91: The truth of the abyss emerges

The training ground of the Demon Suppression Headquarters was significantly more subdued than usual. On the high platform, in addition to the usual Silver-Armored General, there was an additional figure today. He wore a dark gold python-patterned robe, his face was gaunt, yet his eyes were sharp enough to pierce through one's heart.

He Tianzheng!

Li Dong's heart sank. Had this old fox finally decided to step out from behind the scenes?

System Warning: Target He Tianzheng detected. His spiritual energy fluctuations contain a faint "Forbidden Aura," highly correlated with the "Soul-Devouring Demon Flower" and "spiritual essence." Host, please remain vigilant!

"Forbidden Aura... it really is him." Li Dong lowered his eyelids, feigning an appearance of being awestruck by the aura of a powerful figure.

He Tianzheng's voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every newcomer: "All of you are elites who have survived the trials, but the real test has only just begun." His gaze swept across the crowd, pausing imperceptibly on Mu Feng.

"This mission: Capital City Suburbs, Dragon Bone Mountain, abandoned altar. Rumor has it that remnants of the previous dynasty are attempting a restoration using demonic methods. Your mission is to clear this area and retrieve the 'Dragon Suppressing Stone' from the core of the altar," He Tianzheng slowly stated. "I will personally oversee this expedition."

Personally oversee? Li Dong almost laughed aloud. Was he afraid he wouldn't get a clear view of how his "little white mouse" would scurry about?

The mission scroll was distributed. The team was still led by Zhou Tong, but there were a few new faces in the group, each looking solemn. Zhou Tong's gaze towards Mu Feng became increasingly like he was looking at some rare monster.

"Mu Feng," Zhou Tong pulled Li Dong aside before they set off, lowering his voice. "This time, Lord He is personally watching. You, kid... be clever, don't pull any more of those crooked lucky stunts, understand? Be honest, follow the rules!"

"Huh? Oh, oh, Captain Zhou, I, I'll try my best..." Mu Feng looked bewildered, but in his heart, he was wondering, whose "rules" were these?

Dragon Bone Mountain, where chilly winds blew. The so-called abandoned altar was more like a massive mass grave, with broken stone tablets scattered haphazardly, and the air was filled with a stench of blood and decay more nauseating than demon-attracting incense.

Warning! Three hundred meters ahead, five Late Foundation Establishment Stage modified demons detected! Extremely violent energy reactions, possessing high-level coordinated combat capabilities! Classified as "Elite-grade" experimental subjects!

"They're here!" Li Dong's heart settled. This scale of operation was indeed He Tianzheng's style—straight to the hard stuff, without any ambiguity.

"Be on guard!" Zhou Tong roared, drawing his broadsword.

Five dark figures flashed out from the depths of the altar, moving with incredible speed! They were no longer the crudely stitched-together monsters from before, but were covered entirely in dark bone armor, with eerie blue energy glowing at their joints, and they wielded weapons mutated from their own bones. As soon as they appeared, they fanned out in a nearly perfect battle formation, subtly encircling the Seventh Squad.

"Damn it! What in the world are these things?" A new team member's voice trembled.

Zhou Tong's scalp tingled too: "Form up! Hold them!"

From a hidden rock formation high above, He Tianzheng held a translucent crystal. The crystal's surface reflected the scene of the battlefield below. Beside him, a Silver-Armored General stood respectfully.

"My Lord, these 'Bone Guards' seem even more... stable than the previous test subjects," the Silver-Armored General said.

He Tianzheng didn't speak, his gaze fixed on the slightly clumsy figure in the battlefield—Mu Feng.

The battle erupted instantly. These "Bone Guards" were not only powerful, but their coordination was also extremely precise, with no flaws in their offense or defense. Zhou Tong and the other veterans managed, but the new team members were almost instantly overwhelmed and gasping for breath.

"Mu Feng! What are you spacing out for! Help!" Zhou Tong roared.

Mu Feng "woke up from a dream," hastily raising his standard long saber and wildly hacking at a Bone Guard. The Bone Guard swayed, easily dodging, and counterattacked with a claw aimed directly at Mu Feng's face.

"Watch out!"

Mu Feng seemed to be scared witless, stumbling, and "just happened" to dodge the fatal blow. His body, however, collided with another Bone Guard, who was fiercely battling Zhou Tong, in a strange posture.

"Bang!"

That Bone Guard's movements froze for a split second due to Mu Feng's "unintentional collision."

Zhou Tong would not miss such an opportunity, sweeping his broadsword and carving a bone-deep wound into the Bone Guard's waist.

"Good job, Mu Tou!" Zhou Tong exclaimed in surprise.

Mu Feng, however, looked terrified: "I, I didn't do it on purpose..."

On the mountain rock, the crystal in He Tianzheng's hand flickered slightly. He saw that the moment Mu Feng "collided" with the Bone Guard, a faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation flashed within the boy's body. It wasn't a pure spiritual energy burst, but more like a... suppression?

"Interesting," He Tianzheng's lips seemed to twitch.

In the subsequent battle, Mu Feng's "good luck" once again played out. He always managed to turn danger into safety in the most incredible ways at the most critical moments, and "unintentionally" created opportunities for his teammates, or "accidentally" disrupted the Bone Guards' formation.

Once, a Bone Guard's spear was about to pierce a team member's chest, when Mu Feng "just happened" to be sent flying by the aftershock of another Bone Guard's attack, and with a "thud," he crashed into the spear-wielding Bone Guard's arm. The force wasn't great, but it caused the spear to deviate by half an inch, saving his teammate's life.

He himself let out an "ouch," falling head over heels. When he got up, he "conveniently" grabbed a sharp shard of rock and, in the instant the Bone Guard turned around, "desperately" stabbed it into an inconspicuous energy node in the Bone Guard's leg.

"Sizzle!" The Bone Guard's movements noticeably slowed.

During the battle, Li Dong deliberately kept his strength at the peak of the Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, not using trump cards like the Black Scale Armor. However, the suppressive power of the Spirit Transformation Demon Suppression Seal was cleverly integrated into every "accidental" contact. These Bone Guards seemed fierce, but under his "collisions" imbued with the prestige of the Demon Suppression Seal, their actions would always be subjected to a subtle, imperceptible interference, thus revealing flaws.

He also noticed a peculiar phenomenon: whenever he felt He Tianzheng's gaze from the high platform, the Bone Guards' actions would become more precise and ferocious, as if an invisible thread was controlling them.

"Mental manipulation?" Li Dong's heart tightened. This He Tianzheng truly had many tricks up his sleeve.

After half an hour of fierce fighting, at the cost of two severely injured team members, the five "Bone Guards" were finally all dealt with.

Zhou Tong was exhausted like a dog, flopping onto the ground, panting: "Damn it... these damned things were even tougher than last time!" He looked at Mu Feng with a complicated expression, "Kid, you... this is really..." He didn't know how to describe it anymore.

"Captain Zhou, I, I'm just lucky..." Mu Feng scratched his head with a foolish grin.

On the high platform, the crystal in He Tianzheng's hand glowed brightly, clearly reflecting the active "Spirituality" fluctuations within Mu Feng's body. Especially at the critical moments when he had several "close calls," those fluctuations were like boiling water.

"Spirituality... such active Spirituality..." A trace of barely concealed fanaticism flashed in He Tianzheng's eyes, then vanished. He put down the crystal, his voice calm: "Performance is acceptable. Zhou Tong, retrieve the 'Dragon Suppressing Stone.' The rest of you, rest on the spot."

After the mission ended, as soon as Li Dong returned to his barracks, an attendant came to deliver a message.

"Mu Feng, Lord He requests your presence."

Here it comes! Li Dong's heart settled.

In a quiet room deep within the Commander's Mansion, He Tianzheng sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. In front of him was a low table with a cup of steaming clear tea.

"Mu Feng, sit," He Tianzheng gestured to the meditation cushion opposite him.

"Thank, thank you, My Lord." Mu Feng appeared somewhat uneasy and sat down as instructed.

"Your performance in the battle at Dragon Bone Mountain today was not bad," He Tianzheng said in a gentle tone. "Though seemingly clumsy, you always managed to turn danger into safety. Rare, truly rare."

"My Lord overpraises me. I, I just have good luck, blessings from my ancestors..." Mu Feng lowered his head, looking flattered and overwhelmed.

"Luck?" He Tianzheng smiled, but that smile sent a chill down Li Dong's spine. "In this world, how can there be so many coincidences? I observe you to have abundant Spirituality; you are a promising talent."

As soon as his voice fell, Li Dong felt an invisible pressure surging from all directions, as if trying to see through him completely, even trying to penetrate his mind.

"Mental Energy probe!" Li Dong sneered inwardly. This old fox finally couldn't resist personally making a move!

On the surface, however, he looked bewildered and even a little pained, with fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead: "M-My Lord... I, I feel a bit dizzy..."

System Warning: High-intensity Mental Energy intrusion detected! Anti-reconnaissance shielding is being activated...

Aura Concealing Jade Pendant, activate! Spirituality fluctuations, converge!

Deep within Li Dong's Sea of Consciousness, the System constructed an invisible barrier. Simultaneously, the Aura Concealing Jade Pendant also took effect, perfectly concealing his true Spirituality fluctuations, leaving only a superficial layer that matched Mu Feng's persona—slightly active but without much mystery.

He Tianzheng's Mental Energy, like invisible tentacles, continuously probed the edges of Mu Feng's Sea of Consciousness, but always felt as if it was separated by a thick fog. No matter how much he urged it, he couldn't penetrate an inch. Not only that, he even felt his Mental Energy rapidly depleting, as if the other party's Sea of Consciousness was a bottomless whirlpool, constantly devouring his probing power.

"Hmm?" He Tianzheng's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. How could this kid's Sea of Consciousness be so strange? Unreasonably tenacious, and... it seemed to have a backlash effect?

He increased his Mental Energy output, attempting to force a Breakthrough.

Mu Feng let out an "Ah," his body swayed, and his face grew even paler, as if he was about to faint at any moment.

"My Lord... did I... offend you...?" His voice was weak.

He Tianzheng slowly withdrew his Mental Energy, his face calm, but a hint of surprise flashed deep in his eyes. His probing had been fruitless, and he himself had expended considerable energy. This "Mu Feng" was more troublesome than he had imagined.

"No matter, perhaps you are just exhausted from today's exertions," He Tianzheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, "I have seen all your performance. Rest well; in the future, the Headquarters will have a place for your talents."

"Thank, thank you, My Lord, for your cultivation!" Mu Feng, as if granted a great pardon, shakily stood up, bowed, and retreated.

Stepping out of the quiet room, Li Dong let out a long sigh of relief. That moment just now was truly dangerous. If not for the System and the Aura Concealing Jade Pendant, he might have truly been seen through by this old fox.

"He Tianzheng... your desire for 'Spirituality' is truly undisguised," Li Dong touched the Aura Concealing Jade Pendant on his chest.

This direct confrontation, though thrilling, also completely confirmed that He Tianzheng was not only deeply involved with those Forbidden Experiments, but also considered him a highly valuable "experimental subject," or rather, a candidate for the "Perfect Dao Body."

"A key target of interest, then?" Li Dong's lips curved into a cold arc.

It was certainly dangerous, but the more He Tianzheng focused on him, the more opportunities he would have to approach the "Earth Abyss" hidden beneath the Capital City, to uncover the dirtiest truth behind those modified demons and the "Soul-Devouring Demon Flower."

The chess game seemed to be getting more and more interesting. This seemingly passive chess piece of his might just be able to move the entire board.