One Pound Meat, One More Attribute Point

Although the immortality was suppressed by the strong radiation emitted from the heart of the Golden Crow, Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha, managed to heal and recover by exerting all his strength. However, his complexion was far from good now, pale-faced with contracted pupils, wearing an expression as if he’d seen a ghost in broad daylight.

Mythical beasts!

Such creatures are born and nurtured by nature, capable of calling the wind and summoning the rain.

Governing the laws of the material realm, they are innately powerful, with only a few to be found in the whole world.

The deeper one’s cultivation, the more one understands the strength and terror of such creatures.

But now, this young man in front of him had carved out the heart of a mythical beast and transplanted it into his own body. The idea was insane, and what was even more terrifying was that he could actually unleash the Innate Divine Ability of the Golden Crow. Did this not mean that the strength of his physical body had reached a realm comparable to that of mythical beasts?

The more Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha, thought about it, the more horrified he felt, his pupils trembling involuntarily. He was beginning to regret his arrogance and rashness in coming here, which had trapped him in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. Watching Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha’s wonderful expression, Su Heng felt thoroughly satisfied.

"Snap!" He snapped his fingers, his cold laugh echoing ominously, "You guessed right, but unfortunately, there’s no reward."

"Now kneel down and kowtow in front of me. Perhaps I’ll leave you a sliver of a chance to pick up the butcher’s knife and become a devil there and then," said Su Heng, repeating the words Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha, had said earlier.

Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha’s nose was nearly bent out of shape with rage, "Just an evil demon, even if by some fluke you’ve merged with the heart of a mythical beast, so what. Do you really think you are invincible? You should know that even the real Golden Crow has fallen for thousands of years, let alone an imposter like you."

"Haha!" Su Heng laughed loudly, "Killing you is more than enough!"

Boom!

His stature grew inch by inch.

Black dragon scales and crown-like antlers emerged on his body, his shoulder blades protruding high behind him, and ridged crystals grew along his spine, extending downward. With a crisp "snap," his black bony tail shattered the air, causing the whole battlefield to tremble.

"This is my true power, my complete form." Razor-like teeth burst forth from his grinning maw, mixing with a stream of black and red smoke, "Try to struggle a bit; you might bring me more joy."

"Evil demon, how dare you be so rampant!" Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha, roared in anger. For centuries, no one had dared to provoke him like this; it was courting death.

Crackle!

With a fierce clap of his arms, two more muscular and twisted arms burst forth from his back.

Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha, boosted his momentum to the peak, fighting tooth and nail with Su Heng. While launching heavy punches, he murmured incantations, ceaselessly casting buffs on himself. At the same time, his other two hands rapidly formed seals, moving so fast they almost left afterimages.

The Demon-Subduing Pestle, magic swords, fires of calamity, treasure pagodas, scripture flags and more - numerous magic artifacts were summoned, shining brilliantly. Each artifact possessed infinite might, capable of easily leveling a mountain or evaporating a vast lake, and now there were dozens, if not hundreds, all converging on Su Heng and overwhelming him.

"Hahaha, exhilarating, exhilarating!" Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha, gave it his all. Even if Su Heng’s skin was thick and tough, he couldn’t withstand it entirely. Blood light erupted continuously from his body, scales burst apart, and even his shoulder blades were penetrated by the Demon-Subduing Pestle, causing half his body to throb with piercing pain.

Yet, he became even more ferocious, his Dragon Blood activated, and the surging vitality spread from his spine throughout his entire body.

While it wasn’t as exaggerated as the Blood Rebirth of Heavenly Deceit, it was incredibly powerful, healing his injuries at a rapid pace. Moreover, Dragon Blood could stimulate latent potential, evolving continuously in battle, becoming ever braver, until reaching the legendary ultimate realm.

Initially, a single strike from Kasyapa’s Demon-Subduing Pestle could smash a bloody pit into Su Heng’s body.

But after a dozen or so exchanges, the same move left only shattered scales and minor, superficial scratches on Su Heng.

Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha, watched the scene unfold before him, his face turning green.

Su Heng’s aura became more turbulent, his strength seemingly endless, while Kasyapa himself was nearing his limit.

"An Shelie’s Dragon Blood, I never thought it would be in you!" Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha, sighed. He was from almost the same era as An Shelie, thus he knew full well the formidable power of Dragon Blood. Among all mythical beasts, dragons were considered the strongest, even a small piece of Dragon Marrow was enough to dominate an era.

Spurt!

After another dozen or so moves, Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha, couldn’t hold on any longer.

His four arms were successively chopped off by dual blade hands, blood spraying wildly, and then his entire body was torn apart. Golden blood scattered everywhere, and Su Heng opened his mouth to inhale. The immortality suppressed by the radiation from the heart of the Golden Crow got absorbed and refined by the Bright Sun Divine Skill, as he sucked in a large mouthful of flesh and essence.

Whoosh!

Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha’s figure reappeared a hundred or so meters away.

Though he managed to reassemble and recover completely, his face was pale, his pupils filled with exhaustion, visibly far from his peak.

"If it were just me alone, this is where it would end, and I would be considered defeated. Even continuing on, it’s very likely that I would die by your hand," Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and sighed, "It’s true that every generation produces its own new talents that rule the roost for hundreds of years."

"Are you giving your last words?" Su Heng’s gaze was intense, greedily fixed on his heart.

"No, I’m saying that this fight was never fair from the start," Kasyapa, the ancient Buddha spoke softly, "Now, please show yourself, Ming King of the three worlds, let us together put an end to this farce." Explore new worlds at empire

"You think you can divert my attention with such a crude trick?" Su Heng sneered, "The mighty ones above Heavenly Deceit aren’t as common as cabbages, you can’t just summon them at will."

Bang!

Before his words could fall, a violent black lightning flashed.

A premonition of danger passed through Su Heng’s enhanced senses, and his expression changed slightly, "There really is one! Did the baldies from Skull Plain really go to such lengths?"

Whoosh!

Almost with an instinctual reaction, Su Heng dodged to the side.

His body was massive, but after entering the realm of Heavenly Deceit with his heightened perception, he possessed an agility that completely contradicted his size. He moved almost like teleporting, tracing a straight black line, and reappeared hundreds of meters away on the other side of the plaza. Where he had previously been standing, the ground exploded with a bang, sending up black smoke.

The roaring wind swept through, dispersing the black smoke.

The clattering of small stones and dirt fell to the ground, and under the bright moonlight, a majestic, green-faced giant stood amidst the twisting smoke.

He had three faces and six arms, his figure almost resembling Su Heng at the moment. Behind him, a ring of blazing flames surrounded him, and in his hands, he held extraordinary magic artifacts such as bows and arrows, long halberds, bronze maces, and vajra bells. His presence filled the sky with an overwhelming majesty as soon as he appeared, and in the background, terrifying visions such as a blazing sun, mountains of corpses, and seas of blood unfolded behind him.

The Mighty Virtue Demon-Subduing King, known as the most superior Vajra, ranked second among the five protector kings of the Hundred Buddha Temple.

Moreover, it was not an inheritor of the Demon-Subduing King that stood before Su Heng, but the original entity, or at least a portion of the original’s power projection, an existence even older than Kasyapa the ancient Buddha.

"A mere junior has actually injured you to this extent." The Demon-Subduing King’s gaze lingered on Kasyapa the ancient Buddha for a moment, showing anger, "Several hundred years have passed, and you seem to be regressing, not even half as impressive as you used to be."

Kasyapa’s face alternated between shades of green and purple, ridiculed so directly, yet daring not to retort. Because the Demon-Subduing King’s ancient origins, honored status, and strength were all greater than his own.

"Protector King, be careful, this man is a bit strange, not as simple as he seems on the surface." Kasyapa swallowed his anger, speaking in a low voice.

"Heh, merely a mortal." The Demon-Subduing King’s gaze fell distantly upon Su Heng, "Evil demon, no matter your background. Within ten moves, if you don’t die, I will take my own life."

"Everyone seems so good at talking big, but it’s a pity that your strength doesn’t quite match." Su Heng put out his little finger, digging at his ear. He yawned lazily and with a look of sudden realization whispered with a smile, "I’ve heard that you baldies from the Skull Plain boast about doctrine entirely on bluster, no wonder your claims are so grandiose."

"Bluster? Hmph!" The Demon-Subduing King’s brows furrowed deeply, flames raged around him, quickly spreading throughout the battlefield, "When I tear off your head later, you’ll know whether or not I was bluffing."

"Bring it on." Su Heng waved his hand dismissively.

Bang!

The firelight flickered fiercely for a moment.

The Demon-Subduing King’s body suddenly vanished, causing Su Heng’s pupils to constrict slightly.

This guy was indeed stronger than Kasyapa the ancient Buddha, with such speed that even Su Heng’s heightened perception barely caught it. A sharp whistle burst before him, and with a sweep of fire, the green-faced, six-armed Demon-Subduing King swung his bronze mace directly at Su Heng’s crown.

Confident in his physical prowess, Su Heng did not dodge or flinch but directly pressed a fist into the center of the Demon-Subduing King’s body. Black thunder exploded between them, the ground collapsed, and the terrifying boom of their collision sounded incessantly, clashing several times in the blink of an eye.

"Hiss..." Su Heng’s eyes narrowed.

This guy had six arms, and he was wielding weapons in all of them, which made trading blows a bit disadvantageous for Su Heng.

Su Heng threw a punch forward, but the Demon-Subduing King’s bronze mace, vajra bell, long halberd, and Demon-Subduing Pestle all came smashing down fiercely.

The power was terrifying, and even with Dragon Blood activated, which could fend off Kasyapa’s secret techniques, Su Heng was still hammered to the point of breaking bones and felt a tingling pain continuously spreading through his body.

But as much as Su Heng was surprised, the Demon-Subduing King was even more shocked.

They had clashed seven or eight moves in the blink of an eye, and he had thrown heavy punches that would have pulverized a common demon into dust. Yet Su Heng, although seemingly bleeding profusely, actually only had superficial wounds. Under the stimulation of Dragon Blood, they would heal in the blink of an eye, and his strength and defense kept increasing.

The Demon-Subduing King remembered his previous declaration that he would defeat Su Heng within ten moves, and with Kasyapa watching from a distance, he couldn’t lose face.

"Hiss—"

With that thought, impatience rose in the heart of the Demon-Subduing King.

The two exchanged a punch and simultaneously retreated. The Demon-Subduing King stomped heavily to offset the impact and stood his ground, unmoving. His six arms drew circles, all coming together in unison. He threw aside all other magic artifacts in his hands, holding only a bow in the left and an arrow in the right.

At that moment, as he drew the bow and set the arrow, the bronze arrow pointed straight at Su Heng.

"If you can take this strike, you win." The Demon-Subduing King spoke from a distance, really intending to keep his promise.

"So you really intend to take your own life, interesting." Su Heng’s eyes narrowed, sensing a threat from the glowing arrow. As flames, runes, and vigor were infused into it, the light on the arrow grew stronger. It elongated and thickened until it became like a light-forged spear that could pierce through the void.

Whoosh!

The battle desire in the Demon-Subduing King reached its pinnacle, and then he released the bowstring.

And just as the arrow shot out, at the moment of relaxation...

Splurt!

A claw-like hand, shining with black and green hues, viciously stabbed forward. The indestructible body of the Demon-Subduing King was nothing but decayed wood before this outstretched hand, effortlessly punctured in an instant. What was worse, streaks of pitch-black corruption spread out from the wound, rapidly encasing his entire body.

The Demon-Subduing King’s eyes widened, his face frozen in shock as he slowly lowered his head, "You are—"

Bang!

The large hand withdrew from the body, pulling out a mass of viscera and flesh.

Even more terrifyingly, the undying nature of the Demon-Subduing King was completely suppressed by an ancient and decaying force, rendering it ineffective. He didn’t even have the chance to turn and see who the assailant was before his body burst apart, his essence drained, disintegrating into black fragments that burned fiercely on the ground.

A protector king perished, vanishing into oblivion.