Chapter 320: Chapter 190: Eliminating the Hidden Danger

Zuo Lingfeng wasn’t particularly concerned about the outcome of the contest. He asked Gu Zheng his purpose for coming to Luozhou, and upon learning he wanted to enter the third-rank passage, immediately led the way himself.

Seeing Zuo Lingfeng in his Great Sun Armor, an idea struck Gu Zheng. He used Divine Strange Sound Transmission to tell Zuo Lingfeng the secret of the armor.

He ended the transmission by asking, "I have a Secret Technique that can eliminate the hidden flaw in the Great Sun Armor. Would you like me to remove it?"

"Yes."

Zuo Lingfeng nodded. "Then I’ll have to trouble you, Gu!"

’What a joke. Now that I know about the Great Sun Armor’s flaw, who would willingly let it remain?’

Being tracked was one thing, but being trapped and immobilized was a completely unacceptable risk.

It was like having a sword hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment.

Any sane person would want nothing to do with armor like that.

Immediately.

The two found a secluded spot, and Zuo Lingfeng took off the Great Sun Armor.

Gu Zheng took some of the saliva that the Celestial Heart Toad spat out and had been accumulating daily, then smeared it on the armor.

"In ten days at most, the flaw in the armor will be gone."

Gu Zheng returned the Great Sun Armor to Zuo Lingfeng.

"Thanks!"

Zuo Lingfeng accepted the Great Sun Armor but didn’t put it back on.

Compared to his relationship with the Zhong family, his bond with Gu Zheng was much closer; they were already comrades who had faced life and death together.

Zuo Lingfeng wasn’t the least bit worried that Gu Zheng was tricking him or tampering with the Great Sun Armor.

If Gu Zheng truly wanted to harm him, there would be no need for such an elaborate ruse!

...

Like Fengzhou, Luozhou only had two third-rank passages.

The other side of the first passage Gu Zheng entered was a territory controlled by a Minotaur Tribe.

This Minotaur Tribe had five third-rank Minotaurs.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—

The moment Gu Zheng arrived, he charged straight into the tribe’s midst.

Three hundred and sixty blades shot out, dancing through the air and slaughtering one Minotaur after another.

"PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!"

Amidst a series of sickening thuds, Minotaurs fell in row after row.

Spirit Capturing!

[Demon Points +9]

[Demon Points +27]

[Demon Points +10]

...

He was like a reaper mowing down grass, harvesting Minotaurs and gaining Demon Points with each one.

To Gu Zheng, there was no difference between a first-rank Minotaur and a second-rank one.

A blade would simply shoot through them, instantly piercing their skulls.

"ROAR—!"

An enraged roar echoed in all directions. A monstrous, malevolent aura, accompanied by roiling black energy, surged from the depths of the tribal grounds.

Two third-rank Minotaurs, riding a black wind, roared as they charged toward Gu Zheng.

WHOOSH—

SWOOSH!

Gu Zheng faced the black wind, drew his Heaven-piercing Halberd, and swung it head-on.

A direct clash!

SHIING—

SHIING—!

Lines of light flashed and vanished.

The Heaven-piercing Halberd swung twice, and two arcs of blood sprayed into the air.

Accompanying them were two massive, grotesque heads, sent flying into the sky.

Spirit Capturing!

[Demon Points +29]

[Demon Points +34]

[Demon Points +31]

...

SHIING! SHIING! SHIING—!

The Heaven-piercing Halberd swung again, cleaving the bodies of the two third-rank Minotaurs.

SHWIP! SHWIP!

He snatched the two Demon Pills from the air and put them in his Storage Pouch.

Gu Zheng didn’t stop. He continued to charge forward, the three hundred and sixty blades surrounding him still dancing through every corner of the tribal grounds.

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT—

The crisp, sickening sounds echoed ceaselessly.

By the time the furious roars and howls faded to silence, not a single Minotaur was left alive in the entire Minotaur Tribe.

Gu Zheng had reaped a harvest of 5,800 Demon Points in one fell swoop!

This was because the total number of Minotaurs in this tribe wasn’t particularly large.

The remaining three third-rank Minotaurs were nowhere to be found; they weren’t in the camp.

Gu Zheng thought for a moment, then searched the area around the camp. He incidentally slew a few dozen other Demon Fiends, gaining over a thousand more Demon Points.

After waiting for half a day, he finally saw the three third-rank Minotaurs return.

"Who did this—!!"

"ROAR!!"

Enraged bellows erupted from the mouths of the third-rank Minotaurs.

Black energy billowed, making the very space around them ripple as a terrifying aura swept over the land.

SHIING! SHIING! SHIING—!

Gu Zheng’s figure moved like lightning, charging forward at extreme speed.

He swung his Heaven-piercing Halberd, launching a frontal assault against the three third-rank Minotaurs.

The three third-rank Minotaurs didn’t even try to dodge. Rather, their fury drove them, making them want only to tear Gu Zheng to pieces and vent their rage with explosive force.

The result...

Was naturally a foregone conclusion.

Even the one that had the aura of a peak third-rank Minotaur...

...couldn’t withstand a single exchange against the Heaven-piercing Halberd before being cleaved in two.

Spirit Capturing! Spirit Capturing!

The Transformation Points and Demon Essence converted into a total of over two hundred Demon Points.

He dug out the three Demon Pills one by one and stored them in his Storage Pouch.

Laden with spoils, Gu Zheng returned and exited the passage.

Under the stunned gazes of the Demon Suppression Guards on duty, he found the passage’s Garrison Commander and informed him of the Minotaur Tribe’s situation.

Then, with a wave of farewell, he departed, flying in a straight line high in the sky toward the second passage.

The other side of the second passage opened into a large body of water.

The Demon Fiends here were all aquatic and numerous.

Among them were six known third-rank Demon Fiends, and one fourth-rank!

The latter was a water snake—or rather, a Water Python—that had wings and was incredibly fast.

Heeding the Garrison Commander’s warning, Gu Zheng entered the water, concealed his aura, and used the Underwater Walking Demon Technique. He tried to remain as quiet as possible while slaughtering batch after batch of aquatic Demon Fiends.

He then used Spirit Capturing, gaining over seven thousand Demon Points!

Among them, the first and second-rank aquatic Demon Fiends were all killed instantly.

It was only when he killed a third-rank Demon Fish that he made a considerable commotion.

And that, in turn, attracted the fourth-rank Water Python.

A terrifying pressure filled the waters for dozens of miles around, and its speed was extreme.

Gu Zheng’s figure immediately flickered, and with equally extreme speed, he fled back to the passage.

...

A fourth-rank Demon Fiend was present, and an active one at that.

Gu Zheng decisively gave up and left Luozhou, heading for Hongzhou.

First, he sought out Xiao Xianya to pay a visit to the Commander of the Hongzhou Demon Slayer Bureau, Zhao Xiangqian.

"Haha, Gu, long time no see!"

Xiao Xianya was overjoyed to see Gu Zheng at his door. He ran over, clapped Gu Zheng on the shoulder, and said cheerfully, "The old man isn’t here, so there’s no need for a formal visit. Gu, if you need anything, just tell me. As long as it’s something I can help with, I’ll do it, no questions asked! And if I can’t help directly, I can at least help you figure something out."

"It’s nothing much. I just want to enter Hongzhou’s third-rank passage to the Demon Realm, kill a few third-rank Demon Fiends, and get some Demon Pills."

Gu Zheng smiled. An idea came to him, and he used Divine Strange Sound Transmission to tell Xiao Xianya the secret of the Great Sun Armor.

He finished by asking, "Xiao, if you trust me, I can help you get rid of the flaw in your armor."

"Of course I trust you!"

Xiao Xianya first frowned, then looked disgusted, and finally waved his hand dismissively. "I knew those Zhongs were up to no good, but I never thought they’d resort to such dirty little tricks. How despicable!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he took off his Great Sun Armor and handed it to Gu Zheng.

Gu Zheng was just as direct, taking out the Celestial Heart Toad’s saliva and smearing it on the armor.

"Xiao, please keep this a secret."

"Don’t worry," Xiao Xianya said earnestly, thumping his chest. "You can count on me, Gu!"

If Xiao Xianya weren’t so forthright and loyal, Gu Zheng truly wouldn’t have spoken up and revealed the secret of the Great Sun Armor.

After all, it carried a certain amount of risk.

"It’s just..."

After giving his assurance, Xiao Xianya looked a little embarrassed. "Uh, do you think you could get rid of the flaw in the old man’s Great Sun Armor, too? His is back at his residence; he’s not wearing it."

"Don’t worry, Gu, I promise I won’t tell the old man. He can just remain blissfully ignorant."

"Of course, no problem," Gu Zheng nodded.

Zhao Xiangqian was a decent person, after all.

’Secretly removing the flaw from the Great Sun Armor... perhaps this will yield a handsome reward in the future?’

The thought suddenly popped into Gu Zheng’s mind.

Eliminating the flaw in the Great Sun Armor meant opposing the Zhong family and sabotaging their plan to control people!

Gu Zheng had a sudden realization.

Without even realizing it, he had somehow ended up on the opposing side of the Zhong Family!

’I haven’t even begun to save the world, and I’ve only managed to obtain one of the Nine Tripods, yet I’m already making an enemy of the Zhong Family?’

Gu Zheng fell silent.

It wasn’t that he was afraid. His quest to save the world would inevitably bring him into conflict with the Zhong Family sooner or later.

This just meant it was starting a little earlier than expected.

Xiao Xianya’s request did, however, remind Gu Zheng that the Great Sun Armors worn by Meng Taiqi and Xie Bisheng still had their flaws.

He would have to take care of them when he returned!