The next day.
Noon.
Beijing, a five-star hotel room.
Qin Ye had returned last night, ordered takeout, and started binge-watching dramas, trying to catch up on the TV shows he hadn't finished before traveling through time. He ended up watching all night until now.
As sunlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, hitting Qin Ye's eyes on the bed.
"Is it morning? No, wait, what time is it?"
Qin Ye picked up his phone. "2 o'clock?! Time flies so fast."
At that moment, the movie playing on the TV screen ended, rolling its end credits. Qin Ye couldn't help but stretch lazily before getting out of bed.
"The Wandering Earth 2 was really good. I wonder when the third one will come out."
Just as he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up, a notification popped up in his phone.
[Alipay: 200,000 yuan credited]
The phone's notification sound made Qin Ye glance sideways at his phone on the sink. He opened it to check. It was a transfer from Zhang Feng of the Night Watchers.
"Oh? Sold some more gold and jewelry? The efficiency of Bureau 749 is impressive—selling some each day. Staying in a five-star presidential suite is too expensive; I thought my money was running out soon."
"Now there's no need to worry. At this rate, I won't run out of money. I could even invest... But what should I invest in? I never had money to play the stock market before traveling through time. Should I try it now?"
———
At the same time.
Beijing, Bureau 749 Headquarters, Conference Room.
"Director Lin, the first batch of recommended Daoist cultivators, totaling 300 people, all arrived at 'Hell Valley' last night and entered 'Jade Pool' under Elder Ou's arrangement."
"Among those who were already in 'Hell Valley,' 30 Daoist cultivators have shown significant improvement, their talents undergoing a complete transformation. The most notable is your grandson, Lin Jianxuan."
"After being baptized in 'Jade Pool,' he has been recognized by Elder Ou as having the potential to reach the level of Grandmaster."
"Additionally, there is an old Daoist priest named Mu Chen from the Shenxiao Sect. He has been accumulating strength over time. Though he is already 42 years old, his talent has also undergone a transformation."
Hearing the assistant's report, Lin De nodded in satisfaction, the furrows in his brows easing slightly.
"Finally, some good news these past two days."
"By the way, has Starwatch River found out the cause? And I heard reports coming in from various places last night. What's going on?"
"Starwatch River has submitted a report."
The assistant swiped on the tablet. When he revealed the findings about the death of the Earth God, Lin De and the other high-ranking officials in the room all had a drastic change in expression. The logistics department head looked as if he had seen a ghost.
"The Earth God is dead? What kind of joke is this…? Could it be that Heaven is the same as the Underworld…?"
He didn't continue, afraid of jinxing things. Lin De rubbed his temples, the relief he had just felt now tightening back into a deep frown, even deeper than before.
"What about the reports from various regions?" Lin De exhaled and asked.
Even though the assistant hadn't answered yet, based on the Starwatch River report, he had a bad feeling—perhaps the aftermath of handling this morning's emergency incidents was not the hardest part.
Sure enough, the assistant responded.
"The branch in Greater Khingan Mountains reported that the mountain god of the Greater Khingan has disappeared. The great demons of the mountains have already caught wind of this and are growing restless."
"Additionally—"
"Sichuan's Hailuogou primeval forest, Yunnan's Hengduan Mountains, and Northeast China's Changbai Mountain—branches from these areas also reported that their mountain gods have gone missing. The mountain spirits, ghosts, and great demon kings are all growing restless."
"Especially in Northeast China's Changbai Mountain…"
When the assistant reached this point, his voice trembled slightly. Even though he had already known and organized the information, the moment he spoke it aloud, he still couldn't suppress the terror the report conveyed.
"Wait, Changbai Mountain is also restless? Aren't the Five Immortal Families of the Northeast intervening?" The logistics department head asked.
Even ordinary people knew about the Five Immortal Families of the Northeast. Among them, the Third Grandfather of the Hu family was granted a divine title by the Heavenly Court, overseeing all the demons in Northeast China.
The Northeast was filled with great mountains and was the location of the dragon's head in the Dragon Vein of Great Xia, producing many powerful demons and mountain spirits.
It was precisely because of the Third Grandfather of the Hu family, that despite the numerous demons in the Northeast, they all behaved themselves. Not only did they never cross Shanhai Pass, but they rarely even left their own mountains.
The assistant looked over. "This is what I was about to report. The Changbai Mountain branch sent word that the Five Immortal Families of the Northeast—the Hu family—were collectively mourning last night."
"After contacting the Five Immortal Families, the reason was discovered—Half a year ago, the Third Grandfather of the Hu family traveled to the Heavenly Court and never returned. Until last night, his ancestral memorial tablet shattered."
It felt as if a cold wind swept through, from the soles of their feet straight up to their heads. Lin De and all the senior officials present broke out in cold sweat upon hearing this news.
Anyone who worshipped the Five Immortal Families of the Northeast knew, even ordinary people knew, the shattering of a memorial tablet was an incredibly ominous sign.
But as members of Bureau 749, they understood more than ordinary people. A shattered memorial tablet wasn't just a bad omen—it meant the being worshipped had suffered severe harm.
And for a powerful being like the Third Grandfather of the Hu family, it meant… complete annihilation.
"The Third Grandfather of the Hu family is dead?!"
The logistics department head felt like there was a lump of burning coal stuck in his throat, making it hard to speak.
Not only was the Earth God dead, even the Third Grandfather of the Hu family, a true great deity, was gone.
In truth, regarding the Earth God's death, Lin De and the others had still held onto a sliver of hope. Maybe he was killed by a powerful being in the mortal world, whether human or demon.
But now that they learned of the fate of the Third Grandfather of the Hu family, that hope was utterly shattered.
Because, the Third Grandfather of the Hu family was in a completely different league.
The Earth God was weak. The Third Grandfather of the Hu family, however, was incomparably strong—a fox immortal who had cultivated for countless years. Looking across all of Great Xia, barely anyone could rival him.
Yet, even such a powerful deity had perished.
"Any other reports?" Lin De's brows were now tightly knit, almost twisting together. But as the head of the bureau, he quickly steadied himself and gave orders.
"Contact the Grandmasters and Guardians who have completed dealing with top-priority emergencies and send them to these mountains and primeval forests. Also, have the branches contact the great demons who are in alliance with Bureau 749 to help suppress the restless ones."
"As for Changbai Mountain…"
Changbai Mountain was a place where the essence of heaven and earth converged, producing some of the most powerful demons.
Now, without the Third Grandfather to keep them in check, if those ancient demons started stirring, things could spiral out of control.
Before the assistant could continue his report, Lin De spoke directly, "By the way, where is Elder Zhang? Didn't he return to the Maoshan Sect? Wasn't their ancestral tomb in the back mountains producing an old ancestor? Can we contact Elder Zhang and ask that ancestor to step in?"
In Lin De's view, to deal with these ancient great demons, Grandmasters were the minimum requirement.
And not just one, at least two or more.
But just as he suggested this, the assistant hesitated before saying, "Director Lin, I was just about to report on this. The old ancestor who emerged from Maoshan Sect—after meeting with Elder Zhang—left."
"Elder Zhang originally wanted to ask the old ancestor for help, but he refused, saying he wasn't interested in assisting for now… Instead, he said he wanted to find the King of the Night for a chat."
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