Human Clan Defender

"Lord Shen has arrived!"

Liu Jian, having just changed into a brand-new bailiff's uniform, was walking out of the yamen when he came face to face with Shen Changqing.

Looking at Liu Jian, Shen Changqing noted that although his expression was normal, his complexion was faintly pale. At the same time, a subtle Yin Evil Aura, difficult to dispel, lingered around him.

"You're injured?" Shen Changqing's eyebrows rose.

Hearing this, Liu Jian shook his head with a bitter smile. "Last night, a Demon Evil attacked the yamen. Many brothers were killed or injured. I was lucky to survive. I didn't suffer any severe external injuries, yet I keep feeling an unbearable chill. Something might be wrong, so I was just about to head to a clinic to have it checked."

From the Yin Evil Aura and Liu Jian's words, Shen Changqing largely understood the cause. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Liu Jian's shoulder.

Potent Tianwu True Qi flowed from Shen Changqing's arm into Liu Jian's body, completely dispelling the lingering Yin Evil Aura.

Instantly, Liu Jian felt the cold sensation vanish, replaced by a pervasive warmth, as if enveloped by the winter sun—an indescribable comfort.

After a moment, Shen Changqing withdrew his hand, a faint smile on his face. "Constable Liu, you have no serious issues. Just go to the clinic for some medicine to help your body recover. Martial Artists have strong Qi and blood; I trust you'll recover quickly."

"Thank you for your assistance, Lord Shen!" Liu Jian clasped his fists in gratitude. He understood that his rapid improvement was surely due to Lord Shen's actions. However, as a Martial Artist merely in the Body Tempering Realm, his understanding of the Martial Dao was limited.

"Is Lord Nie in the yamen?"

"His Lordship is in his study. Lord Shen, you may go directly."

"Alright." Shen Changqing nodded and walked towards the interior of the yamen, while Liu Jian hurried off towards the clinic. Despite Shen Changqing's help, Liu Jian wouldn't feel completely at ease without a visit to the clinic.

「On the other side.」

Shen Changqing, as if treading a familiar path, walked directly into the inner hall of the yamen. Perhaps because so many had died within the yamen, no bailiffs barred his direct entry. He knocked on the study door.

Nie Xu's voice came from within. "Come in!"

Hearing this, Shen Changqing pushed the door open and entered.

"Lord Shen, you've come!" Nie Xu looked up at Shen Changqing. A faint smile touched his lips.

Simultaneously, Shen Changqing's gaze fell upon Nie Xu. "Lord Nie, you seem to be in remarkably fine spirits. A Demon Evil attacked the yamen only last night, yet today you sit here so peacefully."

Shen Changqing observed Nie Xu, who was busy writing articles and poetry, his brush moving across the paper. The air of officialdom about him seemed to have diminished considerably, replaced by an increasingly prominent scholarly temperament.

After a brief pause, Shen Changqing continued, getting straight to the point: "I heard that a Demon Evil attacked the yamen last night, and it was Lord Nie who intervened and slew the fiend. I've also heard much about Upright Spirit's power to vanquish Demon Evils. Regrettably, scholars in Great Qin capable of nurturing such vast Upright Spirit are few, and those who can wield it to slay Demon Evils are even rarer. I never imagined such an expert was hidden so close by."

"Lord Shen jests." Nie Xu shook his head, his hand never ceasing its movement. "A little Upright Spirit is nothing remarkable. Compared to Lord Shen's Innate Outer Gang, which can suppress and kill Demon Evils, the difference is vast."

Hearing this, Shen Changqing's eyes grew profound. "Perhaps, but I am truly curious about this Upright Spirit. I wonder if Lord Nie would grant me the opportunity to witness it firsthand?"

"Are you serious?"

"Indeed!" Shen Changqing nodded, his expression solemn.

Upright Spirit was said to be very mysterious, rumored to involve techniques on a spiritual level. To be honest, his understanding of the spiritual plane was limited. In the past, when confronting Demon Evils, some would use Illusory Realms to try and affect him. But in fact, as his own strength continued to grow, Illusory Realms created by common Demon Evils could no longer affect him. However, such illusory effects offered Shen Changqing no particular insights. Therefore, he wanted to approach it from the perspective of Upright Spirit, to see if facing it might grant him an opportunity for a deeper comprehension of Martial Dao True Intent. It was said that once one's Martial Arts reached a certain level, one would naturally comprehend Martial Dao True Intent. But what level of Martial Arts was required to comprehend Martial Dao True Intent?

"Very well!" Nie Xu nodded, the characters he was writing seemingly reaching their conclusion.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the study grew heavy. As Shen Changqing watched, an indescribable power seemed to stir within Nie Xu. Simultaneously, the characters he was writing on the paper began to glow with a faint, pure light, captivating one's attention irresistibly.

Then, with a flourish of his brush, Nie Xu caused the paper bearing the characters to instantly turn to dust. Yet, the characters inscribed thereon did not vanish with the paper. Instead, they broke free from the paper's confines and hovered in mid-air. Each character pulsed with a faint, pure light. Then, this pure light detached from the other characters and converged upon a single character: 'Sword.'

Having absorbed a vast amount of this pure light, the character 'Sword' seemed to awaken completely. In Shen Changqing's eyes, it was no longer a mere ideogram but a Divine Weapon on the verge of being unsheathed.

In that moment, an infinite sharpness was conceived within it, posing an immense threat to him. Yet, amidst that threat, there was also a strange sense of unreality.

The entire process appeared slow, but in reality, it occurred in an instant. Nie Xu uttered a single word, his voice like a clap of thunder: "Cut!"

As the word fell, the sword emerged. The long-accumulated sharpness, accompanying the unsheathing of this peerless Divine Weapon, seemed to unleash an endless torrent of piercing light that slashed towards Shen Changqing.

Instantly, Shen Changqing instinctively summoned his Tianwu True Qi, a thick layer of Gang Qi manifesting around his body, attempting to block the incoming sword.

VMMM—

The Innate Gang Qi offered no resistance; the sword pierced it effortlessly.

Just as Shen Changqing braced for death, he felt the sword vanish without a trace.

All phenomena vanished. When he looked again at the study, Nie Xu still stood in the same spot. On the desk lay a pile of fine powder. Apart from this, nothing seemed to have changed.

For a moment, the scene fell silent. Shen Changqing closed his eyes for a long moment, replaying that sword strike in his mind. When he finally opened them, his face was filled with admiration.

"So this is Upright Spirit! Truly formidable. Although Lord Nie's Upright Spirit, in its current state, cannot greatly affect Martial Artists, it is anathema to Demon Evils. That single strike... even a Resentment Level Monster would likely perish before it!"

At this point, he fully understood what Upright Spirit was. The Upright Spirit power Nie Xu had demonstrated was, in essence, a form of extreme Yang energy. Demon Evils, being entities of extreme Yin, were naturally countered by it. Conversely, if this extreme Yang energy wasn't potent enough, it wouldn't have much of a suppressive effect on the Human Clan. However, this didn't mean Upright Spirit had no effect whatsoever on the Human Clan. If the Upright Spirit were sufficiently powerful, it could annihilate a Martial Artist's Divine Sense. In extreme cases, it could even erode their physical Flesh. Such was the power of Upright Spirit.

It was just that with Nie Xu's current strength, he hadn't yet reached that level. Nevertheless, the Upright Spirit he possessed was sufficient to deal with an ordinary Resentment Level Monster.

Without truly witnessing Upright Spirit, one could never grasp its profundity. Now that he had experienced it, Shen Changqing finally understood that the saying 'scholars kill without leaving a trace' was indeed true.

Hearing the praise, a faint smile touched Nie Xu's lips, but his aura was noticeably weaker; that display of Upright Spirit had clearly taken a significant toll on him. "Lord Shen flatters me. While Upright Spirit is strong, unless it reaches a profound level, it is not as practical as a Martial Artist's True Qi. Take that strike just now, for example. Despite being infused with twenty years of cultivated Upright Spirit, it still couldn't inflict any harm on Lord Shen."

"Should you achieve a breakthrough one day, Lord Nie, that sword art of yours will surely become renowned throughout the world!" Shen Changqing shook his head, his expression utterly solemn. He spoke these words not as flattery, but as plain truth.

Not just anyone could unleash a strike of that caliber. To be frank, even he himself might not be able to execute a blade strike comparable to that sword art Nie Xu had just displayed. His Hundred Battles Blade Technique was formidable, but in terms of comprehension at a similar level, he was slightly inferior to Nie Xu in that regard.

Shen Changqing said, "Honestly, if Lord Nie were to abandon literature for Martial Arts, he might one day become a top-tier expert!"

The technique Lord Nie had just demonstrated was not only an embodiment of his understanding of Upright Spirit but also of his insights into the Sword Dao, merely manifested through a different medium. From this, it was clear that Lord Nie was already qualified to comprehend Martial Dao True Intent.

Nie Xu shook his head with a smile. "My talent in the Martial Dao is limited. I too once dreamed of roaming the world, sword in hand. Reflecting on it now, it was mere youthful ignorance." Having said this, he spoke no more on the subject.

Then, the smile vanished from Nie Xu's face, his expression growing solemn once more. "Lord Shen, your visit to the Yamen wasn't solely to witness my Upright Spirit, was it? I trust you've heard about the situation with the Barbarian Clan."

At the mention of the Barbarian Clan, Shen Changqing's expression also turned serious, and he nodded. The matter of the Barbarian Clan allows for no negligence whatsoever.

"Indeed. Besides wishing to witness your Upright Spirit, Lord Nie, my primary purpose in coming concerns the Barbarian Clan. I've heard that several of the gateway cities of Great Wilderness Prefecture have been breached, and the Barbarian Clan is advancing with their main forces. I wonder, Lord Nie, what are your thoughts on this matter?"