At the very center lay a pool of crimson blood, glowing with an eerie light.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

BUZZ! BUZZ!

As Gu Zheng observed, the Reversed Soul Scale suddenly began to vibrate, spinning on its own to counteract wave after wave of spiritual assault.

’...Is it the air? Or the light from the blood?’

Gu Zheng arched an eyebrow, activated his Eyes of Golden Flame, and scanned the entire underground space.

In the next instant, he located five clusters of light hidden beneath the floor.

The patterns of flesh and blood on the floor were just a facade.

The true core of the altar was the clusters of light beneath it.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The blades danced through the air, tearing through the currents as they shot straight toward the clusters of light he had discovered.

PTHUNK! PTHUNK! PTHUNK!

They first pierced through the floor, blasting open holes.

Then, with immense force, they shattered the clusters of light.

POP! POP! POP!

The glow reflecting off the blood suddenly dimmed, one section after another.

As the hidden clusters of light were annihilated, the glow on the floor and the fleshy patterns emanating a malevolent aura all dissipated, their unseen energy vanishing.

As for the source of the light, Gu Zheng caught a glimpse from a distance—a purplish-red object, though he couldn’t tell if it was bone or some kind of jade.

Now, under the assault of his blades, it had completely shattered.

The first altar was dealt with.

At the same time, the Earth Corpse’s torso stopped twitching.

Spirit Capturing!

[Demon Points +23]

"Let’s go. To the east side of the city, Wanmin Square."

Gu Zheng recalled his blades and the Divine Weapon Fragment, returned to the passage, hoisted up Eternal Star, and left the underground space.

Eternal Star blinked, his expression a mixture of complex emotions.

They had plotted for so long, and his allies were still fighting, completely unaware that one of the most crucial altars had already been destroyed.

Guards stood watch outside while an Earth Corpse protected it from below.

An ordinary person, even if they discovered the altar, would have found it nearly impossible to destroy. The resulting commotion from a fight would have been far too great.

But Gu Zheng? He’d handled it in just a few moves!

...

WHOOSH~

The wind howled as he tore through it.

Carrying Eternal Star, he reached the east side of the city at top speed and found the location of the second altar.

It was located beneath an ordinary residence.

Everyone on the nearby streets was already dead.

Guarding the entrance to the altar were two sleeper agents who appeared ordinary but were actually in the Super Body·Vajra Realm.

That was just on the surface, however.

Lurking in the shadows was another agent at the peak of the Super Body realm.

Forewarned by Eternal Star, Gu Zheng quickly dispatched all three.

He then entered the secret chamber below.

Just as he’d expected, another Earth Corpse greeted him upon entry.

SHINK! SHINK! SHINK!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The Earth Corpse swung its sharp claws, striking with immense force.

Gu Zheng led with his Chaotic Heaven Shield, blocking the blows, while his Divine Weapon Fragment flanked the creature for a pincer attack.

SQUELCH! SQUELCH! SQUELCH!

After a series of sickening sounds, the Earth Corpse was dealt with, yielding 22 Demon Points.

SWOOSH!

He activated his Eyes of Golden Flame, and his blades flew straight toward the altar’s core—the five hidden clusters of light.

After shattering all the clusters of light, Gu Zheng recalled his blades and the Divine Weapon Fragment, then returned to the surface with Eternal Star in tow.

The second altar was dealt with.

Next up was the third location, near the Royal City’s outer wall.

This one was going to be tricky.

Not because of the guards, but because of its proximity to the Royal City.

Gu Zheng was confident he could handle the guards.

With his Chaotic Heaven Shield and Divine Weapon Fragment, even the Earth Corpse posed no threat to him.

But a fight so close to the Royal City would inevitably cause a commotion and would almost certainly attract unwanted attention.

"Do you know who else is aware of the other altar locations?"

After a moment of thought, Gu Zheng looked at Eternal Star and declared, "We’ll find those people and destroy the altars in the outer city districts first!"

"Well..."

Eternal Star frowned in deep thought. "I remember two people who should know where the other altars are located."

"Where are they, roughly?" Gu Zheng pressed.

"I think..."

"Eternal Star? What are you doing here?" a voice suddenly called out. Someone was approaching them slowly from down the street. "Who’s that with you? How did you..."

"That’s one of them!"

Huh?