117: Human demon?

Lu Ze hummed, not saying anything more.

By his ear, the sound of Zhele suddenly rang out, "Master, some Different Lightning and Different Fire will sometimes leave suddenly. Aside from some special circumstances, some powerful Different Lightning and Different Fire may develop their own consciousness. They will choose to serve one person for a period of time, and if that time is up, or if they meet a stronger person they wish to follow, they will also leave on their own."

Lu Ze suddenly remembered what the System had said when he first subdued Zhele: that Zhele would not betray him for an estimated period of time.

This should be the situation Zhele was referring to now.

"Then, do you think that Devouring Flame has developed its own consciousness? Will it leave Xiong Lu on its own?"

Lu Ze's voice was very soft; even Fu Liang hadn't heard it clearly.

Zhele, however, knew exactly what Lu Ze was saying. After a brief thought, it replied, "Master, I cannot be certain. Even if the Devouring Flame truly developed consciousness, if it deliberately wanted to hide itself, with my current power, I would not be able to detect it."

Lu Ze nodded, temporarily suppressing the thought in his mind.

If he could unleash the true power of the Devouring Flame, this Different Fire would also be a good aid, but for now, he couldn't obtain it.

People in the field had already begun to clean up and repair. The explosion in the North Square had almost destroyed half of the venue, and it would probably take several days to repair.

Fu Liang called Lu Ze and the others to continue eating... Meng Yanxing hummed a tune all the way back to his office, opening the door with a sly smile, "Hmph, you want this old man to preside over justice for you? Dream on!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Yanxing sensed someone in the office. He poked his head in and saw Huan Shen already sitting in the office, even having brewed himself a cup of tea.

Meng Yanxing closed the door, sniffed, and walked over to Huan Shen. Looking at the opened tea packaging on the desk, his mouth twitched, "Lord Huan, where did you learn this skill of taking without asking? You learned it really well, you immediately took the one I was most reluctant to drink."

Huan Shen picked up the teacup and took a sip. "It's really good. Very delicious."

Meng Yanxing sighed, found a seat, and brewed himself the rest of the tea from the packaging.

It was already opened, couldn't waste it!

"Is there something you need, Lord Huan Shen?"

Meng Yanxing joked, "It can't be that Xiong Hao caused another stir, can it?"

Huan Shen shook his head, "I just came to say that the assessments in Xuanyuan City are almost complete. We will organize everything in a few days and then return to Yanjing."

Meng Yanxing had never inquired about the progress of Huan Shen and the others' assessments, but privately, he had always received reports. He knew that Huan Shen and the others' assessments were nearing their end, but he hadn't expected Huan Shen to actually come and tell him personally.

"Before returning to Yanjing, according to the instructions from above, I will open a Battlefield Ruins."

Huan Shen paused here, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she was considering something.

Meng Yanxing smiled, "What? Does Deputy Director Meng not want to open this Remains now?"

Huan Shen shook her head, "It's not that I'm unwilling to open it. Although many things remain in this Remains, after the personnel from Xuanyuan City enter, they will likely all gain something. Perhaps a few might even achieve a Breakthrough immediately, who knows. However, this Remains is also the most dangerous. I believe Deputy Director Meng has also heard of it. Do you need me to report it and have the Remains swapped out?"

"That's not necessary."

Meng Yanxing refilled Huan Shen's teacup. "In this era, once one enters the Demon Subduing Division, one must know that danger can happen at any moment. This level of danger is nothing compared to the benefits gained."

Seeing that Meng Yanxing seemed prepared, Huan Shen didn't need to say more. She sat for a short while and then left.

Meng Yanxing slowly savored his tea. After about half an hour, he got up and walked to his desk.

He used his Spiritual Qi to unlock the spiritual talisman on the desk drawer, then took out an old notebook from inside.

He slowly opened it. The edges of the notebook were yellowed, and some places even had small black mold spots.

This notebook was very thick, with every page filled with text or drawings.

Meng Yanxing flipped through page by page, finally finding the one he wanted.

What was originally drawn on the right-hand page had been completely covered by black pen marks, and nothing could be seen now.

Meng Yanxing's gaze moved from top to bottom, reading through the text annotated on the left-hand page. He bent the index and middle fingers of his right hand and gently tapped on the table.

"What secret does this thing hold, after all...?"

A gentle breeze came through the window, slightly lifting the pages of the notebook. At the top of the page, the words were clearly written: Human Demon!

...As night fell.

Xiong Lu only woke up from her hospital bed. She opened her eyes, her consciousness returning, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Soon after, Shen Zexing's voice came, "Xiong Lu, you're awake? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Do you need a doctor to come see you again?"

Xiong Lu came to her senses and sat up, leaning back with Shen Zexing's help.

"I'm fine now. They're all just superficial wounds, nothing serious. I'll be fine after some rest."

Xiong Lu understood her injuries well. Lu Ze hadn't truly intended to kill her; the location he chose for the explosion was quite far from Xiong Lu.

If Lu Ze had truly harbored murderous intent today, she would have been lucky to only lose an arm or a leg.

Shen Zexing looked at Xiong Lu's appearance, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, "When you fought Lu Ze today, did you uncover any of his trump cards?"

Xiong Lu immediately said, "Different Lightning, he has Different Lightning."

Shen Zexing's mouth twitched, "We already know that. Was there anything he used that was very strange, very special, very unexpected?"

Xiong Lu recalled. In her fight with Lu Ze today, the opponent hardly used any strange methods. It was just that Lu Ze's disappearance before the explosion was too sudden, too unexpected!

Seeing Xiong Lu's gaze slightly focus, Shen Zexing knew what Xiong Lu was thinking and immediately asked, "What is it?"

Xiong Lu was about to speak, but her expression suddenly hardened. She frowned, "Why are you asking this? Are you going to participate in the competition?"

Shen Zexing's expression froze, and Xiong Lu immediately understood.

Shennong City had lost two consecutive matches, and all of the Gengsi Class personnel had been defeated.

Tomorrow's final match, he, Little Commander Shen, would probably have to step up!

Xiong Lu snorted coldly, "Little Commander Shen, you are a Little Commander. To fight against a Gengsi Class member, wouldn't that make our Shennong City a laughingstock? Moreover, for you to inquire about Lu Ze's background in so many ways, wanting to defeat him, isn't that too unfair?"

"Laughingstock?"

Shen Zexing no longer bothered to pretend. He sneered, "Being defeated by Lu Ze in two consecutive matches, with everyone else defeated, and no one left to fight in the third match—would that not be a laughingstock? As for what you call fairness, 'know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles.' This is the Dao of military strategy. What's unfair about that?"

Xiong Lu didn't want to argue with him. She closed her eyes and smiled, "Major Achievement of the Fourth Grade... This cultivation level is still low. Heh, Little Commander Shen, if you accept the challenge tomorrow and are crushed by Lu Ze, who is at a lower rank, do you think you'll still have the face to return to Shennong City?"