Chapter 观察 Observing

Zhang Yuanqing suppressed his sadness and lingering emotions, circling around to the right side of the soldier to observe him.

Perhaps because he had entered the abyss for only a short time, the soldier was encased in ice but not covered in the thick, sugary coating like the surrounding objects.

Otherwise, even if Zhang Yuanqing knew there was something in his pocket, he wouldn't have been able to break through the hard ice.

But now, "tearing open" the hardened pants was something he could do.

Zhang Yuanqing drew out the Form and Spirit Extinguishing Blade, igniting the blade with golden flames. He carefully inserted it into the gap between the arm and the pocket, then pulled outwards.

"Crack!"

Amidst the sound of shattering ice crystals, the camouflage pocket was cut open, revealing the soldier's loosely clenched fist.

In his fist was a piece of jade as white as mutton fat, with small, barely visible dimples on the surface, like stars.

Zhang Yuanqing's pupils constricted, staring at the broken jade in disbelief.

Fragment of the Demon Lord's Treasure Map.

The Demon Lord's treasure map fragment, which was also the key to the Yu Hua Immortal Sect's treasury, was originally a complete Hetian jade disk that the Demon Lord had divided into several pieces, giving each piece to his beloved lovers.

Currently, Zhang Yuanqing only knew that Yin Ji, Miao Teng'er, and Betty, Vinnie had one piece each, and the eldest young lady, Chris, was suspected of having one. This showed that the Demon Lord was actually a foreign-worshipping idiot; he loved foreign women more.

Zhang Yuanqing hadn't found the last piece. He originally suspected it was in the Heavenly Punishment Wind City branch, held by the Level One Silver Executive, Level 7 Wind Mage, Winifred Elena.

He never expected that the last jade disk fragment would be in the soldier's hands!

Could the soldier also be one of the Demon Lord's beloved lovers? Zhang Yuanqing shook his head vigorously, banishing the terrifying thought from his mind.

Miao Teng'er once said that the Demon Lord gave the key fragments to his lovers, primarily so that if he ever left, his lovers could divide his inheritance as compensation.

Therefore, the Demon Lord couldn't have given the key fragment to the soldier.

The soldier, corroded by the Fallen Holy Grail, could never escape control. The final outcome would be either eternal enslavement or, after the death of the Cunning-Eyed Judge, contamination and loss of control, leading to complete madness and eventual death at the hands of the official organization.

Regardless of the outcome, the Demon Lord's lovers would never be able to gather the jade disk fragments from the soldier's hands to open the treasure.

This fragment could only have been swindled, carried off, or stolen from the Demon Lord. In short, it couldn't have been given to the soldier by the Demon Lord.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Zhang Yuanqing had already extracted the broken jade.

The cold feeling was intensifying, and the power of the Sun God was gradually stagnating. If he stayed here any longer, he might also fall into a slumber within the seal.

Zhang Yuanqing took a deep look at the soldier, then turned and walked out of the cave. Leaving the cave, he transformed into a golden ray of light, rushing towards the exit and returning to the surface.

Xiahou Aotian, who was anxiously waiting at the abyss's opening, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him come out. He immediately asked, "You really know that guy, don't you? You must know him. Who is he?"

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at him. "He's your uncle!"

Xiahou Aotian froze, speechless for a moment, before finally reacting: "你彼母之寻亡呼!" (Nǐ bǐ mǔ zhī xún wáng hū)

This was something he learned from the Qin Dynasty alchemist! (Meaning "Are you courting death?")

"Don't tell anyone about what happened today," Zhang Yuanqing warned. Then, he looked at the black iron ring and asked, "He really isn't the First Emperor?"

The Qin Dynasty alchemist sighed, "Probably not."

"Is there a possibility that his power of the Five Elements originates from the First Emperor, but the First Emperor's primordial spirit was extinguished due to an accident?" Zhang Yuanqing offered his opinion.

The Qin Dynasty alchemist sneered, "I would very much hope so, but what kind of existence could extinguish a Human Immortal, and the most powerful Human Immortal at that?"

How would I know? Forget it, let's talk about this later. There's no point or benefit in getting to the bottom of it. It has nothing to do with me anyway!

Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "Let's go back first."

He took out the jade talisman his uncle had given him and gently crushed it.

In an instant, Mr. Chairman, wearing a pink suit, appeared in their field of vision.

He snapped his fingers. "Banish!" The scene went from blurry to clear, and the two of them returned to the president's office.

Zhang Yuanqing looked at the president's desk and saw that his uncle was already sitting there, holding a thick glass filled with orange-yellow whiskey.

"Boys! What wondrous encounters did you have in the dungeon?" From the void, his uncle conjured an ice-cold cola, then looked at Xiahou Aotian. "Sit down and talk. What would you like to drink? Red wine, brandy, whiskey, sake, or beer?"

Xiahou Aotian rubbed his still-chilled face and said, "Er锅头 (Èrguōtóu, a type of Chinese liquor)."

The three of them sat at the office desk, discussing what they had seen and heard in the abyss.

The uncle listened patiently, then said with a sigh, "The Alliance Leaders of the Five Elements Alliance have always wanted to obtain administrator permissions. It turns out it's in the Secret of the Five Elements."

There wasn't much surprise in his tone, as if he had expected it.

Xiahou Aotian looked regretful. "It's a pity he's sealed in the abyss. If we could save him, the Lawful faction would have one more Shura, two Wind and Thunder Demigods, and five Alliance Leaders. Then, no matter how great the storm of the Evil faction, it could be suppressed."

"There's no need to say pointless things," Zhang Yuanqing said, looking at his uncle.

"The Unfavorable General told me that the White Emperor Crown is in the Shu Mountain Immortal Sect. I plan to enter the Zihubingzhong (自虎兵众, a typo in the original text, most likely intended to be 紫虎兵众, meaning 'Purple Tiger Soldiers') gang dungeon—the Southern Courtyard of Shu Mountain. There might be clues to the White Emperor Crown there."

If he was lucky, he might be able to collect the entire Heaven Worship set.

A complete Heaven Worship set could activate the power of the Five Elements, making him invincible below the Demigod level.