Human Clan Defender

At both ends of the street, Government Officials armed with swords were guarding the area.

When they saw Shen Changqing arriving, Constable Liu, who was leading the team, immediately noticed his presence.

"Lord Shen!"

He stepped forward a few paces and clasped his fist in greeting.

Constable Liu was very clear about Shen Changqing's identity. Especially after returning to the Yamen, Nie Xu had specifically instructed him not to offend the other party without good reason.

Therefore, when he saw Shen Changqing, his attitude was also very polite.

Shen Changqing nodded. "So it's Constable Liu. Why are you leading the Yamen's men to guard here today?"

He could see the other Government Officials were driving away the commoners, not allowing anyone to enter the street behind them.

Upon hearing this, Constable Liu could not help but smile bitterly. "Lord Shen, you are unaware, but a major incident occurred on this street last night. The Wanhua Building's destruction was terrible enough, but not a single survivor was left among the commoners living nearby—all were drained of their Essence Blood and died at the hands of Demon Evil."

"The moment this was discovered, Lord Nie was already furious. Now, to prevent any Demon Evil from still lurking nearby, we dare not let other commoners get close. If more casualties occur, the subsequent impact will definitely be even greater."

Speaking of the Demon Evil killing people, deep dread could also be seen in Constable Liu's eyes.

Shen Changqing understood. His gaze shifted, observing the other Government Officials, and he could detect a touch of apprehension on their faces.

Clearly, the people from the Yamen also harbored fear for the street behind them.

Withdrawing his gaze, Shen Changqing looked back at Constable Liu. "Constable Liu, I want to go in and take a look. Would that be a problem?"

"Lord Shen jests. Please!"

Constable Liu smiled and stepped aside to clear the way.

Shen Changqing thanked him with a fist and palm salute, then proceeded to enter.

This street was not his first visit. Although he had only been in Jincheng for a few days, he had already been here three to five times.

Unlike usual, the street now lacked any trace of vitality.

Quiet!

Deathly quiet!

On both sides of the street, Shen Changqing could see some doors that had been violently broken open, with pieces of the wooden doors haphazardly discarded on the ground.

A sense of desolation welled up in his heart.

Coupled with what he had just heard, it became apparent that, aside from himself, there wasn't a single living person left on the entire street.

"Demon Evil deserves to die!"

Shen Changqing's gaze was icy. He too was one of the Qin People; the Demon Evil's slaughter of Great Qin's commoners was an unforgivable crime.

Arriving at the former site of the Wanhua Building, it had already become a pile of ruins.

Faintly, he could see some bones that had not completely burned.

The bones in the Wanhua Building ruins must be from the Corpse Puppet I killed last night. I wonder if it was the Black Tiger Army or the Yamen who burned them.

Standing atop the ruins of the Wanhua Building, Shen Changqing closed his eyes slightly as his senses spread out.

He wanted to search and see if there was any possible hidden Demon Evil presence.

After several breaths, Shen Changqing retracted his senses, his eyes reopening with a fleeting look of regret.

The surroundings of the Wanhua Building ruins were very clean; not to mention Demon Evil, not even a whiff of Yin Evil Aura remained.

It was obvious that any remnants of Yin Evil Aura had been completely incinerated by the blaze.

After looking at the ruins for a moment, Shen Changqing stepped away.

Soon, he came to an open space where there were also traces of a great fire.

This must be where the bodies of those commoners were burned.

Shen Changqing silently paused for a moment, then moved on to other places.

In less than an hour, he had walked through the entire street—inside and out.

At every place, he would pause briefly, carefully sensing for any remnants of Yin Evil Aura, hoping to find any surviving Demon Evil.

Finding one or two would also contribute some Slaughter Value to himself.

He didn't need many. Even ten or eight points would help elevate his Invincible Golden Body by one layer.

Unfortunately, there was nothing. Nothing at all.

The whole street was unnaturally clean; without the presence of commoners, Demon Evil would not linger here.

"Lord Shen has returned."

Seeing Shen Changqing walking out again, Constable Liu forced a smile onto his face.

Shen Changqing nodded. "I have patrolled the entire street. There is no remaining Yin Evil Aura. I believe the Demon Evil has long since left, so there is no need for the Yamen to continue blockading it."

"Er—"

Constable Liu's expression stiffened, then turned awkward.

"Whether to seal off the area or not is not something I have the authority to decide. If it were up to me, I wouldn't want the Yamen's manpower wasted here, either."

The implication behind his words was quite clear. Nobody wished to be stuck guarding this place all day long.

But now that the Black Tiger Army had entered the city and was maintaining order, there was simply no need for the Yamen's men.

This was why his men had been assigned here.

Shen Changqing clearly understood Constable Liu's implicit meaning and nodded his head.

"I will discuss this matter with Lord Nie."

"Then thank you, Lord Shen!"

Constable Liu was filled with gratitude.

Under the other man's eager gaze, Shen Changqing left the area.

At this moment, the two thousand soldiers of the Black Tiger Army had already dispersed throughout Jincheng. They formed groups of ten, each patrolling different areas.

Just then, a Government Official hurried over.

Upon seeing Shen Changqing, he was the first to speak, "Lord Shen, my master invites you to make a trip to the Yamen."

"The Yamen!?"

Shen Changqing pondered for a moment, then nodded in response, "Lead the way."

"Lord Shen, please!"

This was Shen Changqing's first visit to the Yamen of Jincheng.

Previously, he had either been staying in Tianyi Tower or strolling around the city, with hardly any significant interaction with the Yamen.

At the entrance of the Yamen, two tall stone lions stood guard. One had its mouth open, the other closed, and both exuded a majestic presence.

Shen Changqing gave them a brief glance and followed the Government Official inside the Yamen.

Upon entering, he saw several stretchers on the ground, covered with white cloths. Nie Xu, in official attire, stood nearby with a few others, all looking disturbed.

As Shen Changqing entered, the gloominess on Nie Xu's face dissipated somewhat, and he forced a slight smile, clasping his hands in greeting.

"Lord Shen has arrived!"

"Lord Nie."

Shen Changqing nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Nie Xu promptly pointed to a person beside him, introducing, "Lord Shen, this is Chiliarch Wen Ce of the Black Tiger Army."

After speaking, he turned to Wen Ce and gestured towards Shen Changqing. "Lord Wen, this is Lord Shen Changqing of the Demon-Subduing Division. Don't be misled by his Yellow Rank Demon Hunter status; even among Profound Rank Demon Hunters, his strength is second to none."

"Lord Wen!" Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing offered a gesture of respect towards Wen Ce.

He had never heard of Wen Ce before, but the title of Chiliarch of the Black Tiger Army spoke volumes.

To be the Chiliarch of such a powerful army meant that the man before him, even if not at the Innate Realm, must certainly be among the top practitioners in the Pulse Condensation Realm.

Otherwise, how could he be worthy of holding the position of Chiliarch?

"Greetings, Lord Shen!"

While Shen Changqing was sizing up Wen Ce, Wen Ce was also quietly observing him.

Wen Ce had heard quite a bit about Shen Changqing's reputation.

From last night until now, he had heard Nie Xu mention Shen Changqing's name no less than ten times.

A Yellow Rank Demon Hunter of the Demon-Subduing Division is a Martial Artist of the Pulse Condensation Realm. A Profound Rank Demon Hunter is a formidable warrior of the Innate Realm. To be considered strong even among Profound Rank Demon Hunters, one must at least be at the Innate Outer Gang Realm.

This means the man before me is a powerful practitioner of the Innate Outer Gang. However, as I size him up, I find I can't see through Shen Changqing at all! To be unable to see through someone... sometimes that indicates great power!

After a brief introduction between Shen Changqing and Wen Ce, Nie Xu did not bother with further introductions, as the rest were officials from the Yamen, their statuses incomparable to the two men.

Shen Changqing withdrew his gaze from Wen Ce and turned it to Nie Xu.

"Lord Nie, you summoned me here. Is there a particular reason?"

"Lord Shen, please look."

Nie Xu didn't reply but instead pointed to the white cloths on the ground.

At his word, Shen Changqing waved his hand. His True Qi manifested as a gust of wind that instantly swept away the white cloths, revealing the mummified corpses beneath.

Seeing this, Wen Ce's pupils involuntarily constricted.

A simple wave of the hand achieving such an effect was enough to prove the astonishing richness of his True Qi.

Furthermore, the burst of True Qi only lifted the cloths without damaging the corpses beneath, demonstrating his supreme control over it.

If it were me, I definitely couldn't achieve such precision.

In that moment, Shen Changqing's standing in Wen Ce's eyes rose another level.

In the military, strength is always respected.

By demonstrating such power, Shen Changqing had earned their respect.

Looking at the mummified corpses on the ground, Shen Changqing had already sensed the Yin Evil Aura attached to them even before the cloths were lifted.

"Are these corpses from the Wanhua Building area?"

The first thing that came to his mind was the commoners who had died in the vicinity of the Wanhua Building.

Nie Xu shook his head, his expression grave. "These are the corpses of Jincheng's Watchmen. They were found last night, having died in different locations. All their Essence Blood was drained, leaving only these desiccated bodies."

"Moreover, the Wanhua Building is in the southern part of the city, whereas these corpses were found in the eastern and northern parts."

Shen Changqing silently nodded, then carefully sensed the Yin Evil Aura on the corpses once more.

"The Yin Evil Aura is not strong. Perhaps too much time has passed, causing much of it to dissipate. Lord Nie, do you suspect that other Demon Evils remain hidden within the city?"

"Indeed."

Nie Xu acknowledged frankly, looking intently at Shen Changqing.

"I fear that Demon Evils still lurk in the city, continuing to harm the commoners. If that's the case, the Black Tiger Army's efforts to stabilize the people's hearts will have been in vain. Therefore, I hope Lord Shen can assist us in locating and eliminating any hidden Demon Evils within the city."