The spirit flowed like a flood of memories, sweeping across Zhang Yuanqing's consciousness, revealing fragmented scenes of the brief lives of the two spiritual practitioners. Indeed, these were the most vivid and memorable moments of their lives. After death, the spirit became fragmented, and the memory images likewise incomplete—only the most profound experiences, and those close in time to death, were preserved. One of the practitioners, the one known as the "cockroach," had once been a dedicated police officer who, in his youth, was full of passion and determined to fight gambling and drug-related corruption, holding a steadfast attitude toward Huang. Over time, however, he discovered that his superiors were part of the protection umbrella and his colleagues were complicit. Refusing to compromise, he was falsely accused and imprisoned. In prison, he underwent a profound transformation, ultimately abandoning his morals and sense of justice, embracing darkness and becoming a master of witchcraft and pestilence. "So one must learn to blend with the light," Zhang Yuanqing suddenly recalled the words of Sun Zhi, the psychological counselor from Songhai Branch. Those who are overly passionate often undergo such a transformation—once their beliefs crumble, they swiftly darken and fall into ruin, more completely than anyone else. Yet unlike those who blend with the light and remain unobtrusive, they have experienced darkness and achieved mental clarity, thus becoming more resolute and stable. "But blending with the light doesn't suit my personality," Zhang Yuanqing murmured to himself, continuing to absorb the fragments of the spiritual essence. A few seconds later, he fully absorbed the memory fragments, beaming with satisfaction. He uncovered several key pieces of information: first, the spiritual energy society has six bases—five of them, excluding the major ones where a master is stationed, have gathered a significant number of underworld criminal organizations under its control. Second, indeed, traces of the冥王have been found. A transcendent member of the spiritual energy society had reported to the mouse people that unusual phenomena had appeared on the western slopes of one of the bases. Several prisoners assigned to investigate the environment had entered the deep mountains and gone missing, only to be found unconscious, nearly dying—due to several days without water or food. This confirms that the冥王has appeared, and indeed, his state of deep sleep remains his vulnerability. The冥王, being new to the region, has chosen to settle in the deep forests to mitigate his professional limitations (the cost), and thus, his prolonged sleep remains Unfortunately, the King of the Underworld should have already awakened and departed. This memory dates back three days; due to the recent occurrence, it hasn't faded yet and is still preserved by the residual spirits. "The King of the Underworld will next enter sleep after seven days. If there's a widespread phenomenon of living beings falling into sleep, we should be able to use military satellites to track him and seek assistance from Fu Qingyang... " Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up. It now makes sense why the King of the Underworld was driven to such a desperate situation, having to penetrate the continent. The free-federal spy satellites are among the best in the world—capable of observing any location at will. Every time the King enters sleep, he would have to travel long distances to relocate his base, otherwise he would inevitably be detected by the satellites. "Hmm, but if he's deep in the mountains or forests, even if animals begin to fall into sleep, the forest itself could conceal him. Satellites might not be able to pinpoint his exact location. Still, having some clues is better than none—at least we know where he was three days ago. Tomorrow, I'll head to the western hills. If he leaves behind any DNA traces, that He pulled out his phone and dialed Kou Beiyue's number. The call connected on the second ring, and a drowsy voice came through the speaker: "What are you doing this late at night?" Clearly, she had been woken up by the phone ringing. "I need to ask you something," Zhang Yuanqing said. "Do you know much about this human wanderer?" "Not really. He once knocked me down." "Sounds like you've never been knocked over yourself." "You..." Kou Beiyue gritted her teeth before calmly responding, "I only know he's from a smaller province, from a rural area—well, actually, he's an orphan, I think. He's rather odd, self-centered, and not very likable." "Stop always saying 'rural area'—you're just a native of a prefectural city yourself. Where's your sense of superiority? In my eyes, everyone across the country is just a farmer. I haven't even heard a word from the people of Songhai." Zhang Yuanqing spoke with the tone of a father lecturing his son. The eight precious provinces came here—turns out, this is his hometown after all... Zhang Yuanqing paused, "Do you think he's reliable? Might he have quietly declined already? I remember during the Dharma Discourse Gathering, his inner self was deeply distorted, intensely bloodthirsty." Evil-aligned professions are inherently evil; even those who strive for goodness face a higher likelihood of falling than orderly ones. A single external shock might be enough to trigger their decline. In a border region teeming with criminals, such decline is all too common. "Master Yuan Shi, don't you dare insult my friends!" Kou Beiyue erupted in anger. "Say it again!" "Master Yuan Shi, don't you dare—what you say may be valid, but I'd like to explain a few points." "Very well, I'll give you the chance." Kou Beiyue said, "I don't know him well, but Master Wuhen's teachings effectively resolve inner resentment and attachments. Regardless of whether he had already declined before, he certainly hasn't now." "Understood!" Zhang Yuanqing hung up the phone. "Oh—right! Xiao Yuan said you're working on mechanical engineering. Could you—uh—could I perhaps try it out for you?" Kou Beiyue still couldn't quite face asking directly, so she softened her request. After saying this, she waited in silence for Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun's reply, only to find when she looked at her phone screen that she was furious. "Hang up? What's wrong with him? Does he think I'm just something he uses and then throws away?" Kou Beiyue's legs kicked wildly as she lay in bed, furious. "Alright, then, Miss!" Zhang Yuanqing said with a sigh. "Perfect, Brother—whatever you say!" Xie Lingxi beamed warmly. "Just don't climb onto my bed in the middle of the night," the Queen chuckled, eyeing the bed with a hint of envy—she'd also wanted that spot, but the girl had already claimed it. Anni opened her suitcase and pulled out a stack of skincare products, nightgowns, disposable towels, and toiletries, among others. Women valued refinement, and the more beautiful a woman was, the more she insisted on it. Zhang Yuanqing lay on the bed, propping his hands under his head, and asked, "Now, tell me—what have you found out?" "It's a run-down small county, economically struggling, but with a growing number of drug addicts," the Queen began. "We visited bars and nightclubs, and found many people using drugs, as well as frequent petty thefts—the security and overall atmosphere feel like the 1980s or 1990s." "That's typical for a border city," Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "There should be quite a number of transcendental-stage Lingjing travelers. We visited six nightclubs, and three of them had Lingjing travelers on duty." Xie Lingxi continued. "You've had an incident, haven't you?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. Transcendental-stage Lingjing travelers don't stand out much when they're not displaying their abilities—at least, they're not visually distinguishable from ordinary people. "No incident at all," Xie replied. "With our beauty, just walking through a nightclub is enough to attract a crowd of admirers. It's only some unlucky person who fails to notice us." The queen gestured to her full, tall figure and gave a dismissive hum. "Such people can pretend to be asleep and let you invade their space, but you yourselves often lose control." Zhang Yuanqing added. "Any more?" "The number of civilian Lingjing travelers in Nanming City exceeds that of our branch," Anne said seriously. "These people from the branch are particularly dangerous. They're often followed when commuting, and their addresses are eventually discovered." Zhang Yuanqing sighed, "So most of them choose to live in dormitories, never daring to return home for ten years." With teammates nearby, weapons at hand, and many regular civilians serving as security officers, even the villainous ones have to assess whether their strength or moral standing is sufficient. When their own position is weak, leveraging ordinary lives to make adversaries hesitate—wise, yet deeply unfortunate. Xie Lingxi frowned, "The more chaotic the area, the weaker the official forces; conversely, in the most prosperous places, the strength of officials is overwhelming!" "You're strong yourself—you wouldn't want to stay in a remote, underdeveloped region, would you?" the queen remarked. "Could I possibly not know this principle?" the young green tea girl said, brushing her lips, "Brother, while we're arresting the... wanted fugitives, let's also clear out this area at the same time?" Anne furrowed her brows, "No—we must first secure the fugitives. That's our primary objective." "That's your primary objective." "Xie Lingxi might be young, but her words were sharp: 'Capturing fugitives may not be a big loss for us, but eliminating criminal elements along the border is far more significant. Of course, you don't care about border security—after all, that's not your country's concern.' 'Enough!' Zhang Yuanqing interrupted the two with a rallying cry. 'I've already found leads on the fugitives.' Anni was delighted—she hadn't expected the Master Yuan to be so efficient, and her confidence in the effort to capture the King of the Underworld grew even stronger. Zhang Yuanqing then recounted the situation with Wen Ling to the three young ladies, and asked, 'Can we act without a single mishap when he's asleep?' Anni shook her head slightly: 'Within the domain, all living beings below his level will fall into sleep, and those at the same level will experience intense drowsiness. Unless we can attack remotely, he's not completely defenseless when he sleeps—the domain itself will detect threats and automatically awaken him.' After being forcibly awakened, he would enter a brief state of weakness—I think... for ten minutes at the sixth level. "Ten minutes should be enough to finish him off, oh no, to capture him," Zhang Yuanqing suddenly fell silent, as he picked up the signal sent back by Yuchuan Mei. "Hmm, I only care about your life—what does anyone else's fate have to do with me!" the voice from behind the pillar sneered. "I'm here to tell you that the fire master who saved you is no ordinary man." "Of course not. A sixth-tier sage, not a fire master, claiming to be the Third Celestial Dao Patriarch—but the Songhai branch has no record of such a person," the Pursuer of Toxins remarked, having already investigated. "He's here on a secret mission. I still can't confirm whether it's connected to you. For now, don't contact me until these days pass." Pausing, he cautiously asked, "Did you encounter any trouble during your absence?" "How? Are you afraid I might drag you down?" the voice from behind the pillar scoffed. The Pursuer's expression remained stern. "I'm afraid I won't be able to save you." The voice from behind the pillar fell silent, then softened. "Rest assured—I didn't cause any trouble outside. I'm here today to inform you that there's a particularly powerful yuán-lín—spirit of resentment—attached to the fire master. Even I find him formidable." He didn't find it strange that the fire master could command spectral spirits—spectral spirits weren't something only the night wanderer could handle, nor were special tools exclusive to him. What surprised him was that the other person hadn't yet fully exerted themselves last night. Then, the voice emerging from the shadows behind him sent the pursuer into another state of astonishment. "It has detected me," the voice said. "That...," the pursuer's eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't worry," the speaker reassured, "it has only detected me. It will likely regard me as someone with spiritual abilities. It won't make the connection to you unless there's a reason. Of course, you should pray that he's a fire master—should he be a scout, your concerns might already have been noticed." "I understand," the pursuer said, thinking. "If it wasn't coming specifically for you, then what is his purpose in coming to NN City?" "I'm not sure. Unless there's something urgent, I'll just—" The voice from behind the pillar suddenly changed: "You've been followed." As the words fell, a high, resonant cry burst forth from behind the pillar, sharp and piercing, as if it Suddenly, a stronger, sharper spiritual force surged forth—a mental assault from the vengeful spirit that completely overwhelmed the previous attack. The pursuer instantly experienced ringing in his ears, a splitting headache, and warm blood gushing from his nasal passages. Yet the swordmaster’s steel resolve allowed him to endure the mental tearing, immediately summoning his long sword and adopting a defensive stance. "It's that one—the spirit accompanying the fire specialist," the voice from behind the pillar echoed again, tinged with pain. The pursuer's face paled, even showing signs of despair. His collusion with the evil profession had been uncovered, revealed by the senior steward from the Songhai branch. He now faced only two choices: either unite with his companions to kill and eliminate them, or confess, resign from his current position, and accept the penalties imposed by headquarters.