"What are you spacing out for, you silly girl?"

Zhou Zhenyue urged from the side, "Hurry up and agree!"

’This is Gu Zheng!’

’The legend of Qingshi County!’

’And a high-ranking official in the imperial court, no less.’

The kind of expert beyond the Grandmaster realm that everyone else exhausted all means to connect with.

An expert that he, Zhou Zhenyue, had also dreamed of forming a connection with.

Now that the opportunity to build a relationship was right here, Zhou Zhenyue wished he could be the one to kneel in Zhou Dingding’s place.

"No need to rush, no need to rush."

Seeing this, Gu Sihai said with a beaming smile, "If the young lady hasn’t made up her mind, she can take a few more days to think about it. Once Ping’an..."

"Can you bring my mother back to life?"

Zhou Dingding suddenly spoke, staring at Gu Zheng without blinking.

"I cannot," Gu Zheng said bluntly.

"Then if I become strong, can I save her?" Zhou Dingding asked again.

"You cannot do that either." Gu Zheng offered the little girl no false hope. "Your mother is already dead. When a person dies, their soul returns to the heavens and the earth. No one can bring them back."

"So you’re saying, once a person dies, they’re gone forever?" Zhou Dingding pressed.

"That’s not entirely true."

Gu Zheng replied, "If you continuously grow stronger and reach a certain level, you can find your True Spirit, stabilize your True Spirit, and form a contract with your True Spirit. Even if you die, you can be reincarnated with your memories intact."

"I have not yet reached that realm myself."

"..."

Zhou Dingding’s eyes widened, and she fell silent.

The next moment, she bowed and fell to the ground, kowtowing to Gu Zheng and calling out in a clear voice, "Greetings, Master!"

"Good."

Gu Zheng chuckled lightly. He raised a hand, using a gentle force to lift Zhou Dingding back to her feet.

Then, with a flick of his hand, a Source Fruit appeared, which he handed to the little girl.

"Though you are only a Registered Disciple, I, as your master, will not skimp on your acceptance gift. Eat this fruit. It will strengthen your body."

"Yes, Master." Zhou Dingding took the Strengthening Source Fruit with both hands and stuffed it into her mouth, swallowing it in three bites.

HUMMM~

The energy of the Source Fruit dispersed from her abdomen, flooding her entire body. The stimulation caused Zhou Dingding’s face to flush red, cold sweat to bead on her forehead, and her body to tremble slightly.

This was because her Constitution was too weak. Consuming it directly made the effect too potent for her body to handle all at once.

Gu Zheng placed a hand on the little girl’s shoulder. Divine Wondrous energy surged, flowing into her body to help channel the potent energy and guide her in absorbing it bit by bit.

The entire process lasted about five minutes.

"Hooo~!"

Drenched in sweat, Zhou Dingding took a long breath. Her once-pale face was now rosy and radiant, and her eyes were noticeably brighter.

"Thank you, Master!"

The little girl took a deep breath, once again falling to the ground and kowtowing to Gu Zheng.

"Rise."

Gu Zheng withdrew his hand and said softly, "This is no place to practice martial arts. Go live at my home. If you wish to continue practicing the Bibo Smoke Mist Technique, then do so. If not, you can switch directly to the Thunderous Waves Skill. This True Skill is the advanced version of the Bibo Smoke Mist Technique."

"Then... if I master the Bibo Smoke Mist Technique to perfection before switching to the Thunderous Waves Skill, will it be twice as effective with half the effort?" Zhou Dingding inquired.

"Yes."

Gu Zheng smiled. "The choice is yours. When you come live at my home, don’t be afraid of Gu Feng. If that boy causes you any trouble, feel free to teach him a lesson."

"That’s right, that’s right. Beat him up as you please,"

Gu Sihai chimed in from the side. "Besides Gu Feng, there’s also Wan’Er, Xue’Er, and your Sister Pan’Er, whom you’ve already met. They’re all very nice. I’m sure you’ll get to know them quickly."

Gu Zheng glanced at Gu Sihai. He knew what the old man was scheming but didn’t call him out on it.

With Zhou Dingding’s aptitude, it would only take a few years for her to mature into a powerful figure.

By then, whether she would even choose to remain in Qingshi was another question entirely.

"This disciple will follow all of Master’s arrangements!"

Zhou Dingding replied respectfully.

"Hahaha, good, excellent!"

Seeing the matter settled, Zhou Zhenyue laughed heartily.

Although Gu Zheng had only invited Zhou Dingding to the Gu Mansion and hadn’t said a word about helping them, they were all in the same county. With the Gu Family’s influence, they could easily arrange a comfortable job for them at any time.

Furthermore, once word spread that Zhou Dingding had become Gu Zheng’s disciple—even if only a Registered Disciple—other people would immediately come rushing to their door to curry favor.

What Zhou Zhenyue was worried about now was whether he would be able to resist all the temptations that were sure to come...

...

Taking Zhou Dingding as a disciple was just a casual, strategic move.

Gu Zheng didn’t bother with the follow-up arrangements, leaving everything for Gu Sihai to handle.

He stayed at home for a day, explaining the fundamentals of cultivation and the key to breaking through to the Alien Body Realm to Zhou Dingding, before letting his older sister Gu Pan’Er take her under her wing.

With Demon Fiends running rampant everywhere, all the old trade routes had been severed.

Gu Pan’Er was quite free now. Not only did she cultivate on her own, but she also made Gu Xue practice with her.

She was very happy to have Zhou Dingding join them.

Gu Zheng went to see Lu Guangbei and Han Ming, and also had a chat with Tong Yuanshan.

Afterward, he set off for the Capital City.

...

Geographically, Fengzhou was located in the northern part of the Jing Country.

Leaving Fengzhou, one entered Luozhou. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Passing through Luozhou, one set foot in Hongzhou.

Beyond Hongzhou was Guangzhou, where the Capital City was located.

Guangzhou’s State City was also the Capital City.

Gu Zheng traveled without stopping, crossing all of Luozhou in a single day and stepping into the territory of Hongzhou that night.

He stopped for the night in the Prefecture City of Mu’en Prefecture.

「In the middle of the night.」

Gu Zheng was sitting cross-legged in his inn room, resting—

"RUMBLE~!!"

A series of sharp thunderclaps suddenly erupted outside.

The abrupt explosions came from all directions.

One explosion followed another, shaking the very void, churning the air, and throwing a vast area into chaos.

Within the span of just three breaths, space itself collapsed, expanded, compressed, and distorted.

"BOOM!!"

A deafening crack of thunder, like a bolt from a clear sky, exploded almost directly above the inn where Gu Zheng was staying.

Terrifying shockwaves of energy spread out in concentric circles, propagating from the sky down toward the ground.

"BANG~" "BANG!" "BANG~"

One building after another exploded. Rubble, broken timbers, and all sorts of debris were flung into the air, flying and scattering in every direction.

"CRASH!"

The entire street was flattened by the terrifying power that churned the void, which swept over and simply erased a long strip of land, causing everything within it to vanish into nothingness.

SWOOSH!

SWOOSH~

Gu Zheng’s figure flickered as he continuously dodged, bursting into a sprint toward an area where the thunder was quieter.

When he stopped, he was standing on the roof of a building.

The deafening thunder from all sides also ceased.

However, the distorted void and the chaotic flow of energy did not disappear; they still remained.

Moreover, this power enveloped the entire city, trapping the whole of Mu’en Prefecture City within it.

SHING~!

Gu Zheng activated his Eyes of Golden Flame and looked into the distance.

Within his vision, a familiar wall of air, stretching from the sky to the earth, blocked off the outside world.

"A Domain Wall!?"

"Damn it, how could we be so unlucky, getting trapped inside a Domain?"

"And a newly formed one at that! Son of a bitch!"

On a street over a hundred meters to Gu Zheng’s right, a young man in lavish robes pointed at the void above and cursed in frustration.

The man was flanked by eight guards, each with a prominent aura.

Three of them were in the Super Body Realm.

"What are you looking at?"

As Gu Zheng looked over, the man turned his head and happened to see him, immediately shouting across the distance, "Never seen someone in robes before? It’s a cold night, who are you trying to impress by striking a pose on a rooftop? That goddamn sky?"

"Your Highness."

A middle-aged man behind him leaned close to the youth and said in a low voice, "That person is no simple character. Although he has suppressed his aura to the point where he seems to be at the Alien Body Realm, the sense of threat he gives me is extremely strong. He’s at least at the Super Body Radiant level!"

Zhong Tiande, "..."

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, Zhong Tiande withdrew his gaze and turned. "Let’s go, let’s go. Find another inn that wasn’t affected. Damn it, what rotten luck to end up in the birthplace of a Domain."

Cursing under his breath, he didn’t stop moving, leading his men away at a slow pace.

Gu Zheng remained silent the entire time.

’Your Highness?’

’Another member of the royal family?’

’My luck really is bad.’

For other people, entering a Domain was a fateful opportunity.

But for members of the royal family, there were plenty of subordinates to offer them tributes of Source Fruits, Magic Gold, and Marvels.

Gu Zheng also hadn’t expected that less than an hour after he had stopped in Mu’en Prefecture City, the city would be chosen to become a Domain.

Just like Four Directions Prefecture City, it now bordered the Demon Realm.

The Domain had just been born, and many areas within the city were still unstable.

The distorted void and collapsing space were caused by the connection to the Demon Realm.

Last time, in Four Directions Prefecture City, the connection was underground, so the buildings on the surface were preserved.

Mu’en Prefecture City, however, was not so lucky.

The street where Gu Zheng’s inn was located had already been swallowed up.

As far as his eyes could see, many other places were also being consumed.

Once swallowed, the buildings and the people inside were instantly crushed and obliterated.

Faced with this collision of the Power of Heaven and Earth, even Gu Zheng was powerless to save anyone.

He could only wait for things to completely stabilize before attempting any rescues.

He waited for four hours.

Normally, the sky would have been bright by now, but the sky above Mu’en Prefecture City remained dim and gloomy.

The sky outside the Domain Wall was much the same.

Screams rose from all over the city, mingled with cries of sorrow and pleas for help.

Unfortunately, the Prefecture Government Office had been obliterated by the churning void.

The constables and government constables from the office were leaderless. The soldiers of the City Defense Bureau were in a similar state, as the Domain Wall hadn’t formed exactly on the city wall but had cut through a section of the city inside it.

The City Defense Bureau’s barracks had been completely swallowed.

As a result, it was now the Fang Zheng from the various districts, along with other respected individuals, who were organizing the rescue efforts inside the city.

Gu Zheng sensed the surrounding space and confirmed that it had stabilized. His figure flickered, and he flew out, following the sounds to rescue people.

He rushed from one ruin to another.

Those trapped under beams, stuck in basements, or hiding in corners—he moved aside the fallen stones and pillars one by one, pulling them to safety.

He went on rescuing people, street by street.

While digging through one patch of ruins, he came across a Demon Suppression Guard who was also effortlessly punching through the earth and moving heavy objects to help save people.

He knew the man was a Demon Suppression Guard because the fluctuations of Divine Wondrous energy coming from him were the kind produced by practicing the All Heaven Jade Void Skill Super Body Chapter.

The man was in regular clothes, had a cold and indifferent expression, and looked to be in his early twenties. He had also noticed Gu Zheng, but after a glance, he turned back and continued his rescue work without a word of greeting.

Gu Zheng didn’t greet him either. He turned and headed for other streets, pulling buried people from the ruins.

He continued this work for over an hour.

Along the way, he ran into the cold-faced Demon Suppression Guard several more times.

Neither of them spoke.

They only stopped when everyone who could be saved had been rescued.

A kind old woman opportunely brought a bowl of water and handed it to Gu Zheng.

Someone also brought water to the cold-faced Demon Suppression Guard.

The latter said his thanks, took it, and drank it all in one gulp.

Then, from a dozen or so paces away, he cupped his fist in his other hand in a salute to Gu Zheng.

"Zuo Lingfeng, from Luozhou!"