One Pound Meat, One More Attribute Point

In the depths of the Demon Suppression Tower, within a sunless cell.

Drip, drip!

A droplet of cold water fell from the chains, making a resonant noise.

Zhou Hu, who was in a daze, half asleep, shuddered and violently woke up. Squinting his eyes towards the bars, he saw no one in the hallway, the door remained firmly locked, and Zhou Hu let out a slight sigh of relief, his tense muscles relaxing.

Even such a small movement caused a piercing pain as it tugged at his muscles, making Zhou Hu grimace in agony.

"These sons of bitches are utterly inhumane," he groaned, watching the flickering flame on the candlestick.

Recalling his experience of being imprisoned during this period was like a scene from hell.

Every day, he received three beatings—morning, noon, and evening, not one less.

In between, there were five minor beatings, each one breaking several bones and slicing open several pieces of his flesh.

"I hope he’s still alive," Zhou Hu thought.

Staring blankly at the flickering candle outside the door, feeling the stabbing pains in his body, he muttered, "Perhaps death would be an early release."

After all, those in their line of work were prepared to meet such a fate.

Bang! Continue reading at empiren/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Heavy footsteps arose from the corridor outside.

A towering figure blocked the light and cast a shadow. Zhou Hu instinctively thought he was about to be beaten again; he curled up and hid fearfully in the darkness of the corner.

Immediately after—

"Creak!"

The door was pushed open from the outside, and the chains were carelessly thrown to the ground.

An expressionless, rugged face loomed in the shadows, the person spoke solemnly, "The lord wants to see you, you’d better organize your words and think about how to answer the lord’s questions."

A large hand reached out from nowhere.

The giant in the shadows didn’t take a key, he simply pinched the chains with his fingers lightly.

The iron chains forged from pure iron snapped like rotten wood in the giant’s hands. The thick chains, as thick as a child’s arm, were held in one hand by the draconian guard, while the other end was looped around Zhou Hu’s neck, oozing fresh blood from numerous wounds.

Just like that...

Zhou Hu was led out of his cage like a stray dog by the draconian guard.

Long-absent sunlight poured in through the window, causing Zhou Hu’s eyes to tear up from the brightness; his vision blurred and his body trembled slightly. He saw Ding Meng, also like him, being dragged by someone, crawling out of another dark corridor.

The two exchanged glances, the silence thick with unspoken emotions.

Then they both looked away simultaneously.

The draconian guard led him to the entrance of a spacious staircase.

As he ascended, he pondered possible questions from the other party and how he should respond.

"If I give satisfactory answers, will he release me?" Zhou Hu raised his head and asked carefully, his body hunched. The young draconian guard leading him seemed to hear a joke, his lips curling up as he almost could not contain his laughter.

"You think you’re already miserable, that the torture you’ve endured makes you want to die," the young draconian guard said calmly.

"Yes, my lord," Zhou Hu nodded earnestly.

"If you had seen the methods used by the Great General..." The young draconian guard gave Zhou Hu a meaningful look, "You would understand what true hell is."

There was no threat in the draconian guard’s expression.

But in the instant their eyes met, Zhou Hu felt a chill run up his spine.

If he hadn’t reacted quickly and clenched tight, he would’ve nearly lost control of his bladder from that one look.

Zhou Hu didn’t dare to ask any more questions and continued forward with his head lowered.

Every draconian guard was unreasonably tall, with the shortest standing over three meters.

Their normal walking pace far exceeded that of a human’s run, not to mention Zhou Hu who was now crawling on all fours on the ground. Even with his cultivation, he could barely move after the continuous beatings over the past days.

The draconian guards obviously could not care less about Zhou Hu’s injuries.

They were more like tools than people, molded into inhuman forms, loyally executing the commands given to them by their master.

Along the way, Zhou Hu was almost dragged forward by the chain around his neck, blood oozing and then wiped clean by his own body.

He felt like a stray dog, Zhou Hu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Fortunately, the journey wasn’t too long...

He would rather have preferred a longer route, as the fear of the unknown was more chilling to Zhou Hu than physical pain.

The draconian guard stopped in front of a large iron-black door, carved with skulls and strange patterns.

There were also draconian guards stationed at the door.

White-haired but even more imposing, with stern expressions.

Zhou Hu quickly lowered his head, as it was the person before him who had captured them and brought them into this dreadful purgatory.

They exchanged a few words.

Amidst a prolonged creaking noise, the gate slowly swung open inward.

The corridor was lined with thorns, while the reflective yaoshi floor shone brightly and dark dragon pillars stood like statues on either side of the throne, forming the ceremonial corridor’s dragon guards.

Atop the raised platform at the end was a bronze throne with skulls hanging above it.

The skulls varied in size and shape, but each emanated an aura of ferocity without exception.

Zhao Hu shuddered.

Realizing these skulls came from Demon Lords and were now used as terrifying decorations.

Two stunning beauties stood on either side of the throne as the only soft embellishments in the room—one clad in red with a tranquil and ethereal presence, the other in fluttering white with sword-like eyebrows and piercing eyes, exuding a majestic aura. Meanwhile, the room’s master stood before the window, presenting to them only an extremely majestic back.

Bang!

The young Dragon Guard behind Zhou Hu gave a gentle kick.

Zhou Hu stumbled, then quickly knelt down as it dawned on him to do so.

He heard footsteps as the master of the city turned around, stepped up to the platform, and sat on his throne, casually crossing one leg over the other.

Every heartbeat seemed as long as eternity; Zhou Hu’s forehead was pressed against the cold floor, and a drop of cold sweat slid down from the tip of his nose.

A soothing voice drifted over, "What is your name?"

Zhou Hu swallowed hard, keeping his head down, and answered, "This one’s name is Zhou Hu."

"What purpose brings you here?" Before this moment, Zhou Hu had prepared multiple versions of his story to respond with—a mix of truth and lies. But when the real test came, all the preparations failed, and Zhou Hu simply uttered the most honest answer.

"We’ve come to gather intelligence. Some people above believe that some strange transformations are occurring within this city," Zhou Hu replied.

"Some people above—who would that be?" Su Heng’s voice resonated once again.

Zhou Hu dared to lift his head slightly and, using his peripheral vision, glanced at the throne. Standing atop was an imposing figure, much younger than Zhou Hu had imagined. Long hair hung slightly curled, the face not particularly handsome, but rugged with well-defined features, exuding virility and rugged appeal.

Zhou Hu’s pupils contracted as he noticed tiny bulges under the taut skin.

At first glance, it seemed nothing out of the ordinary, but the longer one looked, a special feeling arose—

As if beneath this human skin hid a terrible monster that, upon finding its moment, would burst forth from its disguise, break its chains, and wreak slaughter, consuming and crunching all living creatures in sight.

Crack!

A blood-red lightning bolt exploded in Zhou Hu’s mind.

His expression turned to one of extreme horror as he quickly closed his eyes and shook his head violently to break free from the involuntary hallucination. When he came to his senses, he found his back drenched in sweat and his breathing heavy.

Without hesitation, Zhou Hu hurriedly said, "It’s the ritu—uh, cough, cough, cough!"

His expression suddenly froze, and he clutched at his throat, his eyes bloodshot and bulging in an intense struggle. Zhou Hu opened his mouth wide but could make no sound, his skin turning purplish, indicating excruciating pain.

Su Heng arched his eyebrows, watching the scene unfold with interest.

Next to him, Qin Shunying, who had obviously seen similar methods before, surged forward.

She pressed on Zhou Hu’s philtrum, but it was a moment too late.

Bang!

Zhou Hu’s body collapsed to the ground.

Qin Shunying sighed and withdrew her hand.

Turning to Su Heng on the throne, she spread her hands with a somewhat helpless expression.

As Zhou Hu fell, Ding Meng nearby too showed black lines spreading across his neck and, after a couple of convulsions, ceased to move—dead on the spot.

"It’s the Forbidden Heart Spell," Qin Shunying explained softly, "A rather ancient and nefarious Divine Skill. Once the cursed individual thinks of and speaks certain words, the spell activates, cutting off certain functions of the brain, causing rapid degeneration of the internal organs, beyond any hope of salvation."

"I had only read about it in ancient texts and have never seen it in reality until now," Qin Shunying’s face darkened, looking rather distressed.

"Forbidden Heart Spell? These two seem to have an impressive background. Who do you think they could be?" Su Heng inquired.

"Either from Skull Plain or perhaps the forces behind the Great General Yuan Hong," Qin Shunying mused, "But with Skull Plain currently overwhelmed with its own issues, I think the latter is more likely."

"Yuan Hong!" For Su Heng, the name was but a faint memory. He stroked his chin, saying, "Understood."

"Your power is increasing too quickly, and it’s starting to make some people uneasy," Qin Shunying frowned. "This probing might just be an attempt to understand the situation or it could carry some malice. In any case, it’s always good to be cautious."

"I’ll be careful," Su Heng nodded, smiling, "Thank you."

A hint of blush flashed across Qin Shunying’s fair cheeks.

She smiled, gently shaking her head, and her long hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, "Didn’t you say you were looking for the Secret Technique to break through the Heavenly Deceit? I have some news about that."

"Really?" Su Heng’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, "Let’s hear it."