Human Clan Defender

His Realm had not made a breakthrough, but Shen Changqing distinctly felt that his strength had greatly improved upon its original foundation. The most obvious aspect was the breakthrough in Martial Dao True Intent, which caused his Spiritual Power to grow substantially. Ordinary movements, in his eyes, now seemed to slow down. Consequently, if he were to battle an opponent, he could gain quite an advantage from the start. Especially when powerhouses clashed, an advantage could perhaps determine the outcome of a battle. Of course, this was just one of the benefits that the breakthrough of Martial Dao True Intent brought about. In other aspects, there were significant differences as well. For instance, enduring the spiritual attacks of a strong opponent would not cause any perturbation. Furthermore, using spiritual attacks against others would be far more effective. If Yin Xiu appeared before him once again, Shen Changqing was confident that the other would not be able to escape.

"Congratulations to Elder Shen for your substantial progress in skill. It won't be long before the Demon-Subduing Division gains another top-notch powerhouse!" Xun Qu's voice came, tinged with laughter.

Shen Changqing turned his head and replied with a faint smile, "Defender Xun praises me too highly. A Grandmaster is just a Grandmaster; without breaking the limit, one can never compare to a powerful Defender Envoy."

He now had the confidence to deal with Demon Evils, even to slay them. But those were merely low-level Demon Evils. If it were a mid-level or higher Demon Evil, Shen Changqing still lacked the capacity to contend. It was just like the Demon Evil in Luyang City; that creature was merely at the peak of low-level Demon Evils, not yet having made a complete breakthrough. Yet the offensive it unleashed was far more terrifying than that of an ordinary low-level Demon Evil. Before it, Yin Xiu, while not entirely powerless to resist, found it extremely difficult to counter. In the end, if not for Yin Xiu's self-detonation, which the Demon Evil in Luyang City failed to evade in time, forcing it to endure the full brunt of that force, they would not have had the opportunity to kill it in one strike.

"There is a rumor," Xun Qu said, his tone becoming certain towards the end, "that if someone can bring both their Spiritual System and Physical System to their peak, they can break through the Martial Artist Limit and ascend to a profound and mysterious Realm. But this is, after all, just a rumor, as no one has ever managed to bring both to their peak within their lifetime. In my opinion, Elder Shen, you may truly have this opportunity—no, you *definitely* have this opportunity."

To an ordinary person, he wouldn't dare say such a thing. But the person before him was Shen Changqing, so it was different. Xun Qu knew that Shen Changqing was in the second stage of the Physical System; compared to the true peak, there wasn't much difference. Having just slain a powerful Demon Evil, Shen Changqing had also made a great breakthrough in his Spiritual System. Considering Shen Changqing's current age, Xun Qu even suspected that in another ten years, he might truly reach the peak levels of both major systems.

Faced with Xun Qu's praise, Shen Changqing did not become conceited. He looked at the many desiccated corpses on the ground, and the smile on his face vanished. "What is Defender Xun planning to do now?"

Luyang City was now thoroughly a dead city. What to do next was a rather serious issue.

Upon hearing this, Xun Qu's expression also darkened. "The situation in Luyang City absolutely cannot become public knowledge, or it will cause panic among the people of South Nether Prefecture. Once public sentiment turns chaotic, it will not be an easy matter to handle. If public sentiment becomes chaotic, it could be exploited by the ambitious. Eventually, even uprisings could be possible. Great Qin is already plagued by Demon Evils and troubled by the Barbarian Clan and Great Zhou. If internal strife were to also occur, it would truly be overwhelmed with problems. The nine prefectures are interrelated. If there is unrest in South Nether Prefecture, then the other prefectures will not be much at peace either."

Speaking of this, Xun Qu looked at the many desiccated corpses on the ground, and finally, his gaze fell back on Shen Changqing. "Suddenly, an inferno erupted in Luyang City," he said, "and the whole city was consumed in flames. The citizens of Luyang City failed to escape and were all buried in the sea of fire."

Shen Changqing fell silent. He understood Xun Qu's intention. Rather than attributing the destruction of Luyang City to a Demon Evil and causing fear among the populace, it was better to blame it on a natural disaster or accident, which would cause much less commotion. Though an entire city was obliterated and all its citizens couldn't escape, the news would certainly cause a great shock if it got out. But compared to the devastation wrought by Demon Evils, this sort of shock would be negligible. After all, natural disasters and accidents are unavoidable. But if it were Demon Evil mayhem, that would be a problem inherent to the Imperial Court itself.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Shen Changqing asked.

Xun Qu replied, "Luyang City is too large, and my power alone is ultimately limited. Elder Shen, please lend a hand."

「Half a day later.」

A raging fire burned within Luyang City, flames reaching for the sky, incinerating all the thick fog to reveal the dark expanse above. In front of the city, Shen Changqing and Xun Qu stood, silently watching the great fire. Despite being quite near, they were unafraid of the encroaching heatwave. Under the reflection of the firelight, however, both their complexions turned bright red.

"As long as Demon Evils exist, the people will never know peace!" Xun Qu's face was impassive, but his eyes revealed a chilling coldness. A single Demon Evil disaster had caused an entire city's population to perish. If there were several more incidents like this, the population of Great Qin would suffer a sharp decline.

Suddenly, Xun Qu knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily three times toward Luyang City.

"As a Defender Envoy, I failed to protect your peace. For this, I bear the sin and responsibility! One day, I, Xun Qu, will surely slay the Demon Evil to comfort your spirits in Heaven!"

Having said this, he rose from the ground.

Shen Changqing, seeing this, couldn't help but offer a word of comfort, "Defender Xun, you need not blame yourself too much. Such Demon Evil disasters could not have been anticipated even by the Demon-Subduing Division. By slaying the Demon Evil within the city, you have already avenged them."

"Wrong is wrong; there's nothing to dispute," Xun Qu shook his head. He looked at Luyang City, engulfed in flames, his expression returning to calm. "As a Defender Envoy, protecting this region is my duty. Now that Luyang City has been annihilated, the Demon-Subduing Division has an undeniable responsibility."

Hearing this, Shen Changqing did not try to persuade him further. Although the Demon Evil of Luyang City had been nurtured by Heaven and Earth, strictly speaking, the Demon-Subduing Division truly did bear an inescapable responsibility.

Both men fell silent, simply watching the flames burn.

「Outside Luyang City, in another direction.」

Deng Gu had been waiting when he suddenly saw a red glow rising from within the dense fog. This was followed by the fog dispersing and raging tongues of fire sweeping upwards, completely illuminating the dark night sky.

"Luyang City... is on fire!" His expression was one of shock. The sight of the great fire consuming the city was truly spectacular. Even from a great distance, Deng Gu could clearly feel the unbearable, scorching heat.

Wait a minute! Luyang City wouldn't catch fire without reason. Could it be that Elder Shen has succeeded? He immediately considered another possibility. More than a day had passed since Shen Changqing entered Luyang City. Now, this sudden outbreak of a great fire in Luyang City certainly isn't without reason. After all, Demon Evils detest fire. Even powerful Demon Evils, who aren't afraid of ordinary flames, still dislike them. Therefore, the fire engulfing Luyang City couldn't have been started by a Demon Evil. That leaves only one possibility: the great fire was caused by someone else. Deng Gu's first thought was of Shen Changqing.

No, I have to check the situation! Upon considering this possibility, he could no longer sit still. However, the current blaze engulfing Luyang City made direct entry unrealistic. If the fire was indeed started by Elder Shen and Defender Xun, they wouldn't have remained inside the city. Otherwise, even with a high level of cultivation, one could be burned to charcoal amidst the encircling flames. Therefore, Deng Gu did not directly enter the city to search. Instead, he picked a direction and began circling Luyang City. According to his guess, if Shen Changqing had left Luyang City, he wouldn't have gone far. By circling the city, he was certain he could find them.

And sure enough, after less than an hour, Deng Gu spotted Shen Changqing and Xun Qu.

"Elder Shen, Defender Xun!"

Hearing the voice, both men turned their heads and saw Deng Gu approaching.

"Deng the Demon-Eliminator has arrived," Shen Changqing nodded slightly. His entry point into the city was different from his exit point, so he hadn't expected to encounter Deng Gu at this time. He had originally thought Deng Gu would be waiting by the East City Gate.

"You're here," Xun Qu said indifferently, his gaze returning to the fire before them.

Upon approaching the two, Deng Gu looked somewhat excited. "Defender Xun, it's truly good news that you've emerged unharmed! If my strength had been sufficient, I would have accompanied Elder Shen into the city too."

"Hmph, Ji Tianlu probably wished I'd die in there," Xun Qu scoffed. He had been trapped in Luyang City for so many days before anyone came. It was impossible for him not to harbor resentment towards Ji Tianlu.

Hearing this, Deng Gu gave an awkward smile. There was no right way to respond to such words, so he could only remain silent.

The fire burned, and the vast Luyang City was completely engulfed by the flames.

After a long time, Xun Qu spoke solemnly, "Order the Demon-Subduing Division to notify the cities near Luyang City that no civilians are allowed to approach here."

"Ah... Yes!" Deng Gu was startled for a moment, then realized Xun Qu was addressing him.

After bowing to accept the order, he placed a hand to his mouth, and a loud whistle pierced the night sky.

FLUTTER! FLUTTER!

A bird resembling a nightingale flew over, quickly landing on Deng Gu's shoulder. Then, Deng Gu took a piece of white paper from his robes, pricked his finger, and used his blood to write on it. Once finished, he placed the paper inside a bamboo tube tied to the nightingale's leg. After patting the nightingale's head, it immediately took wing and flew away. The entire process lasted only about a dozen breaths.