The trio flew out from the Gourd Mouth, landing steadily on the military camp platform.

In an instant, the surrounding soldiers crowded around them.

Before the soldiers could speak, Du Yu turned to Yang Qingqing and said, "Master Qing, opportunity!"

Yang Qingqing nodded lightly, signaling Du Yu to continue.

Du Yu licked his lips. This small gesture was noticed by all present—they could all see the excitement in Du Yu's heart!

After all, the base of Gourd Mountain was imprisoning a Demon Saint!

And this kid... is actually excited?

Du Yu was just about to speak, but realized something, turned his head to glance at the Gourd Mouth, then reached out and tugged at Yang Qingqing's sleeve.

Yang Qingqing raised her eyebrow slightly, but allowed her disciple to pull her along, walking into the distance.

The soldiers along the way all made room for them; Shu Qinghe naturally followed after as well.

Du Yu lowered his voice, softly saying, "This is our chance to form a good relationship with the Jade Gourd!"

"Hm?" Hearing such words, Yang Qingqing was a bit surprised.

Anyone who heard the words Du Yu had just relayed would have their attention focused on the Demon Saint·Heaven Returning Wood underground.

Du Yu continued, "Even without us, the Jade Gourd would have launched a full assault!"

As he spoke, Du Yu glanced at Director Shu, who had followed them, and nodded slightly: "We all saw the branches attacking us just now—the overall situation was clear.

When Heaven Returning Wood attacked halfway, under the Jade Gourd's control, it was forced to stop its assault.

Heaven Returning Wood is a thoroughly cold beast; it can't possibly have rationality or be intimidated into stopping.

This means..."

Listening to Du Yu's deduction, Shu Qinghe agreed in her heart, though her voice remained icy: "Heaven Returning Wood is imprisoned by the Jade Gourd, unable to move.

The only reason it could stop its attack was pure brute-force suppression."

"Exactly!" Du Yu nodded emphatically, looking again to Yang Qingqing. "What is suppressed at the base of Gourd Mountain is indeed a Demon Saint, but it's not in good condition.

Right now is the strong period for Jade Gourd, and this is also its home field.

With Jade Gourd's powerful control, Heaven Returning Wood's actions are restricted. It can even exempt Humans who go inside from harm..."

"Makes sense." Suddenly, Director Liu Neng's voice sounded in their earpieces.

Immediately after, a mighty Wind Trace Steed treaded the air, galloping toward them.

He put away the Wind Trace Steed in midair, took several quick steps as if walking on air, and finally landed steadily: "I've reported to higher command and requested reinforcements."

Liu Neng strode forward two steps, his broad hand clapping Du Yu's shoulder: "Well done!"

Du Yu's face was stiff as he asked, "When will the reinforcements arrive?"

Liu Neng was taken aback—I'm a dignified director, and a newly-promoted Demon Taming General at that!

Here I am encouraging a junior, yet the junior just moves straight to questioning me?

Liu Neng hesitated a moment, but still explained, "The upper ranks will decide what kind of unit to send as backup. We'll have to wait for notification on the specifics."

Du Yu frowned tightly: "The sooner, the better. This is our strong period! We don't know if things will get better, or worse from here.

Maybe we aren't even needed—maybe the Jade Gourd can refine Heaven Returning Wood itself.

Or maybe Heaven Returning Wood will recover and start counterattacking the Jade Gourd. Any of these could happen; we can't predict it.

The only thing we know for sure is that right now, at this very moment, Jade Gourd still has the upper hand.

Opportunity! Director Liu, this chance won't last long! We should mobilize our superior forces now and head into the mountain..."

Before Du Yu could finish, a buzzing electric noise suddenly sounded.

Countless eyes across the military camp turned to an open patch of ground to the north.

Du Yu's reaction was a little slow; by the time he turned to look, those wisps of electricity had already come together into a physical form.

The figure made of electricity flickered in and out, giving off an eerie, ghost-like vibe.

This person appeared out of thin air, coming together into solid flesh!

At this moment, Du Yu was dumbfounded.

What the hell is that, instantaneous movement?

"Bzzt—pop—"

After a faint burst of explosions, the harsh electric glow finally dissipated, and where the open ground had been, there was now a man standing.

Tall and burly, imposing and dignified!

That height—a full two meters—made him impossible to ignore, even more so since his left arm was missing?

Du Yu looked the man up and down curiously, while everyone else, upon seeing this man appear, had completely changed expressions...

The soldiers' expressions grew solemn, their eyes full of reverence, even fear.

Liu Neng strode forward, snapped to attention and saluted; his voice, already hoarse from exhaustion, now sounded like a broken gong: "Sir!"

All the soldiers around them also straightened up at attention. A hush fell over the entire camp.

"You're Director Liu?" The man didn't return the salute, instead extending his solitary right hand.

Liu Neng immediately stepped forward to shake hands.

The way they addressed each other was interesting; it wasn't clear what status this new arrival had.

The man said, "There's a Demon Saint here."

"Yes, sir, according to intelligence..."

Over there, they were talking; meanwhile, Du Yu sidled up beside Yang Qingqing and whispered, "Master Qing, what was that Demon Skill just now?"

Yang Qingqing didn't respond. There was a gleam of reminiscence in her eyes.

She'd crossed paths with this man before.

What's more, even if someone hadn't met him before, anyone with a bit of knowledge who saw this fifty-something man—with his distinctive height and missing arm—could guess his identity.

Yang Qingqing softly warned, "You must show this elder proper respect."

Most people, like you, have only heard this elder's name, never had the fortune to meet him in person."

"He is...?"

Yang Qingqing: "One of the former Seven Saints of Great Xia, Cheng Feng."

Du Yu's mouth hung open. This trip to the Jade Gourd was really fucking worth it!

Not only was this his first time seeing a Demon Taming Emperor-level powerhouse, Shu Qinghe, but now he could even meet a Demon Taming Saint?

Wait, former Seven Saints of Great Xia?

Former?

Du Yu looked at Yang Qingqing in confusion, but Yang Qingqing barely shook her head, the motion almost imperceptible.

Du Yu picked up on her signal and buried his doubt deep inside.

Maybe this elder was suppressed by Heaven, forced down forcibly...

Demon Taming Saints are not easily called upon—not just a rule for Great Xia, but a consensus across all five continents and every nation in the world.

For one, Demon Taming Saints are people who can literally destroy heaven and earth—such "peace weapons" naturally can't be used lightly.

Demon Taming Saint-level powerhouses basically exist as deterrent-type weapons.

On the other hand...

Demon Taming Saints must cultivate ceaselessly, always maintaining peak condition and inner balance.

Such individuals who become gods or saints—any disturbance from the mundane world can lead to their decline in power.

In other words, from the moment you become a Saint, Heaven itself forces you to drop in stage.

The rules of the Demon Taming World will do everything to suppress you, making it almost impossible to hold onto that achievement.

So, perhaps Elder Cheng Feng here simply couldn't keep his mind stable—rushed up to Saint Level, then fell back down...

Du Yu was out of the loop, always busy with his own little world—buying a house, paying off loans, feeding pets, eating meals.

He didn't pay much attention to the bigger picture.

Though when he first arrived in this world, he'd looked into some information. Thanks to Little Fen Yang, he had also searched for Great Xia's top powerhouses.

At that point, Great Xia still had Seven Saints—at least, that was what was publicly reported.

Half a year later, the Seven Saints became Six Saints...

Du Yu vaguely remembered, there was a little rhyme about the Seven Saints going around?

How did it go?

Du Yu racked his brains: Cheng Feng, Cheng Feng...

Oh, right!

There was a line: "Blazing Fire Thunderstorm Chengfeng Halberd, Ink Dance Clear Frost Celestial Saber."

This "Cheng Feng" should be the elder standing before him now.

"Mr. Cheng."

Yang Qingqing looked at the approaching elder, holding genuine reverence in her heart, and spoke softly.

"We meet again." Cheng Feng lowered his head, gazing at the young woman with immortal beauty before him, his voice calm: "The younger generation truly is to be feared."

A man who once stood at the peak of Great Xia—that he would say such words was a tremendous compliment!

Yang Qingqing bowed her head a bit, trying her best to hide the regret in her eyes, and replied softly, "You're too kind, elder."

For a moment, Du Yu grew even more curious.

How had his Master Qing connected with a Great Saint? Judging by their conversation, maybe there was a story here?

Come to think of it, Yang Qingqing really was young—even after this new year, she was only 27.

Strictly speaking, she was only one stage below Cheng Feng...

Becoming a Demon Taming General at 27 certainly deserved the praise "the younger generation is to be feared."

It wasn't until Yang Qingqing patted Du Yu on the shoulder that he snapped back to attention and formally greeted, "Greetings, Elder Cheng."

Cheng Feng didn't reply, simply looking quietly at Du Yu.

"Er... this grandpa's really scary," Little Fen Yang muttered softly.

"He only looks fifty-something, not exactly grandpa, right?" Du Yu conversed with him mentally, curiosity brimming in his heart.

He felt quite the opposite from Little Fen Yang—standing before Cheng Feng, Du Yu didn't feel much pressure at all.

Which was extremely abnormal!

Just standing next to Shu Qinghe made Du Yu shiver with cold.

Yet this "Great Saint" Cheng Feng didn't have any suppressive aura?

His title is "Blazing Fire Thunder"—just the sound of it means explosive and flammable, yet...

Did Mr. Cheng get beaten down by Heaven so hard he became enlightened and learned to hide his power?

Who knows what he must have gone through.

Cheng Feng: "You took away the Shadow Gu Tower."

"Ah...ah!" Du Yu nodded dumbly, then a thought occurred to him—he probably just figured out how Yang Qingqing had once crossed paths with Cheng Feng!

If this person could pinpoint the name "Shadow Gu Tower," that must mean Cheng Feng climbed the tower himself?

Shit!

Don't tell me you tried the tower when you were Demon Taming Saint Level, failed to reach the top—your mentality collapsed, and you dropped to Demon Taming Emperor level?

Great Xia only ever had seven Great Saints in total, all world-shakingly powerful, almost never leaving seclusion—usually, only the state could summon their help.

If you failed the tower but someone else passed, that's a bit embarrassing!

Right now, Du Yu's heart was full of nerves~

"The younger generation truly is to be feared." Cheng Feng spoke again, giving the same assessment.

Du Yu thanked him repeatedly, looking all meek, but Cheng Feng slung his single arm over Du Yu's shoulder and led him toward the Gourd Mouth.

"Since you brought us all the intel, tell me—what's your perspective?" Standing at the edge of the deep pit, Cheng Feng looked down at the swirling Cold Branches below.

From beginning to end, his composure and words were always calm, not the slightest sign of "Blazing Fire Thunder" temperament.

Du Yu gathered his thoughts and spoke: "At present, the Jade Gourd holds the upper hand, controlling the Demon Saint·Heaven Returning Wood.

There's no time to lose—now is our best chance to strike!

I think we can assemble an elite team to go deep down to the base of Gourd Mountain, help the Jade Gourd eliminate this Demon Saint·Heaven Returning Wood.

Our warriors will destroy Heaven Returning Wood on the physical level, and I'll summon the Shadow Gu Tower to try to extract its Demon Soul!

With the Jade Gourd's control to assist us, we'll attack from all sides!"

The more Du Yu spoke, the more confident he became: "Elder Cheng, I've already made a pact with the Jade Gourd—it won't refine us Humans if we go in.

Later, I want to try talking to the Gourd again.

It feeds on Cold Qi anyway—if it could temporarily refine the Cold Qi at the mountain's base and give us a clear battleground, that would be even better."

Du Yu spoke quickly but clearly, his words well-organized and persuasive.

Cheng Feng's expression remained calm as he turned to Liu Neng: "Well?"

Liu Neng: "Awaiting your orders, sir!"

Cheng Feng nodded, patting Du Yu on the shoulder: "Follow your master. After we're done here, you and I will have a good chat."

The phrase "After we're done here" made Du Yu's heart race!

Such mild words, yet so full of confidence.

Du Yu nodded heavily: "Yes, sir!"

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