I Have 10 Equipment Slots-Chapter 142 - 106: Gu Zheng Was Stopped

WHOOSH~

SWOOSH!

He spiraled down from the sky.

Gu Zheng landed precisely on the back of his Half-Demon Qilin Horse.

"Chief, what’s the situation?"

Zhang Ning wiped the sweat from his face and asked, letting out a breath.

"Are there Demon Fiends ahead?" Tao Liu had already taken off his armor, his collar open.

"Close enough."

Gu Zheng waved a hand and commanded, "Into the county seat!"

"Yes, sir!"

In unison, the three hundred sweat-drenched Warriors roared their assent. They spurred on their mounts, which panted with coats matted in sweat, and rushed toward the east gate of Mutun County.

The group moved with great speed.

After entering the city, they headed straight for the Mutun County Magistrate’s Office.

As they rode down the main street, it was deserted. Inside the open-front shops on either side, the few clerks still present were fanning themselves with cattail fans, sweat streaming down their faces.

They arrived at the Mutun County Magistrate’s Office.

Hatless and with his collar unbuttoned, County Magistrate Guo Zengyuan jogged up to Gu Zheng, wiping away sweat. He bowed deeply before him.

"This humble official, Guo Zengyuan, pays his respects, my lord!"

"Magistrate Guo, that burning mountain less than five li northwest of the city—when did the anomalies begin?" Gu Zheng asked as he walked into the main hall of the County Magistrate’s Office.

"Replying to you, my lord, it began three days ago."

Wiping his sweat, Guo Zengyuan answered, "Three days ago, the weather wasn’t this hot. To be precise, the county suddenly grew warmer late in the night on the twenty-seventh. At the same time, we heard terrifying cries from outside the city. We... we waited until dawn to investigate and found it was Old Ox Mountain. The mountain wasn’t on fire back then. But once the fire started, the county got even hotter."

At this, Guo Zengyuan paused and asked nervously, "My lord, it couldn’t be... there are Demon Fiends on Old Ox Mountain, are there?"

"There are Demon Fiends."

Gu Zheng glanced around the main hall, looked at the Warriors outside the doors, and frowned. "All of you, take off your armor."

"Thank you, my lord!"

The Warriors quickly expressed their thanks and helped each other remove their heavy Iron Armor.

"Magistrate Guo, have someone summon the City Defense Captain."

Gu Zheng said grimly, "Old Ox Mountain has already become a Domain. The county seat must be prepared!"

"Huh?"

"What?"

Guo Zengyuan, Zhang Ning, Tao Liu, and the others all cried out in shock.

"A Domain?"

An Xiaoxue, who was fanning her face with her hands, couldn’t help but gape. "A Domain less than five li from the county seat? This..."

"If this Domain activates, we’ll be hit head-on. There’d be no buffer time at all," Zhang Ning said, stunned.

"I... I..."

Guo Zengyuan’s mouth hung open; he was speechless for a long moment.

"What’s happened has happened. The key is how we respond." Gu Zheng clapped Guo Zengyuan on the shoulder, his Divine Wondrous power surging. "First, get the Captain here so we can plan our course of action."

"Yes, yes!"

Guo Zengyuan gritted his teeth. "I’ll go summon him at once."

With that, he cupped his fist in a salute, turned, and quickly departed.

As the Demon Suppression Guard carried out their missions across the land, local Government Offices and officials had come to know what a Domain was.

Compared to wandering Demon Fiends, the appearance of a Domain was undoubtedly far more dangerous.

Demon Fiends could simply be killed. If they couldn’t be killed, driving them away was also an option.

But a Domain couldn’t be driven away. The only option was to enter it within seven days of its activation and destroy the Rule Array Hub.

But how could a Rule Array Hub be so easily destroyed?

Just finding it was a problem in itself.

Gu Zheng had succeeded twice. The first time was pure luck; the second time, he had fought his way up the mountain by sheer force.

They still didn’t know the situation with the Domain on Old Ox Mountain.

If they couldn’t find the Rule Array Hub, and seven days passed, it would transform into a channel. Mutun County would be finished!

The City Defense Captain arrived quickly.

As soon as he arrived, Gu Zheng issued an order: mobilize all the government constables, constables, and County Soldiers to evacuate the civilians from outside the city.

Once the Domain activated, anyone left outside the city walls was basically waiting to die.

Old Ox Mountain was so close to the county seat; the villages and towns surrounding the city were the top priority for evacuation.

Lives were at stake, so they had to go out despite the extreme heat.

All three hundred Warriors were deployed as well.

This was where the Half-Demon Qilin Horses ridden by Gu Zheng and his men came into play.

They were strong and heat-resistant.

Whether carrying people or pulling carts, the three hundred-plus mounts were a huge asset.

Zhang Ning and An Xiaoxue didn’t stay idle either; they went out to help.

Only the injured Tao Liu remained behind to defend the county seat, stationed on the city walls to guard against any Demon Fiend incursions.

Gu Zheng’s task was the most critical. First, he had to clear out any Demon Fiends that had already emerged from Old Ox Mountain. Although none had attacked the county seat in the past three days, some might already be roaming in other directions.

After the Domain activated, he would have to enter it, find the Rule Array Hub, and destroy it!

They had thought the Domain’s activation would take at least three to five days, maybe even ten days or half a month.

But unexpectedly, at noon the very next day, a tremendous BOOM echoed as the sky went dark.

A dim canopy rumbled across the heavens, blanketing the entire Mutun County.

In an instant, an area with a fifty-li radius centered on Old Ox Mountain was plunged into darkness.

Cries of shock and screams erupted throughout Mutun County.

Outside the city, the civilians who were still being evacuated, along with the County Soldiers, government constables, and constables, were equally horrified.

Thankfully, the three hundred Warriors had also spread out to help.

At the critical moment, these Warriors calmed the various groups of people, hoisted the old and the young onto their backs, and everyone ran for the county seat.

Gu Zheng, who had been hunting for Demon Fiends outside, also flew over. He found these groups and joined in to help with the evacuation.

After half a day of frantic work, everyone from the villages and towns within a fifty-li radius of Old Ox Mountain had been evacuated into the county seat.

Fortunately, once the Domain officially activated, the high temperature began to drop.

Even with so many people flooding into the city, the drop in temperature made conditions bearable.

As for how to house all these people, Gu Zheng left that responsibility to Guo Zengyuan.