Human Clan Defender

Demon Evil attacked the Yamen. For ordinary Government Officials, it was a huge disaster.

A bloodied Liu Jian burst into the study. Upon seeing Nie Xu still calmly writing, he immediately shouted, "My lord, it's terrible! Demon Evil has broken into the Yamen, and many have already been killed. My lord, please flee—"

"For an arrest officer to be so panic-stricken is improper!" Nie Xu looked up at him, then immediately returned his gaze to his writing.

Nie Xu's composure seemed to calm Liu Jian's panicked heart somewhat.

"My lord—" Seeing Nie Xu's unhurried demeanor, Liu Jian's anxiety couldn't help but grow. At a time like this, how could he still be in the mood to write? Even if he were an ordinary person, almost certain to die when facing Demon Evil, he couldn't just wait for death like this!

At this thought, Liu Jian was about to rush over and drag Nie Xu away to escape.

"Silence!" Nie Xu roared, his voice like a great bell piercing Liu Jian's ears, causing his body to stiffen on the spot. Then, his voice softened a bit. "Constable Liu, there's no need to panic. As the County Magistrate of Jincheng, how could I possibly flee in fear? You are heavily wounded; you should rest for a moment."

"My lord, as long as we're alive, we can fight another day! We should retreat first," Liu Jian urged, swallowing hard, his voice still anxious.

Hearing this, Nie Xu smiled faintly, his hand still moving as he wrote. "Now that the Demon Evil is determined to throw Jincheng into chaos, even if I were to retreat, where could I possibly go?"

As he spoke, he finished an article, took another sheet of blank paper, and resumed writing a poem:

"Ten years to sharpen a sword!

Its frosty edge has never been tried!"

While composing the poem, Nie Xu said calmly, "For over three hundred years since the Great Qin was founded, Demon Evil has plagued the land. I once wished to become a Jianghu Swordsman, to travel the world with my sword and cut down all Demon Evil and injustice."

He wrote another line:

"Today, I present it to you!"

Just then, gusts of wind surged outside the window. An ominous, cold aura rushed in from all directions, making Liu Jian feel a bone-penetrating chill. But in his eyes, the Nie Xu of this moment seemed different from before. It was as if a warm current emanated from Nie Xu's body, countering that ominous chill, and Liu Jian found himself involuntarily drawing a little closer to him.

"Later, I realized that one person's strength is insufficient to rid the world of all injustice, much less eliminate all Demon Evil. That's why I resolved to earn scholarly honors and enter officialdom, hoping to use my abilities to benefit the people of this land."

"Now that Demon Evil wishes to wreak havoc in Jincheng, I shall make them understand." He continued, his voice firm, "With me here—when have Demon Evil ever been allowed to run rampant!"

As his words fell, the last line of the poem was completed on the white paper:

"What injustice now dares to abide!"

Instantly, an azure light seemed to emanate faintly from the paper, and Nie Xu's entire aura transformed, becoming utterly different.

A Demon Evil, its face rotting and body bloodstained, had already walked in through the door.

For a moment, a cold wind swept through the study, and the oil lamp on the desk was instantly blown out. However, though the lamp was extinguished, the room did not fall into darkness. The white paper on the desk now emitted an increasingly strong, pure light, giving off a gentle, warm sensation.

Liu Jian's face was filled with shock. The situation before him was completely beyond his expectations. From what he knew of Nie Xu, the man was merely a scholar; when had he concealed such abilities?

While Liu Jian was still in shock, Nie Xu fixed his gaze on the Demon Evil before him, his calm eyes suddenly turning sharp. "Demon Evil wreaking havoc deserve to be slain!"

Righteous Energy! His voice was as resonant as a great bell!

Nie Xu swept his brush forcefully. The characters on the paper before him radiated a strong, pure light. Finally, all the pure light converged, forming a massive character for 'Slay'.

In that instant, the study was filled with Sword Qi. "Slay!" Nie Xu shouted coldly. The 'Slay' character instantly transformed into an unsheathed Divine Weapon, slashing towards the Demon Evil.

Wherever the longsword passed, the Yin Evil Aura dispersed completely. The Demon Evil only had time to let out a piercing shriek before the sword annihilated it, body and soul. "AAARGH—"

Its body dissipated like smoke, and all the pure light vanished with it. The study was instantly plunged into darkness once more.

Liu Jian stood rigidly, as if he hadn't yet processed what had happened. After a long moment, Nie Xu's somewhat weakened voice sounded, "Constable Liu, would you please light the lamp?"

"Yes, sir—" Liu Jian hastily turned, took out a fire-starter, and using its faint glow, found the oil lamp and lit it.

Once the oil lamp was lit, the study became bright again. In the light, Liu Jian saw Nie Xu sitting in his chair with his eyes closed, his usually calm face now a shade paler.

"My lord, are you alright?" Liu Jian asked cautiously. His perception of Nie Xu had completely changed. That powerful pure light and the single strike that annihilated the Demon Evil both demonstrated his extraordinary abilities.

"I'm fine." Nie Xu opened his eyes and shook his head slightly.

Seeing this, Liu Jian's anxious heart finally settled. Recalling the recent events, a curious expression appeared on his face. "May I ask, my lord, what technique did you just use? Could it be the external emission of Gang Qi from an Innate expert? To be able to slay a Demon Evil in a single strike!"

"External emission of Gang Qi?" Nie Xu gave a wry laugh and shook his head. "That was merely the righteous energy of a scholar, quite different from the methods of Martial Artists."

After speaking, he sighed inwardly. With righteous energy nurtured in one's heart, one can slay any Demon Evil or Strange Monster. Regrettably, the righteous energy I've cultivated is still far too lacking. Unlike a Great Confucian who can annihilate Demon Evil with a mere word, I need to compose myself and slowly draw out that righteous energy.

Nevertheless, Nie Xu was quite satisfied with this result. Among the countless scholars in the world, only a small fraction could truly cultivate righteous energy, and those capable of slaying Demon Evil with it were even fewer.

"How is the situation inside the Yamen now?" Nie Xu inquired.

Hearing this, Liu Jian's expression dimmed. "Demonfolk launched a surprise attack on the Yamen. Many of our brothers died at the hands of Demon Evil. If I weren't slightly stronger, I fear I would have perished as well."

Nie Xu sighed. He had already anticipated what Liu Jian would say.

"My lord, what should we do now?"

"For now, do not act rashly. Collect the bodies of all our fallen colleagues. We will handle matters tomorrow," Nie Xu said calmly.

He didn't ask Liu Jian to send word to the Black Tiger Army or the Demon-Subduing Division. With Demon Evil currently attacking, there might still be others lurking outside the Yamen. The Barbarian Clan's offensive was clearly coordinated with the Demon Evil. The Demon Evil aimed to throw Jincheng into chaos, thereby creating an opportunity for the Barbarian Clan. The best way to incite chaos in Jincheng was to slaughter everyone in the Yamen. If the County Magistrate died, the public outcry would be impossible to suppress, and panic would naturally spread. At that point, even with the Black Tiger Army present, Jincheng would descend into turmoil.

Therefore, Nie Xu dared not gamble that the Demon Evil had no other schemes prepared. It was safer for Liu Jian to remain in the Yamen than to go out and likely die. By tomorrow, men from the Black Tiger Army would surely arrive. That would be the proper time to deal with the Demon Evil incursions.

Hearing this, Liu Jian promptly excused himself. His injuries were merely superficial, nothing too severe; most of the blood on him had splattered from his fallen colleagues.

After Liu Jian left, Nie Xu took a deep breath and resumed writing articles and poems in his study. Righteous energy was akin to an attack on the spiritual level. Unleashing it once consumed a great deal of his spiritual energy. If he wished to use the same technique again, he would need to re-cultivate the righteous energy that had been depleted. Reading the writings of Saints and writing the poetry of Great Confucians were undoubtedly the best ways to nurture righteous energy.

「Outside the Yamen.」

It remained pitch black. On a nearby rooftop, a figure in a black robe merged seamlessly with the surrounding darkness, his emerald eyes coldly fixed on the Yamen below—or, to be precise, on the study.

The instant the Demon Evil perished, he had sensed a surge of immense power. That power was the complete antithesis of the Yin Evil Aura of Demon Evil.

"Righteous energy!" The black-robed man softly uttered the words, his expression turning grave. "I never imagined that a mere County Magistrate of Jincheng could cultivate the rare righteous energy. And to use that righteous energy to instantly obliterate a late-stage Ghostly Level Strange Monster... his methods are indeed terrifyingly potent. This man is no simple character; he might even qualify for the ranks of Advanced Scholars!"

The more one is versed in the writings of Saints and sages, the stronger the righteous energy they can cultivate. By the same token, a higher official rank often reflects the strength of one's righteous aura. While not an absolute rule, it is rarely incorrect. According to the information, Nie Xu was merely a scholar who had passed the provincial examinations. There are many such scholars in the world, but those who can cultivate righteous energy are few and far between. However, let alone a scholar who had passed the provincial examinations, even an Imperial University Student might not be capable of instantly obliterating a late-stage Ghostly Level Strange Monster with their righteous energy alone.

Therefore, the black-robed man suspected Nie Xu was more than he appeared, perhaps even comparable to an Advanced Scholar. At that level, even a Resentment Level Strange Monster could potentially be slain in a single blow. Unsure of Nie Xu's true capabilities, the black-robed man did not intend to advance rashly.

Nie Xu's strength is considerable. If I were a true Martial Artist, his righteous energy wouldn't be a major concern. But I am currently borrowing the power of Demon Evil, so I'm not a Martial Artist in the truest sense, and righteous energy significantly counters me. It seems I'll have to let the Eternal Alliance handle this!

The Eternal Alliance also had experts in Jincheng, with Hongyi being the strongest among them. With Hongyi's power, even if Nie Xu truly were an Advanced Scholar cultivating righteous energy, Hongyi would have the absolute strength to slay him. A mere Nie Xu stood no chance of resisting.

After a final, deep look at the Yamen's study, the black-robed man departed.