"That's right, quickly now, each of you give me a cut. I have my own way to determine if you're demons or not," Gu Qingfeng rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular arms.
Gu Qingfeng's method, of course, relied on the system to distinguish truth from falsehood.
Even if a demon's attack couldn't provide attribute bonuses, the system would still react.
The two men looked at Gu Qingfeng's arm with hesitation.
"I've mastered the Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth techniques. Don't tell me you're afraid you might actually hurt me?" Gu Qingfeng urged impatiently.
The two men realized he had a point, so they each drew their long sabers and struck Gu Qingfeng's arm once.
Two metallic clangs rang out.
Gu Qingfeng remained completely unharmed, without even a white mark appearing on his arm.
"System, were those who attacked me human or demon?" Gu Qingfeng asked internally.
"Human," the system replied coldly.
With this, Gu Qingfeng was relieved.
"Alright, neither of you are demons, rest assured."
With that, this dramatic scene finally came to an end.
Afterward, Gu Qingfeng questioned Xu Fan about the situation, since he had arrived first and was well-read, he might know something.
Sure enough, Xu Fan didn't disappoint Gu Qingfeng.
"Sir, if I'm not mistaken, this place is likely a Shadow Domain," Xu Fan said with a grave expression.
"Shadow Domain?"
This unfamiliar term was beyond Gu Qingfeng's knowledge.
"Some powerful demons with unique talents can use their own power to distort portions of reality, creating their own domains. These are Shadow Domains, dimensional spaces that exist independently from reality."
"Hiss, that's impressive," Gu Qingfeng was surprised. "Their own domain? Even Innate Realm Masters can't do that. How powerful must these demons be?"
"Sir, demons with Shadow Domains aren't necessarily stronger than Masters. They simply possess unique talents that allow them to resonate with the rules of heaven and earth, thereby distorting reality to form Shadow Domains."
"That doesn't make sense. How can they resonate with the rules of heaven and earth if they're not as strong as Masters? If Masters can't do it, why can they?"
Xu Fan seemed to have been puzzled by this question for a long time, and after pondering for a moment, said: "Perhaps this world favors demons more."
Gu Qingfeng frowned slightly. After hearing Xu Fan's analysis, it did seem to be the case. Could it be that in this world, demons were the true protagonists?
Gu Qingfeng didn't dwell on this question and continued asking about the Shadow Domain.
"What's the purpose of a Shadow Domain? Is it just to trap us here with no way out?"
Xu Fan shook his head: "According to the books, different Shadow Domains have different rules. This place looks like the real world, but some rules have been distorted to form rules unique to the Shadow Domain. To escape from a Shadow Domain, one must first understand its rules."
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng became excited. Wasn't this just like an escape room? And since this demon was so special, it might drop some good talent skills for him.
"It's been a while since I've played an escape room game. Might as well enjoy this one."
With these words, Gu Qingfeng strode directly toward Black Water Village.
Xu Fan and Wang Shan initially wanted to warn Gu Qingfeng against being reckless, but then they remembered that their lord seemed naturally ignorant of the concept of fear. They said nothing more and just nervously followed behind Gu Qingfeng.
After entering the village, Wang Shan nervously asked Xu Fan: "Hey, bookworm, did the books say anything about how to escape from a Shadow Domain?"
Xu Fan shook his head: "Different Shadow Domains have different rules, so escape methods vary. But the books did mention that Shadow Domain rules differ from reality, and many unimaginable things might happen. So in a Shadow Domain, the most important thing is to avoid being rash. Even a small action might trigger serious..."
"Ha!" Gu Qingfeng's sudden shout interrupted their conversation.
"Old bastard! Finally found you!"
The two were startled by Gu Qingfeng's outburst. Looking in the direction of his voice, they saw an elderly man with a smile standing on the village's dirt road.
It was none other than Village Chief Hu Liang.
"Lord Gu, how have you been?" Hu Liang smiled.
Gu Qingfeng instantly flew into a rage, rolling up his sleeves as he charged at Hu Liang: "Smile at this!"
Xu Fan and Wang Shan were horrified. They had just finished discussing the importance of not being rash, yet Gu Qingfeng immediately charged in.
"My Lord, no!" Wang Shan tried desperately to stop him, but it was too late.
Gu Qingfeng's pot-sized fist, carrying a fierce wind, landed squarely on Hu Liang's head as Xu Fan and Wang Shan watched in terror.
Bang!
A sound like breaking glass rang out.
The expected scene of a head exploding like a watermelon didn't occur. Instead, something eerie happened.
Hu Liang, who had taken Gu Qingfeng's punch, still wore his smile, but his body cracked like a broken mirror, covered in countless fractures.
Then with a crack, Hu Liang shattered.
He broke into countless pieces that fell to the ground like a human puzzle.
Soon, before everyone's astonished eyes, those pieces gradually lost their color and turned into actual mirror shards, as if Gu Qingfeng had punched a mirror rather than Hu Liang.
Wang Shan and Xu Fan quickly ran over. Looking at the mirror shards on the ground, Wang Shan exclaimed in surprise: "Why did Hu Liang turn into a mirror? Is this the rule of the Shadow Domain - people turn into mirrors when they die?"
Xu Fan stared at the fragments with a grave expression, muttering: "Mirror? I think I've read about this somewhere."
After pondering for a moment, he suddenly seemed to remember something, his face changing dramatically as he spoke in horror: "I remember now - it's the Mirror Demon! But that's impossible! The Mirror Demon died two hundred years..."
Before Xu Fan could finish, he noticed Gu Qingfeng's actions and froze, his expression turning wild: "Lord Gu, don't look..."
Before he could complete the word "look," Gu Qingfeng had already picked up a mirror shard and was carefully examining it, admiring his handsome reflection as he casually asked: "Don't look at what?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the mirror shard in Gu Qingfeng's hand burst with brilliant light!
In an instant, Gu Qingfeng was enveloped by the light and vanished.
Watching Gu Qingfeng disappear, Xu Fan beat his chest in despair: "Don't look at the mirror! Lord Gu! It's over, everything's ruined now."
With their pillar of strength Gu Qingfeng gone, Wang Shan frightfully hid behind Xu Fan: "Bookworm, what... what's going on here?"
Xu Fan explained with a grim expression: "We're dead for sure now."
"Pah pah pah, what are you saying! That's unlucky talk. How are we dead for sure? Explain yourself clearly!" Wang Shan said with trembling legs.