One Pound Meat, One More Attribute Point

Li Wenshe’s eyes, clear-cut in black and white, slightly shifted as he smiled and said, "Seniority and respect cannot be reversed. Since that’s the case, I’ll do as you, my junior, have suggested."

Muttering an incantation, he pointed his finger as if it were a sword.

Tracing curves through the air, he crafted an array of ancient and obscure blood-colored talismans.

"Swiftly!"

With the talisman completed, Li Wenshe thrust his finger forward abruptly.

Yet this thrust was not into the empty air, but directly through the talisman itself!

The dense power atop instantly fused with Li Wenshe’s being. His arm rapidly engorged with blood, turning a flushed red and its surface covered with fine black snake scales.

Hiss!

Like a python soaring through the air to seize its prey.

The latter seemed to raise his hand in defense, but was a beat too slow; his head burst "bang" on the spot, with red and white matter splattering everywhere. Strangely, there was hardly any smell of blood in the air, as if Huang Mingzi’s body had been drained of blood beforehand.

Li Wenshe showed no joy in victory; his face remained gloomy.

He looked down.

On the ground lay several white worms, the size of pinky fingers, now opening their mouths and hissing at him.

Snap!

Li Wenshe lifted his foot and stomped the worms to death, his brows deeply furrowed.

"A great Descender, turned into a puppet." A chill rose in his heart. Just as he thought of something, the sound of footsteps crushing dry branches came from behind. Li Wenshe’s breath hitched, and slowly turning around, he saw on the muddy path beside him, the imposing dark silhouette of a sturdy figure.

His face was expressionless, with no aura emanating from him, a backdrop of the roaring river and towering ice mountains.

Yet looking at him calmly, Li Wenshe could somehow sense an ancient, mountainous authority.

Li Wenshe’s gaze flickered slightly.

Beside that person stood another figure.

Bald, with ancient scriptures carved into his bronze skin, it was none other than Ban Poluo.

His prior interrupted thoughts suddenly connected, as a streak of white light flashed through his mind.

"Pitiable, regrettable. It seems you, the idiot, are the one who caused Huang Mingzi’s demise," Li Wenshe said calmly, his eyes now on Su Heng, "Then, I presume this would be the legendary Demon Dragon Su Heng. I’ve heard some of your stories; truly remarkable, beyond comprehension. I’ve always wanted to meet you, just never expected it to be under these circumstances."

Su Heng smiled and replied, "It’s not too late now."

"Tell me how to end the Divine Plague, and in exchange, I can offer you a chance to live."

Li Wenshe shook his head, pityingly saying, "Had you not killed Huang Mingzi, there might have been a slight chance for the Great Clan Chief to take you in. But now, you’ve sealed your fate. Once a beast tastes flesh, no matter how docile it appears afterward, it will never be trusted again and can only be reduced to a mindless War Slave puppet."

"You’re very confident?"

"Cowardice comes from fear; I’ve never feared death, therefore I am as carefree as the wind," Li Wenshe laughed loudly, seemingly unconcerned by the overwhelming pressure emanating from Su Heng.

"This guy is a madman among the Descenders, impossible to comprehend using common sense," Ban Poluo transmitted telepathically.

His words betrayed a hint of barely concealable fear.

"You don’t fear death because you haven’t seen things more terrifying than death," Su Heng advanced step by step, his smile fading from his face.

"Then let’s see if you’ve got the ability to prove that!"

Whoosh!

A cold light flashed in Li Wenshe’s eyes.

The ability to subdue Ban Poluo, leaving Huang Mingzi no chance to escape.

There was not a trace of battle intent in Li Wenshe’s heart; in such a situation, fleeing might afford him a glimmer of life.

His name bore the character for "snake," and his speed was also incredibly fast. Like a streak of black light, he skimmed the ground in flight, almost without a sound, instantly spanning tens of thousands of meters. In barely a few moments, he had left the Changbai River Basin far behind. But just as he stopped, he saw in the distance on the open plains, a towering figure slowly turning to face him.

It was indeed Su Heng—

Hiss!

He raised his left arm, muscle rapidly engorging and swelling.

Five fingers extended, each as thick as copper pillars.

Accompanied by copious amounts of smoke billowing from his body, the enormous hand blotted out the sky, pressing down without warning.

Behind them loomed the Great Snow Mountain, the newly risen sun gilding Su Heng’s form in a layer of gold. At this moment, he ought to have been seething with rage, yet there was something divinely tranquil about him. The distant sounds of temple bells chimed faintly, and V-shaped formations of geese flew across the sky, while invisible torrents of Power rained down, inescapable and irresistible.

"Damn it, what kind of monster!?"

Li Wenshe broke into a cold sweat all over, his pupils violently contracting, as he crossed his arms above to block.

At the same time, the rustling of densely packed joints came from his body, his upper body muscles visibly swelling, overlaid with scales gleaming faintly with a metallic luster.

Bang!

First, a crisp crack.

The collision of the two sent another, deeper, thunderous roar.

The force Su Heng suddenly unleashed was like a dragon descending fiercely, crushing everything in its path, and Li Wenshe’s flesh was shredded inch by inch, forcibly reduced to half his size. The ground beneath their feet trembled violently, fissures spreading, and large chunks of black rock blossomed like reeds, scattering only after a time.

When the dust settled—

It was as if a crater formed from a meteor strike.

Li Wenshe was left with only the upper half of his torso; his entire lower body had exploded into a spray of blood and mud.

Su Heng, as if picking up trash, grabbed him by the arm and forced his gaze to meet his own, "Last chance."

Li Wenshe wore a bloody, indistinct smile on his mouth.

"Good." Su Heng pressed his mouth to his ear and whispered, "Remember the choice you made today. I assure you, you’ll regret it."

Su Heng’s voice was calm.

It could even be described as gentle.

But as the warm breath from his mouth and nose brushed past the ear, a sharp terror swept across Li Wenshe’s heart.

He opened his mouth, as though trying to say something, but Su Heng had already snapped his neck from behind. He tried to infiltrate Li Wenshe’s brain with his spiritual power, but to no avail. As the leader among the trio, Li Wenshe’s brain bore very high-level seals. Though it wasn’t impossible to break through by force, doing so would waste too much time.

And...

A chill in Su Heng’s gaze; at this moment, he just vaguely sensed strands of filthy aura emanating from afar.

He took a step forward, appearing at the earlier abandoned dock.

Apart from Ban Poluo, who had been waiting here for quite some time, there was another figure: it was the Blood Realm Will, Li Hongxiu, projected in front of Su Heng by Spirit Void Dao Wood.

Ban Poluo glanced at Li Wenshe, then lowering his head, said, "Among the Descenders, Li Wenshe is an Arbitrator. Just like the Yiluan Bureau in the imperial court, with the power to supervise the other Descenders, even executing them without prior consent."

"Looks like this fellow is quite an important figure; should be able to dig out lots of useful information from him."

"But that’s for later."

Su Heng casually threw the unconscious Li Wenshe’s torso onto the ground, focusing his gaze on Li Hongxiu, "How about the task I left to you?"

Li Hongxiu’s expression was solemn as she hurriedly said, "We have confirmed the cities where the Divine Plague will outbreak, and several of them have begun to fall, one after another."

"A large number of civilian casualties; some infected Martial Artists are attempting to flee."

"We need to find a way to stop them."

"My lord, I must remind you," Ban Poluo spoke humbly with a worried face, "If Martial Artists are used to intercept, they too will be infected and assimilated by the Divine Plague. This is akin to adding fuel to the fire, which will only intensify the disaster and eventually spiral completely out of control."

"I have a method for that." Su Heng’s gaze landed on Li Hongxiu, "In the Blood Realm, I have created and stored a considerable number of Flying Dragons and alien insects, we can leave these matters to them."

Li Hongxiu nodded, then asked with some worry, "Do we have to kill even those who are only infected and haven’t mutated?"

"Of course." Su Heng replied, "To be safe, all nearby cities must be completely evacuated, leave no one alive."