Night Wanderer Conference

He opened his mouth, but the question wouldn't come out.

Being different from the mainstream meant something unusual.

Until he knew whether it was good or bad, he couldn't go around talking about it. Besides, since the forum had no relevant information, it meant the Black Full Moon wasn't something a low-level person could understand.

The higher the level of something, the more it needed to be kept secret; this was a principle everyone understood.

Especially since he was still a rookie, lacking the ability and experience to handle unexpected situations.

Why is the character card Brother Bing gave me different from a normal Night Wanderer? This son of a bitch didn't tell me anything, and now he's gone missing.

He exited the post and clicked on the forum's search bar, intending to look up information on the Temple of the Lady of Three Paths Mountain.

After typing in "Temple of the Lady of Three Paths Mountain," he received two results: one was the dungeon walkthrough he had seen before (Five Elements Alliance version), and the other was an introduction to the Temple of the Lady of Three Paths Mountain.

"Temple of the Lady of Three Paths Mountain, a temple in Songjiang Prefecture from the early Ming Dynasty. The deity worshipped is the Lady of Three Paths Mountain. This Lady was skilled in praying for rain, driving away ghosts, refining pills, and curing illnesses, bringing prosperity to the region. After the Lady of Three Paths Mountain ascended to immortality, the local government took the lead, and the gentry and commoners pooled funds to build a temple for her."

"The Temple of the Lady of Three Paths Mountain fell into decay early on, losing much precious research material—excerpted from Song Prefecture Library."

Excerpted from Song Prefecture Library.

Staring at these words, Zhang Yuanqing's expression went blank, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

The Temple of the Lady of Three Paths Mountain actually existed? It existed in history?

If that was the case, did that Lady truly exist? Or rather, was she a real person herself?

Could a real person appear in the Spirit Realm?

If she was a real person, would she crawl out of the Spirit Realm to find me? Zhang Yuanqing was frightened by his own thoughts.

"Sister Guan Ya, I have a question."

He never racked his brain over things he could just ask about.

Guan Ya turned her head.

Zhang Yuanqing told her his speculations about the Lady of Three Paths Mountain.

"The Squad Leader should have told you that the Spirit Realm exists between reality and illusion." The veteran lady raised her glass, took a sip, and said:

"Many scenes in the Spirit Realm are based on reality. For example, 'Lingang Reservoir' and 'Xiangshui Amusement Park'—these Night Wanderer trial Spirit Realms all have corresponding locations in reality. But obviously, these things don't exist in reality, otherwise, it would have been chaos long ago."

So, even though the Lady of Three Paths Mountain really existed, the one I saw was fabricated by the Spirit Realm? Zhang Yuanqing felt a sense of relief.

You old hag, you'd better just stay in the Spirit Realm.

Capital City, Beishuimen Airport.

Yuan Ting, with his gaunt features, sat in a spacious business class seat. Dressed in a black suit and black shirt, his hair combed meticulously, he looked like a business elite.

Through the small airplane window, he looked down at the ten thousand lights below, brilliant and magnificent.

He had just reported the news of the Sheling Tunnel being cleared to the organization today, and by the afternoon, he had been summoned to the Capital City.

But it had nothing to do with the Sheling Tunnel; this return to the capital was because the Taiyi Sect leader had summoned the Night Wanderers scattered across the country for a meeting.

Large meetings like this were usually only held at the end of each year, as that was when Night Wanderers from all over the country would come to the capital to report on their work.

If there was an exception, it must be a major event.

I hope it's not bad news. Yuan Ting gazed at the approaching city lights, his thoughts racing.

The plane landed smoothly. Yuan Ting disembarked, dragged his suitcase straight to the parking lot on the second basement level, and boarded the car sent to pick him up.

Forty minutes later, the car arrived at a five-star hotel. Yuan Ting put away his luggage and took the elevator to the large conference room on the top floor.

A banquet was being held there. Gentlemen and ladies in black suits, black coats, and black dresses moved between the food with wine glasses in hand, chatting and laughing amidst the clinking of glasses.

"Yo, Captain Yuan is here."

Just as Yuan Ting picked up a glass of wine from a waiter's tray, he saw a man in a black shirt walking toward him. With a fresh crew cut, bright eyes, sharp facial features, and a standard inverted-triangle physique.

"Jian Ji!"

Yuan Ting looked at his approaching friend and smiled. "Long time no see."

"Everyone has been waiting for you for a long time. Come, let's go say hello."

Jian Ji put his arm around Yuan Ting's shoulder and ushered him to a table. Six people were sitting around it—three men and three women. These were all Night Wanderers who had trained in the same batch as Yuan Ting when he first joined the Taiyi Sect.

Now, everyone was scattered in different places, and they were all captain-level figures.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Yuan Ting probed:

"Why did the Sect Leader summon everyone to the capital this time?"

Yang Qian, who wore a ponytail and leather jacket and pants, pursed her lips and said in a low voice:

"We were just discussing this topic. We only know the security clearance is very high; even the deacons don't know."

She had a graceful figure and a capable-looking ponytail. She wore no makeup or jewelry, looking heroic and spirited.

Even the deacons aren't qualified to know? Yuan Ting nodded slightly and didn't ask further.

Jian Ji smiled and raised his glass. "You'll know when the meeting starts in a while; thinking about it now is useless. By the way, any interesting news lately?"

The spirited Yang Qian laughed:

"I do have an interesting piece of news. A while back, the eldest son of the Xiahou Family in the coastal region was crippled by the Palace Master of the Stop-Killing Palace. I heard that by the time the elders of the Xiahou Family arrived at the scene, he was already on the brink of death."

"Although they managed to save him with Life Essence, he suffered severe damage to his vitality. He likely won't dare to step outside for a long time, and if he has any Spirit Realm Walker missions in the near future, he is as good as dead."

"Stop-Killing Palace?" A male student looked at Yuan Ting. "If I recall correctly, that's a Spirit Realm Walker organization in the Songhai region. How did they end up clashing with the Xiahou Family?"

Yuan Ting shook his head. "The people in the Stop-Killing Palace have extreme personalities, especially that Palace Master—she's a total lunatic. It's no surprise they'd pick a fight with anyone. However, their attitude toward official organizations is relatively amicable, and they usually keep to themselves."

Yang Qian sighed with emotion. "That Palace Master is a high-level Spirit Realm Walker; even the Deacons might not be her match. As long as such a person doesn't go too far, it's best to just turn a blind eye."

After chatting for a while longer, Jian Ji looked around the table and said, "The base number of Night Wanderer among us is still too small. We can only watch other professions stir up trouble and steal the spotlight."

"Come to think of it, it's been many years since our sect produced a truly brilliant and talented Night Wanderer," said Xia Liang, who had a cute, round face. Her voice was soft and carried a hint of a lisp.

Since the topic had turned to this, Yuan Ting became interested and said:

"I actually have a major piece of news, and it concerns us Night Wanderer."

Everyone at the table looked over, their faces full of curiosity.

"Remember the Sheling Tunnel?" Yuan Ting asked.

"Yeah, that novice-level bugged Spirit Realm. Jiang Lin and Zhao Kai died in there back in the day," Jian Ji asked, puzzled. "Did this godforsaken place claim someone else?"

"From now on, the first clear of the Sheling Tunnel is gone. It was conquered by some kid."

Yuan Ting's words were like a dud bomb, leaving the Night Wanderer at the table speechless.

After a few seconds, Jian Ji asked blankly, "Is that for real?"

Xia Liang widened her eyes and said loudly in her lisping voice, "Yuan Ting, don't joke around."

The others looked at him with skepticism.

Yuan Ting nodded affirmatively. "This matter has already been reported to the sect. You can ask your respective superiors. If you just ask without looking for the walkthrough, the Deacons should be able to tell you."

The skepticism turned into gasps of amazement. The Night Wanderer at the table were stunned and excited.

"This is a big deal."

"That brother is a beast. How did he do it? Damn, I just want to see the walkthrough now; I don't want to attend the meeting anymore."

"Wake up, your clearance level probably isn't high enough to access that."

Yang Qian looked left and right before asking, "Has this newcomer joined the Taiyi Sect? Is he in the capital?"

Yuan Ting seemed even more eager to talk, shaking his head regretfully:

"You don't know the half of it. That guy was scouted by the Five Elements Alliance. Fu Qingyang personally called Elder Sun to ask for the walkthrough, but the moment Elder Sun heard the trial mission was the Sheling Tunnel, he refused to take the person on the spot."

"Words spoken are like spilled water; they can't be taken back. Sigh, the Elder was foolish."

"He was indeed foolish."

"Elder Sun... this, I'm actually angry now."

Just as they were criticizing the high-and-mighty Elder, Yuan Ting suddenly saw a middle-aged man in black walking toward him. He headed straight for him and said:

"Yuan Ting, Elder Sun says that after the meeting ends, don't leave yet. Go see him."

Yuan Ting's expression froze instantly.

The banquet soon drew to a close, and the waiters cleared away the plates and drinks.

The soft lighting changed into bright, intense meeting lights. The hall full of Night Wanderer sat around their respective round tables, waiting in silence. Over a hundred people were hushed, and one could hear a pin drop.

During the long wait, an old man wearing a white martial arts uniform stepped into the conference room amidst eager anticipation.

He was nearly two meters tall and extremely imposing. There were no wrinkles on his face, his gaze was as sharp as a blade, and there was a golden sun tattooed between his brows.

If not for his full head of silver hair indicating his age, he looked more youthful and vigorous than the young men.

The Great Elder of the Taiyi Sect, Spirit Realm ID: Crimson Sun Executioner.

The Night Wanderer sat up straight, squaring their shoulders to show proper respect to the strongest Night Wanderer beneath the Sect Master.

Crimson Sun Executioner scanned the many sect members below and said slowly:

"Not long ago, the Sect Master sensed the fall of the Devil Lord. The Taiyi Sect's greatest threat has been eliminated. However, the Devil Lord's character card did not return to the Spirit Realm and its whereabouts are unknown. From here on out, you are all to search for the Devil Lord's successor with all your might."

"The successor has two major characteristics: the profession mark is not a crescent moon, but a black full moon. When clearing a Spirit Realm, they possess character card rewards that ordinary Night Wanderer do not have."