This immortal was clearly ordinary, yet he was unusually confident.

"It was him who stopped the Blood Demon? It is said that the Blood Demon's demonic arts have reached a state of perfection, and even my godfather is not confident of victory. Moreover, the Blood Demon is nearing the end of his life. Who would be willing to risk their life to fight him?"

Although the middle-aged man considered himself a genius in cultivation, he was still inferior to a true master, especially a powerful figure like the Blood Demon who had been famous for many years.

"I don't know what method he used, but he succeeded in the end. Otherwise, Cangzhou would be in chaos now. If I hadn't seen that little girl sent by the Qingtian Sect, I wouldn't have been able to be sure that he was the one who stopped the Blood Demon."

--Afterwards, I went to investigate the place where the Blood Demon appeared. There were still powerful magical fluctuations there, which clearly showed that the two had fought. How could someone who could fight the Blood Demon head-on be weak?

"But I've never heard of such a person in Cangzhou. Perhaps he's been living in seclusion somewhere." Tu Si Niang said.

"Since that's the case, then the yellow ox demon has no choice but to give up. It's really strange that an ordinary yellow ox was able to break through the layers of formations and eat the 'Soul-Melting Grass' inside."

"It's a real pity that the 'Soul Fusion Grass' that we've worked so hard to cultivate has been wasted like this. However, the great battle between Cangyue and Xuri is imminent, and there will be countless living souls to collect, which can fill the gap."

"As long as my godfather can master the profound skills, what does it matter if a remote place like Cangzhou is destroyed? Then I will ask my godfather for permission, and we can be together openly and honestly."

Tu Si Niang gently stroked the middle-aged man's face, her eyes filled with tenderness as she said:

"I am waiting."

The middle-aged man stroked Tu Si Niang's voluptuous body, and unable to resist any longer, he kissed her passionately.

……

Life in Zhengzhuang returned to normal. He drank tea every day, enjoyed the delicacies sent by Zheng Huiwan, and played with the blue cat in his spare time. He lived a comfortable and pleasant life.

He didn't rush to ask Chen Chui about the Cangyue Empress, because he knew that the more urgent the situation, the less he should rush, otherwise it would be counterproductive.

Sure enough, he didn't have to wait long before Chen Chui came to his door.

Chen Chui, having mastered the formation, didn't force his way in like he did the first time, but instead swaggered in.

As soon as Chen Chui entered the Peach Blossom Courtyard, he saw Zheng Zhuang sitting idly at the stone table and exclaimed with delight, "Fellow Daoist Zheng, you're back! How's the progress?"

Zheng Zhuang picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and said, "Please sit down, Grand Preceptor. As expected, it was just a spider that hadn't amounted to anything, and I easily got rid of it."

Ah Xiu did take more effort than Qin Ming, but she wasn't particularly difficult to deal with.

Zheng Zhuang had a general understanding of his own strength. He was definitely no match for the Blood Demon last time, but he was still much stronger than cultivators like Qin Qianqian and Chen Chui.

There was nothing he could do. He had only encountered a handful of cultivators so far. Apart from experts like the Blood Demon, even newbies like Qin Qianqian were beyond his ability to make an accurate assessment.

Zhengzhuang's lineage comes from Dongfang Wuming, who was not a person of this era. Later, he had new insights in the cave and forged his own path, so his cultivation method is different from the mainstream.

Zheng Zhuang had subtly inquired about Qin Qianqian's current cultivation level. She was currently only at the Qi Refining stage, with Foundation Establishment and Golden Core just ahead. However, the next level was not the Nascent Soul stage he had envisioned, but rather something called the Nirvana Realm. It was said that the Sect Master of the Sky-Supporting Sect was at this level. As for what lay beyond the Nirvana Realm, she didn't know.

As for Chen Chui, this so-called national advisor, he is only at the Qi Refining stage.

Furthermore, because Dongfang Wuming's cultivation level improved too quickly, he didn't have time to perfect his own "techniques," so what he taught Zheng Zhuang was only the profound and mysterious "Dao."

This is why Zheng Zhuang had to figure out everything else on his own, except for a few basic spells.

Fortunately, Zheng Zhuang had read many fantasy novels in his previous life, and some spells suitable for showing off were already imprinted in his mind. Now, all he had to do was try his best to recreate them.

Of course, not all of them will be successful, but it's sufficient for handling most situations.

For example, using a teapot to capture the leader of the Gu God Cult is not a high-level supernatural power like "Universe in the Sleeve". It is just setting up a sealing formation in the teapot and then using wind magic to complete a similar operation. However, it doesn't matter as long as it looks impressive.

Qin Qianqian tactfully poured Chen Chui a cup of tea; the little girl was already quite adept at embracing the role of a maid.

"Fellow Daoist's cultivation is profound, such a minor demon is naturally nothing to worry about." Chen Chui accepted the tea and immediately offered his compliment. Then, he took a sip and said, "Good tea. No matter how many times you drink this tea, it always gives you a novel feeling."

Zheng Zhuang said, "I'm glad the Grand Preceptor is pleased! As expected, the spider demon I destroyed on this trip was transformed from a mortal. Moreover, I also discovered that it involved the power of faith. The Gu God Cult is rampant in Jiankang City. Why is the government turning a blind eye?"

Chen Chui couldn't help but be taken aback: "What does this have to do with the Gu God Sect? I've heard of this sect before, but it's just a bunch of petty scoundrels who secretly bewitch the people. They haven't done anything serious on a regular basis. I originally planned to deal with them after the war was over."

Zheng Zhuang narrowed his eyes slightly. He had been prejudiced because in his previous life, he had almost zero tolerance for cults and would nip any sign of them in the bud.

At first, he wondered why the Gu God Cult could be so rampant, even threatening the City God Temple.

He overlooked an important issue: the City God Temple and the government were fundamentally two different systems.

From a mortal's perspective, the Gu God Cult was indeed just a small organization that swindled and cheated people. Apart from Ah Xiu killing villagers because of her personal grudges, the cult members in the city, although arrogant and domineering, rarely caused any deaths.

This makes sense. The purpose of the Gu God Cult is to collect faith power in order to replace the City God, but it also abides by the rules of mortal countries, only occasionally committing some crimes.

In this way, the government would at most punish criminals, but would not interfere much with missionary work. As long as these sects did not rebel, everything would be fine.

Zheng Zhuang speculated that these sects likely paid a large sum of protection money, and in some places even received support from the government, which is why the Gu God Sect was so powerful in Jiankang City.

The battle for Yongning City is imminent, and money is the most pressing need for the imperial court!

Zheng Zhuang admired the person behind this scheme; they were indeed very thoughtful. However, he couldn't figure out what their true intentions were.

What benefit would it bring to a cultivator to unify mortal nations?

And even if you have such thoughts, there's no need to go through all this trouble!

After much thought, Zheng Zhuang could only conclude that it was the power of faith. The other party was very likely a cultivator of the divine path, using this method to collect the power of faith.

Having figured this out, Zheng Zhuang felt a little more at ease and turned to say, "The Imperial Advisor may not know yet that the murderer who massacred that village was the divine messenger of the Gu God Sect!"

"What? This Gu God Sect is so audacious! I, the Imperial Preceptor, will report to His Majesty upon my return and have them eradicated!" Chen Chui stood up abruptly.

Zheng Zhuang smiled and, after reassuring Chen Chui to sit down, said, "The Grand Preceptor need not worry about this matter. Does the Grand Preceptor still remember what he promised me?"