I Have 10 Equipment Slots

Gu Zheng reached out and took it. He grasped the Jade Talisman, feeling a sharp aura within. On its surface was the imprint of a sword-shaped symbol.

"This is a Sealing Sword Talisman. I’ve sealed a blast of my Sword Gang inside. Crush it to release an attack with the full force of one of my strikes. Take it for your protection."

’Xie Bisheng’s full-force strike?’

’Holy crap!’

’This is a superweapon!’

SWOOSH~

Gu Zheng immediately bowed and dropped to one knee. "This student thanks you, Master Xie!"

This gift from Xie Bisheng could very well save his life one day.

A full-force strike from someone on the verge of reaching the peak of the Heroic Body Realm was undoubtedly Gu Zheng’s strongest trump card.

"Get up."

Xie Bisheng’s face remained cold as he said nonchalantly, "After you go north, you can head to Kaiyuan Prefecture first and pay a visit to Meng the Big Nose."

"...Yes, I will remember that!" Gu Zheng suppressed a laugh and slowly rose to his feet.

How could he not understand Xie Bisheng’s meaning?

Just as he was about to take his leave, he remembered something. He took out the deep, ink-colored scale from his chest, wrapped it in Divine Wondrous energy, and presented it to Xie Bisheng.

"Master Xie, I’d like to ask you about this scale..."

"A Reversed Soul Scale!?" Before Gu Zheng could finish, a sharp glint flashed in Xie Bisheng’s eyes, his voice filled with astonishment. "Where did you get a Reversed Soul Scale?"

"A Reversed Soul Scale?" Gu Zheng repeated the name. "I peeled this off a Second-Order Cyan Scale Demon that I killed back in Sishui Prefecture."

"A Second-Order Cyan Scale Demon?"

Xie Bisheng pondered for a moment, then sighed with feeling. "Your luck is truly incredible. Not every Second-Order Scale Armor Demon Fiend can condense a ’Reversed Soul Scale’."

"The defensive power of a Reversed Soul Scale is astounding. Just this one piece... it would take me ten full-force strikes to possibly destroy it."

"However, its spiritual defense is even stronger than its physical defense. Take your Reversed Soul Scale, for example. It can resist and nullify almost any spiritual invasion from anyone below the King’s Body Realm."

"One piece of advice."

Xie Bisheng looked at Gu Zheng with a burning gaze. "Whatever you do, don’t let anyone else see this Reversed Soul Scale!"

With a wave of his hand, he sent the scale floating back to Gu Zheng.

"I understand!"

Gu Zheng put away the Reversed Soul Scale and bowed deeply to Xie Bisheng once more.

He naturally understood the principle that possessing a treasure invites disaster.

If Xie Bisheng hadn’t given him the Sealing Sword Talisman first, Gu Zheng would never have taken the scale out to ask for his opinion.

It seemed the abilities and reputation of the Reversed Soul Scale were no small matter.

The ability to be nearly immune to spiritual invasions from anyone below the King’s Body Realm was enough to tempt even a Heroic Body Realm expert.

It was a good thing Old Xie was a man of integrity.

If he had more than one, Gu Zheng would have even considered offering it to him as a sign of respect.

...

With the Guerrilla General Order and Sealing Sword Talisman in hand, Gu Zheng left the Demon Slayer Bureau headquarters and headed north.

This time, he didn’t bring a single Demon Suppression Guard or Warrior, nor did he ride his Half-Demon Qilin Horse.

Guerrilla tactics required high mobility.

No matter how much stamina the Half-Demon Qilin Horse had, it couldn’t fly, so it wouldn’t be of much help.

As for the other two Thousand Households, Li Shangjia and Xing Zhilong, they had already set out yesterday.

Although they didn’t travel together, Gu Zheng had met them both before and knew what they looked like.

Following Xie Bisheng’s instructions, Gu Zheng first made a trip to Kaiyuan Prefecture to find Meng Taiqi, who was garrisoning the Third-Order passage at Grand Canyon Mountain.

The passage at Grand Canyon Mountain had opened around the same time Four Directions Prefecture City fell.

The Domain had formed five days earlier than expected.

Since Meng Taiqi had arrived to garrison the area, he had already fought two battles with the Third-Order Demon Fiends that came out of the passage.

He had repelled them both times and even managed to leave one of their corpses behind.

When Gu Zheng arrived, his luck was good. Meng Taiqi had just repelled a charge from the Demon Fiends and had some free time.

He first informed Meng Taiqi of his mission—to conduct guerrilla warfare in the north for the foreseeable future—and then took out the Sealing Sword Talisman from Xie Bisheng to show him.

"Hmph."

After flipping the Sealing Sword Talisman over in his hands to inspect it, Meng Taiqi tossed it back to Gu Zheng and said disdainfully, "That stingy Old Scoundrel Xie, and he still won’t admit how cheap he is."

As he spoke, his hand flashed. He took a feather from his Storage Pouch—it was pitch-black with a faint purple glow and as long as Gu Zheng’s entire arm—wrapped it in Divine Wondrous energy, and sent it floating toward Gu Zheng.

"This is a Flying Feather made from a Third-Order ’Wandering Divine Falcon’. Infuse it with your Divine Wondrous energy, and it will boost your speed. Below the King’s Body Realm, no one will be able to catch you."

SWOOSH~

Gu Zheng dropped to one knee and caught the black Feather with both hands, saying gratefully, "Ping’an thanks you, sir!"

’I’m rich, I’m rich!’ he thought with inward ecstasy.

A Sealing Sword Talisman with a full-force strike from a Heroic Body Realm expert.

Wandering God Falcon Wings that made you faster than anyone below the King’s Body Realm.

With these two treasures, Gu Zheng would even dare to take on a Third-Order Demon Fiend!

’Wait a minute...’

’Add in the Reversed Soul Scale and the "Fearless Hero" Equipment Effect... and I really have nothing to fear from a Third-Order Demon Fiend!’

...

"Get up."

Meng Taiqi, unaware of Gu Zheng’s thoughts, raised a hand and said nonchalantly, "Now that you’re in the north, be careful when you’re on the move. There are many Demon Fiends here, and many powerful breeds. Some Demon Fiends are incredibly cunning, even more clever than those old ghosts in the Court. You must remain calm when you encounter them!"

"Yes, I will keep that in mind," Gu Zheng stood up and replied respectfully.

"Mm," Meng Taiqi nodded. "If you run into something you really can’t handle, you can lead the Demon Fiends my way, or send me a message."

"I understand!"

Gu Zheng thanked him again.

That may be so, but Gu Zheng wouldn’t send a message to Meng Taiqi unless it was a last resort.

He was needed more here at the Grand Canyon Mountain passage.

If a Third-Order Demon Fiend were to charge out of the passage with no one to stop it, the few remaining cities in Kaiyuan Prefecture would be utterly destroyed in a short amount of time.

Everyone would be killed.

Besides, with all his new equipment, Gu Zheng didn’t believe he’d be the one getting chased by Demon Fiends.

...

...

After receiving the treasure and bidding farewell to Meng Taiqi, Gu Zheng activated the Guerrilla General Order.