One more catty, one more attribute point

Chapter 253 Healthy Sunshine, Pursuing the Culprit

Boom!

An intense explosion kicked up a blast wave from behind.

A gigantic stone lion flew towards him like a cannonball amidst the force of the impact.

He Xingyun, as if having eyes on the back of his head, ducked low and avoided the stone lion that narrowly missed the top of his head and crashed heavily into a distant wall, setting off a cacophony and a cloud of dust and debris.

"Cough, cough!" He Xingyun waved his hand, his face etched with shock.

"This is so exaggerated. This is just a corner of Fawang Temple. What on earth is happening inside?" Sensing that something was amiss, he had left the central area of Fawang Temple early to search for his scattered fellow disciples, and now only one was left.

However, for some reason, the feeling of danger deep within him grew even more intense.

When one cultivated to Heavenly Deceit, the five senses became incredibly sharp.

Especially for someone like He Xingyun, a prestigious sect's prodigy, his intuition for danger far exceeded that of ordinary people.

This premonition of danger was certainly not unfounded. Yet, after a brief contemplation, He Xingyun decided not to abandon this last disciple. Instead of leaving, he quickened his pace. His whole body flew forward, leaping over the fallen wall, and soon he arrived inside another area of the temple.

Bang!

With a wave of his hand, force surged.

Huge chunks of collapsed rubble and shattered tiles hung suspended in midair.

A young disciple, grey and dusty with a white robe and a sword scabbard embroidered on his chest, was pulled out from the ruins by He Xingyun.

He touched his nose to check for breath, and feeling a faint one, He Xingyun relaxed slightly.

He poured a large handful of medicinal pills into his mouth and pinched the Philtrum.

A moment later...

The young disciple's body trembled slightly and then his eyes flew open in terror.

"Senior Brother!" Upon seeing He Xingyun's familiar face, the young disciple named Lin Xiaoye gradually calmed down. His eyes suddenly reddened, and he tightly grasped He Xingyun's arm, whispering, "I got separated from the others and was trapped here. I thought..."

"Don't be afraid; your senior brother is here," He Xingyun said, patting Lin Xiaoye's back to comfort him.

"There has been a change in Fawang Temple, and many people have been leaving one after another. It's no longer safe to stay here; we need to hurry and leave," He Xingyun added, "Can you stand up now, move on your own?"

"No problem, Senior Brother," Lin Xiaoye replied, pushing aside the slabs of stone that lay on top of him and then getting to his feet.

"That's good..." He Xingyun nodded slightly.

As he stood up, a breeze blew, the clouds in the sky scattered, and sunlight poured down, casting a massive shadow over him. The palpitations in his heart pounded almost tangibly. He Xingyun took a deep breath, his muscles tensed, and his left hand instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword at his waist.

"Senior Brother, what's happened?" Lin Xiaoye saw the change in his expression and quickly asked.

"No need to ask now. Just stay behind me later," He Xingyun used a Spirit Secret Technique to transfer his voice directly, as if he was afraid of alarming something.

Lin Xiaoye obediently stood behind his senior brother and followed his gaze.

In the sunlight, a large brass statue with wide ears, a long nose, and tusks reaching to the sky stood alone amidst the ruins. Flecks of golden sunlight dusted its body, making it appear as if it were made of brass and shimmering with a sacred, peaceful light.

Crack!

A loud snap, and the giant brass statue suddenly looked down.

A pair of dark yellow eyes stared intently at He Xingyun and his disciple Lin Xiaoye.

From the gaping maw, with tusks reaching to the sky, came a human voice as thunderous as rolling thunder, "I never expected to find two snacks at a time like this."

"You..." He Xingyun took a deep breath, recognizing the origins of the giant elephant. He spoke coldly, "You are the second-ranked Yellow Tooth old elephant, King of the Demon Country. What are you doing here!"

"Correct!" The Yellow Tooth old elephant King laughed heartily, "Since you know of this king's fame, why not surrender?"

With that, his trunk swept forward.

"Leave the monastery and convey a message to Ling Weizi. Tell her to lead the people away."

"Disciple understands," He Xingyun paused briefly, then still spoke up, "It's just that the junior has something he doesn't understand and wonders what has happened in the monastery. After all, as a junior, my words carry little weight. If Senior could explain, it would lend more credibility when I relay the message."

"The monastery is turning into a Mythical Battlefield, and soon, Skull Plain and the entire seven provinces of Jiang E will likely be affected," sighed Su Heng, "Tell them to prepare early."

"What! A Mythical Battlefield!?" He Xingyun, no longer graceful, widened his eyes.

The expression on his face was almost as if the sky had fallen as he stared blankly at Su Heng, not sure if he had misheard or if the imposing figure before him had misspoken.

"Do you think I'm joking with you?" Su Heng said in a deep voice.

"Disciple wouldn't dare!" He Xingyun took a deep breath, managing to suppress his tumultuous thoughts.

But he couldn't calm down completely, as if he could already see the horrific scenes of mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. A simple sentence, and it was as if the whole world had entered another fork in the road.

"Now go, and quickly!" Su Heng urged.

"Disciple understands," He Xingyun waved at Su Heng, not daring to delay further, and grabbed Lin Xiaoye's hand to dash outwards.

...

Whoosh!

Once the two had left, Su Heng moved again.

He quickly arrived in a destroyed forest of stone within the monastery.

Thick stone pillars soared skyward, adorned with chains and skulls, though most had collapsed. At the very center, a deep fissure had split open, with streams of crimson chaos surging out, spreading into the surroundings.

Although Su Heng knew nothing about formations, by merging with the second heart, he was highly sensitive to the power of the Golden Crow.

Without doubt, this was where the Golden Crow had suppressed the demon god Marpa.

Indeed, this was also the most contaminated area of the monastery.

Before long, these crevices would be completely torn open, and legions of demons like tidal waves would emerge from within. This was a cataclysm, but also an opportunity—especially for Su Heng who saw this as an endless source of attribute points, as long as he could withstand the initial onslaught.

Afterward, leveraging the multitude of demonic flesh and blood from within the Mythical Battlefield to grow stronger, he wouldn't fear even if multiple demon gods joined hands against him.

So...

"Hmm!?" Su Heng's gaze suddenly sharpened.

At the edge of the stone forest, within an inconspicuous thicket, he found a piece of torn grey cloth.

He waved his hand, pinching the soft fabric in his hand, brought it to his nose and sniffed gently, Su Heng's expression gradually darkened.

"When Marpa escaped the seal, I felt something was off."

The seal constructed by the divine beast Golden Crow wouldn't be so easily broken. Now seeing the traces left here, Su Heng could almost be certain that Marpa had been deliberately released. Behind this act, there was another layer of planning and scheming.

"Who exactly is it... No, it doesn't matter who. Since you've done this, I'll make you pay the price!"

Su Heng closed his eyes and pushed his mutated sense of smell to the utmost.

His spirit foundation had already grown with his increasing size, becoming impressively vast to an unimaginable degree. And now, having tapped into his potential with the highest level Spirit Secret Technique, his perception was nearly ghost-like, stirring a chilling fear.

Within his formidable, non-human sense of smell,

strands of a woman's lingering fragrance, like wisps of smoke, pointed far off in one direction.

"Found you," a bright, sunny smile appeared on Su Heng's mouth full of ferocious fangs.

...

Meanwhile,

on a desolate hill outside the monastery,

Yiluan Bureau's Heavenly Contract Master Yu Qing stopped in her tracks, her brow furrowed slightly, a profound unease suddenly arising in her heart, almost making it difficult for her to breathe.