Human Clan Defender

So what about you? Have you already betrayed the Demon-Subduing Division?"

Yi Ning straightened up from his seat, the carefree demeanor he previously displayed having disappeared entirely.

"You shouldn't doubt me!"

"You only need to answer me yes or no. With Tan Tianji's betrayal, I have reason to suspect others in the Internal Affairs Hall."

Dongfang Zhao shook his head.

Hearing this, Yi Ning lay back down, lazily replying, "There isn't really anything about betrayal or not. I'm quite accustomed to being in the Demon-Subduing Division, and I have no thoughts of changing my identity. So, regarding your question, I only have one answer, and that is no."

"As long as it's no."

Dongfang Zhao didn't press any further. After that, he scrutinized Yi Ning seriously.

"Do you really have no intention of becoming a Defender Envoy?"

"Forget it, the path of the Defender Envoy isn't suitable for me. Right now, I want to break the Martial Artist Limit and advance to another realm," Yi Ning replied without hesitation. He then paused for a moment.

"According to records, in Ancient Times there were strong individuals who broke through the limits. It's only because the Ancestral Vein was severed and nature's spiritual energy declined that Grandmasters became our current shackles. If the ancients could break through the limits, then so can we."

Yi Ning's eyes brimmed with fervor. Breaking through the limits was also what he had always pursued.

Dongfang Zhao said, "What's recorded in the books is ultimately hearsay. Thousands and thousands of years have passed from Ancient Times to present, and no one has been able to discern the truth. Furthermore, the records indicate that Martial Artists could break the limits because of the existence of the Ancestral Vein. But that vein has long since been severed, and we don't even know where it is. Pursuing this matter is too intangible and elusive."

Hearing this, Yi Ning chuckled. "Why do you deceive yourself? If you truly believed that breaking the limit was impossible, then the Martial Hall wouldn't still exist today. Plainly speaking, you also hold onto a thread of hope. Or rather, you believe Martial Artists can break the limit; you just haven't found the method yet."

"Perhaps." Dongfang Zhao didn't argue too much on this matter.

The existence of the Martial Hall indeed represented a hypothesis he harbored. The Demon-Subduing Division established the Martial Hall hoping it might produce an extraordinary talent who could fathom a Martial Arts from the many books that could break the limit, or perhaps, hoping someone could find their own path through the accounts of predecessors. One could say the existence of the Martial Hall is to lay the foundation for those powerful individuals with the potential to break the limits. As for cultivating new strength for the Demon-Subduing Division, that's just a secondary objective.

Yi Ning seemed to recall something. "That newly promoted Martial Pavilion Elder is no ordinary individual. I've heard of his reputation in Jianghu, and it seems he's not very old, yet he has entered the realm of the Great Sun Furnace. It might not be long before he can truly reach the peak of the Physical System!"

As far as the outside world knew, any Grandmaster who stepped into the Great Sun Furnace was considered to have reached the peak of the Physical System. But in fact, the Great Sun Furnace is only the second stage. Only after reaching the pinnacle of the Great Sun Furnace could one truly be at the peak of the Physical System. Entering the Great Sun Furnace is difficult. Reaching the summit is even harder.

Dongfang Zhao spoke, "His talent is indeed strong. I allowed him into the Martial Hall because there is a great possibility that he might have the chance to cultivate to the pinnacle of both the Spiritual System and the Physical System. According to what was said by someone over two hundred years ago, the pinnacle of the two systems could be the stepping stone to breaking the limit. But as for how exactly, there is no substantial research so far."

As the conversation paused, Dongfang Zhao's expression showed a moment of hesitation. "Moreover, we can't be sure how strong a Grandmaster can become after breaking the limit, because the Demon-Subduing Division isn't lacking ordinary experts but needs beings who can truly stand at the pinnacle. If breaking the limit is a broad and prosperous road, then that would be best. Otherwise—"

He didn't continue. What lay beyond breaking the limit was uncertain to anyone. Dongfang Zhao didn't know, nor did Yi Ning.

"There's no need to think so much; let's just give it a shot. After all, we've reached this point already," Yi Ning shook his head slightly. He wasn't particularly concerned about it.

Dongfang Zhao looked at him. "Having come back this time, I find you somewhat inscrutable. It seems you've made considerable progress in the Spiritual System."

"Somewhat. Not as much as you, though. I heard that the Great Demon escaped from the Demon Sealing Tower and you actually chased it down to fight. Your strength is truly beyond expectations."

Yi Ning gave the other party a deep look. Although he had just returned to the Demon-Subduing Division, he had also gathered quite a bit of information. As the Internal Affairs Hall Master, he knew well how formidable the Great Demon imprisoned on the eighth floor of the Demon Sealing Tower could be. The fact that Dongfang Zhao could chase and fight such an adversary reflected his profound strength.

"Wang Mubai hasn't fully recovered his strength; I just took advantage of an opportunity. If he were at his full strength, I might not be his match."

"Enough, enough, let's drop it." Yi Ning waved his hands dismissively, not wanting to listen to Dongfang Zhao boast. Starting this topic was a mistake in the first place. Therefore, as soon as Dongfang Zhao began to speak, Yi Ning quickly interrupted him, switching to another topic. "Is there any news about the Martial Emperor and the others?"

"No."

"Tch, they have all disappeared, each claiming to pursue the path to breaking their limits. But who knows if they can succeed? Speaking of which, there's something I must remind you. That is, although the Martial Emperor and his companions are elder members of the Demon-Subduing Division, there is still the possibility of them betraying us. Especially since they haven't returned to the Demon-Subduing Division for many years, no one knows what their current situation is. It's better to be cautious," Yi Ning advised.

Dongfang Zhao had a strange expression. "I remember that you and the Martial Emperor and his companions are friends, right?"

"Friends are friends, but facts are facts. If you can suspect me, why can't you suspect the Martial Emperor and his companions? Of course, I'm just saying it casually. I also hope they truly haven't betrayed the Demon-Subduing Division." Yi Ning spread his hands, a look of helplessness on his face.

So it's fine to suspect me, but not them? No traitor has 'traitor' written on their face.

Dongfang Zhao smiled faintly. "I will pay attention to the matters concerning the Martial Emperor and his companions."

"Alright, I was just speaking off the top of my head." Yi Ning shook his head and immediately became serious.

"Prepare yourself mentally as well. The events in the Capital City last night might be used by the Imperial Court as an opportunity to make trouble. His Majesty is becoming more and more unpredictable."

"You don't have to worry too much about the problems with the Imperial Court. After all, His Majesty is still the Holy Monarch and understands the priority of issues. Blaming the Demon-Subduing Division now is meaningless. Instead, it's more important to cooperate with the Demon-Subduing Division to stabilize the situation," Dongfang Zhao stated.

In Dongfang Zhao's view, Yi Ning's worry was unnecessary. Although there were signs of the Imperial Court suppressing the Demon-Subduing Division before, it also depended on the context. Now that Demon Evil was rampant, to the extent of attacking the Capital City, deliberately oppressing the Demon-Subduing Division at such a time would be a death-seeking act. His Majesty, having stabilized Great Qin for so many years, would not possibly commit an act of self-destruction.

Seeing this, Yi Ning said no more. He had not had much contact with Gu Xuanji, whereas Dongfang Zhao often attended court meetings. Since the other party was confident, then there was no problem.

Suddenly, Yi Ning thought of something else and asked in a secretive manner, "Is it true that his days are numbered? The Demon Sealing Tower saw the emergence of a Great Demon, yet he did not act to suppress it and let Wang Mubai escape."

"Pavilion Master Yi, mind your words!" Dongfang Zhao's face suddenly turned cold.

He then sighed. "Some things are better understood between us; there's no need to say so much. If word gets out, it will benefit no one."

"Fine, you be the judge. With all the Elders of the Internal Affairs Hall dead, I've got to get busy again." Yi Ning shook his head and rose from his seat, walking ostentatiously toward the exit of the Council Hall.

Watching his retreating figure, Dongfang Zhao shook his head helplessly. Among the four Pavilion Masters of the divisions, Yi Ning was the most unorthodox. But ironically, of all the Pavilion Masters, he also had the highest talent. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the qualifications to become the Internal Affairs Hall Master.

After leaving the Council Hall, Shen Changqing did not go anywhere else but returned to the Hidden Heart Pavilion first.

The Hidden Heart Pavilion, compared to the chaos elsewhere in the Demon-Subduing Division, was relatively calm now. The deaths of several Elders of the Internal Affairs Hall and the betrayal of Tan Tianji had not caused a single ripple in the Hidden Heart Pavilion. This couldn't be helped; all the Elders of the Internal Affairs Hall were now dead. Besides those Elders, there were no other members in the Internal Affairs Hall.

The Demon Sealing Hall and the Suppressing Evil Hall, on the other hand, were only keen on researching matters related to Demon Evil, indifferent to other affairs. It wasn't just the turmoil of the Internal Affairs Hall they ignored; even if the sky fell, they would not be concerned. Unless the entire Hidden Heart Pavilion was affected, the people from those two Halls would truly be unable to remain seated.

As for the remaining Martial Hall, there was even less to say. The members of the Martial Hall were either at the front lines or still out adventuring. Shen Changqing was the only one left in the entire Martial Hall. In this way, it was only natural that the affairs of the Internal Affairs Hall didn't affect the other divisions.

Arriving at the entrance of the Martial Hall, Shen Changqing saw its gate remained open. But what was different was that the lounge chair in front of the door was now empty.

Up till now, Shen Changqing still found it hard to believe that Tan Tianji would betray the Demon-Subduing Division. Over the past few months, he had interacted with Tan Tianji quite a bit and knew him somewhat. Indirectly speaking, he had never detected any possibility of Tan Tianji becoming a traitor. But things in the world are just so mysterious; some things one fails to perceive can, nevertheless, truly occur.

Regarding this, Shen Changqing also felt some regret. However, Tan Tianji's betrayal had now become a reality, and there was no need to think too much about it anymore.

Standing in front of the gate of the Martial Hall, he looked inside and realized something.

The Martial Hall is now unguarded, and since I am the Martial Pavilion Elder, does this mean I can use the cultivation chamber's Spiritual Energy to cultivate without any cost?