Chapter 22

He opened his mouth but couldn't bring himself to ask.

Being different from the mainstream means being extraordinary.

Before knowing whether it's good or bad, one shouldn't talk about it recklessly. Moreover, since there's no related information on the forum, it means that the black crescent moon isn't something that can be understood at a low level.

The higher the level, the more confidential it should be; this is a common sense that everyone understands.

Especially since he is still a rookie, he doesn't have the ability or experience to handle emergencies.

Why is the character card Brother Bing gave me different from the ordinary Night Wanderer? This guy didn't tell me anything and then disappeared.

Next, he exited the post and clicked on the forum's search bar, intending to look up information about the Three Peaks Mountain Lady Temple.

After typing "Three Peaks Mountain Lady Temple," he found two pieces of content: one was the dungeon strategy (Wuxing Alliance version) he had seen before, and the other was an introduction to the Three Peaks Mountain Lady Temple.

"Three Peaks Mountain Lady Temple, a shrine in Songjiang Prefecture during the early Ming Dynasty, worships the Three Peaks Mountain Lady, who is skilled in praying for rain, exorcising ghosts, refining elixirs, and healing diseases, bringing blessings to the region. After the Three Peaks Mountain Lady ascended to immortality, the local government and gentry funded the construction of a temple for her.

"The Three Peaks Mountain Lady Temple declined early, and many valuable research materials are missing—excerpted from the Song Prefecture Library."

Excerpted from the Song Prefecture Library...

Zhang Yuanqing's face turned blank, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

The Three Peaks Mountain Lady Temple really exists? In history?

If so, did the Lady really exist? Or was she a real person?

Can a real person appear in the Spirit Realm?

If she is real, will she crawl out of the Spirit Realm to find me... Zhang Yuanqing was scared by his own thoughts.

"Guanya, I have a question..."

He never hesitates to ask when he can.

Guanya turned around.

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

"Captain should have told you that the Spirit Realm is between reality and illusion," the old Si Ji said, lifting her cup and taking a sip.

"Many scenes in the Spirit Realm are based on reality, such as 'Lingang Reservoir' and 'Xiangshui Amusement Park.' These Night Wanderer trial Spirit Realms can be found in reality, but obviously, these things don't exist in reality, or it would have been chaos long ago."

So, although the Three Peaks Mountain Lady really existed, the one I saw is a fictional creation of the Spirit Realm? Zhang Yuanqing felt a great relief.

Old man, just stay in the Spirit Realm.

...

Beijing, North Water Gate Airport.

Yuan Ting, with a slender face, sat in the spacious seat of the business class, dressed in a black suit and black shirt, his hair neatly combed, looking like a business elite.

He looked down through the small window at the myriad lights below, sparkling and dazzling.

He had just reported to the organization about the successful conquest of She Ling Tunnel, and by the afternoon, he would be summoned to Beijing.

But it had nothing to do with the She Ling Tunnel. This return to Beijing was called by the Grandmaster of Taiyi Sect, gathering Night Wanderers from all over the country to meet in Beijing.

Such large meetings are usually held only at the end of the year, when Night Wanderers from all over the country come to Beijing to report their work.

If there's an exception, it must be a big deal.

I hope it's not bad news... Yuan Ting gazed at the city lights getting closer, his mind filled with thoughts.

The plane landed smoothly, and Yuan Ting got off, dragging his suitcase straight to the underground parking lot, where he boarded the car waiting to pick him up.

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

A banquet was being held there, with men and women in black suits, black coats, and black dresses holding glasses and moving between the food, chatting and laughing.

"Hey, Captain Yuan is here."

Yuan Ting had just taken a glass of wine from a waiter's tray when he saw a man in a black shirt approach, with a neat short haircut, bright eyes, and a rugged face, his body a perfect inverted triangle.

"Jian Ji!"

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

"Everyone has been waiting for you. Come, come, come, let's say hello."

Jian Ji put his hand on Yuan Ting's shoulder and led him to the table, where six people were sitting, three men and three women, all Night Wanderers who had been trained together when Yuan Ting first joined Taiyi Sect.

Now they were scattered all over, all at the captain level.

After a brief exchange, Yuan Ting inquired:

"Why did the Grandmaster call everyone to Beijing this time?"

Yang Qian, with a ponytail and wearing leather jacket and pants, sipped her drink and said softly:

"We were just discussing this topic. We only know that the confidentiality level is very high, even the stewards don't know."

She had a graceful figure, a neat hairstyle, no makeup, and no jewelry, looking very spirited.

Even the stewards don't have the right to know? Yuan Ting nodded slightly and didn't ask more.

Jian Ji raised his glass with a smile. "We'll know when the meeting starts. Thinking about it now is useless. By the way, have there been any interesting things recently?"

Yang Qian, with a spirited demeanor, laughed:

"I have an interesting story. Recently, the eldest son of the coastal Xiahou family was beaten to near death by the Palace Master of 'Zhishe Palace.' When the elders of the Xiahou family arrived at the scene, he was almost dead.

"Although he was saved with life essence liquid, he suffered a great loss of vitality and probably won't dare to go out for a long time. If there's a Spirit Realm mission soon, he will surely die."

"Zhishe Palace?" A male classmate looked at Yuan Ting. "If I remember correctly, this is a Spirit Realm Walker organization in Songhai region. How did they get into a conflict with the Xiahou family?"

Yuan Ting shook his head. "The people of Zhishe Palace are all very extreme, especially the Palace Master, who is a complete lunatic. It's not surprising that they have conflicts with anyone. However, they are generally friendly to official organizations and behave well."

Yang Qian sighed. "The Palace Master is a high-level Spirit Realm Walker, and even the stewards might not be her match. As long as she doesn't go too far, it's best to turn a blind eye."

After a brief chat, Jian Ji looked around and said, "There are still too few of us Night Wanderers, so we can only watch other professions make a splash and take the spotlight."

"Speaking of which, it's been many years since our sect has produced a brilliant Night Wanderer," Xia Liang, with a round and cute face, said, her voice soft and sweet.

Since the topic was brought up, Yuan Ting became interested and said:

"I have some big news, related to us Night Wanderers."

Everyone at the table looked over, full of curiosity.

"Remember She Ling Tunnel?" Yuan Ting asked.

"Yeah, a beginner-level bug Spirit Realm where Jiang Lin and Zhao Kai died back then." Jian Ji asked, puzzled. "Did this place trap someone else to death?"

"From now on, the first kill of She Ling Tunnel is gone, taken by a young man."

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

After a few seconds, Jian Ji asked blankly, "Is this true?"

Xia Bing, with wide eyes, said in her sweet voice, "Yuan Ting, don't joke around."

Others looked skeptical.

Yuan Ting nodded firmly. "This has been reported to the sect. You can ask your superiors, but if you don't ask for the strategy, the stewards will probably tell you."

The skepticism turned into exclamations of surprise, and the Night Wanderers at the table looked shocked and excited.

"This is a big deal."

"That guy is amazing. How did he do it? Damn, I just want to see the strategy now, not attend the meeting."

"Wake up, you probably don't have the clearance."

Yang Qian looked around and asked, "Is this new recruit part of Taiyi Sect? Is he in Beijing?"

Yuan Ting seemed more interested in the conversation and shook his head regretfully:

"You don't know, that guy was recruited by the Wuxing Alliance. Fu Qingyang personally called Elder Sun to ask for the strategy, and when Elder Sun heard that the trial mission was She Ling Tunnel, he immediately said he didn't want this person.

"Words spoken cannot be taken back. Sigh, Elder Sun was confused."

"Indeed, he was confused."

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

While criticizing the high-ranking elder, Yuan Ting suddenly saw a middle-aged man in black walking over, heading straight for him, and said:

"Yuan Ting, Elder Sun said that after the meeting, don't leave, go to his place."

Yuan Ting's expression froze instantly.

The banquet soon came to an end, and the waiters cleared away the plates and drinks.

The soft lighting turned into bright meeting lights, and the Night Wanderers sat at their round tables, silent and waiting. Over a hundred people were silent, and a pin could be heard dropping.

In the long wait, an old man in a white training suit entered the meeting room, greeted with eager anticipation.

He was nearly two meters tall, extremely imposing, with no wrinkles on his face, sharp eyes like knives, and a golden sun on his forehead, like a tattoo.

If it weren't for his silver hair indicating his age, he would look more vibrant than a young person.

The Grand Elder of Taiyi Sect, Spirit Realm ID: Red Sun Executioner.

The Night Wanderers sat up straight, showing respect to the strongest Night Wanderer under the Grandmaster.

The Red Sun Executioner scanned the many disciples below and slowly said:

"Not long ago, the Grandmaster sensed the fall of the Demon King, removing a major threat to Taiyi Sect. However, the Demon King's character card has not returned to the Spirit Realm and is missing. Next, you must search for the Demon King's successor.

"This successor has two characteristics: the profession mark is not a crescent moon but a black crescent moon. When passing through the Spirit Realm, they receive a character card reward that ordinary Night Wanderers do not have."