Demon

Perfected Martial Arts, Violent Python Roar!

Su Ti opened his mouth, and his swollen neck suddenly contracted. Visible sound waves burst from his mouth, spreading outward in circular waves and sweeping through the surroundings.

Xu Lao and the others, who had already crouched down and covered their ears, all suffered temporary deafness. It felt as though a shell had exploded beside them. In that instant, their blood seemed to freeze, and their hearts almost stopped beating.

The monsters closer to him suffered even worse. Completely unprepared, their eardrums burst from the sound waves while they were still in midair, their brains shut down, and after flying some distance, they dropped to the ground with a series of crackles or slammed into Su Ti.

Su Ti lowered his hands slightly. It was said that the Violent Python Roar was a breathing technique modeled after dragons. One martial technique had two applications, but both were moves only someone in the Perfected Circle Realm could perform.

When Long Yuanzheng had taught it to him, he had repeatedly warned him that using this move before reaching the Perfected Circle Realm would result in certain death from exploding apart.

The move's power was also terrifying. When Long Yuanzheng had demonstrated it before, he had exhaled sword-like qi with this technique, piercing through a tree three meters away and then burrowing into the ground.

Now that Su Ti had reached the Perfected Circle Realm, this was his first time using the Violent Python Roar, yet he did not use Long Yuanzheng's method of turning breath into a sword.

Instead, he used another move, one better suited for attacking groups and even more powerful in confined spaces: the Roar Word Incantation.

After unleashing the Roar Word Incantation, Su Ti felt sharp pain in his throat. In particular, the vibration of his vocal cords had even left him temporarily unable to speak.

That was with the Perfected Circle Realm's ability to precisely control every inch of his body's qi and blood.

If someone below the Perfected Circle Realm used this move, their vocal cords would definitely burst, and even their lungs might explode.

However, the effect of this "Perfected Martial Arts" technique was also extremely powerful. With one move, he directly deafened all those lizard monsters, stripping them of all combat ability for the time being!

Seeing the monsters struggling on the ground as they tried to rise, Su Ti walked over and stomped down. With a crack, one monster's head was completely flattened.

He stomped again and again. In the blink of an eye, three or four monsters died beneath his feet. It was as effortless as crushing a few rats.

The remaining monsters were now staggering to their feet as well, but they were nothing like before in terms of agility. They swayed and stumbled like drunkards.

The consequence of having their eardrums shattered was losing their balance.

Many soldiers on battlefields whose eardrums were burst by artillery shells experienced this same condition.

This imbalance could not be recovered from in a short time. It took several minutes, perhaps even dozens of minutes.

But Su Ti would not give them that time. He walked over and delivered several kicks, cleanly and decisively stomping every last monster to death.

At that point, every lizard monster in the tomb had died. There were no longer any extra eyes watching him.

Before reaching the Perfected Circle Realm, these monsters had posed a major threat to him by relying on the darkness and their strange abilities.

But after entering the Perfected Circle Realm, the threat they posed had greatly diminished.

One Perfected Martial Arts move, the Violent Python Roar, had flattened a whole group of them.

Even if he could not use the Violent Python Roar again for a short time, Su Ti could still handle another seven or eight monsters. He would merely have to suffer some injuries.

His senses and control over his body were no longer comparable to before.

However—

As he touched the dead bodies of the monsters, Su Ti frowned slightly.

These monsters were actually different from the previous ones. Their corpses did not provide him with even the slightest bit of energy after death.

"These aren't Evil Spirits. These... these are demons."

At that moment, Xu Lao shakily climbed up from the ground. After confirming that it was safe, he walked over, looked at the corpses on the ground, and examined them briefly before suddenly raising his head and speaking.

"Xu Lao, how can you tell this time?"

Su Ti truly could not see any difference between the two. Both were bizarre-looking creatures. But judging from the current situation, did only Evil Spirits provide him with energy, while demons did not?

Xu Lao's face was somewhat pale. Su Ti's roar had nearly given him a heart attack, and he still had not recovered.

But he still explained.

"They are easy to distinguish. Evil Spirits are dead. They survive on yin energy, and even the blood in their bodies is cold. They are fundamentally different from living people."

"But look at the monsters on the ground. Their blood is still giving off a faint trace of warmth. Although it is weak, their bodies still retain temperature. That proves they are living creatures. Since they are alive but look like this, they certainly aren't any ordinary animal we know of. Then they can only be demons."

"Demons?"

Su Ti nodded slightly. Looking at the monsters that resembled both snakes and lizards, he committed them to memory.

Two days later, on the way back.

Su Ti sat on a speeding high-speed train, stroking the blood-red bead in his pocket as he continued to ponder this journey.

After he and Xu Lao's group finished exploring King Mu's Main Tomb Chamber, they searched the entire tomb again. In the end, aside from the blood-colored bead inside the coffin, they found nothing else.

As for the two Mountain Wraiths that had escaped, they never saw any trace of them again.

Later, they went beneath the cliff and found Zhu Wendong's body. After cremating him on the spot and placing his ashes in an urn, they began dividing the gains from this trip.

The profits from this trip were considerable. Although they had not obtained many valuable Cursed Antiques, the gold, silver, treasures, and ordinary antiques found in the Side Tomb Chambers alone were worth more than twenty million.

The most precious item among them was the blood-red bead in the Main Tomb Chamber. Its origins were mysterious, and even Xu Lao could not identify its material or craftsmanship, but its immense value was obvious.

Su Ti asked for the blood-red bead. Xu Lao and the others wanted to give him additional gold, silver, and treasures, but Su Ti refused.

Xu Lao and the others had also contributed greatly on this trip, and Zhu Wendong had even paid with his life. They could consider the money compensation for everyone.

After dividing the wealth, the two sides said their farewells.

They agreed to work together again if there was another opportunity, though that seemed unlikely.

This journey had been too dangerous, and Xu Lao's group was already considering retirement.

After all, they had earned enough money over the years. Zhu Wendong's death had also dealt them a heavy blow, so they took his ashes back to their hometown, intending to bury him there and give the money to Zhu Wendong's relatives.

Su Ti also boarded a train home.

On the train, he looked at the scenery continuously receding outside the window and reflected in silence.

Although he had gained a great deal from this journey, it had also left behind many unanswered questions.

The mysterious Snake Hole in King Mu's Tomb, the Cursed Antiques taken from the Side Tomb Chambers and Secondary Tomb Chambers, King Mu's vanished body in the Main Tomb Chamber, the coffin full of fresh blood, and the mysterious bead soaked in that blood all made this ancient tomb seem riddled with mysteries.

Especially the lizard monsters guarding the Main Tomb Chamber at the end. They were not Evil Spirits but demons, leaving even Xu Lao unable to understand why.

But tomb raiding was not archaeology. There was no need to get to the bottom of everything. As long as the treasure was in hand, that was enough.

Su Ti strongly agreed with that point. After thinking for a while without finding any answers, he gave up pondering it.

As he rubbed the mysterious blood-red bead in his pocket, a steady stream of cool energy flowed into his fingertips.

This mysterious blood bead, which had been soaked in the blood inside King Mu's coffin, was Su Ti's greatest gain from this trip.

Apart from the initial 300% energy it had provided him, the bead continued to supply Su Ti with energy every day through contact.

It had given him 150% on the first day and over 140% on the second. Though the amount seemed to be gradually decreasing, it had continued without stopping.

In just two days, Su Ti had accumulated 300% energy. He was already very close to the 400% energy he estimated he needed for the sixth level of Internal Training.

After getting off the train and returning home, Su Ti received another lengthy scolding.

This time, he had left his native Mingguang City and gone to Xia'an City to follow a tomb-raiding expedition for nearly half a month. Most of that time had been spent in a mountain village with no signal. Although he had told his family beforehand that he was receiving closed training at the martial arts school, they still complained bitterly.

Before his backside had even warmed his seat at home, Su Ti received a phone call.

The call was from Long Yuanzheng, who also gave him a thorough scolding.

He had been practicing properly, then suddenly disappeared for nearly half a month. With the date of the duel approaching, Long Yuanzheng was naturally anxious.

Of course, he did not believe Su Ti could defeat Li Mingsheng, and he had even prepared to tell him to concede before stepping onto the stage. But Su Ti had vanished for nearly half a month without even sending word, which made Long Yuanzheng quite angry. He called and ordered him to come over immediately.

Thus, before Su Ti's backside had even warmed his seat after getting home, he could only go downstairs, hail a taxi, and head for Long Yuanzheng's villa in the suburbs.

Inside the villa, Long Yuanzheng stood in the courtyard with a stern expression.

Seated beside him was Uncle Liang, the elder responsible for passing on martial arts.

One was the sect master, and the other was the elder responsible for passing on martial arts. They were now all the senior figures and elders of the Dragon Gate.

Other than the two of them, no one else was present.

"I'd say, Sect Master, don't be so anxious. Young people have their own ideas."

Uncle Liang took a sip of tea and spoke leisurely.

Long Yuanzheng replied coldly.

"This is outrageous. You know what state our Dragon Gate lineage has declined to. None of my three disciples have amounted to anything. Not one of them can fight. Now, the only one I place great hopes on is this newly accepted youngest disciple!"

As he spoke, Long Yuanzheng heavily set down his teacup with a bang and rose to his feet.

"He has high comprehension. Although his natural talent is poor, he dares to fight and kill, and his will is resolute. A martial arts genius like this cannot be allowed to run wild!"

"He has only been in the sect for such a short time, yet he suddenly disappeared. It has been nearly half a month with almost no news. He is still so young, at the crucial stage of improvement in martial arts, and he even has a powerful enemy like Li Mingsheng pressuring and driving him forward. Yet he actually went off traveling for nearly half a month for no reason at all! It is utterly ridiculous! Such a waste of precious time!"

The reason Su Ti had given Long Yuanzheng was that he had gone out to train, but Long Yuanzheng interpreted it as him being unable to endure hardship and running off on vacation.

"Jade must be carved before it can become a tool. Today, I will properly carve him into shape!"

Long Yuanzheng said angrily.

Uncle Liang curled his lips slightly as he listened.

He called it carving, but it was really just a father beating his son. Wasn't that where the term master came from?

Speak of the devil, and the devil arrived.

Following the sound of a car outside the gate, a young man wearing simple sweatpants and a T-shirt strode in not long after.

"Master, you wanted to see me?"

Hearing that voice, Long Yuanzheng did not even turn his head. He merely snorted coldly.

"So you still know how to come back? You disappeared for nearly half a month. Had enough fun?"

"Don't forget that the day after tomorrow is your duel with Li Mingsheng. Were you planning not to come back even then?!"

Su Ti chuckled.

"Didn't I go out to train?"

It would have been better if he had not mentioned training. The moment he did, Long Yuanzheng grew even angrier.

"Training? What kind of training could you possibly do outside?! Could you train faster outside than having me personally teach and guide you?!"

Turning around, Long Yuanzheng spoke as though he hated iron for not becoming steel.

"Su Ti! You're still young. I can understand that you like to play, but you must be honest! The path of martial arts is like rowing upstream—if you do not advance, you fall behind. You have such excellent training conditions now, so you must cherish them."

After saying this, Long Yuanzheng took several breaths, and his expression gradually calmed.

Looking at Su Ti, who stood ten meters away, he spoke calmly.

"Since you say you went out to train, then I will test the results of your training over these past dozen days. It has been a long time since master and disciple sparred. Make your move."

Uncle Liang sat in his chair, holding a teapot in one hand with a cheerful smile on his face, looking as though he were enjoying a show.

It was only natural for a master to beat his disciple. Which disciple had not been beaten into shape?

Su Ti clasped his hands in salute.

"Then this disciple will make a fool of himself."

One moment, Su Ti was still clasping his hands in salute. The next, Long Yuanzheng's vision blurred, and a terrifying huge hand, flushed red and black with blue veins writhing wildly across it like a palm leaf fan, came crashing toward Long Yuanzheng's forehead with a thunderous roar!

Before the hand even arrived, the intense air pressure blew Long Yuanzheng's hair backward, revealing his shocked face!

Seeing that terrifying hand, only three words remained in Long Yuanzheng's mind.

Perfected Circle Realm!