"Let's go! To Great Dragon Mountain!"
Liangqiu Changkong shouted, leading the way out of the inn and dashing toward Great Dragon Mountain.
SWOOSH, SWOOSH~
Yuan Qianjun, Dongfang He, and Nangong Yaoyue—the entire group rushed toward Great Dragon Mountain at top speed.
In the span of a breath, they shot forward over a hundred feet. In another, they vanished from sight.
WHOOSH~
WHOOSH!
A harsh wind battered his face, and snowflakes danced in the air.
Gu Zheng followed closely behind Liangqiu Changkong, Nangong Yaoyue, and the others, looking up at Great Dragon Mountain.
The daylight was dimming at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A dim curtain that shot straight to the heavens began at Great Dragon Mountain, unfurling in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, it reached Gu Zheng, enveloping the entire speeding party.
Instantly, day turned to night.
Within his field of vision, the gloomy night was suffused with a crimson, spectral glow.
The source of this eerie light was Great Dragon Mountain itself.
The once-towering mountain had transformed into a terrifying behemoth, crouching on the earth, exhaling one dark shadow after another.
WHOOSH, WHOOSH~!
A sinister wind howled, like the shrieking of vengeful ghosts.
RUSTLE! RUSTLE!
The leaves on the trees rustled as if stirred by countless hands.
Gu Zheng kept moving, staying close behind Liangqiu Changkong, Nangong Yaoyue, and the rest.
He focused his Divine Wondrous power into his eyes, which allowed him to see the path ahead clearly, and he noticed that Jiang Mingjiu was keeping pace without any trouble.
Unlike a few days ago, Jiang Mingjiu now also emanated the fluctuations of Divine Wondrous power.
Though curious, Gu Zheng only glanced at him a few times before turning his attention back to the rapidly approaching Great Dragon Mountain.
WHOOSH!
A blast of sinister, ice-cold wind suddenly shot toward him.
'Danger!'
Alarm bells went off in Gu Zheng's head.
His body, which had been skimming low over the ground, decisively shifted right, retreating more than ten meters.
WHOOSH~
The gust of wind swerved sharply, pursuing Gu Zheng and lunging at him again.
"BOOM!"
Gu Zheng's right arm swelled, enveloped in a bronze glow as he threw a punch straight at it.
The formidable force crushed the air, creating a large, expanding shockwave as his fist struck something soft and squishy.
YAAA~
A piercing shriek echoed in his ears, sending ripples through the shockwave.
With a muffled THUD, a two-meter-long Demon Fiend appeared. It had broad wings, a light-green, slug-like body, and over a dozen deathly white eyes. A large hole had been blasted through its chest.
SWOOSH!
With a flicker of movement, Gu Zheng closed the distance to the exposed Demon Fiend. As it let out a sharp cry and tried to flee, he unleashed a flurry of swift punches.
BAM! BAM! BAM~!
After three punches, the Demon Fiend's entire body exploded into chunks of rotten flesh that splattered across the ground, corroding the soil.
A few crimson Blood Pearls dropped, and Gu Zheng used Spirit Capturing on them from a distance.
[Demon Points +4]
At the same time, a new Demon Technique appeared.
Dark Vision!
This technique wasn't just simple night vision; it also allowed him to see all sinister beings moving in the darkness.
It was safe to say he had acquired it at the perfect time.
Gu Zheng activated it immediately. His eyes glowed with a ghostly green light, and the dim surroundings in his vision instantly became crystal clear, as if a great white sun hung in the sky, illuminating every corner of his visible range.
At this moment, Gu Zheng could clearly see the winged, slug-like Demon Fiends.
There were three nearby and dozens more in the distance.
Each one had a clear destination, scrambling eastward to get out of Great Dragon Mountain's territory.
The one Gu Zheng had killed had apparently only attacked because they happened to run into each other head-on.
Besides the winged Demon Fiends, there were also the dinosaur-like ones he had killed before, as well as giant, rotting birds with three or five hideous heads. All of them were in a state of Invisibility, swarming toward the county seat.
THUD~
Taking it all in, Gu Zheng stomped the ground, leaving a deep crater as he leaped into the air. He soared upward and threw a punch at the nearest invisible, rotting giant bird.
"BOOM!"
The invisible giant bird exploded, its crimson Blood Pearls mixed in with the rain of flesh and gore that splattered onto the ground.
From a distance, he quickly used Spirit Capturing.
[Demon Points +3]
The Bloodshed in his equipment slot appeared again, with a "Fragmented, requires supplement" notification next to it.
'Killing one invisible giant bird isn't enough to get its Demon Technique?'
Landing back on the ground, Gu Zheng decisively stomped again, leaving another crater spiderwebbed with cracks as he leaped into the air to attack another invisible giant bird flying overhead.
KRAA!
A hoarse, unpleasant, soul-piercing cry rang out as the invisible giant bird dodged.
The next instant, it dove, screeching strangely as it charged toward the landing Gu Zheng.
It wasn't just this one. The other invisible giant birds nearby, as if summoned, all turned around and charged toward the ground, launching a pincer attack on Gu Zheng.
WHOOSH, WHOOSH~
In an instant, the sinister wind became tangible, surrounding Gu Zheng with its mournful howls.
Glob after glob of translucent, corrosive liquid spewed from the invisible giant birds' mouths.
Gu Zheng lowered his head and charged straight forward, dodging the splattering liquid.
After rushing a certain distance, he saw the invisible giant birds were still in hot pursuit. He suddenly leaped up, exploding with his top speed to rush into the air and throw a punch.
BAM!
The invisible giant bird he hit exploded in mid-air.
But Gu Zheng didn't fall back to the ground. Carried by his momentum, he shot through the rain of flesh and gore, continuing his ascent.
BAM~!
Another invisible giant bird, unable to dodge in time, was blasted apart on the spot.
Crimson Blood Pearls scattered through the air along with the shredded remains.
As his body began to fall, Gu Zheng quickly used Spirit Capturing.
[Demon Points +3]
[Demon Points +5]
At the same time, the Bloodshed in his equipment slot disappeared, and a new Demon Technique was added.
Triple Jump!
With three consecutive jumps, he could launch himself high into the air and perform a long-distance glide.
Another technique acquired at just the right moment.
With this Triple Jump, the first leap could reach a maximum height of a hundred feet.
From there, the second jump could ascend another two hundred feet.
After that, the third jump could add a further three hundred feet.
Meaning, after three jumps, he could glide for a long distance from a height of nearly two hundred meters!
The invisible giant birds relentlessly pursued Gu Zheng.
As Gu Zheng landed and dodged the splattering translucent liquid, he immediately used the technique.
THUD!
He leaped a hundred feet, charging diagonally upward toward an invisible giant bird.
"BAM~"
[Demon Points +4]
Still in mid-air, he nimbly dodged while descending rapidly. But before he fully touched down, he jumped again.
"BAM~!"
[Demon Points +3]
...
Half an incense stick's time later, all the nearby invisible giant birds in the air had been annihilated.
The distant giant birds shrieked strangely and fled.
Gu Zheng didn't give chase. He landed on the ground and scanned his surroundings. Nangong Yaoyue, Yuan Qianjun, and the others were long gone.
Above Great Dragon Mountain, however, streaks of black lightning flashed and cracked.
BOOM~
RUMBLE!
The muffled yet resonant sound echoed between heaven and earth.
Gu Zheng resumed his sprint, charging toward Great Dragon Mountain.
SWOOSH, SWOOSH!
He spent 10 of his newly acquired Demon Points on agility, and his speed instantly doubled.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, he arrived at Great Dragon Mountain and set foot on its base.
"ROOOAR~!"
An ugly Demon Fiend with limbs as thick as water vats and a massive, bloated body charged out, blocking his path. It opened its dark, giant maw and lunged at Gu Zheng...