A Mind Almost Demonic in Its Cunning

Little Xu looked at the other person in surprise. He was supposed to report to the Demon-Suppressing Guard headquarters today, and the Law Artifact that was supposed to pick him up had already arrived.

But inexplicably, he made a special detour to see this Heavenly Blood Python, who had risen to prominence through overseas battles.

As expected, no one was there. He had already given up, but as soon as he went downstairs, he saw the other person.

And what kind of outfit is that?

He was dressed in tattered Thunder-Warding Robe, and it seemed he owned more than one set. His hands and feet were covered in obvious bloodstains and scratches, and he exuded Sha Qi, as if he had just come from a battlefield.

"You are... Fellow Daoist Xu, hello, are you here in our neighborhood on a mission?"

Hu Mang was taken aback at first, then he recalled the other person from his memory. After all, the other person was the first stranger he had interacted with since returning to Heavenly Gate, so he had some impression of him.

"Hello."

Little Xu shook hands with the other person, then raised an eyebrow; the bloody cangue on the other person's hand was clearly fresh.

Moreover, can one truly feel a strong sense of danger simply by possessing a physical body?

"Okay, you go ahead with your work, I'll be going now."

Hu Mang had no intention of having a deep conversation with the other party, after all, things were extremely urgent in Demon-Subduing City, and a fight could break out at any moment.

"Wait a moment, Fellow Daoist Hu, no, Heavenly Blood Python." Little Xu did not let go.

Hu Mang's expression remained unchanged, and his hands did not tremble.

"What is the Heavenly Blood Python? It sounds like a protective demon?"

"The underworld of Sumatra Port on Ancient Java Island, a fighter with a perfect 73-0 record in deathmatch, the highest combat record—you don't recognize him?"

"Hmm~ We're not very familiar with each other, so, is he an athlete?"

Hu Mang continued to laugh.

"No, he's a dark monk from an underground arena."

Little Xu is unlike Old Zhang; he doesn't have much of a sense of humor.

"Sounds like you've had a tough time, Black Cultivator. Is it similar to what we bricklayers do?" Hu Mang paused for a moment. "So, what do you need him for? Did he get into trouble at Heavenly Gate?"

"No, that's just my personal question. I just want to know, how do I compare the combat skills I learned from the Demon-Suppressing Bureau system to those of a wild combat expert like him who emerged from the old customs overseas?"

"Oh, then I can't help you. I don't know him, and besides, I just came back from the hospital. Fellow Daoist Xu, you're not planning to take me, the patient, back for investigation, are you?"

Little Xu frowned and stared at the other party. The information showed that the other party was indeed forced to return to China due to an engineering accident.

But bullying a patient is not something he would willingly do.

"Okay, if you run into him, please tell him for me that he hasn't done anything wrong. I'm just curious about the difference between the two fighting styles. If he's interested, he can contact me anytime. You have my phone number."

Now it was Hu Mang's turn to be a little surprised.

He had expected a lot of trouble, but the other party was easier to talk to than he had imagined.

A demon -Demon-Suppressing Guard with good character?

"Okay, if I run into him, I'll let him know."

Little Xu nodded, gave Hu Mang a deep look, and then turned and left.

He was using Law Artifact from another department when he went to headquarters this time, so he didn't want to keep others waiting.

Hu Mang stood there with a smile, waiting for the other party to leave so he could run away.

However, just as Little Xu was about to step around the corner, the Hu Mang's expression suddenly changed.

The change came without warning. His pupils, which had been normal, suddenly contracted and elongated, and a pair of dull, yellowish vertical pupils squeezed out uncontrollably, filling his entire eye sockets. Those vertical pupils were indifferent and ancient, carrying a scrutinizing meaning that did not belong to humans, as if some being that had been asleep for a long time had inadvertently opened its eyes at this moment.

Little Xu instantly felt an unprecedented sense of oppression.

That wasn't murderous intent, intimidation, or the threat of a specific opponent; it was something grander and more primal.

It was as if the heavens and earth had reversed their positions in that instant, the sun and moon had lost their light, and the center of gravity of the entire world had shifted without warning; the ground beneath his feet no longer seemed solid, but had become some kind of small boat floating in the void, which could capsize at any moment.

He turned around abruptly, only to find that the other person had disappeared.

"You-

Little Xu instinctively wanted to chase after him, but he stumbled and almost fell to the ground. This genius Demon-Suppressing Guard, who was at the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection and about to advance to the Golden Core stage at headquarters, stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

His sheer presence alone was enough to render him immobile!

Just then, the girl in military uniform from before rushed over.

"Who! Who just interfered with the Dragon Vein?! Don't they know this is a top military secret of the Heavenly Gate?!"

"Where did he go?!"

Little Xu opened his mouth, his gaze falling on an alleyway.

Without a word, the girl in military uniform rushed over with her short legs. At the end of the alley was a public toilet, a standard feature in old residential areas.

The girl rushed into the men's restroom almost without pausing.

"Holy crap, there's a female pervert here!!"

"Girl, what are you doing!?"

Why are you kicking my door? I'm calling the police!

Soon, the girl rushed from the men's restroom to the women's restroom, but still couldn't find the Hu Mang.

"Depend on!!"

At the same time, a flash of light appeared, and Hu Mang emerged from the white light with a gloomy expression, carrying a "Spirit Crystal Deconstructor" in his left hand. A Lightning Crystal was embedded in the groove of this magical Law Artifact.

Damn it, things were about to be resolved when suddenly the Dragon Eye started operating on its own, causing some of the calamity energy to leak out.

--

Hopefully, this guy is alright; it would be best to pretend nothing happened.

"Holy crap! A zombie explosion!"

However, when Hu Mang looked up, he discovered something even more absurd: the celestial general's skeleton, which had been sitting upright in the Thunderfire Furnace, had actually stood up, and more importantly, it was holding a large spear Shattering Thunder in its hand.

Now it was Hu Mang's turn to be dumbfounded.

How come everything was fine when I left, but it's like this now that I'm back?

Beautiful lady, do you also want to time travel?

Hu Mang quickly put away the Spirit Crystal Deconstructor, then grabbed the gun and the demon claws immediately ripped off, but they were still sizzling and smoking from the heat. He frowned and pulled hard.

It won't budge!

To be fair, his physical body is absolutely top-tier among those of the same level, and even among those of a higher level, it is by no means weak.

A thousand-pound object can be lifted with ease, and even ten thousand-pound objects can be lifted using Buddhist methods.

But what the hell is this!?

Hu Mang tried several times, but found that the gun did not change at all. He then realized that this was not a matter of strength.

Hu Mang retreated outside the heat of the thunder furnace, almost laughing in anger.

When Roof Leak, it pours.

We don't even know if things are going well at Heavenly Gate yet, but trouble has already broken out here.

Just then, a loud knocking sounded on the door, and Zhou Tong's urgent voice rang out.

"Brother Hu, something terrible has happened! All four gates of Demon-Subduing City —east, west, south, and north—have been opened wide simultaneously!!"

Hu Mang now finally understood why the Dragon Eye had reacted.

"Old man, aren't you good at math? Calculate it for me."

On the roof of the Tempering Treasury, Hu Mang looked at Old Chen, who had returned at some point, and said.

Old Chen's face was covered in dust, and his temper was quite flared due to liver fire.

After all, earth and wood are strong and fire is strong.

"My fortune-telling is just a trick to fool people. If I could really predict good and bad fortune, why do you think I would come to this Demon-Subduing City to seek death?"

--

"So, we can leave anytime now?" Zhou Yu asked, intrigued.

"Then go and give it a try, we'll wait for your good news!" Old Chen said without any politeness.

"Grandpa Chen, why are you covered in dust?" Zhou Tong couldn't help but ask.

"If it weren't for you, you brat, would this old man be risking his life like this? What do you know, little girl!"

After his outburst, Old Chen's anger finally subsided, and he began to get serious.

"However, if we do this, firstly, the Heavenly Edict Manor's abilities will likely be obscured. After all, the gates are now open, so what's the point of conjuring up any heavenly secrets or opening the city gates? Previously, the people outside used thunder to 'suppress the Gen Earth,' but now that all four gates are wide open, connecting the four directions, unless the person outside has the ability to fully master the Innate Eight Trigrams and use them to suppress the four symbols and four directions, they can no longer suppress the Demon-Subduing City. But even among the major sects, there are very few elders with such earth-shattering abilities, let alone these new generation disciples."

"But wouldn't that mean righteous disciples from outside could keep pouring in?" Hu Mang asked.

The biggest advantage of a false god is its geographical advantage.

Unless you have the ability to completely destroy Demon-Subduing City and tear apart the Thunder Net within, you must abide by the rules of this city once you enter.

As long as the false god guards this place, outsiders will be unable to touch it.

But now, it seems that Thunder God has voluntarily given up his advantageous position?

"Is this Thunder God planning to run away?" Zhou Tong suddenly wondered.

The other three immediately gave her meaningful looks. Zhou Tong blushed and shrank back, saying, "I was just kidding, don't take it seriously."

"No, you're absolutely right. This Thunder God might really be planning to run away!" Old Chen said unexpectedly.

"If Thunder God leaves the Demon-Subduing City, can he still be called Thunder God? Isn't he a false god conjured up by the Thunder Net here?" Zhou Yu asked, puzzled.

"That's usually how it is, but have you ever seen five avatars of equal strength?" Old Chen asked rhetorically.

"Moreover, fish die when they leave the water, and the Lord of the Land may lose his divine power if he leaves the land, but where is this place?"

Old Chen pointed to the sky.

This is the Thunder Commandery Domain, which is shrouded in thunderclouds all year round. The natural Thunder Net outside the city is even more powerful than the one inside!

Perhaps the core still contains remnants of the celestial tribulation from back then.

The other three were speechless.

It seems that this isn't impossible.

Hu Mang stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then said, "This doesn't seem like a bad thing for us?"

"Of course not," Old Chen scoffed, "Now the trouble has returned to those righteous people."

"If we charge in, we're worried about an ambush; if we don't charge in, what if Thunder God escapes?"

"Now it seems that this false god is not only more capable than expected, but even his scheming methods are almost demonic in their ingenuity."