SHLIIICK~

The streak of light sliced past the iron rod, leaving a deep gash. Without ricocheting or changing direction in the slightest, it continued straight ahead, striking Yong Xing’an and piercing clean through his throat!

PFFT!

A spray of blood and shredded flesh splattered through the air.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Three hundred and sixty iron shards danced through the air, circling Yong Xing’an in a frenzy of slicing. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The streak of light that had shot past curved in mid-air, looping back to join the maelstrom of shards and weave through Yong Xing’an’s front and back.

SQUELCH! SQUELCH! SQUELCH!

A series of sickening sounds echoed through the courtyard, accompanied by splatters of blood and gore.

In less than a breath, Yong Xing’an’s body was riddled with more than a dozen bloody holes.

His head, arms, and legs were severed from his torso, falling motionless into separate pools of blood.

When masters cross blades, their movements are as swift as the wind, leaving no room for the slightest error.

This was true for the Super Body Realm, and even more so for the Heroic Body Realm.

If your speed and reflexes were a beat too slow, you could meet a disastrous end.

Yong Xing’an had thought he had Gu Zheng right where he wanted him.

He wasn’t afraid, even if Gu Zheng had a trump card up his sleeve.

If the Divine Weapon Fragment hadn’t been so overwhelmingly powerful, the Spear of the Soul alone would have, at most, only wounded him.

But in all things, "if" is the most pointless word.

Gu Zheng used the Divine Weapon Fragment as a hidden weapon. Yong Xing’an’s iron rod could block the blades of the Chaotic Heaven Shield’s second form, but it couldn’t stop a Divine Weapon!

And so, Yong Xing’an died.

Just like those Corpse Puppets, he was dismembered and cut to pieces.

WHOOSH~ WHOOSH!

The air whistled.

Gu Zheng recalled the blades and the Divine Weapon Fragment to his side.

He returned the Divine Weapon Fragment to his Storage Leaf. As the three hundred and sixty blades swirled around him, a few suddenly broke formation and shot straight into the dim ruins to his rear right.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

"PFFT~ PFFT~!"

"Ah!"

The sound of tearing flesh and a blood-curdling scream suddenly erupted from the depths of the dark ruins.

"Don’t... don’t kill me! I surrender, I surrender!"

A terrified, trembling cry rang out. A figure emerged like a phantom from the dark ruins, three bloody holes in his body gushing blood. He fell to his knees, prostrating himself before Gu Zheng and begging endlessly for mercy.

Gu Zheng didn’t respond immediately. He first retrieved the jet-black iron rod that had fallen nearby, then slowly approached.

"I know all the secrets about Yue Country’s invasion of Jing Country, including their plans for the Royal Capital! It’s true, I really know everything! I’m not lying!"

The young man shouted, his face pale and his body trembling, his eyes filled with fear and a plea for mercy. "Sir, I may be a spy, but my father’s generation hardly had any dealings with Yue Country. I only found out today that people from Yue came to cause trouble at the Third Prince’s wedding!"

"Those bastards, they deserve to die! The Corpse Puppets they unleashed killed my best friend, and my fiancée... they’re all dead! Their deaths were so horrible..."

BZZZT!

A silent Spiritual Attack abruptly unfolded. From a distance, Gu Zheng released a Nether Heart Slave Seal, sending it straight through the young man’s eyes and deep into his brain.

"Ngh~!"

The young man’s body trembled and his pupils dilated. His pleas for mercy died in his throat. His wide eyes flooded with a series of emotions: struggle, shock, rage, and resentment...

But soon, all traces of resentment vanished, replaced by obedience, submission, and a blank clarity.

"Tell me, what is your real name?" Gu Zheng asked, recalling his blades and turning away calmly.

"Greetings, Master!"

The young man fell to the ground, bowing respectfully. "Replying to Master, your servant is named Eternal Star. I am a disciple from a collateral branch of the Yong Family of Yue Country. My father is Duke Xiaoyong, Yong Xingbing. My current realm is Super Body, Celestial Ladder."

"The son of a Duke?" Gu Zheng raised an eyebrow. "So all that nonsense just now was to throw me off?"

"Yes."

Eternal Star answered with the utmost respect. "I said those things to lower your guard, Master. Once I was closer, it would have been easier to launch a sneak attack and release the Demonized Corpse Fire."

"Demonized Corpse Fire? Your Yong Family’s exclusive Anomalous Fire?" Gu Zheng asked, curious. "By the way, where is your Spirit Beast? The Immortal Corpse Dragon... that Demon Fiend is a type of Demon Dragon, isn’t it?"

"It is a Demon Dragon, but our bonded Spirit Beasts are different from other people’s."

Eternal Star explained, "Immortal Corpse Dragon eggs are extremely difficult to produce, and even harder to hatch. One is only allotted an egg upon promotion to the Heroic Body Realm. Before then, everyone else can only rely on the Corpse Dragon’s scales and the Demonized Corpse Fire. This Demonized Corpse Fire can even wound a cultivator at the King’s Body Realm."

’Fair enough.’

Gu Zheng nodded. "Tell me your plan for the Royal Capital. In detail."

"Yes!"

Eternal Star answered respectfully, "During the grand wedding, we will unleash tens of thousands of Corpse Puppets to slaughter everyone. The main purpose is to initiate a blood sacrifice. We will use the flesh and blood of a million people to summon an Alien God and annihilate the Jing Country’s Royal Capital."

"...Sacrifice the entire city to summon an Evil God? That’s your true objective?" Gu Zheng’s eyelid twitched. "What about the altars? Is slaughter alone enough to summon an Evil God?"

"The twelve altars were completed half a year ago."

Eternal Star revealed everything. "They are distributed throughout the Royal Capital City—in the north, south, east, and west, as well as inside the inner city. They’ve been kept hidden since they were set up. All they need now is the flesh and blood of a million people for activation."

’Fuck!’

’They’re insane!’

Yue Country has gone completely mad for the sake of the Dragon Struggle.

Or perhaps, the eight Dukes and Kings never had a conscience to begin with.

The permanent population of the Jing Country’s Royal Capital City was well over 1.5 million.

It was a massive city.

He had thought that Yue Country was just trying to cause chaos and disrupt the nation’s normal functions by unleashing tens of thousands of Corpse Puppets to slaughter the populace.

After all, if the Royal Capital was destroyed, operations in other regions would be affected.

The various State Governors might even declare their independence, as long as they had backing.

And some of the Noble Families, who already harbored ill intentions, would very likely be the ones to provide that backing.