Chapter 1 The Opulent Town

Rounding the mountain head, the view opened up for hundreds of meters. A small town nestled in a depression of the mountain range was visible, filled with uniform single-family villas with gardens, connected by smooth, straight cement roads crisscrossing the town.

It stretched from the mountain hollows deep into the range. Calling it a small town was an understatement; it was large enough to accommodate over ten thousand people.

Its extravagance exceeded Xia Zuo's expectations.

He had searched for pictures of ethnic minority settlements in Ba Gui Province along the way—dusty yellow earth, roofs covered with dark brown tiles, old farmers with rolled-up trousers leading oxen along cobblestone paths.

The only touch of modern civilization was the utility pole standing at the entrance of the village.

Thus, Xia Zuo had formed a fixed impression of ethnic minority settlements in foreign lands: isolated, impoverished villages.

The scene before him now left him stunned. Far from being poor and backward, it was staggeringly wealthy.

Xia Zuo quickly realized that the Qinghe Branch was the most powerful in Ba Gui Province, and the Wu Da Branch's funds were received from the Qinghe Branch.

The money the Five Elements Alliance headquarters fed them each year was more than the gross profit of a medium-sized enterprise.

How could such a force live in poverty?

It wouldn't be strange for them to build palaces in the mountains.

Xia Zuo gazed at the distant mountain hollow, his light blue pupils regaining their composure.

"The Qinghe Branch... here we are..."

Before he could finish speaking, a three-meter-tall, long-haired giant ape suddenly burst out of the dense forest ahead, dragging a broken log. It braced itself on one hand, sprinting a few steps before forcefully flinging the log.

The broken log spun towards them. A demon hunter in the front row snorted coldly. Immediately, a small tornado rose up, swirling the broken log into the sky before dropping it into the nearby forest.

"Screech—"

The driver slammed on the brakes, the tires leaving black marks on the road.

Ahead, a young man carrying a rifle emerged from the forest. He wore a blue, embroidered, ornate, Chinese-style jacket, with dark skin and aggressive eyes, characteristic of the Qinghe tribe's fierce nature.

He first calmed the agitated giant ape, then shouted in heavily accented Mandarin, "Are... are you from Tianfa?"

The Five Elements Alliance headquarters had sent an email to the Qinghe Branch notifying them of the Tianfa team's departure.

The Siren, Osmond, poked his head out and said coldly, "Is smashing cars with logs your way of welcoming guests? You really are a group of lowly, uncultured, stupid savages." He spoke the last half of his sentence in a foreign language.

As expected, the young man didn't understand and repeated, "Not Tianfa people?"

The demon hunter waved his hand, signaling Osmond to calm down and not ruin things. He took out a document from his briefcase, used an air current to send it over, and smiled. "This is a letter of introduction from the Five Elements Alliance headquarters!"

The document floated in the wind towards the blue-clad youth. The blue-clad youth reached out and casually scanned it, focusing on the Five Elements Alliance headquarters' official seal to confirm it was genuine. He folded the document, put it in his pocket, pursed his lips, and whistled. Soon, rustling sounds came from the dense forest, and the bushes shook violently. Then, a striped giant tiger with a shoulder height of 1.6 meters emerged, landing heavily on the road.

The blue-clad youth jumped onto the tiger's back, ordered the giant ape back into the jungle, then turned to the car and shouted, "Follow me!"

The striped giant tiger slowly walked toward the town, and the van followed slowly. Hoover stared at the striped giant tiger and said, "The Qinghe tribe's ancestor is a Tu Guai (Earth Monster), but this person seems to be a Mu Yao (Wood Spirit)?"

Xia Zuo glanced at the computer screen and nodded. "Tu Guai and Mu Yao are the mainstream professions of the Qinghe tribe. The status of Tu Guai is higher than Mu Yao, but strangely, the person who is comparable to a demigod is a Tu Guai, but his descendants frequently produce Mu Yao."

Osmond's eyes lit up as if he had caught a whiff of gossip. "Could it be that his descendants are actually someone else's seed?"

The atmosphere here hadn't opened up to that extent yet. Xia Zuo shook his head and said, "Remember what I said earlier? The Qinghe tribe has many medical and witchcraft techniques passed down from ancient cultivators. The medical techniques should originate from Mu Yao. Plus, living in the deep mountains for many years, they are proficient in the nature of plants, so they are more compatible with Mu Yao. It's normal for Tu Guai and Mu Yao to appear frequently in the deep mountains, it's not necessarily related to ancestral bloodline."

"Mu Yao and Tu Guai are the most compatible of the five major professions. In the Saint stage, many special biological methods are surprisingly similar, such as mutating plants and manipulating animals."

As he spoke, the car arrived at the town.

The population suddenly increased. The Qinghe people either stood by the windows overlooking the visitors, or stood at the entrance of the courtyard observing. Several mischievous children rushed to the roadside to watch, boldly spitting at the car.

Osmond frowned, wanting to kill these little brats.

As a direct descendant of the Harry family, he was highly valued by his family elders. He had been the center of attention since he was a child and had zero tolerance for any rudeness or offense, even if the other party was a child.

But he wasn't the type of playboy who couldn't control himself when his temper flared up. Knowing that the important thing now was business, he raised the car window and closed his eyes to avoid seeing them.

Soon, the young man riding the giant tiger led them to a large villa. This villa had a wide garden covering an area of 11,000 square meters, decorated luxuriously.

A main building with a pointed roof was attached to two side buildings. The three buildings were connected by aerial corridors.

The young man on the tiger's back roared, "Clan chief, clan chief... Uncle A'gui, the Tianfa guests have arrived!"

The clumsy Mandarin mixed with a thick accent and the down-to-earth address somewhat spoiled the villa's grandeur.

A few minutes later, a young girl wearing a silver crown rode a large rat to the iron gate and curiously looked at the car. Her voice was gentle and beautiful. "Tiesheng-gege, have you seen the credentials?"

She was extremely beautiful, with fair skin, bright and clear eyes, and no makeup. Her face exuded a sense of purity and simplicity away from the superficial.

"I saw them, I saw them!" The young man said unhappily, "Yunmeng meimei, I may be careless, but I'm not stupid, you see!"

The young girl glanced at the document and immediately opened the iron gate. The car drove into the courtyard.

...

"Elder Fu, I'm in trouble," Zhang Yuanqing said in a low voice.

He wasn't surprised that Tianfa could locate Hades. Yuanshi Tianzun could gain insights through astrology, and the Taiyi Sect's Night Watchers could certainly do it, and even more accurately.

In addition, with the assistance of the rule-based prop, the Mirror of Prophecy, it was easier for Tianfa to find Hades than for him.

Zhang Yuanqing's original idea was to play a time difference, secretly dealing with this foreign evil profession while Tianfa didn't know he was also chasing Hades. Tianfa arrived at the critical time when Hades was about to fall asleep.

He didn't know if it was really that coincidental, or if the Mirror of Prophecy had played a role.

"It's best not to have a conflict with Tianfa, because the Qinghe Branch won't help you, and you will face multiple dangers," Fu Qingyang said indifferently.

"I can't help you with this matter. Judge the situation yourself." Capturing Hades was Yuanshi's private job, and whether he succeeded or not wouldn't have a big impact.

The Qian gongzi was busy with many things and didn't want to waste time and energy on these small matters. After giving a warning, he hung up the phone.

"It seems I can only rely on my own efforts." Zhang Yuanqing sighed. He had originally wanted to ask Qian gongzi for help, but with this attitude, he had no choice but to give up.

"Need help?" The Poison Chaser observed his expression and knew he had encountered trouble.

"Of course, I just need you to stand by." Zhang Yuanqing suddenly thought of the Poison Chaser's half-brother.

That level 6 Illusionist was a good helper. In addition, there was the Poison Chaser, a level 5 swordsman. Although he couldn't be the main force, he was still a level 5 swordsman. First, he would inquire about Tianfa's whereabouts. Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.

"I'll take the team out to do some work first." Everyone has been on standby these days, waiting for my news.

Compared to the clan chief, the Qinghe tribe's people were more afraid of the director of the Investigation Department, who was also the sixth son of the ancestor. His power was even higher than the clan chief.

That director was also in the reception room at this time, sitting opposite the demon hunter. His name was Wu Youhua, a level 8 Chun Shen (Spring God, Wood Spirit). He was about the same age as Wu A'gui, with a white beard braided into short pigtails. His eyes were sharp, and he exuded authority without anger. It was clear that he was an extremely strong and domineering old man, the opposite of his nephew Wu A'gui.

"That's right," the demon hunter said with a smile. "A wanted criminal from Tianfa has recently infiltrated Ba Gui Province. We suspect that he may be lurking in the Shi Wan Da Shan (Ten Thousand Great Mountains)."

The clan chief Wu A'gui didn't speak. The director of the Investigation Department, Wu Youhua, said in a deep voice, "Tianfa wants us to help search the mountains?"

The demon hunter nodded. "Yes."

Before Wu Youming could speak, he turned to look at his three subordinates.

Osmond and the others tacitly placed the portable safes at their feet on the table and clicked open the locks.

Stacks of grass-green paper money were neatly stacked in the boxes. The demon hunter sincerely said, "Here is a deposit of three million Federation dollars. After the matter is completed, we will pay the remaining five million Federation dollars."

"What the Qinghe Branch needs to do is help find people and block the Shi Wan Da Shan, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving."

"A total of eight million Federation dollars, which is more than 50 million RMB at the current exchange rate."

Wu Youhua nodded with satisfaction. "Okay, but if we need the Overlord to take action, we'll need to add money."

The demon hunter smiled confidently. "No need!"

Just then, outside the reception room, a shrill mobile phone ringtone suddenly sounded.

Wu Youhua frowned and scolded, "Yunmeng!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Sixth Uncle Grandpa, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I'll leave now." Yunmeng covered her phone and ran.

She ran all the way out of the villa, to a secluded flower garden next to her, and answered the call in a low voice. "Yuanshi Tianzun? Head, you actually took the initiative to contact me. You almost got me punished by Sixth Uncle."

"Sorry, I didn't know you had something going on," came Yuanshi Tianzun's moving male voice.

Yunmeng pursed her lips. "It's...it's not a big deal. What's up?"

"Nothing. I've been busy with official business recently, but I've freed up and remembered that there's also a beautiful and lovely comrade-in-arms, so I'm just saying hello. How have you been lately?" Zhang Yuanqing said with a smile.

Yunmeng, who had grown up in the deep mountains since childhood, had never experienced such sweet talk, and felt secretly happy.

"I've been very good recently. I raise pigs and cattle during the day, cultivate herbs, and watch TV at home at night. By the way, I'm almost level 5, hehe."

"Amazing, amazing, you deserve to be the genius girl who braved the Cliff Mountain Sea with me." Zhang Yuanqing gradually increased his offensive.

"I've seen a lot of female elites in the official organization, but there are very few who can compare with you."

Yunmeng giggled and said, "Where, Yin Ji is much stronger than me in terms of talent and strength. You should have a good relationship with her, right?"

"Yin Ji? Hehe, I've almost forgotten about her. I haven't contacted her since we settled the split. It's you, on the other hand, who makes me think of you from time to time."

Zhang Yuanqing, who was taught by a playboy, knew best what these naive little girls liked to hear.

The corners of Yunmeng's mouth unconsciously widened, and she said happily, "You're so sweet, but I won't be fooled by you."

"I..." Zhang Yuanqing suddenly sighed. "Why would I fool you?"

"I've been so annoyed lately, and I might be ruined."

Yunmeng's smile suddenly disappeared, and she asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"Isn't it because of the Tianfa people? You know about yesterday's exchange meeting, right? Our official organization suffered a crushing defeat. That Siren was not satisfied with defeating Firestarter and wanted to challenge me. You know that I'm just entering level 6, and I'm definitely no match for him. Once I lose, wouldn't I be ruined!" Zhang Yuanqing said.

Yunmeng listened, first humming with shared hatred, then comforted him, "Don't worry, they don't have time to cause you trouble."

"Oh? Why?" Zhang Yuanqing pretended to be surprised!

Yunmeng lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "I'll tell you quietly, the Tianfa team is at my house. They just arrived at our Qinghe Branch."

Zhang Yuanqing asked, "What are the Tianfa people doing at your house?"

"I was just eavesdropping on this. They said they wanted to ask us to help search the Shi Wan Da Shan to help them catch a wanted criminal, and they gave us three million Federation dollars as a deposit."

"The Qinghe Branch agreed?"

"My Sixth Uncle Grandpa agreed. He values money very much. He says that money is the foundation for ensuring the prosperity of the Qinghe Branch. He often tells us that."

"Three million Federation dollars to hire the experts in your clan?"

"No, just to search for people. Sixth Uncle said that if they wanted us to take action, they'd have to add money."

"Oh, I see, the Tianfa dogs are really rich." Zhang Yuanqing casually commented with an "oh."

Then, he chatted aimlessly for half an hour before Yunmeng reluctantly said "bye-bye" and hung up the phone.

"This is not good!" In the staff dormitory, Zhang Yuanqing scratched his hair, feeling a little anxious.

The three women at the table looked at him with a complex expression of, *This scumbag knows how to coax women, but why hasn't he ever coaxed me?*

"Stop with your inner dramas. Things are a little troublesome." Zhang Yuanqing forcefully pulled them into a conference state. "Tianfa thinks that Hades might choose Shi Wan Da Shan as his place of slumber. That's a line of thinking. The Qinghe Branch's territory is, in a sense, the most suitable."

Annie said, "This is troublesome. The demon hunter is already beyond what we can handle. With the Qinghe Branch helping, the success rate of capturing Hades is almost zero."

"So, we must come up with a plan." Zhang Yuanqing's expression was serious. "Come up with a way to prevent the Qinghe Branch from interfering in this matter."

It was difficult to ask the Marshal for help because it would be interfering with the Qinghe Branch's freedom, and they would protest.

Moreover, it would be revealed to the demon hunter, and then the demon hunter would know that they were also competing to capture Hades.

The Queen suggested, "Ask Elder Fu for help?"

"He won't interfere." Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. He could ask the Demon Eye Heavenly King for help. As long as he revealed that it was he who was asking, he would definitely agree. However, the Northwest was hundreds of thousands of miles away, and the Ancient War God didn't have teleportation skills and wouldn't be able to arrive in time.

Hmm, he could also look for the Palace Mistress... Zhang Wuqing had just thought of this.

When Xie Lingxi said, "Look for Palace Mistress-jiejie!"

"Who is Palace Mistress-jiejie?" Annie asked.

"It means one of Yuanshi-gege's harem," Xie Lingxi said.

Zhang Yuanqing gave her a flick on the forehead.

"A Music Master Overlord." He stroked his chin and said, "With the Palace Mistress's strength, it's no problem to hold back the demon hunter. But if an opponent of the same level appears, she will definitely ask the Qinghe Branch for help. The number of Overlords in the Qinghe tribe is probably not small. Such a large force should have three or four Overlords."

"I have an idea!" The little green tea showed a cunning smile. "Gege, that Yunmeng is your ambiguous object, right? Then she will definitely be willing to help you."

Zhang Yuanqing originally wanted to explain, but hearing these words, his heart skipped a beat. "Your...meaning is..."

"Let her help trick the Tianfa people away. Just say that they've discovered Hades's whereabouts, and then take the Tianfa people in circles in the forest. We'll take the opportunity to lock onto Hades and arrest him," Xie Lingxi said. "Even if Tianfa knows Yunmeng is lying, they won't dare to do anything to her in the Qinghe tribe's territory. The only price is that she might be forced to betray you afterward."

Zhang Yuanqing was greatly inspired and said, "Good idea! We'll use this method, but we don't need Yunmeng. I know what to do."

The next night, the hotel outside the Shi Wan Da Shan scenic area was quite impressive. Zhang Yuanqing sat cross-legged on the hotel rooftop, with a half-meter-high mound of earth in front of him. On top of the mound was a black iron astrolabe. The deadline for Hades's slumber had arrived.

The Qinghe Branch was more than 200 kilometers away from Nanming City, and it would take three hours to drive. If Hades really chose to slumber here, by the time he arrived at Shi Wan Da Shan, Tianfa might have already successfully captured Hades and returned home.

So, he specially came in advance to stargaze in the scenic area. And if the place where Hades chose to slumber wasn't Shi Wan Da Shan, he would have to sleep anyway, so he could just relock on to him. And the Tianfa members in Shi Wan Da Shan couldn't be faster than him.

Zhang Yuanqing opened his star pupils, his pupils reflecting the brilliant stars, scattered across the black velvet-like night sky.