One hundred thousand Demon Points!

That was double the amount from breaking through to the Melting Furnace stage.

After obtaining the complete `All Heaven Jade Void Skill Heroic Body Chapter`, Gu Zheng finally learned that Heroic Body·Divine Seed, the third stage of the Heroic Body Realm, was actually a process of condensation.

It involved gathering Physical Strength, Divine Power, Power of Spirit, Power of the Soul, Willpower, and the Power of Heaven and Earth, and forging them into a single seed!

Once this seed was successfully condensed, one would reach the third stage of the Heroic Body Realm.

The seed was the source of all the power one controlled, and it was also a second soul.

As long as the seed remained undamaged, one could survive for a short time even if their heart was shattered.

Those with certain special True Skills or unique bloodlines wouldn’t die on the spot even if their head was cut off or blown apart.

The Yong family of Yue Country was a prime example of this!

Influenced by the power of the Immortal Corpse Dragon, members of the Yong family who had condensed a Divine Seed were extremely difficult to kill.

To be safe, you had to chop them into pieces or blow them up completely.

Because of this, the Melting Furnace stage required one to absorb massive amounts of energy and gain a deeper understanding of the natural world.

His body constantly sent out signals of "hunger."

At this moment, Gu Zheng felt that very "hunger."

It wasn’t that his stomach was "hungry," but rather his hands, feet, torso, and brain—his entire body was "starving."

Without hesitation, Gu Zheng took out the Earth Pill, a Sixth-Turn Treasure Pill he had been saving.

It was originally meant for breaking through to the Melting Furnace stage, but it would be just as effective for consolidating his current realm. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

HUM~

His body trembled as the Earth Pill entered his stomach. Within two breaths, it transformed into energy that was devoured by every part of his body.

Even his Spirit was "feasting" on it.

At the same time, a scene unfolded before Gu Zheng’s eyes: a bird flew across a desolate land and dropped a seed. The seed took root, sprouted, grew branches and leaves, and bore fruit. Finally, the fruit fell, yellow leaves fluttered down to cover the ground, and the cycle of natural growth was complete.

The Power of Heaven and Earth that accompanied this entire process washed over him in a clear, orderly sequence, and understanding dawned in his heart.

And it didn’t just happen once; the scene replayed five times before the enlightenment ended.

HAAA...

Gu Zheng regulated his breathing and calmed his mind.

After fully digesting one Earth Pill, his body was no longer crying out in "hunger."

The second stage of the Heroic Body Realm, "Body as a Melting Furnace," was now consolidated.

He took a few more moments to acclimate.

Gu Zheng stopped regulating his breath. His Divine Power circulated, and he summoned the Chaotic Heaven Shield.

SWISH~!

The shield disassembled, transforming into three hundred sixty blades.

Gu Zheng focused his consciousness on his status panel and spent two thousand Demon Points to upgrade `Golden Thousand Blades` to Completion.

BUZZ BUZZ~!

The instant the skill reached Completion, the space around him suddenly trembled. Ripples, visible to the naked eye, spread out like waves on water.

Within his mind, Gu Zheng achieved a complete, thorough, and profound understanding of the Ultimate Skill, `Golden Thousand Blades`.

SHRRRA~!

The three hundred sixty blades suddenly swirled and danced, weaving around Gu Zheng at extreme speeds.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The vibrations in space intensified, and the ripples grew stronger.

As the blades danced, they would suddenly vanish, only to reappear in a different location.

One moment, a blade would be openly charging forward, but in the next, it would shoot in from the right.

Or it might dart to the left, only to suddenly plunge down from the empty space above in the next instant.

There was no pattern, no trace, and no sound.

The Power of Space!

Spatial Blade Intent!

This was the power one could only grasp after mastering `Golden Thousand Blades` to Completion, and Gu Zheng was able to use it immediately.

He was able to do so smoothly for two reasons. First, Gu Zheng had already mastered a type of Sword Intent. Second, the Equipment Effect of `Electric Light Universe` had given him a preliminary understanding of space.

All these factors combined allowed him to successfully master Spatial Blade Intent!

SWOOSH~ SWOOSH~ SWOOSH~

The strange sounds of high-speed travel echoed continuously.

The three hundred sixty blades flew and shot about the Cultivation Chamber, constantly disappearing and reappearing, disappearing and reappearing.

After a long while, Gu Zheng recalled the blades.

"One hundred thousand Demon Points... It’s time to kill more Demon Fiends."

Gu Zheng stood up, walked outside, and contemplated his next move.

He was short on Demon Points; he didn’t even have enough to upgrade the `All Heaven Jade Void Skill`’s Heroic Body Chapter.

He also needed to get his hands on some Thunder Stones as a backup.

And a place where he could both kill Demon Fiends and harvest Thunder Stones...

The Dahuashan passage!

The Celestial Thunder Mountain Range was the most likely place to find Thunder Stones.

With this in mind, Gu Zheng left the Cultivation Chamber.

He found Steward Liu and learned that he had only been in the underground secret room for about ten days. There were still another two weeks before the city-wide lockdown would be lifted.

During that time, Zhuge Tianxing had returned once, rested for two days, and then left to get busy again.

As for whether any hiding members of the Yong family had been found in the past two weeks, Steward Liu didn’t know, and Zhuge Tianxing certainly wouldn’t say.

The streets, however, had regained a little bit of life.

Collapsed houses needed to be rebuilt, and the dead needed to be buried.

The vast Royal Capital was deathly still, devoid of its former hustle and bustle.

Gu Zheng walked for two blocks and didn’t see a single smiling face.

People were either numb, dazed, or simply lying motionless in a corner, waiting to die like the living dead.

SWISH!

A blurry afterimage flashed.

Pang Hu, who had been outside for the better part of a month, appeared on Gu Zheng’s shoulder.

"WHIMPER~ WHIMPER~!"

The Little Fatty Cat patted its fleshy paws and pointed outside the city.

"We still have to wait a few more days."

Gu Zheng stroked Pang Hu’s head and explained, "The lockdown isn’t over yet. Why don’t you go play for a while longer?"

"WHIMPER~!"

Pang Hu shook his head, a serious look on his face.

This place was no fun at all!

’...Of course it’s not fun,’ Gu Zheng thought. ’So many people have died in the city. Who’s in the mood for entertainment?’

BUZZ BUZZ~

The Demon-Slaying Seal vibrated.

Gu Zheng took it out and read the message. It was from Xiao Xianya, asking if he was okay and if he was free to meet at an inn.

Since he happened to be free, Gu Zheng replied that he would be there soon.

"I’m going to see a friend. Do you want to come?" Gu Zheng asked Pang Hu.

Pang Hu went, "Whimper?"

He was asking, ’Will it be fun?’

"...Probably not. We’ll just be chatting," Gu Zheng told him frankly.