Chapter 275: Chapter 170: Demon Points Surge

WHOOSH~

Gu Zheng stood motionless, yet the air around him began to swirl like a vortex, spinning rapidly.

The disturbance was immense, affecting everything around him.

"Intruder here!"

A group of Armored Soldiers, led by a Captain, quickly rushed out from nearby and surrounded Gu Zheng.

SHINK~ SHINK~

Armor plates scraped as troop after troop of soldiers appeared, marching in perfect unison.

Rows of heavy crossbows were mounted and aimed at Gu Zheng.

Archers, one after another, nocked their arrows to their bowstrings.

A dense aura of bloodlust surged from them, merging into a single, cohesive presence.

Gu Zheng could sense that this aura of bloodlust not only linked together but was also circulating in a specific pattern, slowly repelling the Power of Heaven and Earth from within the camp. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

It also targeted Gu Zheng specifically, creating a faint, oppressive feeling.

’A military array?’

Gu Zheng felt a flicker of interest as he took it all in.

"Who are you?"

An elderly man, flanked by several generals, walked out from the crowd. He stopped about thirty paces from Gu Zheng, cupped his fist in his palm in salute, and said, "This is a Fengzhou Army camp. Your unauthorized entry has violated..."

"You... You’re Gu Zheng, Grand General Gu!?"

The elderly man stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened as he stared at Gu Zheng, and he asked in astonishment, "Grand General Gu, what brings you here?"

"What? He’s the pride of Fengzhou? Gu Zheng, Gu Ping’an?"

"The genius, Gu Zheng? That’s this young man right here?"

"Haha, looks like our early-warning Defense Array is highly effective. It even detected Lord Gu!"

"..."

Upon hearing the elderly man’s words, the generals surrounding him couldn’t help but cry out in surprise, all speaking at once.

The soldiers holding spears, bows, and heavy crossbows were equally stunned, their eyes wide as they gawked at Gu Zheng.

A man’s reputation precedes him.

Gu Zheng was not just a legend in Qingshi County; throughout all of Fengzhou, he was a household name, an idol worshipped by countless people.

Barely in his twenties, he had joined the Demon Slayer Bureau only six months ago, yet he had already risen from a junior officer to become the fifth Demon-slaying Grand General!

An inspirational story like that would be considered legendary in any era.

No one would dispute the claim that Gu Zheng was the pride of Fengzhou.

...

"You know of me, General?"

Gu Zheng returned the salute. "I came uninvited and startled your men; I hope you’ll forgive me. I just didn’t expect the camp to be protected by an Array."

"Haha, it’s an honor to have you here, Grand General Gu."

The elderly man laughed heartily. "I saw Lord Gu once before, in the State City. Of course, you wouldn’t recognize me. I just happened to see you on the street as you were passing by."

With that, he waved to the surrounding soldiers. "Disperse, all of you, disperse! Get back to your duties. Grand General Gu is one of our own."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers responded in unison, lowering their weapons and slowly backing away.

Even as they retreated, they kept turning their heads to look back at Gu Zheng.

This was the great celebrity of Fengzhou, a living legend!

Countless soldiers in the army worshipped him.

Given the chance to see Gu Zheng in person, they were all incredibly excited and eager for another glimpse. Because of this, they deliberately slowed their pace, dispersing sluggishly.

"All of you, pick up the pace!"

A middle-aged general beside the elderly man immediately barked, "What’s with you lot? Didn’t you eat this morning? Move it!"

"My men have only heard of Grand General Gu’s reputation; they’ve never seen you in person. In their excitement, they’ve forgotten their discipline. I hope you’ll excuse them," the elderly man explained.

"It’s no trouble."

Gu Zheng waved his hand and said softly, "I’ve just been a bit lucky, that’s all. There’s nothing particularly outstanding about me."

"You’re too humble, Grand General Gu."

The elderly man smiled. "I’ve forgotten to introduce myself. I am Sima Kaite..."

"General Sima?"

Gu Zheng’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Lord Sima, are you here at the Western Army camp on official business?"

Sima Kaite was none other than the General in command of the four-hundred-thousand-strong Fengzhou Army.

Gu Zheng had never met the man, but he knew the name and the status it represented.

Now, meeting him in person, Gu Zheng noted that Sima Kaite had a gentle temperament, lacking a heavy, majestic aura. However, he did emanate a Divine Wondrous fluctuation.

This wasn’t surprising, however.

The Fengzhou Army was a State Army, after all. Its leading generals received Treasure Pill rewards from the imperial court, so it wasn’t difficult for them to enter the Alien Body Realm.

However, becoming even stronger and reaching the Super Body Realm was not nearly as easy.

"As a matter of fact, I did have some business here."

Sima Kaite smiled and continued, introducing the generals beside him to Gu Zheng. "This is Luo Tong, this is Zhao Xiaopeng... and this is Tang Qiyun!"

"These men are all key generals of our Fengzhou Army, my most capable officers."

Gu Zheng nodded to each of them in turn, his gaze sweeping past Tang Qiyun.

"A pleasure to meet you, Generals."

Cupping his fist in salute, Gu Zheng asked, "That defense alarm just now... if I’m not mistaken, that was a military array, correct?"

"That is correct."

Sima Kaite nodded and explained, "This is precisely my purpose for coming to the Western Army camp—to test the results of several military arrays. As you know, Grand General Gu, when we rely on mortal flesh alone to slay Demon Fiends, the casualties are tragic. We’re forced to trade lives just to kill one or two of them."

"But with the support of military arrays, we can now exterminate first- and second-rank Demon Fiends with minimal casualties!"

"Oh?" Gu Zheng’s interest was piqued. "I wonder if I might have the opportunity to see one for myself? I’d like to witness the power of these military arrays."

"That can be arranged, of course."

Sima Kaite said with a smile, "If you are willing, Grand General Gu, you could even experience the array’s power firsthand. It would be the perfect chance to help us test its effectiveness."

"Haha, what a perfectly timed proposal, Lord Sima," Gu Zheng laughed as well.

’Asking me to help them test it?’

’Who’s really getting the better end of this deal, me or the Western Army?’

"It’s just a happy coincidence, isn’t it?"

Sima Kaite didn’t deny it. Beaming, he pressed, "So, what do you say, Grand General Gu? Care to give it a try? The power of our military array is divided into three tiers."