THUD, THUD, THUD~

The stone statue stomped on the Qingshi floor, kicking up dust.

It wasn’t moving very fast, but it wasn’t slow either.

Amidst the heavy thuds, it hurtled through a street and turned into a small alley.

SWOOSH!

With a sound of rushing wind, a figure followed close behind, chasing the stone statue into the alleyway.

Zuo Lingfeng!

Gu Zheng’s sharp brows shot up. With a flicker, he leaped into the air and flew over.

SHING!

A cold light flared. Zuo Lingfeng, wielding a long spear, caught up to the statue. The tip of his spear glinted like starlight as he rapidly stabbed at the statue’s neck.

"CLANG~!"

The sound of metal striking metal echoed through the street.

The stone statue didn’t even sway, and its neck showed no signs of cracking or splitting.

Zuo Lingfeng’s attack was like little more than a tickle to the statue.

Instead, the force of the impact rebounded back to Zuo Lingfeng, forcing him to spin and tumble through the air before landing. CRACK! He shattered several flagstones, and the Powerful Qi venting from his body blasted away the dust in a radius of dozens of meters.

SWOOSH!

Gu Zheng followed right behind. The Celestial Frost Blade left its sheath, and as a Divine Wondrous power surged, he unleashed the strongest move of the Nine Luminaries Golden Saber.

SHIING~

The light from his blade formed a line, slashing across the statue’s head.

TSSK!

BANG~!

The line of light exploded. The statue kept running, its steps thudding heavily on the ground. A clearly visible mark now marred the back of its head, but that was all. It wasn’t deep. For the statue, it was still just a tickle.

"WHOOSH!"

A powerful wind whipped up, forming a tornado. With a churning force, it coiled around the statue like a roaring Flood Dragon, attempting to crush it.

BANG! BANG! BANG~

Dust billowed and Powerful Qi raged.

The statue kept running, seemingly oblivious to the attacks on it. It allowed the destructive forces to ravage it, but they couldn’t destroy it.

BOOM!

A powerful rebounding force once again knocked Zuo Lingfeng back, sending him flying backward.

SWOOSH~

Gu Zheng took over, intercepting the statue. His Celestial Frost Blade flashed with a cold light as he closed in and hacked at its body.

The power of his Barbaric Force, Divine Wondrous abilities, True Skill, and the Spiritual Soldier were all focused on a single point.

SHIING!

"CRASH~!"

With a tremendous crash, the statue’s forward momentum was finally broken. Under the force of the blade, it tilted backward, stumbled, and fell to the ground.

A deep gash, running from its right shoulder down to its chest, was clearly visible.

But that was the extent of the damage. The statue had not been split in two.

If this had been a Bone Demon, even a third-rank Silver Bone, this blow would have been enough to shatter it.

But this statue, for reasons unknown—perhaps because it was a Rule Array Hub, or maybe a Marvel of some kind—was simply indestructible.

"You’re not going to get anywhere like that."

WHOOSH!

A voice called out as a tall figure leaped from a rooftop, flying closer.

While still in mid-air, the figure swung a gilded long staff. It left a trail of afterimages as it tore through the air and smashed into the rising statue. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

CLANG~~!

The deafening sound of metal on metal spread in all directions.

Visible ripples spread through the air, emanating from the statue like waves on water.

Rings of afterimages appeared on the statue’s surface, layered one on top of the other, seemingly separating from its body.

The person wielding the staff was not thrown back by the rebounding force.

On the contrary, the concussive force seemed to come alive in their hands. They controlled it with ease, guiding it like a wave and redirecting it back onto the statue.

"BZZZT BZZZT BZZZT~"

The entire statue trembled, its illusory afterimages flickering constantly.

"Now!"

the newcomer shouted. "Pierce these afterimages!"

SHIING!

Gu Zheng’s blade sliced out a line of light.

TSSK! TSSK! TSSK!~

The Sword Gang cut through the air, descending upon the trembling statue and shredding the afterimages from behind.

SWISH~

Zuo Lingfeng, spear in hand, thrust out shafts of light, shattering the afterimages from the front.

Attacking from front and back, the two of them quickly destroyed the statue’s layers of afterimages.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

BZZ~ BZZ~ BZZ

"BANG!" "BANG!" "BANG!!"

Amidst a series of strange noises and explosions, all the afterimages radiating from the statue were shredded and dissipated into nothingness.

WHOOSH~!

A powerful gust of wind struck down at the perfect moment, aimed right for the statue’s head.

"BOOM!"

The explosion shook the long street.

The statue’s head shattered completely, turning into a spray of fragments that shot outward with a piercing shriek.

Amid flashes of light, the statue’s body slowly faded away.

’Success!’

The Rule Array Hub was destroyed, and the Domain began to recede.

RUMBLE~!

At the zenith of the sky, the void twisted. A vast, formless power interfered with the space, causing it to separate.

The dim canopy of the sky followed suit, vanishing bit by bit.

"Ha, see? That did it."

"Xiao Xianya of Hongzhou. Thank you, my two brothers!"

Xiao Xianya let her gilded staff rest on the ground, clasping her fist to Gu Zheng and Zuo Lingfeng in thanks.

She stood 1.7 meters tall, with an oval face and bold features. Her long black hair was tied in a high ponytail, and her dark red, close-fitting martial attire made her look both tall and dashingly heroic.

"Gu Zheng of Fengzhou."

Gu Zheng returned the fist-clasping gesture.

"Zuo Lingfeng of Luozhou."

Zuo Lingfeng did the same.

"Gu Zheng of Fengzhou? Zuo Lingfeng of Luozhou?" Hearing their names, Xiao Xianya’s smile grew wider, her bright eyes sizing them both up. "Haha, so you two are the geniuses from the states neighboring the Seven Demon Slayers’ territories! This is great. To think we’d meet here."

"By the way, brothers, are you both in the Heroic Body Realm?"

Sensing the auras radiating from Gu Zheng and Zuo Lingfeng, Xiao Xianya congratulated them, "Congratulations, congratulations! You two truly live up to your reputations as geniuses, breaking through to the Heroic Body Realm so quickly. Although I’m also one of the Seven Demon Slayers, I haven’t reached the Heroic Body realm yet. For my Tripartite Unity, I’m still lacking Spiritual Perfection."

"...I believe Miss Xiao will also advance to the Heroic Body realm soon," Gu Zheng said with a cupped fist salute.

"Mm," Zuo Lingfeng grunted in agreement.

"It’s difficult."

Xiao Xianya shook her head. "Breaking through to the Heroic Body Realm is anything but easy."

Though she said this, her face showed no sign of dejection or frustration.

Before Gu Zheng could even offer words of comfort, she continued with an enthusiastic invitation, "Since you two brothers have come to Hongzhou, you must let me fulfill my duties as your host."

"Well..."

"Don’t be so quick to refuse!"

Xiao Xianya cut off Zuo Lingfeng, who was about to speak, a smile in her eyes. "If I’m not mistaken, you’re both heading to the Capital City to be promoted to Demon-slaying Grand General, right?"

"Correct," Gu Zheng nodded. "We have to pass through Hongzhou State City on our way to the Capital City. Miss Xiao, I accept your invitation."

"That’s more like it!"

Xiao Xianya nodded in satisfaction and looked at Zuo Lingfeng. "How about it, Zuo? A short delay to visit the State City won’t put you too far behind schedule, will it?"

"...Then we’ll be imposing," Zuo Lingfeng said, cupping his fist.

"You’re being too polite."

Xiao Xianya waved her hand dismissively. "Gu is much more straightforward. I like that. Just say what you mean. All that hemming and hawing is no fun at all."

Zuo Lingfeng, "..."

Gu Zheng glanced at Zuo Lingfeng, then back at Xiao Xianya.

’He showed nothing on his face, but inwardly, he was laughing. In their previous encounters, Zuo Lingfeng had always been cold and detached. He wouldn’t speak unless he absolutely had to. But now, facing Xiao Xianya, he had not only spoken, but his tone was also quite measured. Tsk!’

"Miss Xiao, the Domain has receded, but there are probably still some Demon Fiends left in the city. How about we clear them out first?"

Putting aside his gossipy thoughts, Gu Zheng suggested.

"Of course."

Xiao Xianya replied cheerfully, "With the three of us working together, I guarantee not a single Thunderous Bone Demon Fiend will be left. Let’s go. We’ll split up three ways to clean up. We can meet back here afterward."

"Agreed." Zuo Lingfeng nodded, clasped his fist, and turned to leave.

"See you in a bit."

Gu Zheng also gave a salute, then pushed off with his toes, leaping into the air and flying away across the rooftops.

Along the way, he sensed for the auras of Demon Fiends.

WHOOSH~

WHOOSH!

The Domain receded, and the sky cleared.

The common folk who had been hiding in their homes began to poke their heads out.

Gu Zheng was flying rapidly when he suddenly remembered something. He stopped and reached into his pocket.

He felt the Heaven-Covering Leaf and discovered there were more than before.

’I originally only had one left... so the special aura Pang Hu sensed was the Heaven-Covering Leaf splitting? It produced three more! They’re all stacked together!’

’Not bad. I originally had two Heaven-Covering Leaves, but I gave one to Zuo Lingfeng. Now I have three more, bringing my total to four.’

’With four Heaven-Covering Leaves, I won’t mind using one if I run into a second-rank Domain next time.’

The ability of the Heaven-Covering Leaf was certainly special and powerful.

But if it meant encountering a Marvel like the Substitute Death Paperman inside a Domain, then spending one Heaven-Covering Leaf was absolutely worth it!

...

CRACKLE~

BOOM!

As arcs of electricity wrapped around it and burst forth, Gu Zheng shattered the skull of a first-rank Iron Bone Thunderous Bone Demon Fiend with a single punch, extinguishing its Soul Fire.

Spirit Capturing!

[Demon Points +9]

With his reward secured, Gu Zheng turned and scanned his surroundings, but he didn’t detect any more Thunderous Bone Demon Fiends.

There hadn’t been many Thunderous Bone Demon Fiends in the city to begin with.

After their patrol, they were quickly cleared out.

SWOOSH~

Pushing off with his toes, Gu Zheng shot into the sky and ran across the rooftops, heading back to the rendezvous point.

But he was only halfway there when he heard Xiao Xianya calling out to him.

"Gu, over here, over here!"

Hm?

Gu Zheng stopped and followed the sound of her voice, spotting Xiao Xianya standing in a small courtyard.

SWOOSH!

With a flicker, Gu Zheng drifted over.

He descended from the air and landed in the courtyard.

"What is it, Miss Xiao?" Gu Zheng asked.

"Look at that water vat."

Xiao Xianya pointed to a water vat in the corner, which was filled with water.

"The vat?" Gu Zheng took two steps forward, a glint in his eyes. "Is this... a Marvel?"

The vat’s exterior was unremarkable, but its intangible aura was exceptionally prominent.

Gu Zheng scanned it with his Eyes of Golden Flame and saw that lines of golden thread covered the entire vat.

"Yes, a Marvel!"

Xiao Xianya came closer. "When I first found it, I thought the water was the Marvel, but after sensing it carefully, I realized it was the vat itself. However, under the Marvel’s influence, the water inside has turned into Spiritual Water. I’ll give all this water to you, Gu. In exchange, how about you act as my Guardian?"

"Guardian?"

Gu Zheng turned to look at Xiao Xianya. "You’re about to break through? You’ve achieved Spiritual Perfection?"

"Haha, I got lucky. Just now, while killing a Thunderous Bone Demon Fiend, I found a Divine Essence Fruit that hadn’t dissipated yet. After I ate it, I achieved Spiritual Perfection."

Xiao Xianya laughed heartily. "Then, when I came over here, I found this water vat, which has the effect of helping one break through. Everything has lined up perfectly, so why wait? I’m going to try and break through, to catch up to you and Zuo!"

Gu Zheng, "..."

’Your luck isn’t just "not bad," it’s completely off the charts. First, you pick up a Divine Essence Source Fruit, and then you stumble upon a breakthrough-assisting vat. This fortuitous encounter is even better than me getting the Heaven-Covering Leaf.’

Of course.

’The fact that Xiao Xianya had called him over to be her Guardian, trusting him so completely, was also quite admirable.’

"Miss Xiao, you don’t need to be so polite."

Gu Zheng remained composed and smiled. "For Miss Xiao to ask me to be your Guardian already shows your trust in me. I have no problem acting as your Guardian. As for the water in the vat, please, take it back."

"Then I’ll just absorb it directly."

Xiao Xianya said readily. "Absorbing this Spiritual Water will increase my chances of a successful breakthrough."

"That is indeed the case," Gu Zheng nodded.

"Haha, then I’ll have to trouble you, Gu."

Xiao Xianya laughed brightly, gave Gu Zheng a fist-clasp salute, and leaped into the water vat.

The splashed Spiritual Water was pulled back into the vat the moment it left, controlled by Xiao Xianya. Her entire body was completely submerged.

GLUG GLUG~

The water churned strangely.

Ripples spread out in circles as an intangible aura slowly diffused.

"BOOM!—"