Human Clan Defender

BOOM!

The Yin Evil Aura engulfed everything like a monstrous beast, causing the Righteous Energy to scatter in defeat. In the face of that Yin Evil Aura, Chen Shu was like a small boat on the verge of destruction, about to be swallowed by the waves. However, even so, there was not the slightest trace of fear on his face.

"The Master said, 'Life is something I desire, and righteousness is also something I desire. If I cannot have both, I would forsake life and choose righteousness!'" As his words fell, an even more surging and immense aura erupted from Chen Shu's body. At that instant, the Righteous Energy reached its peak.

"Today!" he declared. "As long as I stand, Demon Evil shall not enter the Capital City!"

Chen Shu stepped into the air, the surging Righteous Energy almost taking on a tangible form. With one hand stretched out, he directly stirred the winds and clouds.

A sword! A colossal sword that could blot out the sun and sky!

As Chen Shu's hand pressed down, the enormous sword formed of Righteous Energy thunderously descended. In an instant, the dense Yin Evil Aura was torn apart.

One of the towering Demon Evils, directly beneath the falling sword, let out a heaven-shaking roar, its Yin Evil Aura rising furiously to collide fiercely with it.

BOOM—

It was as if space itself was fracturing. Two terrifyingly powerful forces struck, and the waves of destruction swept across all directions. Eventually, the Yin Evil Aura was shredded. The Demon Evil screamed miserably as it was violently cleaved by the strike.

The ground trembled as if the Earth Dragon itself was turning over. Deep ravines were left on the ground, looking as if they had always been there, while the Demon Evil had completely vanished from sight. All around, silence reigned. Chen Shu descended from midair, his aura rapidly weakening, and more strands of white appeared in his hair.

"Elder Chen!"

The elder in gray robes saw this, his expression changing drastically. Chen Shu's chest heaved. He then waved his hand and said, "No matter, I won't die just yet!" While speaking, he stood tall, his gaze turning coldly towards the three remaining Demon Evils.

One of the Demon Evils clapped its hands in a human-like manner, its voice laden with an admiring tone. "What a noble sacrifice for righteousness! What an overwhelming Righteous Energy! The methods of the Imperial College's Great Confucians are indeed an eye-opener. However, with your current condition, you can only contend against one Demon Evil at most, right? We still have three Demon Evils here. How will you deal with us?"

The Demon Evil that had faced the Great Confucian's attack was likely to have fallen, yet there was no fear on its face. Because it was very clear: Chen Shu was now at the end of his strength. The Great Confucian was strong, but he wasn't so overwhelmingly powerful as to be unreasonable. To suppress one Demon Evil was already his limit.

Chen Shu's expression remained cold. "You can try it!"

"Kill—"

The Demon Evil waved its hand, about to join forces with the other two, when a voice directly halted their actions.

"You two have worked hard enough. There is no need to sacrifice yourselves here. It's better to retreat and rest for now. Leave the matters here to me!"

As the voice fell, the two Great Confucians didn't show much change in expression, but the three Demon Evils' faces turned pale.

Dongfang Zhao! they realized. As the archenemy of the Demon Evil Clan, Dongfang Zhao's voice was something they would never forget. Ever since he had taken charge of the Demon-Subduing Division, countless Demon Evils had died at his hands, and who knows how many more he had personally locked in the Demon Sealing Tower. Indeed, many Demon Evils instinctively felt fear upon hearing Dongfang Zhao's name.

"Dongfang Zhao!" The man in the black mask, who had been closely watching the battle, revealed a faint smile from behind his mask upon hearing Dongfang Zhao's voice.

「Inside the Capital City.」

There were two threats, the man in the black mask mused. The first is the Great Qin Monarch, and the second is Dongfang Zhao of the Demon-Subduing Division. Although every Defender Envoy has the means to slay Demon Evils, there are significant differences between them.

"Having Dongfang Zhao reveal himself now means that the Demon-Subduing Division truly doesn't have much of a reserve left!" the man in the black mask murmured to himself. My goal this time is the Demon Sealing Tower, but before attempting to breach it, I must test the depths of the Demon-Subduing Division. If the Demon-Subduing Division has retained too much strength, there will be no need for a direct confrontation. However, if there are not many forces left inside the Demon-Subduing Division, then there's nothing more to consider. The Imperial College doesn't have many Great Confucians left. One has gone to Dayue, and another to Great Liang. Including these two, there definitely won't be more than two Great Confucians hidden inside the Capital City. Now that Dongfang Zhao has appeared, it seems the time has come!

The man in the black mask stood with his hands behind his back, looking into the distance as if victory was already in his grasp.

「In front of the gates of the Capital City.」

The Demon Evil suppressed by Chen Shu crawled out from the ravine, its Scale Armor shattered and blood flowing down, severely corroding the ground. The remnants of the Righteous Energy, which had not yet fully dissipated, clung to it like maggots gnawing on bone, wreaking havoc on its wounds and hindering its self-healing.

Seeing the Demon Evil rising, Chen Shu showed no surprise. Demon Evils are difficult to kill. Although I exhausted all my strength to inflict heavy damage, completely exterminating one is not an easy task. But even though this Demon Evil isn't dead, it has suffered severe injuries, with only a tenth of its strength remaining, he thought.

At that moment, the remaining three Demon Evils were not paying attention to the heavily injured one. Instead, they turned their gazes forward, appearing as if they were facing a formidable enemy. In their line of sight, there was nothing. However, with their profound senses, the Demon Evils could distinctly perceive a terrifying killing intent brewing, ready to erupt at any moment.

CRACK—

The sound of tearing and shattering filled the air as a storm materialized out of nowhere, sweeping towards the four Demon Evils like a hurricane.

"Not good!"

"Block it!"

The three Demon Evils roared, unleashing their most powerful methods. Several extremely potent streams of Yin Evil Aura burst forth, aiming to blast through the hurricane.

HUM—

The two forces collided, annihilating everything in their path. The three Demon Evils' bodies shook as they retreated some distance. As for the one that had just climbed out of the ravine, it had no time to react before being completely engulfed by the force. When the storm settled, that Demon Evil had completely disappeared.

Deathly silence!

Even Chen Shu and the other Great Confucian felt deeply shaken.

The strength of Dongfang Zhao! We haven't truly witnessed it until now. He has yet to show himself, but just by striking from afar, he killed a Demon Evil. Even if that Demon Evil was in a weakened state, its strength was still extraordinary.

As the other three Demon Evils were still in shock, a figure stepped out of the night sky, landing steadily in front of Chen Shu and the other Great Confucian.

Immediately, the two Great Confucians respectfully clasped their hands in greeting. "Greetings, Defender Dongfang!"

"Greetings, Defender Dongfang!"

In terms of status, Dongfang Zhao's position was highly revered, beyond comparison with Great Confucians. In terms of strength, without even showing himself, he had obliterated one Demon Evil and repelled three, an incredibly shocking feat.

"You've both worked hard. Go and rest now. Leave the rest to me," Dongfang Zhao said with a slight smile, his tone calm.

Upon hearing this, the two exchanged glances and, without wasting any words, retreated back into the Capital City.

The elder in gray robes hadn't exhausted much energy. But Chen Shu, having suppressed that Demon Evil, was nearly at the end of his tether. To battle again... it's no longer possible, he likely realized.

"Dongfang Zhao, you've finally come!" the leading Demon Evil said, its face utterly serious, its eyes glued to the person in front, not daring to relax in the slightest. The other two Demon Evils were equally on high alert. Despite having the advantage in numbers, they felt no sense of security.

"Demon Evils disrupt our Capital City. You must die!"

When Dongfang Zhao's gaze landed on the three Demon Evils, his eyes suddenly turned icy cold. He thrust out the hand that had been concealed in his sleeve, and a black aura swept out like a hurricane. In the face of this terrifying aura, the pervasive Yin Evil Aura was like a flickering candle in the wind, on the verge of being extinguished. With a mere hand gesture, the void seemed to collapse.

The three Demon Evils' expressions changed dramatically. Without any hesitation, they attacked simultaneously, trying to counter this force.

BOOM!!

Instantly, the Yin Evil Aura dissipated. The three Demon Evils were sent flying as if struck by lightning. Powerful as the Demon Evils were, in the face of this force, they had no means to resist. Scale Armor cracked, and blood flowed everywhere.

With black aura swirling around him, Dongfang Zhao stepped forward, resembling a Demon God emerging from the depths of Jiuyou. His gaze towards the three Demon Evils was like that of a human looking at three insignificant ants.

"With such feeble strength, you dare to act so recklessly before me?" Dongfang Zhao's voice was as cold as the winter frost. "Today, the Demon Sealing Tower has no room, so let me send you on your way to the west!"

As he spoke, he struck out with his palm once more.

That palm seemed to bring the night itself with it. Powerless against this force, the three Demon Evils could only watch helplessly as the palm descended, their faces etched with sheer desperation.

"Save me!"

"NO—"

Being strong did not mean the Demon Evils were unafraid of death. Now, facing the threat of death, the three Demon Evils could no longer care about anything else and cried out for help.

Then, a gust of wind rose from the ground, colliding fiercely with the falling palm. Afterward, a figure wearing a black mask appeared in front of the three Demon Evils. As the wind died down and the palm continued its descent, he too extended a hand to meet it head-on. Palm met palm. The impact was like the heavens crumbling. The black-masked figure let out a barely discernible grunt and retreated several steps, each step grinding whatever was underfoot into powder.

Dongfang Zhao retracted his hand, looking calmly at the black-masked man. "I was wondering what gave a few low-level Demon Evils the confidence to ravage our Capital City. It turns out there is a powerful being supporting you from behind!"

The appearance of the black-masked man did not surprise him. From the very beginning, this Defender Envoy had realized that other forces must be at play behind these few Demon Evils. Otherwise, for a handful of low-level Demon Evils to attack the Capital City would be no different from courting death.