With my Five Elements Demon Techniques, if I can just get one more Exotic Insect, I’ll be able to form the Five Elements Divine Seed!

Finding a special existence like an Exotic Insect, however, requires a stroke of luck.

Excited as Gu Zheng was, his mind remained calm.

’If I’m lucky, it might not be impossible to find an Exotic Insect in this fourth-rank Domain,’ he thought.

And so, Gu Zheng continued slaying Demon Fiends and harvesting Demon Points while searching for Source Fruits and Marvels.

And sure enough, he managed to find three more Source Fruits.

Their abilities were nothing special: Divine Wondrous, Detoxification, and Great Strength.

Gu Zheng put them away in order.

As he passed by a block of buildings...

BOOM!

RUMBLE~!

A series of muffled booms suddenly echoed.

He froze, gazing into the distance, and saw two groups of people fighting fiercely on a street below.

Sword Gang, Sword Qi, and Fist Seals flew everywhere, destroying buildings. The resulting shockwaves swept through the surroundings, causing the tragic deaths of dozens, even hundreds, of civilians.

"Stop!"

A loud shout rang out from the distance.

SWOOSH! 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

WHOOSH~

The piercing sound of rushing air was exceptionally loud.

A figure in armor flew over at extreme speed, inserting himself into the battle between the two groups.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

BOOM!

The explosions were deafening, and shockwaves raged, but they had only just formed before dissipating beneath an illusory sword shadow, turning to nothing.

"The Four-direction Sword?"

Gu Zheng’s eyebrow arched. He carefully studied the armored figure who had rushed in to stop the fight and confirmed his identity.

It was Meng Yu’s fourth brother, Meng Huandu.

Before he had come out, Meng Yu had described her fourth brother’s appearance. Paired with the projection of the Four-direction Sword, Gu Zheng now recognized the armored figure.

The moment Meng Huandu intervened, the two groups separated and began hurling insults at each other.

"Our people discovered the Copper Gong first, so it’s ours!"

"Bullshit! Our people clearly got their hands on it first! According to the rules, whoever gets it first owns it!"

"What a joke. Even if you get your hands on a Marvel, you need the strength to keep it. You couldn’t, and we snatched it from a Demon Fiend, so it’s ours."

"Hmph! If you hadn’t interfered, we would’ve taken back the Copper Gong long ago!"

"..."

The two groups stood a dozen paces apart, still trading barbs.

Standing between them, Meng Huandu’s face was grim. "All of you, shut up!" he roared. "If you want to fight, do it outside the city! If you want to argue, do it outside the city!"

"If you make another move here and harm the innocent, don’t blame me for getting rough!"

"...Fine. For Lord Meng’s sake, we won’t argue with you today. Just hand over the Copper Gong, and we’ll leave," one of the dozen or so people on the left said coldly.

"Hand over the Copper Gong?" The ten or so people on the right, not to be outdone, sneered in response. "Why don’t you go eat shit?"

"What did you say? Say it again!"

"So what if I say it..."

VMMMMM~~~!

Space vibrated. Overlapping sword shadows materialized, accompanied by a terrifying pressure that bore down on both groups.

Meng Huandu’s face was cold. The projection of the Four-direction Sword magnified tenfold, oppressing everyone’s minds and making their hearts palpitate with fear.

"Was I not clear enough?!"

SWOOSH!

A terrifying pressure, comparable to the third stage of the Heroic Body, filled the air.

Using Spirit Capturing from a distance, Meng Huandu snatched a common, hand-held Copper Gong from the grasp of a red-faced middle-aged man.

The surface of the Copper Gong was enveloped in rings of strange light.

A Marvel!

The two groups had been brawling to seize the Copper Gong.

And now, Meng Huandu himself had taken it.

"Lord Meng, that’s..."

"Scram!"

With a great shout, Meng Huandu focused the formless pressure onto the middle-aged man who had spoken.

THUD~

With a dull thud, the middle-aged man was forced to his knees, collapsing onto the ground.

"Now scram."

Meng Huandu withdrew his pressure and waved his hand in disgust. "All of you, get lost before I change my mind. Otherwise, don’t blame anyone when you end up dead."

"..."

The two groups exchanged glances. Ultimately unwilling to fight again, they shot each other hateful glares before turning to leave.

They moved quickly, disappearing over the rooftops in a few flashes.

"Meng!"

Gu Zheng waited a moment before floating over through the air. He cupped his fist in salute to Meng Huandu. "I am Gu Zheng, it is an honor to meet you, Meng. I didn’t expect our first meeting to include such an extraordinary display of your power. Truly admirable."

"...Gu Zheng? You mean Gu Ping’an?"

Hearing this, Meng Huandu looked slightly surprised. "Are you Gu Ping’an, the best friend of Li Cunyi—of Li? The Grand General from the Jing Country’s Demon Slayer Bureau?"

Gu Zheng smiled. "The one and only. I am escorting the Ninth Princess to the Wind Kingdom for her marriage alliance, and have only just arrived in the Wind Kingdom Capital. I have already met Meng Yu—Miss Meng—in the Royal Capital. Before I came into this Domain, Miss Meng asked me to pass on a message if I saw you, Meng."

"Be careful!"

"...My apologies." Meng Huandu seemed to finally accept his identity. He put away the Copper Gong, faced Gu Zheng, and bowed. "I apologize for doubting your identity, Gu. I hope you can forgive me."

"It’s nothing."

Gu Zheng raised a hand. "Meeting like this was rather abrupt. It was only natural for you to be suspicious, Meng. I’m just glad the misunderstanding is cleared up."

"Speaking of which, do you know which two Noble Families those people were from?"

"They aren’t from Noble Families." Meng Huandu cupped his fist again, then explained, "Those two groups were from the Four Divine Organizations. I don’t know which ones specifically yet."

"People from the Four Divine Organizations?"

Gu Zheng’s eyebrow arched. "The Celestial God Organization and the Medicine God Organization probably wouldn’t dare show their faces here, right? So, that leaves the Martial God Organization and the All Gods Organization?"

"It should be those two." Meng Huandu nodded. "Each of the Four Divine Organizations sent someone with a King’s Body into the Domain this time. Unless absolutely necessary, we just turn a blind eye. You should too, Gu. If you encounter one of their King’s Body masters, don’t force a confrontation. There’s no shame in laying low for a while."

"Thank you for the warning, Meng!"

Gu Zheng cupped his fist in a formal salute. "Rest assured, Meng. I know what to do."

’Two people with King’s Bodies have entered the Domain!’

’The All Gods and Martial God Organizations are really going all-in.’

’No wonder Meng Huandu merely intimidated them instead of taking the opportunity to kill them all.’

’So that’s why! Each of those groups is backed by someone with a King’s Body!’

’For a fourth-rank Domain, having people with King’s Bodies enter is more of a blessing than a curse for the Wind Kingdom and the city’s inhabitants.’

’That’s because a fourth-rank Great Demon might appear!’

Although Gu Zheng had yet to encounter any.

...

After bidding farewell to Meng Huandu, Gu Zheng continued to hunt for Demon Fiends, rescuing civilians along the way.

Three hundred and sixty blades danced through the air, constantly shooting out to strike their targets.

Then, Spirit Capturing! Spirit Capturing!

His Demon Points increased steadily.

Then, as he passed over a street and glanced down, he saw it was covered with bodies.

SWISH~!

He descended, scanning the people from a low altitude.

Gu Zheng was stunned to find that they were all skin and bones. All the flesh and blood had been drained from their bodies.

They were dead, their tragic state not much different from mummified corpses.

’What kind of Demon Fiend did this?’

Gu Zheng floated along at a low altitude, sensing for a Demon Fiend’s aura.

He followed the street. As far as he could see, the ground was littered with emaciated corpses, stretching into the distance.

Some power had instantly drained the flesh and blood from every single one of them.

’This must be one formidable Demon Fiend.’

"Aaargh!"

A bloodcurdling scream suddenly rang out.

SWOOSH!

Gu Zheng’s figure blurred, and he vanished. Following the sound, he appeared in a small courtyard to see a burly man’s flesh and blood being sucked away by an insect, right before his very eyes.

’Wait, an insect?’

Gu Zheng’s eyebrow arched.

VMMM~

ZING!

Space hummed as a streak of blood-red light shot toward Gu Zheng like a lightning bolt.

But the instant it drew near, it froze, releasing feelings of worship, submission, and affection.

An Exotic Insect!

The insect that had been draining human flesh and blood was, shockingly, an Exotic Insect.

A Blood River Insect!

Thanks to Gu Zheng’s "Lord of Hundred Insects" Equipment Effect, the creature recognized him as its master the moment it drew close.

At the same time, an understanding of the Blood River Insect’s abilities flooded Gu Zheng’s mind.

This thing was extremely bloodthirsty, devouring the flesh and blood of living beings to strengthen itself.

It could also transform into a pool of blood, existing in a liquid state.

It could even survive and move freely in a vacuum.

Most impressively, the Blood River Insect could corrode a Domain!

The unique saliva it spat out could even corrode the Domain of someone at the King’s Body realm!

’What a pleasant surprise!’

’Gu Zheng had really hit the jackpot this time.’

’He’d acquired a new Exotic Insect, which he could pair with his Wood Demon Techniques to form a new Divine Seed.’

’And its abilities were so powerful, too!’