Human Clan Defender
Chapter 87: Weakening Strength

Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Weakening Strength

Talents are rare! It depends on what kind of talent, as well as the organization or sect they belong to.

The Demon-Subduing Division is the most powerful institution in Great Qin, with branches set up all over the territory. It can be said that the Demon-Subduing Division is constantly scouring for suitable Martial Dao seeds, then sending them into the Division.

Those who join Jianghu Sects are mostly those passed over by the Demon-Subduing Division. Of course, there are also some who choose to join Jianghu Sects because they do not wish to enter the Demon-Subduing Division, but they are, after all, a minority.

Joining the Demon-Subduing Division carries great risks, but at the same time, the benefits one can gain from it are also considerable. Not to mention anything else, the status and identity that come with the Demon-Subduing Division alone are not something Jianghu Sects can offer.

It’s good to take shelter under a big tree. While combating Demon Evil is perilous, not everyone feels fear. But it’s not a choice available to everyone.

Just like Shen Changqing’s predecessor, to stay alive, one could only join the Demon-Subduing Division. As for joining a Jianghu Sect, one might not live long enough to see that day, having already died on the way there.

For a martial artist at mid-stage Pulse Condensation to flee in panic, that Demon Evil’s strength should be close to mid-stage Pulse Condensation as well, definitely not too powerful, otherwise Zhou Qin wouldn’t have had the chance to escape.

For every minor realm ascended, Demon Evil are crushingly powerful against martial artists.

Shen Changqing stimulated his True Qi, burning the paper completely. Having fought with Demon Evil several times, he had a strong understanding of their capabilities.

In terms of true strength, at the same realm, Demon Evil are actually not much stronger than martial artists. The greatest advantage of Demon Evil lies in their lack of physical form, enabling them to attack martial artists at will, catching them off guard. Besides that, Demon Evil inherently possess a Yin Evil Aura, which naturally restrains the average martial artist, unless one cultivates Inner Strength like the Pure Yang True Qi, which can resist that Yin Evil Aura.

Zhou Qin just entered the ancestral home last night, and today the Heavenly Inspection Guard has already received the news. It seems there are ears and eyes of the Heavenly Inspection Guard within the Zhou Family as well.

Shen Changqing had come to understand just how pervasive the Heavenly Inspection Guard was. This made sense; as the Zhou Family was one of the great families in Jincheng, it was only natural for the Heavenly Inspection Guard to send some people to act as informants within the Zhou Family.

After a simple wash-up, Shen Changqing rose and left Tianyi Tower.

Ever since the last time in Lin’an City, when he damaged the uniform symbolizing the Demon-Subduing Division, he had not gone to get a new one, but instead bought a few sets of casual clothes.

Not wearing the Demon-Subduing Division’s clothes had its pros and cons. The advantage was that he wouldn’t be too conspicuous in his actions, not having to walk about shining like a beacon. As for the downside, it’s probably that some ignorant people might attempt to provoke him. However, Shen Changqing had never encountered such ignorant individuals since he had been out.

Leaving Tianyi Tower, he headed towards the south of the city. The Zhou Family’s ancestral home was located in that area.

The presence of a Demon Evil in the Zhou Family meant Shen Changqing had to go and see for himself just what level the creature was at.

According to the mission procedure, if the Demon Evil was at the mid-stage of the Ghostly Level, he wouldn’t need to intervene much. However, if that Demon Evil proved to be more than just mid-stage Ghostly Level, Shen Changqing would have to ’assist’ a bit.

The Zhou Family’s ancestral home was in the most bustling area of the southern city, but when he actually arrived in front of it, he found the surroundings eerily quiet, without a single person in sight. Obviously, the news of a Demon Evil in the Zhou Family’s ancestral home had spread.

Facing Demon Evil, ordinary people would instinctively feel fear. Even if the area used to be bustling, now no one dared to venture near.

And in front of the gate of the Zhou Family’s ancestral home, Shen Changqing saw several Talisman Papers attached to the closed doors, as if those Talisman Papers were enough to imprison the Demon Evil within.

If Demon Evil could be dealt with so easily, people wouldn’t find them so terrifying, Shen Changqing sighed inwardly as he looked at the Talisman Papers on the door. To be precise, Talisman Papers are useless against Demon Evil.

Many charlatans have taken the opportunity to make money amidst the havoc of Demon Evil in Great Qin. But none of them can truly deal with Demon Evil.

He had come across such things in the Scripture Pavilion of the Demon-Subduing Division. Standing in front of the Zhou Family’s gate, Shen Changqing could clearly sense that there was indeed a Demon Evil aura hidden inside.

After pausing briefly, he moved away from the front of the Zhou Family’s ancestral home, towards a part of the encircling wall, then with a leap, he entered the Zhou Family’s premises.

The moment he entered the Zhou Family’s estate, a chill enveloped him from all directions, causing the temperature to plummet considerably. Looking up at the sky, the sun had just risen, its rays illuminating the earth. Yet, even under the sunlight, this chill couldn’t be dispelled.

With such a concentration of Yin Evil Aura, this Demon Evil’s strength must be out of the ordinary! Shen Changqing frowned.

Ignoring the blazing sun during the day and causing such a piercing coldness was definitely beyond the capabilities of an ordinary mid-stage Ghostly Level Demon Evil. Even if it wasn’t late-stage Ghostly Level, it was not far off.

Glancing around, there was nothing unusual; behind him was a garden wall, and in front was a long corridor with railings. But for Shen Changqing, a railing was as good as nonexistent.

He effortlessly stepped over the railing and continued walking along the corridor. The residence of a prominent family really is different, so much bigger than those of others—

Turning left and right along the corridor, passing several pavilions, Shen Changqing realized he had not yet reached the end and couldn’t help but mumble a complaint to himself. A prominent family of the city. Shen Changqing had seen them before. But compared to the Zhou Family, the likes of the Zhao Family and Zhang Family fell far short. Therefore, he quickened his pace.

Soon, his view widened. With artificial mountains standing tall and pavilions dotted around, Shen Changqing could clearly hear the sound of flowing water. It must be here!

Upon reaching the backyard garden, the Yin Evil Aura suddenly intensified. Silently, Shen Changqing saw a corner of clothing under an artificial mountain and immediately walked over.

Only when he got close to the artificial mountain did he clearly see that it was a mummified corpse. Judging by the corpse’s attire and its vague features, he could discern that it was a woman, but due to the body being completely drained of Essence Blood, it had severely deformed. Seeing this, Shen Changqing’s expression turned grave.

Although the corpse has been drained of its Essence Blood, there is no smell of decay, suggesting it has not been long since death. Ever since the Zhou Family encountered the Demon Evil, there has been some time since someone last came here to exterminate it. This doesn’t quite match up with the corpse at hand.

Combining the information provided by the Heavenly Inspection Guard, he could almost ascertain the origin of the body. According to the report, last night it wasn’t only the Zhou Family’s young miss, Zhou Qin, who stealthily visited the Zhou residence; others accompanied her as well. Now that there is a body left here, it indicates there were casualties last night.

After glancing twice at the body, Shen Changqing withdrew his gaze and began to survey the surrounding environment. He was no greenhorn; corpses barely caused any disturbance to his emotions. At this moment, the surroundings imperceptibly became a few shades dimmer. A thin mist, its origin unknown, was spreading through the air.

Shen Changqing made no move but merely stood there, expanding his senses in an attempt to detect any Demon Evil that might be lurking behind the fog. The fog churned as though a colossal beast was breathing behind it.

A chilling breeze blew, causing his clothing to flutter. Suddenly, behind Shen Changqing, a dark figure emerged from the mist, its small and stunted body moving slowly forward without making a sound.

Not until it approached Shen Changqing did the figure stop, lifting its withered, green palm, ready to make its next move. Just then, Shen Changqing swiftly turned around, facing the figure directly. The abrupt change caused the figure to freeze in its motion.

"So you were here!" Shen Changqing smiled, his white teeth giving his smile a somewhat sunny appearance.

In front of him stood a short, skinny Demon Evil with a sharp chin and high cheekbones, resembling an old woman—or more accurately, an old monkey that looked human. After a moment of stupor, the Demon Evil quickly reacted, its green withered palm slicing through the air, attempting to rip open Shen Changqing’s chest, as if intent on gutting him.

To outsiders, that movement would seem as fast as a specter. In front of Shen Changqing, however, it was no different from a normal person’s, neither very slow nor particularly fast.

Reacting faster than the attack, he extended his right hand and, when the Demon Evil’s strike was less than an inch from his chest, he caught its wrist.

With the Great Achievement of Iron Sand Palm and the reinforcement from the Invincible Golden Body, Shen Changqing’s hands were as formidable as divine weapons. Even though the Demon Evil carried a terrifying Yin Evil Aura, it was helpless upon contact.

The hand that clutched the wrist was like a red-hot iron pincer, clamping down tightly, with wisps of green smoke rising from it. That pain made the Demon Evil let out a wretched scream.

The next instant, Shen Changqing felt an emptiness in his hand, as the Demon Evil before him had vanished without a trace.

"You think you can escape?"

"It’s not that easy!"

He stepped forward, shooting out like an arrow from its string, then suddenly struck an empty space with a forceful palm.

BOOM—

AH!!

A piercing scream, and the once invisible Demon Evil fell out of thin air, emitting a scorched smell, evidently having been gravely injured by the Iron Sand Palm. After landing, the Demon Evil disappeared once again. This time, Shen Changqing did not pursue.

That palm had already dispersed much of the Demon Evil’s Yin Evil Aura. If before that moment, the Demon Evil was close to breaking through to the late Ghostly Level, his palm would surely have caused it significant harm. Not to mention advancing, maintaining its power at the mid Ghostly Level would already be difficult.

Having done all this, Shen Changqing departed as gracefully as he came.