"And me!"

Zuo Lingfeng followed behind them with a grim expression.

"And these two are...?" Nangong Yaoyue asked, a questioning look on her face.

Dongfang He, however, tensed up.

"This is Xiao Xianya, Miss Xiao."

Gu Zheng first introduced the fiery Xiao Xianya, adding gratefully, "Miss Xiao is from Hongzhou. We previously worked together to eliminate a Domain."

"And this is Zuo Lingfeng."

Gu Zheng continued, introducing Zuo Lingfeng with a fist-and-palm salute. "Zuo is from Luozhou..."

"Zuo Lingfeng from Luozhou. Xiao Xianya from Hongzhou?"

Nangong Yaoyue’s beautiful eyes lit up. She looked from Xiao Xianya to Zuo Lingfeng, then rose and bowed. "You two, along with Gu, are ranked among the ’Seven Demon Slayers,’ correct? Zuo’s master is Yuanqian Mountain, the Grand Commander-in-Chief. And Xiao’s master is Zhao Xiangqian, the Commander, yes?"

"This is Miss Nangong Yaoyue of the Nangong Family."

Gu Zheng introduced her to Zuo Lingfeng and Xiao Xianya. "Miss Nangong has helped me many times. I am in her debt."

Hearing this, Xiao Xianya waved her hand magnanimously. "So it’s Nangong! Nice. The old man I’m studying under is indeed the Commander of Hongzhou. Since Nangong helped Gu, that makes you one of us."

Zuo Lingfeng said nothing, merely giving Nangong Yaoyue a fist-and-palm salute.

"Gu, you’re being too formal. What I did back in Qingshi County hardly counts as helping." Nangong Yaoyue first shook her head, then smiled at Xiao Xianya. "But you, Xiao... I feel like we’re kindred spirits. Do you drink? If you’d like, we can get a table next door and drink to our hearts’ content."

"Haha, of course I like to drink! But I came today to back up Gu and take down that bastard Luo!" Xiao Xianya declared, pumping her fist.

"Where is Luo Cheng?" Zuo Lingfeng chimed in. "I’ll lure him out of the city."

"No, no," Gu Zheng quickly interjected. "This is a conflict between me and Luo Cheng. Zuo, Miss Xiao, I appreciate your kind intentions, but I’ll handle this myself."

"What does that matter?" Xiao Xianya said dismissively.

Zuo Lingfeng was even more direct. "I’ve already used the leaf you gave me last time."

’A leaf?’

’The Heaven-Covering Leaf!?’

’So the King of Baoshan really did have someone use Divination to find out who killed Zhong Tiande...’

Gu Zheng mused to himself.

Outwardly, he showed little of this and just shook his head. "Let’s keep things separate. I can handle this matter with Luo Cheng on my own. If I truly need help, I’ll ask you, Zuo, and you, Miss Xiao. The same goes for you, Miss Nangong!"

"Well..." Hearing this, Xiao Xianya sighed. "Alright then."

Zuo Lingfeng said, "Send a message anytime."

"Right! Gu, let’s add each other as communication contacts." Nangong Yaoyue took out a High-level Communication Token.

"That, I can do." Gu Zheng nodded with a smile and took out his Demon-Slaying General Seal.

The two of them added each other as contacts.

Dongfang He watched the entire exchange, his expression shifting from initial shock and doubt to astonishment, then to envy, and finally to embarrassed anger. His face flushed slightly red.

A moment ago, he had been looking down on him.

The next moment, Xiao Xianya and Zuo Lingfeng had jumped in, eager to help Gu Zheng.

And Nangong Yaoyue was incredibly enthusiastic as well.

What was this?

What in the world was this!

Dongfang He had to admit he was jealous.

He had also heard of the famous Seven Demon Slayers.

Each one was a genius of the younger generation from one of Jing Country’s states, apprenticed to either the local Commander or a Demon-slaying Grand General.

He also knew the names of Zhao Xiangqian and Yuanqian Mountain.

Yuanqian Mountain in particular was at the peak of the Heroic Body Realm, and on top of that, he had an older sister who was in the King’s Body Realm!

This sister was even the queen of Jing Country from the previous generation!

In other words, Yuanqian Mountain was a member of the Royal Family and its Relatives.

If Zuo Lingfeng was truly determined to help Gu Zheng, then Gu Zheng could also leverage this formidable background!

The Jin Pang behind Luo Cheng could only match Yuanqian Mountain.

The Kao Mountain King couldn’t get involved.

If a King’s Body couldn’t intervene, Gu Zheng’s side couldn’t lose.

And don’t forget, Gu Zheng also had two Demon-slaying Grand Generals standing behind him.

Meng Taiqi and Xie Bisheng also had connections in the imperial court!

’Damn it...’

As he sorted through all this, Dongfang He only grew more bitter.

...

Xiao Xianya’s cheerful and direct personality was very much to Nangong Yaoyue’s liking.

The two of them truly hit it off right away.

After confirming that Gu Zheng didn’t need help, they called for a waiter and got a table in the adjacent private room.

Gu Zheng was also pulled along to eat and drink with them.

Setting aside the matter of Luo Cheng, the four of them enjoyed a hearty meal.

Well, no one paid any attention to Dongfang He, who kept a dark expression on his face from start to finish, eating and drinking by himself.

...

After the meal, he saw everyone off.

Gu Zheng returned to the private room and resumed his remote watch over the Demon Slayer Bureau’s branch office.

Luo Cheng had an Invisibility Cloak, so if he really tried to escape, Gu Zheng wouldn’t actually be able to spot him.

But this was just a superficial measure.

In secret, Pang Hu’s surveillance was the real key.

Although the Little Fatty Cat couldn’t see through the cloak’s Invisibility, it could lock onto Luo Cheng by detecting changes in airflow, wind direction, and space.

Therefore, Gu Zheng sat in the World Tower’s private room, outwardly keeping a remote grip on Luo Cheng.

In reality, he was waiting for news from Pang Hu.

Gu Zheng didn’t believe that Luo Cheng would really hide in the city forever!

Sure enough.

Not long after nightfall, a shadow suddenly flitted through the open window.

PAT.

A soft sound echoed from the tabletop.

Pang Hu appeared out of thin air, patting the table with his fleshy paws and raising his head, crying out, "Mraw! Mraw!"

"I knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out."

After listening, Gu Zheng stood up and chuckled. "Come on, take me to see where Grand General Luo went after leaving the city."

"Mrow!"

Pang Hu slapped his paws together, then leaped onto Gu Zheng’s shoulder.

SHHH-

The Hidden Wooden Fish immediately activated, enveloping the man and cat, suppressing their auras and putting them into a state of Concealment.

The next moment, as the night wind blew, Gu Zheng and Pang Hu vanished without a trace.

First, they left the city.

Then, they headed straight south for about ten li, entering a hilly area.

Pang Hu led the way, stopping at the edge of a cliff.

Ahead was a cliff face hundreds of feet high.

At least to the naked eye, it was just a cliff, and even to one’s senses, it felt like a cliff with the wind howling past.

However, under his Eyes of Golden Flame, it was merely a gully.

The bottom of the gully, no more than three meters wide, was overgrown with weeds and teeming with poisonous insects.

Across the gully was another mountain peak.

Less than thirty meters around a bend, the entrance to a cave came into view.

"Mrow~"

Pang Hu, squatting on his shoulder, pointed ahead with a fleshy paw.

"I see it."

Gu Zheng patted the Little Fatty Cat’s head, then pushed off with the tip of his toe, crossing the three-meter-wide gully to land on the other side.

Viewed from behind, or even from the side, it looked as if he had jumped off the cliff!

But after jumping, he vanished into thin air.

An Array!

An Illusion Technique!

The former shielded perception, while the latter deceived sight.

The person who could accomplish both of these things was by no means simple.

Gu Zheng calmed Pang Hu, keeping them both silent. The man and cat maintained their Concealment state, drifting with the wind toward the cave entrance.

WHOOSH~

The mountain wind howled.

Gu Zheng sensed the wind blowing into the cave and decisively used his Demon Technique, Wind Manipulation, to surround himself, merge with the mountain breeze, and slip inside.

WHOOSH!

The airflow remained completely unchanged under the force of the wind.

Gu Zheng entered the cavern silently.

Passing through a long, high tunnel, he flew into an underground space.

It wasn’t a sealed space, but a naturally formed one.

Smaller caverns were scattered about irregularly.

In the center of the most spacious clearing, Gu Zheng saw Luo Cheng.

He was speaking with a middle-aged man in a magnificent robe, whose distinguished air immediately marked him as someone of high status.

"I’ve made up my mind. I’ll break through now," Luo Cheng said, his face devoid of expression. "Once my breakthrough is successful, I will give you what you want."

"The deal has changed."

The middle-aged man said calmly, "Once your breakthrough is successful, you must also add Gu Zheng to the list. We want him alive!"

"Fine," Luo Cheng replied, still expressionless. "I will take care of Gu Zheng." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Then let’s begin."

A flash of light appeared in the middle-aged man’s hand, revealing a Jade Porcelain Bottle. "Consume this, and you will be able to step into Heroic Body: Melting Furnace."

SWISH~

Luo Cheng reached out, took the bottle, and turned to walk toward the nearest empty cavern.

He sat down cross-legged and, right in front of the middle-aged man, opened the bottle, tipped out an elixir wreathed in black light, and popped it into his mouth.

The next moment...

BUZZ—!

An formless aura suddenly blossomed, causing the very space around him to tremble.

Immediately after, majestic waves of energy began to roil off Luo Cheng, pulsing outward one after another.

’It had only been a few days since Luo Cheng achieved Tripartite Unity and stepped into the Heroic Body Realm, hadn’t it?’

’And now he was already attempting a breakthrough to Heroic Body: Melting Furnace?’

’What kind of Treasure Pill was in that Jade Porcelain Bottle to have such a powerful effect?’

Gu Zheng was astounded.

’Even with the highest-grade Seventh or Eighth Transition Treasure Pills, I’ve never heard of anyone breaking through from Heroic Body: Harmonious Yuan to Heroic Body: Melting Furnace so quickly.’

’The second stage of the Heroic Body Realm requires an immense amount of energy to transform the body into a melting furnace and repeatedly refine it.’

’This stage involves two things: one, comprehending the heavens and the earth, and two, accumulating and absorbing a massive amount of energy.’

’And Luo Cheng is accomplishing that with a single elixir?’

Gu Zheng didn’t believe it.

But the scene before him forced him to.

He recalled some information Chen Beihan had mentioned.

’Ordinary Treasure Pills couldn’t achieve something so heaven-defying, but certain Demon Pills or Evil Pills, at a cost, could indeed force an advancement and a breakthrough in one’s realm.’

At this thought, Gu Zheng maintained his Concealment, drifting on the wind to circle the entire underground space.

Along the way, he saw several strange patterns.

The patterns were composed of complex lines, with the most conspicuous paths forming what looked like the character for "Heaven" from a distance.

’The character for "Heaven"?’

A thought struck Gu Zheng. He continued to drift, memorizing the lines of the pattern.

Following the wind, he left the underground space.

Once he was completely clear, he let the wind carry him several li away.

Only then did Gu Zheng’s form shudder. He stopped using the Demon Technique Wind Manipulation, broke away from the airflow, and soared straight up, returning to the Capital City and entering its walls.

Back in the city, he found the Shopkeeper of the World Tower where he had been staying and told him to find Jin Yanzi.

「A short while later.」

Jin Yanzi, He Zheng, and Jiang Hanshan appeared in the private room.

"Gu, have you made up your mind?" Jin Yanzi asked, her face all smiles.

"Not yet."

Gu Zheng replied casually, then used Absorption on all the tea in the teapot, causing it to float in mid-air. He used the water as ink to form a pattern.

It was the exact same strange pattern he had seen in the underground space.

"I would like to ask about this..."

"The Celestial God Seal!?" Before Gu Zheng could finish, Jin Yanzi blurted out in astonishment, "Gu, where did you see this seal? This is the symbol of the ’Celestial God’ organization!"