Baihua County, the prosperous commercial district on the edge of the city.
Bang!
The front door of a gambling house was violently pushed open from the inside, and two young men in brocade robes were flung heavily onto the ground.
Before they could stand up, more than a dozen thugs wielding clubs rushed out from the gambling house.
A club smashed down onto their heads.
Struggling to rise, they were suddenly plunged into darkness and collapsed to the ground once more.
The remaining hoodlums, still feeling unsatisfied, continued beating and kicking them.
The two men screamed and wailed in pain.
It didn't take long for a large crowd to gather and watch the spectacle on the streets.
Yet, facing such a cruel scene, the spectators clapped and cheered, some even rushed forward to viciously kick the victims a few more times.
"These bastards from the Pang family are bullying people because of their power. They've destroyed my family, they deserve such a fate," someone in the crowd said.
"Delightful, truly delightful!" another shouted.
"..."
"Seeing him build tall buildings, seeing them fall." In a dark, deep alley not far away, two tall silhouettes also observed the scene.
The middle-aged man in a scholar's robe whispered.
"How unpredictable life is," the bald figure retorted indifferently.
But the tightly clenched fist inside his sleeve betrayed his inner turmoil, which was far from the calm displayed on his face.
These two men were the escapees from among the prestigious families.
The scholar-robed man was named Wei Hong, the head of the Wei family.
The other bald man was Pang Chong, head of the Pang family.
The two young men being brutally beaten were from a side branch of their respective families.
"Fortunately, our cooperation with Corpse Mountain continues, and we still have a chance to turn the tables," Wei Hong said softly, retracting his gaze.
"Corpse Mountain—"
Pang Chong thought of the powerful strength that Su Heng had demonstrated, his face cold.
There was a chilling feeling within his heart.
"The combat power a dead-class lord can exhibit in the mortal world is not only related to their own strength but also requires a sufficiently strong fleshly body to carry it," Pang Chong said seriously. "Have you found such a body?"
"Of course!" Wei Hong smiled slightly, confidence written all over his face. "This is an existence that not even that monster can defeat."
Hearing these words, Pang Chong was shocked.
But he knew that Wei Hong was never one to speak rashly.
Since such words were spoken outright, he surely had confidence in them.
"Who!?" Pang Chong's eyes widened, asking urgently.
Wei Hong didn't keep him in suspense, "The former head of the Demon Suppression Bureau, Li Daoxuan's master. He once suppressed Baihua County for over a hundred years, built the Demon Suppression Tower, and made both the noble families and demons unable to catch their breath—an exceptional powerhouse—Shen Zheng!"
"Shen Zheng!?" Pang Chong exclaimed in astonishment. "How is that possible? Hasn't he gone missing?"
"Gone missing?" Wei Hong scoffed. "Do you think, in this vast Jiangzhou, aside from the dead-class lords of Corpse Mountain Demon Country, who else could make him disappear without a trace?"
"No wonder, no wonder... so that's how it is!" Pang Chong nodded again and again.
The more he thought about it, the more details and connections emerged in his mind, weaving into a net of understanding.
"The power of the Demon Country is beyond our imagination," Wei Hong said with a grave expression. "If it were not absolutely necessary, I would not want to kowtow before demons. But this is the trend, either conform to the torrent or be shattered to pieces."
"Su Heng..."
"This man seems to be on top of the world, but he is actually going against the current of the times."
A cold light flashed in Wei Hong's eyes as he shook his head, "The Shen Zheng of now is the Su Heng of the future. His fate can only be to have his consciousness erased, to serve as a puppet for the descent of a great lord, or even to destroy everything he wanted to protect with his own hands."
The sudden ferocity of this rainfall, coupled with what the Red Flame Demon King previously said,
Su Heng sensed that something was not right.
"Not staying quiet at all," Su Heng remarked. "That being said, you can also be considered Li Daoxuan's martial uncle."
Hearing the relationship between the other party and Shen Zheng, Su Heng's gaze toward Zhao Meiying softened slightly.
"This is not a good place to talk," he said. "Come with me to the Demon Suppression Bureau first."
"Alright," Zhao Meiying nodded in agreement.
...
...
...
The plaza in the inner city of Baihua County.
The Demon Suppression Tower that originally stood here had been refurbished and repurposed as Su Heng's office after the Earth Vein Array Patterns failed.
Boom, boom, boom!
Su Heng returned from outside with Zhao Meiying.
Touching the mechanism, the door opened slowly with a grinding sound.
Zhao Meiying paused, looked up, and on seeing the bright red human form hanging on the doorframe, her eyelids twitched violently.
If it was just this.
It wouldn't have scared Zhao Meiying, an experienced veteran of the Demon Suppression Army.
What truly horrified her was that this "person," despite being tortured to such an extent, was still alive.
"This person..." Zhao Meiying's expression hesitated.
"What's the matter, you think there is a problem?" Su Heng stopped walking and looked back at her.
"No, nothing!" Zhao Meiying forced a smile on her face and laughed it off, "The design of your Demon Suppression Bureau's main gate is quite... unique."
"Thanks for the compliment," Su Heng nodded and strode forward.
One advantage of the Demon Suppression Tower was that the floors inside were very high, and the rooms were designed to be quite spacious. Even as Su Heng had grown to his current size, walking through the familiar wide corridors of the Demon Suppression Tower with a mighty bearing, he felt no discomfort due to narrowness.
"Who is this person, what wrong has he committed?" Zhao Meiying, running to keep up with Su Heng, still couldn't conceal her curiosity.
"Murong Hanshuang."
"The foster son taken in by Li Daoxuan?"
"Yes, that guy turned out to be a traitor," Su Heng briefly explained what had happened before.
"I see, then he deserves to end up like this," Zhao Meiying nodded, her face no longer showing the sympathy from before.
They arrived at Su Heng's study, located on the fifth floor.
Several people had already gathered here, Zhao Jinling, Li Hongxiu, Wang Xindong, and others were all present.
When Su Heng's towering figure entered through the door, everyone stood up, their expressions solemn as they bowed respectfully to Su Heng, "Greetings, Family Head."
They also noticed Zhao Meiying who had come in with Su Heng.
The others did not recognize her.
But as an old member of the Demon Suppression Bureau, Wang Xindong had met her before.
"Deputy General Zhao!?" Wang Xindong exclaimed in surprise, "Why do you look somewhat disheveled?"
"Well... it's a long story."
Zhao Meiying looked up to see Su Heng already sitting on the bronze chair at the end of the room, one leg crossed over the other, as Li Hongxiu at his side timely handed him a cup of tea.
Su Heng took it, took a sip, and then put the cup down again.
"Now that everyone is here, then, it's perfect. Summarize the news you all have collected these past few days for me," Su Heng said calmly.
Though Su Heng's voice was even, his imposing presence and the powerful aura he exuded caused everyone to tremble slightly.