The Jue-what Sword?

The what-Jue Sword?

With only half a blade, its full name was impossible to know.

Whether the entire blade could ever be assembled was also unknown. It was all up to fate.

...

Elder Master Jiang was very diligent, teaching Gu Zheng every ancient character he knew.

Of course, this was also because Gu Zheng picked it up so effortlessly, exhausting all the scholar’s knowledge in just half a day.

Learning has never been an easy task.

Especially a nearly lost ancient script.

An ordinary person, even someone at the Super Body Realm, couldn’t have mastered it so quickly.

Only those who had broken through to the Heroic Body Realm and beyond could comprehend it so rapidly.

For those in the Heroic Body Realm, the real headache was comprehending the heavens and earth and the workings of natural laws.

Elder Master Jiang was unaware of this. He only thought Gu Zheng was a peerless genius. Already holding him in awe, he immediately became even more deferential.

After the lesson ended, he no longer dared to refuse the bag of grain Gu Zheng had his father prepare for him, nor the offer of a clerical position.

Under Tong Yuanshan’s governance, Qingshi County was doing quite well in terms of public order, agriculture, and the people’s livelihood.

However, with the influx of so many outsiders, grain remained scarce.

Elder Master Jiang’s family had only been able to enter the county seat through the "special talent" channel.

However, with so many mouths to feed at home, they were just barely scraping by.

A bag of grain was already difficult enough to refuse on its own.

As for the clerical post under the Gu Mansion, it was a completely stable job—an "iron rice bowl"—in the current climate.

And so, Elder Master Jiang departed, showering Gu Zheng with thanks.

Gu Zheng stayed home for another day.

He guided Gu Xue and Gu Wan’Er in their cultivation and checked on Pang Hu’s transformation progress.

He received Lu Guangbei, Han Ming, Tong Yuanshan, and others who had heard the news and come to pay their respects.

He had originally planned to wait for Zhou Dingding’s successful breakthrough before going out on a Demon Hunt to harvest Demon Points.

Unexpectedly, that very evening, he received a message from Meng Taiqi summoning him back to the State Headquarters.

Assuming it was urgent, Gu Zheng rushed over at once.

...

Fengzhou, the State City.

Demon Slayer Bureau Headquarters.

Gu Zheng descended from the sky and went straight into the Command Headquarters.

"Greetings, Grand General Gu!"

"Greetings, Gu... Gu King!"

"Gu King, this way, please."

"..."

Upon seeing Gu Zheng, several Thousand Households hurriedly bowed in deep respect, not daring to even breathe too loudly in his presence.

The lower ranks didn’t know.

But the Commanders from the various regions, the Demon-slaying Grand Generals, and the staff at the Command Headquarters had all received the news: Gu Zheng had broken through to the King’s Body Realm.

The King’s Body Realm!

Excluding the Noble Families, there were only a handful of them in the entire Jing Country.

From the moment he joined the Demon Slayer Bureau, Gu Zheng had climbed the ladder step by step, ascending to the Heroic Body Realm practically right under everyone’s noses.

They had thought that alone was freakishly talented.

But who would have known that after a trip to the Wind Kingdom, he would reach yet another level, making a monstrous leap to the King’s Body Realm!

’Is this guy even fucking human?’

"The Gu King has arrived."

As Gu Zheng entered the conference hall of the Command Headquarters amidst a wave of respectful greetings, he saw Jiang Xiong shoot to his feet. Jiang Xiong bowed with cupped fists and declared, "Jiang Xiong pays his respects to the Gu King!"

"Meng Taiqi greets the Gu King!" Meng Taiqi, who was beside him, immediately followed suit.

"...Xie Bisheng greets the Gu King." The ever-stoic Xie Bisheng also bowed.

"Master Xie, Master Meng, Elder Jiang, what are you doing? I’m not worthy of this."

Gu Zheng quickly sidestepped, bowing slightly. At a loss for words, he said, "Master Xie and Master Meng were my teachers, and Elder Jiang has guided me as well. You are all my elders. How can an elder bow to a junior? Please, you must never perform such a grand ceremony for me again."

"Haha! I told you so! Ping’an isn’t the kind of person you imagined. He’d never let success go to his head. Well? Now you’ve seen it for yourselves, haven’t you?" Meng Taiqi said, lowering his hands and laughing boisterously.

"Hmph."

Xie Bisheng snorted. "Propriety cannot be abandoned. Besides, Ping’an is just showing us respect. You, Meng the Big Nose, don’t you dare use that as an excuse to pull rank!"

"Old Scoundrel Xie, who are you calling a rank-pulling senior?" Meng Taiqi’s eyes widened as he glared. "When have I ever pulled rank?"

"One word."

Xie Bisheng glanced calmly at Meng Taiqi and said quietly, "I’m just giving you a heads-up."

"A heads-up? Does this Commander need a heads-up from you?" Meng Taiqi continued to glare at him.

Xie Bisheng simply said, "One word..."

"Alright, that’s enough."

Jiang Xiong waved his hand, cutting them off. "If you two want to argue, do it at home. This is a place to discuss important matters. Grand... Grand General Gu didn’t come all this way just to listen to you quarrel."

"Hmph," Meng Taiqi muttered with a pout. "Who enjoys arguing with him, anyway."

Xie Bisheng couldn’t be bothered to respond.

Instead, he turned to Gu Zheng and explained, "We asked you to come this time because we’d like to ask for your help..."

"Master Xie, you’re treating me like a stranger," Gu Zheng interrupted. "I’m a member of the Demon Slayer Bureau. If there’s a mission, just tell me. If it’s something I can do, I will certainly do everything in my power."

He said as much.

But Meng Taiqi, Xie Bisheng, and Jiang Xiong were all well aware that the Gu Zheng of today was not the man he once was.

For Gu Zheng, the title of Demon-slaying Grand General in the Demon Slayer Bureau was no longer a benefit, but a shackle. It was only a matter of time before he cast it off, and no one would dare to object.

The Jing Country’s royal family had offered him the position of Grand Director of the Divine Capture Bureau.

Unfortunately, Gu Zheng had politely declined.

Compared to the singular focus of the Demon Slayer Bureau, the Divine Capture Bureau would likely force him to deal with the Royal Family and Relatives. Gu Zheng wasn’t afraid of them, but the resulting trouble was sure to be endless.

The title of Demon-slaying Grand General was enough for him.

Slaying Demon Fiends was his path to power to begin with.

...

"It’s different this time."

Meng Taiqi elaborated, "The mission we’re talking about has no fixed timeline. It’s a long-term assignment."

Before Gu Zheng could speak, he continued, "This mission has a codename: Godslaying! Its purpose: to eliminate the Evil Gods that have entered the mortal realm!"

"Ever since the fourth-order Domains came into being, Evil Gods have been invading the mortal world on a massive scale. These Alien Gods use all sorts of methods to project their avatars and incarnations into our reality."