Fengzhou.

Kaiyuan Prefecture, Grand Canyon Mountain Passage.

At the foot of a large mountain, far from the passage’s garrison.

Gu Zheng sat cross-legged and swallowed a Profound Treasure Pill. He activated the 100% Absorption Demon Technique, then began circulating the All Heaven Jade Void Skill Super Body Chapter.

Streams of Divine Wondrous energy were rapidly born, merging with his existing reserves and strengthening their volume.

Previously, most of the increase in Gu Zheng’s Divine Wondrous had come as a byproduct of adding points to his strength.

However, this method of incidental generation was far too inefficient.

At least, it was inefficient for Gu Zheng.

He possessed the 100% Absorption Demon Technique, and his All Heaven Jade Void Skill Super Body Chapter was at the Perfection level.

As long as he had Treasure Pills, he could generate a continuous stream of Divine Wondrous energy.

For this reason, Gu Zheng had made a special trip to Fengzhou State City. At the Demon Slayer Bureau headquarters, he exchanged all his remaining merit points for Third-Turn Profound Pills.

The energy provided by First-Turn Anomalous Pills was insufficient.

Profound Pills were different. Gu Zheng could clearly sense the rapid increase of Divine Wondrous energy within his body.

Of the seven second-tier passages in the four northern prefectures, Gu Zheng had pacified four of them by himself.

Xing Zhilong and Li Shangjia were sufficient to handle the remaining three.

The guards garrisoning the passage had wanted Gu Zheng to go and proactively deal with the Demon Fiends.

But Gu Zheng, busy with his breakthrough, naturally didn’t get involved, and no one said a word against it.

He had pacified four second-tier passages in a single month. What was wrong with taking a break?

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH~!

The energy of the Profound Treasure Pills dissolved within him. Circulated by the All Heaven Jade Void Skill Super Body Chapter, the newly born Divine Wondrous energy continuously accumulated.

One after another, Profound Treasure Pills entered his stomach.

In three days, his Divine Wondrous had grown to 290.

On the fifth day, it broke past 300, reaching 308.

On the seventh day, his total Divine Wondrous reached 340.

At that point, Gu Zheng stopped circulating his technique to adjust his breathing and consolidate his Divine Wondrous energy.

He had used up all the Profound Treasure Pills he had exchanged for.

He had increased his Divine Wondrous by 100 in one go.

He was still 60 Divine Wondrous short of breaking through to the Heroic Body realm.

Gu Zheng tried to sense the energy of heaven and earth.

Being so close to the Grand Canyon Mountain Passage, the ambient energy was much richer than elsewhere. However, compared to a tangible Treasure Pill, it was still thin. Absorbing it externally by circulating his cultivation technique was, again, a matter of efficiency.

Ultimately, increasing one’s strength using ambient energy was just a matter of grinding it out over time.

It was less effective than simply adding points to his strength and letting the Divine Wondrous energy be generated as a byproduct.

At this thought, Gu Zheng rose to his feet, preparing to head to the next second-tier passage.

Suddenly, the sounds of battle cries and bloodcurdling screams carried on the wind.

BZZZZ~!

The flow of qi between heaven and earth grew chaotic.

The source...

...was the direction of the Grand Canyon Mountain Passage!

’Have Demon Fiends broken out of the passage?’

Gu Zheng tapped his toes, his body leaping into the air as he flew toward Grand Canyon Mountain.

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH~

A mountain wind, laced with the stench of blood, blew through the air.

Gu Zheng flew into the wind, crested several mountain peaks, and saw the passage.

And then he saw the Demon Fiends charging out of it—Bone Demons, each with a whirlwind dancing around its body, spinning blades of wind, their auras varying in intensity.

’Storm Bone Demon Fiends?’

Gu Zheng’s sharp brows rose.

The Bone Demons were a vast clan of Demon Fiends, divided into several types.

In the Thousand Star Lake Domain, the ones guarding the Rule Array Hub atop Sword Peak Mountain had been Purgatory Bone Demon Fiends.

Now, the ones coming through the passage into Grand Canyon Mountain were Storm Bone Demon Fiends.

This type of Bone Demon excelled at manipulating wind, its body constantly wreathed in a howling gale.

Compared to the scorching flames and tough bodies of the Purgatory Bone Demon Fiends, the Storm Bone Demon Fiends were much faster!

As Gu Zheng watched, one White Bone-level Storm Bone Demon Fiend after another, protected by their whirlwinds, swept into the ranks of the Demon Suppression Guard.

BOOM! BOOM!

The force of their charge kicked up an oppressive gale. Even a newly-advanced Alien Body-level squad leader couldn’t withstand a single White Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiend alone. They needed to form pairs or five-man teams, supporting each other just to block the attacks from the Bone Blades and Bone Staffs as the Demon Fiends flew past.

The Demon Suppression Guards scattered across the mountain forest formed battle formations to counter the Storm Bone Demon Fiends’ charge.

Meng Taiqi hadn’t made a move yet.

He stood atop a tree, his expression grim as he stared at the passage entrance.

His men were already locked in a chaotic battle with first-tier Iron Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends and second-tier Steel Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends.

Within the passage entrance, a fierce wind raged, and the demonic aura was so thick it was almost tangible.

Gu Zheng scanned the area. Instead of heading over there, he charged straight for the nearest group of first-tier Iron Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends.

SWISH~

The light of his blade flared, condensing into a single line that swept across the heads of the Iron Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends.

TCHKT! TCHKT! TCHKT!

The line of light sliced cleanly through them, splitting the skulls of the Iron Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends in two and annihilating the Soul Fire within.

Spirit Capturing!

[Demon Points +10]

[Demon Points +9]

...

A nice haul.

Without pausing, Gu Zheng charged toward another group of first-tier Iron Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends.

TCHKT! TCHKT!

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!~

Lines of light crisscrossed, and bone fragments flew everywhere.

Spirit Capturing!

Spirit Capturing!

He moved rapidly, absorbing Bloodshed as he went.

As Gu Zheng’s figure flickered past, whether they were first-tier Iron Bone or second-tier Steel Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends, all had their skulls shattered into pieces.

The Storm Bone Demon Fiends were fast, but that was only relative.

In front of Gu Zheng, even a second-tier Steel Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiend couldn’t gain an advantage.

Once he targeted them, none survived.

But none of the surrounding Demon Suppression Guards, who were busy fighting and killing the Storm Bone Demon Fiends, looked happy. Every one of them had a grim and solemn expression.

SWISH!

A flash of his blade shattered the skulls of seven first-tier Iron Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends, extinguishing their Soul Fires.

As he used Spirit Capturing to obtain the Bloodshed, Gu Zheng glanced at a nearby Commander he had just saved and asked, "What’s the situation? Is something wrong?"

"Something’s very wrong. The assault is too fierce, and the Storm Bone Demon Fiends’ offensive just keeps getting stronger."

The Commander wiped the sweat from his face and spoke quickly. "Before, when the Storm Bone Demon Fiends came out, they’d charge in one wave and then quickly retreat. Even during the most intense attack, the one with the third-tier Silver Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiend, the assault was ferocious, but it didn’t keep intensifying like this. That time, after General Meng made his move and defeated the third-tier Silver Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiend, the rest immediately fell back into the passage."

"But this time..."

WHOOSH-BOOM!

Just as he was speaking, a sudden gale blasted toward them.

It originated from the passage entrance—a tangible gale, like a tornado, that roared violently into the Demon Suppression Guard’s ranks.

BOOM!

In a single blow, the battle formations were smashed apart. Demon Suppression Guards were thrown into the air, their screams endless.

SWOOSH~

A tall figure shimmering with silver light shot out, riding the gale with a howl.

A ferocious aura surged forth, blanketing the area. The terrifying pressure slammed into the Commander beside Gu Zheng, who collapsed to his knees with a THUD.

"Die!"

With a low shout, Meng Taiqi’s figure flickered, breaking through the air to meet the attacking Storm Bone Demon Fiend.

Its bones gleamed with a brilliant silver light, and blades of wind sharp as knives swirled around its body. Its intangible aura was sharp and domineering, cutting visible trails through the void.

A third-tier Silver Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiend!

The instant Meng Taiqi charged over, he went for the kill. His Iron Fist parted the air, aiming straight for the Silver Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiend’s head.

With this type of Demon Fiend, even if its body is shattered into a pile of bone fragments, it won’t die as long as its Soul Fire isn’t extinguished.

To kill them, one had to shatter their skulls and extinguish their Soul Fire.

That’s what Meng Taiqi thought, and that’s what he did.

But...

"WHOOSH-BOOM~!"

A gale erupted as another terrifying aura burst from the passage entrance, sweeping out to cover the nearby mountains.

The fearsome pressure slammed into the Demon Suppression Guards on the field. One by one, those who had just struggled to their feet were forced back down to their knees.

The Iron Bone and Steel Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends seized the opportunity and swarmed forward.

TCHKT! TCHKT! TCHKT!

Lines of blade light crisscrossed, cutting down the swarming Iron Bone and Steel Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends.

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!~

Amidst the flying bone fragments, Gu Zheng absorbed one globule of Bloodshed after another.

[Demon Points +12]

[Demon Points +7]

...

Despite the rewards, Gu Zheng’s mood grew as heavy as that of the other Demon Suppression Guards.

Another third-tier Silver Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiend!

This time, the Storm Bone Demon Fiends had actually dispatched two third-tier Silver Bone fiends!

A single sweep of the third-tier Demon Fiends’ pressure had put all the Demon Suppression Guards on the back foot.

Although Gu Zheng was unaffected, he couldn’t intervene either.

Meng Taiqi had to face the two third-tier Silver Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends alone.

"WHOOSH! WHOOSH~"

"BOOM!!"

One after another, tornadoes of wind were unleashed, slamming into the mountainside.

The terrifying power kicked up clouds of dust, covering a large number of the Demon Suppression Guards.

Meng Taiqi fought one against two, leading the two third-tier Silver Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends high into the sky, away from the passage entrance.

Although Storm Bone Demon Fiends couldn’t truly fly, they could use the power of wind and their third-tier life force to rampage through the air regardless.

Meng Taiqi didn’t dare to clash with them head-on, because if he engaged one, the other would close in and attack him from behind.

However, with him having drawn away the two third-tier Silver Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends, the oppressive atmosphere on the battlefield instantly eased.

Freed from the suppression of the Silver Bone fiends, everyone’s morale recovered, and they once again locked into a chaotic battle with the Iron Bone and Steel Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiends.

Roars, furious shouts, and screams echoed incessantly.

SWOOSH~

SWOOSH!

Gu Zheng moved swiftly with his blade, flashing past one Storm Bone Demon Fiend after another, harvesting Bloodshed and gaining Demon Points.

In that short time, he had already obtained over six hundred Demon Points.

SWISH!

A line of blade light swept horizontally.

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!~

The skulls of an entire row of Storm Bone Demon Fiends were sliced in half, their Soul Fires extinguished.

Spirit Capturing!

Spirit Capturing!

Gu Zheng weaved through the battlefield, slaughtering the Storm Bone Demon Fiends as if they were chickens and greatly relieving the pressure on the others.

Suddenly—

"WHOOSH-BOOM~!"

A sudden gale materialized, forming into a tornado that coalesced at the passage entrance and roared toward Gu Zheng.

SWOOSH!

Gu Zheng’s figure flickered repeatedly in a burst of speed, evading the tornado’s impact.

In the process of moving, his Celestial Frost Blade reaped the Soul Fires of a dozen more Storm Bone Demon Fiends.

But halfway through reaping them, his body suddenly jolted. He stopped and whirled around to look at the passage entrance.

The other Demon Suppression Guards who sensed it and were able to stop, all froze and stiffly turned their heads toward the passage entrance.

BZZZZZZZZ~!

An intangible yet substantial pressure surged out, blanketing the area in every direction.

Wherever it passed, the terrifying oppressive force caused space itself to ripple. It was like mountains pressing down on everyone’s hearts, making their pulses nearly stop and their breath vanish.

The color drained from every face, their eyes filling with shock, terror, and despair.

Third-tier!

Another tall, brilliantly shining silver figure had just walked out of the passage entrance—a third-tier Silver Bone Storm Bone Demon Fiend.

This time, the Storm Bone Demon Fiends had dispatched three third-tier Silver Bone fiends!

"Run~!"

After a moment of silence, a Hundred Households screamed hoarsely, "Everyone, run! Save yourselves...!"

BANG~!

With a dull thud, the Hundred Households was slammed flat by an invisible force, crushed into the ground.

"Run?"

A harsh, piercing voice echoed through the mountains.

"None of you will run today. You will all die!"