The most direct sensation of the third stage of the Heroic Body was an increasingly clear connection to heaven and earth.

The Power of Heaven and Earth—formless, colorless, and invisible to the naked eye—could now be seen with just a slight use of "Shadow," without needing to sense it forcefully. He could hold it in his palm just by reaching out.

And the formation of the Divine Seeds allowed for even faster mobilization of power.

Where the mind willed, power followed.

The four Divine Seeds were scattered throughout his body, and each one could draw upon the Power of Heaven and Earth to unleash immense might.

In the third stage of the Heroic Body, the Divine Seeds had to be actively circulated and mobilized; they weren’t meant to be left idle to slowly accumulate energy after being formed.

Gu Zheng savored the feeling in detail.

The four Divine Seeds allowed him to divide his focus into four parts!

Many people could multitask, but there was always a difference in the level of focus applied to each task, a clear hierarchy of attention.

However, when dividing his attention through the Divine Seeds, there was no such drawback!

「In the forest.」

Gu Zheng closed his eyes, exploring the mysteries of the Divine Seeds.

Suddenly...

BUZZZ~!

The Demon-Slaying Seal on his person abruptly vibrated.

"Haaa—"

Gu Zheng exhaled, the stream of air forming a sharp arrow that shot far into the distance.

He slowly opened his eyes, stopped circulating his energy, regulated his breathing, and regained his composure.

After a moment, he suppressed his aura to that of someone who had just entered the Heroic Body Realm—the Union state.

Only then did he take out the Demon-Slaying Seal and read the message.

The message was from Meng Taiqi.

"Something major has happened. Return to headquarters at once!"

’Something major has happened?’

Gu Zheng’s sharp brows rose. He put away the Demon-Slaying Seal and stood up.

’If Meng Taiqi is summoning me back to headquarters with such urgency, it must be serious. I need to ask him in person.’

At this thought, Gu Zheng leaped into the air, soaring high into the sky. He harnessed the wind and the Power of Heaven and Earth to fly toward the State City.

The third stage of the Heroic Body Realm truly allowed one to achieve physical Flying, without consuming any of their own power.

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH~

A strong wind blew against his face as Gu Zheng flew in a straight line across the sky, his hands clasped behind his back.

As he was about to leave the territory of Nanyun Prefecture, he suddenly felt something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of powder.

It was the powder left over from using the Heaven-Covering Leaf!

There was quite a bit of it.

’Did two leaves disintegrate on their own?’

He originally had five leaves of the Heaven-Covering Leaf, but now only three remained.

Someone had performed Deduction and Divination on him—twice!

’Who was it?’

Gu Zheng flicked his hand, scattering the powder. He continued to fly while pondering the matter.

’Two Divinations... the hatred must be significant.’

’Could it be that big-headed incarnation of the Evil God, the one who’s hiding and has concealed its identity?’

’Or...’

’Have the deaths of Jin Pang and Ji Tianping finally been discovered?’

’Connecting this to the "major event" in Meng Taiqi’s message, the latter possibility is undoubtedly more likely!’

The deaths of Jin Pang and Ji Tianping—how could that not be a major event?

After all, both men were Commanders of a State.

The Demon Slayer Bureau headquarters in the Royal Capital, and even the royal family of the Jing Country, would get involved to figure out what happened.

Whether they were killed by a person or died at the hands of Demon Fiends.

Because both Jin Pang and Ji Tianping had entered a third-rank passage to the Demon Realm.

Therefore, Deduction and Divination were inevitable.

As for the results of the Deduction, it was obvious they didn’t know the killer, only that the men were dead!

...

The situation was just as Gu Zheng had guessed.

Upon returning to the Fengzhou State Headquarters, Gu Zheng was led into the main conference room of the Command Headquarters.

The room was already full of people.

Meng Taiqi and Xie Bisheng sat at the head of the table, with the other Thousand Households to the sides.

"Greetings, Grand General Gu!"

"We greet Grand General Gu!"

"..."

As soon as Gu Zheng entered, all the Thousand Households immediately stood and bowed respectfully. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Ping’an, the Commander is dead."

Meng Taiqi spoke directly, his expression grim. "A message from the Royal Capital headquarters has confirmed it. The Commander died in the Demon Realm."

"Everyone, please rise."

Gu Zheng first returned the salutation, then replied with feigned surprise, "When did this happen? Wasn’t the Commander at headquarters the whole time?"

"He’s been dead for nearly a month."

Xie Bisheng said coldly, "If the Royal Capital hadn’t needed him for something, no one would have even known he’d gone to the Demon Realm."

Everyone present knew who "he" referred to.

In response, the group of Thousand Households kept their eyes down and their mouths shut.

"What’s done is done. There’s no point in saying such things." Meng Taiqi took a deep breath. "The crucial thing now is that even without a Commander, the Demon Slayer Bureau’s operations cannot stop..."

"Bluntly,"

Xie Bisheng interrupted coldly, "does it make any difference whether he’s here or not?"

"..." Meng Taiqi was speechless.

The other Thousand Households were also silent.

Gu Zheng held back a laugh.

’It’s true. Ji Tianping barely managed anything, so it’s the same whether he was here or not.’

"...That may be so, but we still have to make the official announcement." Meng Taiqi said seriously. "Maintaining stability is the top priority..."

"Bluntly,"

Xie Bisheng interrupted coldly again, "I guarantee no one will cause trouble. Everyone’s used to it."

"...Old Scoundrel Xie!"

Meng Taiqi slammed his hand on the table, glaring as he shouted, "Are you deliberately trying to undermine me?"

"I’m just speaking the truth," Xie Bisheng replied calmly.

"Then could you at least be a little more polite when you speak?" Meng Taiqi said irritably. "Can’t you wait until I’m finished before you have your say?"

"Bluntly," Xie Bisheng glanced at him and said calmly, "no."

"Say that again..."

Meng Taiqi shot to his feet.

"Gentlemen, please, calm down!"

Gu Zheng quickly stepped forward to placate them. "We’re all on the same side. Don’t get angry. Anger is draining."

"Do you think I want to be angry?" Meng Taiqi continued glaring at Xie Bisheng, though his tone softened slightly. "It’s this old scoundrel’s thoughtless, barbed words!"

"I..."

"Master Xie!" Gu Zheng interjected. "Master Xie, with the Commander dead, has there been any news from the Royal Capital about a replacement? Will they send someone new, or promote one of the existing veteran generals?"

Jiang Xiong, Sun Yunrang, Meng Taiqi, and Xie Bisheng were all considered veteran generals, their cultivation at the third stage of the Heroic Body Realm, or even its peak.