The divine manifestations began at the Gongwei Division.

clang.

He deftly pinched the long sword that Chen Zhaowu had thrown at him with two fingers.

At the same time, a calm and collected voice rang in Chen Zhaowu's ears.

"Captain Chen, are you planning to kill me and then inherit my position as Garrison Commander?"

Before he could finish speaking, a figure had already landed in front of Chen Zhaowu.

Chen Zhaowu's fist landed in Zhou Heng's hand, and Zhou Heng grabbed his wrist.

No matter how hard he tried, his power vanished without a trace, as if it had disappeared into the sea.

He tried to pull his arm back, but the hand gripping his wrist was as solid as iron and wouldn't budge.

"You monster, let go of your Grandpa Chen right now, or you'll regret it!"

Chen Zhaowu shouted loudly.

Snapped!

Zhou Heng kicked Chen Zhaowu in the back of the knee, causing Chen Zhaowu to kneel on one knee.

"Whose grandfather are you?"

Zhou Heng said irritably, "Open your eyes wide and look carefully, am I a monster in disguise or not!"

"I am a martial artist; I cannot see through disguise!"

Chen Zhaowu declared defiantly, "You dare to defile my brother's body! Even if I die and become a vengeful ghost, I will never let you go!"

While Chen Zhaowu was still shouting, Xue Zhiwei had already flown over and stopped a step away from Zhou Heng, bowing respectfully.

"Commander, you're back."

Xue Zhiwei's eyes were filled with surprise.

Arriving through the air, the garrison commander not only returned alive, but also broke through to the upper third rank.

Is this even human?

At what age did the youngest commander of the Imperial Guard break through to the third rank? Forty? Or fifty?

She had never heard of a high-ranking official in his twenties!

"Xue Zhiwei, what are you doing? He's a demon in disguise!"

Chen Zhaowu shouted.

His face suddenly flushed red, and his body temperature rose rapidly; he was actually about to use the Blood Burning Secret Technique to fight desperately.

Zhou Heng looked helpless and delivered a palm strike to his neck.

Chen Zhaowu, with his neck stiffened, surprisingly did not faint.

Zhou Heng couldn't help but put in a little more effort and tried again.

boom!

Chen Zhaowu finally collapsed to the ground, his eyes rolling back in his head.

Xue Zhiwei looked helpless. When will Chen Zhaowu ever grow up and use his brain?

There are many ways to verify that a demon can use a disguise. Besides, have you ever seen a demon of the highest rank who still needs to use a disguise?

The top three-rank monsters roam freely and can come and go as they please, and even the Imperial Guard can't do anything about them.

Why would a monster like this need to use a painted skin to disguise its identity?

What's more, he was merely a masked figure disguised as the Garrison Commander of the Imperial Guard.

Even if they were to do that, the other party couldn't possibly fly over in full view of everyone.

Even a fool could tell that this was the strength of a top-three rank expert.

There are quite a few third-rank demons in the Demon Court, but in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, there is only the Heavenly Demon King.

The Demon King Pingtian must be bored and have nothing better to do than impersonate Zhou Heng.

Therefore, the person in front of me is undoubtedly the real Zhou Heng.

Moreover, Xue Zhiwei also used the Celestial Official's Qi Observation Technique to observe Zhou Heng. Zhou Heng's aura was dignified and upright, with absolutely no trace of demonic energy.

"The Demon King Pingtian and Lord Qingyang have been defeated and killed, and Shu Prefecture is safe for the time being."

Zhou Heng raised his hand, showing the two heads in his hand to Xue Zhiwei, and spoke.

Xue Zhiwei's eyes widened suddenly.

Her eyes were already big, but now they looked even rounder as she stared, making her face, which originally had a somewhat aloof air, suddenly look adorable.

"You—killed the Demon King Pingtian?"

Xue Zhiwei's eyes widened, and she stammered as she asked.

With the establishment of the Demon Court, the various demon kings wreaked havoc across the Great Yue Dynasty.

The troops sent by the Da Yue Dynasty kept suffering defeats. Even when all the commanders of the Gongwei Division took action, they could only barely hold off the demon kings.

Since the war between the Demon Court and the Great Yue Dynasty began, no Demon King has fallen.

If the Demon King Pingtian is really dead.

That would be the first high-ranking official to die since the war between the Great Yue Dynasty and the Demon Court began!

If word gets out that the Garrison Commander of the Imperial Guard has killed the Demon King of Pingtian, the morale of the Great Yue Dynasty will surely be greatly boosted.

This head is only worth the position of a commander.

As for Lord Qingyang's head, that's just an extra.

"The Garrison Commander has returned victorious, bearing the heads of the Demon King of Pingtian and the Lord of Qingyang Mountain!"

Xue Zhiwei took a deep breath, used his immortal magic, and raised his voice.

"Welcome back, Commander!"

A gentle breeze rose from the ground, carrying Xue Zhiwei's voice to the ears of the soldiers guarding Feilai Peak.

The garrison soldiers were all taken aback.

Immediately afterwards, a thunderous cheer erupted.

"Welcome, Commander-in-Chief!"

"Long live the Garrison Commander!"

A chorus of voices erupted from Feilai Peak.

Everyone was struggling to contain their excitement.

The Demon King of Pingtian and the Lord of Qingyang Mountain are like two swords hanging over the heads of Shuzhou.

These days, they've been on high alert, constantly on edge, all to guard against these two monsters.

Now, the garrison commander, having ventured alone into the Ten Thousand Mountains, has actually brought back the heads of these two monsters.

With such a pacifying envoy in Shu Prefecture, what is there to fear from the demon court?

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The crowd cheered.

A large group of people rushed down Feilai Peak and spontaneously lined up to welcome Zhou Heng.

Zhou Heng tossed the heads of the Heavenly Demon King and the Lord of Qingyang Mountain to Xue Zhiwei and slowly walked towards Shu Prefecture.

He walked through the crowd with a nonchalant smile on his face, waving to the guards.

"Thank you for your hard work, brothers. Next, you must guard the border and prevent the demons from the Demon Court from launching a counterattack."

"I, Zhou Heng, will always stand with my brothers."

Zhou Heng patted the shoulders of the guards.

The garrison soldiers were so moved that they wept.

Zhou Heng felt a cool breeze flowing into the Divine Court within his sea of ​​consciousness.

The illusory figure sitting cross-legged in the Divine Court became increasingly solid, appearing almost indistinguishable from a flesh and blood body.

The gratitude of the crowd towards Zhou Heng transformed into the power of faith, causing Zhou Heng's divine cultivation to soar like a rocket.

Zhou Heng brought back the heads of the Demon King Pingtian and the Lord of Qingyang Mountain. After Xue Zhiwei spread the word, the people of Shuzhou were filled with gratitude towards Zhou Heng.

Zhou Heng is now a god of Shu Prefecture.

Even the Great Yue Dynasty was not as important to the people of Shuzhou as Zhou Heng.

This is the spirit of nature.

It does not require the imperial court's investiture or endorsement.

He himself is the faith of the people.

This power of faith comes entirely from his own efforts.

In just a short while, Zhou Heng's divine official cultivation had already broken through from the fifth-grade Sun Wanderer realm to the fourth-grade realm.

He was a fourth-rank official, also known as the City God.

If a divine official appointed by the imperial court reaches this level, he will have the power to decide life and death with a single word within his fiefdom.

Zhou Heng was not a divine official appointed by the imperial court; his divine status came from the faith of the people of Shuzhou in him.

Once he set foot on the land of Shu, he possessed the power of a city god, capable of summoning souls at night and deciding life and death.

There are four ranks of celestial officials, four ranks of divine officials, and three ranks of martial arts practitioners.

Zhou Heng's strength has reached its peak since his transmigration.

Even if the Heavenly Demon King doesn't die, if it dares to set foot in Shu Prefecture, Zhou Heng is confident that it will never return.

It's no exaggeration to say that...

In Shuzhou, Zhou Heng is now virtually invincible.

Unless it's a second-rank demon saint or a first-rank great saint, he can kill one ordinary demon or monster if one comes, and he can kill two if two come.

Of course, this refers to a single monster.

If it were the demon army of the Demon Court, which could easily number in the tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, even Zhou Heng in his current state would find it difficult to fight them alone.

Even a martial arts master at the third rank can get tired and die.

Even if hundreds of thousands of monsters stood still, killing them would exhaust people to death.

It only took Zhou Heng one hour to fly back to Dragon City from the Demon Court.

However, it took Zhou Heng a full three hours to walk from Feilai Peak back into Longcheng City.

The people lined the streets to welcome them; their enthusiasm was truly overwhelming.

Zhou Heng couldn't refuse to give him face.

After all, these people are constantly providing him with the power of faith.

Upon returning to Longcheng, local officials came to pay their respects, but Zhou Heng spent some time getting rid of them.

At this moment, Chen Zhaowu came up to him, rubbing his neck.

"Are you really Zhou Heng?"

Chen Zhaowu looked Zhou Heng up and down and muttered, "How is this possible? Back in Qizhou, your cultivation level was about the same as mine."

I have now cultivated to the sixth rank of martial arts, and I am only one step away from the fifth rank.

This speed is the fastest in the history of my Chen family.

How could you possibly already be a third-rank official?

Xue Zhiwei remained silent.

Zhou Zhenfu Shi not only cultivated his martial arts to the third rank, but his immortal official cultivation was also at the fourth rank.

Compared to Commander Zhou, Xue Zhiwei felt that he was just an ordinary person.

Now, she blushes and feels embarrassed whenever someone praises her as a genius.

A fifth-rank celestial official at the age of twenty is quite remarkable.

Indeed, Xue Zhiwei, having learned from his mistakes, has worked hard recently and has broken through to the fifth rank of Immortal Official, a rank higher than Chen Zhaowu's.

But she couldn't feel proud at all.

Who can be arrogant in front of Zhou Heng?

"Didn't you see the head of the Demon King Pingtian?"

Zhou Heng said calmly, "The third rank isn't that difficult. With more practice, you'll naturally break through."

Chen Zhaowu: "..."

Do people say that?

With more practice, I can break through to the third rank?

If practicing more works, I'll practice even if it means staying up all night.

How many people cultivate day and night, yet how many actually break through to the third rank?

Which demon-slaying captain in the Guardian Division doesn't risk their life?

Which military commander wouldn't try every means to break through to the upper three ranks?

The reality is...

Even if you practice until you die, if you can't break through, you just can't break through.

"I'll train you, I'll train your sister..."

Chen Zhaowu muttered softly.

Although Zhou Heng heard what he said, he was too lazy to pay attention to this rude man.

"Captain Xue, has Lin Yaowang started refining the Heaven-Reaching Pill?"

Zhou Heng looked at Xue Zhiwei and asked about the important matter.

Previously, he had been promoting the Tongtian Pill extensively, intending to draw the court's attention to Shu Prefecture.

Instead of sending troops to Shu Prefecture, the imperial court attracted various martial arts figures.

Even powerful demons like the Heavenly Demon King and the Lord of Qingyang Mountain are eyeing the Heavenly Pill.

Although the Demon King Pingtian and Lord Qingyang are now dead, those martial arts figures who came for the Tongtian Pill are still in Shuzhou.

Moreover, who knows how many powerful demons are secretly lurking in the shadows.

The Heavenly Elixir was always a hot potato.

"not yet."

Xue Zhiwei composed herself and replied seriously, "My maternal grandfather said that one more ingredient is needed to refine the Heavenly Pill."

"What medicinal herbs? Not even the King of Southern Herbs?"

Zhou Heng asked curiously.

The Heavenly Pill has the potential to grant someone a direct entry into the second rank.

Even he was somewhat tempted by this.

Not to mention that the imperial court also issued a secret order to him, instructing him to escort the Tongtian Dan (a type of elixir) to the capital.

If we were to tell the imperial court now that the Heavenly Pill could not be refined, there would be no doubt about the reactions of the officials there.

In the Great Yue Dynasty, there are countless Rank 3 experts who want to obtain the Heaven-Reaching Pill.

"Mysterious Pearl Grass".

Xue Zhiwei said.

"Mystic Pearl Grass?"

Zhou Heng stroked his chin. What a coincidence.

He happened to have some.

The Demon Saint Bone is theoretically an item belonging to Lin Hanyuan, the King of Southern Medicine.

However, if Zhou Heng hadn't intervened, Lin Hanyuan wouldn't have been able to protect the Demon Saint Bone.

If Zhou Heng were to give the Mysterious Pearl Grass to Lin Hanyuan, the King of Southern Medicine, to refine pills, the resulting Heaven-Reaching Pill would belong solely to him.

He had obtained the Xuanzhu Grass with great difficulty from Lord Qingyang Mountain, and he didn't want to let someone else benefit from something so precious.

"If we have the Mystic Pearl Grass, how many Heavenly Pills can be made in one batch?"

Zhou Heng pondered for a moment and asked.

"Even if everything goes smoothly, it is already considered a stroke of luck to produce three pills in one batch of a pill of the Tongtian Dan level."

If even the slightest mishap occurs, the furnace will be destroyed and the elixir will be lost.

Xue Zhiwei said.

"As the King of Southern Medicine, what are the chances that your maternal grandfather would succeed in refining the elixir himself?"

Zhou Heng continued to press for answers.

Xue Zhiwei was exceptionally intelligent and seemed to understand something.

She said thoughtfully, "No one is absolutely certain about refining the Heavenly Pill."

Even if my grandfather were to do it himself, the chances of winning would only be 70%.

"A 70% chance of success is a bit low."

Zhou Heng pondered for a moment.

"My grandfather said that if we can find the Mysterious Pearl Grass and refine the Heaven-Reaching Pill, then according to the agreement between him and you, sir, you will decide who owns the Heaven-Reaching Pill."

Xue Zhiwei added a sentence.

Without Zhou Heng's intervention, the Lin family would not have been able to protect the Demon Saint Bone.

That was the promise Lin Hanyuan made to Zhou Heng that day.

"My lord, you don't understand alchemy, so you might think that a 70% chance of success is too low."

Actually, a 70% success rate in alchemy is really not low.

Xue Zhiwei said, "In the whole world, I'm afraid only my maternal grandfather can be 70% confident in refining a pill like the Tongtian Pill."

Zhou Heng neither agreed nor disagreed.

A 70% chance of success may not seem low, but isn't there still a 30% chance of failure?

The Demon Saint Bone and Mysterious Pearl Grass used to refine the Heavenly Pill are no ordinary materials; once destroyed, they are nowhere to be found.

"Alright, I have some Xuanzhu Grass. Go and find your grandfather."

Zhou Heng pondered for a moment and said, "Jin Guan City is a mixed bag and not a peaceful place. Let him come to Long City to refine pills, and I will personally protect him."

"Do you really have the Mystic Pearl Grass?"

Xue Zhiwei's guess was confirmed, but she was still somewhat shocked and said, "To refine the Heavenly Pill, the Xuanzhu Grass must be at least three hundred years old, otherwise its medicinal properties will not be sufficient."

"The Xuanzhu Grass in my hand was taken from Lord Qingyang Mountain. He said it was a thousand years old, but I'm not very knowledgeable about these things."

Zhou Heng took out the Mystic Pearl Grass and placed it in front of Xue Zhiwei. "But I think it wouldn't dare to lie to me."

Xue Zhiwei looked at the spiritual medicine that Zhou Heng had taken out, and carefully examined it repeatedly in her hand.

"It is indeed a thousand-year-old Mystic Pearl Grass!"

With this, my grandfather's chances of achieving immortality should increase by half a percent.

Xue Zhiwei said excitedly.

"You also know alchemy?"

Zhou Heng asked.

"I learned some basic skills from my mother when I was a child."

Xue Zhiwei said modestly.

"If it's convenient, could you teach me some alchemy techniques?"

Zhou Heng pondered for a moment and asked, "If it's inconvenient, then forget it. I'll go to the department and exchange for two manuals on alchemy to take a look."