"He really can endure,"
Below the Demon Suppression Tower, Li Daoxuan sighed lightly, watching Hong Jiuxiang and the others leave and disappear from sight.
He waved his hand, "The matter is already over, everyone else can disperse as well."
Only now,
did the other elders of the Demon Suppression Bureau finally breathe a deep sigh of relief.
Some cast a profound look at Su Heng, with wariness; others kept their heads down and hurried away, as if they couldn't bear to stay there another moment.
"Kid, not bad at all." The vest-wearing burly man who had been talking with Li Daoxuan came over and patted Su Heng's shoulder.
This man was heavily built.
Compared to Su Heng, the difference was not too much.
"He is Wang Xindong, my eldest disciple," Li Daoxuan introduced.
"Deputy Governor Wang, nice to meet you." Su Heng had heard this name before and instantly understood, nodding in greeting.
There are a total of seven Deputy Governors in the Demon Suppression Bureau.
Three are responsible for slaying demons, leading teams to proactively address pressing issues.
Another three are in charge of suppressing demons, maintaining order in the counties and surrounding towns.
As for the last one, he is tasked with guarding the Demon Suppression Tower.
His position is the most special.
And Wang Xindong is one of the Deputy Governors in charge of slaying, with rich combat experience, which explains why his body is covered with scars.
"Let's drink together sometime," Wang Xindong said with a hearty laugh.
"My master still has other things to instruct you about, so I won't keep bothering you here," Wang Xindong waved to Su Heng and
turned to leave.
In the vast square, only Su Heng and Li Daoxuan were left.
The scent of fresh blood lingered, diffuse and persistent, while the holes in the ground kept emitting dust.
Su Heng looked down and saw a large patch of blood stained on his chest. Sticky and uncomfortable, he simply tore off his upper garment, forcefully ignited it and casually threw it aside.
The flames blazed high as Su Heng took his clothes from Li Daoxuan's hand and put them back on.
"I had intended to use this opportunity to escalate the conflict and then resolve all troubles in one fell swoop," Li Daoxuan said, watching the burning black clothes and coughing twice, "but I didn't expect Hong Jiuxiang, that old fox, to endure more than I anticipated."
"You see, you're being too hasty," Su Heng said, "The more anxious you are, the more weaknesses you show."
"You're right, it was my oversight," Li Daoxuan said with a helpless, bitter smile. He walked towards the Demon Suppression Tower, and Su Heng followed behind him.
They arrived at the base of the Demon Suppression Tower.
The enormous tower, over a hundred meters tall, had nine levels.
Faint moans continuously emerged from the massive tower, the air was laden with a tangible, heavy pressure, and the smell of decaying blood.
Su Heng examined the chains entwined around the Demon Suppression Tower, looking at the giant stone body of the tower engraved with strange, fierce beast patterns.
"The Demon Suppression Tower was built over three hundred years ago," Li Daoxuan said, "Its main body was mixed with a precious material called 'Glowstone'. This material can weaken the linkage between demons and the Eternal Heavens, thus limiting their abilities."
"Furthermore, there are formations linked with Baihua County's ley lines, forming a self-sustaining cycle. Escaping from the Demon Suppression Tower is as difficult as hollowing out a mountain."
At that, Li Daoxuan's aged voice carried a hint of pride.
Su Heng withdrew his gaze and threw cold water on it, "But there still are demons who have escaped from the Demon Suppression Tower, like Yin Shen Taishi."
the disciples of the Demon Suppression Tower reluctantly withdrew their gazes and returned to their posts, attending to their tasks.
The first floor of the Demon Suppression Tower imprisoned weak ghostly entities, demon minions,
or ordinary humans who had accidentally been infected by demonic powers.
Even if he consumed those creatures or used them to cultivate fungi into a nourishing supplement, the benefits to Su Heng were limited.
He glanced around,
and soon lost interest, beginning his ascent to the higher floors.
Recalling what Li Daoxuan had mentioned previously, Su Heng didn't linger on the previous four floors and headed directly to the fifth floor.
The fifth floor was a safe area and also the residence of the elders.
It featured a massive training ground, equipped with various training props.
Skylights on both side walls allowed beams of light to stream into the room, clearly showing dust particles floating up and down in the bright beams.
Surrounding the training ground were deep, dark corridors.
They presumably led to residential or office areas.
The Demon Suppression Tower was vast; even within one floor, it had a rather complex three-dimensional structure, resembling a huge labyrinth.
If it were one's first time entering the Demon Suppression Tower,
without guidance in hand, it would be easy to get lost inside.
And with demons lurking everywhere in the tower, losing one's way inside was clearly not a pleasant experience.
Gathering his wandering thoughts,
Su Heng refocused his attention on the training ground in front of him.
The vast training ground hosted only three people; these must be the elders guarding the Demon Suppression Tower.
Among them, the most eye-catching was an elderly man with white hair, robust in stature, with arms covered in solid, powerful muscles.
He had a third eye on his forehead, and his aura was the strongest.
He was continually punching the air, seemingly completely immersed in his own world.
As for the other two...
One of them was squatting in a corner, playing with several large poisonous insects in a box with a bamboo flute.
The other, looking by far the youngest, appeared to be a girl around seventeen or eighteen years old.
She wasn't particularly beautiful, but her plump face conveyed an impression of serious intent. She held a sword in her hand, her brow furrowed, assuming a stance for attack.
This girl was the only one among the three who reacted to Su Heng's arrival.
Upon hearing some noise,
she slowly relaxed her stance and tilted her head to look at Su Heng.
Then Su Heng noticed that when the girl became serious, her pupils converged towards the center, revealing a slight misalignment of her eyes.
This elder with misaligned eyes displayed a very serious contemplative expression, delaying for quite some time before making up her mind.
She approached Su Heng and stopped in front of him,
but because she was too close, she couldn't see Su Heng's face at all.
Su Heng looked down, staring at the whirl on her head, then heard the girl's somewhat stammering voice, "Are, are you the new Tower Master of the Demon Suppression Tower, Su Heng?"