The Nine Oxen and Two Tigers' Effort

"Hey, are you going to give it to me or not?" Gu Qingfeng, his hand outstretched, was growing impatient.

The Old Man finally reacted, eyeing Gu Qingfeng's muscular arm and swallowing hard. However, he made no unusual movements, simply handing over the item to Gu Qingfeng.

Gu Qingfeng took it and examined it closely.

Damn, it's just a piece of tree bark?

Wait, what did the old guy say about talismans, and considering his tearing motion...

Gu Qingfeng quickly pieced it together. This old man must be a tree demon, and his bark could be used to make talismans. It seemed the Demon Suppression Bureau came to collect bark from him every so often.

The Demon Suppression Bureau sure had clever methods. No wonder they established the Demon Suppression Prison - it was basically a renewable resource bank!

But what about demons like corpse demons and eye demons? They didn't have any renewable resources, so why keep them?

Could it be that the higher-ups at the Demon Suppression Bureau, like himself, enjoyed watching them dance?

Gu Qingfeng didn't dwell on it too much. The implications were terrifying, and it might involve some big shots' privacy.

Since the bark could be used to make talismans, it must be worth something, so Gu Qingfeng accepted it.

However, after taking it, Gu Qingfeng found himself in a dilemma.

As the saying goes, "You can't bite the hand that feeds you." Now that he had accepted the gift, it wouldn't be appropriate to beat the old man, would it?

As Gu Qingfeng was pondering whether to switch to another cell, the Old Man spoke again.

"Young man, are you in a hurry to report back? If not, could you keep this old man company for a while? I've been locked up in the Demon Suppression Prison for ten years, and I've barely spoken to anyone. My life is coming to an end, and I just want to chat with someone to ease my troubled mind before I die."

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" Gu Qingfeng agreed readily. To be honest, he was also curious about demons. Usually, when warriors encountered demons, they would just fight to the death. Due to their different races, there was almost zero communication.

The Old Man was overjoyed to see Gu Qingfeng agree so readily.

He secretly mused that naive youngsters were indeed easy to fool!

"Let me tell you my story," the Old Man said, suddenly looking wistful.

"Great, I love stories!" Gu Qingfeng exclaimed happily.

"A hundred years ago, in Ji County, there was a small mountain village called Zhang Family Village. The people there were simple and isolated from the world. There was a little boy named Zhang Heng who accidentally planted a small locust tree..."

The Old Man watched Gu Qingfeng listening intently, inwardly laughing hysterically. Today was the day for his escape! Such a naive youngster was rare to come by in a hundred years!

Once I slowly coax him to open the door...

Click!

The cell door opened.

The Old Man, still in the middle of his story, froze, his eyes bulging as he watched Gu Qingfeng walk in.

What's going on?! Why isn't he following the script?

I haven't finished my story yet, I haven't even revealed the information about the secret treasure...

"Y-y-you... Why did you come in?!" the Old Man exclaimed in shock. "I'm a demon, aren't you afraid I'll eat you?"

Gu Qingfeng plopped down next to the Old Man, patting him on the shoulder. "I can tell you're a good demon. Besides, listening to stories through a door doesn't feel right."

This response completely threw the Old Man off.

What should he do next? Continue with the plan and finish the story, or attack immediately?

The Old Man looked at Gu Qingfeng, who was now so close, as these two options flashed through his mind.

"Keep going with the story, I want to hear more. What happened to the little locust tree?" Gu Qingfeng asked earnestly.

"The little locust tree grew up and became a demon, then it ate everyone in Zhang Family Village."

As he said this, the kind and gentle expression on the Old Man's face disappeared, replaced by a fierce, bloodthirsty grimace!

Gu Qingfeng was taken aback. "Is that the end of the story?"

The Old Man looked at Gu Qingfeng menacingly, his voice twisted and chilling: "Yes, it's over."

At the same time, countless thick branches suddenly sprouted from his body, instantly filling the entire cell. His face transformed into dry, bark-like skin.

Gu Qingfeng exploded in anger: "What the hell kind of story was that?!"

Smack!

He slapped the Old Man's bark-like face hard.

The Old Man was stunned.

"Don't you have any professional pride? Couldn't you at least finish the story before attacking? Do you know how you're no different from those cliffhanger-loving bastards?"

"Human, you dare to hit me when death is at your doorstep? I'll turn you into my nutrients!" the Old Man snarled furiously.

The next moment, countless vines and branches, like pythons, viciously attacked Gu Qingfeng, wrapping around his entire body in an instant, leaving only his head exposed.

Then, the vines and branches tightened their grip, a tremendous force crushing Gu Qingfeng's entire body.

This strangling force was different from the corpse demon's punches; it was a compressive force acting on his entire body.

Ding!

You have been attacked by the hundred-year-old locust tree demon.

Strength +5!

Suddenly, a powerful force surged through his body. Gu Qingfeng felt his physical strength explode, his body brimming with inexhaustible energy.

This feeling of becoming stronger excited him greatly.

"Please, use more force. I can take it," he said.

"You dare to talk tough in the face of death? Let's see what's harder - your bones or your mouth!" the Old Man raged.

The vines and branches continued to tighten.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!!!

You have been attacked by the hundred-year-old locust tree demon.

Strength +5 +5 +5 +5 +...

Ding!

Congratulations, host! Your strength has broken through the limit, obtaining [Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers]!

Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers?!

The strength of one bull is a thousand jin, so nine bulls would be nine thousand jin. The strength of one tiger is eight thousand jin, so two tigers would be sixteen thousand jin. Together, the Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers is twenty-five thousand jin!

Twenty-five thousand jin of immense strength!