One Pound Meat, One More Attribute Point

"Catastrophic disaster?" Su Heng sneered, saying, "In my practice so far, there have been quite a few who have said those words to me, but in the end, not one survived, and you will become one of them."

Crack!

Amidst the sneer, Su Heng’s fingers exerted force once again.

A broken rib pierced through the chest cavity, and droplets of fresh blood spread out like blooming red plums on the grey robe.

"Cough cough!" Yu Qing coughed painfully, but it was solely a natural bodily response to the rib piercing into her lungs. Her voluptuous and attractive body was nearly twisted into a knot by Su Heng, with bright red blood dripping from her hanging toes, forming a small pond like a clear mirror on the desolate desert.

Yet Yu Qing’s face remained calm, with even a hint of pity showing through the bloodshot in her eyes.

Such a condescending look infuriated Su Heng immensely.

The temperature of his fingers rose, emitting radiation, charring the woman’s flesh and turning her innards into stewed soup. But this tough cookie, even when tortured to the brink of death, didn’t make a sound, didn’t beg for mercy, just calmly looked at him.

"It’s useless, you won’t get any useful information from me," Yu Qing’s voice grew weaker, her vision blurring, bleeding out.

A spark flashed through Su Heng’s mind, "Forbidden Heart Spell!?"

Yu Qing didn’t answer, but her pupils shook slightly.

This slight reaction didn’t escape Su Heng’s keen perception, and he touched his chin, "It seems I’ve guessed correctly."

The Forbidden Heart Spell was an ancient and evil Spirit Secret Technique, used to keep certain information confidential. Previously in Baihua County, Su Heng’s Dragon Guard had captured two spies who had been subjected to the Forbidden Heart Spell. Upon uttering their origins, they had died violently on the spot.

If Yu Qing had been subjected to the Forbidden Heart Spell, or something similar or even more severe, then extracting information from her would indeed be troublesome.

However...

It was just a bit troublesome and not entirely impossible.

"Luckily, now that I have stepped into the Heavenly Deceit Realm and explored the potential of spirit, I can now try to make use of some Spirit Secret Techniques recorded in the Esoteric Scriptures," Su Heng frowned in contemplation. To be safe, he invested all his remaining attribute points into the Esoteric Scriptures.

This ancient Daoist practice had been cultivated by Su Heng to the sixth layer, that is, the stage of "Intention."

This stage could not only strengthen thought and quicken reflexes, increasing insight, but could also invade someone else’s "Intention" to read their memories, in simpler terms, to Soul Search.

But this was, after all, a confrontation at the level of the spirit; the risks were enormous regardless of victory or defeat.

It was not recommended unless it was truly a last resort.

It was only because Su Heng considered himself to have a substantial foundation in spirit and had cultivated the Esoteric Scriptures to a relatively profound realm that he dared to attempt it. But he was also ready to immediately retract his spiritual power from Yu Qing if the situation turned dire.

After making all preparations, Su Heng’s facial expression gradually calmed.

"Look into my eyes," he said to the woman before him.

Yu Qing’s heart quivered, and a struggle flashed across her face, "What do you want to do?"

"It seems you’re not as strong as you claimed," Su Heng smiled, but combined with his fierce appearance at the moment, it nearly resembled a devil that had crawled out of the depths of hell in Yu Qing’s eyes.

Yu Qing instinctively wanted to turn her head away.

Crack!

Su Heng’s fingers tensed slightly, breaking her spine.

The spinal fracture made it impossible for the brain’s nerves to control the muscles. Yu Qing, already gravely injured with her organs burning, could not hold back.

Immediately, several unseemly sounds spread through the air, as foul waste flowed down her thighs, with a strange odor gradually permeating the surroundings.

"Disgusting," Su Heng frowned slightly, his face full of disgust.

Fortunately, none of it had gotten onto his fingers.

No matter how composed Yu Qing tried to be, such an incident made it impossible to maintain her composure. Immense shame and pain washed over her, staining her gaze with faint redness. And in that moment of vulnerability, Su Heng suddenly widened his eyes, invading the woman’s spirit with his own "Intention."

With a powerful spiritual origin and the support of the top-tier Esoteric Scriptures technique.

Even though both were of the Heavenly Deceit Realm.

And Yu Qing had stepped into this realm even earlier than Su Heng.

But the magnitude of their spiritual power was not on the same level; Su Heng’s was utterly overpowering.

He invaded Yu Qing’s thoughts; her memories became like a book open for him to peruse at will. Su Heng browsed quickly, searching for useful information.

In her memories, time seemed to flow backward...

Encountering Su Heng on the desolate desert, escaping from the King’s Monastery, using secret techniques from the Heavenly Contract Master line to unseal a demon, and so on. During Yu Qing’s conversation with a disciple, when a certain name was mentioned, "Bang!" A loud noise suddenly erupted.

Even after severing the nerve and spinal cord connection, Yu Qing’s body convulsed as if a fish thrown ashore.

Blood oozed from her facial features, her appearance twisted in fright.

And her spirit world began to collapse; memories no longer connected, key information erased.

Ah!!

Along with a painful howl.

Yu Qing’s head burst open, blood and bone splattering, suspended in mid-air by an invisible force.

Su Heng waved his hand, and the chunks of flesh along with Yu Qing’s remains were thrown together, then ignited by his forceful fire, burning fiercely and soon turning into a handful of ashes, dispersing in the wind.

"Some key information has been erased," Su Heng’s brow furrowed slightly, as a Heavenly Contract Master of the Heavenly Deceit Realm, destined for great prospects, but treated as disposable once. It seemed that what Yu Qing said was indeed correct; this person had a significant background.

But it didn’t matter.

Although key information was hidden, Su Heng still found a series of clues from the fragments of Yu Qing’s memory.

It included who had been sending spies to Baihua County all along, harboring ill intentions. The answer to this matter was also clearly presented in Yu Qing’s memory, right in front of Su Heng. Following this clue, if he continued to investigate, he would eventually find an answer.

Moreover...

The mythical battlefield was about to open.

Su Heng also planned to unify some forces of Jiang E’s seven states and even Skull Plain, to fight together against common foes. It would be a good opportunity to completely root out some of the troublemakers in these forces.

"Then, without delay, let’s begin now!" Su Heng’s expression shifted slightly as he took a step forward.

Accompanied by the whistling of his vigorous power, he quickly disappeared into the desolate wilderness.

...

...

Qimu State, General’s residence.

Due to the time difference, Skull Plain had already been daylight for a while.

But Qimu State, the closest of Jiang E’s seven states to the south, was still in the night. The moon was setting, and the sun was about to rise but had not yet, making it the darkest time of the day.

In a bedroom deep within the General’s residence.

A solid wood floor and an octagonal incense burner stood in the corner with a faint, dark red light flickering inside, the only source of light in the room. Wisp after wisp of smoke rose from the perforated metal cover, carrying a sleep-inducing effect.

Swish!

A breeze blew through the window outside.

The bamboo rustled, making a rustling noise.

Streaks of dawn light from the eastern horizon passed through the window and landed on a large bed to the south.

A burly figure was lying on the bed, covered with a thin quilt, not closing his eyes, looking as if he hadn’t slept all night, with bloodshot eyes. His eye bags were dark, and his overall aura was very haggard.

The wind outside the window grew fiercer, and the branches hit the window, making a banging sound that sounded as if a vengeful ghost outside was knocking on the door.

A heavy sigh.

The person lying in bed finally slowly propped himself up and got out of bed.

This burly figure was the Great General of the north, Yuan Hong.

His original task was to have Skull Plain and several immortal sects and noble families in the Jiang E region consume each other, maintaining the stability of the empire’s border areas.

At first, Yuan Hong’s work was quite good. Three great Esoteric Sects and noble families and immortal sects fought, with masters from both sides falling.

But ever since the future Buddha Jialan Gunna fell on the battlefield, the situation had completely spiraled out of control.

First, the war escalated, and then mysteriously, the Dharma King Temple appeared, followed by the Demon Gods... Logically speaking, with the situation having developed to this point, the Zhou Dynasty had enough reason to send out Heavenly King-level experts to suppress everything and extinguish the flames entirely.

Yet, the approach suggested by Jian Chuan, Capital Commandant of the Yiluan Bureau, was entirely the opposite.

Far from seeking a peaceful resolution, he even wanted to add fuel to the fire when the situation had already become dire.

And then...

Once the Demon Gods broke free, and the noble families and immortal sects suffered heavy losses,

How should the situation in Jiang E’s seven states develop, and how should it end?

Yuan Hong indeed had his selfish desires, but he was not a beast without a bottom line. Plus, he was born in Beie State and had lived on this land for a very long time. Otherwise, the position of the Great General of the North would not have fallen to him.

But now...

"Alas!" Yuan Hong sighed again.

He hadn’t slept for several days and nights, which wasn’t a big deal in terms of energy consumption for a Heavenly Deceit expert.

It was mainly the spiritual pressure, the torment of conscience that made him very uneasy, mentally sensitive, and fragile. He felt that his eyes were extremely dry, and he saw double images when looking at things.

He approached the desk, intending to pour himself a cup of cool tea to moisten his throat.

Then, he would contact the Yiluan Bureau again to see how things were developing and if there was still a chance for some change. At the very least, prevent things from moving in the worst direction.

Bang bang bang!

Just as he picked up the cup, a rhythmic knocking came from outside the door.

Yuan Hong’s hand trembled slightly with the cup in hand, and his brows furrowed—he was resting, and someone dared to disturb him at this time.

"Who is it!?" Yuan Hong shouted outside.

There was silence, no response.

A surge of anger welled up in Yuan Hong’s heart, and his brow darkened subtly.

He took a step forward and pushed open the room door with a "bang," finding the hallway outside empty, the window at the end open, with a few bamboo leaves drifting in with the wind.