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The huge, ferocious ape arms were fused grotesquely with the gaunt frame of Li Daoxuan.

The combination appeared incredibly bizarre and discordant.

"Hiss—"

Su Heng's pupils slightly constricted as he withdrew and stepped back, finally standing still about ten meters away.

Li Daoxuan, however, violently coughed twice, and the gigantic ape arm quickly returned to its original form. He took off the liquor gourd hanging from his waist, tilted his head and gulped down two mouthfuls, only then taking a long, satisfying breath. He wiped the liquor stains from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and threw the gourd to Su Heng.

"Refreshing, truly refreshing!" Li Daoxuan laughed boisterously, "It's been a long time since I've had such a thrilling fight."

Su Heng reached out and caught the liquor gourd.

What appeared to be an average-sized liquor gourd to the common man was no bigger than a keychain ornament in Su Heng's hands.

He fiddled with it for a moment, then casually tossed it up and, opening his mouth, swallowed the whole gourd and its contents in one gulp.

Whoosh!

No sooner had he swallowed,

than a line of fire spread in his abdomen, radiating towards all his limbs.

Even for someone as robust as Su Heng, his face faintly turned red, seemingly a bit tipsy.

But that tipsiness lasted only a moment before it was digested and suppressed, causing Su Heng to internally sigh in disappointment.

Since he began practicing martial arts, it had been rare for him to feel such a distinct sense of intoxication.

But the liquor was clearly some sort of healing elixir.

Su Heng could feel the strength and energy he had expended in the fight quickly rejuvenating.

Even the mutant tissue, stimulated by the liquor, became active and began to grow further.

"I had thought the content of the letter was an exaggeration, but seeing it in person today, it is much more astonishing than I imagined,"

Li Daoxuan's eyes lingered on Su Heng for a moment, then he sighed continuously, "It's true what they say, the new waves of the Yangtze River drive on those before them; each generation grows stronger than the last."

"The powerful one is me, not this generation," declared Su Heng confidently.

As his body gradually reverted to its original form, the wild temperament fading from Su Heng began to dissipate. The sunlight, filtering through the mist, bathed him, making him appear much more serene.

"What technique did you use just now?" Su Heng asked.

He was referring to the final move, the sudden appearance of the gigantic Ape Demon arm.

He had thought that the nickname 'Golden-eyed Ape King' was just a kind of moniker, but surprisingly, there was some technique behind it.

That surge of primal savage power had taken Su Heng aback.

If Li Daoxuan were willing to unleash all his power, Su Heng might not necessarily be his match.

Unfortunately,

Li Daoxuan was far too old, his stamina nowhere near Su Heng's level.

He could not defeat Su Heng in a short period.

Therefore, they ended up fighting.

In the end, Li Daoxuan could possibly win, but he would surely die. Su Heng might lose, but he would definitely survive in the end. Uncover more tales at m,vl em pyr

After all, the Tai Sui Fungus Strain created a mist that obscured perception.

And, combined with Changjiang's special aquatic environment,

If Su Heng wanted to leave, nobody could stop him.

"That is the Ape Demon Transformation, a secret technique I comprehended from the Eight Phases Secret Skill," Li Daoxuan explained openly, not avoiding his own weakness, "Unfortunately, I am no longer young, my vigor depleted, and I cannot use such secret techniques many more times."

"Lad, if we continued fighting, you might have won."

"There's no need for that anymore. Managing to withstand my ultimate attack means you win. I'm not the kind who can't accept defeat."

"Why don't you integrate with demon corpses?" Su Heng curiously asked, "I remember demon corpses can extend life, returning one to their peak. With so many demons imprisoned in the Demon Suppression Tower, it shouldn't be difficult to find a suitable demon corpse."

"You're mistaken; there aren't many pureblood demons in the Demon Suppression Tower. Most are demon servants, martial artists who've fallen into the demon path, or those whose transformation has gone out of control,"

explained Li Daoxuan, "Moreover, merging with a demon corpse would make me lose my purity."

"I have already lost too much and don't wish to lose the last bit of what I have left."

"Is that so?" Su Heng said, somewhat admiringly, "In this world, the higher people climb, the harder it is for them to let go. You being able to do this is indeed profound."

"I have lived for over 140 years…"

Li Daoxuan extended his hand to pat the sandy pile beside him, motioning Su Heng to sit next to him.

He gazed distantly at the river before him, where the reeds rippled in the breeze. Fishermen had begun their catch on the river, while several large boats followed the water's flow. Further away, an adamantly burning and smoking red building was visible. People were trying to put out the fire and evacuate personnel from the boats and such.

"Over the 140 years, most of that time has been just constant repetition for me. Aside from an aging body, I feel nothing new. I no longer possess the ambition of my younger days, nor do I have your kind of reckless spirit."

"Ah…" Li Daoxuan sighed, looking at the river surface, "Was the Luo family's matter your doing?"

"Yes and no," Su Heng answered.

Li Daoxuan was momentarily stunned, finding the similarity uncanny in how Jin Mingxi spoke.

"They threw a demon that could cause endless misfortune directly to my doorstep. Tens of thousands of people in Changqing County perished because of it,"

explained Su Heng, "Although to tell the truth, I didn't feel much for those people."

"They did something that really ticked me off; they've got to pay the price for it. But there were some minor surprises in the whole affair," Su Heng said, recounting to Li Daoxuan what had happened at the Luo Family.

"Gluttonous...," Li Daoxuan frowned, "A gluttonous demon in its prime might be close to a deadly great demon. That could be tricky to handle."

"If it dares show up in front of me again, I'll kill it," Su Heng said, his eyes flickering with a faint red light.

"Hahaha," Li Daoxuan laughed and said, "I believe you."

"I have another question," Su Heng said curiously, "You're suffering from vital energy exhaustion, and you haven't merged with a demon corpse either. How did you withstand so many of my punches?"

Even without using the Ape Demon Transformation.

Defeating Li Daoxuan in his normal state was not an easy task.

"I don't have the terrifying talent you do. When I was a child, I begged on the streets, plagued with numerous illnesses, barely clinging to life, leaving many chronic conditions," Li Daoxuan said, his eyes reflecting reminiscence, and a smile briefly crossed his lips. "Later, my master took me in, and life got a bit easier.

Unfortunately, the chronic conditions from my childhood were impossible to eliminate.

Among my seven fellow disciples, my aptitude was the worst. Luckily, my comprehension was pretty good. I managed to derive something useful from some low-level boxing and swordsmanship techniques."

"Then you're a bit like me," Su Heng slapped Li Daoxuan's shoulder, speaking boldly, "Honestly, my aptitude is pretty ordinary too. When I first stepped into the martial path, I relied on a third-rate Cultivation Technique, but which family disciple nowadays can match even half of my level."

"Uh...,"

Li Daoxuan glanced at Su Heng's robust physique, which resembled a mountainous demon, obviously finding it hard to keep a straight face.

If you call that ordinary aptitude, what do the rest of us call it?

"Cough, cough!"

Li Daoxuan coughed twice, "Where were we just now?"

"Right, I realized something from those diagrams; the essence of martial arts is to overcome the strong with the weak. Think about it—when demons first appeared. There were no extraordinary martial skills, and it was very difficult to breach human physical limits. The martial artists of that time defeated demons by relying solely on pure martial arts."

"From the most basic coordination of hands and feet, to the unity of mind and intention, and then to the harmony of spirit and form, reaching the legendary ultimate realm of the 'Way' and 'Truth.'

Essentially, it's all about turning a single unit of effort into ten or even a hundredfold result."

"I see," Su Heng reflected on his previous fights, gradually gaining some insight.

"If you're willing to learn, I can teach you," Li Daoxuan said with a smile.

"Even if I don't join the Demon Suppression Bureau," Su Heng stated.

"Hahaha!" Li Daoxuan burst out laughing, "I'm not that petty."

"Like I said, the essence of martial arts is to overcome the strong with the weak. If it's only mastered by a few high-ranking individuals, then it loses its true meaning."

"So, my martial knowledge is right here. Whoever wants to learn, I'm willing to teach."

Su Heng stared blankly, not responding immediately. In the silence, the chirping of birds kept coming, ripples stirred on the river, the wind swept through the reeds, gave them shape and brought a cool breeze.

"How about it?"

Li Daoxuan casually picked up a stone from the ground and threw it into the river, creating over ten skips.

"Learn!" Su Heng took a deep breath, "Of course I want to learn since you're willing to teach. How could I choose to confine myself and stop making progress?"

"Very good!" Li Daoxuan laughed heartily once more, "What about the other matter?"

"What?"

"Of course, it's about the Demon Suppression Bureau," Li Daoxuan said.

"You've rejected it, haven't you? To you guys, I'm an outsider, hard to trust," Su Heng leisurely said.

"Trust, that's a tough one."

Su Heng spoke casually, but Li Daoxuan seemed deeply struck by the words, "Sometimes, even the fellow disciples who've been by your side for decades might betray you at a crucial moment, and it can be deadly."

"That's why, I don't believe in sweet nothings, I only believe in another thing."

"What's that?"

Li Daoxuan did not answer but just smiled.

The sunlight was bright, dappled with shade.

He extended a clenched fist towards Su Heng, who also stretched out a fist, and the two gently bumped fists.

"Words spoken from the mouth can deceive people, but the fists swung by martial artists in life-and-death moments contain no deceit," Su Heng said, "Is that what you mean?"

"Exactly," Li Daoxuan nodded, "So, your answer is...?"

"I agree," Su Heng stated, "but just one thing."

"What?" Li Daoxuan sat upright, a tense look flashing in his eyes.

"I'm a big eater, the Demon Suppression Bureau needs to cover my food expenses," Su Heng grinned and said smilingly.

"Hahaha," Li Daoxuan covered his belly, tears streaming down from laughter, "What kind of demand is that, kid, who are you looking down on? Our massive Demon Suppression Bureau controls a whole region; surely it won't go broke from feeding just one person."

"You never know," Su Heng said with a mysteriously amused smile.

Looking at the smile on Su Heng's face, Li Daoxuan inexplicably felt a bit uneasy.