"I am Zhong Tiande, the Crown Prince of the King of Baoshan of Luozhou!"

Zhong Tiande’s face was pale, and blood constantly trickled from the corner of his mouth. He paid it no mind, staring at Gu Zheng with bloodshot eyes as he turned his head and growled, "Gu Zheng, if you kill Zuo Lingfeng, I’ll give you a high-grade Spiritual Soldier! Two Sixth-Turn Treasure Pills! And you can pick any Ultimate Skill you want!"

"My father is the King of Baoshan, the Military Lord of the Celestial Martial Army. He can provide resources like high-grade Spiritual Soldiers and Sixth-Turn Treasure Pills himself, no application needed."

"Also, if you want to be a Commander in the Demon Slayer Bureau, my father can arrange that too. This isn’t an empty promise—it’s within your grasp. All you have to do is kill Zuo Lingfeng!"

Zhong Tiande spoke with agitation, coughing up a large mouthful of dark blood.

Zuo Lingfeng’s face remained grim. He didn’t interrupt, merely watching Gu Zheng defensively.

Gu Zheng didn’t interrupt either.

He waited until Zhong Tiande finished before turning to leave.

"Wait, wait!"

Seeing this, Zhong Tiande panicked. "Gu Zheng, wait! I’m not lying to you! If you kill Zuo Lingfeng, I’ll give you anything you want! Stop! Stop! AAAAH!"

Zhong Tiande screamed in a frenzy.

Amidst the ruins, Cao Bing heard the shouts and smiled grimly.

’We ambushed Zuo Lingfeng, and in the end, we’re the ones who are all going to die.’

’Then again, if a Heroic Body Realm expert could be shot and killed so easily, how could they ever become a Demon-slaying Grand General?’

"Hhhh... hhhh..."

A low, labored gasp.

Cao Bing took a deep breath, greedily committing the sensation to memory.

The next moment, his consciousness faded, and his vision went black...

...

’The Celestial Martial Army Commander, the King of Baoshan?’

This was the first time Gu Zheng had heard of the latter.

But he had long known of the "Celestial Martial Army." The legion had existed even before the Celestial Change.

The Celestial Martial Army was one of the four great legions of the Jing Country.

As for its Military Lord being from the Zhong Family, that was understandable with a bit of thought.

What Gu Zheng hadn’t expected was to run into the Crown Prince of the King of Baoshan here.

When he had seen Zhong Tiande earlier, the Young Master had been fuming, pointing at the sky and cursing.

Now, he was severely wounded on the ground, asking for help, yet his tone held little pleading and was still filled with command.

’Trying to tempt me with resources like high-grade Spiritual Soldiers and Sixth-Turn Treasure Pills is amusing.’

’Does he take me for some country bumpkin who doesn’t know anything?’

He had no interest in getting involved in the feud between Zhong Tiande and Zuo Lingfeng.

If he really had to pick a side, it would be Zuo Lingfeng’s.

At least Zuo Lingfeng had just been running around with genuine sincerity, saving people from the ruins.

’Zhong Tiande?’

...

He quickly found the Fang Zhengs of the various districts, along with several other influential figures. After revealing his identity, he informed them that the Domain bordered a Demon Realm and that the Thunderous Bone Demon Fiend had appeared.

The Fang Zhengs and other organizers were instantly horrified. They scrambled to direct the common people to hide in their homes, cellars, and basements in large groups.

The situation was urgent, so they couldn’t be thorough. As long as people could hide, it was enough.

After relaying the information, Gu Zheng returned to the center of the ruined area to guard the entrance, waiting for the Thunderous Bone Demon Fiend to appear.

But he soon discovered there wasn’t just one such entrance, but as many as eight.

In every direction, there were entrances connected to the realm of the Thunderous Bone Demon Fiend.

The towering, pitch-black mountain, a thousand zhang high, was visible from every entrance.

"ROAR~"

"ROAR!"

CRACK, CRACK. One by one, Thunderous Bone Demon Fiends emerged from the piles of rubble outside the entrances and drew near.

SWISH~ SWISH!

The Sword Gang formed lines, sweeping out in a crisscrossing pattern.

CHKT! CHKT! CHKT!

Flashes of blade light bloomed, wrapping around the Thunderous Bone Demon Fiends. Before they could unleash their electric arcs, their skulls were shattered, and their Soul Fires were annihilated.

Spirit Capturing!

[Demon Points +7]

[Demon Points +9]

...

In one sweep, all the Thunderous Bone Demon Fiends near the entrance were reaped and slaughtered.

But it was impossible to know if any Thunderous Bone Demon Fiends had entered through the other entrances.

The entrances were too far apart.

Even if Gu Zheng wanted to cover them all, he couldn’t.

Fortunately, when Gu Zheng patrolled over later, he saw Zuo Lingfeng also guarding an entrance, intercepting and killing the Thunderous Demon Fiends.

The two of them exchanged a look from a distance. Neither said a word before turning away.

It was like this for two straight days.

Early on the morning of the third day, a clap of thunder echoed over Mu’en Prefecture City as dark clouds rolled out to cover the sky in all directions.

The void distorted, and an invisible power spread outward.

The Domain had opened!

SWOOSH~

SWISH!

WHOOSH!

Outside Mu’en Prefecture City, figures rushed into the city one after another.

There were Demon Suppression Guards from the Demon Slayer Bureau and members of Noble Families.

After entering, they roamed everywhere, searching for Source Fruits, Magic Gold, Marvels...

Gu Zheng no longer stood guard at the bordering entrance and began to walk through the city.

Finding Source Fruits and Marvels was one thing, but the key was to find the Rule Array Hub.

If the Rule Array Hub wasn’t destroyed, the Domain would become a permanent channel after seven days, and Mu’en Prefecture City would truly be finished.

The city’s inhabitants were all in hiding.

This left the main streets completely empty.

As Gu Zheng walked, Pang Hu, who was on his shoulder, suddenly materialized. Its azure eyes stared at a tree to the right.

"Wu!"

"You found something?" Gu Zheng stopped and looked over.

SWISH~

Pang Hu leaped up, jumped onto the tree, and with a swipe of its paw, snatched a leaf.

"Wu!"

It pushed with its fleshy paw, and the leaf floated toward Gu Zheng.

Gu Zheng reached out and caught it. He held the leaf and examined it closely, but there was nothing special about it.

He stored it in his equipment slot.

[Marvel: Heaven-Covering Leaf (Developing)]

’The Heaven-Covering Leaf!’

’This leaf is actually the Heaven-Covering Leaf?’

’No...’

’That’s right, it’s still developing. It hasn’t fully formed yet.’

Gu Zheng took out the leaf, placed it in his hand, and looked at Pang Hu. "Little fatty, you’re amazing. You even found it ahead of time."

"Wu!"

Pang Hu lifted its head, pride showing on its small, round face.

"So you can find other Marvels too, then?" Gu Zheng asked with a smile, probing for information.

"Wu!"

Pang Hu shook its head, then lifted its fleshy paw and pointed at the leaf. "Wu! Wawu~"

"This leaf is special?"

Hearing this, Gu Zheng’s sharp brows raised. He once again examined the leaf in his hand, trying to sense any change in its qi.

After a long moment, he detected nothing unusual.

Apparently, he would have to wait until it had finished developing and fully taken shape to see what was different about it.

"Alright then."

Gu Zheng stuffed the leaf into his pocket.

As long as he remained within the Domain, the Power of Rules would continue to condense and evolve it.

Unless the leaf was torn to shreds or burned right now.

...

"BANG! BANG!"

BOOM!

The sounds of a fight erupted from up ahead.

Gu Zheng tapped his toes and flew to a rooftop, gazing into the distance.

It was two groups fighting fiercely over three Source Fruits.

The three Source Fruits had appeared in the same place, floating under the eaves of a roof, no more than a meter apart.

The chances of this happening were low, and the chances of someone encountering it were even lower.

One group consisted of Demon Suppression Guards, while the other was from a Noble Family. There was only one noble youth; the rest were his subordinates.

Similar to Jiang Mingjiu, they had sold themselves to a Noble Family.

Spirit Capturing!

"WHOOSH~"

He performed a remote Absorption, pulling all three Source Fruits into his hand.

"Stop fighting! Someone took the Source Fruits!"

Someone who had been keeping an eye on the Source Fruits immediately shouted.

The two fighting groups instantly stopped and looked toward the spot under the eaves, confirming that the Source Fruits were indeed gone.

"Who? Who took the Source Fruits?"

"Up on the roof!"

"That person’s aura is so strong! Is he a Super Body?"

"No, more than a Super Body! He... he gives me the same feeling as a Demon-slaying Grand General from headquarters!" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"A Demon-slaying Grand General? Heroic Body Realm? How is that possible!"

"..."

The two groups exclaimed to each other, staring at Gu Zheng on the roof. They muttered amongst themselves, but no one dared to approach or question him.

Setting aside everything else, just being able to use Absorption on the Source Fruits from over two hundred meters away was something no ordinary Super Body could do.

Gu Zheng listened to their discussions but had no intention of revealing his identity.

Although the Demon Slayer Bureau and the Demon Suppression Guard were part of the same system, their jurisdictions were primarily managed by each individual state.

If Gu Zheng were to interfere in the affairs of the Demon Suppression Guard here, the leading Commanders and Hundred Households might not be pleased.

Especially since the Domain had just opened, and it wasn’t as if they had encountered an indestructible Demon Fiend.

’For now, it’s best to just do my own thing.’

SWOOSH~

With a flicker of his figure, Gu Zheng vanished from the rooftop.

"He’s finally gone."

"Who was that? Such a young peak Super Body... is he one of your Noble Family’s people?"

"I don’t know him! Never seen him before!"

"Heh, no need to be so aggressive. You wanderers from the Martial World who’ve sold yourselves to a Noble Family have nothing to be proud of."

"As if you didn’t sell yourselves to the Zhong Family!"

"Actually, we didn’t. We can quit. Can you?"

"..."

The two groups bickered noisily, devolving into a chaotic argument.

In the end, they parted on bad terms.

The Source Fruits were gone, so there was naturally no reason to fight anymore.

...

...

「On a certain street.」

Gu Zheng strolled along, storing the three Source Fruits in his equipment slot.

[Source Fruit: Detoxification]

[Source Fruit: Divine Wondrous]

[Source Fruit: Thunder Storage]

He had already picked up the first two types before.

The third Source Fruit actually granted an ability.

Thunder Storage, which could also be called electricity storage.

After consuming the Source Fruit, his body would be able to absorb lightning. As long as it wasn’t some special type of thunder, most lightning could be absorbed and converted into energy to enhance his physique and Spirit.

The effect lasted for one month!

For one month, he wouldn’t have to fear being struck by lightning.

’This is good stuff.’

Gu Zheng thought of the Thunderous Bone Demon Fiend and immediately took out the Thunder Storage Source Fruit, swallowing it in two bites.

A peculiar energy instantly spread from his abdomen, surging throughout his entire body and forming a thin film on his skin, invisible to the naked eye and undetectable by any senses.

’Time to find a Thunderous Bone Demon Fiend and test this out...’

Gu Zheng’s sharp brows twitched, and he quickened his pace.

He rounded a corner. On the street ahead, most of the shops on either side had their doors open.

The people inside had all fled.

In one of the shops, several paper effigies were placed near the entrance, rustling faintly in the wind.

As Gu Zheng looked over, one of the paper effigies suddenly flashed with a golden light.

’This is...’

Gu Zheng’s gaze hardened, and he strode toward the funeral shop.

TAP!

The sound of a footstep echoed as a figure appeared at the other side of the funeral shop’s entrance at the same time.

Zuo Lingfeng!

Gu Zheng stopped.

Zuo Lingfeng also halted and looked at Gu Zheng.

The two of them met each other’s gaze.

Zuo Lingfeng turned and slowly walked away.

’Is he... letting me have it?’

Gu Zheng smiled.

Reaching out, he performed an Absorption, pulling the glowing paper effigy into his hand and reading its information.

’Death Substitution!’

The ability of this paper effigy was to substitute for his death once!

For Zuo Lingfeng to yield such a special Marvel, Gu Zheng had really lucked out.

Immediately, his gaze shifted. He called out to Zuo Lingfeng, who hadn’t gone far, "Wait."

"..."

Zuo Lingfeng stopped and turned slightly.

"Have you killed Zhong Tiande yet?"