As it turned out, what Yue Country truly wanted was to summon an Evil God to this world!

A blood sacrifice of the entire city, slaughtering a million people.

Once the Evil God descended, the Royal Capital would be truly finished.

Everyone would die!

"Where are the exact locations of those altars?" Gu Zheng asked in a low voice, suppressing his rage.

"I... I only know of three locations."

Eternal Star swallowed nervously and answered respectfully, "They are at the rear of Kangmin Square in the north of the city, the middle of Wanmin Square in the east, and underground in a residential courtyard outside the northern wall of the Royal City."

"Underground at the edge of the Royal City wall?" Gu Zheng exhaled. "Who is covering for you? Who is your highest-ranking spy in Jing Country?"

Without hesitation, Eternal Star blurted out, "Jin Pang!"

"Who? Jin Pang? The Commander of the Guangzhou Demon Slayer Bureau, Jin Pang? He’s actually one of your Yue Country people?" Gu Zheng was astonished.

"Yes!"

Gu Zheng was speechless.

The Commander of an entire State’s Demon Slayer Bureau was actually a foreign spy.

He truly didn’t know what to say.

Cao Handing, a Super Body, had slept in the Zhong Family’s Pupa Pool within their Ancestral Land’s Spirit Realm. A peak Heroic Body master like Jin Pang must have also used a Pupa Pool to live for several hundred years.

His identity, origins, and ancestral background would all have been subjected to rigorous investigation.

And yet, despite all that, he was still a spy for Yue Country.

For the sake of the Dragon Struggle, Yue Country’s plans must have been in motion not just for two or three hundred years, but four or five hundred—perhaps even a thousand!

’If Jin Pang is a spy from Yue Country, then Luo Cheng’s association with the ’Celestial God’ organization isn’t a simple case of collusion. It was most likely orchestrated by Jin Pang himself!’

’These bastards...’

Gu Zheng regulated his breathing and said calmly, "Where is Jin Pang now?"

"He should be inside the Royal City, killing Corpse Puppets," Eternal Star answered quickly.

"Killing Corpse Puppets? He hasn’t been exposed yet?" Gu Zheng’s sharp brows shot up.

Eternal Star replied, "That’s right. If his identity were exposed, the altars would be activated early. Although the Evil God Avatar summoned by the sacrifice wouldn’t be fifth-rank, it would be fourth-rank at a minimum."

’An Evil God Avatar?’

’That’s right. It’s difficult for the true form of an Evil God—an Alien God from the Demon Realm—to descend upon the mortal world.’

’Their power level is too high, exceeding what the world can bear.’

’The mortal realm has a protective mechanism.’

’Unless an Evil God is powerful enough to devour and assimilate the world itself, its true form cannot descend.’

’They can only send avatars or incarnations.’

Incarnations require a vessel from the mortal realm, and such vessels are hard to find.

Summoning an avatar is much simpler.

However, avatars also vary in strength.

’A fourth-rank is a King’s Body. What about a fifth-rank?’

"Follow me. First, we’ll go to the Royal City—"

"No, that won’t work!"

He had originally planned to find Zhuge Tianxing, Chen Wuji, and Yue Zhongshi, then have them split up to destroy the various altars.

But then he remembered that Jin Pang, the mole, was also in the Royal City.

If Jin Pang noticed anything amiss and activated the altars ahead of schedule, the consequences would be disastrous.

"We’re going to the altar in the north of the city first!"

Gu Zheng grabbed Eternal Star by the shoulder, then burst forward in a sprint, leaping into the air and heading straight for the northern part of the city.

They soon arrived at Kangmin Square.

With Eternal Star leading the way, they slipped into a residential courtyard.

The altar was located underground.

Surprisingly, the personnel guarding the altar were a squad from the City Defense Bureau.

"Who goes there?!"

The leading officer, who exuded the aura of a peak Super Body, watched warily as Gu Zheng and Eternal Star descended from the sky.

"You two are—"

SHHH-SHHH-SHHH!

Three hundred and sixty blades flew out in perfect formation.

They formed a dense rain of steel, slicing back and forth as they engulfed all the guards.

SCHLICK! SCHLICK! SCHLICK!

After a series of wet thuds, every single guard fell to the ground without so much as a scream. Not one was left standing.

As they were descending from the air, Gu Zheng had asked Eternal Star about the background of the personnel guarding the altar.

These men knew there was something wrong with the underground area they were guarding. While they didn’t know the full details, they were aware it was connected to the chaos. However, having taken hefty bribes, they all pretended to be ignorant.

That meant they were not innocent!

SWOOSH!

Gu Zheng led Eternal Star straight to the entrance of the underground chamber.

Eternal Star pointed the way, and they entered through a decorative rockery.

They opened a stone slab, descended a flight of stairs, and passed through a winding tunnel.

WHOOSH!

A black shadow suddenly appeared before them, moving as fast as lightning as it charged at Gu Zheng.

SWISH! SWISH!

A fierce gust of wind tore through the air as a menacing aura shot straight for his face.

TCH-TCH!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Gu Zheng assembled his blades into a shield, blocking the ambusher’s attack.

It was an Earth Corpse!

"I... I didn’t know."

Seeing this, Eternal Star said in a panic, "Master, I swear I didn’t know an Earth Corpse was guarding this place."

SHK!

Gu Zheng ignored him, flinging Eternal Star back into the tunnel behind them.

He took out the Divine Weapon Fragment, and it was immediately enveloped by a surge of Divine Wondrous power.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

As the Chaotic Heaven Shield disintegrated, the towering Earth Corpse was knocked back by the recoil. Just as it lunged forward again...

WHOOSH!

SCHLICK!

The Divine Weapon Fragment shot out, tearing through the air and piercing the Earth Corpse’s neck. Its immense force ripped the creature’s entire head off, sending it tumbling to the ground.

But the Earth Corpse’s body charged forward, completely unhindered.

The Chaotic Heaven Shield rapidly re-formed into a shield.

BOOM!

With a deafening thud, the Earth Corpse’s headless body slammed violently against the shield.

Gu Zheng let out a low shout.

Maintaining the shield’s defense, he suddenly pushed forward.

VMMMMMM...

The air itself trembled.

The Chaotic Heaven Shield pushed the headless body of the Earth Corpse back, entering the underground chamber.

With immense force, he shoved the Earth Corpse more than ten meters away.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The Divine Weapon Fragment danced through the air.

It sliced through the Earth Corpse’s headless body. After a series of sickening sounds, its limbs were severed and fell to the ground, leaving only the torso to twitch and bounce in place.

Gu Zheng retracted the Chaotic Heaven Shield and surveyed the spacious underground chamber.

WHOOSH!

The Divine Weapon Fragment returned to him.

His vision was filled with human corpses. Arms and legs covered the floor, arranged in a specific structure to form a sinister pattern.