色色999

The front door of a gambling house was violently pushed open from the inside, and two young men in brocade robes were flung heavily onto the ground.

Before they could stand up, more than a dozen thugs wielding clubs rushed out from the gambling house.

A club smashed down onto their heads.

Struggling to rise, they were suddenly plunged into darkness and collapsed to the ground once more.

The remaining hoodlums, still feeling unsatisfied, continued beating and kicking them.

The two men screamed and wailed in pain.

It didn\'t take long for a large crowd to gather and watch the spectacle on the streets.

Yet, facing such a cruel scene, the spectators clapped and cheered, some even rushed forward to viciously kick the victims a few more times.

"These bastards from the Pang family are bullying people because of their power. They\'ve destroyed my family, they deserve such a fate," someone in the crowd said.

"Delightful, truly delightful!" another shouted.

"..."

"Seeing him build tall buildings, seeing them fall." In a dark, deep alley not far away, two tall silhouettes also observed the scene.

The middle-aged man in a scholar\'s robe whispered.

"How unpredictable life is," the bald figure retorted indifferently.

But the tightly clenched fist inside his sleeve betrayed his inner turmoil, which was far from the calm displayed on his face.

These two men were the escapees from among the prestigious families.

The scholar-robed man was named Wei Hong, the head of the Wei family.

The other bald man was Pang Chong, head of the Pang family.

The two young men being brutally beaten were from a side branch of their respective families.

"Fortunately, our cooperation with Corpse Mountain continues, and we still have a chance to turn the tables," Wei Hong said softly, retracting his gaze.

"Corpse Mountain—"

Pang Chong thought of the powerful strength that Su Heng had demonstrated, his face cold.

There was a chilling feeling within his heart.

"The combat power a dead-class lord can exhibit in the mortal world is not only related to their own strength but also requires a sufficiently strong fleshly body to carry it," Pang Chong said seriously. "Have you found such a body?"

"Of course!" Wei Hong smiled slightly, confidence written all over his face. "This is an existence that not even that monster can defeat."

Hearing these words, Pang Chong was shocked.

But he knew that Wei Hong was never one to speak rashly.

Since such words were spoken outright, he surely had confidence in them.

"Who!?" Pang Chong\'s eyes widened, asking urgently.

Wei Hong didn\'t keep him in suspense, "The former head of the Demon Suppression Bureau, Li Daoxuan\'s master. He once suppressed Baihua County for over a hundred years, built the Demon Suppression Tower, and made both the noble families and demons unable to catch their breath—an exceptional powerhouse—Shen Zheng!"

"Shen Zheng!?" Pang Chong exclaimed in astonishment. "How is that possible? Hasn\'t he gone missing?"

"Gone missing?" Wei Hong scoffed. "Do you think, in this vast Jiangzhou, aside from the dead-class lords of Corpse Mountain Demon Country, who else could make him disappear without a trace?"

"No wonder, no wonder... so that\'s how it is!" Pang Chong nodded again and again.

The more he thought about it, the more details and connections emerged in his mind, weaving into a net of understanding.

"The power of the Demon Country is beyond our imagination," Wei Hong said with a grave expression. "If it were not absolutely necessary, I would not want to kowtow before demons. But this is the trend, either conform to the torrent or be shattered to pieces."

"Su Heng..."

"This man seems to be on top of the world, but he is actually going against the current of the times."

A cold light flashed in Wei Hong\'s eyes as he shook his head, "The Shen Zheng of now is the Su Heng of the future. His fate can only be to have his consciousness erased, to serve as a puppet for the descent of a great lord, or even to destroy everything he wanted to protect with his own hands."

...

...

...

In a secluded forest outside the city of Baihua County.

Zhao Meiying\'s throat, jaw, and half of her face were being tightly gripped by a large hand, leaving only a pair of eyes with clearly demarcated pupils and whites visible, which at this moment were trembling, revealing the fear and panic of a frightened deer.

Earlier, she had been subdued by Su Heng in an instant and had suffered a heavy blow, causing her mind to go blank.

It was only now that Zhao Meiying slowly came back to her senses.

She was being forced to lift her head upward.

In front of her, Su Heng\'s large face almost filled Zhao Meiying\'s entire field of vision, and behind his disheveled hair, the previously sunny and clear sky had suddenly become overcast with dark clouds. A cold gust of wind blew through the treetops with a rustling sound, whipping up a vast spread of fallen leaves from the ground.

Crack! Stay tuned to M V L

A faint but distinct sound could be heard.

This sound came from her overstressed spine and jawbone, bringing a sharp pain with it.

Zhao Meiying swore she never wanted to hear that sound again in her life.

She struggled violently.

Her hands slapped hard against Su Heng\'s sturdy arm.

The hand around her throat finally loosened slightly, and although breathing was still extremely difficult, her lungs managed to draw in some much-needed fresh air.

"Cough, cough!" Zhao Meiying coughed twice, her expression one of pain, "I\'m not your enemy!"

"Not my enemy?" Su Heng\'s eyes narrowed slightly as he said coldly, "Then who are you? Certainly not my friend, I hope."

"I come from the Demon Suppression Army..."

Zhao Meiying took a couple of breaths and recounted her origin and mission in detail.

Su Heng\'s eyebrows furrowed slightly as he asked several rather confidential questions.

Zhao Meiying was able to match them all.

Some of the matters she knew were even more comprehensive and detailed than what Su Heng was aware of.

After the conversation, Su Heng\'s heart gradually began to trust her a bit. He released his hand, and Zhao Meiying floated lightly to the ground.

Her legs softened.

Leaning against the irregularly broken stump behind her, she took deep breaths of fresh air.

"Since you have completed the task assigned by the army chief, you can leave now," Su Heng said coldly. "Also, remember to pass a message to him for me when you go back."

"What message?" Zhao Meiying lifted her head.

"Baihua County is my territory. I can tolerate such an incident for the first time, but I don\'t want there to be a second time."

"I understand," Zhao Meiying lowered her head. "Such an incident won\'t happen again."

"That\'s good, I also do not wish for things to get too unsightly," Su Heng nodded.

"I came here for another matter as well," Zhao Meiying slowly stood up, her expression somewhat complex as she looked at Su Heng. "This matter is not official business, but rather my own private affair. It has to do with the former head of the Baihua County Demon Suppression Bureau."

"Shen Zheng?"

"Yes," Zhao Meiying nodded.

"Shen Zheng is my senior brother. I have been searching for clues about his disappearance all these years," Zhao Meiying said sternly, clenching her fists. "Up to now, I have finally found some useful information. His disappearance is very likely related to the Demon Country."

"Demon Country…" Su Heng stroked his chin and looked up.

Boom!

The sky rumbled with thunderclouds, and a thunderclap sounded.

Large raindrops fell from the sky, quickly merging into a sheet, drenching the entire forest in a hazy mist of water.

Although it is now midsummer, and such changeable weather is quite normal,

The sudden ferocity of this rainfall, coupled with what the Red Flame Demon King previously said,

Su Heng sensed that something was not right.

"Not staying quiet at all," Su Heng remarked. "That being said, you can also be considered Li Daoxuan\'s martial uncle."

Hearing the relationship between the other party and Shen Zheng, Su Heng\'s gaze toward Zhao Meiying softened slightly.

"This is not a good place to talk," he said. "Come with me to the Demon Suppression Bureau first."

"Alright," Zhao Meiying nodded in agreement.

...

...

...

The plaza in the inner city of Baihua County.

The Demon Suppression Tower that originally stood here had been refurbished and repurposed as Su Heng\'s office after the Earth Vein Array Patterns failed.

Boom, boom, boom!

Su Heng returned from outside with Zhao Meiying.

Touching the mechanism, the door opened slowly with a grinding sound.

Zhao Meiying paused, looked up, and on seeing the bright red human form hanging on the doorframe, her eyelids twitched violently.

If it was just this.

It wouldn\'t have scared Zhao Meiying, an experienced veteran of the Demon Suppression Army.

What truly horrified her was that this "person," despite being tortured to such an extent, was still alive.

"This person…" Zhao Meiying\'s expression hesitated.

"What\'s the matter, you think there is a problem?" Su Heng stopped walking and looked back at her.

"No, nothing!" Zhao Meiying forced a smile on her face and laughed it off, "The design of your Demon Suppression Bureau\'s main gate is quite… unique."

"Thanks for the compliment," Su Heng nodded and strode forward.

One advantage of the Demon Suppression Tower was that the floors inside were very high, and the rooms were designed to be quite spacious. Even as Su Heng had grown to his current size, walking through the familiar wide corridors of the Demon Suppression Tower with a mighty bearing, he felt no discomfort due to narrowness.

"Who is this person, what wrong has he committed?" Zhao Meiying, running to keep up with Su Heng, still couldn\'t conceal her curiosity.

"Murong Hanshuang."

"The foster son taken in by Li Daoxuan?"

"Yes, that guy turned out to be a traitor," Su Heng briefly explained what had happened before.

"I see, then he deserves to end up like this," Zhao Meiying nodded, her face no longer showing the sympathy from before.

They arrived at Su Heng\'s study, located on the fifth floor.

Several people had already gathered here, Zhao Jinling, Li Hongxiu, Wang Xindong, and others were all present.

When Su Heng\'s towering figure entered through the door, everyone stood up, their expressions solemn as they bowed respectfully to Su Heng, "Greetings, Family Head."

They also noticed Zhao Meiying who had come in with Su Heng.

The others did not recognize her.

But as an old member of the Demon Suppression Bureau, Wang Xindong had met her before.

"Deputy General Zhao!?" Wang Xindong exclaimed in surprise, "Why do you look somewhat disheveled?"

"Well… it\'s a long story."

Zhao Meiying looked up to see Su Heng already sitting on the bronze chair at the end of the room, one leg crossed over the other, as Li Hongxiu at his side timely handed him a cup of tea.

Su Heng took it, took a sip, and then put the cup down again.

"Now that everyone is here, then, it\'s perfect. Summarize the news you all have collected these past few days for me," Su Heng said calmly.

Though Su Heng\'s voice was even, his imposing presence and the powerful aura he exuded caused everyone to tremble slightly.