Chapter 145: Sixty Percent Killing Intent! Frenzied Advancement!

"We greet Hall Master Lu."

Before the Main Hall, two young men in armor cupped their fists in salute, faces full of reverence.

With Lu Zhangsheng's name at its peak, the guards did not dare show the slightest negligence.

"Mm."

Lu Zhangsheng gave a faint nod and handed his Yaopian to them.

The two took it, inspected it, then stepped aside.

Lu Zhangsheng walked straight past them and stepped into this Trial Hall.

Moving forward, he soon reached the end of the hall.

A staircase built of piled jade appeared ahead.

Around it stood six jade pillars, carved with coiling dragons and clinging phoenixes, quite splendid.

Beside the jade steps sat a Black-Clothed Elder, his aura terrifyingly fearsome.

"An Innate Strength?"

Lu Zhangsheng's expression shifted slightly.

He sensed a powerful pressure radiating from the elder.

"It seems this place is quite important—even the guardian is an Innate Strength."

He thought to himself.

Seeing Lu Zhangsheng arrive, the elder slowly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam shooting forth.

"Each Deputy Hall Master may enter only once every three months, and may stay at most half a month each time…"

The elder's expression was flat.

After speaking, he also handed Lu Zhangsheng a paper intelligence report and a jade token.

"Many thanks, senior."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled and cupped his fists.

After taking the report, he walked toward the jade steps ahead.

A short while later.

He arrived at an open space in the middle of the jade steps.

"Hum…"

As the surrounding jade pillars began to emit a faint glow, space itself rippled.

Lu Zhangsheng only felt his vision go black, and the surroundings had already changed completely.

He found himself in a vast desert, a blazing sun overhead, even the air filled with a sweltering heat.

As far as his eyes could see, there was no trace of any living being.

It was like a world emanating withness and death.

Lu Zhangsheng immediately took out the report and studied it carefully.

Half an hour later.

He finally put the report away, his eyes flickering.

After learning about it—

Lu Zhangsheng discovered this place was a small spatial realm, specially used by the Town Demon Division to train Deputy Hall Masters.

The people inside were all Demon Persons and criminals captured from outside, descendants left behind after years of development.

The method to clear this place was also very simple: kill your way to the Main City, and use the token in hand to return.

Extremely simple and brutal.

Killing those Demon Persons would yield Blood Crystals of varying quality, exchangeable within the Town Demon Division for various Spiritual Objects.

"Blood Crystals? The Imperial Court's reach is indeed no small matter."

Lu Zhangsheng's expression shifted slightly.

Isn't this just like a farm? The Demon Persons of the entire world are the chives, cut again and again.

To domesticate the living beings of an entire spatial realm to feed the Imperial Court's Strong Persons—such means could only be achieved by a super-large faction, otherwise it would eventually backfire.

At this moment, he was playing the role of the reaper; his purpose for coming here was only one thing—to kill.

This suited him perfectly; only under such conditions could Killing Intent be rapidly improved.

"There must be quite a few such spatial realms—it's one of the Imperial Court's foundations."

He pondered to himself.

"But this place is quite desolate—how can I quickly find targets?"

This was also one of his doubts.

Then he stopped overthinking, and following the map on the report, headed straight for the nearest Main City.

……

The instant Lu Zhangsheng stepped into this spatial realm—

In one of the six Main Cities, on a large Square—

A five-colored crystal stone in the center, as tall as a person, began to erupt with astonishing radiance.

The commotion was so great that even people several li around could see it clearly.

"Not good—quickly notify the City Lord, a Heavenly Demon from the Domain Beyond has descended…"

A group of guards stared at the central crystal in horror, then rushed swiftly toward the City Lord's residence.

One hour later.

News of the Heavenly Demon's descent from the Domain Beyond instantly spread throughout the entire world.

Countless people were filled with righteous indignation, all thinking of exterminating demons and defending the Dao.

Through fragmented words passed down by their ancestors, they all knew these outsiders were the most evil.

To ambush these Domain Beyond demons, the entire world had written countless heroic and moving tales.

Yet even after years of struggle, demons would descend at intervals, sparking waves of blood and slaughter.

Soon, the army formed by the Six Main Cities began to converge, all gathering toward the Central Plains.

They had encountered this scenario countless times; their mobilization capability had grown ever faster.

Just as this group prepared to ambush the invaders, inside a grand Main Hall.

Five men and one woman sat on chairs, their expressions grim.

Among the six, a middle-aged man led them; he wore a black robe, his aura as deep as an ocean.

All six were Pseudo-Innate Strong Persons who had achieved Flesh Body Breakthrough.

"They've sent more Strong Persons to harvest us again."

"For countless years, our ancestors have fallen in battle—is this truly our final destiny?"

A beautiful red-clad woman wept bitterly.

This woman was Liu Moxue, one of the Six City Lords of the Chaos Lands.

"Alas… this place is a cage; we have no choice—Innate Strength is impossible to break through, and 'ascension' to the Upper Realm is also difficult."

The leading middle-aged man's gaze was distant and gloomy.

This man was Fang Yanbin, the strongest among the Six City Lords and the First City Lord.

"Those predecessors who barely broke through to Innate Strength have vanished without a trace—is 'ascension' to the Upper Realm merely a conspiracy?"

The Second City Lord, Zhou Yitao, wore a face full of resentment.

He was not afraid of death—he feared dying without meaning.

"We carry Holy Blood within us; since we cannot escape, then let us kill."

As he spoke, blood-red stripes spread across his face, waves of malevolent energy surging in all directions.

"Immediately summon all experts and go to subdue the demons—this time, we must slay this demon lord and never let him escape again…"

Fang Yanbin's voice was utterly icy, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.

After discussing the details briefly, the six departed in haste.

…

Several hours later.

On a vast expanse of rocky wasteland.

Lu Zhangsheng stood holding a Long Blade, calmly watching the horde of demonic forces before him, his expression as placid as still water.

A light breeze stirred his White Long Robe, radiating an aura as immovable as a mountain.

The army before him numbered over ten thousand.

Each face bore crimson patterns—clearly, all carried Meridian bloodlines.

These people formed a battle array, their malevolent energy intertwining, as if even the clouds above were shattered.

Lu Zhangsheng had never seen such a vast demonic army; he was deeply astonished.

He hadn't expected them to detect him so quickly.

At that moment, from the front of the demonic formation, a middle-aged man clad in blood-red armor shouted: "Brothers, behind us lie our parents, wives, and children—we cannot let this demon take another step! For the honor of the Crimson Flame Army, today we exterminate demons and defend the Dao—kill!"

"Kill, kill, kill!"

Countless men roared in unison, their malevolent energy swirling like smoke.

Immediately, a group under the command of the middle-aged general charged toward Lu Zhangsheng.

Ten thousand men wielding Long Spears surged forward like a flood, their might shaking the heavens.

"Exterminate demons and defend the Dao?"

Lu Zhangsheng found this strange.

He had no interest in learning the history of this world.

He simply raised his Long Blade and charged forward.

His speed was so great that only residual shadows remained in the air.

In an instant, the two sides collided.

"Boom—boom—boom…"

The violent impacts echoed through the sky; powerful energy splashed wildly, stirring layers of smoke and dust.

At the first contact, the demonic army was torn open by a massive gap; countless soldiers were thrown off their feet.

Many were instantly cut into pieces, their blood splattering the ground.

Lu Zhangsheng walked through the army as if strolling through a courtyard.

Each swing of his blade claimed over a dozen lives; his ears filled with endless screams.

His surrounding aura blocked torrents of blood.

【Killing Intent increased by one percent…】

【Killing Intent increased by one percent…】

As Lu Zhangsheng sank deeper into slaughter, his Martial Dao True Intent surged rapidly.

Beneath his feet, the ground had become a mountain of corpses and sea of blood, like crimson lotuses blooming.

Lu Zhangsheng walked among the blood lotuses, like a mighty deity.

Time passed slowly. The front-line army grew thinner; those still standing wore expressions of utter terror.

"Demon—he's a demon, stronger than any previous demon…"

A group of people, seeing Lu Zhangsheng slaughter wildly without any sign of weakening, were all filled with shock.

They had never encountered such a situation before.

Lu Zhangsheng ignored the group and continued slashing and killing.

The Killing Intent was also slowly strengthening.

This feeling was simply too wonderful.

With his Qi and Blood, even if he killed continuously for ten days or half a month, he would not grow exhausted.

This was the terrifying advantage of a perfect breakthrough—the path of the Heavenly Pride was utterly incomparable to that of an ordinary genius.

"Hold on, everyone! The reinforcements from the Six City Lords are on the way…"

The middle-aged general roared.

His loud voice echoed through the heavens.

At that moment, a brilliant Blade Light slashed toward the middle-aged general, with ferocious, unstoppable momentum.

Before he could react, the Blade Light instantly severed his neck.

The middle-aged man clutched his neck and collapsed to the ground, face filled with unwillingness.

A torrent of blood gushed out, flowing in all directions.

One slash—the Tuotai Perfection general was dead.

The one who struck was none other than Lu Zhangsheng.

Those around him, upon seeing this, were all filled with terror, their hearts shaken to the core.

Their general, whom they had always regarded as a heavenly figure, could not even block a single slash.

"The demons are ferocious—the general has fallen!"

Their voices were filled with grief.

They rushed wildly toward Lu Zhangsheng, launching a suicide charge.

【Killing Intent increased to fifty percent.】

At this moment, a clear alert echoed deep within Lu Zhangsheng's mind, making his expression brighten.

With this enhancement of Martial Dao True Intent, his strength rose another ten percent—he was likely not far from true Heavenly Pride status.

He raised his weapon and charged forward again.

"Aaah…"

As endless Blade Lights darted through the air, screams of agony echoed across the entire Battlefield.

Large numbers of soldiers were instantly cut into pieces; the wasteland resembled a hellish scene.

The air reeked of shocking amounts of blood.

The demonic army, stimulated by the blood, seemed to have lost their reason and fought to the death without retreating.

This Battlefield had become a massive meat grinder.

Time slowly passed; after half an hour.

The entire wasteland held no living creatures—broken limbs and severed torsos lay everywhere.

Numerous blood-red Crystal Cores scattered around, highly conspicuous.

Lu Zhangsheng picked up one and examined it closely.

Each Crystal Core was no larger than a thumb, emitting a soft glow.

【Unknown energy source detected. Absorb?】

A crisp alert echoed in his mind, making Lu Zhangsheng's face light up.

So these crystals truly could be absorbed—no wonder the Demon Suppression Bureau outside purchased them.

They even restricted access to only the Ten Deputy Hall Masters.

One reason was to cultivate talent; the other was for sustainable development.

Lu Zhangsheng no longer hesitated—he immediately began absorbing.

【Source Energy Points +1.】

Then he swiftly gathered the Crystal Cores from the ground.

【Source Energy Points +1.】

【Source Energy Points +1.】

……

The alert tones in his mind seemed endless.

Soon after.

All the Crystal Cores on the ground had been fully absorbed.

His Source Energy Points increased by roughly eleven thousand.

The general had directly granted him ten points; the Crystal Cores were also much larger than those of ordinary soldiers.

Then, Lu Zhangsheng raised his blade and walked forward.

After this battle, he had developed some suspicions.

These demonic beings might have cultivated a certain Secret Technique, allowing them to condense Crystal Cores similar to those of Meridian—ordinary Demon Servants had no such thing.

As for the origin of these Secret Techniques, that was an internal secret of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

It was highly likely they had been planted into the world specifically to harvest these demons.

Demon Servants who cultivated this Secret Technique would also gain considerable strength.

At the same time, it would also train several Deputy Hall Masters.

……

One day later.

Above a small desert.

Lu Zhangsheng pressed on through the endless wind and sand, advancing slowly beneath the scorching sun.

After the last great battle, that group of Demon Servants seemed to have learned of his strength and chose not to come seeking death.

Still, he knew the final decisive battle could not be far off.

Sure enough.

Half a day later, at the edge of this desert.

A large group of figures stood upon the sand, faces grim with killing intent.

The six at the forefront radiated momentum like a rainbow, interweaving with the army as if they could crush anything.

The entire army numbered around five thousand again, clearly more elite than before.

The six leaders were precisely the great city lords, who after a long journey had finally reached this place.

Lu Zhangsheng walked to an open patch at the edge of the sand and quietly watched the crowd ahead.

"Six city lords with Pseudo-Innate strength?"

In that instant, he knew the identities of these six.

Strong Persons who could cut their way out of tens of thousands of Demonic Soldiers — their strength was absolutely extraordinary.

Their Martial Dao True Intent was likely extremely profound as well.

Placed in the outside world, they would surely have broken through to the Innate Realm.

The one at the very front even gave Lu Zhangsheng a faint sense of pressure.

"Everyone, follow me and quickly subdue the demons!"

Fang Yanbin's face was full of killing intent.

As he spoke, he raised his Long Spear and charged forward, his surrounding aura terrifying.

"Clack clack clack…"

Zhou Yitao and Liu Moxue led the army closely behind, boundless murderous aura spreading through the void.

Seeing the crowd charge in, Lu Zhangsheng directly raised his blade and met them.

"Whoosh…"

He transformed into a Residual Shadow weaving through the void, his speed astonishingly fast.

With his Transcendent Mastery of light-foot techniques, he could probably stand shoulder to shoulder with some Innate Strength.

In an instant.

The two sides collided.

"Ah…"

A great number of screams rang out; one armored soldier after another toppled to the ground, heads and bodies separated, the scene utterly bloody.

Lu Zhangsheng paid no heed to the six at all, instead relying on his speed advantage to launch a bloody slaughter among the ranks.

Wantonly reaping the lives of these Demonic Soldiers.

"Ah… seeking death…"

Fang Yanbin and the others were full of shock and fury, yet utterly helpless, able only to watch their own subordinates be slaughtered.

They could not catch up to the man before them at all, nor had they expected his speed to be so fast.

A whole tier faster than the demonic cultivators who had appeared in previous encounters.

At the same time.

Lu Zhangsheng slaughtered soldiers on one side while collecting Crystal Cores on the other.

The notification sounds in his ears came in an endless stream.

"Source Energy Points +1."

"Source Energy Points +1."

……

The resources in his hands were climbing madly.

Half a cup of tea's time later, there were hardly any standing figures left around.

Lu Zhangsheng looked at his Panel.

Source Energy Points: 17000.

Resources had exploded once more, and even the plus sign behind Killing Intent had lit up.

He no longer hesitated and immediately clicked it.

As fifteen thousand Source Energy Points were deducted, a mysterious fluctuation descended once again.

It was as if a supreme Strong Person were drilling day and night within his mind.

【Killing Intent has been raised to sixty percent.】

Lu Zhangsheng gripped the blade hilt tightly, as if he could feel the blade itself breathing.

After this enhancement, his own attack power had risen another notch.

(End of this chapter)