Human Clan Defender
Chapter 62: Flames Reach the Sky

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Flames Reach the Sky

He walked forward at a slow pace.

Shen Changqing did not let the corpses on the ground disturb his inner calm.

The closer he got, the heavier that Yin Evil Aura became.

When he spread his perception outwards, the surroundings were deathly still, devoid of any signs of life.

Suddenly, Shen Changqing stood still.

A Yin Evil Aura pervaded the air around him, as if everything had come to a standstill.

He could be sure. The Demon Evil present had discovered his trace but, wary of his strength, it dared not make the slightest move.

Time ticked away. Shen Changqing made no move, and neither did the Demon Evil.

Both were waiting, expecting the other to reveal a flaw.

After a long time, the Demon Evil still made no move, but Shen Changqing grew impatient.

"Fine, if you don’t wish to come out, then this official will see how long you can withstand!"

A palm strike whooshed through the air, its scorching wind swept forth like a heatwave and instantly ignited the buildings around him.

Immediately after, Shen Changqing added a few more palm strikes, intensifying the burning momentum of the fire.

Soon, the entire courtyard was engulfed in flames.

Demon Evils may not fear fire, but that doesn’t mean flames don’t affect them at all. Even if they are formless and intangible, once the temperature reaches a certain level, they are forced to retreat.

The fire roared to life. Shen Changqing stood in the middle of the courtyard, his Gang Qi radiating outwards, temporarily shielding him from the heat.

Meanwhile, his perception expanded, sensing every movement within the courtyard.

One moment!

Two moments!

The fire crackled, consuming the wood. The Yin Evil Aura dissipated somewhat from the heat, yet there were still no significant fluctuations.

As the fire grew more fierce, even with Gang Qi protecting him, Shen Changqing felt his breath becoming labored.

However, his form remained still, locked in a standoff with the hidden Demon Evil.

BOOM!

As the fire raged on, several more fragile side rooms finally collapsed.

At the moment of the collapse, a shadow violently burst out from the flames and sped away.

"You’re finally out!"

Shen Changqing’s eyes were cold as he chased after it.

He unleashed the power of Heavenly Centipede True Qi. His speed was akin to lightning, and in less than two moments, he had closed the gap between them.

Then, with a palm strike, he lashed out into the air.

His Palm Gang struck, causing the shadow in front to fall.

As the shadow dropped, Shen Changqing took a step forward, his form instantly following the descent. The shadow bounced upon hitting the ground, and he immediately drew his sword, engaging it in combat.

At that moment, utilizing his ability to see in the night, Shen Changqing saw clearly what he was fighting.

A person resembling a Protector, but unlike any other, with a stiff expression and ghostlike movements.

He would naturally not forget such a familiar scene.

"Possession!"

"The Demon Evils of the Eternal Alliance, in addition to stealing Demon’s Essence Blood, also have the strength to send a Resentment Level Monster to cause chaos in Lin’an City."

Shen Changqing’s expression was grave; his offensive movements never paused for a breath.

The fall of the Heavenly Inspection Guard’s outpost could very likely be the work of this Resentment Level Monster. Otherwise, with the outpost’s strength, a Ghostly Level Fiend couldn’t have so easily wiped them out. On the contrary, a Resentment Level Monster was something the outpost, with its strength, had no chance to stand against.

WHOOSH—

The long blade cleaved through the air. The Blade Gang cut through the atmosphere, carrying a fierce howl into the night as the Demon Evil disappeared from its original spot, seemingly looking for another place to hide.

Shen Changqing was quicker. Following through with his sword after an unsuccessful palm strike, he closed in and imprinted another fierce palm strike.

BANG!

The body of the Demon Evil was sent flying.

That one palm directly caved its chest in.

Immediately after, Shen Changqing delivered another slash with his sword, decapitating the Demon Evil.

As the head hit the ground, the Demon Evil emerged from the body, attempting to flee to another location.

"Sir!"

A Government Official who had seen the commotion arrived just in time, causing the Demon Evil to change direction and fly towards him.

Seeing this, Shen Changqing’s expression changed.

"Get out of the way—"

Before he could finish speaking, it was already too late.

The Government Official, unprepared, was possessed by the Demon Evil, his body briefly stiffening.

Before the Demon Evil could fully take over the body, Shen Changqing’s sword was already chopping down, heavily striking the nape of the official’s neck.

Although the blade was blunt, aided by Heavenly Centipede True Qi, cutting through iron was effortless.

With just one strike, the Government Official’s head fell.

The newly possessed Demon Evil immediately emerged from the body, seeking another host.

Shen Changqing, his anger flaring, shouted furiously, "You still wish to flee!"

With a forceful throw of his wrist, the long knife transformed into a black light that pierced through the air and instantly nailed the Demon Evil to the ground.

Then, without giving his opponent a chance to react, Shen Changqing had already closed the distance, delivering a full-powered palm strike that landed directly on the body of the Demon Evil.

"AH!!"

The Demon Evil let out a piercing scream, its body scattered like smoke under the force of the blow.

A familiar sensation surged up. Shen Changqing glanced at his panel and noted that his Slaughter Value had increased by over twenty points. His mind completely relaxed.

Demon Evils are insidious, and it’s hard to determine if they are truly dead. But Slaughter Value is different. If a Demon Evil hadn’t died, it wouldn’t yield any Slaughter Value. If it had sustained irreparable harm, it would provide a portion of Slaughter Value, but definitely not much. Now, with the panel showing a spike of over twenty points in Slaughter Value, that’s the amount only a complete Resentment Level Monster could provide. Therefore, the arrival of the Slaughter Value meant the Demon Evil had died.

It wasn’t until this moment that the few Government Officials, who stood trembling with faces stricken by horror, dared to slowly walk forward.

"Sir—"

"What’s the situation in other areas?" Shen Changqing sheathed his knife and looked towards the Government Officials, among whom was Zhou Yang from before.

At this, Zhou Yang’s gaze flickered to the corpse of his colleague on the ground. He then retracted his gaze and bowed. "Reporting to you, sir, most of the fires in various places have been put out. We officials saw some commotion here, so we came to check it out."

What he didn’t expect was that the commotion was caused by Shen Changqing and a Demon Evil.

Regarding this, Zhou Yang was also grateful that he wasn’t the one who arrived first; otherwise, he would have been the one lying on the ground, his head separated from his body.

Shen Changqing looked at the several men and then again at the corpse on the ground, shaking his head slightly. "He died the moment the Demon Evil possessed him, but after all, he died in the line of duty. Take him back for a proper burial. If he has family, offer the appropriate compensation according to the rules."

"Sir, you are wise."

In response to Zhou Yang’s flattery, Shen Changqing shook his head silently.

In any case, the dead Government Official had been dutiful. His death was somewhat related to him, so providing compensation was the least he could do.

After a moment of regret, he continued, "Continue your patrols, check for any other anomalies, and also speed up the efforts to extinguish the fire. I will handle the rest."

"Understood, sir!" Zhou Yang bowed.

Shen Changqing gave him a glance, then took to the air, disappearing from the spot in less than a moment.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Yang turned to the people behind him, "Wu Er, you take Zhou Xing’s body back. The rest of you, follow me."

---

After slaying the Resentment Level Monster and harvesting a wave of Slaughter Value, Shen Changqing returned to the Yamen.

The commotion outside the city gradually subsided.

Time passed.

Soon, it reached the moment when the sky’s dawn began to disperse the darkness of Heaven and Earth.

Standing on the roof of the Yamen, Shen Changqing thought to himself, It’s over!

Before him, Lin’an City still had lingering smoke rising, but it lacked the suffocating gloom of the previous day.

The Government Officials patrolling the area were also gradually returning.

Shen Changqing leapt down and returned to the inner hall.

"Sir, may I ask how the situation was last night?" Shi Qingsheng, who had been resting in a side room of the inner hall, got out of bed the moment it became light and happened to see Shen Changqing descending from the roof.

He still looked pale, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, appearing sleep-deprived.

Shen Changqing raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t sleep well last night?"

"You jest, sir. With the situation last night, how could I possibly sleep?" Shi Qingsheng forced a smile.

Given last night’s events, saying he was unable to sleep was an understatement. He couldn’t even stop shivering while hiding under the covers.

If it weren’t for the daylight now, he wouldn’t dare leave his room.

There’s no helping it. Ordinary people are simply that weak in the face of a Demon Evil.

Shen Changqing said, "Last night I killed most of the Demon Evils. I believe Lin’an City will be much calmer for a while."

He said these words to comfort Shi Qingsheng.

The struggle for the Demon’s Essence Blood, needless to say, had ended. The Eternal Alliance’s foothold here had been thoroughly eradicated by him, and with the slaying of many Demon Evils, the Eternal Alliance could not possibly invest more power in this place. To put it bluntly, Lin’an City is just a tiny place. With nothing more than its hundred thousand souls that might tempt Demon Evils, it had no extra allure. If the Eternal Alliance were to pour vast resources here just to vent their anger, it would be too emotional a decision. In his view, the Eternal Alliance wouldn’t have become as large as it is today if they were given to such whims.

"As long as you are here, sir, what is there to fear from Demon Evils—" Shi Qingsheng said with an appeasing smile, then paused in his speech.

He had almost forgotten. Shen Changqing was not the true County Magistrate but a temporary substitute until the new one arrived. In other words, he would inevitably leave one day.

While the two were talking, Zhang Yue had already returned with his men.

"Come into the inner hall to speak; the rest of you, take a rest." Seeing Zhang Yue, Shen Changqing spoke up directly.

After saying this, he stepped into the inner hall.

Zhang Yue and Shi Qingsheng quickly followed him in.

The remaining Government Officials dispersed on their own.

In the inner hall, Shen Changqing sat at the head and looked at the two men before him. "Both of you, take a seat. Then Zhang Yue, describe the specific situation to me. How much did the city lose last night?"