CHAPTER 219: CHAPTER 17 OPPORTUNITY

The storm is coming!

Sun Guan recognized it—the head was unmistakably that of Kong Ye. The expert stationed by the Demon-Subduing Division at Minor Hillock Mountain was known to the Saber Blade Sect. After all, when a Grandmaster-level expert appeared within their own territory, the Saber Blade Sect could not possibly remain completely unaware.

But now, Kong Ye had been slain here. Considering the severed limbs and broken arms on the ground, Sun Guan could almost guess what had happened. In the battle last night, the Demon-Subduing Division’s forces had been completely wiped out. Once this news got out, it would surely cause a tremendous stir. By that time, the Saber Blade Sect might also be affected.

Sun Guan then looked towards the interior of Minor Hillock Mountain, his eyes filled with deep apprehension. From the information obtained, there might well be a forbidden area inside Minor Hillock Mountain. The deaths of the Demon-Subduing Division’s people might be related to this forbidden area.

"We must leave this place first!" he thought, not daring to linger any longer. Even someone as strong as Kong Ye died here. I’m just a Martial Artist in the Innate Realm. If there’s any real danger, I’ll have no chance of resisting. It’s better to retreat for now. As for the rest, I’ll report back and let the Saber Blade Sect Master decide.

「 」

"Zhou Qing is dead!"

Within the stronghold of the Eternal Alliance, a man wearing a mask looked at the extinguished Soul Lamp, his tone turning somber. The extinguishing of Zhou Qing’s Soul Lamp made him sense that something was amiss.

The defenders at Minor Hillock Mountain were only two Grandmasters. For them, two Demon Evils, and Zhou Qing to perish there... could the Demon-Subduing Division have other contingencies?

For the first time, the masked man felt that things were slipping from his control. According to his plan, Zhou Qing and the others should have killed the Demon-Subduing Division personnel and then recruited the calamity from Minor Hillock Mountain into the Eternal Alliance’s camp.

However, Zhou Qing was now dead. With Zhou Qing’s death, the fate of the remaining two Demon Evils was unlikely to be any better.

Yang Gong also died inexplicably before, but Yang Gong wasn’t powerful. Zhou Qing, however, was a mid-stage Grandmaster Martial Artist—he couldn’t have perished so easily. If Yang Gong’s death was an accident, then Zhou Qing’s death cannot be. This won’t do. This matter requires careful consideration.

The masked man stared at the extinguished Soul Lamp, his expression behind the mask grim and unsettled.

A juvenile-stage calamity is no trivial matter. If I can bring it into our camp, it will be immensely useful in the future. The other calamities have already matured and are difficult to approach. We cannot let this juvenile one slip away. But with Kong Ye and his group dead, the Demon-Subduing Division will surely be on alert. Troublesome!

Although the masked man hadn’t received news from Minor Hillock Mountain, he was almost certain Kong Ye and the others were dead. The remaining tasks were to discover the cause of Zhou Qing’s group’s demise and find a way to win over that calamity.

「 」

After a night of arduous cultivation, Shen Changqing had successfully advanced his Great Sun Golden Body, significantly bolstering his strength. Although he had not yet advanced to the Great Sun Furnace realm, the increase in his power was clearly palpable. Only by cultivating the twenty-five-layer Great Sun Golden Body to the Perfection Realm could one truly reach the peak of the Physical System. Currently, Shen Changqing’s Great Sun Golden Body cultivation was still at the seventeenth layer. The gap between this and the twenty-fifth layer was considerable.

For the next two days, he continued to consolidate his strength, remaining entirely secluded. On the third day, he finally left Hidden Heart Pavilion.

Shen Changqing did not go elsewhere but headed straight for the Martial Hall, intending to find records about Demon Evil. The problem was that while the Martial Hall housed numerous Martial Arts and related volumes, they all pertained to cultivation. Records concerning Demon Evil, however, were scarce. He searched thoroughly for a long time but still couldn’t find what he needed.

Eventually, Shen Changqing had no choice but to leave the Martial Hall and head to the Scripture Pavilion to search for information.

Compared to the Martial Hall, which was dedicated purely to collecting Martial Arts, the Scripture Pavilion was far more diverse. It had been some time since Shen Changqing last visited the Scripture Pavilion, not since he began frequenting the Martial Hall.

Arriving at the Scripture Pavilion once more, he saw the same old man sitting there, resting.

But the Shen Changqing of today is not the Shen Changqing of the past, he mused. He had reached the late-stage Grandmaster realm, and his insight was vastly superior to before. Thus, the elderly man before him did not seem like an ordinary old man. Within that aged body surged an extremely potent blood vitality, a testament to the man’s formidable strength.

"Late-stage Grandmaster!" Shen Changqing thought with a start. Only those who have embarked on the Physical System of cultivation can maintain such abundant blood vitality in old age. Clearly, this person is at least a late-stage Grandmaster expert. And in the Scripture Pavilion, each floor is guarded by one person. This means a place as large as the Scripture Pavilion must have at least four or five late-stage Grandmaster experts.

At this, doubts surfaced in Shen Changqing’s mind again. A few days ago, Demon Evil wreaked havoc within the Capital City. If these Grandmasters had intervened, resolving the issue shouldn’t have been difficult. Yet, the Demon-Subduing Division didn’t deploy them.

He shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it further. How the Demon-Subduing Division operates is not for a mere Earth Rank Demon Hunter like me to question.

He presented his Identity Token. The old man’s expression flickered slightly. Then, with a nod, he gestured for Shen Changqing to enter.

"Shen Changqing!" the old man mused, a faint smile gracing his deeply wrinkled face as he watched the young man’s retreating figure. "It won’t be long before the Demon-Subduing Division has another top-tier expert!"

He then closed his eyes to resume his rest.

Passing Demon Hunters who witnessed this couldn’t help but rub their eyes, wondering if they’d seen correctly. For them, the old man guarding the Scripture Pavilion entrance was perpetually stern, a man of few words who rarely smiled.

Entering the Scripture Pavilion, Shen Changqing didn’t venture further, staying on the first floor to search for the information he needed.

Here, the benefits of advancing to the second stage of the Spiritual System became apparent. Without needing to search manually, he could simply spread his Divine Sense to quickly scan the books on the shelves and locate what he sought.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Shen Changqing walked towards a specific bookshelf and pulled out a volume. The book was somewhat creased, evidence of frequent reading, and clearly quite old. Flipping through the brittle, yellowed pages, he examined the recorded content.

This book primarily chronicled information about Demon Evil.

"The hierarchy of the Demon Evil Clan is strict, with Demon Evil at the apex. Demon Evils are born with powerful physiques; their Demon Blood and Demon Essence greatly suppress a Martial Artist’s blood vitality and True Qi. While a Martial Artist’s True Qi can contend with the Yin Evil Aura of Strange Monsters, Demon Blood and Demon Essence exist on a higher plane, completely dominating both."

"Powerful Strange Monsters have a minuscule chance of breaking their limitations to ascend to the ranks of Demon Evil, but most Demon Evils are naturally formed. Even the weakest Demon Evil is stronger than an average Grandmaster. Furthermore, powerful Demon Evils possess the ability to regenerate from a single drop of blood. Even weaker ones are not easily killed. If their Divine Soul isn’t completely obliterated, any remaining piece of flesh offers them a chance to resurrect."

Shen Changqing read the book’s contents, much of which aligned with his previous conjectures.

So, Demon Evil do not die easily. To completely kill one, its flesh must be utterly destroyed, or its Primordial Spirit annihilated. Otherwise, it can revive. The simplest method to destroy a Demon Evil’s flesh is to burn it. Once the flesh is destroyed, the Primordial Spirit, having nowhere to reside, will naturally vanish.

"In that case," he realized, "the Demon Evil flesh stored in the Demon-Subduing Prison must contain parts of their Primordial Spirits. It’s precisely because of these Primordial Spirit remnants that the flesh retains its ’undying’ properties."

Shen Changqing now understood why the Demon Evil flesh in the Demon-Subduing Prison seemed alive. It was because those pieces of flesh contained portions of the Demon Evils’ Primordial Spirits. A Demon Evil’s Primordial Spirit permeates its entire body, and a complete body houses a complete Primordial Spirit. Therefore, severing a part of a Demon Evil’s body is akin to severing a part of its Primordial Spirit. However, Demon Evils are extremely powerful; if they retract that portion of their Primordial Spirit the instant a limb is severed, they can easily regenerate it.

After a long while, Shen Changqing closed the book, now possessing a much better understanding of Demon Evil.

Undoubtedly, the author of this book had a profound understanding of Demon Evil. Unfortunately, the book was unsigned, and he had no idea who wrote it. Considering its age, it was questionable whether the author was even still alive.

"My Great Sun Golden Body has advanced," he mused. "With my current strength, even if I encounter a Demon Evil, escaping shouldn’t be an issue. After all, a peak expert of the Physical System can contend with an ordinary Demon Evil. While there’s still a gap between my current level and that peak, it’s not so vast that I’d be utterly powerless. This means I don’t need to be overly cautious anymore."

Shen Changqing returned the book to its original place and then walked out of the Scripture Pavilion.

His current strength was no match for a high-ranking Demon Evil. However, such powerful Demon Evils were not commonly encountered. Throughout the history of Great Qin, Demon Evils of that caliber had appeared so rarely they could be counted on one hand; it was unlikely he would stumble upon one by chance. Ordinary Demon Evils also appeared infrequently. But if he did encounter one, Shen Changqing was now confident he could retreat safely. Thus, his apprehension had lessened considerably.

Slay Demon Evil, improve strength. The current Demon Evil chaos within the Capital City is an opportunity for me.