One Pound Meat, One More Attribute Point

Zhao Yingning’s voice was somewhat shaky when she first started telling the story, but as she continued, it gradually became much smoother. After finishing the story completely, Zhao Yingning’s forehead rested against the floor, and she did not speak again, silently waiting for the outcome.

Su Heng’s eyes narrowed.

His strong, powerful fingers gently tapped the armrest of the bronze throne, creating a rhythmic sound.

After a while, the sound disappeared. In the silence, Su Heng spoke, "A decent story, albeit a bit clichéd, but it has collected a lot of useful information for me."

"Tell me, what is the purpose of your long journey to find me?"

"Huh..." Zhao Yingning let out a long sigh.

Su Heng’s deep, resonant voice was like music from heaven; her tense muscles relaxed at once, softening like flowing water. Sweat seeped from Zhao Yingning’s forehead, running down her skin, her eyes a bit hazy, but she did not reach up to wipe it away.

"The distant hope has perished in the torrent of history, but his descendants are still here."

Zhao Yingning said, "Some of them are survivors who managed to live through the disasters, while others are rebels who have escaped from the Demon Country over the millennia. My tribe is descended from these rebels, we are facing a trial and hope to receive your salvation."

"I appreciate a fair and just exchange, and you have not offered enough to compensate."

"Of course, this is nothing but a story, not worth even a sneer," Zhao Yingning said bitterly, "regardless of how painful and brutal the collapse of the distant hope was at the time. Yet with a thousand years gone by, bringing it up now just turns it into a mere story for amusement." Discover stories with empire

"The distant hope has indeed become history, but it left behind some legacies."

Zhao Yingning finally mustered her courage, the girl lifting her head to look into Su Heng’s eyes, "I know the exact location of the Golden Crow Mausoleum."

Su Heng’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"I wonder if this piece of information could be used for the exchange," Zhao Yingning swallowed down a gulp of saliva.

A heartbeat’s time passed, lengthy as if eternity.

"Agreed!" Su Heng nodded, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

...

...

...

Su Heng was always known for his decisive and vigorous nature.

And Zhao Yingning, concerned about the safety of her people, did not want to waste a single moment.

Thus, in just a few sentences, Su Heng and Zhao Yingning had roughly finalized the detailed plan. Su Heng would lead the Dragon Guards to Breath Swamp to bring Zhao Yingning’s tribespeople out from the increasingly dangerous wasteland.

Then Zhao Yingning would relay detailed intelligence about the Golden Crow Mausoleum to Su Heng, while the remaining task of exploring the mausoleum would be undertaken by Su Heng alone.

Both parties obtained what they needed: Su Heng discovered the location of the "second heart," while Zhao Yingning led her people to the long-awaited peace, making the cooperation quite pleasant. Although Zhao Yingning did not match Su Heng in terms of status and power, as partners, Su Heng still afforded her enough respect, which surprised her somewhat.

After finalizing the details of their agreement, they chose to set out that very day.

It was still just the siblings on Zhao Yingning’s side, while Su Heng brought along Wang Xindong, leading more than ten Dragon Guards, and sped towards Breath Swamp. The journey from Breath Swamp to the real world had taken Zhao Yingning and her brother over a month.

The harsh natural environment of Breath Swamp, the domineering powerful beasts, and the increasingly common demons were significant obstacles to their progress.

But with Su Heng leading the way, it was utterly unobstructed.

Whether it was any beast, demon, or even the terrifying sandstorms in the desert, Su Heng would simply throw a punch, and in an instant, there would be calm seas and gentle winds, the whole world quieting down.

Under such terrifyingly violent conditions, a journey that would have taken over a month was brutally shortened to half a day. This was only because Zhao Yingning and her brother’s physical strength was limited, unable to endure such exaggerated speeds. Otherwise, Su Heng could have made the journey even shorter.

"Cough cough!" Zhao Yingning clutched her chest, coughing twice, then painfully stretched out her hand to pat Su Heng’s arm.

Su Heng released his grasp, flickering from midair and lightly landing.

He let go of his fingers, putting Zhao Yingning down.

Zhao Yingning’s legs went soft, and she half-knelt on the cracked, parched ground, clutching her belly, vomiting a few mouthfuls of acid water. She wiped her mouth and approached Su Heng, pointing to a cave under a rock wall ahead, "This is where our tribespeople live."

Su Heng followed the direction of Zhao Yingning’s finger.

The steep rock wall below was overgrown with dense thorny shrubs, camouflaging the entrance of the cave, forming a natural disguise. If one was not deliberately searching, it would be easy to overlook. Although Su Heng’s memory was somewhat fuzzy, he remembered that last time it was not in this position.

But that was normal; if even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, what more those who had been fighting wits and brawn against demons for hundreds of years.

"You look somewhat pale," Su Heng observed, his gaze lingering on Zhao Yingning’s face briefly before he spoke calmly.

Indeed, as Su Heng had noted, Zhao Yingning’s expression was slightly grim.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

She said worriedly, "Under normal circumstances, there should be tribal guards here."

"Let’s hope the worst doesn’t happen," Zhao Yingning said, clutching her chest, her breathing growing heavier.

Su Heng nodded slightly.

Just then, they heard rushing footsteps.

A young dragon guard hurried to Su Heng’s side and bowed, "We’ve spotted demons nearby."

Su Heng and Zhao Yingning exchanged glances, "Since they’ve been sighted, we might as well take them down."

The dragon guard quickly took action, and Su Heng followed for a look.

There were three demons in the form of jackals, their muscles bulging, their fur glistening under the bright sun like smooth silk. They were fighting with seven or eight rebels, but it was not so much a fight as a one-sided play and slaughter.

Aside from one strong old man who could somewhat resist and pose a threat, the rest were no match at all.

The group was covered in wounds, currently driven by sheer hatred.

Upon receiving the order,

The young dragon guard charged eagerly ahead. The jackal demons, startled at first by the sight of the burly dragon guard, then snorted and scrutinized his scent, realizing he had only just entered the Demon Embryo Realm. The jackal demon’s caution turned into a sinister grin.

As everyone knows,

In most situations, demons are stronger than human martial artists at the same level, and this jackal demon’s level was slightly higher. It should be around the fourth or fifth Fierce Level, which would have been enough to become a Demon King in the Sky Demon Alliance back in Baihua County.

"Don’t fight me for this, I’ll handle it," the jackal demon said to his companions, snarling a warning.

Ignoring his companions’ cursing, the jackal demon smirked broadly.

A gleam of eerie green light flashed in his eyes, his fur bristled, and then he lunged at the young dragon guard with open jaws.

Bang!

The dragon guard’s smile was somewhat shy.

But the punch he burst forth with was terrifyingly powerful, blowing the jackal demon’s head apart.

Bright red and white brain matter splattered on the young, handsome face of the dragon guard, making his shy smile look terribly sinister.

The remaining two jackals, shocked by the scene, howled miserably. These clever demons, limbs on the ground and tails between their legs, were about to flee, but it was too late.

The dragon guard stepped forward, swinging his long arm.

Whiz!

The lance in his hand transformed into a streak of black light, spanning a thousand meters in an instant.

Like a high-precision missile, it heavily struck one of the jackal demons in the buttocks, blasting half of the unfortunate demon’s body apart. Organs flew in all directions, staining the ground dark red, dead beyond doubt.

The dragon guard strode forward, reducing three steps to two.

In the midst of desperate, sharp howling, the last jackal demon’s spine was quickly broken.

Like a hound waiting to be slaughtered, the dragon guard held it by one hand, half-dead, and brought it before Su Heng.

"Master, we might be able to get some useful information out of this fellow,"

The dragon guard said, looking up.

"You are quite clever," Su Heng raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "What’s your name?"

The dragon guard’s face lit up with joy as he stepped forward and said excitedly, "Subordinate Pang Xuan, from Lianshan City."

Su Heng nodded, noting the name.

"When the master asks you something, you answer exactly that! Do you understand?" Pang Xuan slapped the jackal demon’s head, its protruding fangs instantly breaking off by about a dozen, its bright red blood wetting its fur and dripping from its chin.

This demon knew it was bound to die and thus grew defiant.

Its eyes red, it glared at Su Heng full of hatred.

"Don’t celebrate too soon, human. We shall see!" the jackal demon lightly scratched the hard ground with its front paws, leaving pits and holes. It slowly grinned, its face a bloody, crazed smile, "When we die here, Lord Kui Lang won’t let you off."

"All of you will have to join us in death," the jackal demon snarled.

Unfortunately, the disparity between them was too great. This minor threat from the insignificant demon not only failed to intimidate but instead made Su Heng smile.

"Lord Kui Lang," Su Heng stroked his chin, an intrigued expression appearing on his face.

"That’s a familiar face, quite interesting," Su Heng signaled the dragon guard to release the demon. He pointed a finger, and the jackal demon closed its eyes. But the agonizing pain of death did not come; instead, a tingling sensation permeated its bones. It was still in severe pain, but could now move.

"Tell your master to come here and see me, as soon as possible," Su Heng’s lofty gaze flickered with a chilling light, "Tell him we still have some unfinished business, and I won’t wait long. Tell him to hurry up and come to die."