Calculated Perfection

As soon as Su Heng's shout rang out, four flame beasts burst from the ground.

Pillars of light in four colors—black, purple, peach, and blue—shot into the sky, suppressing the four directions and forming a killing array that enveloped everything within several hundred meters of Mo Cheng!

"Roar!"

Deep, excited roars burst from the four flame beasts. As they bellowed, waves of heat surged from their bodies, and the entire stretch of sand instantly became a living hell. Towering heat waves incinerated everything.

Even Mo Cheng, a powerful Five-Star Dou Spirit, felt an unprecedented pressure. It was the deathly flame that burned away life and devoured all vitality.

After painstakingly studying them, Su Heng had actually managed to make the four kinds of Beast Flame form an array. They fused and resonated with one another, amplifying each other's power and forming an overwhelmingly powerful force of flame.

Each flame beast possessed the combat strength of a Six-Star Dou Master. Together, the four beasts' enhanced combat strength rivaled that of a Three-Star Great Dou Master.

"Heaven itself has given me an array formed from Beast Flame, Mo Cheng. Your fate is sealed!"

A month ago, while secluded in training and practicing the Four Spirits Profound Astral Formation, Su Heng had truly worried that he might fail to form the flame array. The anxiety had gnawed at him.

But the final result had far exceeded his expectations. Not only could the flame beasts formed from the four kinds of Beast Flame create a perfect array, but the formation's elemental enhancement had also raised their strength. Each flame beast possessed roughly eighty percent of Su Heng's power.

"Profound Python Break!"

As soon as the flame array activated, Su Heng wasted no words and launched a fierce assault on Mo Cheng.

The Profound Flame, transformed into Snake Emperor Xuanjia, struck first. Su Heng had incorporated his close-combat Dou Techniques into the Profound Python Flame Beast. He did not know how much power they would add, but they were bound to increase the beast's strength.

The Profound Python Flame Beast shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, aiming straight for Mo Cheng's chest.

The strike was both fast and ferocious, but to Mo Cheng, a Dou Spirit, it was still too slow and weak. He swept his left arm diagonally, and the flame beast's forelimb collided with the Profound Python Flame Beast, scattering sparks of blazing fire.

The Profound Python Flame Beast was knocked back several steps, and most of its body dispersed.

"Hmph! If you were a Dou Spirit, I really might die in this array today. But you're only an Eight-Star Dou Master, and the flame beasts you control are no stronger than Six-Star Dou Masters. You think that's enough to kill me?"

Seeing how easily Su Heng's flame beast had been defeated, Mo Cheng sneered at him.

"Is that so? What about now?"

The first attack had only been a test; Su Heng had never taken it seriously. He formed a hand seal, and the dispersed Profound Python Flame Beast instantly re-formed. At the same time, the other three flame beasts joined it in an attack.

The Purple Flame Lion King spat flames, striking first. A pillar of purple fire hurtled toward Mo Cheng at several times the speed of the Profound Python Flame Beast.

The attack came too fast. Even Mo Cheng could only just barely dodge it. But although he avoided the Purple Flame Lion King's pillar of fire, the Profound Python Flame Beast was already charging right behind it.

The Purple Flame Lion King forced its opponent to move, while the Profound Python Flame Beast delivered the killing blow. Their attacks arrived almost simultaneously. Despite the gulf between their levels, Mo Cheng had no strength left to dodge and could only meet them head-on.

Mo Cheng swung his arm to block, but the attack he hit was the Profound Tortoise Flame Beast, which had formed a shield of fire. As soon as the Profound Tortoise Flame Beast dispersed, the Profound Python Flame Beast's attack became impossible to avoid. It crashed heavily into Mo Cheng's chest, and the force of the blow sent dark-red blood spraying from his mouth.

The Profound Python Flame Beast immediately dispersed after striking Mo Cheng. Its spreading flames were like brilliant fireworks, but beneath their beautiful "appearance," a wisp of Profound Flame quietly entered Mo Cheng's body and slipped into his meridians.

"Qing Lin! Now!"

At the same moment Mo Cheng was struck, a dim light flickered in Qing Lin's eyes. The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake suddenly sprang into action, taking advantage of Mo Cheng's brief opening to launch a surprise attack from behind.

"Frost Erosion Palm!"

With the fire snake in front and Qing Lin behind him, Mo Cheng was forced to divide his attention. He managed to block the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's attack, but Qing Lin struck his shoulder with her palm.

The extremely cold water-attribute Dou Qi instantly invaded his flesh, freezing Mo Cheng's shoulder.

The instant his shoulder froze and his movements slowed, the Profound Tortoise Flame Beast transformed into a deep-blue arrow and stabbed toward it. Mo Cheng turned to block, only to be caught between the Black Demon Snake and the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.

Two enormous snake tails, each more than a zhang wide, squeezed Mo Cheng between them like rolling pins pressing dough. He felt as though his internal organs were about to be crushed, and immediately let out a scream.

But Su Heng and Qing Lin had no intention of giving him a moment to catch his breath.

Under Su Heng's control, the four flame beasts obeyed his every command. They charged at Mo Cheng once more, this time from all four directions.

Mo Cheng had suffered severe injuries and was truly powerless to defend himself. The flames of the four beasts poured into his body, boiling his blood and sending a cloud of red mist billowing into the air.

At the same time, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake closed in, both heads spitting flames and engulfing Mo Cheng completely.

As the blazing fire scorched him, Mo Cheng felt as if he were being flayed alive. The pain was unbearable. But before he could even scream, the Black Demon Snake's sweeping tail struck. The heavy blow shattered his bones and sent him flying dozens of zhang away.

Swept out of the battle by the Black Demon Snake, Mo Cheng scrambled to his feet and turned to flee. But Su Heng's flame beasts had already caught up and trapped him again.

"If you kill me, aren't you afraid the Misty Cloud Sect will come after you for revenge?"

The fear of death made Mo Cheng tremble. He pretended to be calm, fighting desperately to hold off the flame beasts as he strained to speak, trying to "threaten" Su Heng.

"Hmph. All your injuries were caused by blows from magical beasts and the burning of Beast Flame. Even if the Misty Cloud Sect sees your corpse, they'll think a magical beast took revenge on you. They won't suspect me."

"Besides, the Salt City lord, Bo'er, saw the magical beasts surround and kill you with his own eyes. You two are the only humans in this desert today!"

Su Heng glanced at Mo Cheng with a cold smile. He had expected Mo Cheng to invoke the Misty Cloud Sect to threaten him, so he would make sure it looked as though Mo Cheng had not died at human hands.

The wounds inflicted by Beast Flame and magical beasts, along with the testimony of Salt City's lord, Bo'er, would convince anyone that Mo Cheng had been killed by magical beasts. No one would suspect Su Heng.

"Young friend, I, Mo Cheng, was wrong. Spare my life today, and I'll give you whatever you want. As long as the Mo Family can provide it, I'll hand over everything!"

Hearing Su Heng's words, what little hope remained in Mo Cheng's heart finally died. The man before him had come specifically to kill him!

"Hmph! All I want now is your life. As for the Mo Family's possessions? Once you're dead, they'll be mine anyway!"

Su Heng paid no heed to Mo Cheng's pleas. There was only one path left for him now: death.

"We've never had a grievance before, so why are you targeting the Mo Family?"

Mo Cheng had fallen into despair, but a cornered beast still fought. He tried to seize a sliver of hope. He only defended, retreating as he fought and slowly edging toward the perimeter.

"Hmph. We've had a great grudge for a long time, and now it's a mortal feud. You want to run? I'd advise you to stop dreaming."

"During the fight, my flame beasts hit you several times, didn't they? Did you really not notice anything strange?"

Seeing that the other man had seen through his plan, Mo Cheng was so shocked he could barely believe it. What chilled him even more was the realization that Su Heng seemed to have prepared a backup plan long ago.

"My flame was already lurking inside your body. Whenever I want, I can make it erupt and tear you apart from the inside out. The power and effect are far better this way, aren't they?"

Su Heng coldly fixed his gaze on Mo Cheng's legs and clenched his right hand. The four kinds of Beast Flame hidden inside Mo Cheng erupted in an instant, blasting the flesh from his legs and breaking them into several pieces!

"Argh!!!"

Mo Cheng's shrill scream echoed through the desert air. He had hoped to find an opening and escape, but Su Heng had given him no chance, cutting off his last way out.

As Mo Cheng collapsed, the Black Demon Snake's eyes blazed. Seizing this rare opportunity, it pounced on his mangled body and tore off the entire left half of his torso in one bite. The transplanted magical beast forelimb came off with it.

"Mo Cheng! Turn to ash in the flames of magical beasts!"

Seeing that Mo Cheng was on the brink of death, Su Heng gave the order. The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake immediately joined in. Both its heads spewed torrents of flame, completely burning away Mo Cheng's scattered remains.

The Mo Family's Great Elder, a Dou Spirit expert of his generation, was reduced to a lump of charred flesh in the flames.

"Finally! We won..."

Watching the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake burn Mo Cheng to nothing, Su Heng was utterly drained. The moment his tension eased, he slumped to the ground. Qing Lin hurried to cradle him in her arms, took out a Qi-Replenishing Pill, and placed it in his mouth.

"Lord Bo'er, I've won. Mo Cheng is dead, and the Mo Family is finished. The rest are just a few insignificant stragglers. If you work with me, we can uproot the Mo Family completely and wipe out the problem for good. What do you say?"

After regaining a little strength, Su Heng immediately called out to Bo'er. Bo'er had watched the entire battle from the sidelines, waiting to see the result. If Mo Cheng had seemed likely to win, he would have killed Su Heng. If Su Heng had seemed likely to win, he would have killed Mo Cheng.

But Mo Cheng had lost too quickly, and Su Heng had struck too ruthlessly. Bo'er had been given no chance to intervene.

Now he seemed able to choose to join forces with Su Heng, uproot the Mo Family, and erase it from Salt City altogether.

Bo'er said nothing. He hovered silently in the air, his expression complicated as he stared at the exhausted Su Heng and the two Fourth-Order Magical Beasts whose strength was spent, seemingly weighing some decision.

A moment later, Bo'er's face hardened. He darted forward and charged down at Su Heng with his palm raised!

"So in the end, you made the wrong choice..."

Su Heng gave a bitter smile, looking both helpless and regretful.

Bo'er's attack came without warning. In the blink of an eye, he was already before Su Heng and Qing Lin. But his strike failed to hit Su Heng. His palm slammed into a scale as large as a boulder.

The Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake cried out as Bo'er's blow sent it flying a hundred zhang away. But the instant his palm touched the stone-like scale, a cloud of white mist burst from between the scales. Before Bo'er could react, he had already inhaled it.

Biting cold spread through his entire body. Bo'er stiffened and immediately collapsed to the ground.

"You didn't choose to help me kill Mo Cheng, and you didn't choose to join me in wiping out the Mo Family. In the end, you chose to kill me!"

"You think you can kill me?"

"You're afraid the Misty Cloud Sect will come after you because of Mo Cheng's death, and you don't believe they'd be unable to uncover the truth. Rather than live in fear, you decided to kill me and take my head to the Misty Cloud Sect as proof of your service."

"You have some courage, but not much. You have some ruthlessness, but you're mostly a coward."

"You were even worried that if you attacked from a distance with Dou Qi, I might escape with the help of the magical beasts. So you chose a surprise attack, hoping to get close and kill me with a single blow."

"I saw through every one of your plans and prepared for them. How does it feel to have your blood freeze and slowly freeze to death?"

Su Heng looked contemptuously at Salt City's lord, Bo'er. His face had turned purplish-blue, and his entire body was trembling. He could no longer speak. Su Heng felt nothing but scorn for him.

Before returning to Stone Desert City, Su Heng had teamed up with Otto and Frank to refine a Frostbone Blood-Coagulation Pill. Before the battle began, he had Qing Lin hide it between the scales of the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake.

That was the final killing move of this battle!

Neither Bo'er nor Mo Cheng had any chance of surviving the poison pill.

Before the battle began, Su Heng had already decided that Bo'er had only two choices.

The first was to stand by and pretend he knew nothing, then throw his full support behind the Mo Family once Mo Cheng emerged victorious.

The other was to wait until Su Heng and Mo Cheng had both been gravely injured, kill everyone, and take Su Heng's head to the Misty Cloud Sect to claim credit. That way, Bo'er could eliminate the two people in Salt City who posed a threat to him and emerge as the greatest victor.

Considering that Bo'er had shown the Su Family a little kindness, Su Heng decided to give him one last chance and invited him to watch the battle.

If Bo'er helped him kill Mo Cheng during the fight, he would work with Bo'er to strengthen the Su Family and divide the Mo Family's assets.

If Bo'er watched from the sidelines the whole time, Su Heng would kill him with the Frostbone Blood-Coagulation Pill.

Bo'er liked schemes and plots, but lacked the ruthlessness of a true schemer. At heart, he was greedy and cowardly. He wanted more wealth and resources, yet feared offending the powerful. His excessive caution had ruined everything for him.

Su Heng glanced at Bo'er one last time, shaped the Profound Flame into a blade, and cut off his head. Bo'er was, after all, a Dou Wang expert. The Frostbone Blood-Coagulation Pill might not have been enough to kill him with absolute certainty.

That was the end of Salt City's lord. He had indeed shown the Su Family kindness, but the moment he attacked Su Heng, only one fate awaited him: death.

Su Heng took the Storage Rings from Bo'er and Mo Cheng, then had the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake burn Bo'er's corpse. Only after every trace connected to him had been completely erased did he finally breathe a little easier.

Su Heng struggled to his feet and hurried over to the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake, which Bo'er had sent flying. He examined its condition.

Could a Peak Great Dou Master magical beast withstand a Dou Wang expert's full-strength strike by defending with all its might?

The Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake gave him the answer: it could!

The scales where the blow had landed were shattered to pieces, and its body was a bloody mess, almost broken apart. But Little Gold was still breathing. It was alive.

Su Heng took out the prepared Fourth-Grade healing pill and fed it to the snake. The pill melted as soon as it entered its mouth, and the wounds on Little Gold's body quickly healed under the medicine's effects. Its breathing, which had been little more than a thread, also grew somewhat steadier.

Seeing that Little Gold was out of danger, Su Heng was finally able to relax a little. The magical beast had been with him and Qing Lin for a year and had long since become family to them. If it had died because of him, Su Heng truly would not have known how to face Qing Lin.

Fortunately, Little Gold had been lucky, and things had not taken the worst possible turn.

The badly wounded Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake gradually fell asleep. The other two magical beasts, exhausted after fighting until they had nothing left, came over too. They curled up together, huddling close and enjoying a rare moment of peace.

As Su Heng and the magical beasts rested, a slender figure in green slowly approached through the desert dust.

Qing Lin seemed to sense something and immediately stood up. Su Heng, by contrast, remained composed and did not move.

"I never expected someone so young to have such a calculating mind and such formidable methods. You eliminated the Mo Family's Great Elder and poisoned Salt City's lord. It seems that from now on, Salt City belongs to the Su Family."

In the space of a few breaths, the green-clad figure had arrived before Su Heng and the others. She seemed to harbor no hostility; instead, she clapped her hands and praised him.

"Su Heng thanks you for the praise, senior."

Su Heng did not move at all. With what little strength he had left, he simply answered her praise—and made no attempt to be modest.

"Young friend, you certainly have courage. You can remain so calm even in front of a Dou Huang expert. I must say, I'm impressed."

The green-clad figure showed no sign of stopping. She continued forward, slowly approaching Qing Lin as she praised Su Heng without pause.

When she had drawn near enough, the green-clad figure suddenly darted toward Qing Lin. But the moment she moved, a burst of emerald-green light erupted in Qing Lin's eyes and enveloped the woman completely.

She was only an inch away. If she had been any closer, the woman in green would have touched Qing Lin's forehead with her index finger. But that single inch had become a chasm, impossible to cross.

The woman in green's body had gone completely rigid. She could not move at all, held fast by Qing Lin's gaze a mere inch away.

"All right. Now we can have a proper talk."

Su Heng slowly rose to his feet, walked over to the woman in green, and yanked off her green outer robe.