Damn it, the Phantom-Eyed Judge really was killed by the Demon Lord... Zhang Yuanqing's mind churned with a storm of emotions.
Although the theory that the Demon Lord killed the Phantom-Eyed Judge had originated from him, it had always been a bold hypothesis, lacking careful verification.
So when he first heard Fu Qingyang's firm assertion that the Fallen Holy Grail was influenced by the Demon Lord and that the Phantom-Eyed Judge was indeed killed by the Demon Lord, Zhang Yuanqing thought the centurion's judgment was overly confident, too hasty.
But now, after hearing the conversation, Zhang Yuanqing was convinced—the Phantom-Eyed Judge was definitely killed by the Demon Lord.
Even the link between Black Impermanence and the Dark Night Rose was because of the Demon Lord.
The cause and effect suddenly connected perfectly.
"The Dark Night Rose's influence has already infiltrated the steward level? Damn, the Five Elements Alliance is too massive—inevitably, ghosts and monsters are lurking. Brother Bing said not to trust the official channels too much, maybe this is part of the reason…"
"Why did the Demon Lord say his mission was to kill ten lawful professions every month? Where does this mission come from? Is it assigned by the Spiritual Realm? Is this why he fell, why he turned evil under the Taiyi Sect?"
In short, the Demon Lord was indeed entangled with the Phantom-Eyed Judge and Black Impermanence. So it made sense why Brother Bing wanted me to get the roster...
Zhang Yuanqing immediately considered whether he should subtly share these insights with Fu Qingyang.
This was undoubtedly a chance to make a great contribution and gain favor.
"No, it's unnecessary. The memories of the Rampaging Rogue already gave clues—I don't need to say anything more. Besides, if the Dark Night Rose can infiltrate such high ranks, can Fu Qingyang even be trusted? Let's put a question mark there first."
After waiting a moment, the Cat King speaker stopped playing any more audio.
He quickly wrapped the speaker in a thin blanket to muffle the sound, then slipped into bed.
"The Demon Lord experienced a Ming Dynasty-level dungeon. The characters in that dungeon rely on cultivation—that matches what I saw in the Three Paths Goddess Temple notes… If the Spiritual Realm is a parallel world, then we are 'system'-equipped outsiders, leveling up by completing missions?"
"So I'm not the only one who suspects secrets in the Spiritual Realm. The Demon Lord is a high-level Spiritual Realm traveler—wonder if he investigated further. The best method is to meet the Three Paths Goddess herself, but that old hag is terrifying."
"The Cat King speaker has recorded too many secrets and can give me a wealth of information beyond my clearance. By exploiting this information gap, I can control far more secrets and knowledge than other Spiritual Realm travelers…"
His thoughts spiraled outwards as he gradually slipped into dreams.
Morning.
In a lavish private room of the Huayu Hotel's restaurant, Xie Lingxi warmly received two distinguished guests—Xiahou Xin and Xiahou Tianyuan.
"Speaking of which, it's been years since I last saw Zhinu—you've grown even more enchanting."
Xiahou Xin sipped his coffee, then casually pulled a small mirror from thin air, the handle bronze, the mirror brass, about the size of a palm.
He smiled, "This is a gift from Uncle Shi—just a little gadget, nothing special. Think of it as a toy."
"Thank you, Uncle Shi." Xie Lingxi's eyes sparkled as she coquettishly said.
Xiahou Tianyuan beside her couldn't help but steal a few extra glances. He hadn't seen this girl for many years. The last time, she was still in middle school—delicate, a budding beauty, but still too young.
Yet, after these years, she had blossomed into a clear, ethereal beauty, speaking in a sweet, tender voice, bright eyes and pearly teeth, innocent and pure.
After the gift exchange, Xiahou Xin got straight to the point.
"Lingxi, I heard you came to Songhai to see the Master of the Kill Order?"
"Yes, I haven't seen Sister Gongzhang for a long time, so I came to visit her." Xie Lingxi nodded obediently.
Xiahou Xin nodded in approval, then asked gently, "Do you know where she is?"
Xie Lingxi shook her head, "After the fight with Grandpa Xiahou, she went into hiding. I don't know where she is."
Xiahou Xin was not surprised by the answer. Smiling faintly, he shifted the topic:
"You and Tianyuan are peers. You should get closer. Although Tianyuan isn't promising now, he's already level 3. Becoming a Saint is only a matter of time."
Xie Lingxi immediately put on a look of admiration, hands clasped, eyes sparkling with stars:
"Brother Tianyuan is so amazing."
Xiahou Tianyuan was stunned. He had seen many women's flattery and fawning, but this pure admiration was like a naïve little girl admiring the boy next door—so beautiful, so sincere.
He couldn't help but feel a little lightheaded.
Xie Lingxi changed the subject:
"I heard there's a young genius in the Five Elements Alliance named Yuanshi Tianzun."
Xiahou Tianyuan's expression darkened. Without reason, a surge of anger arose from feeling his glory stolen away. He glanced at his father, then casually replied:
"Passing through two level dungeons does show some skill."
Xie Lingxi smiled at him knowingly:
"I believe Brother Tianyuan is stronger than him."
After breakfast, the Xiahou father and son left.
Once they were gone, Xie Lingxi's innocent and sweet expression faded into seriousness.
Did Tianyuan and Brother Yuanshi have a conflict? Hmm, at least something unpleasant happened...
A few days ago, Brother Yuanshi called to ask about the Xiahou family. She found it strange—if it was just curiosity, a little digging inside the Five Elements Alliance would suffice.
Some basic info could be found easily, enough to satisfy curiosity. So why ask her?
That's why she tested Tianyuan earlier. With his arrogant personality and her subtly musical flattery, he probably felt on top of the world. But when she praised Brother Yuanshi, Xiahou Tianyuan immediately controlled his temper.
They must have had a conflict, and the Xiahou family didn't want others to know. After all, Brother Yuanshi had merits—ah, was he bullied by Xiahou Tianyuan?
Xie Lingxi was just thinking about whether to call and sympathize with her brother when her female assistant said:
"Miss, they just used a lie detector to test you."
Xie Lingxi hummed, "Go find out if the Xiahou family and Brother Yuanshi have had a conflict. Check the reason."
"Yes, Miss!"
In the elevator, Xiahou Tianyuan grinned:
"This girl is getting prettier and prettier. Dad, I want to marry her. Can you propose to the Xie family for me?"
Xiahou Tianyuan's nature differed from his brother Xiahou Tianwen's. The latter's debauchery was about womanizing; the former's problem was his personality—arrogant, domineering, and tyrannical.
Xiahou Xin pondered:
"Your third aunt is a distant branch of the Xie family. She can probe for information. With your talent, you're a perfect match for her."
The father and son said no more. After exiting the elevator, flanked by bodyguards, they entered the car.
Xiahou Xin looked ahead and spoke about business:
"That girl really doesn't know where the Master of the Kill Order is hiding. Maybe she has a way to contact her, but it's not important now. We can't force the Xie family's eldest daughter. The clues to the other Kill Order members are also cut off. You've trained with me for a while—what are your thoughts?"
Like officially searching for Black Impermanence by fishing in a sea of needles, the Xiahou family's search for the Kill Order leader was equally difficult.
Finding a high-level Spiritual Realm traveler in the vast sea of people was extremely hard. The opponent had many ways to evade detection in reality.
Xiahou Tianyuan smiled:
"No matter how powerful a Spiritual Realm traveler is, as long as we figure out their reality's foundation, we can make her obedient. The Xie family has contact with her. They must know her identity in reality and who she cares about."
"We can't get to the Xie family core members, but we can bribe ordinary members to spy for us."
Xiahou Xin glanced at his son. Compared to the eldest, he preferred the younger. Although arrogant and unruly, his lack of restraint meant he wasn't limited by rules.
From childhood, Xiahou Xin saw this advantage in Tianyuan and indulged him, occasionally disciplining him, and felt he had raised him well.
Xiahou Tianyuan had indeed not disappointed him. Many talented youths existed in the family, but when push came to shove, Xiahou Tianyuan would never be the one bullied.
With more training, once he mastered the right measure of "arrogance," his achievements would surpass eldest brother Xiahou Tianwen.
"Anything else?" Xiahou Xin asked.
"Of course." Xiahou Tianyuan touched his silver earring and sneered:
"That Wang Qian guy is hiding, but his family can't. His relatives and friends can't either. I'll hire someone to run over his family with a car as a warning. He'll come out naturally."
Xiahou Xin shook his head:
"Too extreme. This isn't our territory. It'll draw the Five Elements Alliance's interference."
Xiahou Tianyuan seemed to expect this response and proposed a second plan:
"Then kidnap his family, catch but don't kill. When we bait Wang Qian out, we release them. The Five Elements Alliance won't flip on us."
Xiahou Xin frowned slightly:
"Execute both plans."
He said no more and stared out the window with worry furrowing his brow.
That woman could trace the Xiahou family—someone powerful must be behind it.
This matter was tricky. Even extreme methods needed to be tried.
Xie Lingxi changed into workout clothes, stretching her willow-like figure by the window. She planned to work out in the hotel gym for half an hour.
No choice—she'd been eating too much recently: big meals, desserts after dinner. As a transcendent-level musician, her physical improvements were limited. Without regular exercise, she risked gaining weight.
Of course, gaining weight wasn't necessarily bad—she just feared the wrong places would grow.
Xie Lingxi glanced down at her uncooperative small chest and comforted herself:
"This is better for battle anyway—big-chested women die faster..."
Just then, her assistant, dressed in a suit and skirt, pushed the door open:
"Miss, we just found out the Xiahou family contacted Yuanshi Tianzun. A member of the Kill Order is his informant. The Xiahou family hopes Yuanshi Tianzun can help lure out that member."
"But there shouldn't have been any conflict between them."
Xie Lingxi frowned deeply at the first part but broke into a smile at the latter:
"Looks like after Brother Yuanshi rejected them, the Xiahou family tried behind the scenes. Hand me the phone—I want to sympathize with my brother. He must've gotten beaten up by Xiahou Tianyuan."
The assistant went to the bedside, unplugged the phone charger, and while walking to the floor-to-ceiling window said:
"There's one more thing—from last night."