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Chapter 1007 Heavenly King Subdues Demons
Zhu Ruoxuan's arrival was untimely, or rather, too coincidental.

Zhou You didn't sleep tonight because a guest had arrived, and he was having a late-night conversation with one of them by candlelight.

The guest was an old acquaintance, Jiang Nie, one of the newly appointed Five Heavenly Kings of the Buddhist sect.

Jiang Nie was one of the few people who knew Zhou You's identity. At that time, the Northern Profound Lord and a group of grandmasters joined forces to seal the collective memory and sever the connection between Zhou You and Zhou Daqian. Jiang Nie was one of the few who escaped the net.

On this trip, he came to the Southern Frontier on behalf of the Shishen Sect. He originally intended to visit the Governor of Lihuo Prefecture, but unfortunately Zhou Nanwang was away. So he had to visit the Governor's son, who was also Zhou Nanwang's deputy, Lord Nanchen, Zhou Daqian.

He was stunned when he saw Zhou You, but he quickly figured out what had happened and greeted him without hesitation, "Lord Zhou."

"Northern Heavenly King, there's no need for such formalities!"

In just two short sentences, everything was understood without words, and the two sides reached a tacit understanding.

Jiang Nie knows Zhou You's secret, but she won't reveal it. When communicating with him, she will only treat him as 'Zhou Daqian'.

As the representative of the Northern Palace, his purpose in coming to Lihuo Prefecture was actually to observe the decisive battle.

When traveling to southern Xinjiang to watch the battle, and passing through Lihuo Prefecture, one should naturally greet the local hosts and make their purpose clear.

After all, the Five Heavenly Kings of the Buddhist sect are not ordinary people; if they were to travel across provinces and prefectures without warning, it would very likely arouse suspicion.

Jiang Nie, nicknamed "Eight Great Conveniences," has always acted with integrity, making things convenient for others and himself in the process.
He never mentioned the past or touched on sensitive topics, only exchanging pleasantries with Zhou You about the current situation and praising Li Huo Prefecture for its effective governance and rapid recovery after the great battle.

Although monsters frequently attempt to break through the barriers, the overall situation remains under control.

Zhou You also mentioned that since the Demon Transformation Cauldron came into existence, martial artists' attitudes toward demons have changed.

After the Ten Demons of the Southeast and the main force of the demon race perished, the balance of power between the enemy and ourselves was reversed, and the remaining demons were scattered and insignificant.

The value of the Demon Essence and Demon Ore has been discovered, leading to higher requirements for their stable production.

As a result, the industrial structure of several southeastern states and Lihuo state underwent changes.

Jiang Nie found this quite novel. After weighing the pros and cons, he signed a purchase plan with Zhou You for a batch of demon essence and demon ore.

Instead of killing demons as before, they have shifted to an industry focused on hunting and raising demons, pursuing a sustainable approach that is short-sighted and exploitative.

In the middle of their conversation, Zhu Ruoxuan knocked on the door late at night and told her face to face that she had been controlled by the Demon Slayer.

He was very firm in his stance, refusing to be threatened or controlled by the con artist, and was even willing to expose the matter himself.

Zha Mo Dou miscalculated. As a descendant of Bei Xuan Zhu and Niu Gong, he would rather die than be manipulated by Zha Mo Dou.

He didn't tell Zhou You privately; he knew there were guests present and wanted to make the news public.

Zhu Ruoxuan's plan was simple: reveal his true feelings, commit suicide in front of Zhou You, and thus achieve a glorious reputation through his death.

It wasn't that he was loyal to Zhou You, but rather that anyone with eyes could see Zhou Daqian's rise to power. Only a fool would choose to betray him and pledge allegiance to a lowly, insidious leader of the demonic army.

In this world, being the Lord of Demon Soldiers is not a desirable status, and anyone with a choice would not want to be associated with it.

Zhu Ruoxuan's proudest identity in life was that of the Northern Zhu. Even after being expelled from the family, she was still proud to be a descendant of Zhenbei Ge. She looked down on even the Lord of Demon Soldiers, let alone mere slave soldiers.

The cunning villain never dreamed that Zhu Ruoxuan was so proud that his supposedly foolproof scheme would fail.

Zhu Ruoxuan was afraid of dying without knowing the truth, so she chose to confess before dying.

"Lord Zhou, your close attendant is a man of unwavering integrity and upright character, a rare and extraordinary man in this world!"

Jiang Niewen said gently, "In other circumstances, I might not be able to help, but... a demon disciple?"

"Lord Zhou, have you ever heard of the Heavenly King Subduing Demons?"

The next moment, Jiang Nie stood up and flicked his finger, sending out two intersecting ring-shaped ribbons that shot out like beams of light encircling a star, instantly enveloping Zhu Ruoxuan. Zhu Ruoxuan was surprised to find that the demonic power of the Demon Slayer's Gauntlet, which had been invading her mind, was instantly blocked.

The negative state of mind, which was originally filled with distracting thoughts and boiling blood, instantly subsided into a calm and serene state.

Clearly, Jiang Nie had a method specifically designed to target the demon soldiers, and the effect was immediate and highly effective.

Zhou You couldn't help but take it seriously. Jiang Nie's "Heavenly King Subduing Demons" technique could not only suppress the Demon-Deceiving Pouch, but also suppress his inner demon ring. He had to take this opportunity to see clearly.

That old bastard Zha Mo Dou is ruthless and cunning enough to try and poach his men. Bah, he's asking for death!
"I'll first block the 'no-escape' thought from the Demon Soldier Village, then I'll help your guards uproot the source of trouble!"

Jiang Nie smiled slightly at Zhu Ruoxuan, "Don't worry, you haven't fallen into demonic possession too deeply, and your mind hasn't been corrupted. There's still hope!"

As he spoke, he thrust his palm into Zhu Ruoxuan's forehead. It was a real 'thrust,' with his fingertip piercing the flesh. The hard skull seemed to disappear as he drove it deep into the depths of Zhu's mind.

"A single thought can turn a demon into a monster, and a single thought can form a net. No thought can escape the net; this is the origin of the Demon Army Village!"

The thoughts of countless Demon Soldier Lords and Demon Soldier Slaves are linked and interconnected in a network form, forming a vast network system that is the real foundation of Demon Soldier Village.

In this vast net, the evil web is all-encompassing and leaves no one untouched; those who enter it will never be able to escape.

However, everything in the world has its counterpart in life.

Within the Buddhist sect, they mastered the method to break the net.

This technique can only be mastered and easily executed by beings known as the 'Heavenly King'.

Zhu Ruoxuan was incredibly lucky; just as she decided to confess, Jiang Nie, the Heavenly King of the North, came to visit.

If he hesitates even for a moment and misses Jiang Nie's presence, even if Zhou You wants to save him, he will have to pay a heavy price.

"I'm sorry, Lord Zhou, to fully revive him, you must join my Shakyamuni Sect..."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ruoxuan resolutely replied, "I won't agree. What difference does it make in the end if I want to get rid of the demon soldiers and be controlled by you again!"

"My lord, don't waste time. Kill me and send my body back to Beixuan!"

Zhou You gestured for him to calm down, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Jiang Nie, "Could you do me a favor?"

"To be honest, I'm going to bestow a secret seal upon him, which cannot be accepted by anyone who is not a member of the Buddhist sect, otherwise it would be breaking the rules!"

"This is easy to handle!"

Zhou You readily agreed, "How about I join the Buddhist sect in his place, and you pass it on to me, which I can then use to save him?"

This is a real surprise.

Jiang Nie couldn't be happier. If he could get the governor's son, who was also a prefectural lord, to join the Buddhist sect, wouldn't his business settlement be...?

Ah, my professional habit kicked in; I forgot I'm now a superstar and don't have any quotas for recruiting followers.

Even so, Jiang Nie couldn't help but smile, "Okay!"

"No, let me do it!"

After much deliberation, Zhu Ruoxuan concluded that having Zhou You join the Buddhist sect would have too much of an impact, so it would be better for him to join himself.

He was from an outsider family and did not represent the Northern Xuanzhu clan; he was merely a powerful personal guard.

If it leads to Zhou You joining the Shakyamuni Cult, even if we save him, it will be a grave sin.

(End of this chapter)