One Pound Meat, One More Attribute Point

Boom!

Outside the Demon Country, thunder suddenly exploded in the previously clear sky.

Clouds gathered swiftly and churned low, quickly forming a huge lead-grey vortex in the sky.

Inside the vortex, lightning cracked and thunder rolled, and a grey-black beam of light emerged, spreading like a tidal wave and quickly enveloping the entire Demon Country in the blink of an eye.

Boom boom!

Another series of muffled booms followed.

The Demon Country shook violently, gradually levitating due to the pull of the grey-black beam.

You could see a massive amount of rocks and dust hanging beneath the mountain of corpses, trickling down; at this moment, the Demon Country resembled a horizontally placed egg sac with its shell covered in cracks. Whether demons or enslaved captives inside, all shivered, their faces etched with expressions of terror and unease.

The cracks spread, but ultimately, the structure barely managed to maintain stability.

With a fierce shake of the Demon Country,

The entire city merged with the grey light falling from the sky above, transforming into straight lines that extended upwards and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The Demon Country had departed, but the storm did not subside; instead, it grew even fiercer. The violent winds swept up dust and sand like a tidal wave.

A dark shadow swiftly crossed the sky amid the devastating sandstorm.

Whoosh!

With a flap of its wings, it hovered in mid-air.

It was none other than Su Heng who had speedily come from afar, prepared to engage in a fierce battle.

"What’s going on, did I take the wrong path!?" The Demon Country was originally stationed deep in the Breath Swamp desert, atop a massive pitch-black iron tree. But now as Su Heng arrived, there was nothing but the lifeless remnants of a huge tree, the Demon Country having vanished without a trace.

He looked up to the sky—

The lead-grey swirling clouds had not yet dispersed, flashing with lightning and rumbling with thunder, emitting the aura of eternal heavens.

Su Heng, not very familiar with mystic realms, guessed what had just happened.

"They must have sensed something ominous and simply fled," he thought, arching his eyebrows with slight surprise while gently touching his chin, "If, as Wu Cuicheng said, the Green Flame Lion King has already reached the realm of a Demon God, he shouldn’t have retreated so easily."

"Is the intelligence wrong, or is there something else more complicated?"

The underlying reason, of course, remained unknown to Su Heng.

But the matter had now become a foregone conclusion.

He felt as if he had thrown a fierce punch into thin air, feeling extremely nauseous. But for the moment, having no other options, he could only return, gather more information, and devise a proper plan.

"These demons, truly a bunch of cowards," Su Heng thought silently, "Without a heart that bravely presses forward, undaunted by peril, how can they ever satisfy me!"

He opened his mouth, his second heart beating heavily, as another burst of golden light shot forth.

—Boom!

Moments later, a dark red sun rose in the desert.

The massive iron tree that supported the Demon Country was evaporated and destroyed by the high-temperature plasma generated by the fusion. The explosion’s shock wave swept away all the air, creating a vacuum. Although the temperature instantly soared to its peak, the tree could not catch fire.

It wasn’t until the gases flowed back, lifting a veil of smoke.

The iron tree came into contact with oxygen and instantly ignited; its remnants turned into a torch that shot up into the sky, coloring the entire sky dark red.

"Well then... that’s as far as it goes for now," Su Heng looked deeply once more, then turned and left.

...

In Baihua County, Demon Suppression Tower.

Su Heng and Qin Shunying walked side by side, discussing the recent events.

Back in his lair, Su Heng deactivated his overpowering true body and the enhancements from the Dragon Blood, finally recovering some semblance of a human form. His long hair cascaded past his shoulders, his build was still extremely imposing, making him resemble a great dark mountain approaching head-on as he walked.

Especially since Su Heng had come for nothing, his mood wasn’t very good.

His brow slightly furrowed,

The oppressive aura he exuded grew even more frightening.

The two Dragon Guards standing at the door felt as though dark, heavy rainclouds were rolling in. They stood as straight as rods, chests puffed out, heads held high, and even intentionally lowered and smoothed their breathing, scared of disturbing Su Heng’s thoughts.

Contrasting with Su Heng, Qin Shunying was like a hint of dawn under the dark clouds, immediately catching the eye.

In their few meetings, Qin Shunying was always seen holding a long spear, clad in armor, exuding a warrior-like vigor. Now unexpectedly, she had changed into a simple, pure white wide-sleeved long dress, tied at the waist with just a strip of golden tassel accentuating her breathtakingly curvaceous figure.

The hem of the dress just reached her knees, showcasing the smooth expanse of her lower legs and the sandaled feet below.

Her toes were pale, glistening, and topped with fiery red nail polish.

Beautiful indeed, but…

Su Heng was taken aback.

He turned his head to glance out the window.

There was a layer of white frost covering the grassland in the distance; it was already winter.

Miss, aren’t you cold? Apparently not... Su Heng shook his head, tossing these jumbled thoughts out of his mind.

"If the eternal heavens were likened to a vast sea, the secret realm would be a bubble within it. It appears vast but is acutely fragile amid crises in the eternal heavens. Most of the time, these realms must attach themselves to the mundane world, unable to hide in the eternal heavens for long..."

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Qin Shunying shared some information she had gathered with Su Heng.

"I see," Su Heng nodded, "If that’s the case, all we need to do now is wait for news."

"Theoretically, it should work well," Qin Shunying said with a smile, "Demon Country is no minor power. If it descends, it will inevitably cause a stir that cannot be concealed. Moreover, each entry into the eternal heavens devastates the secret realm. The same method won’t work a second time for them."

"If that’s the case, let’s give them a pass for now," Su Heng sneered, "We’ll wait until next year to fatten them up before the slaughter."

Even normally, his stature was extremely imposing.

Looking down now, he caught a glimpse of snow-white at the chest of Qin Shunying.

"Hiss..." Su Heng had held Qin Shunying in the secret realm before, already aware that she was well-endowed.

Now, having shed her armor for a skirt, the visual impact was even more startling. Even though Su Heng’s intentions lay elsewhere, he still sighed softly in his heart, "Truly hidden depths—I underestimated you before!"

The two arrived in front of a large hall on the fifth floor.

Stopping in his tracks, Su Heng pressed a mechanism. Amid a buzzing sound, the stone door slowly opened.

Inside the hall were the Golden Crow Divine Egg, obtained from the secret storage, surrounded by a group of people. Su Heng’s lackeys, An Ran and Li Hongxiu, two Dragon Guard Leaders, Wang Xindong and Zhao Zongwu, along with several Deputy Governors were all present, eagerly observing the Divine Egg and discussing it animatedly.

Li Hongxiu was kneeling on the ground.

She stretched out a fair finger, about to gently touch it.

Bang, bang, bang!

The stone door suddenly opened.

Li Hongxiu retracted her finger like she was electrocuted and turned her head to look.

Su Heng lowered his head and sidestepped, his imposing figure squeezing inside.

There was some space inside initially, but with Su Heng’s arrival, shadows fell, and the room instantly felt more crowded.

Su Heng waved his hand, and the crowd made way for him. He took a step forward, and Qin Shunying slowly followed behind, a shy smile on her face as she waved and greeted everyone.

"What are you all crowding here for?" Su Heng sat down cross-legged, looking at the big group before him, somewhat speechless.

"It’s the Golden Crow, the legendary divine beast," Luo Shuang said, awkwardly scratching her head, "Everyone heard the news and came to have a look, joining in the excitement."

"..." Su Heng sighed, "Alright, sorry to trouble you."

"You all back up a bit to avoid getting hurt by accident," Su Heng gestured, and the rest pressed against the wall.

Su Heng stretched out his hand, gently placing it on the shell of the Golden Crow Divine Egg.

Back in the secret realm, Su Heng had used his senses to briefly examine the condition of the Golden Crow Divine Egg. His assessment then was no different from Qin Shunying’s—the Divine Egg had been severely damaged before birth, premature, and also tainted by demonic energy.

It was bereft of life, a dead egg with no chance of being hatched anew.

But at the insistence of Qin Shunying, they had brought it out.

But now...

After merging with the heart of the Golden Crow.

Su Heng’s constitution underwent a transformation, almost plundering part of the essence of the Golden Crow to reshape his body. His senses also enhanced in some way, and touching it again revealed some unexpected findings.

The Golden Crow Divine Egg before him still appeared lifeless.

But seemingly, a weak soul lingered within, exuding a sense of familiarity.

It was like a corpse.

The heart had stopped beating, devoid of any signs of life.

But the soul had not completely dispersed, trapped in a state between life and death, yet utterly devoid of vitality.

The Golden Crow before him was even more special.

On one hand, the Golden Crow, being a naturally divine beast, could not be judged by normal standards.

On the other hand, the little Golden Crow had yet to be born, so how could one declare it dead? It was merely that the hatching process was unexpectedly interrupted, plus thousands of years of sealing had drained its life energy, leading it into deep slumber. Thus, at initial contact, it gave off the illusion of a dead egg.

"So, given the circumstances," Su Heng touched his chin, pondering, "just need to find a way to provide enough energy to restart the hatching process?"

"The key is the type of energy; it needs to have the same origin," he realized suddenly where the crux of the issue lied, "the high-heat fuel contained within the heart of the Golden Crow should meet the requirements."

"Let’s try and see..."

His second heart thumped heavily, sounding like muffled thunder.

Su Heng closed his eyes, his chest heaving, as he extended a finger forward.

Everyone held their breath, noticing a crack forming at the tip of Su Heng’s finger, from which a drop of golden liquid seeped out. It resembled a kind of liquid metal, extremely viscous, bursting with bright light and unbearable heat.

The temperature in the room rose quickly, and the space slightly distorted.

Hiss!

Su Heng pointed forward.

His expression severe, he directed it onto the Golden Crow Divine Egg before him.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The liquid interwove into a fine mesh over the surface of the egg, glittering, then slowly permeated the interior. Subsequently, a miracle occurred…