Watching the rapidly decreasing Health of the Mutated Dwarf Demon King, Wang Linchi knew the outcome was decided.

There wasn't any trickery involved in this; it was simply a matter of attribute crushing using the Saint Master obtained via a plug-in, and the cards accumulated from the previous Abyss Difficulty dungeon.

Wang Linchi never relied on subtle tactics; it was against his code of conduct.

When the Mutated Dwarf Demon King's Health dropped to zero, it exploded into a pile of Abyss Crystals.

The Saint Master collected the Abyss Crystals and dragged the Mutated Dwarf Demon King's corpse toward Wang Linchi.

As an Abyssal Demon, its body was highly valuable. He planned to collect it and take it to the real world to study alongside the other Dwarf Monsters.

"Level 20 dungeons really do yield a lot of Abyss Crystals," Wang Linchi couldn't help but remark as he saw his Abyss Crystal count surge beyond ten thousand once again.

The higher the difficulty, the more Abyss Crystals dropped.

Turning over the Mutated Dwarf Demon King's body, he looked at the grotesque human face on its back and took out his Hunter's Knife, preparing to skin it off.

This thing is too strange; it's best to research it ahead of time, he thought.

Just as he was about to make his first cut, the human face that covered the entire back of the Mutated Dwarf Demon King moved.

"You're much stronger than that worthless disciple of mine. If he had enslaved a powerful Abyssal Demon as you did, he wouldn't have been killed by a mere Dwarf Monster." As the face spoke, the muscles on the Mutated Dwarf Demon King's back writhed eerily.

"Luck, just luck," Wang Linchi replied humbly. He wasn't surprised the face could talk; otherwise, he wouldn't have thought of skinning it. He then asked, "May I ask your name?"

"That's not important. Do you want my inheritance? To become the supreme True Demon?" the face offered bluntly, without beating around the bush.

"Not really," Wang Linchi replied honestly.

This thing is also a trap, Wang Linchi thought. Once transformed into a True Magician, which is a type of Abyssal Demon, one can actually be used by other Demon Suppressing Sorcerers as a resource for *their own* transformation into True Magicians. That's too outrageous!

"Eternal life, eternal youth, great power—I can give it all to you," the face offered.

"You were able to kill this Dwarf Demon King, which shows you have sufficient Potential. As long as you release me, then..."

The face kept making grand promises, but they felt hollow and unconvincing, Wang Linchi thought. I can't buy this. It should at least add a dose of harsh reality or some cynical twists; pure, empty promises aren't believable.

"How can you assure me that what you're saying is true?" Wang Linchi retorted. "It can't all be true just because you say so. After all, I'm human, and you're a demon. If you want me to believe you, at least provide some enticing benefits, don't just rely on words."

At these words, the face showed an expression that seemed to say, 'This one is teachable.' It wasn't afraid of Wang Linchi's greed; it was afraid he wouldn't be greedy enough.

"I once buried... Wait, what are you doing!!!" The face was about to give Wang Linchi directions when it noticed that Wang Linchi had already started skinning.

"Don't mind me. You say what you need to say, and I'll do what I need to do." Wang Linchi didn't care much; he certainly wasn't going to believe the face's lies, knowing it harbored ill intentions.

"Stop right now, or else..." The face was clearly starting to panic.

Wang Linchi guessed, This is likely its only means of contacting the outside world.

"At my current speed, I should be able to finish skinning you in about five minutes. If you have something to say, you'd better say it fast."

"You'd better bribe me within these five minutes. Otherwise, once I'm done skinning you, I'll prepare to reinforce the Sealing Demon Formation."

Wang Linchi would never hand the initiative over to the other party. I must maintain control, he resolved.

"What are you after?" the face asked, feeling somewhat aggrieved.

"Fame and fortune, of course! What else could I be after? Surely not you. I can't become a True Magician, nor can I obtain enough wealth that way. I'm better off sealing you. Then, once I have the reputation, I'll hype it up a bit, and I'll be the Demon Suppression New Star," Wang Linchi replied nonchalantly.

"My legacy is at... but this legacy is fragmented. It only contains the Demon Suppression part. If you wish to obtain the True Demon part, you'll have to go to South Ridge Village to release me," the face said, its tone suggesting it was starting to give in.

"Do you take me for a fool? At the current rate, you'll be able to break the seal in three days at most. You should be trying to bribe me into *not* strengthening the Sealing Demon Formation, not using your release as a way to stall for time by making me go somewhere," Wang Linchi said, his skinning pace quickening.

The Mutated Dwarf Demon King probably has some connection to its release, he speculated. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so concerned.

If it were me, I'd surely keep quiet, wait until I'm free, and then make the other party pay the price, Wang Linchi thought. The face's attempt to stop him from skinning it was further proof.

At these words, the face fell silent. Clearly, no one else knew about this. The only one who knew was the disciple who had sealed him, and that disciple's bones had long since turned to dust.

"The True Demon part of the legacy is in the main beam of the village chief's house in South Ridge Village. I made a deal with the village chief back then," the face finally spoke again.

Despite the revelation, Wang Linchi showed no signs of stopping his work.

"Why haven't you stopped? I've already told you!" the human face exclaimed, its voice filled with rage.

"Just this? It's hardly enough to bribe me." Wang Linchi had already cut off half the human-faced skin.

Offering so little for a bribe? Wang Linchi felt this was a difficult proposition. He had to offer something tangible, not just empty talk.

"What do you want?" the face asked, suppressing its anger.

"Hold on, let me think. Don't rush me." Wang Linchi observed that the entity seemed to have been imprisoned for so long that even its mind had become a bit dull.

It makes sense, though, Wang Linchi mused. For a being of wisdom to be locked up in the dark for so many years, it's quite fortunate that it merely lost some intelligence instead of going completely mad. If it had been an ordinary human instead of an Abyssal Demon, it might have become a mindless husk by now.

"The complete Demon Suppressing Sorcerer legacy, and the highest level at that, is buried in the South Ridge Mountain Range."

Seeing that Wang Linchi was about to completely peel it off the Mutated Dwarf Demon King's back, the face finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Hearing this, Wang Linchi's hands paused.

"Speak," Wang Linchi said, withdrawing his Hunter's Knife slightly.

"First, you must promise me..." the face began.

"You don't have a choice," Wang Linchi interrupted.

The face, its expression grim, finally continued, "Leave the underground palace and head south. You will see a valley. Inside the valley, there is..."

It explained in great detail, even revealing the content of the trials.

"May I ask how you know all this?" Wang Linchi asked casually after listening.

"Because that is my legacy. I was once the strongest Demon Suppressing Sorcerer. Unfortunately, we Demon Suppressing Sorcerers can only live to the age of thirty," the face said, a hint of a hero's weariness in its tone.

"You really know how to boast," Wang Linchi said, though he secretly believed it. If it wasn't the strongest Demon Suppressing Sorcerer, how could it have enslaved Dwarf Monsters and even created the Mutated Dwarf Demon King? Of course, I can't admit that out loud.

"I can guide you until you obtain my legacy. I can even teach you more abilities of a Demon Suppressing Sorcerer," the face said calmly, sensing Wang Linchi's interest.

"You're really going to any lengths to stall for time."

"Too bad. I'm not actually interested in your legacy."

With that, Wang Linchi ripped off the entire layer of skin that formed the face.

"You'll regret this!" As the human-faced skin was peeled off, it began to wither. In no more than five seconds, it shrank to the size of a palm, looking dried and shriveled.

What a ruthless character, to actually peel off its own face and embed it onto a Dwarf Monster, Wang Linchi thought, looking at the face in his hand. He now understood the origin of the Mutated Dwarf Demon King; it was all because of this human face.

Wait a minute, if that's the case, then the Evil Demon sealed beneath South Ridge Village is actually incomplete.

How strong would an intact True Magician be?

Good thing this fell into my hands. Wang Linchi could only attribute it to good luck; a bit of bad luck, and things could have turned disastrous.

However, I still need to get that legacy, and quickly.

The fact that it dared to let me go get it means it's confident it can stall me for at least three days, preventing me from returning on time.

Then, the Demon Suppression part it said it left in the underground palace, what was that?

Wang Linchi quickly processed this. If its Demon Suppression Legacy was hidden in the valley, then what was the Demon Suppression part it mentioned was in the underground palace? Surely it couldn't be a watered-down version. And the True Demon part at the village chief's house... which chief was it? Surely not the current one, but one from the same era as the face.

Oh well, I'll have to get my hands on that legacy first, Wang Linchi decided. He stored the Mutated Dwarf Demon King's corpse and the human-faced skin separately in his storage space, allocating them their own compartments. He also activated stasis mode and assigned guards to monitor them, lest the human-faced skin somehow revived and caused him trouble.