Starting from the steel of the heart, slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 17 Black Mirror

However, this smell was now more than ten times stronger than that of the rat, as if there was a demon's lair ahead.

Zhang Ping gripped the knife even tighter.

However, the two people in front of and behind him showed no abnormality whatsoever.

After turning another corner in the passageway, the view suddenly opened up ahead.

It was a huge stone chamber, as large as a three-courtyard house of an ordinary family, as if it had been carved out by human hands.

The stone chamber's dome was about two zhang high, with several oil lamps embedded in it, and the four walls were also covered with candles, illuminating the entire space as if it were daytime.

There were quite a few people in the stone chamber.

A rough count revealed about a dozen people, all dressed in black, similar in attire to Heng Ziyang and Guo Jie.

They were all busy with their own things.

But when Zhang Ping looked closely at what they were busy with, his pupils suddenly contracted.

They are moving things.

Something bloody.

In one corner of the stone chamber, several enormous bodies were piled up, covered in fur, scales, claws, and fangs—the corpses of demonic beasts.

Some were disemboweled, their internal organs spilling out onto the ground; others had their fur removed, revealing the purplish-red muscle texture beneath.

Several men in black were dragging a huge, boar-like monster with their bodies ripped open. The monster's belly was ripped open, and its contents were falling out as they were dragged, leaving a dark red trail on the ground.

On the other side of the stone chamber, someone was cutting something with a knife.

The sound of the blade slicing through flesh and bone was exceptionally clear in the empty stone chamber, a series of sharp, slicing cuts, like a butcher chopping meat on a chopping board.

Zhang Ping's gaze swept across the entire stone chamber, his expression unchanged, but his heart was already in turmoil.

The aura emanating from these monster remains indicated that they were at least at the seventh or eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm. Zhang Ping had never seen so many monster corpses before.

What exactly does the Jingtian Gate do?

Demon-hunting organization?

Without giving it much thought, Heng Ziyang continued walking, leading him directly through this bustling area.

Several busy men in black glanced up at them, said nothing, and continued with their work, seemingly unconcerned.

After passing through the stone chamber, there was another passageway ahead, but this time it was very short.

It was only a dozen steps or so before we arrived at another stone chamber.

This stone chamber is much smaller than the one outside, but the layout is clearly different.

The ground was clean and there was no bloodstain. Several maps with unknown contents were hanging on the stone wall. In the middle was a stone table with tea set on it.

There was also a black mirror next to it, taller than an adult.

The mirror was as black as ink, without any reflection, and had bronze dragon and tiger roaring patterns on both sides, making it look like an old object.

Zhang Ping took another look out of curiosity, but then he noticed that there was another man sitting right next to the mirror.

His gaze was drawn to the mirror, and he didn't notice it for a moment.

This man was about forty years old, tall and robust, with incredibly broad shoulders and back.

He sat there, motionless, like a statue cast in iron.

Furthermore, the clothes he wore were completely different from those of Heng Ziyang and the others; they were not simple cloth robes, but rather a suit of black armor.

The armor was made of some unknown material, and was entirely black.

And he had never felt this way with anyone before.

It was like being watched by a sleeping behemoth.

Even though you know it's not moving, your body has already begun to tense up instinctively.

"This person has probably already reached the Innate Realm."

Zhang Ping quickly made a judgment in his mind.

Above the Body Tempering Realm is the Blood Boiling Realm, and above the Blood Boiling Realm is the Innate Realm.

Heng Ziyang and Guo Jie had already reached the ninth level of Body Tempering, which could bring a sense of pressure to Zhang Ping, but that sense of pressure was limited.

But the burly man in front of me was different.

The aura emanating from him was not a difference in quantity, but a difference in quality.

It's like an ant facing a person.

No matter how strong an ant is, it can't shake a human finger.

Upon reaching the Innate Realm, one gains access to abilities that are difficult for ordinary people to comprehend.

As for what kind of methods were used, Zhang Ping had never seen them before, but he had only heard that such a level of skill was terrifying.

Heng Ziyang walked three steps in front of the man, stopped, bowed, and said, "Lord Town Lord, Zhang Ping has been brought here."

His voice was respectful and courteous, without a trace of playfulness or joking.

Guo Jie also bowed, and then he and Heng Ziyang stepped aside.

Zhang Ping stood still, looked at the man before him, and bowed respectfully, "I am Zhang Ping, greetings to the town lord."

The sound wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly in the quiet stone chamber.

The man's gaze fell on Zhang Ping.

She didn't scrutinize or examine him; she simply looked at him calmly.

"Um."

He responded, then rose and walked deeper into the stone chamber, saying, "Follow me!"

Upon seeing this, Zhang Ping immediately looked at Heng Ziyang, as if to say, "What's going on here?"

But Heng Ziyang winked at him, as if to say, "Go ahead, it's okay."

Despite her doubts, she still followed him.

The man led Zhang Ping into another passage deep within the stone chamber.

This passage is narrower than the one we came by, allowing only one person to pass at a time.

Zhang Ping followed behind him, his gaze fixed on the back of the jet-black armor. The armor plates rubbed together slightly with each step, producing a low, metallic sound.

After walking a few steps, the candlelight behind them gradually dimmed.

Heng Ziyang and Guo Jie have disappeared.

They didn't follow.

Zhang Ping's heart sank slightly, but he quickly adjusted his mindset.

After all, getting to this point meant there was no turning back.

Only he and the burly man in front of him remained in the passage, walking one after the other.

Inside the stone chamber, Heng Ziyang looked at Zhang Ping, who was standing motionless in front of a black mirror, and waved his hand in front of Zhang Ping's eyes twice.

Seeing that Zhang Ping did not react, he turned to Guo Jie beside him and said with a grin, "One tael of silver."

As he spoke, he held up one finger, "I bet he can last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Guo Jie glanced at him expressionlessly, then said coldly, "I accept. I bet he won't last half an incense stick's time."

Heng Ziyang blinked, tilted his head and looked at Guo Jie for two seconds, then twitched his lips. "Half an incense stick? You're really underestimating me."

Guo Jie remained silent upon hearing this.

On the other side, Zhang Ping followed the man, and after walking for an unknown amount of time, the passage seemed to have no end, stretching straight ahead.

Zhang Ping estimated the distance; if converted to the streets of Fenggu City, he was probably already halfway through the city, but the man in front of him still showed no intention of stopping.

Zhang Ping watched his retreating figure, wanting to speak several times, but swallowed his words back.

In this situation, he was unsure whether it was appropriate for him to speak up rashly.

But after walking for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the passage ahead remained dark and unchanged.

Zhang Ping finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"grown ups."

He asked, "Where are we going?"