Human Clan Defender

Inside the cave, Wang Mubai transformed back into his human form and sat cross-legged, slowly healing his injuries. By his side, Tan Tianji stood in attendance.

During the battle in the Capital City, if Wang Mubai hadn't thrown him out first, Tan Tianji would never have made it out. After leaving the Capital City, Tan Tianji had followed Wang Mubai's instructions and waited for him at a specific location. He was visibly surprised when he saw the injured Wang Mubai. After all, Wang Mubai was a Great Demon. In terms of strength, he was not someone an average Defender Envoy could contend with. Tan Tianji frankly did not believe that even Dongfang Zhao could rival Wang Mubai. Yet, as it turned out, Wang Mubai had returned injured. Although Wang Mubai didn't speak of the reason for his injuries, Tan Tianji sensed it from the residual aura on him—it carried the power wielded by Dongfang Zhao.

As time passed, Wang Mubai, still seated cross-legged, opened his eyes. A burst of emerald light shot out, then dissipated into nothingness.

Seeing this, Tan Tianji asked with concern, "Are you alright, sir?"

"I'm fine, it just takes some time to recover," Wang Mubai shook his head slightly. His injuries mainly came from two sources: one was the azure light reflected from the Demon Revealing Mirror, and the other was the power left by Dongfang Zhao.

Now, Wang Mubai truly understood that his third eye had such a nemesis. Long ago, by virtue of his divine skills, he had been almost unrivaled. Never before had someone used such a method to counter them.

Afterward, Wang Mubai thought of the person who had produced the Demon Revealing Mirror. He turned to Tan Tianji and asked, "Do you recognize someone?"

As he spoke, his long, immaculate fingers traced in the air. A sinister aura spilled out like ink, creating a portrait in the void.

Upon seeing the portrait, Tan Tianji's expression froze. Then, he nodded. "This person is a member of the Martial Hall, named Shen Changqing."

"Shen Changqing!" Wang Mubai murmured to himself. Then, he continued, "Tell me about him."

"Shen Changqing joined the Demon-Subduing Division over two years ago. He has strong talent, and in just over two years, he has reached the late-stage Grandmaster Realm. He must have had a great fortuitous opportunity; otherwise, no matter how talented a person is, it's impossible to make such a breakthrough in less than three years," Tan Tianji added at the end.

In his view, Shen Changqing harbored a great secret. It was just that he had no way to investigate it himself. If he rashly tried to investigate, it would surely alert Shen Changqing and arouse the suspicions of others within the Demon-Subduing Division. Thus, even though Tan Tianji believed that Shen Changqing's secrets could be related to the limits of the human body, he had always suppressed his curiosity and refrained from any rash actions.

Hearing this, Wang Mubai shook his head. "He is no late-stage Grandmaster. His vital energy has reached the Great Sun Furnace Realm. If what you say is correct, then he indeed has had a tremendously powerful fortuitous opportunity!"

"Great Sun Furnace Realm!" Tan Tianji couldn't help but be startled. Wang Mubai's words completely exceeded his expectations. He had never imagined that Shen Changqing had already reached the Great Sun Furnace Realm.

Suddenly, Tan Tianji thought of something. "Could the peak Grandmaster in the Demon Sealing Tower that day have been him?"

"There's no mistake," Wang Mubai nodded. After a pause, he continued, "Shen Changqing's talent is indeed good. Even if he did have a powerful fortuitous opportunity that allowed him to reach his current stage in less than three years, that would still be considered extraordinary talent. Such an individual must either become one of us or be eliminated."

As his words fell, Tan Tianji asked, "Does sir wish for Shen Changqing to become a subordinate?"

"If he is willing, I will give him that opportunity," Wang Mubai stated candidly.

Afterward, he looked at the changing expression on Tan Tianji's face and added, "Don't worry. I promised to give you the opportunity to become a subordinate, and I will not go back on my word. If I'm not mistaken, the flame of life within you has not completely extinguished. Once my injuries have healed, I will fulfill your wish."

"Thank you, sir!" A look of excitement flashed across Tan Tianji's aged face.

Becoming the subordinate of a Demon Evil could give a martial artist the chance to break free from the shackles of their natural lifespan. Moreover, their strength could also greatly improve. Becoming the subordinate of a powerful Demon Evil offered far greater benefits than serving an average one.

Within the Demon Sealing Tower of the Demon-Subduing Division, Wang Mubai was the strongest among all the imprisoned Demon Evils. Tan Tianji had set his sights on Wang Mubai long before this. It was only the lack of an opportunity that had delayed things until now.

Eventually, Wang Mubai rose to his feet and walked towards the outside. "Let's go!"

"Sir, where are we heading?"

"Guangyuan Prefecture!"

"Guangyuan Prefecture?"

"Correct. Back then, I left something there. Now it's time to go and see if it has begun to take root and sprout!"

「Another ten days had passed.」

Shen Changqing had stayed in the secret chamber the entire time, continuously enhancing his strength. He had now successfully stabilized his Great Sun Golden Body at the twenty-seventh level. Although reaching the twenty-sixth level cost one hundred and fifty Slaughter Value, the cost, fortunately, did not increase when advancing to the twenty-seventh level. This was, in a way, good news.

Name: Shen Changqing

Affiliation: Great Qin's Demon-Subduing Division

Position: Martial Pavilion Elder

True Intent: Hundred Battles True Intent (20%)

Martial Arts: Great Sun Golden Body (Level 27, not upgradeable), Great Sun Scripture (Level 26, not upgradeable), Chiyang Divine Palm (Level 2), Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step (Level 1)

Slaughter: 41

Two levels of the Great Sun Golden Body cost three hundred points. One level of the Great Sun Scripture cost seventy-five points. Just like with the Great Sun Golden Body, breaking the limit and forcibly raising the Great Sun Scripture to the twenty-sixth level increased the cost by one and a half times the original amount. The original cost of thirty points directly became seventy-five. The remaining forty-one Slaughter Value points were not enough to improve anything further.

After stepping into the Grandmaster Peak, every bit of strength increase costs a huge amount of Slaughter Value. It's nothing like it used to be! Shen Changqing somewhat missed the old days. Back then, a small amount of Slaughter Value could upgrade a martial art by one level. Unlike now, where over four hundred Slaughter Value might only be enough to push a few martial arts to a level of Perfection. Of course, such martial arts, even if they reached Perfection, couldn't compare to the ones I've mastered now.

He clenched his fists. Feeling the flow of Qi and blood in his body, Shen Changqing had gained a rough understanding of the changes in his strength. The higher one's Realm, the more sensitive one's perception of oneself becomes. Even without acting, he could roughly estimate his own strength.

Compared to before my seclusion, my overall strength might have improved by about thirty percent! Shen Changqing nodded to himself in secret.

A thirty percent improvement was actually quite significant. This wasn't a simple additive increase; at his current Realm, every ten percent improvement represented a substantial change in strength. With an increase of thirty percent, while it might not be enough to utterly crush his former self, he wouldn't be far off.

If I was slightly lacking when facing Demon Evils before, now it shouldn't be much of a problem. As for whether I can truly handle a Demon Evil, I still need to find one to practice on!

The first thing Shen Changqing thought of were the Demon Evils imprisoned in the Demon-Subduing Prison. But he understood that the Demon Evils in the Demon-Subduing Prison couldn't just be handed over to him to kill for no reason. After all, the Demon-Subduing Division also paid a price to capture Demon Evils. If he were to request a Demon Evil to kill without a valid reason, his chances of success would be slim. No sooner had the thought occurred than Shen Changqing dismissed it.

He opened the door of the secret chamber and then went outside the Martial Hall. When sunlight poured in, it gave him a sensation almost like returning from another world. This wasn't his first seclusion, but whenever he secluded himself for a slightly longer period, Shen Changqing would experience a similar feeling.

Looking at the sky, it was just noon. After some thought, he didn't leave the Martial Hall immediately but turned back and headed directly upstairs.

The second floor.

The third floor.

The fourth floor.

The fifth floor.

...

Shen Changqing walked through all five floors of the Martial Hall. After confirming no one was left, he turned, left, and locked the main door of the Martial Hall. The Martial Hall was a place of great importance. When no one was present, its door had to be locked. If someone needed to enter, they would either have to wait for a Martial Pavilion Elder to return or have a Defender Envoy lead the way.

"Elder Shen has come out of seclusion?"

While Shen Changqing was locking the door, a nonchalant voice came from behind. He could tell who was speaking just from the sound of the voice.

Turning around, Shen Changqing looked at the man in front of him and faintly smiled, "Pavilion Master Yi, what brings you here today?"

"Nothing much. I'm just not too accustomed to staying in the Internal Affairs Hall, so I decided to take a walk around," Yi Ning replied with a laugh. As he spoke, he again earnestly sized up Shen Changqing, trying to discern something.

Unfortunately for Yi Ning, after this breakthrough, Shen Changqing had specifically stayed in the secret chamber for an extra two or three days to consolidate his state. Yi Ning was only at the Grandmaster Peak. Without using spiritual power to probe, he couldn't see much.

Shen Changqing said, "In that case, Pavilion Master Yi, please take your time. I have some matters to attend to, so I must excuse myself!" He put the key away and started walking out of the Hidden Heart Pavilion.

Seeing this, Yi Ning's smile stiffened for a moment. Watching Shen Changqing about to leave the Hidden Heart Pavilion, he finally spoke up. "Elder Shen, wait a moment!"

"Is there something else, Pavilion Master Yi?" Shen Changqing turned around, his face full of puzzlement as he looked at Yi Ning.

He wasn't very familiar with Yi Ning. However, his perception made it very clear that Yi Ning's two visits to the Martial Hall seemed to be aimed specifically at him.