Blood Fiend Sky-Severing Stele

The madam leaned forward, nearly pressing against Wang Feng, and said in a syrupy voice, "Young Master Wang, you've come. Why didn't you tell me ahead of time? I've missed you terribly."

Wang Feng wrapped an arm around the madam, his face glowing as his hands roamed up and down. "You'd better make proper arrangements tonight. These gentlemen are my newly made brothers, so you mustn't neglect them."

As he spoke, he ruthlessly stuffed a stack of silver notes into the madam's heaving bosom, immediately drawing a string of coquettish giggles from her. "I certainly won't disappoint the young masters."

The din of voices and instruments inside the building swirled around their ears. In the center of the hall stood a raised platform, where seven or eight graceful figures danced lightly. Their snow-white skin showed and vanished beneath thin gauze, firmly hooking everyone's gaze.

As he followed the madam up the wooden stairs, Su Ye noticed that the planks beneath his feet were carved with quite a few lines of writing.

One of them, the character for "listen," was crooked and twisted, as though someone had done it deliberately. He carefully linked the lines of writing together but found no meaning within them.

The group soon entered a private room of the highest grade. Inside, the Eight Immortals table was carved with dragons and phoenixes, while the stools were covered with silken cotton cushions. Wooden cabinets on either side held many unusual stones and antiques.

Once everyone was seated, Wang Feng took the initiative to introduce them. "Everyone already knows Brother Xue Ping."

"This is Li Jia. His family deals in medicinal herbs." Li Jia was tall and thin, and he clasped his hands toward the others in greeting.

After more than ten dishes were carried to the redwood table by two young servants, and after three rounds of wine, the atmosphere in the room gradually grew solemn. Wang Feng abruptly turned the conversation back to the earlier topic.

"Linshan County is far worse off than before. Those demonic beasts seem to have gone mad for some reason. They've been burning, killing, and looting everywhere these past few days. They even slaughtered an entire town."

After a pause, Wang Feng said with a fearful look in his eyes, "I've also received word that it isn't only our Linshan County. The whole of Yunzhou is now surrounded by demonic beasts and has fallen into turmoil."

"Wang Feng, are you joking? Yunzhou has Guardian Jiang. Which demonic beast would dare show its face?" Li Jia immediately retorted in disbelief.

"Joking?"

Wang Feng's expression turned as ugly as it could get. "Pingyang City in Yong'an Prefecture has already been completely slaughtered by demonic beasts."

As soon as the words fell, everyone's expressions changed drastically. Li Jia asked incredulously, "Brother Wang, are you telling the truth?"

"It's true. The news came from my family."

Wang Feng's expression was grave. He drained the wine in his cup before continuing, "They say a Mountain Lord was responsible. That demon is extremely terrifying—a powerful figure counted among the Howling Moon Demon King's subordinates."

The group had no idea what Wang Feng's family background was, but his words left them restless. Unless he had gone mad, otherwise, if the Demon Suppression Division came knocking, the result would be the extermination of his entire clan.

"W-when did this happen?" everyone asked in unison.

Su Ye's heart was likewise thrown into a stormy sea. Hearing that a great demon had annihilated an entire city caused the sense of security brought by his increased strength to vanish without a trace in an instant.

"This happened seven days ago. I believe it won't be long before the news spreads throughout Yunzhou." Wang Feng spoke gravely.

"These demonic beasts are far too rampant. After committing such utterly heartless deeds, they ought to be wiped out."

Li Jia wore a worried expression. "The County Lieutenant summoned us back this time. Could it be related to this?"

The group exchanged glances. With just the few of them, they probably weren't even qualified to watch this matter from the sidelines. If they went up against the demonic beasts, they wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.

Wang Feng said, "The great figures will deal with that. For now, it's more important to take care of what's in front of us. Our Linshan County is also beset by danger. Tangjia Town was slaughtered by demonic beasts."

"The County Lord probably recalled us to discuss this matter."

Ma San picked up the thread. "The situation is this grave. I think the county government will certainly use thunderous methods to wipe out the invading demons. We brothers all draw salaries from the government."

"So this demon-slaying matter will naturally fall to—"

"Ma San is right." Wang Feng heavily slammed his wine cup onto the table, his face sincere. "Why don't we brothers form an alliance? That way, we can look after one another when the time comes."

"Now is precisely the time for us to support one another."

The few of them wore solemn expressions and readily agreed. As they exchanged cups and toasts, a spiritual link in Su Ye's mind began throbbing wildly. Big Black was continuously sending him messages.

There was something urgent he needed to report.

Su Ye's expression shifted slightly. What could have happened for Big Black to be so anxious, even consuming spiritual power without hesitation?

There was a treasure. He needed to return to the inn as quickly as possible. Big Black could no longer suppress the abnormality.

Su Ye's expression froze. What sort of treasure was it? With Big Black's strength, equivalent to the Body Tempering Ninth Layer, he actually couldn't suppress a treasure and had even expended spiritual power to send him an urgent message.

Su Ye rose and said, "Since everything has been settled, I have an urgent matter to handle. Please don't take offense, everyone."

"How could we? How could we? Constable Su, take care." The four men rose and escorted him to the door before returning to continue discussing the specific details.

Su Ye left the Drunken Flower Pavilion, quickly found a secluded alley, and ran across the rooftops toward Changfeng Inn.

In less than the time it took to finish half a cup of tea, Su Ye leaped from the rooftop beside the inn into his guest room.

Seeing him, Big Black hurriedly said, "Boss, come help me! I'm about to lose control of it!"

Big Black was like a hen brooding over her nest, his two claws pressing down desperately on a red ball of light the size of a human head beneath him.

With no time to examine it carefully, Su Ye took three steps in two and seized the violently trembling red mass with both hands.

Only then did he have time to see the item's true form. Inside was what looked like the incomplete base of a stone stele. The source of the trembling did not seem to be the stele itself, but rather a collision caused by the red ball of light merging into the stele.

At that moment, writing suddenly appeared on the panel.

Divine Artifact [Blood Fiend Sky-Severing Stele], one-fifth incomplete.

"Divine artifact?"

Su Ye froze, nearly losing his grip on the treasure in his hands. He hurriedly steadied his mind and lowered his gaze to his hands once more.

Looking at the red ball of light in his hands, Su Ye frowned. The divine artifact was certainly good, but he had no idea how to deal with it. He couldn't possibly carry it around in his arms every day. If he let the two continue developing, he had no idea what the consequences would be.

As though it knew what Su Ye was thinking, the panel changed again.

Valuable Item [Blood Fiend Sky-Severing Stele], incomplete.

Can be fused.

The fusion will consume Assistance Points according to the host's realm.

Details are as follows: Meridian Mirror requires 1,000 Assistance Points, with a one-hundred-percent fusion success rate.

Aperture Opening Realm requires 800 Assistance Points, with a one-hundred-percent success rate.

When words such as "True Martial Mirror requires zero Assistance Points, with a one-hundred-percent success rate" appeared on the panel, did that mean only the True Martial Mirror could truly control this item?

One had to know that this was merely one-fifth of the complete stele. If he could gather all of it, it might well become an extraordinary opportunity.

After several days of understanding, Su Ye knew that martial arts progressed from Body Tempering to Meridian Opening, then Aperture Opening and Core Condensation, followed by the True Martial Realm and the Heaven Phenomenon Realm. There were supposedly even higher realms, but they were beyond what he could know.

In Yunzhou, the number of Martial Artists under its jurisdiction had reached hundreds of thousands, even tens of millions, over the past several centuries. Yet there were only a handful of True Martial Realm experts.

Detected that the host's current realm lacks the Assistance Points required for fusion.

The system will provide a sealing function. This function requires the host to spend 100 Assistance Points.

[Note: The divine artifact fragment will be sealed inside the host's body and can be removed at any time. Sealing it again will incur an additional Assistance Point cost.]

Seal it?