Human Clan Defender
Chapter 61: Annihilation of a Clan

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Annihilation of a Clan

The few Government Officials who had fallen into a coma had already been attacked by Demon Evil, having lost much of their vitality and energy. Fortunately, he had arrived in time, so there were no major issues.

Taking the Government Officials back, Shen Changqing had no chance to sit down before he received other news. Suddenly, he left the Yamen, carrying his sword and hurried to another location.

「No one knew how much time had passed.」

Suddenly, loud commotions erupted outside the city, with piercing screams at times and the furious roars of Martial Artists at others.

"Sir, there’s trouble outside the city!" Zhang Yue, who was by Shen Changqing’s side, also unconsciously grew tense.

They had handled the previous encounter with Demon Evil on the streets well thanks to prior preparations, and no major issues had occurred. But now, just after dealing with that Demon Evil, another problem had arisen outside the city. It was impossible to say there was no pressure.

It seems those sects weren’t entirely unprepared. The Eternal Alliance’s true purpose in attacking Lin’an City this time must be to seize the Demon’s Essence Blood, Shen Changqing thought, having also noticed the commotion outside the city. A moment’s reflection connected the events in his mind. Compared to the Demon Evil rampaging within the city, those vying for the Demon’s Essence Blood outside were a far greater threat. Based on his perception, the Demon Evil fighting for the Demon’s Essence Blood outside the city were at least at the Resentment Level. The members of those sects, even combined, wouldn’t be enough to handle a single Resentment Level Strange Monster. Because of this, Shen Changqing had been prepared for their complete annihilation. But now, it seemed other experts had arrived. The commotion outside the city was clearly the battle between these experts and the Demon Evil. It was clear that the people from the sects were merely the vanguard in the struggle for the Demon’s Essence Blood; there were undoubtedly stronger individuals backing them.

Those who intervened are at least at the Innate Realm, but I wonder how many have come!

Only Innate Martial Artists were qualified to contend with Resentment Level Strange Monsters, but Shen Changqing couldn’t be certain how many had actually arrived.

As for Grandmasters, the likelihood was slim. However, this also highlighted just how much those sects valued the Demon’s Essence Blood.

Turning his gaze away, Shen Changqing looked at Zhang Yue and said, "Continue patrolling the city. If you discover any Demon Evil activity, report to the Yamen immediately!"

After speaking, he headed towards Yongfu Pawnshop. With a few leaps, he vanished from Zhang Yue and the others’ sight.

"Let’s go! We’ll patrol inside!" Zhang Yue said sternly, having regained his composure and looking at the still-shaken Government Officials.

「Elsewhere」

Shen Changqing had also arrived at Yongfu Pawnshop.

Judging by the battle outside, he was confident the Demon Evil within Lin’an City couldn’t rampage for much longer. If the Martial Artists outside prevailed, the Demon Evil in the city would naturally retreat. Similarly, if the Martial Artists outside suffered a crushing defeat, the Demon Evil would also surely be heavily wounded. At that point, with him garrisoning Lin’an City, the Eternal Alliance would definitely withdraw its Demon Evil from the city to avoid further losses. Therefore, regardless of success or failure, the intervention of the experts from the sects was indeed alleviating the current situation in Lin’an City.

The Yongfu Pawnshop before him was just like other places, dark inside as if devoid of life.

With a surge of True Qi, the doors opened in response, and Shen Changqing strode inside.

Instantly, a chilling aura rushed to greet him.

"Demon Evil!" Shen Changqing’s expression turned cold. This chilling aura was all too familiar—it was the inherent Yin Evil Aura of a Demon Evil. Such an aura would only linger if a Demon Evil was present or had departed very recently.

Just as he suspected, the Demon Evil attack on Lin’an City and the lack of response from the Heavenly Inspection Guard clearly indicated that the Guard had also been targeted.

Stepping into the pawnshop, he was met with darkness. Shen Changqing could see in the dark, however, and a single glance was enough to take in the entire interior.

No one!

He headed towards the back courtyard.

Suddenly, he noticed a dark shape on the ground. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a desiccated corpse. Outwardly, the corpse looked as if it had been dead for a long time, but Shen Changqing could tell at a glance that its state was the result of its Essence Blood being completely drained. Moreover, the corpse’s face seemed familiar. Looking closer, he realized the desiccated corpse belonged to one of Yongfu Pawnshop’s attendants. Of course, that was merely his overt identity; in reality, he was also a member of the Heavenly Inspection Guard. But now, this Heavenly Inspection Guard member had become a dried husk.

As intelligence personnel, members of the Heavenly Inspection Guard generally weren’t very strong. Situ Bei, the head of the Heavenly Inspection Guard’s stronghold in Lin’an City, hadn’t even reached the Pulse Condensation Realm.

Stepping over the desiccated corpse on the ground, Shen Changqing continued towards the inner hall. Many more bodies lay strewn across the floor. Without exception, all had been drained of their Essence Blood. What differed were the expressions on their faces: some were frozen in shock, others twisted in terror.

Upon fully entering the inner hall, the stench of blood assaulted his nostrils. In the dimness, Shen Changqing saw a figure whose limbs had been severed, resembling a ’human swine’. Approaching, Shen Changqing saw that the so-called ’human swine’ was indeed Situ Bei. This leader of the Heavenly Inspection Guard in Lin’an City hadn’t been drained of his Essence Blood by Demon Evil; instead, his limbs had been severed, and he had been left to bleed to death. The furious, wide-eyed glare on his face hinted at the horror he must have endured.

Squatting down, Shen Changqing gently placed his hand over Situ Bei’s eyes, closing them. Then he stood up, extending his senses to their maximum. The remnants of the Yin Evil Aura were still around but fading moment by moment, proving that the Demon Evil that had been here had already quietly retreated.

After a moment, Shen Changqing withdrew his senses, his gaze returning to Situ Bei’s body, his expression impassive.

You grew too comfortable, too complacent. And now, you’ve fallen to Demon Evil. He had noticed earlier that the Heavenly Inspection Guard in Lin’an City had become too lax, lacking the vigilance they should have embodied. Their intelligence on Demon Evil was also incomplete. The annihilation of Yongfu Pawnshop was the price for Situ Bei’s negligence. Although the Heavenly Inspection Guard wasn’t powerful, they never lacked methods for self-preservation. Otherwise, as the eyes and ears of the Demon-Subduing Division, the Guard couldn’t have developed peacefully for so long in Great Qin, a land teeming with Demon Evil. To put it bluntly, the Heavenly Inspection Guard’s combat strength was lacking, but their self-preservation skills were top-notch. Instances like Yongfu Pawnshop, so easily annihilated by Demon Evil, were truly rare. This only served to highlight that Situ Bei had almost entirely forgotten the essential qualities a Heavenly Inspection Guard member should possess.

After thoroughly searching Yongfu Pawnshop, Shen Changqing confirmed that the entire Heavenly Inspection Guard station had been wiped out by Demon Evil.

This made it clear the Eternal Alliance had come prepared. By eliminating the Heavenly Inspection Guard station first, they had effectively blinded the Demon-Subduing Division in Lin’an City. However, the Eternal Alliance probably never imagined that the Heavenly Inspection Guard in Lin’an City was as good as non-existent. Destroying Yongfu Pawnshop had little impact on Shen Changqing, let alone the entire Demon-Subduing Division.

After searching thoroughly, Shen Changqing directly dug a deep pit on the spot and buried all the bodies there. He didn’t touch anything else and immediately returned to the Yamen.

As he returned, the battle outside the city was still ongoing. Meanwhile, flames raged within the city, lighting up the sky.

When Shen Changqing returned to the Yamen, he immediately summoned all the Government Officials recuperating inside.

"The city is on fire! This is surely the work of Demon Evil. Gather the nearby citizens to extinguish the flames and prevent widespread panic!"

"We obey!" the Government Officials hurriedly acknowledged the order.

Shen Changqing gazed at the scene outside the Yamen. The city, previously pitch-black, was now illuminated by the spreading fires.

The Demon Evil must be losing ground; otherwise, they wouldn’t resort to such an extreme measure as arson. What a desperate tactic! Setting the city ablaze was undoubtedly an attempt to sow panic. Now, all available personnel from the Yamen had been dispatched.

It’s a pity Lin’an City is ultimately too small, and its geographical location isn’t important enough to warrant a large garrison. Otherwise, handling this situation would be much easier, Shen Changqing sighed. Great Qin was vast, but not every city had soldiers stationed in it. In fact, only major cities or those of significant strategic importance had a military presence. A small place like Lin’an City was already fortunate to have a few dozen Government Officials.

With one step, his body leapt into the air. Shen Changqing stood on the roof of the Yamen, his field of vision instantly broadened, allowing him to overlook a large part of Lin’an City. Previously, Lin’an City had been shrouded in darkness, and even with his night vision, he couldn’t see very far. But now, things were different. Fires were erupting everywhere. Aided by the firelight, Shen Changqing could see much further.

Standing on the roof of the Yamen, Shen Changqing could clearly see that because of the fire, many citizens ran out of their houses to help extinguish the blaze. Further in the distance was the battle raging outside the city. Unfortunately, it was too far away; even from his high vantage point, he couldn’t see much detail.

Come on, then! Let me see just how many Demon Evil are still lurking in Lin’an City— Shen Changqing extended his perception to its maximum, his gaze sweeping across the city like lightning, attempting to locate any trace of Demon Evil. Since the Eternal Alliance had resorted to arson, the Demon Evil would no longer act with subtlety. After all, in the eyes of Demon Evil, the Human Clan were no better than livestock. Now that all pretense was gone, they would surely indulge in a bloody slaughter before retreating.

Looking around, he saw only the roaring fires. Amidst the citizens frantically fighting the fires, a fleeting, icy aura flickered past.

Found you— Shen Changqing’s lips curved into a grim smile as he precisely pinpointed that wisp of icy aura.

In the next instant, his body soared through the air, darting towards the direction where the Yin Evil Aura had vanished. Soon, he landed in a courtyard. The once-faint Yin Evil Aura was now dense. Looking around, he saw bodies strewn everywhere. The cause of death was the same for all of them: like the Heavenly Inspection Guard members at Yongfu Pawnshop, their Essence Blood had been completely drained.

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