Thousand Years of Lifespan!

Within the canyon.

Upon the brutal battlefield,

Wang Yue and the others stared ahead in shock.

Before their eyes,

Luo Chen was cutting down Demon Apes as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, one with every stroke.

By the time he had killed half of them, all the remaining Demonic Beasts had been scared out of their wits.

Though they were Demonic Beasts, they still feared death.

The remaining Demonic Beasts began throwing away their iron staffs and fleeing toward the rear.

How could Luo Chen let them go?

These were all walking opportunities!

[Successfully killed a First Realm (Bone Forging) Demon Ape, plundered 120 years of lifespan!]

[Successfully killed a First Realm (Bone Forging) Demon Ape, plundered 145 years of lifespan!]

[Successfully killed a First Realm (Muscle Tendon Transformation) Demon Ape, plundered 273 years of lifespan!]

As the final Demonic Beast was beheaded.

A trace of surprise flashed through Luo Chen's eyes, but it quickly faded. He turned to look at his colleagues behind him, who were already dumbfounded.

[Lifespan limit has successfully surpassed one thousand years!]

[Lifespan inspection function unlocked!]

[Lifespan: 17/1440.]

He had struck it rich!

Luo Chen carefully examined the information on the panel, unable to suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth.

"Luo Chen, where's that Old Ape?"

Wang Yue stepped forward and asked with a complicated expression.

"Dead," Luo Chen said calmly.

"Whew!" Though he had already known the answer in his heart, Wang Yue still found it hard to believe.

The Demon Suppressing Guard under his command truly was... a martial arts monster.

Other than monster, he simply could not find any other way to describe him.

"Boss, this isn't the place to talk. Let's leave first."

Luo Chen wore an unconcerned smile.

His attitude toward everyone was no different from usual.

The Demon Suppressing Guards quietly breathed a sigh of relief, their hearts gradually relaxing.

At least Luo Chen's attitude toward them had not changed.

The Youth's smile remained gentle as he treated every one of them.

Wang Yue gathered his thoughts and called for everyone to support the injured Demon Suppressing Guards as they headed out of the canyon.

Looking at the wounded figures around them, their hearts were heavy along the way.

This mission, which they had thought would let them earn merit with ease,

had unexpectedly led them into a group of Demonic Beasts.

Three had been seriously injured, and their future cultivation advancement would certainly be affected.

Had Luo Chen not turned the tide at the critical moment, Wang Yue did not even dare imagine the outcome.

Luo Chen still walked at the very back of the group, his gaze drifting to the top of Wang Yue's head.

"Lifespan inspection, as the name suggests, only lets me see someone's remaining lifespan?"

"What use is that?"

With a puzzled expression, Luo Chen used lifespan inspection on Wang Yue ahead of him.

A light screen visible only to him floated above Wang Yue's head.

[Wang Yue (Muscle Tendon Transformation): 35/120 (current age/maximum lifespan)]

The information was easy to understand.

Wang Yue was thirty-five this year. Theoretically, at his current cultivation realm, he could live to a maximum of one hundred and twenty.

But that was often difficult. Martial artists tempered their qi and blood and fought Demonic Beasts. By the time they grew old and frail, hidden injuries would pile up, inevitably shortening their lives!

"Not bad. At least it can stop old sixes from hiding their cultivation."

Luo Chen stroked his chin, deep in thought.

"I can also infer someone's talent from their maximum lifespan."

"Breaking through one thousand years of lifespan unlocked a function. What about ten thousand years?"

Luo Chen greatly anticipated it.

The group brought the wounded back to an outpost atop the cliff.

Less than ten minutes after they settled down, dozens of figures rapidly approached from the distant forest.

Yue Wuchang led his team briskly over. Seeing the miserable state of the group, he found that apart from Luo Chen, everyone was covered in blood and looked utterly bedraggled.

Luo Chen's clothes were also torn, exposing the toned skin beneath.

"Are you all right?"

He carefully examined Luo Chen. Only after seeing that he was uninjured did he feel somewhat relieved.

Then he saw the three severely injured people lying on the ground, and his heart sank once more.

"Sorry, I came too late!"

Wang Yue took a deep breath, bowed, and recounted what had just happened to the captain.

When he learned that Luo Chen had turned the tide by himself.

The shock in Yue Wuchang's heart was no less than anyone else's.

After all, he had watched Luo Chen gradually integrate into the Demon Suppression Bureau.

"You brat, you've been hiding your strength all along?"

Yue Wuchang seemed to think of something. With sudden realization, he said,

"That day, Chief Director met with you alone. Could it be that Chief Director had already discovered you were hiding your strength then?"

Looking at the composed Luo Chen, the Demon Suppressing Guards automatically filled in a whole series of explanations for his actions in their minds.

Luo Chen nodded.

Yue Wuchang did not press further for the details.

He had his subordinates carry the three injured men back to the main camp to recover.

Before leaving, he looked at Luo Chen as though he wanted to say something, yet held himself back.

He was considering whether to bring Luo Chen to join the main force fighting the Demonic Beasts.

As a Demon Suppression Captain, he naturally hoped Luo Chen would go. One more source of strength meant one more chance of victory.

But when he thought of Luo Chen's identity, he did not want Luo Chen to risk his life.

This operation was perilous. Even though he had been immersed in the Blood Moving Peak for many years, he still felt powerless.

Luo Chen thought Yue Wuchang had further instructions.

Just as he was about to speak first.

Yue Wuchang cut him off and left without looking back.

Only his voice carried over.

"Since Chief Director knows your strength and still allowed you to remain here, she must have made arrangements.

This canyon is in your hands!"

In the blink of an eye, the dozens of Demon Suppressing Guards who had rushed over vanished into the forest.

Leaving the eight Demon Suppressing Guards staring at one another.

Luo Chen opened his mouth, then looked at his tattered clothes and sighed softly.

"Could've at least left me a change of clothes!"

The canyon, originally guarded by a whole squad of Demon Suppressing Guards, now had only eight people left.

Yet the pressure on everyone's shoulders had eased considerably.

After all, with Luo Chen's strength to kill Blood Circulation Demonic Beasts without being injured, guarding this canyon was more than enough.

Probably!

The group sat cross-legged on the ground and began circulating their cultivation to heal their injuries.

Luo Chen spoke to Wang Yue, then went into the forest to hunt.

They had spent the past few days living like this.

Luo Chen's skill at roasting meat had improved considerably as well.

Fortunately, Wang Yue was an experienced Demon Suppression Envoy. He had brought salt and spices with him when he came.

An hour later.

As the campfire rose, everyone gathered around it. Looking at Luo Chen, they could not help but relax.

Having a powerful backer felt great.

After eating and drinking their fill, they scattered and continued guarding against the appearance of Demonic Beasts.

Luo Chen watched their retreating backs before turning and leaving.

He returned to the position he was guarding.

Luo Chen sat cross-legged atop a tree branch, quietly lost in thought.

In midair, a butterfly too difficult for the naked eye to catch flapped its wings and landed on Luo Chen's shoulder.

Blurred messages came one after another from within his sea of consciousness.

"There are traces of Skin Puppets appearing in the depths of the canyon!"

Luo Chen gazed into the depths of the canyon, pondering.

"So, this group of Demon Apes may have been lured here by the Skin Tempering Demon!"

Everything seemed to make sense.

The Demon Apes were merely Blood Circulation Demonic Beasts, yet they had suddenly received news that the White Bone Great Sage intended to use the lives of Demonic Beasts as sacrifices to refine a divine weapon.

Then they fled, and just so happened to pass through this canyon.

Everything seemed quite reasonable.

Luo Chen could now almost certainly conclude that this Skin Tempering Demon was not particularly strong.

But its ability disgusted Luo Chen.

"Now that I have enough lifespan, my strength can soar another wave!"

Muttering to himself, his consciousness settled upon his martial arts!