Human Clan Defender

Earlier.

The people of the Demon-Subduing Division in Mountain-Breaking City had already received the news.

Therefore.

When Shen Changqing and the others arrived, someone was already arranged to wait there.

"Brother Deng is back!"

The person waiting there was about the same age as Deng Gu.

As he spoke, his gaze followed along Shen Changqing and the others.

At this moment.

Shen Changqing quietly mobilized his True Qi, the Great Sun Golden Core in his Dantian trembling slightly.

Immediately.

That person felt as if he were staring straight into the sun, experiencing some intense stimulation that forced him to avert his eyes.

For an instant.

He was inwardly shocked.

A top expert!

That man was certain that Shen Changqing was a powerhouse whose cultivation was unfathomably deep.

Just the faint trace of aura leaking from the other's body already had such might; if it came to a real fight, one could imagine the result.

Then.

He directly skipped over Shen Changqing, looking toward those behind him.

When his gaze landed on Jiang Zuo, it paused briefly, then moved to the others.

The more he looked.

The more puzzled he felt inside.

With his cultivation, he could naturally tell roughly what level those Demon Hunters were at.

"Brother Deng!"

He turned his gaze back to Deng Gu, wanting to hear an explanation.

Deng Gu's expression didn't change as he pointed to Shen Changqing and said, "This is Elder Shen Changqing of the Martial Hall of the Capital Demon Suppression Division."

At the same time.

He also introduced to Shen Changqing, "Elder Shen, this is Gong Qing, our Earth Rank Demon Hunter of the Mountain-Breaking City's Demon-Subduing Division."

"Greetings, Elder Shen!"

Hearing this, Gong Qing's expression changed slightly, and he immediately cupped his fists respectfully toward Shen Changqing.

Anyone who could become an Earth Rank Demon Hunter would be aware of the existence of the Hidden Heart Pavilion.

Martial Hall Elder.

A status of high esteem.

And that fleeting glance just now made him understand that the person before him was indeed terrifyingly strong.

Afterwards.

Deng Gu introduced the others.

After a brief introduction, Deng Gu led the group inside to arrange suitable accommodations for them. As for the treasured steeds that had traveled with them, others were assigned to take them elsewhere.

"Elder Shen, please take a brief rest here. I will report to Lord Defender!"

In the courtyard, Deng Gu spoke politely.

Shen Changqing remained expressionless: "If there are matters for Demon Hunter Deng to attend to, please proceed."

"Farewell!"

——

Inside the great hall.

On the seat of honor sat a man in a purple robe, his face somewhat sickly in appearance.

This was one of the Defender Envoys of the Mountain-Breaking City's Demon-Subduing Division—Ji Tianlu!

Below him.

Gong Qing and Deng Gu stood.

"Lord Defender, this time the Capital Demon Suppression Division sent two Grandmasters, twelve Profound Rank Demon Hunters, and thirty-six Yellow Rank Demon Hunters."

Deng Gu cupped his fists and reported the situation truthfully.

After he finished speaking.

Ji Tianlu's brows furrowed slightly: "Did you not explain Mountain-Breaking City's current situation?"

Two Grandmasters.

Twelve Innate experts.

What use would they be?

The remaining thirty-six Pulse Condensation practitioners, to be honest, made no difference at all.

Martial artists in the Pulse Condensation Realm.

In the Jianghu, they might be considered minor experts.

But within the Demon-Subduing Division, they were the absolute bottom tier.

At best, they might be able to handle some Ghostly Level fiends, but if they ran into a Resentment Level monster, even if several joined forces, they might not be able to deal with even the weakest of such monsters.

Right now, in Mountain-Breaking City—

There was certainly no shortage of Demon Hunters at this level.

What was truly lacking were those powerhouses who could stand out.

Facing Ji Tianlu's question, Deng Gu was already prepared: "Not long ago, first the Demon Evils attacked the Capital, then there was a rebellion inside the Capital Demon Suppression Division, and then the Great Demon sealed in the Demon Sealing Tower broke free.

All these problems have caused heavy losses for the Capital Demon Suppression Division.

Moreover, some months ago, the Imperial Court summoned a large number of Martial Hall Grandmasters to Luo'an Prefecture, leaving them with very few powerhouses remaining."

After hearing this explanation—

Ji Tianlu's expression did not change.

Demon Evil attacking the Capital.

Rebellion in the Demon-Subduing Division.

And the Great Demon breaking free.

All these incidents happened more than a month ago.

Heavenly Inspection Guards in various locations had long since collected intelligence and sent the information to the Demon-Subduing Divisions across the land.

However.

He still held a sliver of hope in Deng Gu.

But upon seeing the so-called support from the Capital, Ji Tianlu was completely disappointed.

"Originally, I wanted you to seek help from the Capital and bring back more powerhouses, but as it turns out—only two Grandmasters have arrived."

At this, disappointment showed on his face.

Two Grandmasters.

What use could they be?

Even two late-stage Grandmasters would be of no help in the current situation.

Gong Qing pondered, then cupped his fists and said: "I've met those two Grandmasters before. That one named Jiang Zuo is mediocre and definitely not a late-stage Grandmaster.

But that Martial Hall Elder is far from ordinary."

Martial Hall Elder!

Ji Tianlu's expression shifted minutely.

"You mean the Capital actually sent a Martial Hall Elder along?"

If it was a Martial Hall Elder, that might actually help.

After all, anyone who could enter the Martial Hall was at least at the Grandmaster Level, and as for Martial Hall Elders, they were even further above that.

In other words—

Any Martial Hall Elder's strength would never be below late Grandmaster, and they were among the elite of late Grandmasters.

To put it another way—

Ordinary late-stage Grandmaster martial artists had barely managed to push their flesh to the level of Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar, and their spiritual system had only just reached the stage of True Intent Manifestation.

However—

Martial Hall Elders were different.

Even if their flesh had not broken through to the Great Sun Furnace, on the first stage they had still covered a great distance.

At the same time—

In terms of their spiritual system, they were far beyond just barely reaching the True Intent Manifestation level.

Progressing on both fronts.

Their strength was anything but ordinary.

So—

Upon hearing a Martial Hall Elder had come along, Ji Tianlu's face looked a bit better.

"What is that Martial Hall Elder's name? As I recall, most of the Martial Hall Elders are either traveling outside or have been summoned to Luo'an Prefecture by now."

"Shen Changqing!"

"Shen Changqing?"

Upon getting the answer, Ji Tianlu was momentarily stunned.

That name was not unfamiliar to him.

"The Shen Changqing you refer to—is it the same Shen Changqing who killed the Barbarian Clan General in Great Wilderness Prefecture several months ago?"

Deng Gu lowered his head and replied: "Exactly so!"

After he spoke, all voices in the great hall faded away.

After a while.

Only then did Ji Tianlu slowly speak: "I seem to recall that Shen Changqing only joined the Demon-Subduing Division not long ago; now he's already a Martial Hall Elder—it seems he's something out of the ordinary."

Upon knowing that the Martial Hall Elder sent was Shen Changqing, he no longer held out much hope.

No matter how great the talent—

Or how much fortune the other had—

Time was a constant.

In two or three years—

To rise from a Probationary Demon Hunter to being able to slay a Barbarian Clan General—was already astonishing.

But for him to go much further in the Grandmaster Realm—

Ji Tianlu did not quite believe it.

No matter how much opportunity—

It still takes time to digest.

"You may take your leave now, and summon that Martial Hall Elder to me."

Though he cared little for it, he still had to meet Shen Changqing once.

Not for anything else—

Just the man's identity as a Martial Hall Elder meant he could not go unseen.

Otherwise—

If word got back to the Capital, it would bring trouble for the Mountain-Breaking City's Demon-Subduing Division.

The two bowed and left.

——

Different from the Capital Demon Suppression Division—

In Mountain-Breaking City, the Demon-Subduing Division was not divided into Demon Hunting Courts like Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow, but instead allocated a large area for all Demon Hunters to reside in.

When Shen Changqing and the others arrived, the Mountain-Breaking City's Demon-Subduing Division had already prepared a vacant area to house them.

However—

Given Shen Changqing's special status, Deng Gu specially arranged for him to have his own separate courtyard.

Now inside the courtyard—

One could see a person moving their steps, their pace seemingly neither fast nor slow, yet creating a dazzling sight.

At the end of it—

His figure hovered three feet off the ground, and after a while, he took a steady step as if walking on level ground, his body utterly unmoving.

One step!

Two steps!

Three steps!

On the third step, Shen Changqing finally couldn't hold it anymore, falling softly from three feet above the ground.

"Still some way off before I can truly achieve Hovering Crossing."

He sighed inwardly.

Ever since fusing the Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step, Shen Changqing had not really spent time on arduous cultivation.

Now—

With some free time at last, he returned to review the martial arts he had mastered.

Undeniably—

This martial art was indeed extremely profound and marvelous.

He believed that if he could cultivate Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step to the realm of Hovering Crossing, it would be of tremendous benefit to himself.

Soft footsteps approached.

Shen Changqing gave up the thought of continuing his cultivation of Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step.

He opened the courtyard gate.

And just saw a hand raised, ready to knock.

"Elder Shen!"

Deng Gu was momentarily dazed, then quickly came to his senses.

He hadn't thought his steps, although light, would still be detected by the other.

At once—

This Demon Hunter from the Mountain-Breaking City's Demon-Subduing Division felt an even deeper awe and reverence for the Martial Hall Elder before him.

Shen Changqing said: "Demon Hunter Deng coming here now—is there something you need?"

"Ji Tianlu, Defender Ji, is waiting in the main hall and asked me to invite Elder Shen there."

Deng Gu suppressed his shock and replied honestly.

At this—

Shen Changqing was not surprised. Since he had come here, it was only normal for the local Defender Envoy to meet him.

"Please trouble Demon Hunter Deng to lead the way."

"Elder Shen, please come with me."

——

In front of the great hall—

Deng Gu led Shen Changqing inside.

Perhaps because of alternating light and shade, the instant they entered, their sight went dark for a moment, then returned to normal.

Deng Gu stepped forward first, cupping his fists toward the man above. "Lord Defender, Elder Shen is here!"

"I know. You may withdraw."

Ji Tianlu waved his hand. From the moment Shen Changqing entered the hall, his eyes had been fixed on the figure's identity.

Likewise—

After entering the hall, Shen Changqing was also looking at Ji Tianlu.