Right now, it cost 2 Demon Points to increase his Spirit by 1.
He met the other three requirements to equip the Nine Nether Heart Tiger Claw, but his Spirit was still too low. It needed to be 40, and he didn't have enough remaining Demon Points to get it there. Falling short by even a little was still falling short.
Therefore, he absolutely had to slay a Demon Fiend and obtain its Bloodshed.
Under his Dark Vision, the moonlit landscape was as clear to Gu Zheng as if it were day.
He sprinted all the way, rushing toward the nearest village.
He focused his Spirit, listening for any movement around him.
He didn't immediately put on the Stretchable Clothing that Nangong Yaoyue had given him, temporarily placing it in the storage leaf.
Gu Zheng had noticed how extraordinary this type of clothing was a few days ago.
Zhang Zanyuan had been wearing it too, which was why Gu Zheng hadn't stripped it from his corpse, just in case.
A stretchable fabric made from Hollow Silk.
Gu Zheng had never heard of such a magical cloth before.
This alone offered a glimpse into the profound resources of the Noble Families.
WHOOSH WHOOSH~
The night wind blew.
The faint aura of a Demon Fiend permeated the air.
Gu Zheng sensed it and immediately followed the aura into a deserted village.
The next moment, he saw it: a Demon Fiend with wide wings, a light-green body like a slug, and over a dozen pairs of dead-white eyes. It had possessed a man in his forties or fifties and was slowly draining his Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
'The guy who didn't evacuate and hid in the village?'
Gu Zheng watched the Demon Fiend and the man, his face calm.
'People like him are full of themselves. They deserve to die.'
The slug-like Demon Fiend could turn invisible. If he turned off his Dark Vision, all he would see was the emaciated, pale-faced man twitching uncontrollably, his Vitality about to be extinguished.
TAP~
Gu Zheng made no attempt to hide his presence, walking over step by step.
As if in a final burst of life, the man heard the sound and struggled to open his eyes. He looked in Gu Zheng's direction and weakly rasped, "Save... save..."
"NGH~!!"
After a violent convulsion, the last trace of the man's Essence, Qi, and Spirit was drained by the slug-like Demon Fiend. His Vitality was completely severed, and he became a desiccated corpse.
The slug-like Demon Fiend quickly detached itself and moved silently toward a corner. It wasn't trying to flank Gu Zheng for an attack, but to escape.
'Running away?'
SWOOSH!
Gu Zheng's bronze-colored figure shot forward abruptly.
His foot came down like a sledgehammer, a crushing stomp that accurately struck the slug-like Demon Fiend's head.
"BOOM~"
The ground cracked, sending dirt and stones flying.
In the crater forcibly stomped into the ground, the slug-like Demon Fiend's corpse slowly materialized, its head caved in and shattered.
SHWISH!
Spirit Capturing. Absorb Bloodshed.
[Demon Points +3]
'Enough to raise my Spirit to 40!'
He retracted his foot and began to walk slowly through the village.
As he walked, Gu Zheng allocated his points.
Soon, his Spirit climbed to 41. His brain throbbed with a slight pain, and in the next instant, a mysterious and profound sensation washed over him.
Gu Zheng stopped and looked at some thatch hanging down from the roof of a hut five paces away.
With a single thought.
WHOOSH!
The thatch swayed as if blown by the wind.
The next moment, it detached completely and danced in mid-air.
'Object Control!'
'Telekinesis?'
'No, that's not right. It's just an extension of my power—my Spirit projected outward to manipulate other things.'
'And I can only control light things, and not for very long.'
Gu Zheng quickly withdrew his Spiritual Power, allowing the thatch to drift slowly to the ground.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, focused his mind, and listened, sensing for the auras of Demon Fiends.
He made a full circle through the village but found no other Demon Fiends.
Leaving the village, Gu Zheng continued his search.
Along the way, he found two Demon Fiends that resembled dinosaurs, slaying them to obtain 5 Demon Points.
Then, just before dawn, he returned to the wilderness outside Great Dragon Mountain.
Hiding in a corner, he carefully sensed for Nangong Yaoyue, Dongfang He, and the others. They had all left. After confirming the area was deserted...
Gu Zheng emerged and returned to the skeletal remains of the Nine Nether Heart Tiger Claw.
Equip!
SHWISH~
The massive skeleton vanished from where it stood.
In one of the slots of his equipment bar, a complete Nine Nether Heart Tiger Claw appeared.
With the successful equip, the method for inscribing the Nether Heart Slave Seal—every detailed step—instantly became clear to Gu Zheng.
He walked among withered trees, giant boulders, and skeletal remains, checking for any other equippable items while familiarizing himself with the inscription of the Nether Heart Slave Seal.
After a long moment, he let out a deep breath. 'According to the steps, it'll take at least three days to inscribe the first Nether Heart Slave Seal.'
'In other words, I don't have time right now.'
The Demon Fiends that came out of Great Dragon Mountain were everywhere.
These Demon Fiends had to be eliminated as quickly as possible.
Not only to restore peace to Qingshi County, but also for the Demon Points!
Nangong Yaoyue, Dongfang He, and their group hadn't gained much inside the Domain, so these escaped Demon Fiends would be their targets.
If Gu Zheng didn't act, they would snatch the Demon Fiends away from him.
Of course, when it came to eliminating Demon Fiends, the ones that had run into the city had to be cleared out first.
With this in mind, Gu Zheng found a river, took a cold bath, and changed into the Stretchable Clothing given to him by Nangong Yaoyue. He then discovered that the sky-blue martial attire, which included pants, could actually shrink and stretch to fit his body, clinging to him perfectly.
The cuffs, collar, and chest... several places were embroidered with golden cloud patterns.
'These clothes are a bit conspicuous.' Gu Zheng frowned slightly as he looked himself over.
It was what Nangong Yaoyue's brother wore, and the outfit perfectly showcased the dashing style of a young master from a Noble Family.
Gu Zheng considered taking it off, but he might run into Nangong Yaoyue on the road, so he gave up the idea and kept it on.
'I'll just leave it for now.'
Taking a deep breath, Gu Zheng suppressed his other thoughts.
THUD~
He pushed off the tips of his toes, his entire body launching forward.
WHOOSH WHOOSH!
A strong wind battered his face. Gu Zheng lowered his head and raced on, kicking up a trail of dust on the main road as his figure sped toward the county seat.
Without stopping for breath, he reached the west gate of the city.
Behind the tightly shut city gates, there wasn't a single sound.
Not a single figure could be seen on the city walls either.
'Did the City Defense Army get wiped out?'
Gu Zheng frowned. With a single movement, he scaled the wall with his feet and landed on top.
He walked a few steps forward and looked down at the streets inside the city.
The central avenue, usually bustling with activity, was now completely empty.
Instead, a dozen or so corpses lay scattered across the street, their dark red blood splattered on the walls of the shops on either side or pooled on the ground.
"Who... who's there!?"
A panicked, trembling shout reached his ears. Gu Zheng turned his head to see three Soldiers in leather armor nervously peeking out from the gatehouse, their faces pale and still shaken with fright.
"Ch... Chief Gu?"
One of the Soldiers, who had a rather large head, recognized Gu Zheng. His eyes lit up as he jogged out, bowing slightly and calling out, "Chief Gu, you're alright? The Captain said you could kill Demon Fiends. Is that true?"
"Where are the Demon Fiends?"
Gu Zheng asked in return, "How many Demon Fiends invaded the city last night?"
"We don't know."
Another Soldier with thick brows and large eyes sighed. "It was too chaotic last night. Terrifying screams kept coming from below the walls, and there was a Demon Fiend that looked like a wild boar but was two or three times bigger, ramming the gate relentlessly."
"The... the scariest was the invis... invisible... Demon Fiend!"
The third Soldier, a round-faced man, chimed in with a trembling voice, "That invisible Demon Fiend, it... it could also fly! When it screamed, most of us passed out..."
"AHH!"
A bloodcurdling scream suddenly erupted from a corner of South City.