"Whine!"

Pang Hu shook its head, patting Gu Zheng’s cheek with a fleshy paw.

SWOOSH~

With a flicker, it vanished again.

Gu Zheng was speechless. He shook his head and hurried to the address where Xiao Xianya and the others were waiting.

He arrived at the inn.

"Ha! I told you Gu would be fine, didn’t I?" Xiao Xianya clapped her hands, her face beaming with delight.

"That’s because Gu is cautious and powerful enough," Nangong Yaoyue said with a smile.

"If someone in the Heroic Body Realm can’t even escape, then what’s the point of breaking through in the first place?" Dongfang He chimed in, contrary as always.

Zuo Lingfeng didn’t speak, only nodding at Gu Zheng.

Gu Zheng returned the gesture, clasping his fist. "I was lucky. After killing the Corpse Puppet, I had a flash of insight and went into seclusion until today."

"On the day of the chaos in the Royal Capital, I saw Huang Dajin. He mentioned that Miss Xiao and Miss Nangong seemed to know something was going to happen. Is that why you left the city early?"

"You have Nangong to thank for that."

Xiao Xianya pointed at Nangong Yaoyue, full of admiration. "It was Nangong who realized something was wrong and got us out of the city ahead of time."

"I just happened to see Baili Mingge."

Nangong Yaoyue gave a wry smile. "The Baili Family wasn’t invited to the wedding, yet Baili Mingge was there. She said something strange, and that’s when I realized something might happen. We left early, just in case."

"Who would have thought something really would happen? The Yong Family of Yue Country released tens of thousands of Corpse Puppets and even summoned a god, trying to sacrifice the entire city!"

"Speaking of which, the Yong Family of Yue Country are inhuman—worse than beasts," Xiao Xianya said furiously. "If they wanted to kill someone, they should have just gone after the Zhong Family! Why did they have to involve the common people? Gu, do you know how many people died in the Royal Capital this time? Over three hundred and twenty-eight thousand!"

"And that’s just the official count. Tens of thousands more are missing or have been separated from their families."

"Hundreds of thousands dead or injured in a single catastrophe. The Yong Family doesn’t deserve to be royalty!"

"Heh," Dongfang He shot her a look, his tone mocking. "And you think the Zhong Family is any better? Do you have any idea how many people their spies in Yue Country killed just to cause chaos? A conservative estimate would be at least two hundred thousand!"

Xiao Xianya was speechless.

Gu Zheng was also silent.

"Why?"

Zuo Lingfeng suddenly spoke up. "If they want their Dragon Struggle, they should just find a place, have their battle, and decide a winner. Why drag in the innocent? Why affect millions, even tens of millions, of people?"

"That’s an excellent question."

Dongfang He gave a thumbs-up. "Why? Because human lives are worthless. In the eyes of the Zhong, Yong, and Yang Families—all of the Eight Great Vassal Kings—the lives of the common folk are less valuable than a single Half-Demon Qilin Horse."

"It’s also because they cherish their own lives. If they just found a place and fought it out, they might all end up dead, and some other Noble Family would swoop in and pick up the pieces."

"And what’s more, without disaster, people don’t appreciate stability. Without chaos, they don’t know pain. Only by creating chaos and then quelling it can they make the people of the world grateful to the final victor!"

Gu Zheng remained silent.

"To hell with them all!" Xiao Xianya cursed. "They’re not even human! Not a single Noble Family is any good!"

"Hey, watch your mouth!" Dongfang He glared.

"What, am I wrong?" Xiao Xianya’s eyes reddened as the pressure of the Heroic Body Realm began to radiate from her.

"I..." Dongfang He swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He stubbornly retorted, "A gentleman doesn’t fight with a woman."

"Hmph!"

Xiao Xianya snorted coldly. "From now on, I’m done with everything except killing Demon Fiends!"

"Gu? Zuo? What about you two?"

"I’ve only ever killed Demon Fiends," Gu Zheng replied softly.

Zuo Lingfeng said with a cold expression, "Same."

"...You two get it." Xiao Xianya exhaled, then took a deep breath and gritted her teeth. "As soon as the lockdown ends, I’m going straight back to Hongzhou. I’m never coming back to this damn Royal Capital!"

"...It’s good that you’ve come to terms with it, Xiao."

Nangong Yaoyue comforted her in a gentle voice, "For now, the disasters caused by the Dragon Struggle are unavoidable. It’s enough to take care of yourself while also looking out for those around you."

"Is there really no way to stop the Dragon Struggle?" Xiao Xianya couldn’t help but ask. "Do they have to keep sending spies, causing destruction everywhere, and letting people die endlessly?"

"There is,"

Dongfang He interjected. "If you were powerful enough to beat the Zhong, Yong, and Yang Families—all eight of the great Noble Families—into submission and make them stop, there wouldn’t be a ’Dragon Struggle,’ would there?"

"...You’d be better off keeping your mouth shut," Xiao Xianya said, giving him a dark look.

Dongfang He habitually wanted to make another sarcastic comment, but a chill ran down his spine as he was suddenly reminded of the gap in power between them.

If Xiao Xianya wanted to beat him up, he wouldn’t be able to escape.

And Nangong Yaoyue wouldn’t help him.

At this thought, Dongfang He reluctantly shut his mouth.

"Hmph!"

Xiao Xianya snorted, then immediately sighed.

Everyone present understood why she sighed.

Beat the eight great Noble Families into submission?

What a joke!

If you want to suppress the eight great Noble Families, you’d have to reach the King’s Body first!

Without even reaching the King’s Body Realm, quelling the Dragon Struggle was nothing but a fantasy.

...

...

The small gathering lasted for half the day.

As dusk fell, they went to a nearby restaurant that had recently reopened and had dinner.

Tragedy was tragedy, and many had died, but life had to go on.

The undamaged restaurants, inns, and eateries were gradually resuming business.

It was just that there were very few customers, and the prices were very high.

However, that amount of money was nothing to Gu Zheng and his group.

The dinner ended.

Gu Zheng returned to the Zhuge Mansion.

For the next half a month, he didn’t do much cultivation, instead spending his time carving Nether Heart Slave Seals for future use.

Half a month later, the city gates were finally unsealed.

Gu Zheng bid farewell to Zhuge Tianxing and headed for the Dahuashan passage.

Before entering the passage, he sought out Huang Hongyuan, the Garrison commander.

"Thunder Stones?"

Upon learning Gu Zheng’s purpose, Huang Hongyuan clapped his hands. "Lord Gu, you’ve come to the right place. There are indeed Thunder Stones in the Celestial Thunder Mountain Range. However, there are even more on the island where the Electric Spirit Monsters are, on the other side of the passage."

"That’s because Electric Spirit Monsters can produce Thunder Stones themselves."

"A Tier 2 Electric Spirit Monster has a chance of producing one. But for a Tier 3 Electric Spirit Monster, one of the bones in its body is guaranteed to be a Thunder Stone!"

"Oh?" Gu Zheng was overjoyed to hear this. "Thank you for the information, Lord Huang!"

"There’s no need to thank me."

Huang Hongyuan waved his hand. "If anyone should be thanking anyone, it’s I who should be thanking you, Lord Gu, for going through the passage to clear out the Electric Spirit Monsters. If you can wipe out that tribe of Electric Spirit Monsters, the pressure on our side will be greatly relieved. I might even be able to take a vacation. Hahaha..."

"Then I’ll do my best."

Gu Zheng also laughed. "I’ll try my best to get Lord Huang a month-long vacation."

"Haha, excellent! Then I’m counting on you, Lord Gu!"

Huang Hongyuan clasped his fist and laughed heartily.

Gu Zheng returned the gesture, then bid farewell and walked into the passage.

Once Gu Zheng had disappeared at the far end of the passage, a Commander approached from the side and asked, "Lord, did Lord Gu really kill Luo Cheng?"

"Isn’t that obvious?"

Huang Hongyuan shot him a look, annoyed. "Luo Cheng’s corpse has already been preserved in wax as a warning to others."

"Incredible."

The Commander sighed with emotion. "Lord Gu is too powerful. They were both members of the Seven Demon Slayers and had both only recently broken through to the Heroic Body Realm, yet Lord Gu killed Luo Cheng. It’s truly amazing!"

"It is amazing," Huang Hongyuan said wistfully.

Compared to Gu Zheng, he, a once-proclaimed genius, seemed utterly unremarkable.

’Wait, Gu Zheng’s aura... it feels stronger than last time. Did he break through to the second stage?’

Suddenly, Huang Hongyuan recalled the impression Gu Zheng had just given him and was shocked. ’Could it be?’ he thought.

’Did Gu Zheng break through to Heroic Body: Melting Furnace?’

’How is that possible? To break through to Heroic Body: Melting Furnace so quickly... is he even human?’

’No way. It’s impossible!’

Huang Hongyuan denied it in his heart.

...

...

「On the other side of the passage.」

The passage exit led to the island occupied by the Electric Spirit Monsters.

The moment Gu Zheng emerged, he released three hundred and sixty blades to circle around his body.

At the same time, he channeled his power to draw the Power of Heaven and Earth from several miles around him, and his entire body soared into the air.

WHOOSH~

He drifted forward with the wind.

Soon, he spotted a group of Electric Spirit Monsters feeding among a forest of charred, jagged rocks.

SWISH!

SWISH~!