One more catty, one more attribute point

"I've just arrived and know little about Dragon Abyss," Su Heng skillfully handed over two demon remains and smiled, "As for how to find the Dragon Tomb and enter it, I hope the fellow cultivator can explain in detail."

"That's simple; it's not really important news anyway."

Although he said this, Zhao Zhuang still casually accepted the two demon remains that Su Heng had passed over. Weighing them briefly, he judged the quality of the demon remains to be quite good, and his smile became even more warm and sincere.

"While the expanse of Dragon Abyss is vast, over the past several hundred to a thousand years, numerous cultivators have crossed the Hunxi Mountain barrier to enter it," Zhao Zhuang said, "Apart from the legendary strong one from a thousand years ago, Eight-Armed Dragon King An Shelie, the rest have never found any clues about the True Dragon Remains."

"From this point, it can almost be inferred."

"The dragon remains are not exposed but hidden in a secret realm within Dragon Abyss."

"Hmm," Su Heng nodded.

This was indeed close to what he had deduced.

"Now that Longevity Heaven's echo is deepening, many long-lost secret realms are beginning to appear. I wonder if there is any specific whereabouts of the Dragon Tomb Secret Realm now?" Su Heng couldn't help asking.

"This… not yet."

Zhao Zhuang shook his head, but then his tone shifted, and he lowered his voice, "Although the Dragon Tomb Secret Realm has not yet been revealed, based on some strong ones' conjectures, it won't be too much longer, just within this period. Moreover, to enter the Dragon Tomb, one must first find the Dragon Key."

"Dragon Key?" Su Heng was puzzled, as this was the first time he had heard this term.

Zhao Zhuang explained, "The so-called Dragon Key is a relic from a true dragon's body. For example, broken dragon scales, dragon bones, or even dragon horns, as well as stones and soil soaked in Dragon Blood can serve as one. The Dragon Key bears the aura of a true dragon, used to navigate through Longevity Heaven and to discern one's bearings during the process of entering a secret realm."

"Besides the Dragon Key, you also need Decaying Dragon Breath."

"The purpose of Decaying Dragon Breath is to replenish energy and activate the Dragon Key," Zhao Zhuang said, "Decaying Dragon Breath is also a rare medicinal secret used in spirit cultivation, known to be extremely effective. Just the other day, someone was selling it in the market, fetching a sky-high price. Even so, it was quickly bought up.

As for now, with the demand for Decaying Dragon Breath growing, it's no longer even a shadow in the market; one must venture out to dangerous territories to search on their own."

"I see…" With Zhao Zhuang's words, he had a rough understanding of the method to enter the Dragon Tomb.

He possessed dragon marrow, which was supposedly extracted from a dark dragon. However, after changing hands twice, the dragon's residual aura had been refined away, and he wasn't sure if it could still function as a "Dragon Key." Su Heng was determined to obtain the dragon remains and wouldn't be careless about this matter.

He definitely planned to go and collect both the Dragon Key and Decaying Dragon Breath.

Even if it ultimately proved to be a futile effort, it wouldn't matter. For anything from a true dragon's body is a treasured rarity.

Using it for cultivation would certainly not be a waste.

"Thank you for the information, fellow cultivator; I'll take my leave now," Su Heng nodded slightly to Zhao Zhuang, preparing to leave, meet up with Solban, exchange intel, and decide on their next steps.

"Hold on, please, cultivator, stay a moment!" Zhao Zhuang seemed to remember something suddenly, spoke up, and reached out to grab Su Heng's arm.

Su Heng stopped accordingly.

Turning his head, his calm gaze fell on Zhao Zhuang.

"Is there anything else?"

Watching the dark and deep eyes of Su Heng, a sudden thump echoed in Zhao Zhuang's heart. But he quickly hid his emotions and said with a smile on his face, "Fellow Daoist, are you by any chance looking to find the Dragon Key?"

"I have information regarding the Dragon Key. If Fellow Daoist is interested, I can sell it at a low price," said Zhao Zhuang in a hushed voice, with a hint of temptation in his tone.

"If the Dragon Key is so precious, why don't you go and retrieve it yourself?" Su Heng countered.

"Alas!" Zhao Zhuang sighed heavily, appearing troubled, "I've been there no less than three times, but each time, I've returned heavily injured, barely surviving. I see that you have a tall stature and an extraordinary demeanor, perhaps you can subdue that demon and obtain the Dragon Key, and in doing so, avenge me!"

"How do I know that your information is true or false?" Su Heng remained unmoved.

Zhao Zhuang furrowed his brows in thought, then, gritting his teeth as if making a certain decision, he clapped his hands and suggested, "How about this, you first give me ten demon carcasses as a deposit. I will inform you of the whereabouts of the Dragon Key. After you go and confirm that the information is correct, you can return to the market and pay me the remaining difference. What do you say?"

"I see that Fellow Daoist is dignified, and also, a brother of mine died at the hands of that beast; I want to avenge him, which is why I am willing to make such a concession," Zhao Zhuang spoke in a lower voice.

"Agreed!"

Su Heng thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

To date, Su Heng had killed an uncountable number of demons and monsters.

Ten high-quality demon carcasses was nothing to Su Heng. He immediately took them out from his bosom and handed them over to Zhao Zhuang. When their palms touched, Su Heng used the authority of the Seed of Destruction to quietly inject a strand of strength into Zhao Zhuang's body, which travelled through his blood vessels and lingered around his heart.

Zhao Zhuang only felt a sudden chill at his wrist, but it quickly returned to normal.

He wore a smile on his face and did not take that minor abnormality to heart.

"If that is the case, then I wish Fellow Daoist a safe journey and swift success!" Zhao Zhuang carefully stored away the demon carcasses he acquired and handed a scroll to Su Heng.

Su Heng nodded his head and turned to leave.

The large and imposing figure soon disappeared in the crowd.

At the stall, Zhao Zhuang's smile slowly faded, turned calm, and then the corners of his mouth curled into a cold sneer, "No matter how strong he is, he is still too young. Thinking to take advantage of Poor Dao is not so simple and easy."

"Elder Brother!" A young Daoist around twenty years old, dressed in a red robe, walked out with eyes wide open in suspicion, "Can that man truly handle a monster like Yayu? It seems his cultivation isn't even that of an Earth Immortal, can he really do it?"

"It should be no problem," Zhao Zhuang said. "Some people cannot be judged by common sense. To make a name for oneself, one must definitely have some unique methods."

The information he gave Su Heng was indeed not false, but his intentions were not pure.

The Dragon Key he had found was guarded by the ferocious beast Yayu. After several attempts at stealth and force had ended in him being beaten and fleeing in defeat.

Thus, he came up with an adventurous plan, like a mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. The key to this plan was choosing who would be the unlucky one.

He mustn't be too strong, nor too weak.

And definitely not a disciple of a major sect.

After a series of eliminations, Su Heng appeared, perfectly like a tool made just for him.

Zhao Zhuang was overjoyed. With some tricks up his sleeve, the first step of the plan had finally been smoothly completed.

Next was to set an ambush within the territory where the Yuyu roamed beforehand and wait for Su Heng and the Yuyu to both be injured; then he would sweep them up in one net, reaping the fisherman's benefits.

...

On the other side, in a huge tavern facing the street.

Su Heng and Solban gathered together again.

The two first compared the information they had each collected from the market.

When something is abnormal, there must be demons at play; Zhao Zhuang was so enthusiastic at their first meeting—it was clear as day that he was up to something. But Su Heng didn't mind because Zhao Zhuang's life was now in his hands. Besides, with that level of cultivation, what storm could he possibly stir up?

Solban, upon hearing Su Heng's recount of events, also sensed something was amiss. His brows furrowed slightly, "Zhao Zhuang, this person, might have some ulterior motives."

"No matter," Su Heng sipped his drink, unconcerned, "He's just a minor character, not worth mentioning."

"Indeed..." Solban nodded.

He knew of Su Heng's terrifying power and wasn't worried about any unexpected incidents.

"Next, I plan to look for the Dragon Key. I'll go check out the location provided by Zhao Zhuang. Perhaps, there will be gains." Su Heng set down his wine glass gently and looked at Solban, asking, "And you? What are your plans here?"

"I..."

Solban clenched his fists, first hesitant, then spoke earnestly, "I plan to wander into Dragon Abyss, to seize this opportunity and cultivate."

"There's also another matter; I believe that Demon Descendant leader won't let me off so easily." Remembering his companion's death and the humiliating defeat from their last battle, Solban's expression turned grim, and the whole of him seemed somewhat fixated.

"He regards me as his prey, and I also have no intention of letting him off easily," he said earnestly.

"Are you planning to 'fish'?" Su Heng smiled, seemingly eager to try.

"Yes!" Solban nodded.

He didn't know what 'fishing law enforcement' was exactly, but he guessed the general idea.

"Here's what we'll do." Su Heng was now Solban's most reliable underling, and it would be quite a pity if he died just like that, "I'll teach you an incantation. If that guy really recklessly comes after you, just recite it in your mind to give me a direction, and I should be able to arrive quickly."

Su Heng shared with Solban the incantation for transmitting messages via flying swords.

Solban, whose talents were far superior to those of Meng Huan, Qin Shunying, and others, mastered the intricacies of flying sword messaging by simply repeating it in his mind twice.

"Thank you!" Solban said solemnly.

"Not a problem, I'm also quite interested in that young Demon Descendant," Su Heng waved his hand dismissively.

Having settled on the plan, the two did not linger any longer and prepared to take immediate action. After draining the last of their drinks, Solban suggested, "If you don't mind, you can rent a house in the market as a temporary residence."

"Is there some advantage to it?" Su Heng asked, puzzled.

"Having a temporary residence allows you to post missions on the Plaza's Memory Stone. You just pay a deposit upfront, and once the transaction is successful, the required resources are delivered directly to the mansion, which is very convenient. And with a Sky King maintaining order in the city, there is no worry about theft," explained Solban.

"Now that is very interesting," Su Heng's eyes lit up, finding the approach somewhat akin to online shopping from a previous life.

Moreover, in this market, there was a myriad of masters from all over, and that King Qingyang could keep them all in line with her power alone.

The strength demonstrated was indeed unfathomable.

"That'll be good," Su Heng thought for a moment and said, "This task, I'll leave it to you to handle."

He handed a bag of monster carcasses to Solban, who, having positioned himself as a subordinate, immediately set off to run the errand.

Once Solban had left, Su Heng suddenly looked up towards another tavern nearby, his face bearing a thoughtful expression.

He quickly withdrew his gaze and headed out of the city.

...

Meanwhile, atop the tavern.

"Phew!" A young man in a grey robe clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground.

"That was terrifying, just a look from him and I felt like I was about to die," the young man said, pale and gasping for breath, his face covered in cold sweat.

"What on earth happened, did he notice us?" Another companion drew the curtains shut, asking nervously.

"I don't know."

The young man shook his head. "But he's gone now, and it seems like he doesn't care about us small fry."

"Phew, that's a relief." The companion sighed first, then clenched his fist, rallying, "Our hunch was right; this man really did come to Dragon Abyss."

"We must act immediately, report to King Dingxuan. There will surely be a handsome reward!"

"Great!" The grey-robed young man's eyes shone with excitement.

He rubbed his sore knees, struggled to his feet, and staggered towards the door to go out…