New authority

The scene suddenly turned bizarre.

A moment ago, swords had been drawn and lives had been on the line. In the blink of an eye, Hu Mang's opponent was petting a cat.

The fierce cat clearly knew her too. It was delighted to be petted and didn't look fierce at all.

Even Hu Mang hadn't expected the fierce cat he had brought along on a whim to work so well.

So was this fierce cat really the female heavenly soldier's beloved pet?

Hu Mang watched silently, unsure what expression to make.

But the fierce cat with fiery fur seemed to notice that Hu Mang had been left out. It suddenly rolled to its feet and let out several shrieks in his direction.

The mature heavenly soldier rose to her feet as well and gave Hu Mang a slight nod.

Hu Mang nodded back.

Then the female devil-subduing general beckoned. Shattering Thunder buzzed in Hu Mang's hand before turning into a bolt of lightning and landing in hers.

The next moment, she stepped straight into the Golden Pupil Formation of the Qian trigram.

She practiced her spear techniques in the formation: the two moves she had shown before, and the one she had yet to show.

Heavenly Star Falls, Fire Phoenix Scorches the Plains, Qian Yang Subdues Devils.

There was nothing tangible in the formation, only countless blazing golden beams condensed from the True Intention of "Qian Yang" to destroy evil and slay devils. They crisscrossed the void, each one dazzling enough to blind. If an ordinary cultivator was swept by the golden light, they would at best be left dizzy and disoriented; at worst, their soul would be damaged and their eyes blinded. The more one relied on special eye techniques or spirit eyes, the more severely this "golden pupil" countered them.

Hu Mang squinted at it for only a moment before his eyes could barely stand it, but he soon came to a realization.

Was the essence of these three moves not in the moves themselves, but in their spirit?

He closed his eyes and relied solely on the State of Mind of Moon in the Well to sense the movement of Qi and gain insight.

A well in the heart, a moon in the sea.

Then he "saw" her three moves.

In Heavenly Star Falls, the spear's momentum converged on a single point, drawing Qian Yang Qi from all eight directions to the spear tip and becoming the momentum of a lone falling star.

In Fire Phoenix Scorches the Plains, the spear's momentum abruptly spread out. Scarlet-gold spear shadows swept in every direction like a divine bird spreading its wings, like a fire raging across the plains. The flames cleansed heaven and earth, leaving no place untouched.

In Qian Yang Subdues Devils, the spear's momentum withdrew once more. Countless threads of murderous intent and all the righteous path of Qian Yang converged in a single thrust. Though plain, the thrust bore down like the Heavenly Dao itself. Its spirit lay in suppression and the breaking of techniques, using shining righteous principles to shatter every falsehood of the Outer Dao.

When she had finished demonstrating the three spear moves, the mature heavenly soldier flicked her wrist. The immortal spear shot toward Hu Mang like lightning. He pressed down with the web of his hand and grabbed it by the middle, but the tremendous force sent him staggering back several steps as the shaft buzzed.

The thirty-six lightning patterns also dimmed bit by bit, with no Law Power being fed into them.

Three Devil-Subduing Forms.

That was the name of the three spear moves.

Then, along with the demonstration of those three moves, the last of the "heavenly soldier's intent" poured into Hu Mang's body.

The Heavenly Soldier Imprint also fully formed, becoming a point of spiritual light that entered his Niwan Palace, otherwise known as the upper Dantian, and settled at the very center of the Devil-Subduing Pattern.

The "imprint" was shaped like something between a miniature plaque and a devil-subduing talisman, and it radiated an awe-inspiring pressure.

In an instant, the various authorities and abilities of a Devil-Subduing Heavenly Soldier entered Hu Mang's mind.

Devil-Subduing True Might.

Heavenly Gang Qi.

Heavenly Eye Discerns Evil.

Thunderfire Bow.

City patrol.

More remarkably, as Hu Mang gained control of the Heavenly Soldier Divine Office, his injuries healed in an incredible manner.

Then the fierce cat's shriek jolted him awake.

The fiery-red "leopard cub" was still staring fixedly at the place where the mature heavenly soldier had vanished.

Hu Mang walked over, a rare gentle expression appearing on his face, and stroked its head. Once he had grown used to its ferocious, savage face, it didn't seem all that frightening.

"Let's go."

Hu Mang picked up the cat and walked out before the Fire House collapsed.

Chen Sheng's aged face relaxed as soon as he saw Hu Mang return.

But Hu Mang had barely stepped out when his face went pale and his legs buckled. He nearly fell, making Old Chen's heart tighten again.

When Chen Sheng saw the Devil-Subduing Pattern on his forehead, however, he finally couldn't help showing his delight.

"You got the divine office?"

Before Hu Mang could answer, the fierce cat on his shoulder turned into a streak of fire and plunged straight into the Heavenly Soldier Imprint, where a fiery cocoon formed around it.

Has it absorbed enough Devil-Subduing Fire to evolve?

Hu Mang nodded silently and took a deep breath.

His fight with the mature heavenly soldier had already drained too much of his mental strength. On top of that, he had just absorbed the essence of the three devil-subduing spear moves and taken in the Heavenly Soldier Imprint. Though Hu Mang considered himself strong-willed, his vision still blacked out from time to time, and his temples throbbed as though they might burst at any moment.

Chen Sheng was an old hand and immediately understood Hu Mang's condition. He supported him at once and said to Zhou Tong:

"Go! Back to Thunder God's Shrine, now! Once Brother Hu has fully digested the Devil-Subduing Heavenly Soldier inheritance, we'll have a foundation to stand on!"

"Right, right!" Zhou Tong nodded rapidly and supported Hu Mang's other arm.

"Not this way," Hu Mang suddenly said. "We're taking the back door."

One of the Devil-Subduing Heavenly Soldier's authorities was knowledge of the entrances and exits of every building in Demon-Subduing City, as well as all its narrow, winding paths.

After all, heavenly soldiers needed them for patrols.

Outside the Cat Garden's front gate, the one-eyed middle-aged man stared fixedly at the entrance, his black eye motionless and filled with deep hatred.

The small group of Rogue Cultivators who had followed him had all died in the Cat Garden. He had only managed to find a way out with great difficulty, relying on the Eye of Devil Subjugation.

But he still refused to give up. He didn't believe his opponents had suffered no losses at all.

As long as he had one chance, he could use the Eye of Devil Subjugation to get back everything he had lost, with interest!

After all, having inherited the Eye of Devil Subjugation, he could be considered half a "remnant of the divine dynasty," even if he didn't truly possess a divine office yet.

But suddenly, a hair-raising sensation rose behind him.

The Eye of Devil Subjugation gave him a full, 360-degree view, so he saw who it was without turning his head.

It was a figure with disheveled hair and a long saber in hand. The man's face was hidden, but what made him terrifying was that both his palms were covered with densely packed ghost nails and Yin script. Only the space in the center of each palm was left clear, just enough to hold the saber's hilt.

Beads of sweat instantly covered the middle-aged man's forehead.

As half a remnant of the divine dynasty, he naturally knew how terrifying the Devil-Slaying Bladesman was. When it came to killing alone, the man was foremost among those with divine offices.

He had long heard how deranged the man was, too.

There had originally been at least fifteen remnants of the divine dynasty in the city, but that man alone had killed six of them.

He had killed their numbers down from double digits to single digits.

Even the old monsters of unorthodox paths went out of their way to avoid him, lest he cut them down with a single stroke.

Facing such a monster, the middle-aged man went rigid all over. His Eye of Devil Subjugation remained fixed on the man, for fear that he might strike at any moment and cut him down.

Yet he never saw the man draw his saber, even as the latter charged into the Cat Garden. It was as though the man had ignored him.

"That man is terrifying!"

The middle-aged man immediately decided he had better leave first.

Revenge could wait.

But just as he turned around, his vision involuntarily tilted. Then the world spun around him, until he saw a familiar headless corpse.

His final thought was-

Why couldn't this eye of mine see him draw his saber?!

At the same time, Hu Mang, who had only recently escaped through the Cat Garden's back gate, suddenly let out a long breath and stopped.

"Looks like we can't leave."

"Who is it?"

"Probably a veteran remnant of the divine dynasty. His saber technique is dangerous. Most likely, he's the Devil-Slaying Bladesman."

Chen Sheng's aged face darkened at once.

He knew what that meant.

"Could you have seen wrong, Brother Hu?"

He still clung to hope.

Hu Mang didn't answer, but pointed overhead.

The other two looked up. High above Demon-Subduing City, a crack had opened in the thunderclouds, and an enormous pupil floated within them, seemingly an illusion and yet seemingly solid. It was looking straight at them.

"My eyes have always been good."

"The Devil-Subduing Heavenly Soldier's Heavenly Eye Technique!"

Old Chen was as knowledgeable as ever, and he cried out at the sight.

"Give me two Armored Horse Talismans, then let's split up."

Chen Sheng did as he was told. After a moment's hesitation, he took out a "Ghost Makeup face" he had drawn earlier at the cost of his vitality and spirit.

Hu Mang had just seen that face.

"In this old man's view, as long as the green hills remain, there'll be no shortage of firewood. But-"

"But if I don't fight him, finding firewood to burn will be hard enough. Isn't that right?"

Hu Mang smiled brightly.

"The Devil-Subduing Heavenly Soldier divine office is primarily for subduing devils, with an emphasis on patrols. The Devil-Slaying Bladesman's is primarily for killing, with an emphasis on tracking. Hiding from him in this city won't be so easy."

Chen Sheng could only sigh helplessly.

"I'll send you on your way."

Hu Mang chanted an incantation, and the Heavenly Soldier Divine Office in his Niwan Palace began to glow.

"Cloud horses, profound decree, heed my command: heavenly steeds, tread the stars; white silk, take form. Let thunder be drums and horns, let wind ring from the saddle. By my divine office, descend swiftly to this altar. Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Hu Mang pushed the two of them by the shoulders. They heard the wind rushing past their ears and horses neighing beneath them, while wind and thunder rolled around their bodies. When they came to their senses, they found they had somehow returned to the Cat Garden's front gate.

"Come on, let's hurry back to Thunder God's Shrine. It's too dangerous here. If we go back, we can at least keep two places. Huh..."

Only then did Old Chen Sheng notice the headless corpse by the front gate, the head lying on the ground, and the strange black eyeball in its socket.

"I suppose I've followed the local custom and cultivated all three Dantians," Hu Mang muttered to himself.

The Heavenly Gate General Qi Refining Instruction in his lower Dantian, the Mysterious Yin Devil Moon in his middle Dantian, and the Heavenly Soldier Divine Office in his upper Dantian.

He had gathered the whole set.

"In my current condition, I need to choose a suitable battlefield."

Hu Mang rubbed his temples, which felt ready to burst, and slapped an Armored Horse Talisman. He turned into a phantom and vanished.

A moment later, the saber madman with disheveled hair appeared where he had stood.