"It’s nothing."

Gu Zheng rubbed Gu Wan’Er’s head. "Wan’Er, how does your stomach feel?"

"Mmm, it’s warm," Gu Wan’Er replied, still eating.

’That’s good.’

’It seems the transformation process of the Iron Stomach Source Fruit is very gentle.’

"Big Sister, give these two fruits to Gu Feng."

With a flick of his hand, Gu Zheng produced a Strong Body and a Dali Source Fruit, handing the two fruits to Gu Pan’Er.

"Remember, have him eat the one on the left first, then the one on the right."

"Okay." Gu Pan’Er took them without any questions.

"Haha, my son is just handing out fruits left and right," Gu Sihai said, his face beaming as he watched his children interact. "Ping’an, that True Skill of yours has cultivated a Divine Wondrous ability and allows you to break through realms, but it doesn’t seem to enhance your Martial Arts. Is something missing?"

"When Dingding taught those marauders a lesson the other day, he relied on pure strength and speed. You see..."

"The Thunderous Waves Skill is for breaking through realms and cultivating a Divine Wondrous ability."

Gu Zheng explained, "As for True Skills related to martial arts, I’ll create a few new ones."

Compared to True Skills meant for breaking through realms, those that focused on applying Divine Wondrous abilities and techniques were much simpler to create.

This was because he could draw inspiration from existing Martial Arts.

As long as they weren’t Ultimate Skills involving the Power of Heaven and Earth, it wasn’t difficult for Gu Zheng to reinvent Palm Techniques, Fist Techniques, Saber Techniques, and Sword Techniques by integrating methods for applying his Divine Wondrous abilities.

...

Upon being promoted to Demon-slaying Grand General, one would return to their designated state.

Typically, they would be stationed to guard a third-tier passage or at the State Headquarters.

They would also act as a mobile force, rushing to provide support wherever needed.

The emergence of Domains followed a predictable pattern: starting slowly, becoming frequent, leveling out, rising sharply, and finally stabilizing into a regular rhythm.

A little over two months ago had been a period of frequent emergence, with Domains of all sizes constantly appearing across the land.

Now, the rate had slowed again, and no new third-tier passages had appeared in Fengzhou.

With the four second-tier passages to the north eliminated by Gu Zheng, the pressure had been greatly reduced.

Meanwhile, the State City was guarded by Xie Bisheng, and even the Commander and Ji Tianping.

For the time being, Fengzhou had entered a period of stability.

Demon Fiends were still on the loose, and the Demon Suppression Guard were constantly on the move, but the overall situation was under control and didn’t require Gu Zheng’s direct intervention.

Thus, Gu Zheng decided to simply stay at home and enter seclusion to create new True Skills.

True Skills meant for practical combat!

In less than three days, he created the Cold Ice Flame Palm, the Thunderbolt Lightning Fist, and the Proud Tiger Heaven-Fighting Technique.

The Cold Ice Flame Palm fused the powers of ice and fire, drawing inspiration from multiple Martial Arts such as the Jade Wave Palm, Flame Palm, Iron Refining Hand, and Gold-Melting Finger.

The Thunderbolt Lightning Fist was based on the energy pathways of Thunder Manipulation and techniques for applying Divine Wondrous abilities, referencing Martial Arts like the Thunder Fist and Thunderbolt Hand.

Finally, the Proud Tiger Heaven-Fighting Technique was a Saber Technique based on the ability of Wind Manipulation, referencing Martial Arts like the Hungry Tiger Saber Technique, the Heaven-Fighting Eight Techniques, and the Wind-Breaking Nine Blades.

Of the three True Skills, the Cold Ice Flame Palm and the Proud Tiger Heaven-Fighting Technique were considered Lower Grade, while the Thunderbolt Lightning Fist was middle grade and had been the most difficult to create.

Gu Zheng had consumed a Thunder Stone and experimented personally multiple times before he finally succeeded.

Of course, all three True Skills were merely foundational frameworks.

For anyone else, it would have taken at least a year or two to perfect them all.

But Gu Zheng didn’t need to. He could use points for Deduction!

He spent a total of five hundred Demon Points to deduce the Cold Ice Flame Palm, the Thunderbolt Lightning Fist, and the Proud Tiger Heaven-Fighting Technique to the point of perfection, mastering them completely.

Once he was done, Gu Zheng gathered Gu Pan’Er, Gu Sihai, Zhou Dingding, Gu Xue, and Gu Feng, and had each of them choose a True Skill.

Both Gu Feng and Gu Xue had awakened Divine Wondrous abilities after eating the Source Fruits.

With the increasing number of outsiders in Qingshi County, and after getting a good thrashing from Zhou Dingding, Gu Feng had matured considerably. Teaching him a True Skill was no longer an issue.

When slaying Demon Fiends, it was best to have a weapon.

For this reason, everyone chose the Saber Technique, the Proud Tiger Heaven-Fighting Technique, and then picked one of the other two: the Cold Ice Flame Palm or the Thunderbolt Lightning Fist.

Although it was a choice between the two, the Thunderbolt Lightning Fist was difficult to cultivate, so only Zhou Dingding chose that Fist Technique.

Gu Zheng spent another three days teaching the three True Skills to his family.

After the initial instruction, he spent another three days correcting their forms.

Once they had all reached the entry-level and could cultivate on their own, Gu Zheng finally had some free time. He used it to raise the Heroic Body Chapter of the All Heaven Jade Void Skill to perfection.

It consumed a staggering four thousand six hundred-plus Demon Points!

Upon mastering it completely, the gateway to the King’s Body Realm was thrown wide open.

...

"Ping’an, there’s trouble."

Gu Sihai’s voice boomed from the courtyard as he strode past the open study door.

"Lord Gu is here?"

Behind Gu Sihai was a well-built man in his thirties with bronze skin. His expression turned solemn. As he reached the study entrance, he straightened his posture, faced Gu Zheng who was now standing, and bowed respectfully. "Demon Suppression Guard Xue Ding, at your service, Grand General Gu!"

"There’s no need for such formalities, Mr. Xue."

Gu Zheng made a gesture to raise his hand. He looked at Xue Ding, who was clad in Starry Sky Demon-Suppressing Armor, and asked directly, "What happened?"

"We’re still investigating the specifics."

Xue Ding straightened up and answered respectfully, "It began while we were patrolling Nanyun Prefecture. As we passed near Daliang Mountain, we heard several bloodcurdling screams coming from within. We entered the mountain to investigate and walked into a dense patch of fog. Demon Fiends were lurking in the mist, but they were impossible to catch, let alone kill. On the contrary, two of our comrades became trapped inside. We don’t know if they’re dead or alive."

"The few of us who managed to escape patrolled the surrounding area, only to discover that there wasn’t a single living soul in any of the villages or towns near Daliang Mountain. Everyone had vanished."

"This includes the civilians migrating from Huaiyang Prefecture. Anyone who traveled along the two main roads past the outskirts of Daliang Mountain has, without exception, disappeared."