his tired body to the shower, took off his training attire, and changed into his regular clothes.

He then headed to the first-floor dining hall and enjoyed the meal prepared by Rabbit Girl.

Realizing that he hadn't checked the official forum for a few days due to his intense martial arts training, he took out his phone and logged in.

The first thing that caught his eye were three highlighted posts:

- "#Fire Prince and Gluttony God, fierce battle in the outskirts of Jingcheng, inconclusive result."

- "#Unshakable Vajra, solo battle against two executive members of the Spirit Power Association, the enemy couldn't break through after prolonged attacks, had no choice but to retreat."

- "#Taiyi Sect's Spirit Corpse Executive, killed A-rank wanted criminal 'Hand of the Ghost God' yesterday, celebrated achievements from the Five Elements Alliance Saints."

"These past few days have been quite eventful. Battles involving Saint-tier practitioners must have caused quite a stir. I wonder why Grandpa hasn't mentioned any incidents in particular; he usually watches the news every day."张元清 carefully read the three highlighted posts, thinking that official forums were always buzzing with formidable experts.

As Zhang Yuanqing continued scrolling down, he came across a post that caught his attention:

"#Taiyi Sect's Yuan Ting's whereabouts unknown, suspected to be summoned by the sect's elders."

He muttered to himself, "Oh, Elder Sun has ventured into a dungeon. Captain Yuan, rest in peace. I'll burn paper money for you. Amen, may there be no Elder Sun in heaven." Zhang Yuanqing quietly drew a cross on his chest.

As he scrolled further, the tone of the posts changed dramatically. While Saint-tier practitioners dominated the official announcements, it seemed that the evil organizations were winning in the Transcendent-tier stage.

In just a short ten minutes of scrolling, he found at least six or seven reports of Level 3 Team Captains being hunted down by the evil organizations.

At the top of the Transcendent-tier bounty list, "A-One," was on a hunt against a Level 4 executive member in the local area.

"It seems that in the Transcendent-tier stage, our lawful camp is indeed weaker than the evil camp."

"We need to be extremely cautious when going out now and avoid traveling alone."

"Our Captain was attacked yesterday and severely injured. We really need a major victory in the Transcendent-tier stage."

"What are you thinking upstairs? Even the Taiyi Sect's Yuan Ting, who cleared two S-ranked dungeons in a row, has been intimidated into hiding like a turtle."

Zhang Yuanqing sighed, feeling frustrated that he couldn't escape the teasing. He coughed a few times and changed the subject, "Guan Ya, our colleagues in the Transcendent-tier stage have suffered significant losses."

Guan Ya, holding a plate of steak, sat across from him. She had just showered, and her hair was still wet. She wore no makeup, revealing her natural beauty.

Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but admire her bare face, thinking that calling her "exquisite" was an understatement.

"Don't look at me like that. Every time you look at me, I remember your 'Black Tiger Seizes the Heart' and 'Dragon Claw Strike,'" Guan Ya gritted her teeth.

"Well, I'm just worried that one day you might forget how to speak properly," Zhang Yuanqing replied.

"Oh, and how far have you and Xie Lingxi progressed? Have you turned her into a 'little virgin' yet?" Guan Ya teased.

Zhang Yuanqing's face turned red.

At this moment, footsteps echoed from the staircase. Team Captains like Big Muscle, Li Dongze, Bai Long, Boxing King, and Tang Guoqiang descended the stairs with serious expressions.

Zhang Yuanqing put down his knife and fork and went to greet them, asking, "What's going on?"

Fu Qingyang wouldn't call for a meeting without a reason.

Li Dongze leaned on his cane and sighed, "Three members from our Kangyang district have gone missing, and there are more casualties in other districts. We've already lost ten members."

"Missing?" Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brows. "Were they hunted down by evil practitioners?"

Big Muscle snorted, "No, they were abducted by Li Xianzong. He left a message at every crime scene."

Fire Master, who stood at 1.9 meters tall, looked at Zhang Yuanqing and said, "He said, 'Yuan Shi Tianzun, your time will come.'"

Zhang Yuanqing's face darkened.

Repeated provocations had started to anger him.

"Once I grow stronger, this guy will become a black mark in his history."

Qingting, who had a gentle personality, changed the subject, saying in a low voice, "We don't know his motive for abducting official practitioners yet. We're afraid he might be planning a second wave of terror attacks."

That's why Fu Qingyang had called this meeting.

Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but worry that Li Xianzong might have the abilities of a witchdoctor, turning those practitioners into puppets and using them to encircle him.

Bai Long frowned and said angrily, "Li Xianzong has gone too far. He's made my subordinates uneasy."

Li Dongze added, "We need to capture him as soon as possible. If this drags on, it will damage the reputation of our branch. There are already posts about this incident on the forums."

"But aren't our members' information kept confidential?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.

Tang Guoqiang shook his head, "Investigating someone's whereabouts doesn't always require information. It can also be done through tracking. We need to handle this matter because we have work to do, and during the process, we might be exposed, leading to tracking."

Li Dongze didn't continue the topic and said, "Yuan Shi, you should enter the dungeon soon."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded, "Just a few more days."

(End of this chapter)

------------

PS. Do you know the song "This Poor Love Song" By: Sture Zetterberg ?

Lately, that song is my stress free song. Maybe, you want to hear it, too :)

His quite handsome hihi.