One Pound Meat, One More Attribute Point

"The Buddha’s hand-eyes that broaden wisdom can see through heaven, and everything is within his expectation," said the gaunt monk with long earlobes and a bronze complexion, his voice calm.

"What a pity..." the fat monk shook his head and sighed, "A person of such bravery may not be born in an entire era. Like Solban the Great Khan, he is a peerless prodigy who truly deserves his reputation. However, he will soon fall in this secret place and become one with the dust, which is truly regrettable."

"What’s there to pity," the gaunt monk said with a cold smile, "Offending our Buddha and still wishing for a good end? It’s not that easy."

"True!" said the fat monk, his expression becoming resolute, as he withdrew his gaze from the battlefield.

"Since we have now confirmed the news here, we should not delay and leave quickly to avoid further complications," the gaunt monk urged.

"Alright!" the fat monk nodded.

He took one last look at the battlefield, and then turned around, leaving with his junior brother.

Deep within Skull Plain, within an ancient temple of white walls and red tiles where incense smoke curled up and the sound of bells echoed, age-old Buddha statues covered with moss basked in the golden sunlight. The fat and gaunt monks passed on the news they had heard and seen to a burly staff-wielding master waiting outside the temple gate.

The staff-wielding master nodded slightly and exchanged a few words with them.

The staff-wielding master brought his hands together and bowed slightly, his eyes full of reverence for the middle-aged monk.

Without uttering a sound, he maintained his posture, waiting in silence.

Your journey continues with empire

Only after the middle-aged monk finished a complete recitation of the "Life and Death Scripture" in a low voice did the staff-wielding master gently cough. The monk came back to his senses just as the sun rose, and the golden sunlight pierced through the hall’s darkness, casting upon the monk’s face.

His features were gentle, with barely any pores visible on his skin. His eyes were the color of deep blue, profound and surrounded by long, dense eyelashes. All these characteristics matched perfectly with the Buddha’s "thirty-two marks" and, combined with the aura of wisdom and sanctity emanating from the monk.

This was clearly a great cultivator of divine skills, who was already on the path to proving the Way and becoming a Buddha.

This monk was Su Heng.

He was also the current abbot within the three major Esoteric Sect powers in Skull Plain.

Su Heng’s deep blue eyes lightly rested on the staff-wielding master, who felt as if his body was immersed in a warm azure sea. Su Heng’s divine skills and mana were boundless, and all the secrets in the heart of the staff-wielding master were laid bare.

The staff-wielding master’s heart quivered, but he did not dare to avert his gaze. He considered this an honor and presented everything in his heart without reservation before Su Heng.

"I understand now." Without the staff-wielding master saying a word, Su Heng already knew everything through his memories and thoughts.

"Then I, your subordinate, shall take my leave," said the staff-wielding master respectfully.

He remained in his bowed position, slowly backing away, and only when he stepped back into the sunlight did he realize his back was drenched with sweat.

"Indeed, just as I suspected, you are extremely confident in your own strength; even knowing the dangers, you won’t give up this opportunity," Su Heng said, setting aside his wooden fish, and lighting up an incense from a mahogany desk, placing it in the incense burner before him.

"Since you’ve come, then stay here and do not leave again," Su Heng spoke leisurely.

Smoke rose from the incense burner, gradually turning into a mist.

Boom!

A muffled thunder exploded.

The Buddha statue shrouded in the darkness in front of him suddenly came to life, opening its eyes. Its majestic gaze, like two golden suns, fell upon Su Heng. The Buddha statue’s glare was scorching bright, yet the surroundings were enveloped in substantial darkness.

Not to mention the previous sunlight; even the statues of Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and others being worshiped around were devoured by the darkness, becoming indistinct.

And the Buddha statue in the center was overwhelmingly powerful.

Once it appeared, it became the only being in the hall.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Sitting alone in the darkness, with the ferocious Buddha statue staring at him with intense eyes, Su Heng, however, showed no sign of fear or panic on his face, which remained peaceful.

"Master," he spoke slowly, with his arms folded in prayer, recounting the recent events to the Buddha statue in detail. After a brief pause, Su Heng continued, "This time, I will need Master to personally descend with divine skills and subdue this fiend."

The Buddha statue enshrined in the Great Hall was not Shakyamuni, but another ancient Buddha.

His name was Kasyapa, who, hundreds of years ago, had already broken through the limits of the Heavenly Deceit Realm and left this ancient land to seek the Pure Land in the depths of the Longevity Heaven. Now, as the echoes of Longevity Heaven deepen and upheavals continue, these ancient forces are beginning to call upon their ancestors to prepare for the impending great battle.

"This battlefield is at the Temple of the Dharma King; there may be something there that interests you." Seeing that Kasyapa had not spoken, Su Heng was not flustered and calmly continued, offering more incentives.

From the nostrils of the Buddha statue came two streams of white smoke, and its facial expressions became more vivid.

It even began to show a strange sense of flesh and blood.

"Thirty years of incense offering, to guide me back from the far shore of suffering," finally, Kasyapa spoke, his voice thunderous, causing the entire hall to tremble.

"Good!" Su Heng nodded.

"What about White Tower Temple and Hundred Buddha Temple? What are their plans?" Kasyapa asked again.

"Hundred Buddha Temple will invite a fraction of the power of the Exalted Ming Wang of the past three generations to return, while White Tower Temple has undergone turmoil and is temporarily preoccupied, but they will also provide a batch of precious resources, including Emperor Grade Corpse Fragrance." Su Heng replied calmly, "Besides, a King from Demon Country will also make a move."

"Demon Country?" Kasyapa sounded surprised, "The Green Flame Lion King?"

"No," said the Expanding Buddha, shaking his head, "It’s the Yellow-Tusked Old Elephant King who is seeking revenge for its brother."

"It’s quite skilled too," Kasyapa Buddha pondered briefly before saying, "Taking this opportunity, we may be able to lead it to our Buddhist path, which would indeed be a good deed."

"Good indeed, good indeed," said the Expanding Buddha with a slight smile.

Boom!

Another thunderous boom sounded, and Kasyapa Buddha vanished from the Great Hall.

The sunlight streamed in once more, scattering the darkness, and the golden Buddha statues returned to their original state.

"Whew!" The Expanding Buddha, as if he had accomplished a monumental task, heaved a long sigh and bore a serene smile. He looked up peacefully at the sky, where a fiery sun hung high above the snowy mountains, and murmured, "With this net cast between heaven and earth, I wonder how you will contend with it."

...

...

...

Meanwhile, at the frontline camp formed by the Immortal Sect and the aristocratic families,

Su Heng’s demonstrated strength during the pacification of the demon tide was shocking enough to threaten the entire camp, making it seem effortless to deal with the formidable Deceit Beasts that many elders from the Immortal Sect felt helpless against. In no time, everyone was abuzz, and Su Heng’s name quickly spread across the entire battlefield.

As more and more information was unearthed, these Martial Artists were even more astonished and found it inconceivable.

During this time,

Some high-ranking members of aristocratic families and the Immortal Sect brought gifts, wishing to pay Su Heng a visit.

Even if they couldn’t form an alliance, they at least wanted to leave a good impression.

It was a pity that none succeeded.

Su Heng was in seclusion, cultivating and assimilating the flesh of the Deceit Beasts, accumulating attribute points, and preparing for potential upcoming battles. These people were all met with a closed door and returned without success. Even so, none dared to get angry.

Because Su Heng’s strength had reached such a level that in the Jiang-E region, he was the one who set the trend. It was everyone else who had to accommodate him, not the other way around.

This situation persisted for a few days, and then once more, the Esoteric Sect Temple became the site of unusual activity.

The once-ruined secret realm completely detached from the Eternal Heaven realm and merged with reality, exposing many of the temple’s buildings on the battlefield. Not only the Cultivators from the Deceit Realm but even ordinary Martial Artists were able to enter, and if lucky, could find treasures of immense value.

Some obtained precious Daoist scriptures and relics from the Esoteric Sect Temple, while others gathered priceless herbs grown from the corpses residing there.

With these living examples before them,

People’s hearts were agitated, and more and more ventured into the temple despite the dangers.

This ancient temple, gone for thousands of years, far from being a ghostly domain, was clearly a gold and silver mine waiting to be excavated.

Even the true disciples of Immortal Sects and the direct descendants of aristocratic families could not resist this unknown temptation, let alone those Loose Cultivators born into barren lands.

To take a gamble could turn a bicycle into a motorcycle.

Even just digging up something from the Esoteric Sect Temple would suffice for the cultivation needs of the next several decades.

During this time, Ling Weizi also released a message. The Esoteric Sect Temple might bury a great terror from the Ancient Times, and its resurrection could have unthinkable consequences. Unfortunately, the warning had little effect, with some people regarding it as a conspiracy theory, believing the Immortal Sects wanted to monopolize the treasure.

And for others who believed it to some extent, they still felt their fortune was deep.

As long as they could gain something from the Esoteric Sect Temple and leave early, the disaster would not fall upon their own heads.

Ling Weizi’s attempts at dissuasion,

Not only failed to have an effect but even had the opposite result.

Driven by this sense of urgency, the Cultivators became even more frenzied, pushing their explorations deeper into the Esoteric Sect Temple.

Seeing this,

Ling Weizi felt powerless.

With a sigh, she decided to give up and quietly waited for the unfolding events.

Just like that, another two days passed, and Su Heng finally emerged from seclusion, stepping out from his temporary residence. In just a few days, his aura had become more terrifying. With the boost from his attribute panel, Su Heng’s potential seemed limitless.

As long as he had enough flesh to consume, with nearly every breath, Su Heng could feel his strength growing.

And this growth had no limits, with immediate effects.

Such a pace of strength improvement was simply unfathomable and incomprehensible. It’s no wonder that some Cultivators with a keen sense of perception would feel fear upon seeing Su Heng, believing that beneath that human skin lay some indescribable, terrifying demon-god, causing them to shiver uncontrollably.

"It’s about time," Su Heng narrowed his eyes, looking toward the Esoteric Sect Temple, "It’s time to make a move."