The appearance of these two demons was quite strange.

Even odder were their eyes, which alternated between being pitch black as ink and normal, though they remained vacant and foolish.

The two demons' joints creaked, with one swaying side to side and the other twisting its lower body like a snake, swimming towards the Water Mansion in a bizarre posture...

Two catfish monsters lay lurking in the mud, each two meters long, exhaling rolling Yin Qi from their mouths, engulfing small river crabs and shrimp to chew.

Such creatures, if born in a small inland river, would undoubtedly dominate a region, capturing two people with their Yin Qi would be child's play.

However, at the Water Mansion, they could only be the most peripheral miscellaneous demons, carrying out arduous tasks.

Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the water from afar, and the catfish monsters immediately perked up, widening their eyes to observe.

Two shadows swam forward eerily.

The catfish monsters were taken aback, for whether it was Octopus Head or Male River Insect, they were from the upper echelons of the Water Mansion, and they quickly went back to report.

The first to arrive was the Insect Woman from the Black Painting Boat, who was overjoyed upon seeing them, yet soon a trace of mockery appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"My lord, you have finally decided to return, delaying the lady's new nurturing period—you cannot afford to bear this blame!"

The Male River Insect ignored her, his face vacant as he moved mechanically forward, and Octopus Head beside him did the same.

The Insect Woman finally sensed something was wrong, and a voice full of doubt came from inside the Black Painting Boat, "My lord, what's wrong with you..."

The Male River Insect didn't speak, and strange black runes roamed beneath the skin of his face as he gradually approached the boat.

In the boat, the Insect Woman looked at her palms in terror, which had, at some point, been invaded by black runes, moving like fish beneath the skin...

...

The sky boomed with a resounding thunder.

The people of Yingshui City finally heard once more the sound of Zhang Kui controlling his sword with thunderous might—something they hadn't heard in a long time and quite missed.

After all, everyone knew that with the renowned True Man Zhang present, Yingshui City was much more stable.

"True Man..."

Luo Jizu, the Captain of the Astronomical Bureau in Jiangzhou, hurriedly arrived. Seeing Zhang Kui, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly cupped his fists in salute.

"What's going on?"

Zhang Kui casually surveyed the government office of the Astronomical Bureau, observing that from the main entrance onward, the air was crackling with electricity. Under the Tongyou Skill, he could also see a ball of lightning forming a cocoon, sparking with electricity as it protruded outward.

Luo Jizu replied with a bitter smile:

"Not long after you left, Master Hu's body accumulated more and more lightning, making it difficult for ordinary people to approach. Eventually, the lightning spread to the entire office, forcing us to evacuate."

"No worries, I'll handle it..."

Zhang Kui nodded and strode inside.

Having been baptized by lightning on Yunxia Mountain, this bit of lightning certainly posed no threat to him, not even requiring the activation of the Life Light Skill, as he let the tiny lightning sparks coil around him.

Soon, he saw Fatty Tiger's form.

The silly creature was coiled in a ball of lightning, motionless like a statue, his body having grown another circle, with his tail reaching nearly ten meters.

Has he encountered trouble advancing?

Zhang Kui instinctively felt something was off but couldn't figure out what, as he knew nothing about the cultivation of bloodline demons.

What to do?

Zhang Kui was a bit worried, as the silly creature had been following him since Qingzhou. Though lazy, greedy, and foolish, at least he was loyal, and it would be terrible if something went wrong.

Suddenly, he thought of the black-robed scholar Yuan Huang.

This fellow was knowledgeable and had previously pointed out the root of Fatty Tiger's inability to advance; he should have a solution.

With that in mind, Zhang Kui didn't hesitate any longer, immediately taking out a jade river shell from his Personal Space.

This item, named the Tongsheng Shell, had been given to him by Yuan Huang to be used as a communication tool.

Though communication in this world was inconvenient, various Mysterious Techniques made many things possible, like the Spirit Child Skull of the Demon Star Pavilion, the Blood Tiger Talisman of the General's Tomb, and his own Divine Path communication.

As mana flowed into it, the jade river shell buzzed and vibrated, first with the sound of river waves, followed by the somewhat surprised voice of Yuan Huang.

"Taoist Friend Zhang... I didn't expect you to use this..."

Zhang Kui understood what he meant, as although he had agreed to join their Immortal Path Alliance pledge, there was mutual suspicion far from any friendship.

"There is something I'd like to inquire about from my friend..."

Zhang Kui couldn't be bothered with pleasantries, directly describing the situation.

"Oh... is that so!"

The voice on the other end belonged to Yuan Huang, who was clearly intrigued, "Taoist Friend Zhang, please wait a moment, I will arrive shortly."

Soon after, there was a sound of ice breaking on the other end, and before Zhang Kui could speak, the Tongsheng Shell fell silent.

Zhang Kui's brows furrowed slightly; is this guy so enthusiastic because he has ulterior motives?

A Mahayana Realm Evil Spirit would naturally be very fast, and half a two-hour period later, a black-robed scholar arrived outside Yingshui City gates. Although his expression was shadowy, he at least looked like a mortal.

He glanced towards the direction of the General's Tomb, a trace of dread flashing in his eyes, and then, with hands behind his back and eyes narrowed, he headed directly to the Astronomical Bureau.

Logically, Yuan Huang's aura, even without his fangs and red eyes visible, was different from ordinary mortals, yet the people around seemed to treat him as if he were invisible, and quickly made way for him as he reached the Astronomical Bureau.

The most cultivated Luo Jizu seemed to sense something, glancing curiously at Yuan Huang, but quickly disregarded him, as if his brain reminded him to forget on purpose.

Yuan Huang ignored him and entered the inner courtyard, smiling as he spoke, "Taoist Friend Zhang, don't blame me, as this place is under the General's Tomb territory, and I wouldn't want them finding trouble."

Zhang Kui nodded without probing further, as the Forbidden Lands seemed to have their own unknown disputes.

Upon entering, Yuan Huang was instantly captivated by Fatty Tiger, a trace of envy in his eyes as he clicked his tongue in awe:

"The world is truly full of wonders, who would have thought such a lowly bloodline would have such fortune; this demon's future is boundless."

"Taoist Friend Zhang is also blessed, the Underworld is crisscrossed with Yin Lightning; with this demon's help, it'll be much easier."

Take Fatty Tiger to the Underworld?

Zhang Kui remained noncommittal, "What is the issue now?"

"Simple..."

Yuan Huang's eyes flickered with a red light as he chuckled, "This demon has indeed become a Thunder Beast but was formed through Acquired means. If it wants to progress, it's likely that it will require more strikes from the Celestial Thunder."

So that's how it is...

Zhang Kui felt much more at ease, as it was nearly autumn, and judging from the weather, a stormy day should be coming soon.

"There are a few more matters I'd like to ask the friend about."

Since Yuan Huang was already here, Zhang Kui wanted to utilize the opportunity to gather more information, so he asked about his long-held question.

"How do the Evil Spirit Forbidden Lands come into existence?"

Yuan Huang looked slightly surprised, pausing to contemplate for a moment.

"Well, there's no harm in telling you a bit."

"In fact, the history of the Forbidden Lands is far longer than you imagine, and nobody even knows who originally founded them; I myself joined later on."

"Each faction has its own purpose but gathers together due to shared interests."

"Is it the Underworld channel?" Zhang Kui inquired.

Yuan Huang's expression revealed a tinge of surprise,

"Seems you know quite a bit, but the channels around the world are not few, and the Underworld channel is just one reason. Each faction has its own machinations, never easily letting outsiders know and all guarding against one another."

"Don't take their superficial lack of interaction seriously; once in the Underworld, they won't hesitate to seize each other's opportunities. Thus, the deeper the conflicts have grown..."

The two conversed for a long time, and although the black-robed scholar Yuan Huang seemed to talk excessively, he actually concealed many key issues.

However, Zhang Kui didn't mind, as he had finally confirmed one thing: there wouldn't be any sort of alliance between the Evil Spirit Forbidden Lands, and even if he turned Jingjiang Water Mansion upside down, the other Forbidden Lands would merely watch with amusement.

This made matters considerably easier.

Zhang Kui began to plan in his mind, focusing all his effort on removing Jingjiang Water Mansion first.

Several days later, a sudden storm hit Jiangzhou, with rain pouring down and dark clouds rolling across the sky, thunder crashing.

Zhang Kui had moved Fatty Tiger to a nearby mountain, setting up a Grand Array to draw in the lightning. Amidst the continuous lightning, Fatty Tiger broke out of his cocoon, his body surrounded by electrical arcs, with his tiger roar resonating across the hill.

This time, the advancement drastically increased Fatty Tiger's strength; not only did he possess Celestial Thunder Power, but his speed also became much faster—wind forming beneath his feet, surrounded by lightning—not weaker than Flying with a Spiritual Artifact in the Divine Travel Realm.

After handling affairs in Jiangzhou, Zhang Kui returned to Lai State under the starry sky and moonlight, continuing to trouble the Jingjiang Water Mansion by manipulating the Nether Soil stone coffin.

However, the scene before him left him stunned.

The river outside the Water Mansion was filled densely with River Demon corpses, the stench permeating three miles downwind...

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