Big Event

The ringtone played for a long time before the call was answered. The voice on the other end was crisp and articulate, yet cold in tone:

"I am currently reviewing the files on Ou Xiangrong and deducing his behavioral trajectory. You have ten seconds."

Within the official Spirit Realm Walker organization, individual squads serve as the primary force for handling cases, while Centurions coordinate from behind the scenes, only stepping in personally when encountering thorny situations.

Centurions are under a lot of pressure. Li Dongze cleared his throat and reported in a low, serious voice:

"Centurion Fu, we have already neutralized Ou Xiangrong."

This answer clearly exceeded expectations. The line went silent, and after a few seconds, Fu Qingyang's voice returned, no longer cold:

"Where did you find him?"

Li Dongze replied:

"He was neutralized at Songhai University. He was attempting to force Xu Yingying to reveal the whereabouts of the Fallen Holy Grail and the Roster, but Xu Yingying was unaware of anything; she is merely an ordinary female student. Your assessment was correct—Ou Xiangrong had indeed lost his sanity."

Fu Qingyang commended him: "Not bad, Li Dongze. You were very sharp this time. You successfully stifled a large-scale bloodbath, and I will submit a request for merit on your behalf to the Elder Council. Were there any casualties?"

"None," Li Dongze paused, "Centurion Fu, we were not the ones who killed him."

"Not you?" Fu Qingyang's tone was laced with confusion. He seemed to realize something, and exclaimed in sudden enlightenment: "I almost forgot, there is an Elder from the Water God Palace at Songhai University. Was it them who took action? It seems I must find time to pay a visit and express my gratitude."

There is an Elder at Songhai University? Li Dongze's expression turned blank, then he realized the Centurion had misunderstood, so he explained:

"The one who neutralized Ou Xiangrong was Yuanshi Tianzun, the Night Wanderer I recently recruited."

A Level 1 Night Wanderer killed a Level 3 Bewitching Demon?

The Centurion on the other end fell silent once more. After a dozen seconds, Fu Qingyang said: "Understood. Have him write a report and submit it."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of a smile: "Well done."

Ending the call, Li Dongze gripped the steering wheel, beaming with delight, and unconsciously pressed harder on the gas pedal.

White Dragon opened his phone and pulled several other captains into a temporary group chat: "Look at how smug Li Dongze is; his mustache is practically flying up to his eyebrows."

Green Vine: "His squad achieved a major merit. If I had a subordinate like that, I'd be smug too."

According to the internal regulations of the official organization, to deepen the collective sense of honor among team members, when one person earns merit, the entire squad is rewarded, granting the other members bonuses and performance points.

As for this Night Wanderer recruited by Li Dongze, if the other captains were merely envious before, they were now so jealous they were ready to abandon all sense of professional conduct.

Kangyang District Public Security Bureau, morgue.

Li Dongze closed the morgue door, blocking the other captains outside.

He looked at Zhang Yuanqing beside him, his gaze deep, and said:

"A Night Wanderer can increase their experience points by devouring spirit bodies, but the side effect is that over time, one's mind becomes polluted. If you have already tried to increase your strength this way, you should understand what I mean."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded.

"Then have you tried using that item to purify the distracting thoughts?" Li Dongze hinted. This was his solution.

Seeing Zhang Yuanqing frown in thought, Li Dongze laughed immediately, "It seems the cost of that item is not small."

Indeed, using it too much leads to anemia and a deficiency in both blood and qi. Zhang Yuanqing suddenly recalled a detail: he had once found a Spirit Crystal in the mouth of the Mountain Goddess.

Looking at it now, that crystal was likely formed from the soul of a Spirit Realm Walker who died at the Mountain God Temple.

That is why the information description stated it was the best supplement for a Night Wanderer.

The impurities in the Spirit Crystal must be the mental pollution, which the Mountain Goddess had purified. By this logic, the Demon Subduing Pestle must also be capable of purifying mental pollution.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory and took out the Demon Subduing Pestle, cast from brass and engraved with exquisite patterns and incantations.

He briefly explained the item's effects and its cost, saying: "If I go berserk later, use this to stab me. Uh, stab me in the thigh."

"Understood!" Li Dongze took the item.

Zhang Yuanqing walked to Ou Xiangrong's corpse, placed his palm on the man's chest, and took a deep breath. Viscous, pitch-black energy surged from the depths of his eyes, awakening the remnant spirit body within the corpse.

A throbbing pain erupted in the center of his forehead, and his consciousness instantly expanded. Something that did not belong to him surged forcefully into his brain.

In a hazy blur, Zhang Yuanqing saw himself, saw the underground parking garage, and saw the eerie Red Dancing Shoes.

This was the battle that had just taken place in the parking garage.

Zhang Yuanqing waited silently for the battle to end. The scene soon changed. This time, it was a dim room. Standing before Ou Xiangrong was a masked man holding an exquisitely crafted crystal cup, the liquid inside as scarlet as blood.

"As a Bewitching Demon, your evil is pure. You possess decent potential. Drink the wine in the Holy Grail, and you shall be my servant."

"Every half month, you must drink the wine in the Holy Grail again, or not even the gods can save you."

"Remember my name: Judge of Ghostly Eyes."

In a cheap rented apartment, a man wearing a mask and a duckbill cap stood in the living room, saying coldly:

"Judge of Ghostly Eyes is dead. His confidant, Black Impermanence, has fled with the Fallen Holy Grail and the Roster, hiding in Songhai City. If you don't want to 'die from the poison,' find him for us. The Spirit Energy Society will not treat you unfairly."

The scene shifted again. He saw a blue sky and a group of thugs in bizarre clothing, punching and kicking him.

The change in tone was too abrupt; Zhang Yuanqing was somewhat dazed. It took several seconds before he realized he was enduring a bullying incident.

Is this a memory from Ou Xiangrong's past? I never imagined such a cold-blooded murderer had experienced something like this...

"Ou Xiangrong, are you treating my words like wind in your ears?"

"Ou Xiangrong, you had better cherish the time when we are still speaking to you nicely."

Don't hit me, don't hit me. Zhang Yuanqing felt the intense fear deep within Ou Xiangrong's heart, causing him to curl up in terror.

"Useless trash, getting bullied again? If you get hit, hit them back! Why are you crying to me? How could I have birthed a piece of trash like you?"

A middle-aged man cursed loudly, spit flying everywhere.

This time, from within Ou Xiangrong's emotions, Zhang Yuanqing felt true despair.

Many chaotic, fragmented images flashed by rapidly. Through repeated experiences of this nature, his mindset became increasingly twisted and violent.

Just then, a brilliant, pure golden light pierced into his sea of consciousness, dispelling the violence and pain, bringing warmth in its wake.

Zhang Yuanqing snapped his eyes open, seeing the bright fluorescent lights and white walls, as well as Li Dongze, whose face was bruised and whose suit was in disarray.

"Squad Leader, are you alright?"

Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback, then reached up to touch his face, discovering it was covered in tear tracks.

"I'm fine." Li Dongze tossed the blood-stained Demon Subduing Pestle onto the floor, straightened his clothes, and complained:

"I should have let Guan Ya come. Her hand-to-hand combat is better than mine; this wasn't elegant at all."

Once he finished adjusting his attire, he asked impatiently: "Well? Did you find any clues? You look like you're in bad shape."

"I just feel a bit sad."

His experience points had increased, but this time, Zhang Yuanqing felt no joy from it.

Li Dongze looked enlightened. "Is it because of Ou Xiangrong's memories?"

"Yeah."

The memories of a spirit body are incomplete and fragmented, retaining only experiences that are difficult to let go of.

After all these years, Ou Xiangrong still harbored resentment over his school days, a trauma that had affected his entire life.

Even though the man was a damned criminal, Zhang Yuanqing still felt deeply troubled.

Li Dongze sighed:

"Although I don't know what you saw in those memories, I can understand. *Night Wanderer*s of the Taiyi Sect hate devouring the spirits of those in an Evil Profession for this very reason. Yuanshi, do you know why the concept of an Evil Profession exists?"

He didn't rush to ask about the case clues, instead using this opportunity to guide and teach him:

"In faction warfare, we have killed countless individuals from an Evil Profession. After summarizing the data from the Taiyi Sect *Night Wanderer*s' spirit questioning, we observed a phenomenon: every person in an Evil Profession was already a villain or criminal in reality.

"In other words, *Spirit Realm Walker*s in an Evil Profession are selected by the Spirit Realm from within specific groups."

Zhang Yuanqing was stunned. "So, they didn't become bad people because they entered an Evil Profession; they were already bad people to begin with."

"But their wickedness isn't entirely innate; it is something humanity brews itself." Li Dongze sighed:

"The Spirit Realm does not actively cultivate evil. The birth of any Evil Profession is the result of humanity's own karmic fire. This phenomenon is depressing and not exactly 'positive energy,' but it is the real world. Just understand it; don't go around broadcasting it."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded silently.

"Also, let me tell you one more thing. You killed Ou Xiangrong, so you should have gained some reputation," Li Dongze said:

"Hunting each other between *Spirit Realm Walker*s does not deduct morality points. However, if you possess reputation, it will make *Spirit Realm Walker*s of the same faction wary of you. If you have 10 points of reputation, a Spirit Realm Walker of the same faction who kills you will have 20 morality points deducted. Heh, there is a difference between being orderly and being kind."

After saying this, Li Dongze patted his shoulder: "Alright, let's talk business. Don't waste time."

Are there kind, chaotic, and neutral people within an Orderly Profession? Then, within an Evil Profession, could there be those who repent? Zhang Yuanqing pulled back his thoughts, steadied himself, and said in a deep voice:

"Squad Leader, I think I saw something major in Ou Xiangrong's memories."

"Something major?" Li Dongze smiled: "He's just a level 3 Bewitching Demon; how major could it possibly be? I've worked for so many years, what haven't I seen? Speak."

He wasn't being arrogant; it was simply that in Li Dongze's view, Yuanshi lacked experience, and his definition of "major" might not be accurate.

"It's like this." Zhang Yuanqing recounted the memories he had read.

A few minutes later, Li Dongze sprinted out of the morgue, roaring at the squad leaders outside:

"Something huge has happened!!"