Human Clan Defender

Back at the Hidden Heart Pavilion, Shen Changqing directly entered his own courtyard.

The very first thing he did was check his panel.

The fifty-plus Slaughter Value points he possessed could completely enhance his Martial Arts.

With fifty-six Slaughter Value points, I can first raise the Invincible Golden Body to the nineteenth layer, then see if it can merge with the Tathagata Golden Body—

Having made his decision, Shen Changqing did not waste any time.

He first took out all the Satiety Pills, the last of his stock.

Once all preparations were complete, Shen Changqing calmed his mind and proceeded with enhancing his Martial Arts.

Consuming sixteen Slaughter Value points—

Invincible Golden Body eighteenth layer!

Consuming sixteen Slaughter Value points—

Invincible Golden Body nineteenth layer!

「After half a day.」

Shen Changqing successfully raised the Invincible Golden Body to the nineteenth layer.

Within his Flesh, his Qi and Blood were boiling incessantly, like a Fierce Beast that had long been asleep and was about to fully awaken.

Upon deep introspection, he could see with his own eyes that his blood had been tinted with an almost imperceptible trace of gold.

It was very faint, but in the state of introspection, it was conspicuous.

The color of my blood is somewhat different from before. It may be a sign that the Qi and Blood within my Flesh are about to transform—

Shen Changqing was not very clear on the exact reason why the crimson blood had taken on a hint of gold.

But he understood that it was definitely a good thing.

His current self was far stronger than before the breakthrough.

He threw a punch without employing any True Qi, relying merely on a simple eruption of Qi and Blood Force, yet it produced the Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar. The fist wind burst the air, and the exploding airwaves swept out, shattering an ornamental rock a zhang away.

BOOM!

The ornamental rock shattered, and a great deal of rubble fell.

Withdrawing his fist, a faint joy appeared on Shen Changqing's face.

With the nineteenth layer of the Invincible Golden Body, I am roughly equivalent to being at the peak stage of the Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar. Even if not at the peak, it's definitely at a mid-to-late level. That last punch, even without using any True Qi, could directly annihilate a Martial Artist of the Innate Realm. If I were to employ True Qi, perhaps even someone at the Innate Limit would take only one punch.

Only through practice could one understand how strong they truly were.

Subsequently, Shen Changqing refocused his attention on the panel.

Raising the Invincible Golden Body had consumed thirty-two Slaughter Value points, but there were still twenty-four Slaughter Value points on the panel.

However, the remaining Slaughter Value was not enough to enhance the Invincible Golden Body any further.

The jump from the nineteenth to the twentieth layer was a huge hurdle.

To advance it, the required Slaughter Value would increase exponentially.

Either I enhance the Great Sun Scripture or merge Martial Arts. Not only can I gain two attacking techniques, but I can also sell the merged Martial Arts!

Inside the room, Shen Changqing's eyes flickered indecisively.

If possible, he wanted to merge the Invincible Golden Body with the Tathagata Golden Body.

But—

The remaining twenty-four Slaughter Value points were not enough to merge the two Outer Techniques, meaning the Slaughter Value consumption for merging was not low at all.

In that case, Shen Changqing could only look to other areas.

The Snare Trampling Gang Step has always been on the verge of breaking through to the sixth layer but has yet to succeed. Footwork is quite significant to me. Also, the Iron Sand Palm, although at Perfection, poses great difficulty in understanding its True Intent. If I merge them, there is a high probability of achieving a Martial Art that goes straight to True Intent.

While enhancing the Great Sun Scripture would be good, one layer wouldn't make a significant difference. In that case, it was better to merge other Martial Arts. Later, he could sell them in exchange for some Demon Evils.

This trade is a sure win. The Slaughter Value obtained afterward will certainly not be comparable to this small amount I have now.

Immediately, Shen Changqing calmed his mind.

His thoughts fell upon the Iron Sand Palm.

"'Iron Sand Palm' detected to be compatible with 'Mountain Splitting Palm Technique'. Merging consumes ten Slaughter Value points!"

"Merge!"

He silently commanded in his heart.

Immediately after, he saw the Slaughter Value deplete. The Iron Sand Palm and Mountain Splitting Palm Technique disappeared simultaneously, and a new Martial Art appeared on the panel.

Chiyang Divine Palm!

A torrent of immense memories rushed in.

Unlike last time, after his entry into the Spiritual System, Shen Changqing's mind had grown significantly stronger. Despite the assault of those memories, he remained unshaken, without the slightest hint of being overwhelmed.

Gradually, the impact of the memories subsided.

He had thoroughly assimilated all knowledge about the Chiyang Divine Palm.

Like the Hundred Battles Saber Technique, the Chiyang Divine Palm was also a Martial Art that directly pointed to Martial Dao True Intent.

This Martial Art had a total of five layers; the first four were techniques, and the last was the True Intent comprehended after complete integration and understanding.

The Iron Sand Palm merged with the Mountain Splitting Palm Technique, but I only memorized the latter without truly beginning to cultivate it; it has always been in an uninitiated state, while the Iron Sand Palm has reached Perfection. The Chiyang Divine Palm, deduced from these two Martial Arts, also had the Iron Sand Palm as its primary basis. The difference is that the original fiery poison of the Iron Sand Palm has now evolved into an even more powerful type of fiery poison!

Shen Changqing flipped through the memories in his mind, gaining a greater understanding of the Chiyang Divine Palm.

Its most powerful aspect, aside from involving Martial Dao True Intent, was the fiery poison named Crimson Flame that could be condensed during cultivation.

Compared to the fiery poison of the Iron Sand Palm, Crimson Flame was much more potent.

Once it struck a human body, it wouldn't take long to incinerate a person's internal organs, leading to a violent death.

Clearly, the Chiyang Divine Palm was not just one level above the Iron Sand Palm; even without directly pointing to Martial Dao True Intent, its rank was much higher.

Especially the accompanying Crimson Flame attribute, which was even more useful.

And because the Iron Sand Palm had reached Perfection, the Chiyang Divine Palm, upon fusion, immediately reached the peak of the second layer.

He even wondered if the Mountain Splitting Palm Technique were also cultivated to Perfection before fusing, would it be possible for the fused Chiyang Divine Palm to be at the peak of the fourth layer right from the beginning? If so, comprehending the True Intent within would become much easier.

Crimson Flame combined with the Great Sun Scripture could probably deal 200% damage. Not to mention against Martial Artists, it's definitely a powerful restraint against Demon Evils!

Shen Changqing was quite satisfied with this.

All his hypothetical enemies were not Martial Artists from the Jianghu, but the more powerful Demon Evils.

Martial Artists count for little. My current Realm and strength are about at the top among Martial Artists. Apart from not being able to defeat those at the pinnacle of the Spiritual System, few below that pinnacle are my match. If I only wanted to dominate the Jianghu, there wouldn't be so much trouble.

Unfortunately, no matter how strong a Jianghu Martial Artist is, there is a limit.

Grandmasters may seem glorious in front of others, but in front of Demon Evils, they are no different from ants.

The pinnacle of the system, the Martial Artist Limit!

No, not enough—

To truly master my destiny, I must break through the limit or become a Defender Envoy. I must choose one of the two; Grandmasters are ultimately too weak. Although I have not truly fought with a Demon Evil, from the books stored in the Demon-Subduing Division and from what others have said, I can understand the power of Demon Evils. In front of Demon Evils, Grandmasters may only differ from ordinary Martial Artists in that they are perhaps a bit more substantial.

Shen Changqing shook his head.

If I were to face a Demon Evil now, I would likely be nothing more than a rather substantial meal for it. This is not what I want.

After integrating the Chiyang Divine Palm, Shen Changqing began to merge the Snare Trampling Gang Step with the Willow Catkin Body Technique.

"Detected that 'Snare Trampling Gang Step' and 'Willow Catkin Body Technique' have the same attributes. Fusion consumes 10 Slaughter Value points!"

"Fuse!"

As the thought was cast, the two Martial Arts began to merge.

In the end, the panel showed a new Martial Art added.

Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step!

The same rush of memories surged, but Shen Changqing was prepared. He allowed the tide of memories to crash over him without his Sea of Consciousness wavering in the slightest.

When the shock of memories faded, he had officially digested them.

Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step!

Like the Chiyang Divine Palm, the foundation for this Martial Art's fusion was primarily the Snare Trampling Gang Step, so its evolutionary direction also leaned towards the Big Dipper.

The Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step also had five layers.

The first four were the techniques, but the fifth touched upon the realm of True Intent.

Compared with the Snare Trampling Gang Step, the Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step has fewer variations in bodily movement, but it has made significant progress in Qinggong and travel speed. If cultivated to Great Achievement at the fourth layer, it can even achieve Hovering Crossing.

Hovering Crossing. It represented a departure from the original limits of Qinggong and bodily techniques.

Even at his current Realm, he could manage to levitate, but Shen Changqing was very clear that this was just a temporary aerial suspension achieved through immense propulsive force.

Compared with true Hovering Crossing, the two were on entirely different levels.

To put it simply, once the Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step was cultivated to Great Achievement, it could achieve Hovering Crossing. As long as one had enough True Qi, one could remain airborne indefinitely.

On the other hand, his current ability to levitate allowed him only to remain in the air for a few breaths before he had to fall back down.

If I truly cultivate to the level of Hovering Crossing, it wouldn't be an overstatement to call it a divine technique!

Shen Changqing was somewhat excited.

The results of both fusions were very satisfying to him.

Whether it was the Chiyang Divine Palm or the Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step, both Martial Arts were extremely powerful. At the very least, they could play a significant role for him, and the enhancement to his strength was not small.

But the more powerful the Martial Art, the greater the difficulty in cultivation.

Because the Snare Trampling Gang Step had not reached Perfection, the Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step formed from its fusion was only at the peak of the first layer, not yet capable of advancing to the second layer, lagging one layer behind the Chiyang Divine Palm.

Even so, Shen Changqing was satisfied.

In five days, as soon as I get the Merit Points, I will enter the secret chamber for secluded cultivation. After my Spiritual System steps into the True Intent Manifestation stage, I will make other plans. Additionally, these two Martial Arts also need to be cultivated when there's time!