Bright sunshine poured through the vast French windows, at last scattering the gloomy darkness inside the Demon Suppression Tower.
To the left, a new secret chamber had been carved out of the wall.
Su Heng reached out to activate the mechanism.
Buzz!
The wall recessed downwards.
A dark corridor appeared before the two of them.
Following the corridor forward, there was no oil lamp, but a mysterious red light surfaced amidst the darkness.
A rich and pungent odor permeated the air, not unpleasant, but enough to make one feel uneasy.
Li Xunhao stopped in his tracks.
He adjusted his breathing before hurrying to catch up.
At the end of the corridor lay an octagonal chamber, its walls engraved with ancient, mythical beast patterns. A bronze longsword dangled from the cone-shaped ceiling, suppressing the malicious aura and hiding any traces of their presence. At the center of the room, the most conspicuous object was a circular blood pool, over five meters in diameter.
A thick and violent presence of murderous energy bubbled up from the blood pool, with bubbles roiling. One could even make out remnants of demon creatures and other such relics within.
This viscous liquid radiated light.
The red glow seen outside, and the discomfort felt, were all due to this very blood pool.
In the face of this hellish scene, Su Heng actually revealed a look of satisfaction.
He squatted by the edge of the blood pool and dipped his hand into it.
Sizzle!
At the mere touch,
The blood pool began to boil violently, releasing large bubbles and billowing smoke.
The liquid that made contact with Su Heng's palm seemed to come to life, climbing up his arm as if to pull him into the blood pool and digest him whole.
"Damn, this thing is way too evil!" Li Xunhao's eyebrows jumped violently at the sight.
He had been personally involved in the construction of the blood pool.
Demons, demon servants, half-demons, and so forth, all captured alive and thrown directly into the blood pool.
They'd scream terribly and struggle fiercely.
Within a few breaths, they would be digested thoroughly, flesh and bone.
And now, Su Heng had come personally to the edge of the blood pool.
It seemed as if the creatures that had died here were coming to seek revenge upon Su Heng.
Twisted, agonizing faces emerged from the blood pool, their bloody hands reaching out as if to drag Su Heng inside.
"Worthless beasts!" Su Heng huffed coldly.
An invisible ripple expanded from him, and the boiling blood pool instantly calmed down.
He slowly withdrew his hand from the water, streaked with thick and sticky blood. With a light flick, Su Heng cleaned it off.
Su Heng stood up.
Li Xunhao felt a tickle in his nose.
He reached up and found his hand coated in blood-red.
Li Xunhao was stunned. He too was a Cultivator at the Demon Embryo Realm, and though not known for physical strength, the mere scent was enough to cause a reactionary injury. What mishaps could occur if one were to truly plunge in?
"Sir, are you really planning to cultivate in there?" Li Xunhao asked in shock, "Isn't this too risky?"
"Not at all; it's even somewhat lacking for my needs," Su Heng replied calmly, "Capture two more prisoners from the eighth floor and throw them in; that should do it. You and Elder Zhao Zongwu will handle this together to be on the safe side."
"Understood," Li Xunhao nodded stiffly.
"Complete this today," Su Heng patted him on the shoulder with a swift stride, heading back outside.
Arriving at the Demon Suppression Tower's eighth floor.
The space had considerably emptied due to the construction of the blood pool.
The few remaining demons and Fallen Martial Artists looked at Su Heng with expressions of horror and fear.
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He also saw Li Hongxiu here; having aided Su Heng before, she received special treatment in the Demon Suppression Tower.
She wasn't confined to a cage but was allowed to move about outside.
However, she could only roam the seventh and eighth floors, and sometimes Su Heng would bring her things from the outside.
Li Hongxiu was leaning against a corner reading a book, a delicate smile gracing her fair and exquisite face.
Perhaps she had been in one position for too long.
The little girl stretched and yawned.
Then, she saw Su Heng standing expressionless, looming in the shadows that the firelight couldn't reach.
She closed her eyes and then opened them again.
This wasn't a nightmare but a vivid reality.
Li Hongxiu's little face tensed up; she switched to a kneeling position, looking quite well-behaved.
"What are you looking at here, smiling so happily?" Su Heng asked casually.
"Letters from the sisters at the Red Building," Li Hongxiu said, "Do you want to read them yourself?"
"Forget it," Su Heng shook his head.
In this regard, he wasn't that curious.
"Has the White Deer Demon King been taken out by you?" Li Hongxiu raised her head to ask, noticing that the curse she had placed on Ye Tong had disappeared.
"Hmm," Su Heng nodded, "But that guy self-destructed, couldn't bring him back alive, it's truly a pity."
"Your information was accurate... although it wasn't very useful," Su Heng said, "Thanks."
"Uh, you're welcome." Li Hongxiu took out a basket covered with a red cloth beside her and handed it to Su Heng with both hands, "This is what you wanted."
"Good."
Su Heng reached out to take it.
After saying goodbye to Li Hongxiu, he arrived at the ninth floor of the Demon Suppression Tower.
Before even stepping in, a melodious and soothing sound of a zither gradually reached him.
In both his past and present life, Su Heng had little exposure to art appreciation, but still found the zither music quite appealing.
It was like early springtime.
Under the warm sunshine, the spring water mixed with ice chunks, making a ding-dong sound as it flowed over the pebbles.
Birds chirped cheerily as green sprouts pushed through the black earth on either side.
Brimming with life, yet carrying an inexpressible melancholy and loneliness that lingered, Su Heng paused, waiting patiently until the music ended before he stepped into the room.
In the room with red curtains hanging down,
The serpent demon lifted her pale hands from the black zither and raised her head, her deep gaze falling on Su Heng.
"This is what you wanted," Su Heng said, placing the basket on the floor and pushing it forward.
The basket slid across the floor as the white snake tail curled back.
Liu Qingqing gently touched her tail, but then Su Heng's voice suddenly came through, "Not necessary this time."
"Why?" Liu Qingqing's gaze held confusion.
"Your zither music was very pleasant to the ear," Su Heng said, "Consider that as your recompense."
Having said that, Su Heng turned and left.
He returned to the fifth floor of the Demon Suppression Tower as evening approached.
After sacrificing two unlucky souls from the eighth floor, the blood pool was finally completed, meeting Su Heng's requirements.
Su Heng slowly stripped off the clothes from his body, his muscular and dragon-like physique exposed in the flickering red light. seaʀᴄh thё novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
He recalled the melody he had heard earlier.
His excited mind gradually calmed down.
"The dragon is not just a special creature; it's also a state of being," Su Heng closed his eyes, remembering some records from the Eight Phases Secret Skill,
"Constant transformation, evolution, shedding the useless burdens, structures, cells, and keeping only the strongest parts for foundational split and evolution, until reaching the legendary realm of the 'dragon'!"
"Five Elements Division, return to the origin!" Su Heng took a deep breath, his chest heaving, "Integrating the essence of the five cultivation techniques, discarding the dregs. Accomplishing this, I'd also take on a third of the dragon form!"
With that thought, Su Heng no longer hesitated.
He stepped forward, plunging into the vast and massive blood pool before him.
Hiss!
The blood pool boiled violently, churning and exploding.
Thick blood transformed into numerous hands, wrapping around Su Heng completely, while countless tortured spirits wailed miserably, seeking to claim his life. However, Su Heng sat cross-legged in the center of the blood pool, exuding the majesty of a golden Buddha, imperturbable regardless of the ghosts' mournful cries.
He just continuously absorbed the essence of the many demons in the blood pool into his body.
During this process, his body temperature rose, and steam billowed out. The chamber became hazy, with only Su Heng's eyes emitting a bloody light.
And as time passed, they became increasingly sharp and awe-inspiring, terrifying to behold!