252: There are no taboos in Shi Lie’s requests!

Shi Long's expression was slightly gloomy; the Lion Demon Army Legion Commander was undoubtedly a top-tier existence within the entire Lion Demon Clan.

Aside from the Lion Demon Clan's Old Ancestor, the Legion Commander's strength was absolutely the most formidable.

Precisely because of this, the Legion Commander's standards were very high, and earning his praise was by no means an easy feat.

Originally, he had been thinking that Shi Xiong, under his command, who possessed a Ninth-Stage Late Stage cultivation at less than thirty years old, was enough to look down on all the Commanders in the entire army.

Yet, he had not even entered the Legion Commander's sight.

Instead, it was this Shi Ming who had been praised by the Legion Commander.

Comparing the two, it was clear that he had suffered a setback.

For a moment, Shi Long's heart grew even gloomier.

In contrast to Shi Long's gloomy expression, Shi Qing's face showed a hint of joy.

The other Legion Commanders also looked at Shi Qing in surprise; although they had heard of Shi Ming's existence, they had never expected that this child could receive praise from the Legion Commander.

As a result, their gazes towards Shi Qing contained a hint of envy.

It should be known that if their subordinates performed well and displayed top-tier talent, they would also receive some rewards.

“However…”

Just then, the Legion Commander's tone shifted slightly, and he looked at Shi Long with a hint of playfulness.

“The people from your Bloodthirsty Battle Group have run into this little fellow!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the joy on Shi Qing's face instantly froze, and even between his brows, a faint shadow seemed to be visible.

He abruptly looked at Shi Long.

At this moment, a hint of joy flashed across Shi Long's face as well. He directly ignored Shi Qing's gaze and smiled indifferently: “This child can receive praise from the Legion Commander, so his strength must be good. My Commanders might not necessarily be his opponents.”

“In that case, I must congratulate Battle Group Leader Shi Qing; I never expected him to Cultivate such a Prodigy!”

With that, Shi Long cupped his hands towards Shi Qing, as if genuinely congratulating him.

Praise to kill!

Shi Long's words were undoubtedly a tactic to praise Lu Sheng to his detriment.

It seemed like he was belittling his own Commanders, but if Lu Sheng proved not to be an opponent for the Bloodthirsty Battle Group's Commander, this contrast would naturally lower Lu Sheng's standing in the Legion Commander's heart.

This was undoubtedly quite vicious.

Shi Qing's expression was ugly; he naturally understood the meaning behind Shi Long's words, but in front of the Legion Commander, he couldn't act out.

Otherwise, the situation would become even more awkward.

The Legion Commander looked at Shi Long with interest, as if he saw through something, and smiled lazily, leaning back on the throne, closing his eyes, not knowing what he was doing... Inside Lion Demon Mountain, extremely strange stones were piled in different positions, as if in a pile of rubble.

The entire mountain range was filled with an Aura of chaos.

Lu Sheng slowly walked through this area, an easygoing atmosphere accompanying his every move.

It was as if he wasn't here for a Martial Arts competition, but for a tour.

“I've already killed three Eighth-Stage Demon Race members. With the Hundredfold Amplification, I've accumulated a good amount of Body Refining power. I estimate that if I kill five or six more, I'll be able to Breakthrough to Body Refining Ninth Layer!”

Lu Sheng felt the surging Body Refining power within his body, and a slight curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

His Body Refining cultivation had lagged too far behind Lu Sheng's main cultivation; he still needed to quickly improve this Body Refining weakness.

This Martial Arts competition was clearly an Opportunity for Lu Sheng.

It was just a bit regrettable that he couldn't display too much terrifying power; otherwise, he would be completely exposed to the Legion Commander's view.

Of course, Lu Sheng didn't know at this moment that his every move was already being watched by the Legion Commander.

“Once my Body Refining Breakthroughs to the Ninth Layer, I'll basically be invincible below the Golden Body Realm, and even against Golden Body Realm powerhouses, I'll be able to resist them somewhat!”

Lu Sheng softly murmured in his heart.

Suddenly, Lu Sheng's ears twitched slightly, and his steps halted at that moment. Lu Sheng slowly raised his head and looked forward.

He found that directly in front of Lu Sheng, there was a Lion Demon Clan powerhouse, just like Lu Sheng, wearing black iron armor, standing quietly there.

However, on the chest of that person's black iron armor, there was a drop of crimson blood imprinted.

And this symbol... was precisely the symbol of the Bloodthirsty Battle Group.

“A Commander of the Bloodthirsty Battle Group? Someone under that Shi Long fellow?”

Looking at the approaching figure, Lu Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of sharpness emerged.

That person's cultivation was not very high, merely Ninth-Stage Late Stage, infinitely close to Ninth-Stage Peak cultivation.

But when that person saw Lu Sheng, a hint of joy clearly appeared on his face, followed by a wide grin.

“I didn't expect... to meet you so soon!”

The approaching person smiled, and in his eyes, a playful look emerged as he gazed at Lu Sheng.

“Kid, offending Battle Group Leader Shi Long might be the toughest decision you've ever made in your life!”

“Today's Martial Arts competition... will stop here!”

That person laughed loudly, his words seemingly not putting Lu Sheng in his eyes.

However, listening to this person's words, a strange expression appeared on Lu Sheng's face.

Immediately after, Lu Sheng gently shook his head, then took a step forward.

In an instant, Lu Sheng's entire being seemed to suddenly disappear from his original spot, and when he reappeared, he had already arrived directly in front of that person.

Then... Lu Sheng slowly extended his hand and gently probed towards the person's chest.

The hard armor, in Lu Sheng's palm, seemed like tofu, effortlessly breaking through the armor's obstruction and completely sinking into the person's flesh.

And then... he squeezed hard!

Pfft!

Blood instantly burst out.

That person's ferocious expression also froze at this moment.

His heart... was directly crushed!

“I really don't know where you got the courage!”

Lu Sheng slowly withdrew his arm, his palm already stained with crimson blood.

Thump!

That person's body fell heavily to the ground, his life force completely draining away.

Until his death, he hadn't reacted to how he had died.

A rich Body Refining power surged into Lu Sheng's body. In an instant, Lu Sheng's body trembled slightly, followed by an extremely surging Body Refining power roaring out from Lu Sheng's body.

On his skin, brilliant starlight seemed to flicker, and a cerulean flame gently covered his skin.

Body Refining... Ninth Layer!!

Relying on the effect of Slaughter, coupled with the Hundredfold Amplification, he directly absorbed one percent of the opponent's physique.

Originally, Lu Sheng only needed five or six more Eighth-Stage Demon Race members to Breakthrough to Body Refining Ninth Layer.

Now, this Bloodthirsty Battle Group Commander, whose strength was infinitely close to Ninth-Stage Peak, provided Body Refining power equivalent to ten Eighth-Stage Demon Race members.

This directly allowed Lu Sheng to Breakthrough to Body Refining Ninth Layer.

“Another ten Slaughter points are in hand, and my Body Refining has also Breakthrough to the Ninth Layer. What a good person!”

Lu Sheng glanced at the person's corpse, smiled indifferently, and with a slight thought, first placed the captured ears collected by this person into his spatial ring, and then an invisible force destroyed the corpse.

“Hmm, fifteen points, plus the three Eighth-Stage Demon Race members I killed before, makes eighteen points.”

“That's not bad!”

Lu Sheng smiled slightly.

Eighteen points, for the current stage, was already considered to be among the top ranks.

According to past patterns, basically having a hundred points before the end would maintain a rank in the thirties, and over a hundred would generally be within the top thirty.

Although he only had eighteen points now, less than half an hour had passed, and there was still plenty of time!

“No need to rush!”

Lu Sheng smiled slightly. Just as he was about to leave, he stopped again.

“You're an interesting little fellow, able to absorb the Body Refining power of the dead. Are you Cultivating some forbidden Martial Arts?”

A light voice sounded in Lu Sheng's ears.

In an instant, upon hearing this voice, Lu Sheng's entire nervous system instantly tensed, and he abruptly looked in the direction from which the voice came.

Beside Lu Sheng, a thin, middle-aged figure slowly emerged. Unlike other demons, he didn't appear in his true form but had transformed into a Human Race appearance.

A faint smile played on that man's lips, and his pair of black eyes were incredibly deep. For some reason, as Lu Sheng looked into that man's eyes, he felt as if his entire being had been seen through.

"When did this guy appear near me!"

Lu Sheng's heart tightened slightly; he hadn't detected the man's presence at all!

"Hehehe, little guy, don't worry. It's just Cultivating forbidden Martial Arts, what's the big deal? As a member of the Lion Demon Clan, what's needed is to disregard everything for power. I quite like that!"

The thin middle-aged man smiled faintly.

However, his words made Lu Sheng, who was already a bit tense, even more nervous.

This Emperor!

The only people who could refer to themselves in such a way were Devil King-level powerhouses!

And the Devil King powerhouse who could appear within Lion Demon Mountain at this moment... was probably only the Legion Commander of the Lion Demon Army.

Shi Lie!

At the same time, he was a Devil King powerhouse of the Lion Demon Clan, second only to the Lion Demon Clan Old Ancestor, and the most Prodigy existence in the Lion Demon Clan for thousands of years.

A terrifying Prodigy who achieved the Devil King realm in less than fifty years.

He... had actually been targeted by such a powerhouse!

"Kid, what kind of look is that? I don't like it at all!"

Shi Lie noticed Lu Sheng's wary gaze, and his expression became slightly odd.

Ordinary powerhouses of the Lion Demon Clan, even those at the Battle Group Leader level, mostly showed respect and fear when they saw him.

But this little guy, who was only at the Commander level, surprisingly showed none of those emotions; instead, he was guarding against him.

"A bit interesting!"

Shi Lie stroked his chin, looking at Lu Sheng with a curious expression.

Lu Sheng took a deep breath, suppressing his nervous emotions, and respectfully bowed to the other party.

"Your subordinate, Shi Ming, greets Legion Commander!"

Lu Sheng quickly thought about his current situation. Apart from his suddenly Breakthrough Body Refining Cultivation, there didn't seem to be anything too strange.

And this point, the other party seemed to only consider it as him Cultivating some forbidden Martial Arts, merely devouring the Body Refining power of others.

He hadn't been exposed yet!

"Body Refining ninth layer, fifth-rank Concept, ninth-rank Middle Stage infinitely close to Late Stage... Tsk tsk tsk, you're hiding quite a lot, kid!"

"But I am a bit curious, where exactly did the forbidden Martial Arts on you come from!"

Shi Lie looked at Lu Sheng with a smile, but these words immediately made Lu Sheng's expression even more tense.

Sure enough, Shi Lie still noticed a hint of something amiss?

Lu Sheng's heart sank slightly, feeling a bit uneasy.

However, Shi Lie's next sentence immediately put Lu Sheng at ease.

"However, everyone has their own secrets. I don't want to know the secrets on you, but..."

Shi Lie's tone shifted slightly, and he looked at Lu Sheng with a smile: "I really don't like your habit of hiding your strength."

"I can cover up the matter of the forbidden Martial Arts for you, but..."

"In this competition, you must enter the second round!"

"Otherwise... I won't let the matter of the forbidden Martial Arts rest! You are a direct Bloodline of my Lion Demon Clan, you should know what kind of fate awaits those who secretly learn forbidden Martial Arts in our clan!"

"Entering the second round shouldn't be a difficult task for you, right?"

"In this competition, you must bring out all your strength. Don't let me see you hide anything, otherwise... I will deal with you according to clan rules!"

"Of course... if you can make it into the top ten, how about I give you an Opportunity!"

Shi Lie's voice fell into Lu Sheng's ears.

Listening to Shi Lie's words, Lu Sheng was immediately stunned, his expression slightly odd.

What kind of request was this?

As long as he didn't hide his strength and even achieved a good ranking, he could also receive an Opportunity from the other party?

Lu Sheng was a bit curious about the other party's thoughts, but just as Lu Sheng came back to his senses and was about to answer, Shi Lie's figure had disappeared at some unknown point.

Only a light sentence was left, echoing in this world.

"Whether you agree or not is your business. Whether I deal with you depends on your performance in the competition, kid... you decide for yourself!"

Shi Lie's voice continued to echo.

Lu Sheng stood rooted to the spot, his eyes slightly narrowed. After a moment of contemplation, he looked at Shi Lie's previous position again. After taking a deep breath, his eyes gradually brightened.

"It seems I still haven't been discovered. Indeed, just as the principal said, as long as I'm not constantly watched by a Devil King powerhouse, with the Beast Demon Royal Clan's beast horn, there basically won't be any problems."

"Unless I encounter a top powerhouse of the Beast Demon Royal Clan, otherwise, it's not a big issue!"

"But why does this Shi Lie insist that I aim for a higher ranking? Is it merely because he cherishes talent? But that doesn't make sense either!"

Lu Sheng felt a bit puzzled.

However, after a moment of contemplation, Lu Sheng still chose to do as the other party said.

After all, he now had a handle on him. If he didn't do as the other party said, it would be troublesome later.

The Lion Demon Clan's clan rules... rather than being dealt with by clan rules, it was better to honestly do as Shi Lie said. Moreover, the other party was a Devil King powerhouse; if he really thought something was wrong with him, he would have already made a move.

Perhaps... he really just cherished talent!

Thinking of this, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in Lu Sheng's eyes.

"Never mind, I'll deal with whatever comes my way. It's just the second round, isn't it... I'm going for it!"

Lu Sheng looked forward, his eyes gradually becoming ruthless.

He had previously thought about concealing himself and not letting himself kill these demons to improve his strength, but now that Shi Lie had said so, he had no more qualms.

Moreover, the improvement of his Body Refining Cultivation was also considered forbidden Martial Arts by the other party.

Since that's the case... with nothing to fear, this Lion Demon Mountain will become his home ground!

Lu Sheng stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. He pressed his foot slightly, instantly rushing deeper.

The hunter... finally picked up his hunting rifle at this moment... At the foot of Lion Demon Mountain, Shi Long looked at Shi Qing with a playful expression and said with a smile: "Commander Shi Qing is really good at nurturing people. None of the Commanders in my Bloodthirsty Battle Group are a match for Shi Ming. When the competition is over, Commander Shi Qing must share with us your method of nurturing talent!"

Shi Long's words made Shi Qing's expression extremely ugly.

Shi Qing was not good with words to begin with, and now, under Shi Long's flattery and Yin and Yang sarcasm, Shi Qing became even more annoyed.

As a result, under the Aura, he was directly suppressed by Shi Long.

Shi Long looked at Shi Qing's ugly expression, feeling as refreshed as eating ice cream on a hot summer day.

Just as he was about to press his advantage and continue to use Yin and Yang against the other party, Shi Lie, who was lazily lying on the throne, opened his eyes again at this moment.

He glanced at Shi Long indifferently and said: "Alright, stop yelling. Your damn Commander is already dead!"

"Don't play your petty tricks in front of me."

The faint voice entered the ears of the three Commanders and all the Battle Group Leaders, and in an instant, Shi Long's expression completely stiffened.

Shi Long's heart sank abruptly.

What???

His subordinate Commander was killed?

Killed by Shi Ming?

How is that possible!!!

That Shi Ming was clearly just a guy in the ninth-rank Middle Stage, and his subordinate Commanders, the weakest of whom were in the ninth-rank Late Stage, even if they couldn't defeat Shi Ming, they shouldn't have been killed by him.

What exactly... is going on???