The Ferocious God in the Celestial Master's Mansion

Beijing, Nadutong Headquarters Building.

This building, standing in the heart of the city, appears no different from the surrounding skyscrapers. Its glass curtain walls reflect the slightly lazy afternoon sunlight, and employees hurry to and fro, displaying the efficiency characteristic of urban white-collar workers. But only a few people know that beneath this seemingly ordinary office area lies a decision-making center powerful enough to influence the entire world of supernatural beings.

Inside the top-floor conference room, the atmosphere was distinctly different from the peaceful atmosphere outside. The heavy solid wood conference table gleamed with a calm luster, and seven genuine leather chairs surrounded it, all of which were now fully occupied.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Zhao Fangxu's usually amiable, chubby face was unusually tense. The cigarette between his fingers burned to the end, scalding his fingers before he snapped back to reality. He casually stubbed out the cigarette butt in the crystal ashtray with a soft "hiss," which was particularly clear in the excessively quiet space.

"Have you finished watching it?"

Zhao Fangxu's voice was slightly hoarse. He glanced at the six people present and his gaze finally settled on Bi Youlong, who was to the left of the main seat.

Bi Youlong's face was ashen. His fingertips tapped lightly on the document jointly submitted by Dou Le of the East China Branch and Xu Si of the North China Branch. The rhythm was even, yet it exuded an invisible pressure.

His usually serious face was devoid of any extraneous expression, as if he were merely reviewing an ordinary work report, but his slightly furrowed brows betrayed his inner turmoil.

"Chairman Zhao, has the information been verified?" His voice was deep, with a metallic quality. "Zhang Yulei emerged from seclusion and wreaked havoc on Longhu Mountain with the Quanxing Sect... Each of these events is enough to cause a huge uproar in the world of supernatural beings."

Sitting opposite Bi Youlong, Huang Bairen pushed up his reading glasses, his aged face full of worry.

The document in his hand was crumpled from being gripped so tightly, and his fingers trembled slightly: "According to the detailed reports from Dou Le and Xu Si, as well as the video footage from the scene... it should be true. The Quanxing suffered heavy losses this time. It is said that nearly ten of their leaders, whose names are known, were killed or wounded, and ordinary members were killed or wounded everywhere."

He paused, his voice lower, "And the one who caused all of this is Zhang Yulei, the successor of the Celestial Master's Mansion who has been in seclusion for nearly seventy years."

"Zhang Yulei..."

Su Mei softly uttered the name. The only woman on the board of directors no longer had the composure she usually displayed when dealing with the Ten Elders.

She picked up the tea in front of her, which had long since gone cold, and took a sip, trying to suppress the turmoil in her heart.

"I remember when he went into seclusion, he was only in his early twenties, yet he was already the most brilliant young talent in the Celestial Master's Mansion, hailed as a once-in-a-century genius. But then, for some reason, he suddenly announced his seclusion, which has lasted for so many years. Now it seems that all those decades of hard work have paid off."

"Wasn't it a wasted trip?"

Fei Bin suddenly chuckled. This usually smiling, short, fat middle-aged man now had a sinister look in his eyes.

"Sister Su, you're putting it too lightly. Although the Quanxing gang acts eccentrically, it's impossible for them to cause trouble in a place like Longhu Mountain without some real skills. And what happened? They didn't even have the power to fight back against Zhang Yulei. It's said that he stunned the Quanxing gang in less than half an hour. His methods..."

He deliberately dragged out his words, picked up the document, and turned to a page.

"Xu Si wrote in his report, 'His attacks were ruthless and deadly, with golden light emanating from his body, and his thunder magic was incredibly advanced, its power even faintly rivaling that of the current Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei'—if this gets out, what do you think the reaction will be in the world of supernatural beings?"

Fei Bin's words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating even larger ripples. Those present were all high-ranking members of Na Du Tong, possessing a clear understanding of the power levels within the world of supernatural beings.

Who is Zhang Zhiwei?

He was recognized as the top figure in the world of supernatural beings; the title of "the best" was not given lightly.

Everyone knows what it means that Zhang Yulei was described by Xu Si as having "an imposing presence that is subtly rivaling Zhang Zhiwei's."

The Party branch secretary, who had been silent all along, cleared his throat. Although he lacked supernatural abilities, he possessed an extremely keen political sense. At times like these, his speech often focused on overall stability: "Everyone, now is not the time to discuss his strength. The key is whether Zhang Yulei's appearance and his current style of action will disrupt the current balance in the world of supernatural beings. Although the Quanxing is an evil sect, its existence has its inertia. This severe blow will inevitably trigger a series of chain reactions. And the Celestial Master's Mansion, as the leading orthodox sect in the world of supernatural beings, will be viewed by other forces by the sudden emergence of such a 'killing star'? The Ten Elders will probably not stand idly by either."

His words hit the nail on the head, bringing the somewhat off-topic conversation back to its core. The greatest significance of the All-Knowing Martial Arts Academy is to maintain order in the world of supernatural beings, balance the various forces, and prevent large-scale conflicts and turmoil.

Zhang Yulei's forceful departure and swift actions were undoubtedly like dropping a bombshell on calm waters.

Zhao Fangxu took a deep breath and gently patted the conference table with his chubby hand: "Secretary Li is right. What we need to consider now is not how strong Zhang Yulei is, but how to deal with the impact he brings. First of all, the Quanxing faction will definitely not let this go. They suffered such a big loss this time, they will definitely retaliate. Although their main target is most likely the Celestial Master's Mansion, given the Quanxing's style of doing things, it is hard to guarantee that innocent people will not be implicated, or even that they will do something even more outrageous. The security pressure in East China will increase sharply, and Dou Le's side will need to send more people."

Bi Youlong immediately chimed in, "I will personally keep an eye on things in North China to prevent the remnants of the Quanxing faction from spreading over and causing trouble. But the problem is, the Celestial Master's Mansion... Zhang Yulei's move has also put us in a difficult position. According to regulations, we shouldn't interfere too much in conflicts between superhumans unless ordinary people are involved. But too many people have died this time. Even if the Quanxing faction is evil, they are still superhumans. Zhang Yulei's indiscriminate killing is unreasonable."

Huang Bairen sighed, "That's true, but the Quanxing sect stormed Longhu Mountain first, ruining their Luotian Grand Ceremony and injuring many disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion. Anyone would find it hard to swallow this insult. Zhang Yulei has been in seclusion for many years, and he encountered something like this as soon as he came out. It's normal for him to be a bit hot-tempered. However... his methods were indeed too extreme. He left almost no survivors, which makes things very difficult for us."

"It's difficult, but we have to do it." Zhao Fangxu rubbed his temples, his tone resolute and unwavering. "Su Mei, contact the Ten Elders as soon as possible, especially those who are close to the Celestial Master's Mansion, and sound them out. See what their attitude is towards Zhang Yulei's matter, lest the Ten Elders start fighting amongst themselves."

"I understand." Su Mei nodded. "However, each of the Ten Elders has different intentions. The Lu family has always had a somewhat ambiguous relationship with Quanxing. With Quanxing suffering such a great loss this time, they might take this opportunity to cause trouble. And then there's the Wang family, who have always wanted to expand their influence in the world of supernatural beings. Zhang Yulei's appearance is a blessing or a curse for them. I need to think carefully about how to say it."

"Fei Bin," Zhao Fangxu looked at the short, fat man again, "Have you caught any Quanxing members alive during the interrogation? Try to pry something out of them and find out what their real purpose is in causing such a ruckus at Longhu Mountain. Don't tell me it's just to cause trouble. Although those Quanxing lunatics are reckless, there must be something fishy going on behind such a large-scale operation."

Fei Bin's signature smile returned, though it now looked somewhat sinister: "Don't worry, Chairman Zhao, we've been interrogating them for a while now. The Quanxing gang is tough, but I have ways to get them to talk. However, it seems they don't know much yet. It looks like they received orders from above to 'take something' after the Luotian Grand Ceremony, but they don't know exactly what it is."

"Take something?" Everyone was taken aback.

"Yes, get the things." Fei Bin nodded firmly. "I suspect that Quanxing's target might be related to Zhang Yulei. Maybe they already knew that Zhang Yulei was going to come out of seclusion, so they chose this time to make their move, hoping to do something in the chaos. They just didn't expect Zhang Yulei to come out so quickly, and that his strength far exceeded their expectations, which led to their own downfall."

This conjecture made the atmosphere in the meeting room tense once again. If this was true, then things were even more complicated. How would the Quanxing know when Zhang Yulei would emerge from seclusion? And what did what they wanted have to do with Zhang Yulei?

The Party branch secretary tapped the table, reminding them, "Regardless of Quanxing's purpose, the most crucial thing now is to stabilize the situation. Zhang Yulei is a variable; we know too little about him. Thirty years of seclusion is enough to completely change a person. His personality, his stance, his views on the current state of the supernatural world... we know nothing about any of these. Making contact rashly is definitely not an option, but ignoring it is not a solution either."

Zhao Fangxu pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Here's what we'll do, Bi Youlong, make arrangements to send a reliable person to Longhu Mountain. They don't need to meet Zhang Yulei directly. First, communicate with Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei to express our concern, and also subtly inquire about Zhang Yulei's situation. Remember, their attitude must be humble; we can't disrespect the Celestial Master's Mansion, especially at this critical juncture."

"Should I send Xu Si?" Bi Youlong suggested. "He's quite familiar with the people of Longhu Mountain, and he was also present at the Luotian Grand Ceremony, so it would be more appropriate for him to go."

"Okay." Zhao Fangxu nodded. "Tell him to be careful and not to upset the people from the Celestial Master's Mansion. Also, pass the word down to all branches to be on high alert recently, closely monitoring the movements of the supernatural world, especially the Quanxing Sect and the area around the Celestial Master's Mansion. Report any disturbances immediately, without delay!"

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

The meeting lasted for nearly three hours, until the sun set and the golden afterglow streamed through the windows into the conference room, casting long shadows of everyone. Only then did this emergency meeting, which revolved around the name "Zhang Yulei," finally come to an end.

Meanwhile, inside the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain, the work continued as usual. While cleaning up the battlefield, the disciples were also cautiously discussing their grand-uncle who had suddenly emerged from seclusion. The name Zhang Yulei was both unfamiliar and familiar to them. The older generation of disciples still remembered the exceptionally talented young man from years past, while the younger generation had only heard snippets of legends about him from their masters and elders.