BOOM!

The void exploded with a deafening roar.

The space around Gu Zheng instantly twisted and churned, rippling like water.

The Slaughter Force Field, now almost tangible, launched an all-out assault against Gu Zheng.

It swept over him from head to toe, a wave of pure annihilation.

But just as it erupted...

HUMMM!

The void suddenly shuddered. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

A translucent Giant Wood Blade Realm unfurled, materializing from the inside out.

One moment, the Slaughter Force Field was as wild as a tidal wave; the next, it was being suppressed by colossal, sky-piercing trees.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Amidst a series of explosions, the Slaughter Force Field shattered and vanished without a trace.

The Giant Wood Blade Realm didn’t even ripple. It simply engulfed Zhu Wushi, slamming him into the ground with a resounding BOOM, caving in the earth and forming a deep crater.

The projection of the Black Ruler floating behind Zhu Wushi had just begun to stir when a blade formed from the Giant Wood came cleaving down upon it.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

It was a clash of pure Spirit energy. Though the collision between the manifested blade and the Black Ruler produced no sparks, a strange sound echoed out.

Amidst the violent ringing, the projection of the Black Ruler cracked inch by inch, then crumbled, dissipating completely.

"PWAAAH!"

Lying at the bottom of the crater, Zhu Wushi immediately spat out a large mouthful of dark blood, his expressionless face turning deathly pale.

"SHLICK! SHLICK! SHLICK!"

Invisible blades descended in another flurry of cuts, severing Zhu Wushi’s arms and legs and turning him into a human torso.

Only then did Gu Zheng slowly retract his Giant Wood Blade Realm. With a wave of his hand, he released his Powerful Qi to envelop Zhu Wushi, lifting him from the crater and sending him floating toward Zuo Lingfeng.

"How you deal with him from here on is up to you."

Zuo Lingfeng was speechless.

"Thank you, Gu!"

Taking a deep breath, Zuo Lingfeng turned to Gu Zheng with a solemn expression and bowed in gratitude.

Inwardly, he gritted his teeth, vowing to break through to the King’s Body Realm as soon as possible.

Zhu Wushi—a man who had slaughtered over a million people and had been pursued by them until he had nowhere left to run—hadn’t even lasted a single exchange against Gu Zheng.

His terrifying Slaughter Force Field was instantly crushed by Gu Zheng’s Giant Wood Blade Realm.

The Divine Weapon Projection of the Life-taking Ruler had also shattered in an instant.

A major factor was, of course, the overwhelming power of Gu Zheng’s Giant Wood Blade Realm.

An ordinary Domain wouldn’t have been able to suppress a Slaughter Force Field so easily.

But a Domain was still a Domain.

If Zhu Wushi’s Slaughter Force Field had evolved into a Slaughter Domain, the fight just now would have been a real struggle.

...

With his Divine Weapon Projection shattered, his Slaughter Force Field destroyed, and his limbs severed, the severely injured Zhu Wushi posed no threat for the time being. At the very least, he couldn’t harm Zuo Lingfeng.

Therefore, Zuo Lingfeng took Zhu Wushi and headed for the Royal Capital.

As for the Storage Pouch Zhu Wushi carried, Gu Zheng took it for himself.

This Half-King, who regarded human life as no more than ants, didn’t have much of value in his Storage Pouch.

Except for a small piece of Fire Soul.

"Master, it’s too little."

The Heaven-piercing Halberd materialized and devoured the small piece of Fire Soul. Xiaolu’s voice echoed in Gu Zheng’s mind. "It’s too little. I’d need about half a large piece more for it to be close to enough."

"Alright, I’ll find you a bigger piece next time," Gu Zheng soothed, letting Xiaolu return to his body.

Thunder Essence and Fire Soul were rare.

The last auction had drained the coffers of Noble Families like the Yang, Meng, Zheng, and Zhong Families.

Obtaining that last large piece of Thunder Essence, as well as the Fire Soul, had been quite an effort.

After returning to the Jing Country, Gu Zheng had asked his Seal Slaves—the noble youths Mo Jiateng, Jia Shisan, Fu Changying, and Eternal Star.

However, the first two had ordinary status within their respective families and no access to Thunder Essence and Fire Soul, so they didn’t know if their families possessed any.

Fu Changying and Eternal Star knew their families had some, but their status was too low to access it. Besides, Eternal Star was still an undercover agent in the Jing Country.

Xiao Dongxuan, being at the Heroic Body Realm, was in control of the entire Xiao Family. However, the Xiao Family had long since used up all its Thunder Essence.

Thunder Essence was of immense help to the Xiao Family’s cultivation and was one of their most important resources.

Over the years, they had collected a lot, but they also used it up quickly.

The last piece of Thunder Essence had been used when Xiao Xing was attempting to break through to the King’s Body Realm.

As for Fire Soul, the Xiao Family had never collected it.

Fully repairing the Heaven-piercing Halberd would still depend on fate and opportunity.

...

...

「Yue Country.」

Within a major city in the north.

"BOOM!"

With a tremendous roar, a wall shattered. As bricks and stone flew through the air, a figure spat blood and was sent flying backward through the courtyard behind the wall. He crashed headfirst into a house, blasting a large hole through it, before finally exiting through the back wall. He plowed a deep trench in the ground, which was now spiderwebbed with cracks.

The areas he passed through were torn to shreds by the tyrannical Powerful Qi.

"Gah! Cough, cough..."

Lying on the ground, Xiao Duguang forced himself up. Arcs of electricity coiled around his body as he coughed up blood unceasingly.

BZZT BZZT—

The phantom of a Thunder Spear flickered in and out of existence in his hand, releasing a fierce and domineering aura.

"Xiao Duguang, stop struggling. Just surrender."

A mocking voice rang out as two towering, burly figures—one in front and one behind—walked into the ruins, sizing up the struggling Xiao Duguang.

"Xie Manshan! Xie Manshui!"

Hatred flared in Xiao Duguang’s eyes. "Does your Xie Family want to fight my Xiao Family to the bitter end?"

"Tsk, fight to the bitter end? Does your Xiao Family even have the right to say that anymore?" Xie Manshan sneered.

"Is there any point? Do you think putting on a brave face will magically grant you another King’s Body expert?" Xie Manshui chuckled strangely, his eyes raking over Xiao Duguang. "The fact that your Xiao Family’s King’s Body has fallen hasn’t spread yet. If you surrender now, it’s not too late. From now on, just submit to my Xie Family and obey our commands, and you’ll have a new King’s Body in no time!"

As he spoke, he stared at Xiao Duguang, his tongue darting out to lick his lips.

"Pah!"

Xiao Duguang spat on the ground in disgust. "Submit to you? Obey your commands? Your Xie Family thinks you’re worthy of our submission?"