"Thief Zhang!"

Wang Weiling let out a sharp scream, her eyes filled with fear and hatred, fingers twisting in a spell, suddenly spitting out a mouthful of black smoke.

Within the billowing black smoke, a pale bone sword appeared faintly, emitting a sinister and fierce aura, shooting directly towards Zhang Kui's face.

Zhang Kui glanced indifferently, unconcerned.

This wicked thief didn't even dodge!

Wang Weiling was initially delighted, a hint of hope in her eyes, but soon it turned to terror.

Only to see a golden light rise around Zhang Kui, effortlessly blocking the bone sword outside.

The rolling yin qi dissipated instantly as if it encountered sunlight, the bone sword also dimmed, and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Wang Weiling spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, then scrambled to hide beside the Third Princess, her face twisted, shouting venomously:

"Immortal Master, it's this wicked thief!"

Unfortunately, since Zhang Kui appeared, the Third Princess had been on edge, as if facing a great enemy, her face solemn without a word.

The Third Princess of the Chai Kingdom possessed a strong spiritual sense, Zhang Kui's sudden appearance made her scalp tingle, in front of this evil Daoist with the aura of a tiger, she had only one instinct.

Any reckless move would mean death!

Even facing the generals of Chai Kingdom, she never felt this way. Since when did human cultivators become so formidable?

"Immortal Master, Immortal Master..."

Wang Weiling sensed something was amiss, desperately begging the Third Princess.

Zhang Kui also remained silent.

This Third Princess was only in the Divine Travel Realm, killing her would be easy, but somewhat unwise.

Because this woman was the foundation of continued internal strife in Chai Kingdom, a unified and stable forbidden land of evil spirits was obviously unfavorable to the human race.

But what kind of demon were the royal family of Chai Kingdom?

Out of curiosity, Zhang Kui's eyes glowed mysteriously, under a full mastery of Tongyou Skill, he quickly discerned the true form of the Third Princess.

Behind this woman was a misty spirit light, faintly revealing a pair of gigantic black wings, with two antennae wildly trembling on her forehead, she should be a Butterfly Demon...

Beside her, Wang Weiling saw Zhang Kui's eyes gleaming and immediately felt she had grasped something, screaming to provoke: "Wicked thief, how dare you have improper thoughts towards the Immortal Master!"

Improper thoughts?

Zhang Kui chuckled, what kind of mind does this woman have, didn't she know the "Immortal Master" in her mouth was an evil spirit capable of swallowing her whole with flesh and skin?

"Shut up!"

Slap!

Before Zhang Kui could speak, the Third Princess's expression changed, slapping Wang Weiling far away, then formally bowing with sincerity:

"Fellow Daoist, this was purely a misunderstanding!"

Zhang Kui snorted, pretending not to know her and said: "If it's a misunderstanding, then leave Jiangzhou quickly!"

The Third Princess's eyes flashed with a trace of anger, but she forced a smile and said, "As you say, Fellow Daoist."

Wang Weiling, lying on the ground, was dumbfounded, wanted to speak, but a casual cold glance from the Third Princess struck her divine soul like a thunderbolt, leaving her mind blank.

Subsequently, the Third Princess swiftly transformed into a plume of black smoke, disappearing with a gust of eerie wind...

Zhang Kui narrowed his eyes but did not stop her, he was a bit curious how those ministers of Chai Kingdom dared to act again, could it be that the Insect King was already dead?

Forget it, better to deal with the matter at hand first.

Thinking this, Zhang Kui turned and disappeared instantly, while Wang Weiling just breathed a sigh of relief, Luo Jizu brought people rushing in with a stern face:

"True Man Zhang may not care, but I cannot let you act recklessly, take them away!"

Elsewhere, in a valley dozens of miles away, after a gust of black wind, the Third Princess appeared stumbling, clutching her chest, suddenly vomiting a mouthful of green blood.

She glanced at the jade marrow in her hand, just about to use it to heal when her expression changed drastically, turning around to look behind her.

Under the moonlight, the half-cliff unexpectedly began to transform, revealing sharp insect limbs.

"Mountain Centipede!"

The Third Princess's face suddenly contorted, "Second Brother, so it was you, no wonder... You're probably the one who least wants our father to wake up..."

Saying this, she gritted her teeth, spat out a mist of green blood, disappearing into the night sky.

And that half-cliff reverted to its original state, as if nothing had happened...

...

Taiyuan City, the capital of Quanzhou, backed by mountains and facing the sea, was wealthy due to its thriving fishing and sea salt industries.

The city was built along the mountains, its pavilions and towers exceedingly luxurious, yet also bore a touch of age and weathering from the sea breeze.

Slap!

"It was said that the Kaiyuan Sect was founded by several National Guardian True Men, including True Man Zhang, using a sacred artifact of the human race to suppress and oversee various affairs across the states..."

In a teahouse, the storyteller was spitting with enthusiasm, talking about the news coming from Lai State.

Ever since the fall of the Qian Dynasty, the transportation between states has been hindered, and the unified courier service ceased to exist. Thus, the way of explaining news from each state became popular among storytellers, receiving much acclaim.

"Old Liu..."

A sailor below took a sip of tea and shouted, "I heard that the Kaiyuan Sect will discard the idea of sectarianism and extensively train cultivators from ordinary families. Is that true?"

The storyteller cupped his hands and replied with a smile, "There is such news, but it's so unbelievable that I dare not speak recklessly..."

The sailor below did not ask further, and many others had gleaming eyes, eager to try.

The storyteller naturally did not dare to speak carelessly because Quanzhou was still under the dominion of the Chen Family. Despite bordering Bozhou, the Chen Family's lack of involvement still sparked some suspicion.

But what of it? The riverways between Bozhou and Lai State had opened, making detours possible. If it's true, it could change one's fate.

Upstairs, a black-faced man leisurely sipped tea, while a fat cat beside him gnawed on a roast fish.

They were none other than Zhang Kui and Fatty Tiger.

After clearing hidden dangers in Jiangzhou and with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, he arrived early in Quanzhou. Last time, his departure to drive locusts was hurried, but this time he truly experienced Quanzhou's characteristics.

It is said that the Spiritual Sect heavily infiltrated Quanzhou, with the populace as in the Yu Dynasty, raising demons being fervent. Unexpectedly, it had reached the point where humans and demons cohabited.

For instance, that storyteller, under Zhang Kui's Tongyou Skill, was actually a large Gray Rat Spirit.

Zhang Kui was not so pedantic in this regard, as long as they did not harm people. Thus, the Old Huang clan was able to join the Astronomical Bureau openly.

It was unknown, however, whether this Gray Rat was of the Spiritual Sect or a Wild Demon mingling in the world...

Just then, outside, suddenly came the clamor of gongs and drums. Zhang Kui scanned with his Divine Sense, his expression turning slightly cold at once.

It was a procession from a Divine Temple, with the sound of gongs and drums resounding, incense smoke curling up. Strong men with darkened chests from the sea breeze carried a Divine Palanquin, and the passing people bowed in haste.

Atop the palanquin was a statue of a Sea Serpent with wings, baring fangs, glaring with fierce eyes, and a horn growing atop its head.

This, likely, was a god raised by the Spiritual Sect.

Ever since the Divine Court Bell's channeling of Divine Power became completely smooth, they were fully aware of the Wish Power from incense fires in various places.

During the great locust disaster, the power of incense fires peaked but had since fluctuated.

The main reason was these Wild Gods.

Though lacking the power of the Divine Court Bell, they could cause various disruptions according to local circumstances, instilling fear in the people, forcing them to worship.

For example, in Shazhou's drought, there is a god controlling water sources; in Dianzhou, where poisonous creatures abound, Insect Masters act as enforcers. The most detestable is Taiyuan City's Sea Serpent God; if the people do not offer worship, it immediately wreaks havoc in the waters.

In Zhang Kui's eyes with Tongyou Skill, the Sea Serpent on the statue was surrounded by a bloody glow, occasionally swelling with a distorted, terrifying human face—having clearly conducted a living sacrifice.

Execution must ensue!

Killing intent in Zhang Kui's eyes grew thicker.

Just then, the Sea Serpent God suddenly looked frightened, hissed several times, and the temple priest hurriedly led the strong men to lift the statue and flee in haste.

Such strong Spiritual Sense?

Zhang Kui was puzzled, for he had already sealed his whole Qi mechanism.

He immediately stood up sharply, his eyes radiating Divine Light, looking toward the harbor.

"The Sea Demons are here!"

The terrified shouts from the harbor quickly spread throughout the city, and the originally peaceful teahouse turned chaotic, even the Gray Rat Spirit was full of fear, ready to flee.

"Come here!"

Zhang Kai reached out with a grab, and a gust of wind arose, lifting the storyteller transformed by the Gray Rat Spirit into mid-air, rolling to his feet.

"Who are you..."

The Gray Rat Spirit was about to inquire when it saw the fat cat eating fish looking at it coldly, lightning flashing on its body.

"Great Immortal, spare my life!"

The Gray Rat Spirit promptly knelt on the ground, tears and snot flowing, "I haven't done anything..."

"Shut up!"

Zhang Kui harrumphed, "I ask you, what is this Sea Demon, is it a member of the Spiritual Sect?"

The Gray Rat Spirit was startled, hurriedly shaking its head, "Though Little Demon is not among the Spiritual Sect, I do know some of them. They say this Sea Demon, of unknown origins, acts unpredictably in groups, devouring humans and demons alike, even the Spiritual Sect dares not provoke them..."

"They used to only cause trouble at sea, but unexpectedly, they've now come ashore, Great Immortal, flee quickly, this city is doomed!"

"Nonsense!"

A cold snort made the Rat Spirit tremble all over. Upon looking up again, the black-faced man had vanished, and outside came sounds of chaos and cheers.

"It's True Man Zhang, True Man Zhang is here!"

The Gray Rat Spirit hurriedly clung to the window to see, a ferocious Daoist rode a giant evil tiger, treading through the air towards the port, his whole body shining with golden light, like a deity descending to earth.

As he passed by the Sea Serpent statue, casually, with a slap, the stone statue shattered, and the Sea Serpent's Divine Soul scattered...

"Well, I'll be!"

The storyteller, transformed by the Gray Rat Spirit, was dumbfounded, "This True Man Zhang is even fiercer than the legends..."

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