Human Clan Defender
Chapter 99 Demon––Demon Evil

Chapter 99: Chapter 99 Demon––Demon Evil

Having traversed the streets, Wu Er arrived at the eastern part of the city, still shouting the same repetitive phrases.

"The air is dry, be careful with candles and lamps—"

As he shouted, he also knocked on his bamboo clapper, his gaze scanning the surroundings.

The residences around him were dark and unlit. It was almost the third watch of the night, and everyone was asleep. Apart from a very few who were up due to their jobs, the rest had no habit of staying up late.

The darkness was the same as always. The silence, too, was the same.

Yet for some reason, Wu Er felt something was off, although he couldn’t quite articulate what specifically.

Turning into an alley, Wu Er reached a more open area.

Hmm, someone?

His expression froze, a strange look crossing his face as he looked ahead.

There was an ancient well from which a dark figure was drawing water, clutching a rope, slowly pulling something up from the well, seemingly with great effort.

After pausing to watch for a moment, Wu Er couldn’t help but walk closer.

"My good sir, it’s curfew. Why are you still out drawing water? You better head back quickly. If the Yamen patrols see you, that would spell trouble."

The curfew was a strict affair. Without special status, being caught outside during curfew by Yamen patrols could lead to a fine at best, or even a stint in the dungeon at worst. If it weren’t for his unique identity, Wu Er himself wouldn’t dare to be out at this hour.

However, no matter what he said, the dark figure continued to silently draw water, its movements never pausing.

Seeing this, Wu Er grew even more puzzled. By that time, he had walked right up to the dark figure.

With the help of the torchlight, he instantly saw the dark figure’s face.

At that moment, Wu Er’s breath caught. His hand clutching the torch trembled slightly, and his feet felt rooted to the ground, unable to move an inch.

The person before him lacked all normal facial features; his face was smooth, like a featureless mask of human skin.

At this point, he also saw clearly what the other party was pulling from the well. It wasn’t a rope at all, but a bloodied intestine.

"Demon—Demon Evil!" Wu Er’s lips quivered. He yearned to flee, but a great fear in his heart immobilized him.

Eventually, the Faceless One stopped pulling the intestines and turned its head to look at Wu Er.

"AHH—"

「—」

Awakening on his bed, Shen Changqing felt the exhaustion from the previous day had fully dissipated.

Normally, he rarely slept, usually restoring his energy and nurturing his spirit through meditation. But the previous day was different. The battle with Hongyi had significantly depleted him. Although the breakthrough of his Heavenly Martial Gang Qi later provided some replenishment, spiritual fatigue wasn’t something a breakthrough in Martial Arts alone could alleviate.

Upon waking properly, he finally felt he had replenished all he had expended.

Nothing happened last night, I hope!

Sitting on a stool, Shen Changqing took a sip of the overnight cold water. Finding it too chilly, he used his Heavenly Centipede True Qi to warm it, then drank several mouthfuls contentedly.

The previous day’s battle had left the members of the Eternal Alliance severely injured, certainly preventing them from causing trouble again easily. If there were still demonic disturbances last night under those circumstances, it was very likely not the work of the Eternal Alliance’s Demonfolk, but that of Demon Evils from another faction.

Regarding this, Shen Changqing had already learned from Hongyi that Jincheng was not simply under threat from a single demonic force. However, these matters were, for the time being, not of much relevance to him.

His mission was merely to confirm whether the Wanhua Building was an Eternal Alliance Stronghold. He had now confirmed it was indeed an Eternal Alliance Stronghold, and having destroyed it, he considered the mission accomplished beyond expectations.

To put it plainly, Shen Changqing could now return to the Demon-Subduing Division without any issues. The only regret was that Xu Yi and the others seemed to have truly perished, and his meager Merit Points were most likely gone.

As for the situation in Jincheng, once the Heavenly Inspection Guard reported back, the Demon-Subduing Division would surely assign other powerful Demon Hunters to deal with it.

However—Shen Changqing did not plan on returning just yet.

His reason was simple: the more complex the situation in Jincheng, the more Slaughter Value there was to reap.

If this were right after he had first left the Demon-Subduing Division, he certainly wouldn’t interfere too much. His strength was limited, and dealing with a gathering of Demon Evils wouldn’t be easy. One misstep, and he might have ended up as fodder for Demon Evils.

But now things were different. Although he had not yet broken through to the Grandmaster Realm, Shen Changqing was confident that probably no one below the Grandmaster level could kill him. This meant that Demon Evils below the Fiend Level were not a major issue. If a Fiend-Level Demon Evil were to appear, the Defender Envoy of the Great Wilderness Prefecture would certainly not stand idly by.

Therefore, Shen Changqing felt that, being at the Innate Realm, he was already in an invincible position.

The Emperor of Great Qin is aging. Judging from the words of the Demonfolk of the Eternal Alliance, it seems the current demonic invasion is also related to this.

This means the Emperor of Great Qin is indeed a powerful figure, an exceptionally strong one, to the point that even the Demon Evils are quite wary of him.

If the Emperor of Great Qin were to truly pass away, could Great Qin fall into an uncontrollable state—?

He sat there, plunged into deep thought.

Although as a mere Demon Hunter, I’m not qualified to concern myself with whether Great Qin descends into chaos or not.

However, Shen Changqing was very clear that if Great Qin were to fall into chaos, he might not be able to survive in such turbulent times.

Demon Evils running rampant is an undeniable fact.

Now, with the Demon-Subduing Division in place, the Demon Evils are somewhat restrained. But even with some restraint, many civilians have died.

If they were not restrained, one can only imagine the kind of situation Great Qin would face.

It seems that to have enough power to protect myself in times of chaos, I must possess absolute strength. Neither Great Qin nor the Demon-Subduing Division is truly reliable.

The only one I can truly rely on is myself.

Shen Changqing’s gaze was profound.

Rely on a mountain, and it may crumble; rely on others, and they may flee.

Only relying on oneself is the most practical course of action.

Right now, Jincheng is an opportunity, an opportunity for me to harvest enough Slaughter Value.

As long as I have Slaughter Value, I am confident I can break through to the Grandmaster Realm, or even reach higher realms.

By then, even if the Emperor of Great Qin passed away, what would it matter? I would still have enough strength to sweep the world.

So it seems—Slaughter Value is indeed the most urgent thing right now!

Shen Changqing sighed softly to himself.

Afterward, he got up and had the waiter fetch a basin of water. After a quick wash, he went out.

He didn’t go to Zhong Chi to ask if anything had happened the day before. In fact, if something truly significant had occurred in Jincheng, Zhong Chi would have certainly informed him in advance. No news meant that the situation was still within controllable limits.

Before leaving, Shen Changqing first took two Satiety Pills, which served to quell his hunger.

On the streets, there were somewhat fewer pedestrians, and each person’s face bore different expressions: panic, solemnity, but mostly furrowed brows and distress.

The issue at Wanhua Building has already spread.

Just by looking at the expressions of the pedestrians, Shen Changqing knew that the matter concerning the Demon Evils at Wanhua Building had definitely spread; otherwise, it wouldn’t have caused such panic among the people.

Walking down the street, he saw soldiers clad in black armor patrolling. All who saw the soldiers in black armor stepped aside to let them pass, and the expressions of panic on their faces also dissipated somewhat.

"The Black Tiger Army entering the city should make those Demon Evils wary!"

"Naturally! The Black Tiger Army is a renowned elite force in our Great Wilderness Prefecture. They’ve slain countless Demon Evils and Barbarian Clans. No matter how rampant the Demon Evils in Jincheng are, they wouldn’t dare to be presumptuous in front of the Black Tiger Army."

"Let’s hope so!"

"It’s a pity the Black Tiger Army has only entered the city now. If they had come two days earlier, not so many people would have died at Wanhua Building!"

The standing civilians all shook their heads and sighed, showing both reverence for the Black Tiger Army and resentment towards the Demon Evils.

One person couldn’t help but curse loudly, "Those Demon Evils really deserve to die! Almost a thousand people at Wanhua Building, it’s said they were all killed by Demon Evils! When the Yamen burned the bodies last night, the fire was reportedly so high it lit up the sky like day."

"Who’s to say otherwise—" another sighed, chiming in.

Standing aside, Shen Changqing listened to the conversations around him, gaining a better understanding of the aftermath of last night’s events.

As expected, the commoners at Wanhua Building hadn’t escaped the clutches of the Demon Evils. From the discussions he overheard, it seemed they were all dead.

At the same time, the Black Tiger Army had also entered the city last night to maintain order.

Watching the passing Black Tiger Army, Shen Changqing couldn’t help but nod to himself.

The Black Tiger Army is indeed one of Great Qin’s famed strong forces. The sheer murderous aura they exude is incomparable. Possessing such an aura, they would undoubtedly have a certain deterrent effect on Demon Evils!

Murderous aura! In other words, killing intent.

Like the Illusory Realms of Demon Evils, this murderous aura is also intangible, something that only accumulates through extensive killing.

In my view, murderous aura is also a form of attack that can affect one’s spirit.

The Black Tiger Army had a formidable reputation. While they hadn’t slain as many Demon Evils as the Demon-Subduing Division, the number they had killed was by no means small.

As the Black Tiger Army passed, Shen Changqing could sense the potent qi and blood emanating from beneath their black armor, a testament to each soldier having reached the Body Tempering Realm.

But that was normal. As an army protecting Great Qin, strong physical conditioning was a must. The Body Tempering Realm was the most basic requirement.

After observing the Black Tiger Army for a few more moments, Shen Changqing headed towards the Wanhua Building. Last night, he had been severely injured and hadn’t dared to linger. Now that his injuries had somewhat healed, he needed to go back and assess the situation.