One more catty, one more attribute point

The chains clinked and the firelight flickered. In the dimly-lit hall filled with the stench of blood, the giants slowly dispersed to either side, forming vertical lines.

A burly figure emerged slowly from the darkness of the stairwell, his wild hair draped over his shoulders, and his muscular build towering over the Dragon Guards by more than just one level. His face bore a rugged, masculine charm with a gentle smile, but his eyes sent a chill down the Wind Demon General's spine.

They were not the eyes that one would cast upon their own kind.

They were more like those of someone looking upon a choice piece of meat that had been carefully prepared by a chef, or a lab rat on an experimental table.

"You—" the Wind Demon General trembled all over as she began to speak.

But Su Heng's large hand had already rapidly enlarged in her field of vision, grabbing her chin and lifting the Wind Demon General, who had been stripped into a human stick, into mid-air. His thick thumb forcibly pried open her mouth corner, stuffed inside, sweeping over the neat row of teeth as though inspecting a puppy.

The Wind Demon General gagged violently, her face flushed red, and thick saliva dripped down the corner of her mouth, drawing silver-white threads.

"My lord?" Wang Xindong nodded in greeting to Su Heng.

"You've done well," Su Heng said, tossing the Wind Demon General on the floor as if she were trash, "better than I had imagined."

Su Heng smiled.

His gaze fell on the Wind Demon General, "Spare this one's life for now."

Some attempts with the female Dragon Guards could start with the Wind Demon General, collecting data from her body, squeezing out every last bit of value from her.

"Understood," Wang Xindong nodded.

The chains hanging from the ceiling clattered and the firelight trembled slightly.

The skull that had been shoved into the wall fell to the floor and exploded into pieces with a "bang."

Su Heng glanced at it and then turned his gaze back to the Wind Demon General. Whether from the terror of fright or excessive loss of blood, her complexion had turned a terrible shade of pale. Even her once rosy and tempting lips had lost their color, saliva dripping without her notice.

Such a High Being of the Heavenly Deceit Realm was actually scared to such an extent.

Su Heng shook his head.

Slap!

He squatted down and patted the Wind Demon General's cheek.

"Don't be afraid, I don't eat humans," Su Heng said, extending two fingers to pinch the Wind Demon General's chin. "Next, I'll ask; you'll answer."

"Understood?"

"Mhm," the Wind Demon General blinked, swallowing the saliva secreted below her tongue with difficulty.

"Who sent you, and what is your purpose?" Su Heng asked.

"Bogavant..." the Wind Demon General answered with a quiver, "he wanted me to cause chaos in Baihua County and the Demon Suppression Bureau, then lure you out from here."

"And then?"

"Into a trap," the Wind Demon General gasped in pain, "Bogavant will take matters into his own hands."

"The leader of the Anlong Organization?" Hearing this name again, Su Heng's brows furrowed slightly, then he asked, "Just him alone? What's his current realm?"

"I don't know," the Wind Demon General shook her head, her face full of fear.

"Is that so?" Su Heng's face held a trace of pity as he gently wiped away a tear from the corner of the Wind Demon General's exquisite eyes with his thumb.

"What a pity..."

He suddenly sighed, "If you don't have the answers, then you're useless."

"I—" The Wind Demon General's eyes widened, she gasped for air wildly. Even with her arms torn off, she struggled fiercely like a fish out of water, "Bogavant has reached the second stage of the Heavenly Deceit Realm, perfection. And the Future Buddha, Jialan Gunna, I'm not sure, but he might also take action."

The second state of Heavenly Deceit is Qi Control.

It allows borrowing a portion of power from the realm of immortality, integrating it with one's own strength.

Dark Secret King and the leader of the Anlong Organization should be in the same realm. As for the Future Buddha, Jialan Gunna, Su Heng was not very clear either. But as long as it was within the realms of Heavenly Deceit, there was nothing too worrisome for him.

As for the existence above Heavenly Deceit...

Having never encountered one, it was hard to say who was stronger or weaker.

An Shelie was rumored to have reached this realm, but that was just hearsay.

And after over a thousand years, coupled with severe injuries and resurrection from death, even if Su Heng were lenient, allowing him to condense Dragon Blood, he could not return to his peak.

In fact, the strength of a Martial Artist...n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Apart from the objective factors of physical fitness, subjective will can also bring about significant changes.

If one advances on the path of martial arts with unbroken successes, naturally they will become stronger with every battle.

On the contrary, if they fall into the Sunset Valley, witness great changes, or their spirit is broken, even in the prime of life, it will be difficult to return to their peak.

"Bogavant, Jialan Gunna..." Su Heng released his grip on the Wind Demon General's cheek, digesting the information just obtained from her. His gaze passed through the window, looking toward the slowly rising red sun outside.

Su Heng raised his eyebrows, a cold smile flitting across his face, "Although the Dragon Guard project was quickly completed and launched with a lot of help from those two, their repeated probing tests my patience—which is not very good."

"It's time to get some fresh air outside."

Su Heng patted his hands, looked down at the Wind Demon General lying on the ground, her ample chest squished into two round cakes, and said coldly, "Where are they?"

"Outside Wei'an City, on the west side, about two kilometers away in a desolate mountain." The Wind Demon General replied.

Wei'an City was in the northern part of Jiangzhou, not far from Chijin County, where the army of Skull Plain was stationed. Choosing the battlefield here allowed for offensive advances and defensive retreats. Although Su Heng had never met Bogavant, he couldn't shake the feeling that the man was watertight in his strategies.

"There might be an ambush here." Wang Xindong, who was beside him, also looked up and said, "Sir, would you like us to accompany you?"

Only after experiencing aging and weakening could one understand the marvelousness of youth. Having undergone the Dragon Guard remodeling surgery, Wang Xindong had returned to his prime, brimming with a fighting spirit, his eyes radiating a fervent golden light.

The rest of the Dragon Guards, although not as enthusiastic as Wang Xindrong, began to breathe heavily.

They were clearly extremely excited for the imminent battle.

The Wind Demon General trembled as she lay on the ground watching this scene, wondering, "What kind of monsters are these?"

Compared to here.

The unfathomable Skull Plain could practically be considered paradise.

However, after some thought, Su Heng still shook his head and refused their proposal, "We can't deplete all our strength at once, or else there will be no one to watch over Baihua County."

"Okay," Wang Xindong didn't say more and nodded in agreement.

The sound of conversation continued.

The Wind Demon General looked up to see that the others were not paying attention to her.

A shade of despair flitted across her delicate and alluring face. She stuck out her tongue and pressed it against a tooth on her upper jaw.

Her eyes held a flash of resolution, and she was about to bite down fiercely to activate the poison hidden in her molar—choosing to take her own life rather than fall into Su Heng's hands alive.

However—

At the moment she moved, a force field was activated.

The Wind Demon General's arms were removed, and her body, like a meaty worm, seemed to be frozen in amber.

Her mouth agape, her trembling eyes filled with despair. Su Heng looked down and let out a "heh" in laughter, then reached out and grabbed. With the gravity released, the Wind Demon General's body, lying on the ground, floated up and was pressed into his hand.

Crack!

Su Heng's fingers clenched with force.

A surge of intense pain washed over the Wind Demon General, her eyes rolling back.

In an instant, her jawbone shattered, and her previously beautiful and delicate face deformed as a result, looking like a squashed, inelastic piece of putty, slackly hanging down. Blood mixed with saliva dribbled out of her mouth down her tongue.

"Did I allow you to kill yourself?" Su Heng said coldly, tossing her aside like trash.

"I'm going out for a while," Su Heng told Wang Xindong, "Keep an eye on her."

"If she tries anything funny, strip her skin for me."

"Understood," Wang Xindong responded solemnly.

"Good," Su Heng nodded and shifted his gaze away from the Wind Demon General. In the dim, stone hall, he took a step forward. Accompanied by a ripple-like tide of energy that spread outward, kicking up dust, his towering figure vanished in an instant.

...

...

...

In Jiangzhou, outside Wei'an City, within a secluded grove of a small mountain.

The leader of the Anlong Organization, Bogavant, squinted his eyes, still draped in that old, dark red monk's robe. In his left hand, he held a string of Buddha Beads carved into skulls, while his other hand held an oil lamp covered with human skin and wick made from human tendons.

"Om maha yaksha jar​ ritasa datsa rakshasa..."

Bogavant's withered lips constantly moved, endlessly chanting ancient and drawn-out Sanskrit from this emaciated monk's mouth.

As the Buddha Beads turned, amidst the chanting, the interwoven network of blood on the human skin grew increasingly bright. Vaguely, one could see fiery claws pressing against the lampshade, creating a scene of violent friction as if some fierce ghost or wronged soul was bound within this old oil lamp, currently enduring the torment of a heart on fire.

Soft but agonizing wails also began to arise, echoing through the dense forest.

Curls of white smoke rose along the lamp, spreading outward.

In the early morning, a breeze blew through.

The surrounding lush forest rustled loudly, yet the white misty fog did not disperse.

Rather, it gathered more and more until it finally transformed into strings of ancient Sanskrit, bursting with golden light, which then became engraved on the surrounding rocks, cliffs, and ancient trees. The golden light from the Sanskrit gradually dimmed, and eventually, the white fog also disappeared without a trace.

It was as if nothing had happened, but the entire forest fell into an eerie silence, apart from the alternating sounds of light and heavy breathing, no other noise could be heard.

"To set up the Bringing Down the Triple-World Mighty King Array using imperial-grade blood incense, you really are willing to spare no expense." A voice tinged with sarcasm spread through the quiet of the woods. The ground trembled, and two tall trees, over ten meters high, were casually pushed aside, as a mountainous figure stepped in.

This person was none other than the future Buddha, Jialan Gunna.

Different from his usual bare-bodied, pig-like carefree appearance,

Jialan Gunna was now draped in a gold and red robe, with a lotus-shaped mage hat on his head, and a huge golden staff in his hand, having somewhat the demeanor of a Grandmaster.