CHAPTER 482: CHAPTER 229: THE END OF ZHENYUE SECT (SEEKING MONTHLY VOTES)

With Lin Yue’s death, the remaining Zhenyue Sect elders had no chance against the Demon-Subduing Division. This time, not only had Shen Changqing come himself, but numerous Earth Rank Demon Hunters also accompanied him. Within the Zhenyue Sect, apart from Lin Yue, who was a Martial Artist in the Grandmaster Realm, no one else had achieved that level. Thus, facing the Demon-Subduing Division’s encirclement, they had no ability to resist. Their destruction was inevitable.

One hour later, aside from those who had initially abandoned the sect, no other members of the Zhenyue Sect remained alive. The disciples who had betrayed the sect at the first opportunity trembled uncontrollably at the sight. Terror and dread filled them. They found it hard to imagine that a sect as powerful as Zhenyue could one day be so easily slaughtered. They also knew that after today, the name ’Zhenyue Sect’ would vanish from the Jianghu.

"The Zhenyue Sect betrayed the Human Clan and has now been lawfully annihilated by our Demon-Subduing Division. After you leave, you must not call yourselves disciples of the Zhenyue Sect. Otherwise, you will be considered remnants of the Zhenyue Sect, and you will be killed without mercy!" Shen Changqing declared, his expression indifferent as he looked at the trembling people.

Upon hearing this, they hurriedly nodded.

"Yes, yes, we understand!"

At this moment, who would dare to utter a word of dissent? Doing so could mean losing their head.

Shen Changqing waved his hand. "Go."

Immediately, those people fled in panic.

"Lord Defender, what should we do now?" Xing Yi approached and asked in a low voice.

Shen Changqing glanced at him. "Send people to confiscate all of Zhenyue Sect’s inventory. All Martial Arts are to be added to the Scripture Pavilion. As for the silver, you and your men take one-tenth, and convert the rest into silver notes."

"Yes!" Xing Yi’s expression turned serious.

This method of distribution didn’t seem abrupt to Xing Yi. The annihilation of the Zhenyue Sect was achieved through their own group’s efforts, so there was no need to turn the sect’s resources over to the state. In the past, when the Demon-Subduing Division eradicated a sect, its resources would belong to the local branch of the Demon-Subduing Division. Now, with Shen Changqing as the Defender Envoy of South Nether Prefecture—effectively the ultimate Dominator of the South Nether Prefecture’s Demon-Subduing Division—he naturally had the authority to distribute the spoils of war.

At this time, someone stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Defender Shen, several Zhenyue Sect Stewards who tried to flee in secret have all been killed. Do you wish to inspect the bodies?"

"There’s no need to look at the bodies. Just dispose of them on the spot," Shen Changqing waved his hand dismissively. There was nothing remarkable about corpses, and it wasn’t surprising that some Stewards had been killed.

He had already instructed his men to completely surround the Zhenyue Sect beforehand. Ten thousand soldiers might not seem like a lot, but they were more than capable of dealing with ordinary Martial Artists. Moreover, the ten thousand soldiers brought along were all elite troops; every one of them was a Martial Artist in the Body Tempering Realm, equipped with crossbows capable of countering Protective Gang Qi. In addition to that, powerful experts from the military accompanied them. It could be said that even if he, Shen Changqing, hadn’t acted, this army alone possessed the strength to annihilate the Zhenyue Sect. The only difference would have been the number of casualties.

In less than half a day, Xing Yi and his men had officially ransacked the Zhenyue Sect.

"Lord Defender, from the Zhenyue Sect, we’ve found three Grandmaster Martial Arts, seventeen Innate Martial Arts, thirty-five Pulse Condensation Martial Arts, and one hundred twenty-seven Body Tempering Realm Martial Arts. There are also elixir materials and other items that we haven’t fully inventoried yet. Additionally, we found fifty-seven thousand Silver Taels in cash, along with various antiques and paintings. Their value needs to be assessed before they can be liquidated."

"Hmm, do as I said before. All Martial Arts go to the Scripture Pavilion. As for the elixir materials, antiques, and paintings, sell them all on the black market. You and your men take ten percent of the silver obtained from the sales," Shen Changqing said indifferently. "Also, auction off all of Zhenyue Sect’s external properties in the name of our Demon-Subduing Division."

Within a sect, what was truly valuable, aside from the Martial Arts, were its external properties. These properties were the sect’s real source of income. One had to understand that with numerous disciples, the annual expenses for cultivating experts and maintaining daily operations amounted to tens of thousands of Silver Taels, if not more. Relying solely on the support of the local populace was insufficient to sustain a sect’s operations. Therefore, properties in various locations constituted the bulk of its assets.

Shen Changqing estimated that, given the Zhenyue Sect’s reputation and prestige, auctioning off all its properties would yield at least two to three million Silver Taels. After giving one-tenth to his subordinates, he would still pocket at least two million Silver Taels, which was quite good. As for taking it all for himself, that was unnecessary. If he wanted his subordinates to work diligently, he couldn’t give them no benefits at all. Giving away one-tenth might seem like a lot, but when divided among so many people, it wasn’t that much per person. Of course, this ’not that much’ was relative to him. For others, it was a considerable sum.

Afterward, Shen Changqing surveyed the corpses strewn on the ground and the emptied Zhenyue Sect premises.

"Spread the news of the Zhenyue Sect’s destruction. Also, inform those five sects that the army of our Demon-Subduing Division will arrive soon. If they don’t wish for their sects to be wiped out and their members killed, all Stewards and higher-ranking members must end their own lives to atone for their crimes.

"When my army arrives, any who have not yet atoned will see their sects utterly exterminated to uphold the laws of Great Qin."

His gaze was indifferent, his tone equally cold.

Upon hearing this, Xing Yi’s expression changed slightly. "Lord Defender, if we spread the news in advance, wouldn’t that give those sects a chance to escape?"

"Where could they flee? They might escape, but their sect, their ’monastery,’ cannot," Shen Changqing stated. "Order the Heavenly Inspection Guard to keep a close watch on those forces. If individuals flee, let them. But if anyone dares to touch even a fraction of their sect’s assets, execute them on the spot. If you encounter resistance you cannot overcome, send word to me. I will handle it personally."

The people of those sects weren’t Demon Evils. If they were Demon Evils and could provide him with Slaughter Value, he wouldn’t spare a single one. But since they were of the Human Clan, completely annihilating them wasn’t his primary objective. His true purpose was twofold: to establish his authority as the Defender Envoy of South Nether Prefecture and to seize the resources of these sects. The former would grant him greater prestige in South Nether Prefecture, making future actions much smoother. As for the latter, its importance was self-evident.

Even after obtaining tens of millions of Silver Taels from the auction, Shen Changqing still felt his funds were insufficient. There was no helping it; his expenditures were simply too great. The primary drain on his resources was the acquisition of Demon Evils. Although fusing Martial Arts for auction could significantly alleviate the silver shortage, one had to realize that Martial Arts auctions couldn’t just be held at will. To fetch a high price, news had to be spread, and other factions needed time to prepare. Otherwise, the auction’s effectiveness would be greatly diminished, failing to achieve the desired outcome.

Because of this, Shen Changqing had to find other ways to acquire funds. These sects that violated the laws of Great Qin were the perfect targets. One sect alone might not yield much, but ten or a hundred such sects combined would represent a substantial sum. Indeed, in his eyes, even the Heaven Alliance was already as good as his own asset.

Once the issues here are resolved, it will be time to deal with the Heaven Alliance! Shen Changqing thought, looking in the direction of the Heaven Alliance, a cold glint flickering in his eyes before vanishing. He had yet to consume the Spirit Fruits from the last auction. If he consumed them later, he might break through to the Third Stage of Divine Soul. Even if that didn’t happen, a breakthrough would be inevitable once the high-ranking Demon Evils from Great Liang and Dayue arrived.

With a breakthrough in his Divine Soul and a large influx of Slaughter Value, his Divine Heaven Golden Body might even directly advance to the stage of Perfection. Then, forget one Shimohe; he was confident he could suppress even two or three of them.

The one-year wager was merely a stalling strategy. Unable to completely suppress Shimohe at present, Shen Changqing needed some time to prepare. In fact, once he was sufficiently confident, he wouldn’t foolishly wait a whole year to make his move.

Moreover, Shen Changqing suspected Shimohe had his own motives for agreeing to the wager. But that was unimportant. In the face of absolute power, no matter how many schemes the other party had, they were as fragile as chickens made of clay, easily crushed.

Dismissing these thoughts, he turned to Xing Yi and said, "Have your men process the confiscated goods properly. The rest of you will follow me to the next sect."

Although the news was to be spread, it didn’t mean he would give those sects time to react. Just like the Zhenyue Sect, if their luck was bad, it was simply bad luck. From the moment those sects chose to ignore the calamities caused by Demon Evils, their fates were sealed.

With absolute power, ignoring the laws of Great Qin was naturally not an issue. But to lack power and still engage in such actions was purely courting death. Moreover, this also revealed that these sects had initially ignored the Demon-Subduing Division’s calls for help because they perceived its weakness at the time and were considering realigning themselves between the Demon-Subduing Division and the Heaven Alliance. Such sects were always prepared to betray.

One day, if the Demon-Subduing Division’s power waned again, these sects would transform into sharp daggers, stabbing the Division—and even him—in the back. Therefore, Shen Changqing would absolutely not give these sects such an opportunity. He would thoroughly cow them with slaughter, beat them into submission. If a similar situation arose in the future, other sects would have to think twice, carefully considering if they could bear the consequences of choosing the wrong side.

Immediately, Xing Yi relayed the orders. Shen Changqing sat in his chariot; Tiankui let out a cry and began pulling the chariot slowly away. At the same time, the army surrounding the Zhenyue Sect received their commands and withdrew like a receding tide.

Before long, only devastation and numerous corpses remained within the Zhenyue Sect. Blood soaked the ground, staining it a dark crimson.

「Four hours later.」

Someone arrived at the Zhenyue Sect. Seeing the corpses and bloodstains on the ground, they were profoundly shaken.

The Zhenyue Sect... is truly finished!

After a brief search confirmed there was nothing to gain, the person turned and left.

Not long after, a second wave of people arrived, then a third, and soon, more and more individuals came and went in succession.