Human Clan Defender

Shen Changqing looked at the dark shadow ahead, his expression calm. Earlier in the day, he had detected a strong Yin Evil Aura emanating from the well and suspected that a Demon Evil was hiding within. However, the Demon Evil was concealed at the bottom of the well. Unless the entire well was filled in, it would be difficult to force it out.

As for descending into the well, that was even more out of the question. If he ventured down, even Shen Changqing himself wasn't confident he could deal with the potential Demon Evil lurking there. A greater possibility was that he would perish at its hands.

Therefore, Shen Changqing had purposely pretended not to notice and had left with Liu Jian. He returned here in the dead of night to see if any Demon Evil would emerge. As expected, upon his return, the Demon Evil had indeed made its appearance.

Moving towards the shadow, Shen Changqing's right hand already rested on the hilt of the blade at his waist, his gaze as tranquil as still water.

He spoke, his feet never ceasing their movement, "I am quite curious about what your purpose in staying in Jincheng truly is. If it's just to kill, you could have acted directly. And yet, despite knowing that I am around, you still don't leave. Could it be that you have another trump card?"

In the dead of night, one shadow repeatedly drew water while one person seemingly talked to the air, creating a ghostly scene. By the time Shen Changqing finished speaking, the shadow still hadn't replied, so he extinguished any hope of getting information out of it.

At that moment, Shen Changqing stood directly before the shadow, and he could clearly see its true visage. It was a face akin to a sheet of human skin, white as paper, without eyes, nose, or mouth.

A mere glance would be enough to strike terror into the heart of an average person. But for Shen Changqing, the Demon Evil before him, though daunting, was something he was prepared for.

Suddenly, numerous black threads burst from the well, spreading towards Shen Changqing like a vast net.

CLANG—

The Lengyue Blade was drawn from its scabbard, and the Heavenly Centipede True Qi within his Dantian burst forth, clinging to the blade. In an instant, the frosty Lengyue Blade seemed to glow red-hot, melting all the black threads as it descended.

Following that, Shen Changqing lunged forward like an arrow, his left hand striking out violently.

Iron Sand Palm!

His palm glowed red, the heat indicating the coagulation of fiery poison.

The Demon Evil also sensed the threat. It paused its action of grabbing the rope, then flung it hard; a putrid smell immediately assailed Shen Changqing.

Only then did Shen Changqing clearly see what the so-called rope was. It was an intestine, soaked in black blood, emanating a foul stench.

Instantly, he shifted his feet, dodging the attack—not out of fear, but purely out of disgust. The mere thought of allowing the intestine to strike him evoked an overwhelming urge to vomit.

Snare Trampling Gang Step!

His feet tracing the Big Dipper formation, he dodged in an unusual pattern, sidestepping the Demon Evil's attack. Simultaneously, his attack continued unabated; the Lengyue Blade slashed out fiercely.

Solo Army Assault!

An outburst of murderous aura surged like an incoming tide towards the Demon Evil. In a split second, the Demon Evil's body seemed to freeze momentarily before the Lengyue Blade came crashing down.

"AH—"

The Demon Evil let out a piercing shriek as it was cleaved in two by the Lengyue Blade, dissipating like smoke into nothingness.

A familiar sensation washed over him. Shen Changqing glanced at his panel. The Slaughter Value, which was previously only two points, had now soared to twelve.

"Ten Slaughter Value points, not bad!" he remarked, a faint smile on his face.

His only regret was that with twelve Slaughter Value points, his Heavenly Martial Gang Qi was still unable to advance. It was evident that the breakthrough from the fifteenth to the sixteenth layer of Heavenly Martial Gang Qi was a significant one.

Up to now, the Slaughter Value required for enhancing Martial Arts can generally be divided into several phases. The first phase is from being uninitiated to reaching near Perfection. The next is from Perfection onwards, up to a certain layer. For instance, with the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training and Heavenly Martial Gang Qi, the jump from the original state of Perfection to breaking the limit at the fifteenth layer is one such major leap. Then, the sixteenth to nineteenth layers form another phase. When breaking through from the nineteenth to the twentieth layer, the cost will drastically increase. Right now, my Heavenly Martial Gang Qi must be at the end of the second phase, preparing to step into the third. I wonder how much Slaughter Value will be needed to advance to the sixteenth layer.

Shen Changqing shook his head. Previously, a single Ghostly Level Fiend could allow him to advance one or two levels, which was undoubtedly a joyous matter. But now, the Slaughter Value contributed by one Ghostly Level Fiend was no longer sufficient for him to experience the same leaps in strength as before.

He felt a tinge of regret about this, but he was already prepared for it. The higher the Realm, the greater the resources required for improvement. This was a universal law, no matter where one was.

Composing himself, Shen Changqing sensed the surrounding Yin Evil Aura. Despite its continued density, he could clearly detect that the potent aura was slowly dissipating. The source of the Yin Evil Aura in this place originated from the Demon Evil. Now that the Demon Evil was slain, it was as if the source had vanished. Without its source, the remaining Yin Evil Aura, like rootless duckweed, would naturally fade away gradually.

After looking around, Shen Changqing left and headed for the next location. Since the Demon Evil chose to kill at midnight, he would spend the night slaying them, purging all of Jincheng.

Shen Changqing now had absolute confidence in his own strength. As he departed, the Demon Evil's sharp and piercing scream had undoubtedly reached the nearby residences. Many civilians turned pale upon hearing the scream, trembling under their covers, daring not to make the slightest move.

In one residence, a woman with a pale face, clearly frightened, lay in bed beside an older man. "Husband, should we move away tomorrow?" she asked.

Though the man's face was also pale, he forced himself to remain calm and scolded in a low voice, "Leave? Where could we possibly go? Is there any place in Great Qin not plagued by Demon Evil calamities? We're actually better off here in Jincheng, with the Black Tiger Army and the Yamen for protection. If a Demon Evil disaster strikes, with a bit of luck, it won't even reach us. The villages outside the city are alright on normal days. But whenever a calamity caused by Demon Evil occurs, isn't it true that everyone in the entire village is wiped out?"

Having spoken, a sorrowful expression appeared on the man's pale face. This was the sorrow of ordinary people in chaotic times. Life was as fragile as an ant, and a single misstep could lead to death at the hands of Demon Evil. In Jincheng, at least there were Imperial Court defenders, and the level of safety was incomparably higher than outside. If they were to leave Jincheng, they wouldn't even know how they died when the time came.

Having been scolded, the woman dared not say any more. After a while, the man spoke again, "Tomorrow, perhaps we should send our son to the martial arts school instead of the private school."

"Martial arts school?" The woman's expression changed. "Husband, the fees for martial arts schools aren't low. I've also heard that practicing martial arts consumes a lot of silver coins. If we let our son learn martial arts, I'm afraid we won't be able to afford it!"

The saying goes, "Literature for the poor, martial arts for the rich." The cost of practicing martial arts was not something an ordinary family could support.

The man shook his head. "I understand your reasoning. But if he doesn't learn martial arts, what other options are there? Studying could be a path if he managed to pass the imperial examinations and earn a position. However, with so many scholars in Great Qin, how many actually succeed? Nowadays, I don't expect him to achieve great success by practicing martial arts. I only hope that having a skill will give him a better chance of protecting himself should he encounter Demon Evil one day."

In such times, being alive was the greatest value. The man saw this very clearly.

He paused briefly before continuing, "Moreover, I've heard that if he shows some achievement at the martial arts school, not only will the tuition be waived, but he'll also receive a subsidy from the school. If he truly completes his training, he could even secure a position there. They say those martial masters earn at least around one tael of silver in wages each month."

"One tael of silver!" The woman was taken aback. One tael of silver a month was a huge sum; the man's words had clearly swayed her. The two of them, working hard all month, only earned a few mace of silver.

"Alright, you don't need to worry about this; I have my own ideas. Tomorrow, I'll go to the martial arts school and ask how many silver coins are needed for apprenticeship. I think our current savings should be enough. If not, we'll have to borrow from the neighbors and pay them back when we can."

"Mm." The woman said nothing more.

Gradually, their conversation dwindled, and soon enough, the soft sound of snoring arose.

SWISH—

The Lengyue Blade cut down, and a Demon Evil let out a miserable scream before being abruptly killed.

Sheathing his blade, Shen Changqing looked at the Slaughter Value on the panel, a smile growing more evident on his face.

"Another one! Counting this one, that's the third Demon Evil. It seems tonight's harvest is exceptionally bountiful."

These three Demon Evils had contributed more Slaughter Value than a single ordinary Resentment Level Strange Monster. It could be said that with the Slaughter Value from these three, breaking through in his Martial Arts was no longer a major issue.

Glancing at the sky, less than two hours had passed. Once more sensing the lingering Yin Evil Aura, Shen Changqing left for another location.

Many people had died last night. During the day, he and Liu Jian had gone to six places in total. Of course, not every place had a Demon Evil remaining there. So far, Shen Changqing had only visited four locations and found only three Demon Evils. For the remaining two places, he wasn't asking for much; if he could find one more Demon Evil, he would be completely satisfied.