Human Clan Defender

It had been decades since Demon Evil last struck the Capital City.

Now, Demon Evil was charging at the Capital City once again.

Although not many people were injured or killed by the Demon Evil, the impact of the event was extraordinarily significant.

It was only at this time that some citizens realized even the Capital City was not an absolutely safe place.

For a time, people couldn't help but feel panicked.

To calm the public, the Demon-Subduing Division mobilized on a large scale, thoroughly sweeping all remaining Demon Evil within the Capital City's boundaries.

But such actions had nothing to do with Shen Changqing.

Ever since he had received the status of Martial Pavilion Elder, he had shut the doors of the Martial Hall, not allowing anyone to enter.

At the same time, he himself had entered a secret chamber to engage in secluded cultivation for improvement.

Name: Shen Changqing

Faction: Great Qin's Demon Suppression Division

Status: Martial Pavilion Elder

True Intent: Hundred Battles True Intent (20%)

Martial Arts: Great Sun Golden Body (Level 25, can be improved), Great Sun Scripture (Level 21, can be improved), Chiyang Divine Palm (Level 2), Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step (Level 1)

Slaughter Value: 486

Compared to the past, the panel showed a slight change. The status slot, previously Earth Rank Demon Hunter, had directly changed to Martial Pavilion Elder.

From this, it was evident that statuses did not overlap.

In Shen Changqing's opinion, the reason his previous Martial Hall member status hadn't overridden his Earth Rank Demon Hunter identity was likely because a Martial Hall member wasn't qualified enough to supersede it. However, the Martial Pavilion Elder status could override that of a Heaven Rank Demon Hunter. Thus, the promotion from Martial Hall member to Martial Pavilion Elder was a significant leap.

Status is, after all, just status. Everything is determined by strength. If I hadn't broken through to the Great Sun Furnace Realm, the status of Martial Pavilion Elder might not have fallen to me, Shen Changqing shook his head slightly.

In this place, strength was everything. If one's strength was insufficient, even a lofty status led to a dead end.

Afterward, he shifted his attention elsewhere.

Cleansing the second and third levels of the Demon-Subduing Prison of Strange Monsters and then slaying several Grandmaster Level Demonfolk in the Demon Sealing Tower had provided Slaughter Value that once again reached a new peak.

It's a pity that Demonfolk are not Demon Evils. After slaying them, there's no way to obtain Spiritual Power. Otherwise, with so many Resentment Level Monsters and a few Grandmaster Realm Demonfolk, perhaps my Hundred Battles True Intent could have directly reached 30%,

Although the improvement of True Intent could be achieved by slaying Demon Evil, it was only when he actually tried it that Shen Changqing understood that such an endeavor was not simple at all. Slaying weak Demon Evils granted little Spiritual Power, while slaying strong ones posed great risk.

It was precisely due to these difficulties that, even now, he hadn't heard of many Grandmasters existing within the Demon-Subduing Division who had reached the peak of the Spiritual System.

After a while, Shen Changqing refocused his attention on the panel.

Once the Great Sun Golden Body reached Perfection, the Grandmaster's Qi and Blood Force was once again developed to a powerful extent.

By comparison, the role of True Qi had somewhat weakened.

However, he remembered the records in the Great Sun Scripture. It stated that if the Great Sun Scripture was improved to the state of Perfection, it would complement the second stage of a Martial Artist's Flesh, potentially pushing the Physical System to a higher level.

Records were just records. Shen Changqing couldn't confirm if this was truly the case.

But now, with enough Slaughter Value, he could try. If it was true, his own strength would be greatly amplified.

Shen Changqing then focused his mind on the Great Sun Scripture.

Upgrade!

RUMBLE!!

The Great Sun Scripture advanced from the twenty-first to the twenty-second level.

A tremendous Suction Power burst forth from his Dantian, sweeping through the Qi and Blood Force of his Flesh. Even the Qi and Blood Force at the level of the Great Sun Furnace Realm was on the verge of collapse under this mighty Suction Power.

In the end, after consuming 30% of his Qi and Blood, the Great Sun Scripture successfully broke through.

Feeling the True Qi in his Dantian having grown considerably, Shen Changqing didn't continue upgrading. Instead, he steadied his mind and absorbed the ambient Spiritual Energy in the secret chamber to replenish his exhausted Flesh.

HUFF!

PUFF!

With each breath, massive amounts of nature's Spiritual Energy were drawn in, converging within his body.

His depleted Qi and Blood were replenished at an exceptionally fast rate. While this rate of replenishment was not as swift as swallowing an Elixir, it was many times faster than recovering naturally outside.

「Two days later.」

His depleted Qi and Blood Force fully recovered.

Shen Changqing immediately began a new round of enhancement.

「Half a month later.」

Shen Changqing remained motionless in the secret chamber.

The doors of the Martial Hall were tightly closed. Without an edict from the Defender Envoy or permission from a Martial Pavilion Elder, no one dared to open the doors of the Martial Hall on their own.

Thus, he cultivated peacefully in the secret chamber for this half-month.

The massive influx of Spiritual Energy caused the ambient Spiritual Energy in the secret chamber to diminish significantly. If someone were inside the Martial Hall, they would have discovered a cyan vortex forming above the secret chamber.

That vortex was the manifestation of extremely dense Spiritual Energy.

As everyone knows, Spiritual Energy is formless and intangible. The naked eye of an ordinary person can hardly perceive Spiritual Energy. Unless the Spiritual Energy becomes dense enough to be extremely potent, it might then manifest visible traces.

Now, with Shen Changqing drawing it in at full force, the Spiritual Energy in the secret chamber concentrated in one area, leading to the vortex's appearance.

Within the secret chamber, a man sat cross-legged.

An aura as scorching as the Great Sun emanated from his body, as if the surrounding Spiritual Energy was being boiled by this blazing aura.

In his Dantian, all the Liquefied True Qi had disappeared. In its place, a phantom sun was quietly suspended.

Although the sun was phantom, the aura it emitted would make even an ordinary Grandmaster feel apprehensive.

Meanwhile, the moment the sun appeared, the Qi and Blood within his Flesh seemed to react, boiling violently. The already golden blood seemed on the verge of some transformation.

After a long while, Shen Changqing opened his eyes. Two beams of golden light burst forth, striking the secret chamber door directly.

HUMMM—

The secret chamber door trembled.

When the golden light subsided, scorch marks were visible on the door. The scorch marks looked as if they had been burned by a great fire.

The Great Sun Scripture is perfected!

Shen Changqing felt the changes in his Dantian, and his eyes flickered upon seeing the phantom sun.

He understood that it wasn't just any sun, but a Golden Core.

According to the Great Sun Scripture's records, perfecting this Martial Art allowed one to condense a Great Sun Golden Core in the Dantian.

Clearly, the Great Sun Golden Core represented another transformation of True Qi.

A Pulse Condensation Warrior relies primarily on True Qi. An Innate Martial Artist can transform True Qi into Liquefied True Qi, but ultimately, neither escapes their original constraints. Even a late-stage Grandmaster, compared to those below that level, merely possesses a larger reserve of True Qi. But now, with the Great Sun Scripture perfected, True Qi had transformed further, reaching a more powerful level. Neither ordinary True Qi nor Liquefied True Qi had ever reached a tangible state. However, Shen Changqing sensed a tangibility from the Great Sun Golden Core in his Dantian.

Could it be—once the Great Sun Golden Core matures, it can truly become tangible!

The mere thought stunned him.

Even the records of the Great Sun Scripture contained no description of the Golden Core becoming tangible. This was because the creator of the Great Sun Scripture had only reached the scripture's Perfection stage, unable to make further breakthroughs. However, just because the creator couldn't break through didn't mean Shen Changqing himself had no chance.

The Great Sun Scripture at the twenty-fifth layer wasn't able to make the Great Sun Golden Core completely tangible, but if I elevate it to the thirtieth layer, the fortieth layer, there might well be a chance for the Great Sun Golden Core to become tangible!

He had great confidence in this speculation.

Currently, although the Great Sun Golden Core in his Dantian was illusory, it had already shed the state of Liquefied True Qi. Subsequently, if more power were supplied, its tangibility was highly possible.

Not only that, but when the Great Sun Golden Core condensed, Shen Changqing felt his Flesh become as hot as a furnace. Under the Golden Core's influence, his Qi and Blood also began to boil.

Great Sun Golden Core!

Great Sun Furnace!

Only now did he truly understand why the two could complement each other so well. The Grandmaster Qi and Blood of the Great Sun Furnace Realm transforms one's body into a furnace. This nurtures the inner Qi and Blood Force, morphing it into something exceedingly firm and intensely Yang. Now, a Great Sun truly existed within his Dantian. As such, his Flesh became like a true furnace, containing a Great Sun within. The Qi and Blood within his Flesh, seared by this Great Sun, naturally boiled even more fiercely. This would make the already exceedingly firm and intensely Yang Qi and Blood even stronger. Therefore, this was why the perfected Great Sun Scripture could complement the second stage of the Physical System.

The creator of the Great Sun Scripture was truly a prodigy for his age. It is a pity that martial artists have only a little over a hundred years of life, and that strong figure has long since passed away. Otherwise, I would truly wish to meet him!

It was evident that the Great Sun Scripture was indeed an extraordinary Martial Art. Its Perfection realm allows the condensation of the Great Sun Golden Core and complements the Qi and Blood of the Flesh.

Even Shen Changqing himself wasn't confident he could create a Martial Art of this caliber. If possible, he would truly love to sit and discuss the Dao with that expert. Doing so would surely yield significant gains.