Free Web NovelThe illusion gradually dissipated, and under the strong stimulation of fear, some memory fragments emerged in Fang Ji's mind.
He was indeed a Night Watch operative.
Half a month ago, the Plague Tai Sui sealed zone was suspected of being attacked by the Miracle Order, suffering considerable damage. He and operatives from surrounding cities who came to support formed a five-person team and participated in the repair work of the seal.
At that time, one damaged point was located deep within the sealed zone. The danger coefficient for repairing it was extremely high, and for a time, no one was willing to go. Only their five-person team volunteered to go deep into the sealed zone for repairs.
Some things, someone always has to do them.
What happened after that, he still couldn't recall. He only remembered that when he woke up inside the sealed zone, only he was left from the five-person team, heavily injured and critically ill.
Then...
He encountered a figure wrapped in golden light, who, like him, was already clinging to half a life.
That figure extended an invitation to him, inviting him to share life. Afterward, he inexplicably appeared in Qianqiu Town.
The question "Who am I?" which had lingered in Fang Ji's heart for a long time, was finally answered. However, more questions, like bamboo shoots after rain, popped up in his mind.
holy relic... what is it?
And what is the conspiracy hidden behind it?
After I shared life with that figure, why did I inexplicably feel close to Lu Yibei? frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
The impact of fear on his nerves, the pain brought by the emergence of memory fragments, and the multitude of questions disturbing his thoughts... Soon, Fang Ji couldn't hold on and fell into a coma again.
----
6:37 AM, the back mountain of Da Chunyang Palace.
The sky wind had blown away the thin mist that had accumulated overnight. The beautiful mountains revealed their forms, verdant peaks like cut jade, azure clouds piled like caves, and the sky was tinged with the unique, indistinct gray of pre-dawn.
Although it was early summer at this moment, and dawn would arrive a bit earlier, since the night had become long, even in summer, one would have to wait until at least after 7:30 AM to see the sky completely brighten.
Inside Lan Yue Cave, the candlelight that had flickered all night had extinguished.
Zhang Huainan sat at his desk, propping his head with one hand. The indistinct pre-dawn light cast a few rays on the desk. He stared at the long-silent Paper Cicada Immortal on the desk, his brows tightly furrowed, feeling vexed.
Why on earth would someone treat an old man like this!
This old man, I am really going to get angry!
At this moment, someone ascended the winding mountain path outside the back mountain cave, walking towards Lan Yue Cave. Their light footsteps brushed against the plants beside the path, and dewdrops fell to the soil.
From a considerable distance away, Zhang Huainan keenly caught the subtle sounds coming from the other end. He slightly furrowed his brow, and a few seconds later, he heard the copper ring outside Lan Yue Cave being knocked.
"Dong dong dong—!"
"Disciple Qingxia Zi, greetings to Sect Leader, I have important matters to report."
Qingxia Zi? Zhang Huainan glanced towards the cave entrance, straightened his body, and calmly said, "Mm, since it's an important matter, come in and tell me in detail!"
Having said that, he reached out and picked up the Paper Cicada Immortal from the desk, casually putting it into the wide sleeve of his Daoist robe. Just then, he suddenly noticed the mobile phones, snacks, happy water, and other items scattered on the desk, and his aged eyes trembled.
"Wait..." Zhang Huainan called out softly towards the cave entrance with a nervous expression, but it was already too late.
Qingxia Zi had already entered Lan Yue Cave.
The air conditioner was blowing, the luxurious massage chair, high-end computer, several mobile phones placed in the cave, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) the pile of novels and comics haphazardly stacked on the desk, the wide variety of snacks, the half-drunk happy water... everything, in that instant, was reflected in her eyes.
She stood frozen at the entrance, seeing the scene inside the not-too-big, not-too-small cave chamber. She was taken aback, and then a sense of realization dawned in her heart.
It had been over five years since she last came to Lan Yue Cave. She hadn't expected such a drastic change to have occurred in Lan Yue Cave over these past five years.
No wonder Sect Leader has been increasingly fond of going into seclusion recently!
Just as Qingxia Zi was muttering to herself, the water vapor around her suddenly thickened. Immediately afterward, a strong suction force struck, instantly pulling her to Zhang Huainan's side.
"Qingxia Zi, Martial Uncle, I haven't treated you badly on a daily basis, have I?"
Hearing Zhang Huainan call her name directly, Qingxia Zi instantly realized the seriousness of the matter and quickly said, "Martial Uncle Sect Leader, please rest assured, what this disciple saw today, I will absolutely not mention to anyone else!"
"Hey, don't be nervous!" Zhang Huainan turned to look at Qingxia Zi, smiling with narrowed eyes. "You also know the results of this old man's previous divinations regarding the Secret Society. These things are just something this old man took for research on a whim."
"But you are absolutely right about one thing. Such a small matter is not worth mentioning to outsiders!"
Telling me not to be nervous, why don't you first disperse the Spiritual Energy fluctuations you've imposed on me! Qingxia Zi muttered inwardly, composed herself, bowed slightly to Zhang Huainan, and brought the topic back to the main point.
"Martial Uncle Sect Leader, the important matter I just mentioned is precisely related to the Secret Society."
"Oh?" Zhang Huainan's slightly narrowed eyes suddenly opened, a strange light flashing in them. He pressed, "Continue."
"Yes!" Qingxia Zi responded, and then recounted the detailed content of the information Hua Sang sent her to Zhang Huainan. freewebnøvel.coɱ
"...That is how the matter unfolded. Elder Wang, who was on duty at Chen Yi Hotel, has already gone for an on-site inspection. The current situation is relatively stable. I have already organized a group of disciples to be on standby and will lead them to the scene shortly."
"You said Lu Yibei is trapped inside?" Zhang Huainan pressed.
"Uh, yes, but that's just Hua Sang's guess, it hasn't been confirmed yet." Qingxia Zi replied.
"..."
No wonder Gu Qianqian hasn't responded to me for so long. If something happened to Lu Yibei and she rushed to support her, then it makes sense!
Presumably, the two of them are now trapped together...
Speaking of which, this kid Lu Yibei stirred up such big news in just one night? Truly worthy of being Senior Brother Qingji's descendant!
Thinking of this, Zhang Huainan nodded, stood up, and said to Qingxia Zi, "Qingxia Zi, go back and tell the disciples to disperse?"
"They practiced all day yesterday, and making them rush out again this early morning is quite tiring."
Hearing this, Qingxia Zi looked puzzled, "But Martial Uncle Sect Leader..."
"Don't worry!" Zhang Huainan patted Qingxia Zi's shoulder with a smile, "This old man plans to go personally!"
"The perpetrator of a Spiritual Energy attack incident with a Spiritual Energy fluctuation level of at least A+, who is also suspected of controlling a God Kingdom, ordinary disciples going there won't be of much help and might even be in danger if they are not careful."
"Later, after the disciples have rested, finished their morning class, and eaten breakfast, you can bring them over to handle the follow-up matters."
Hearing Zhang Huainan say this, Qingxia Zi breathed a sigh of relief, bowed slightly, and said, "This disciple understands!"
Black Emperor Zhang Huainan, the strongest Psychic of the Night Watch. With him personally taking action, where is there any room for petty villains to cause trouble? Qingxia Zi thought.
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On the other side, deep within Chi Li Hall, in the independent studio exclusively used by Gu He, or rather, Hu Chuan.
The lights were off in the room. The Alchemy equipment on the console flickered with various Shimmer, painting the dimly lit space with bizarre and motley colors.
Deep inside the room, Hu Chuan was kneeling in front of a huge full-length mirror, his upper body bare, his expression pained. His body was convulsing and twitching, and he continuously let out low moans.
On his chest, a scar in the shape of a human face struggled and writhed, opening its mouth in a silent scream. Along with the writhing, the skin on his chest gradually tore, and blood gushed out, as if something could burst out of his body at any moment.
Heterogeneous Spiritual Energy carrying strong negative emotions intertwined and tumbled within his body, transforming into the most primitive pain, constantly tormenting his consciousness.
That human face had elongated cheeks and a hint of malevolence between its brows. If Lu Yibei were here, she would definitely be able to tell that the face bore some resemblance to Zhang Shuo.
Yes, just as he told Lu Yibei, Zhang Shuo did not truly die. Instead, he was made into an "item" and sealed within his body.
Only in this way could he establish a connection with Zhang Shuo's consciousness, constantly feel that Zhang Shuo was still alive, clearly feel the pain of living death that Zhang Shuo was experiencing, and enjoy the immense pleasure this process brought him.
What's more, doing this also allowed him to completely control the six types of Spirit Marks held by Zhang Shuo.
That's right, Zhang Shuo held six types of Spirit Marks, not the four types described in the intelligence gathered by the Monster Story Chat Group.
In fact, Zhang Shuo was only a little bit away from being able to hold a seventh or even more types of Spirit Marks, just a little bit... if he could find the unformed Spirit Mark hidden years ago by that defected Night Watch operative.
Unfortunately, he encountered Hu Chuan, this unexpected factor.
Hu Chuan lied when communicating with Lu Yibei. He wasn't repeatedly infiltrating various Spiritual Energy organizations because of Zhang Shuo's pursuit. Instead, he was being directed by him to constantly search for the unformed Spirit Mark that Zhang Shuo had accidentally lost back then.
However, Zhang Shuo had never imagined that in the process of directing Hu Chuan to infiltrate various Psychic organizations to find that unformed Spirit Mark, Hu Chuan would seize the opportunity to counter-kill him.
For a long time after being made into an "item," Zhang Shuo's remaining consciousness was dormant. However, Hu Chuan's previous ordinary contact with "Gu Qianqian" seemed to give him a glimmer of hope to break free from control or end his life, thus leading to this unprecedented struggle.
"Hehe, hahaha..." Under the constant invasion of pain, Hu Chuan suddenly started laughing. His laughter actually seemed to carry a hint of enjoyment. "Zhang Shuo, after all this time, you still haven't given up?"
"Struggle, keep struggling! The later you give up, the more torment you suffer, and the happier I will be... Ha, hahaha!"
"You thought Gu Qianqian would be your life-saving straw? No, no one in this world can save you!"
After a long time, Zhang Shuo's remaining consciousness seemed to finally give up struggling, and the human face on Hu Chuan's chest also stopped writhing.
Clearly feeling the despair and anger transmitted by Zhang Shuo's remaining consciousness, Hu Chuan sneered, "Heh, is that the end? I thought this time, you could bring me more joy. What a pity!"
"But don't worry, as long as I am still alive, you will never find release."
As he spoke, he reached out from the console beside him, picked up a rag, and nonchalantly wiped away the blood gushing from the torn scar on his chest, then casually threw it aside, preparing to continue observing the progress of the Secret Society members intercepting and killing "Gu Qianqian" through the item.
Just then, he suddenly noticed the message An Qi sent him. After reading the message, he closed his eyes and sensed her presence through the "item" held by the girl with the diamond ring, and then his expression darkened.
"A bunch of idiots! I have to personally take action for something like this!"
As his voice fell, his mind moved, and the items throughout the entire residential area were simultaneously awakened, commencing the hunt...
