Xing Zhilong fell silent.

He felt like he was having an illusion.

But the stench of blood in the air and the dismembered limbs scattered nearby told him this was all too real.

And because it was real, it was all the more unbelievable.

It was too absurd.

’Who kills Demon Fiends like this?’

Anyone else would have analyzed the situation repeatedly, weighing every option with extreme caution.

They would have deliberated and probed time and again before finally entering the passage.

But not Gu Zheng.

He charged straight into the passage, crossed to the other side, and annihilated every last one of them.

It was something that couldn’t be faked.

In other words, the Iron Lion Demon Fiends threatening the Yan Gui Ridge passage had been dealt with just like that.

Xing Zhilong had only killed three rank-two Iron Lion Demon Fiends.

Gu Zheng had killed all the rest.

This meant that Gu Zheng, all by himself, had wiped out an entire Iron Lion Demon Tribe!

...

"There were no rank-three fiends on the other side."

Seeing Xing Zhilong’s silence, Gu Zheng added, "Just a bunch of old and weak ones. If you had gone, Xing, you could have handled them too."

"No need to console me."

Xing Zhilong grinned, snapping out of his daze. "You can only bite off what you can chew," he said with a light chuckle. "It’s no big deal to admit someone is better than you. Gu, you’re simply more outstanding, more formidable than us. Not just in strength, but in courage and decisiveness too."

"They really were just old and weak," Gu Zheng explained again. "The overall strength of that Iron Lion Demon Tribe on the other side of the passage was actually quite average."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh, I get it," Xing Zhilong replied perfunctorily.

Gu Zheng was speechless. "..."

"Forget it, let’s not talk about this." Gu Zheng scanned the surroundings, his sharp brows furrowing. "How many Demon Suppression Guards are still alive?"

"...Twenty-one."

At the mention of the guards at the scene, Xing Zhilong’s expression darkened. "Of those twenty-one, seventeen are severely injured, including Luo Yi. Even if they recover, their strength will plummet. The Yan Gui Ridge garrison is finished."

"Fortunately, Gu, you wiped out the Iron Lion Demon Tribe, avenging them and ensuring this passage will be quiet for a while."

Gu Zheng was silent.

’Tragic.’

The Demon Slayer Bureau’s garrison at Yan Gui Ridge had nearly been wiped out.

The ones still alive could only groan in pain.

The Iron Lion Demon Fiends had intended to annihilate Luo Yi and his men from the start.

To that end, they had deployed all their rank-two fiends.

If this had been a war between two nations, it would have been a case of mutually assured destruction.

But for Demon Fiends, their complete extermination wasn’t even worth a sigh!

"Xing."

Gu Zheng suddenly spoke, "I’ll leave the cleanup here to you, Xing. I’m going to the passages at Youmen County and Fish Scale Town to see if I can pacify them."

"Huh? This..."

Xing Zhilong was taken aback. He frowned and said, "I can handle the cleanup, no problem. But from what I’ve heard, the situation at the Youmen County and Fish Scale Town passages won’t be so easy to resolve. Gu, you must be extremely careful if you go. Remember, don’t be reckless!"

"Understood. Ping’an will remember!"

Gu Zheng cupped his fist in a salute.

This was a task he had taken upon himself, to proactively strike at the Demon Fiends on the other side of the Secondary Passages.

Having witnessed the tragic scene at Yan Gui Ridge, Gu Zheng didn’t want to wait passively any longer.

...

After bidding farewell to Xing Zhilong, Gu Zheng leaped into the air and sped toward the passage in Fish Scale Town, Youmen County, which was also within Dahong Prefecture.

This was Dahong Prefecture’s fourth Secondary Passage.

The garrison commander was Xiong Zengming, a burly man with the back of a tiger and waist of a bear. He was a Super Body at the Celestial Ladder realm and had cultivated two True Skills—one for Body Refining and one Saber Technique—both to the level of Great Success.

With this level of strength, he could even hold his own against a late-stage rank-two Demon Fiend.

But the threat from the Demon Fiends at the Fish Scale Town passage was somewhat different.

Fish Scale Town was a large town with a population of over ten thousand, established at the confluence of three rivers.

It had abundant water resources and a year-round fish supply.

After the Celestial Change, the Domain that appeared was not on the surface or in a cave, but underwater!

That’s right, the Demon Fiends threatening Fish Scale Town were Water Demons.

The entrance to the Secondary Passage was at the bottom of a river less than five li outside of town.

"The Water Demons that come out of the passage are generally average in strength. So far, only two rank-two fiends have emerged, and they were both early-stage rank-two."

On the riverbank, the burly Xiong Zengming pointed to a constantly swirling vortex in the center of the ten-meter-wide river and said in a booming voice, "The Wise Demons that appear are mainly of two types: Shrimp-headed and those covered in tentacles."

"The Tentacle Demon Fiends can spray poisonous water and gas. Anyone hit by it is completely paralyzed and unable to move—even my Commanders are not immune. But as long as you dodge quickly, killing them isn’t a problem. Their threat is limited."

"The real threat comes from the Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends. This group can release a purplish-red flame. The slightest touch sends a person into a state of rage and fury, as if being burned by fire, a scorching heat from the inside out."

"To be honest, even I am afraid of this flame. I don’t dare get too close."

Xiong Zengming gave a self-deprecating smile, then looked at Gu Zheng and said seriously, "Lord Gu, if you plan to enter the passage, you must be careful of the purplish-red flame released by the Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends!"

"Thank you."

Gu Zheng cupped his fist in a salute. "Rest assured, Lord Xiong. I never stubbornly attempt things I’m not confident about. If I sense something is wrong, I will retreat immediately."

Inwardly, however, he thought, ’What a coincidence!’

Heart-Burning Demon Flame!

After hearing Xiong Zengming’s description of the flame, Gu Zheng knew exactly which Anomalous Fire he was talking about.

Heart-Burning Demon Flame, a fairly potent Anomalous Fire that stimulated rage and burned the heart.

Its potency lay in its ability to literally make one’s heart burn after contact, burning them to death from the inside.

Yet, there would be no signs of burns on the surface.

But this Anomalous Power could, in fact, be resisted.

Even an ordinary person could withstand it if they had a strong mind and a firm will.

A calm mind keeps the body cool.

Although it was just a common saying, there was power to it.

It was just that most people couldn’t achieve it.

The reason Gu Zheng thought it was a coincidence wasn’t that his mind was particularly calm, but that his Bosha Corpse Fire happened to be the perfect counter to the Heart-Burning Demon Flame!

The former was far more powerful; a single spark of Bosha Corpse Fire was enough to extinguish a burst of Heart-Burning Demon Flame.

And Gu Zheng happened to be carrying a bone jar full of Bosha Corpse Fire.

...

Immediately, under the watchful eyes of Xiong Zengming and a group of Demon Suppression Guards, Gu Zheng condensed his Sword Gang to envelop his entire body, then leaped directly into the vortex passage in the middle of the river.

"Do you guys think Lord Gu can deal with the Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends?"

"He should be able to, right? If he wasn’t confident, why would Lord Gu dare to enter the passage and go to the other side?"

"Not necessarily. The other side of the passages at Old Dragon Bay, Lu Shou Pit, and Yan Gui Ridge are all on land. But our passage here is underwater. In the water, the strength of Water Demons is amplified significantly!"

"Yeah, I hope Lord Gu succeeds."

"If he pulls this off too, Lord Gu will have pacified all of Dahong Prefecture’s Secondary Passages!"

"..."

The Demon Suppression Guards discussed among themselves.

Xiong Zengming, however, was frowning, his eyes fixed on the vortex without blinking.

Although Gu Zheng had taken the initiative to come and pacify the passage, if something happened to him and he died on the other side, Xiong Zengming would bear some responsibility.

’I hope he succeeds.’

’Even if he doesn’t, he has to make it back safely.’

Xiong Zengming prayed silently in his heart.

...

...

「At the bottom of the river.」

At the mouth of the Tunnel Between Two Realms.

Space was similarly distorted here, the pitch-black entrance resembling the giant maw of a beast, trying to devour everything that entered.

SWISH!

Gu Zheng activated his Dark Vision and propelled himself into the passage’s entrance.

The passage sloped downward and was less than two hundred meters long.

However, it was about five meters wide.

The passage was completely filled with water.

Moreover, it was a confluence of two currents of different water quality, occasionally creating small vortexes and large quantities of bubbles.

Gu Zheng advanced a hundred meters into the passage when a three-meter-long, two-headed Fish Demon charged at him.

WHOOSH!

Upon seeing Gu Zheng, the Fish Demon lunged at him ferociously.

The aura it emanated was around the mid-stage of rank-one.

SWISH!

Gu Zheng swung his saber, unleashing a line of light.

"CHII~"

The saber light flashed, neatly cleaving the Fish Demon in two down the middle.

Blood immediately mixed with the water, flowing and spreading through the passage.

Spirit Capturing!

[Demon Points +8]

’That’s all?’

Wielding the Celestial Frost Blade and protected by his Sword Gang, Gu Zheng quickly passed through the area and rushed out of the passage, entering the demon-infested waters on the other side.

Just like on the mortal world’s side, the passage entrance here was also at the bottom of a body of water.

SWISH SWISH~

Gu Zheng swam upwards for a while before breaking the surface.

He looked around and found himself in a massive lake.

Miasma and poisonous gases lingered constantly over the lake’s surface.

The lake water was a dark blue, and all sorts of Water Demons darted about within it.

Gu Zheng controlled his aura to the peak of the Alien Body realm, preventing unranked Demon Fiends from approaching.

Then, he turned and dove back to the bottom of the lake, searching for the Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends.

According to Xiong Zengming, these Demon Fiends possessed a high level of intelligence.

SWISH!

Under his Dark Vision, a dark shadow suddenly appeared, rushing straight for Gu Zheng.

It had an oval body covered with four to five-meter-long tentacles, and its aura had reached the peak of rank-one.

CHKT!

Gu Zheng swung his saber, unleashing a line of light.

Being underwater affected his ability to exert his full strength, but the impact was very limited.

At least for Gu Zheng, it wasn’t significant.

With his Sword Gang empowered by his Sword Intent, the Tentacle Demon Fiend froze before he even got close. It wanted to flee, but it was already too late.

"PLRCHT~!"

With a strange sound, its entire body was split in two.

Spirit Capturing!

[Demon Points +10]

With the Bloodshed essence in hand, Gu Zheng quickly left the area and dove deeper into the lake.

Halfway there, he saw three two-meter-long Demon Fiends with lobster-like heads and fishtails charging toward him.

No, to be precise, they were charging toward the area where the Tentacle Demon Fiend had died.

Encountering Gu Zheng on the way was pure coincidence.

Upon seeing Gu Zheng, the three Shrimp-headed Demon Fiends chattered and gestured for a moment.

The next instant, from a shell-like object they carried, they launched three thin streams of purplish-red flame.

Heart-Burning Demon Flame!

The moment they met, they attacked without a word.

The purplish-red flames were completely unaffected by the water, shooting toward Gu Zheng like arrows.

SWOOSH~

Gu Zheng dodged in advance, took out the Bosha Corpse Fire, and used the specially made Bone Staff that came with it to guide the fire to counter the attack.

TSS TSS~

When the Bosha Corpse Fire met the water, it emitted wisps of white steam.

Its power was reduced, but not by much.

Guided forward, it met the Heart-Burning Demon Flame head-on.

SHLAAA!

HISS~

In less than a breath’s time, the purplish-red flame was forcibly extinguished.

Anomalous Fire versus Anomalous Fire.

In the first round, the Bosha Corpse Fire had easily achieved a complete victory!