Chapter 64: Ripples
After copying the cultivation method, Su Heng opened the chest in the corner. As expected, it contained demonic materials: flesh, bones, strange hairs, and pills, but no demonic cores. This was understandable; the Luo family had used everything to survive. Su Heng lamented the wasted resources.
Grumbling, he returned to the hall, found some clothes, and packed the materials. The heavy bags strained against his back, a sword in his hand. He didn't feel the weight, but the bulk was inconvenient.
"If I could learn the Gluttony Art and develop a secondary stomach, this wouldn't be a problem," Su Heng thought. "I could just eat everything."
He decided to eat his fill upon returning, accumulating attribute points to maximize the Gluttony Art.
After checking for anything left behind, he prepared to leave. It was getting late; traveling back to the city with this load at dawn would cause trouble.
He considered the murals. With a flick of his Ghost Slayer sword, he reduced them to dust. He hadn't wanted to, but the murals were too large to carry, and more importantly, Su Li had mentioned that some powerful demons in the Heavenly Demon League collaborated with humans. If these murals fell into the wrong hands, they could be used to create powerful, obedient demonic warriors. Su Heng didn't want to leave any loose ends. He had already memorized the contents.
Before dawn, Su Heng left the stronghold with his spoils and the valuable cultivation method. The ripples from the destruction of one of Baihua Prefecture's seven Great Families were just beginning.
Baihua Prefecture, dawn.
In a modest mansion in the inner city, golden light streamed through the window.
Li Daoxuan, his back hunched, held a brush, writing the words "Cultivate Benevolence" on the xuan paper. He smiled, then placed the brush down. Even a simple movement was strenuous; his spine cracked as he straightened.
"Hiss…" He gasped. He looked like an eighty-or-ninety-year-old man on his deathbed.
Yet, few knew that this unassuming old man was at the pinnacle of power and status in Baihua Prefecture. This man, whose very presence shook the prefecture, stared blankly at a painting on the wall.
The painting, as old as the man, was yellowed with age. A tall, imposing middle-aged figure stood with seven young men and women. The figure embraced them, a happy smile on his face. The scene seemed frozen in time.
"Sigh…" Li Daoxuan sighed, remembering his training with his master and their vows to vanquish demons and uphold justice. Those days were a century past.
His master had disappeared, his fate unknown. His senior siblings were either killed by demons or driven mad by demonic cores, subdued by his own hand. He was the only one left upholding their vows.
But the echoes of the Heavenly Demon's resurgence were growing louder. Demons were awakening, the Great Families were plotting, the Demon Suppression Tower was unstable, and factions were forming within the Agency. He was nearing his end, feeling his body weaken with each sunrise. His chosen successor was too inexperienced.
"Should I take that path?" Li Daoxuan frowned. Integrating a demonic core could extend his life, but it was fraught with danger. His senior sibling's fate was a warning.
A rapid knocking interrupted his thoughts. Before he could answer, the door burst open, revealing Jin Mingxi.
Li Daoxuan didn't need to look up; he recognized her impetuous nature.
"Mm?" Li Daoxuan looked up, noticing a hint of…委屈 (委屈 - grievance, injustice) on Jin Mingxi's usually impassive face. He wasn't sure, but he asked, "How did it go?" Referring to her meeting with Su Heng.
Jin Mingxi didn't answer. "Did you meet him?" Li Daoxuan asked patiently.
"Yes," Jin Mingxi nodded.
"How strong is he? Any problems?" Li Daoxuan asked, curious about the letter's contents.
"Very strong," Jin Mingxi replied tersely.
"Did he agree to join the Demon Suppression Agency?" Li Daoxuan asked.
Jin Mingxi was silent. Li Daoxuan was puzzled.
"He neither agreed nor refused," Jin Mingxi said after a moment, recounting the events of the previous night.
"I see…" Li Daoxuan stroked his chin. "You weren't injured?"
"No," Jin Mingxi shook her head. "He showed mercy."
"Since you told him I'd meet him, I will," Li Daoxuan smiled. Su Li had been a surprise; her brother was even more so.
"But we should postpone this," Li Daoxuan took a letter from under his desk, his expression turning serious.
"Are you planning to act against the Luo family?" Jin Mingxi asked. Su Li's letter implicated the Luo family in the attack on the Demon Suppression Tower.
"The Great Families have become increasingly brazen. This is a good opportunity to curb their arrogance," Li Daoxuan straightened, a faint golden light in his eyes. "Baihua Prefecture is still our territory. If they cross the line, they will pay."
"Count me in," Jin Mingxi said.
Li Daoxuan nodded, about to speak, when the door burst open again. A tall man, panting, entered, looking at Li Daoxuan, then Jin Mingxi. It was Wang Xinlong.
"What's wrong?" Li Daoxuan frowned.
Wang Xinlong looked up, his expression complex. "I overheard you discussing the Luo family."
"Yes, so?" Jin Mingxi asked.
"No need to discuss it," Wang Xinlong said.
"Why?" Li Daoxuan asked.
"The Luo family has been wiped out."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 65: Reaction
Wang Xinlong's words were followed by an unsettling silence in the brightly lit study. An expression of disbelief flickered across Jin Mingxi's cold face. Her mouth opened, then closed as she regained her composure.
Li Daoxuan frowned, setting down the opened letter.
"Confirmed?" he asked.
"Confirmed," Wang Xinlong said. "It was first reported by a grain merchant's caravan. They reported it to the authorities, and I sent someone to investigate."
"The scene… corpses everywhere. Horrific."
Demonic resurgence and death were common, but the annihilation of a demonic clan was rare, especially the Luo family, which had several Demon Fetus Realm experts and wasn't among the weakest of Baihua County's seven great clans. Even if the Demon Suppression Agency wanted to deal with them, they would need careful planning.
"Who did this?" Jin Mingxi asked, surprised. The other clans were unlikely culprits, and the Agency even less so. Demons were a possibility, but the Heavenly Demon Alliance's powerful demons were under constant surveillance, with no unusual activity detected.
"Perhaps a high-ranking Luo family member went berserk," Li Daoxuan speculated. "I haven't seen the Luo family head in a long time. The incident in Changqing County suggested something was wrong. It seems I was right."
"But if it was a demonic mutation, there would be survivors," Jin Mingxi said. "There would be at least a couple of escapees."
"There are signs of human involvement."
"Who could it be?"
Li Daoxuan fell silent, various figures flashing through his mind, each dismissed.
Then Wang Xinlong spoke again. "My report indicates numerous corpses in the Luo family fortress, seemingly drained of life force by a Yin Body Sprout."
The Yin Body Sprout had been imprisoned in the Demon Suppression Tower, and they had records of its abilities. They recognized it immediately.
"The Yin Body Sprout is dead," Jin Mingxi said softly.
"But if someone successfully fused its remains, they could inherit some of its abilities," Wang Xinlong said.
The implication was clear.
"Ruthless," Li Daoxuan looked out the window. From their high vantage point, they could see ships on the river, glittering in the morning light.
A training room in the Demon Suppression Agency.
The spacious room featured a large Taiji Bagua diagram on the rough stone floor. The walls were inscribed with intricate diagrams, and incense burned in the corners, casting shadows in the sunlight streaming through the skylight.
Su Li sat cross-legged,
her gaze fixed on a mural on the wall—concentric rings of towering ice mountains surrounding a cold sun. She immersed her consciousness in the image, maintaining only a sliver of awareness.
She felt the biting cold spreading through her mind and body. Her already pale skin became translucent, then covered in a thin layer of frost. Her pupils turned sky-blue, ice crystals growing around her eyes.
As the frost threatened to engulf her,
she picked up a small jar beside her, drinking the liquid inside. Her body temperature rapidly rose, her skin reddening, emitting steam. She closed her eyes, enduring the searing heat and cold, guiding her True Force to stimulate the growth of her mutated cells.
After half an hour,
Su Li exhaled deeply, clenching her fists, a smile on her face. She had successfully mastered the second technique of the Hegemonic Dragon Eight Aspects Secret Art: Ice Shadow.
Wiping the sweat from her brow,
she left the training room, picking up a booklet listing properties in Baihua County's inner city. Following the disaster in Changqing County, she wanted to bring her family there and had been searching for suitable housing.
However,
properties in the inner city were expensive. She needed to discuss it with Su Heng before making a decision.
As she stepped into the courtyard,
a figure in red, carrying an oil-paper umbrella, appeared.
"You're still looking for a house in the inner city," Xiao Qing said, seeing the booklet.
"Mm," Su Li nodded.
"Is it because of the Luo family?" Xiao Qing asked.
Su Li was silent, her earlier elation fading. After a pause, she nodded. "Partly."
Though her master had said he would deal with the Luo family, complete annihilation was unlikely. The feud remained, and Su Li feared they might target her family, prompting her search for a safe place.
"You don't need to rush," Xiao Qing said softly.
"Why?" Su Li pinched her cheek, puzzled.
"The Luo family was annihilated by a mysterious person," Xiao Qing replied.
"What!?" Su Li's eyes widened, dropping the booklet.
"See? Centuries-old clans can be wiped out in an instant, no different from the commoners we despise,"
Two elders stood on the Luo family fortress wall, one tall and thin, the other short and fat, resembling a lowercase "b" in the morning light.
The tall one was Ximen Xing, the short one Zhou Baitong, clan heads of two powerful Demon Suppression families.
"The question is, who did this?" Zhou Baitong frowned, uneasy. "Whoever it is, we need answers."
"Does it matter?" Ximen Xing looked at the corpses below. "What matters is the coming great upheaval, the demonic resurgence, the rise of powerful individuals. Our clans, protected by our ancestors, have a head start. That's good, but also bad. If we're strong, fine. But if we show weakness, we face annihilation!" Ximen Xing said coldly.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 66: Hair
"Therefore…" Zhou Baitong took a deep breath, his expression thoughtful.
"To solidify our position, we have two options," Ximen Xing said. "One: become stronger. Two: control resources, limiting others' growth."
"You mean the Seven Family Alliance?" Zhou Baitong's eyes widened.
"It's now the Six Family Alliance," Ximen Xing said. "I don't want it to become five, or even four. The six families must act as one. That's the first step. The second is controlling the Demon Suppression Tower to consolidate our strength. The third is extending our influence throughout the county, controlling everything from the source. Only then can we rest easy."
"What if we provoke Li Daoxuan? Who can deal with him?" Zhou Baitong exclaimed. "And the Hong family. They're the strongest, most ambitious. Hong Jiuxiang is already difficult enough, and now there's a monster like Hong Dingtian. Cooperating with them is like courting disaster."
"That's why I'm here," Ximen Xing smiled. "Let Hong Jiuxiang and Hong Dingtian fight Li Daoxuan. A win-win situation. Of course, they're not fools, so our plan won't be easy. Hong Dingtian needs something from the Demon Suppression Tower. Li Daoxuan refuses, and the Hong family is too domineering. They even injured the previous deputy marshal guarding the tower to install their own person."
"That's our opportunity," Ximen Xing smiled. "Zhou Xiong, will you help?"
Looking at the corpses and blood in the fortress, Zhou Baitong remained silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Good!"
Two days passed. Su Heng spent them in seclusion, cultivating, accumulating attribute points, and improving his Glutton Technique. It required many points to master.
Fortunately, Su Heng had plenty of resources – precious pills from the Demon Suppression Bureau, demonic flesh from the Luo family, and a large quantity of Taisei meat. He devoured demonic flesh, accumulating points rapidly. In two days, he gained sixty points, enough to reach the first level of the Glutton Technique.
Under the bright moonlight, a gentle breeze rustled the bamboo in the courtyard. Su Heng sat cross-legged, wearing the Luo elder's robe, his posture serene. He performed the Taiji Seal, inhaling and exhaling deeply.
He poured sixty attribute points into the Glutton Technique. His stomach felt a sharp itch, then intense spasms. Acid rose in his esophagus, burning. He remained still, avoiding movements that might affect the technique.
The spasms subsided, replaced by a tingling sensation – the growth of mutated tissue. The secondary stomach wasn't a new organ, but a modification of the lower esophagus, similar to a cow's four stomachs. Su Heng's secondary stomach formed above his main stomach, a storage space, not for digestion.
This increased digestion time, offering several advantages: 24/7 attribute point accumulation, increased stamina, faster healing, and improved energy recovery.
Gurgling! A slight hunger pang.
Su Heng opened his eyes, smiling. "It worked!"
He rang the bell, and a servant brought food. The Jiangyue Mansion provided 24/7 service.
Braised pig's trotters, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Eight Treasure Soup, deer tendon, and various river delicacies were brought to his room. He ate everything – fruits, vegetables, meat, bones.
Seven servants delivered food continuously, the kitchen working at full capacity, barely keeping up. This was even with Su Heng supplementing with Taisei meat and demonic materials.
The meal lasted half an hour. The servants were exhausted, drenched in sweat.
"Sir, you have quite the appetite," the head steward said, amazed. They'd used all the tableware, even kitchen pots.
The servants, exhausted, stared at Su Heng in awe. If not for their instructions, they would have thought he was a demon.
Su Heng wiped his mouth, feeling slightly embarrassed. He gave them gold coins from the Xu family's treasure – the least valuable items. He had little use for mundane wealth. Demons' flesh was priceless.
The servants, overjoyed, cleaned the room efficiently.
Su Heng looked in the mirror, seeing his clearly defined abdominal muscles, not bulging from the meal. He smiled.
But his smile faded. He hadn't been smiling.
He touched his chin, and his reflection did the same. He touched the mirror.
Sizzle! A black light erupted, a mass of black hair attacking him. Su Heng grabbed it.
The hair writhed, trying to embed itself in his skin, but failed.
"Trickery!" Su Heng swallowed the hair. It writhed in his mouth, a strange sensation. But the stomach acid quickly neutralized it.
"Likely a demonic servant, not a major threat," Su Heng concluded. He wondered when he'd been infected and why it attacked him.
(End of Chapter)