"You humans really are despicable, aren't you?"
The Wolf King's head shook slightly as if observing something around.
The chains rattled; all its limbs had been chopped off, and this was the only response the Wolf King could muster.
It gasped for air, each breath enduring immense, innumerable internal pains.
Even so, the Wolf King's voice still carried a hint of mirth.
"If it were us, we would kill our prey instantly, not torment it for amusement."
The Wolf King's pitch-black gaze fell on Su Heng.
"Torment?" Su Heng cocked his head.
If the Wolf King still had eyes, it would have seen the confusion on the latter's face.
"I must clarify one thing, I'm not interested in torturing my opponents," said Su Heng seriously, "I'm doing this purely to extract the last bit of value from you. To describe it with 'efficiency' would be slightly more accurate in conveying emotions."
"So you pulled out my teeth and peeled off my skin?" the Wolf King panted.
"Hmm," Su Heng nodded, "Your teeth are very sharp, and your fur, I need a cloak that befits my status."
"And now?" the Wolf King asked, "What do you want to obtain from me now?"
"Everything," Su Heng said calmly, "It took humans thousands of years to domesticate wild boars, and now, maybe I can tame a famed monster in just a few days, or even less."
"How about a bet?" Su Heng smiled, "If I lose, I'll grant you a quick end."
"Tame!?"
The Wolf King let out hoarse laughter from its throat.
It seemed amused as if hearing some joke, chain wrappings clinking joyously, large patches of blood and pus streaming down from its unhealable wounds, forming a thick, disgusting pool on the ground under its feet.
"Who do you think you are? Who do you think you're speaking to?" the Wolf King growled in a low voice, "Boy, don't be too arrogant."
A gob of blood-stained phlegm sprayed from its mouth and Su Heng sidestepped to avoid it.
"Pigs are great livestock; give them something to eat, and they'll grow meat. To make them gain more, farmers confine them in cramped cages, never able to move throughout their lives. Eating, drinking, and sleeping are just a few of the things they do..."
Su Heng gently caressed the Wolf King's bloody head, murmuring softly, "You'll become something like that, possibly even worse."
"You..."
The arrogance was gone from the Wolf King's voice.
A trace of hesitation showed through, perhaps even unbeknownst to itself.
"A small experiment." Su Heng's voice was still gentle, but his face grew much more solemn.
The Demon King was not an easy material to obtain; he had to take this seriously.
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Su Heng closed his eyes, fully immersing himself in the power and talent brought by the Tai Sui Fungus Strain.
His originally smooth palms grew furry, and an abundance of pale pink mycelium sprouted, creeping towards the Wolf King's body.
A tingling sensation emerged in the Wolf King's perception.
At first, it wasn't unpleasant; the feeling even alleviated the intense pain from the skinning.
It provided a sense of inexplicable relief.
Despite this, the Wolf King did not let down its guard; Su Heng was a cold and heartless monster.
Although appearing relaxed, the Wolf King felt genuine dread from Su Heng, like a herbivore encountering its predator in the forest.
Hiss...
The reality was indeed as the Wolf King had surmised.
The tingling spread from where Su Heng's palm had touched, rippling outwards, building into waves, driving a frenzy.
Unimaginable pain was bombarding its brain through the nerves.
Its originally sleek body began to swell.
Muscles tore apart, revealing lumps resembling tumors within the cracks, covered in a thick layer of pale yellow fat. Its organs mutated, bones inside melted, the body losing its structure and hanging only by several huge chains, maintaining its posture.
At the front, a man and a woman. The woman held a long sword with an aloof demeanor. The man, however, had a smile on his face, cultured and amiable.
As for the rest of the people, most of them were young and lively-looking.
Gathered in groups of threes and twos,
Chattering away, it was unclear what they were quietly discussing.
Zhao Zongwu and Miss Bai, two elders of the Demon Suppression Tower, also stood to one side. Zhao Zongwu had his hands clasped behind his back, a stern look on his face, while Miss Bai was looking down picking at her fingernails, appearing dispirited.
"Quiet!" Seeing Su Heng appear at the stairway entrance, Zhao Zongwu reprimanded the young disciples on the martial arts field in a low voice.
It immediately grew silent.
Curious or reverent gazes fell upon Su Heng.
"Are these the disciples stationed in the Demon Suppression Tower?" Su Heng's gaze swept over the disciples one by one, nodding slightly.
He approached the two elders.
"Elder Jin, long time no see," Su Heng extended a large hand, wearing a slight smile on his face.
"Long time no see," Jin Mingxi sighed lightly, her usually ice-cold expression becoming somewhat complicated after seeing Su Heng.
Their hands touched gently, and they didn't say much else.
Su Heng continued looking at the next elder, "First time meeting, Elder You Kai."
"Please take good care of me in the future," Elder You Kai said with a warm smile on his face, a smile that seemed as if he had the world under his control.
This inexplicably made Su Heng a bit displeased.
The two shook hands, locking eyes.
You Kai tried to pull his palm away from Su Heng's grip with a bit more force but was unable to.
"Tower Master Su?" You Kai looked surprised, "Did I do something wrong or..."
"No, not at all."
Su Heng shook his head, releasing You Kai's hand.
He also revealed a smile, his gaze moving past You Kai to linger for a moment on the crowd behind him.
Among these disciples,
Ye Tong's heart had risen high, as if it had stopped beating.
In the instant that Su Heng and You Kai exchanged glances, she thought her disguise as Bai Xiao was discovered.
But it seemed that it hadn't.
Su Heng's gaze merely paused briefly over the disciples, without saying much.
Following a moment of silence, he gave some routine instructions with a smile, waved his hand, and walked toward the dark corridor behind him.
"Phew..."
Only when Su Heng's figure had disappeared from sight,
Did Ye Tong finally heave a heavy sigh of relief.
Only then did she realize her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her complexion was probably as pale as a ghost.
She quickly lowered her head, hoping her strange expression hadn't caught anyone's attention.
Once Su Heng had left,
The remaining elders each spoke a few words.
The group finally dispersed in twos and threes, Ye Tong's eyes shimmering with an unidentifiable glint.
Next...
What needed to be considered,
Was finding a way to confirm the Wolf King's status and attempting to rescue him.
This action had to be quick. After all, this was the Demon Supression Tower, and they were disguised as other people.
The longer they delayed, the higher the chance of being discovered.