BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The spear’s afterimages formed a dragon, layered one upon another. They pierced the air like thunderbolts, aiming for all of Gu Zheng’s vital spots.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Gu Zheng dodged continuously, retreating.

As he moved, Divine Wondrous power surged. Bolstered by his Furious Fist Intent, he threw a punch.

BOOM—

A Fist Seal materialized in the air, carrying the furious momentum of a ten-thousand-beast stampede as it swept forward with the force of an avalanche.

Hmph!

A muffled grunt sounded.

The newcomer wielded a long spear. His own Divine Wondrous power surged, amplifying his strength. With masterful spear techniques, he met the Fist Seal head-on, shattering it and dissipating the Fist Intent.

But this delay gave Gu Zheng an opening. The Celestial Frost Blade left its sheath, and he slashed out.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

A dense cluster of blades instantly erupted mid-air, swarming like a fine rain to engulf the figure who had just broken free from the Fist Intent’s shockwave.

WHOOSH~ WHOOSH~ WHOOSH~

Powerful Qi raged, seeming to slice the very air into countless pieces.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

A series of crisp, strange sounds echoed high in the sky.

Hundreds of blades were annihilated in the collision, and the spear-wielding figure’s aura weakened along with them.

But in the next moment, his aura suddenly surged.

A Blast Pill!

Taking a Blast Pill multiplied one’s Divine Wondrous power several times over in an instant, as long as the physical body could withstand the strain.

With that instantaneous surge, the spear’s afterimages, like dragons and pythons, continued to streak toward Gu Zheng’s vital spots.

BOOM!!

The space exploded.

Gu Zheng combined his Barbaric Force, Divine Wondrous power, and Fist Intent. These three forces amplified his attack, unleashing a Fist Force three times stronger than his previous punch.

The materialized fist and spear afterimages collided, annihilating each other and dissipating into nothingness.

SWOOSH~

Gu Zheng’s figure flashed as he retreated a hundred meters, shouting, "That’s enough!"

"Stop!"

From the right, a timely shout came. "Luo Cheng, stop! He’s one of our own from the Demon Slayer Bureau!"

HISS~

WHOOSH!!

The Spear Aura tore through the air. As its trajectory shifted, its power changed, creating a sharp whistling sound as it crashed down onto a mountaintop.

BOOM!

With a massive explosion, more than half the mountaintop crumbled. Countless fragments of rock were blasted into the air, scattering in all directions.

Gu Zheng stood suspended in mid-air, his gaze sweeping over the spear-wielding figure.

’Luo Cheng?’

’He is indeed young. A little over 1.7 meters tall, with a lean build. He exudes a chilling aura from head to toe, and his face and eyes are just as cold.’

’His Great Sun Armor, however, is radiant with golden light, and his Divine Wondrous power is surging.’

It was precisely because he saw this armor that Gu Zheng had held back half his strength.

He had only been testing how to unleash his Great Success stage Golden Thousand Blades.

But Luo Cheng’s every move had been aimed at his vitals!

"Lord Gu?"

The figure who had shouted "stop" flew through the air and came to a halt before Gu Zheng. He clasped his fist in his palm in a salute. "Brother, you must be Lord Gu Zheng of the Fengzhou Demon Slayer Bureau, correct?"

"I am," Gu Zheng replied, returning the salute. "May I ask...?"

"Huang Hongyuan!"

The man clasped his fist again and introduced himself with a smile. "My name is Huang Hongyuan, Garrison Commander of the third-rank passage at Dahuashan. I have long heard of Lord Gu’s great name. It is an honor to finally meet you today."

"Lord Huang, you flatter me," Gu Zheng returned the pleasantry.

WHOOSH~

His figure flickered. Luo Cheng turned and flew away.

He didn’t leave a single word behind.

"..." Huang Hongyuan was instantly embarrassed. He apologized, "My apologies, Lord Gu. Luo Cheng is just like that. He doesn’t talk much and doesn’t really interact with people. All he thinks about is killing Demon Fiends."

"He attacked you earlier because he mistook you for an Electric Spirit Monster."

"Electric Spirit Monsters have a humanoid appearance. In dim light, they have a head and all four limbs. They also absorb Thunder Power to strengthen themselves."

"So, when you were here drawing in lightning to cultivate, Lord Gu, Luo Cheng didn’t get a clear look and attacked. When I get back, I’ll reprimand him a few times on his master’s behalf."

"There’s no need for that," Gu Zheng said with understanding. "Lord Huang, please don’t worry about it. Luo Cheng was the one who started this. If anyone should apologize, it’s him. It has nothing to do with you."

"Well..."

Huang Hongyuan gave a dry laugh and said no more.

’Indeed, Luo Cheng made a mistake. Not only did he not apologize, but he also just turned and left. What was that supposed to mean? If I were in his shoes, I’d be furious too. As another of the Seven Demon Slayers, Gu Zheng’s attitude, if nothing else, is more than acceptable. And Luo Cheng? He’s just a cold-blooded butcher. The only person he shows a better attitude toward is the Commander; he looks down on everyone else. This way of handling things has caused him no end of trouble. Before, no one could do anything about Luo Cheng. But Gu Zheng is different. In terms of strength, background, and potential, he’s only stronger than Luo Cheng, not weaker!’

...

Sighing inwardly, Huang Hongyuan stopped talking about Luo Cheng and changed the subject. "Lord Gu, I shouldn’t be disturbing your cultivation in the Celestial Thunder Mountain Range. However, the situation is changing too quickly, and I am forced to make a bold request. If too many Demon Fiends rush out of the Dahuashan passage and we can’t handle them in time, I hope you might be able to lend a hand!"

"Slaying Demon Fiends is the duty of every Demon Suppression Guard. Rest assured, Lord Huang. If there are too many Demon Fiends, just fire a Whistling Arrow. Once I sense it, I will head over immediately," Gu Zheng replied readily.

"Thank you, Lord Gu!"

Huang Hongyuan bowed deeply. "On behalf of everyone garrisoning the passage, I thank you, Lord Gu!"

"There’s no need for that, Lord Huang," Gu Zheng said, stepping aside. "Why don’t you tell me what kind of Demon Fiends are at the Dahuashan passage? That way, I can prepare."

"Alright."

Huang Hongyuan straightened up and answered, "The Demon Fiends coming from the Dahuashan passage are mainly Electric Spirit Monsters and Thunder Swift Demons. The former are humanoid and can absorb Thunder Power to strengthen their bodies, giving them astonishing defense. The latter are as fast as lightning and covered in blades, making their offensive power terrifying."

"Besides them, there are also third-rank Demon Fiends like Thundercloud Leopards, Three-headed Thunderbirds, and Electric Giant Pythons..."

"There are many third-rank Demon Fiends at the Dahuashan passage?" Gu Zheng’s brows shot up.

"Quite a few," Huang Hongyuan said, taking a deep breath. "The region of the Demon Realm connected to the Dahuashan passage is an archipelago, also an area with active Thunder Power. The exit of the passage is on the coast of a large island. Because it’s on the coast, the third-rank Electric Spirit Monster Great Demon that occupies the island doesn’t pay much attention to other Demon Fiends entering the passage."

"The result is that third-rank Demon Fiends enter the passage from time to time. So far, five have come through. Fortunately, these five Great Demons are not from the same Demon Race, so they don’t appear at the same time."

"The situation at the Dahuashan passage is grim. That’s why Luo Cheng rushed over as soon as he broke through to the Heroic Body Realm. He’s been hunting down Demon Fiends everywhere, searching for stray Electric Spirit Monsters."

"...I understand," Gu Zheng nodded.

’As for Luo Cheng’s behavior, I’ll just ignore it. Electric Spirit Monsters and Thunder Swift Demons are numerous. Thundercloud Leopards, Three-headed Thunderbirds, and Electric Giant Pythons... they’re powerful. If they charge out of the passage in waves, they can still be held back. But if all these Demon Fiends swarm out at once, the Dahuashan passage will surely fall. If this were anyone else, they would have already found an excuse to turn around and leave. But I don’t need to. I’m in desperate need of Demon Points!’

...

Gu Zheng agreed to help, and Huang Hongyuan was immensely grateful. Before they parted ways, he took out his Demon-Slaying General Seal and added Gu Zheng as a contact.

Whistling Arrows were ineffective over long distances, not to mention their sound would be drowned out by the thunder.

By contacting him directly through the Grand General Seal, there was no need to worry that Gu Zheng would forget.

Before leaving, Huang Hongyuan informed him of the pattern of the thunder in the Celestial Thunder Mountain Range.

In short, lightning didn’t strike every single moment.

The various Thunder Peaks and Thunder Gathering Valleys also had regular periods of calm.

Huang Hongyuan readily shared these patterns.

In his view, Gu Zheng cultivating with the help of lightning was still quite risky.

However, Gu Zheng was already his peer, a cultivator at the Heroic Body Realm. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Their relationship was also just ordinary.

Saying too much might cause friction, so he could only mention it cryptically.

As for Gu Zheng, he naturally understood Huang Hongyuan’s warning.

But this was something he was destined not to be able to explain.

The ability of the Thunder Storage Source Fruit was both special and time-limited.

If he didn’t draw lightning into his body within this month, it would be a waste.

...

Not long after Huang Hongyuan left, his words proved true.

The lightning strikes in the area where Gu Zheng was came to a stop.

The rolling dark clouds still filled the sky, but no more lightning struck. Or rather, it had temporarily exhausted itself, and the next wave needed time to gather.

Gu Zheng decisively changed locations.

Following the sound of thunder, he found a Thunder Gathering Valley.

SWOOSH!

RUMBLE~

His figure shot into the center of the valley at high speed. Standing on the ground and listening to the peals of thunder, he raised both arms.

CRACKLE~!

BOOM! BOOM!

Thick bolts of lightning descended from the sky, striking his arms. He absorbed them, converting them into energy to strengthen his physique and accelerate his Union.

The number of Demon Points required to break through to the next stage dropped once more.

Forty-five thousand... forty-four thousand five hundred... forty-four thousand...

Forty-three thousand...

Forty-two thousand!

When the number dropped to forty-two thousand, the lightning in the sky ceased.

WHOOSH~

Gu Zheng continued to change his position, following the sound of thunder to the next Thunder Peak.

RUMBLE~

The dark clouds roiled, and thunder rumbled continuously.

CRACK!

CRACKLE~

Thick bolts of lightning tore through the void, descending upon the mountain peak.

Gu Zheng raised both hands, welcoming them all!

...

...

Dahuashan Passage.

The stone house of the temporary Command Headquarters.

SWISH~

Huang Hongyuan threw aside the door flap with a grim expression and strode inside.

"What’s wrong? Why the long face?"

Inside the stone house, a fair-skinned, handsome middle-aged man was reading a battle report. Seeing Huang Hongyuan’s expression, he couldn’t help but ask curiously, "What happened?"

"Who else but Luo Cheng!"

Huang Hongyuan waved his hand forcefully and growled, "That guy’s got something wrong in his head. I used to think that even though he was cold and arrogant, he at least understood basic human decency. But now it seems his true nature has never changed."

"Inferior, arrogant, and conceited!"

"The moment he broke through to the Heroic Body—no, the Super Body Realm—this guy’s true colors were exposed. He thinks he’s turned the tables and become the master, so he doesn’t respect anyone anymore."

"And with Commander Jin, I don’t think his usual attitude is much better!"

"..." The middle-aged man listened quietly. Only after Huang Hongyuan had vented did he give a faint smile. "Luo Cheng used to be a servant in a wealthy household. It’s normal for him to have some character flaws. As long as he can still slay Demon Fiends and secure the passage, these minor issues aren’t a problem."

"Minor issues?"

Huang Hongyuan looked up at the middle-aged man and laughed in anger. "Do you know who I just ran into? The person Luo Cheng had a conflict with this time."

"Gu Zheng. Gu Zheng from Fengzhou. Gu Zheng, Gu Ping’an, another one of the Seven Demon Slayers!"

"Do you know..."

"Who did you say?" Before Huang Hongyuan could finish, the middle-aged man shot to his feet, astonished. "You saw Gu Zheng? Gu Zheng from Fengzhou, Nanyun Prefecture, Qingshi County!?"