Human Clan Defender

Just left the black market.

Shen Changqing shattered the two Black Banners and released the demon evils sealed within.

The demon evils inside had been sealed away for a long time, already brimming with resentment.

Now, with the seal broken, they immediately erupted with a powerful Yin Evil Aura, surging toward him to devour him.

Seeing this.

Shen Changqing simply struck out with his palm.

The power of Great Sun True Qi combined with the Chiyang Divine Palm exploded, an incredibly scorching strength; in an instant, flames burst forth in the void, immediately engulfing the three demon evils until nothing remained.

A familiar feeling washed over him.

He glanced at his panel. More than twenty new points of Slaughter Value had appeared there.

Adding on the previous four points.

The Slaughter Value just broke through thirty points.

"Although the three demon evils were low in realm, the price was quite cheap. If I spent that over one million silver only on Ghostly Level fiends, I could definitely obtain a massive amount of Slaughter Value!"

The demon evils purchased with tens of thousands of silver already gave more than twenty points.

If it was a million silver, the Slaughter Value gained would be hundreds of points at the very least.

With that quantity—

Shen Changqing felt confident enough to try and see if he could break the limits of the human body.

"Unfortunately, this idea is practically impossible to realize."

He shook his head.

If there were truly so many demon evils to buy, he wouldn't need to risk his life outside; he could just stay in the Demon-Subduing Division and steadily increase his strength.

But—

The current world is ultimately dominated by demon evils.

Only the unorthodox sects possess methods to seal demon evils.

Of course—

The Suppressing Evil Hall and Demon Sealing Hall surely also have such methods, but Shen Changqing had no plans to study them for now.

Unless—

Such techniques could be spread so everyone in the world could seal demon evils.

But, that's impossible.

Not to mention how dangerous it is to seal demon evils.

If the technique spread, some might borrow the power of demon evils for other deeds.

The hidden troubles that would bring—

Might make the current situation even worse.

Furthermore—

It's obvious the Suppressing Evil Hall and Demon Sealing Hall wouldn't leak those techniques, otherwise they'd have spread long ago.

He shook his head again.

Shen Changqing returned directly to the Demon-Subduing Division.

This time—

He didn't return to his own quarters but went straight to the Martial Hall's entrance.

Tan Tianji was still dozing off in his spot.

Noticing someone approaching, he forced his half-dropped eyelids open, glancing at him.

"How come you have time to come by today?"

Shen Changqing hadn't come for many days. Tan Tianji thought he was diligently cultivating martial arts in the Hidden Heart Pavilion.

Unexpectedly,

Just a few days later, he was back again.

Looking him up and down carefully, Tan Tianji couldn't see anything unusual.

A few days' time—

Shen Changqing had already completely stabilized his surging blood and qi from the breakthrough.

He took out all the Demon-Subduing Coins he had collected in his sleeves.

"I want to enter a secret chamber for cultivation for sixty days. Here are two thousand Merit Points. Elder Tan, please accept them."

"Two thousand Merit Points!"

Tan Tianji's pupils shrank as he looked at the twenty pale-gold Demon-Subduing Coins in his hand, unable to process it for a moment.

But—

The Demon-Subduing Coins in his hand made it clear what Shen Changqing was saying.

"Where did you get so many Merit Points?"

Tan Tianji was puzzled.

Ever since he'd become the Martial Hall's gatekeeper, he had very little understanding of outside affairs.

He had no idea—

That not long ago there'd been a Grandmaster Martial Arts auction in the black market.

And now—

Shen Changqing had produced two thousand Merit Points out of nowhere. It would be a lie if Tan Tianji claimed not to be shocked.

Even after all his years working in the Internal Affairs Hall, he couldn't just produce two thousand Merit Points at once.

"I suppose I don't need to explain where my Merit Points came from?"

"The Demon-Subduing Division will never question the source of your Merit Points. If you're able to obtain them, that's your own ability."

At those words, Tan Tianji realized he'd misspoken.

He then gave a faint smile, kindly adding a reminder.

"Spending all two thousand Merit Points on the secret chamber isn't cost-effective. You could trade your Merit Points for other things and achieve the same effect, while consuming less. At worst, it would just take more time.

There's nothing pressing for you in the Demon-Subduing Division. Why not proceed step by step?"

Tan Tianji was worried Shen Changqing would regret it in the future.

After all, Merits are hard to come by.

Spending all two thousand on the secret chamber obviously meant he wanted to seize this chance to break through to True Intent Manifestation.

But the problem is—

True Intent Manifestation isn't actually that hard.

Under normal cultivation, even spending around a thousand Merit Points on resources is enough to get you there; the only difference is it might just take a bit more time.

The truly hard part—

Is the path that comes after achieving True Intent Manifestation.

Hearing this—

Shen Changqing's expression was resolute: "I appreciate Elder Tan's kindness, but my mind is made up."

What is time?

For most people, time is practically nothing, certainly not worth more than Merit Points.

But to him, time is precisely the most precious thing.

Since entering the Demon-Subduing Division, everything constantly reminded him that time is invaluable, that he must not waste even a moment, that he must raise his strength as quickly as possible.

If he failed to become stronger—

That would mean a dead end.

Whether as a Probationary Demon Hunter or a full Demon Hunter—

Every promotion comes with a time limit, the only difference is how long that limit is.

This time restriction—

Constantly reminds everyone: If you can't grow strong enough in the time given, you'll die on the job.

Though Shen Changqing was now in the Hidden Heart Pavilion and free of mission deadlines—

Still—

His sense of time remained strong.

Being in the Hidden Heart Pavilion—

Doesn't mean you can rest easy.

Just like Zhong Ning and the others, when war breaks out, you might be dispatched at any moment.

At that time—

It all comes down to whose fist is tougher.

So—

Merit Points don't matter. If you're alive, you can always earn more.

But if you're dead, nothing matters anymore.

Seeing Shen Changqing's resolute expression, Tan Tianji didn't try to persuade him further. Since the decision was made, forcing him would do more harm than good.

"Go on in. I'll remind you to come out after sixty days."

"Thank you!"

Shen Changqing clasped his fists, then casually picked a secret chamber to enter.

There was no one in the Martial Hall now; any secret chamber would do.

He opened the chamber—

A rush of familiar Spiritual Energy surged toward him.

He slipped inside and closed the stone door.

Sitting cross-legged—

Shen Changqing could clearly feel a surge of dense Spiritual Energy rushing up from beneath the meditation mat, making all his blocked pores open instantly.

"This closed-door session will be my opportunity to break through to True Intent Manifestation!"

He thought inwardly.

If spending two thousand Merit Points couldn't enable a breakthrough to True Intent Manifestation, he'd really have to question his own talent.

Shen Changqing had already decided—no matter what happens, he would not leave the chamber.

Unless the time was up.

As for not eating or drinking over sixty days, he wasn't worried.

At his current realm—

Relying on his True Qi and vigorous qi and blood, Shen Changqing could go ten or fifteen days without food or water and still maintain his strength.

Besides—

There was still dense Spiritual Energy here.

His flesh would absorb and exhale Spiritual Energy at all times, replenishing what he used up.

In fact—

Replenishing himself with Spiritual Energy in the secret chamber was far better than swallowing Satiety Pills or eating meat.

The trouble is, outside, the Spiritual Energy isn't concentrated enough.

Trying to rely solely on Spiritual Energy to meet daily needs would be a pipe dream.

Only here—

Sitting directly atop a Spirit Vein, could he manage it.

Not wanting to waste time—

Shen Changqing calmed his heart and mind, entering his Sea of Consciousness.

Within his Sea of Consciousness—

The blood-colored lotus swayed slightly; the second petal's shadow was already visible, but still some way from solidifying.

His spirit touched it—

Immediately—

His consciousness became fully absorbed.

Bloody Heaven and Earth!

The iron cavalry shatters the earth!

Shen Changqing was already thoroughly familiar with the Bloody Heaven and Earth inside the True Intent. He quickly merged into it, transforming into the Bloody Iron Cavalry, reaping any life that could be reaped.

A terrifying aura of slaughter—

Was quietly coagulating.

Elsewhere—

After Shen Changqing entered the secret chamber, Tan Tianji put away the Demon-Subduing Coins and lay back down.

However—

This time he didn't take things lightly, but instead mulled over a few things.

For Shen Changqing to suddenly bring out two thousand Demon-Subduing Coins—if there was nothing unusual about it, that would be impossible.

Even if he hadn't asked anything directly—

Secretly—

Tan Tianji still had doubts.

"Where in the world did that kid get so many Merit Points? Strange. After so many years in the Demon-Subduing Division, if I saved every bit, I'd still have little left. How long has he even been here, yet he can suddenly take out two thousand—"

The more he thought, the more confused Tan Tianji became.

He even felt the urge to go find someone to get to the bottom of it.

He couldn't ask Shen Changqing—

But he could go ask other people.

Tan Tianji didn't believe such a thing as two thousand Merit Points could go completely unnoticed.

But—

Looking at the Martial Hall, he ultimately decided against it.

Nearly everyone had been sent away from the Martial Hall; it was now just an empty shell. If he left and something happened, it would cause huge trouble.

If nothing else—

The Spirit Vein beneath the Martial Hall alone was a Supreme Treasure.

Not to mention—

The Martial Hall also had many collections and strong practitioners' dossiers stored inside—any one of which, in the Jianghu, would make waves.

"Forget it, forget it. I'll check it out when I get a chance. If he can come here for closed cultivation at ease, I suppose he's used the proper channels. If there were really an issue, the Demon-Subduing Division wouldn't just ignore it."

Tan Tianji comforted himself.

After that, he set the matter aside.

He closed his eyes—

And rested peacefully.

Usually there were very few people from the Hidden Heart Pavilion; even fewer came to the Martial Hall. Now that everyone had been drafted, he might not see another Martial Hall member for ten or fifteen days.

Because of this—

Tan Tianji felt quite content with the situation.