Human Clan Defender

Inside the Sea of Consciousness.

The blood-colored lotus was undergoing earth-shattering changes.

Having just slain that Demon Evil, a vast surge of Spiritual Power came rolling in from the unknown, rushing directly into the Sea of Consciousness. At that moment, Shen Changqing didn't even have the chance to react before he fell into a stunned state.

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, the blood-colored Refinement vibrated wildly. The initially vague phantom of the third petal suddenly solidified.

Not only that, but the fourth petal also grew—first ethereal, then taking shape, and finally solidifying completely.

Very quickly, the fifth petal grew.

「 」

"Su Wan'er is dead!"

In a hall shrouded in darkness, Soul Lamps were arrayed.

Looking at those Soul Lamps, the mask-wearing Eternal Alliance Master showed no change in expression. By his side stood an Elder of the Eternal Alliance.

"Elder Kou Cang and Elder Su Wan'er both possessed formidable strength, yet now their Soul Lamps have been extinguished one after the other. Could it be that they encountered some powerful enemies!"

"Perhaps!" The tone of the Eternal Alliance Master was indifferent.

The death of two Elders did not cause much of a stir in his heart. Just an Elder. The Eternal Alliance had a considerable number of Elders, even if not an overabundance.

His true focus was on a distinct Soul Lamp. That Soul Lamp should not have been placed here; it was only temporarily placed here due to certain reasons.

As time trickled by, that Soul Lamp shook violently and then, under the gaze of the two, it quietly went out.

HUM—

Inside the hall, a terrifying aura permeated.

"Alliance Hierarch..." The voice of the Eternal Alliance Elder trembled.

Under the envelopment of that aura, he felt like an ant, capable of being crushed to death with the slightest effort from the other party.

Looking at the extinguished Soul Lamp, the fists of the Eternal Alliance Master, his hands behind his back, clenched involuntarily, but his facial expression remained indiscernible due to the mask.

After a moment, an icy voice emerged from behind the mask.

"Yin Xiu is dead!"

"There must have been a significant event in Luyang City. Otherwise, Yin Xiu wouldn't have died so easily—"

Unlike the Elders of the Eternal Alliance, even in death, Yin Xiu could not die without clarity. The reason was simple: he was from the Demon Evil Clan. Strictly speaking, the Eternal Alliance was but a subordinate force to the Demon Evil Clan. If Yin Xiu's death led to blame from the Demon Evil Clan, although he was not afraid, it would still be troublesome.

However, what truly concerned the Eternal Alliance Master was why Yin Xiu had died.

According to his estimation, there were a few in South Nether Prefecture who could kill Yin Xiu, but those people were unlikely to have had a chance to act.

If it were said that Xun Qu, who was trapped in Luyang City, had killed Yin Xiu, that would be impossible. Although Xun Qu was not weak, he was only marginally comparable to Yin Xiu. If he wanted to kill Yin Xiu, the likelihood was extremely slim.

"Investigate!"

"I want to know who Yin Xiu fell to, and exactly what happened in Luyang City!" The voice of the Eternal Alliance Master was ice-cold.

The death of Yin Xiu could very likely lead to the failure of winning over the Demon Evil in Luyang City. As such, the Demon Evil of Luyang City might not end up siding with them.

Furthermore, although strong, that Demon Evil in South Nether Prefecture could be eradicated by the Demon-Subduing Division at any moment. Even Xun Qu, who was trapped in Luyang City, might find a way to escape.

The death of Yin Xiu implicated a wide range of matters. The original plans would be forcibly halted due to his death.

Therefore, the Eternal Alliance Master needed to find out the full context of the matter at all costs.

The Eternal Alliance Elder, shivering behind him, hastily bowed his head and replied, "Yes!" Afterward, he withdrew.

In the hall, only the Eternal Alliance Master remained.

"It seems the group sent to Luyang City has been completely wiped out. I'm curious to see just who has disrupted my plans—"

"Summon someone!"

As soon as he spoke, another person walked in from outside.

"Alliance Hierarch, what are your orders!"

"Has there been any news from Lord Wang Mubai?" The Eternal Alliance Master turned around and looked at the young man in front of him as he asked lightly.

Upon hearing this, the young man lowered his head. "Ever since Lord Wang Mubai escaped from the Great Qin Capital, there have been no traces of him. We have sent people to investigate multiple times to no avail. However, some time ago, there was news that traces of the Lord were found in Guangyuan Prefecture. As for the specifics, we are still verifying."

"Guangyuan Prefecture!" The Eternal Alliance Master murmured softly.

"If I remember correctly, the catastrophe in Guangyuan Prefecture over two hundred years ago was caused by him, right? Could it be that he had some contingency plans left there, which is why he went to Guangyuan Prefecture?"

The scene fell silent. The young man did not interrupt the Eternal Alliance Master's contemplation without permission.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed. The Eternal Alliance Master came back to his senses from deep contemplation. "Make every effort to trace his whereabouts, but take care not to startle the snake by hitting the grass. Report back immediately with any updates. In addition, Lord Wang Mubai is fickle in mood; avoid any transgressive actions. Otherwise, if you provoke him, even I wouldn't be able to save you."

"Understood!"

「 」

In Luyang City.

All was silent. All the dry corpses had lost their life and toppled to the ground. Shen Changqing was the only one still standing there unmoved.

Xun Qu, however, found a spot and sat quietly in meditation, recuperating from his exhaustion. Earlier, he had consumed the Heavenly Origin Pill, but the elixir hadn't been fully refined, and his wounds had not fully healed. Now he had time. It was natural to refine all the remaining energy from the elixir within his body and take this opportunity to fully recover from his injuries.

He didn't disturb Shen Changqing. He was very aware that the other was undergoing a powerful transformation, and by the time Shen Changqing awoke, his strength would surely have undergone a substantial change.

Elsewhere, Shen Changqing had long since recovered from the impact of the Spiritual Power, but the changes in his Sea of Consciousness kept his mind occupied.

At this moment, the blood-colored lotus had already unfolded its sixth petal. This spurred his comprehension of the True Intent of Battle into a phase of exponential growth.

During this phase, Shen Changqing felt as if he were on a battlefield, transformed into an unparalleled cavalryman, destroying everything that blocked his way. An army of ten thousand rampaged across the battlefield. No matter how many enemies lay ahead, they couldn't withstand the edge of the blade.

With each fallen being, a vast amount of blood soaked the cavalryman. Eventually, when every being had been slaughtered, the matchless cavalryman on the battlefield was enveloped in a thick layer of blood, like the embodiment of destruction, an unrestrained murderous aura emanating far and wide.

The evolution of True Intent caused Shen Changqing's body in the external world to emit a towering murderous aura as well. The murderous aura soared to the skies, as if a Demon God had descended.

Xun Qu, jolted from his meditative state, saw the murderous aura bursting out from Shen Changqing, his face dramatically changing.

Has he undergone Qi deviation!? This was his first thought.

But upon seeing that there were no abnormalities with Shen Changqing, Xun Qu regained his senses. It's not Qi deviation.

He sighed slightly in relief, and then, upon sensing the earth-shattering murderous aura, his expression subtly shifted again.

What True Intent is Elder Shen cultivating to have such a terrifying murderous aura? If he wasn't a member of the Demon-Subduing Division but actually a general who'd fought for countless years on the battlefield, I'm afraid no one would suspect otherwise!

What is murderous aura? When killing intent becomes dense enough, it can transform into murderous aura. If it's killing intent, as long as someone kills a few people, their body will gather a bit of it, more or less. But speaking of murderous aura, only those executioners with blood-stained hands or individuals long-seasoned on battlefields could potentially cultivate it.

However, to possess murderous aura like Shen Changqing's was not something ordinary people could achieve. Even some battle-hardened generals might not be able to amass such a high level of murderous aura. This kind of aura, without slaughtering hundreds of thousands, would be difficult to gather.

It was for this reason that Xun Qu was so astounded. There was no other reason; the murderous aura was just too strong.

Unconcerned with the changes in his body, Shen Changqing was completely immersed in the transformation of his True Intent.

Time passed without notice. The foreign Spiritual Power began to be gradually exhausted. The evolution of True Intent finally came to a halt.

In the Sea of Consciousness, a lotus with seven petals swayed gently. Upon closer inspection, it was evident that the seventh petal differed from the others, resembling a phantom, not quite as tangible.

「 」

In the outside world.

Shen Changqing opened his eyes. A rich shade of blood flashed through his gaze. The overpowering murderous aura that was previously emanating dissipated the moment his eyes opened.

Immediately after, he couldn't help but glance at his status panel.

Name: Shen Changqing

Force: Great Qin's Demon Suppression Division

Identity: Martial Pavilion Elder

True Intent: True Intent of Battle (60%)

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

Slaughter Value: 316

The two-digit Slaughter Value had once again become three digits. Two hundred points of it were contributed by the Demon Evil in the blood pool, and the remaining Slaughter Value came from severing the Demon Evil's arm and from another Demonfolk of the Eternal Alliance.

What Shen Changqing regretted was that he did not gain much Slaughter Value from the demise of the other Demonfolk and the final death of the Demon Evil. By the time he arrived, he only collected the last bit of Slaughter Value that hadn't completely dissipated. That bit of Slaughter Value was not much, only a mere dozen points or so, but it was better than nothing.

The regret appeared but vanished just as quickly. He was not one to be insatiably greedy.

Eliminating the Demon Evils of Luyang City had propelled his True Intent from 20% directly to 60%, and it wasn't far from breaking through to 70%. Such gains were already considerably substantial.

As his True Intent evolved, Shen Changqing felt his Sea of Consciousness had expanded significantly. As his Divine Sense swept out, everything within a radius of approximately three hundred and sixty yards was within his perception. Even the dust on the ground was distinctly visible.