CHAPTER 497: CHAPTER 244: LITTLE TRICKS (SEEKING MONTHLY PASS)

"Defender Shen has arrived!"

Although shocked, Ji Tianlu quickly regained his composure, having become somewhat accustomed to the mysterious methods Shen Changqing often displayed.

Mu Qing, on the other hand, was somewhat slow to react. It wasn’t until Ji Tianlu spoke that he fully came to his senses.

"What technique did Defender Shen use just now? How have I never heard of it?" he voiced the doubt in his heart.

Upon hearing this, Ji Tianlu’s gaze, which fell upon Mu Qing, also carried a touch more curiosity.

"It’s just a minor technique called ’Shrinking Earth into Inches,’ not worth mentioning." Shen Changqing waved his hand, responding with a light smile.

The two of them silently repeated the name, "Shrinking Earth into Inches." Immediately, their expressions turned to shock. Without needing to see how powerful the technique was, the mere name alone revealed much.

Ji Tianlu remarked with emotion, "I wonder who created this technique to have such a name. In terms of grade, I fear it could rival the Superior Grade Grandmaster Martial Arts that Defender Shen previously auctioned!"

"Roughly the same," Shen Changqing replied noncommittally. The matter of Divine Skills was not yet known to anyone. In the eyes of others, Superior Grade Grandmaster Martial Arts was the most powerful martial art at the current stage. He left the matter of Shrinking Earth into Inches at that, without elaborating further.

Upon reaching his designated seat and sitting down, Shen Changqing looked at the two. "While I was in seclusion making my breakthrough these past few days, has anything significant happened in South Nether Prefecture?"

"Yes!" Mu Qing replied, his expression turning slightly more grave.

Shen Changqing’s expression showed no significant change upon hearing this; the increase in his strength had considerably bolstered his confidence. He did not speak, waiting for the other party to elaborate.

"A few days after the natural disasters subsided, instances of Earth Dragon’s Turnover occurred again, causing rivers to burst their banks and flood thousands of miles. Many people were engulfed and drowned by the floods. Although we immediately deployed forces to address the issue, many lives were still lost. The consecutive natural disasters have already left the people of South Nether Prefecture in a state of panic. Some individuals are seizing this opportunity to stir up trouble, spreading rumors throughout South Nether Prefecture and inciting widespread restlessness."

Shen Changqing’s brow furrowed at the mention of flooding. "What rumors?"

"They say that Great Qin will fall, that the calamities from heaven signal the end of Great Qin’s fate, and that only by overthrowing Great Qin can one be spared from the natural disasters!"

"Ridiculous, foolhardy!" Shen Changqing laughed, but his eyes were bone-chillingly cold. It was evident that someone wanted to take advantage of this situation to spread false rumors and incite the disaster-stricken people to cause trouble in South Nether Prefecture. Whoever it was, if they were causing chaos in South Nether Prefecture, they were an enemy to him. Towards enemies, he was never one to show mercy.

"Order all cities to make full efforts to aid the disaster victims. If anyone seizes this opportunity to cause chaos, execute them all without leaving any future problems. Let others understand that those who plot rebellion have only one path: death!" Shen Changqing stated coldly.

Mu Qing and Ji Tianlu both nodded slightly. In their view, those who wished to use this opportunity to cause trouble deserved to be killed. The words "kindness and mercy" had never been associated with the Demon-Subduing Division.

Shen Changqing then continued, "Have we found out the source of the natural disasters yet?"

"There are still no clues at the moment," Mu Qing replied, shaking his head.

Hearing this, Shen Changqing fell into thought, pondering something. It was only after a good while that he snapped back to reality. "What about the Heaven Alliance? Have they also been affected by the disasters?"

"Yes, and the natural disasters on the Heaven Alliance’s side are even more severe than ours," Mu Qing said.

Hearing this, Shen Changqing temporarily put aside his suspicions of the Heaven Alliance. If the Heaven Alliance were free of disasters while only Qin Land faced calamities, he would have had no choice but to suspect them of foul play. But now that the Heaven Alliance was also suffering from disasters, and even more severely, the issue likely had nothing to do with them. Recalling the abyss that had appeared on the plains, it was indeed not something humanly possible.

"Investigate with all your might; natural disasters don’t just occur without reason. Don’t overlook any potential leads," Shen Changqing instructed. He then looked at the two again. "The Emperor intends to lead the troops himself. Are you aware of this news?"

"The news came from the Heavenly Inspection Guard just when Defender Shen was in seclusion," Ji Tianlu nodded.

A profound smile appeared on Shen Changqing’s face. "Great Liang and Dayue got this news long before us, yet we only received it a few days ago. How interesting!"

As a force under Great Qin, they hadn’t managed to get this intelligence firsthand. Conversely, Great Liang and Dayue, neither under Great Qin’s jurisdiction and even further away, had received the news. It was unquestionable that there must be some internal issue.

Ji Tianlu said, "In fact, all capital cities have their own undercover agents. Generally, they remain well-concealed and don’t easily expose their movements. Messages are only sent out in times of urgency. Moreover, the scouts from each country have different means of communication. If the message is urgent, it’s not impossible for Great Liang and Dayue to receive the news before us. With urgent communication, even if the distance is great, it could still arrive first. Conversely, Emperor Qin leading an expedition himself isn’t considered an overly urgent matter for South Nether Prefecture, so the Heavenly Inspection Guard’s messages would be somewhat slower."

Hearing this explanation, Shen Changqing nodded slightly. "Does His Majesty plan to go on the expedition right away, or is it just a consideration for now?"

"According to the messages, he has not yet left the Capital City, but troops are being mobilized in various prefectures. I’m afraid it won’t be long before the personal expedition truly takes place." At this point, Ji Tianlu’s brow furrowed deeply.

A personal expedition... In his view, it was not an appropriate decision. Especially since Emperor Qin was currently the pillar of Great Qin; though nearing the end of his lifespan, he had not truly fallen. If he went on a personal expedition, any unexpected situation might arise. If Emperor Qin were to fall accidentally, then all of Great Qin would be thrown into turmoil and could even fall apart.

Ji Tianlu didn’t voice this thought, keeping it buried in his heart. Uttering it would be nothing short of treason. If it spread, the personal impact would not be small.

Seeing Ji Tianlu’s expression, Shen Changqing could vaguely understand some of his thoughts. "Defender Ji, what do you think is the purpose of His Majesty’s personal expedition right now? Given the current situation, it might not be a good choice, right?"

"It’s hard to fathom His Majesty’s thoughts, and I’m not privy to much. However, if Defender Shen were to ask Defender Dongfang, he might have some information." Ji Tianlu shook his head. He was just the Dominator of a Demon-Subduing Division branch and wasn’t well-informed about Imperial Court affairs. In contrast, Dongfang Zhao had always remained in the Capital City and was the true Dominator of the Demon-Subduing Division. Regarding the personal expedition, Dongfang Zhao couldn’t possibly be completely in the dark.

Ji Tianlu paused before sharing his own view. "Currently, in my opinion, there truly is no need for a personal expedition. The offensive from Great Zhou in Luo’an Prefecture has already been completely contained with the arrival of the armies from Great Liang and Dayue. Although the Barbarian Clan has attacked Great Wilderness Prefecture, they haven’t made much progress after such a long time, so I believe the threat isn’t significant. If the Imperial Court were to play it safe, cooperate with Great Liang and Dayue to suppress Great Zhou, and then turn to eliminate the Barbarian Clan’s forces, there should be no problem. But—" Ji Tianlu continued, "this is just my personal opinion. If His Majesty wishes to lead the expedition, there must be other reasons, and it’s not our place to interfere much." He shook his head again as he finished.

Shen Changqing said, "So it seems that a royal decree has already reached South Nether Prefecture?"

"Yes, a few days ago, a royal decree arrived at South Nether Prefecture, requesting the withdrawal of five hundred thousand troops. It seems the Imperial Court is serious this time!"

Ji Tianlu’s words about five hundred thousand troops sparked some speculation in Shen Changqing. From South Nether Prefecture alone, five hundred thousand troops were being drawn out. Coupled with Emperor Qin’s personal expedition, it was clear the Imperial Court’s actions weren’t merely to stabilize the situation in South Nether Prefecture. Thinking back to Beiming Wang’s earlier words, his expression became somewhat strange. "Does His Majesty intend to march directly into Great Zhou and annihilate it in one fell swoop?"

"Perhaps!" Ji Tianlu sighed deeply. "Great Zhou has now clearly colluded with the Demon Evil Clan. If we can destroy Great Zhou, it would be like severing one of the Demon Evil Clan’s arms and would bring considerable benefits to our Human Clan. However, as for how things will turn out, we can only wait and see."

"Hmm," Shen Changqing nodded in agreement.

Indeed, the rest was up to Emperor Qin to decide. As the Defender Envoy of South Nether Prefecture, he probably wouldn’t have a chance to be involved. The Heaven Alliance issue hadn’t been resolved, and natural disasters were frequent in South Nether Prefecture. Under normal circumstances, the prefecture couldn’t be expected to provide further support; five hundred thousand troops were already their full commitment.

"When might His Majesty personally lead the expedition?"

"There’s no specific news yet, but from the current preparations, it should take at least a month or two to get ready."

"Hmm," Shen Changqing nodded. "For now, let’s focus on resolving the natural disasters in South Nether Prefecture. Besides, with the Heaven Alliance still unsettled, we have no way to intervene elsewhere."

The three of them discussed briefly. Afterward, Mu Qing and Ji Tianlu left the hall, and Shen Changqing returned to his small courtyard.

Upon his sudden appearance, Tiankui conveyed its desire, "Master, I’m hungry—"

Looking at the Fierce Beast before him, squatting like a large dog wagging its tail, Shen Changqing felt somewhat speechless. In front of others, Tiankui indeed had an intimidating presence. But in private, it was truly another story.

He squeezed out a drop of ordinary blood, without diluting it further, and flicked it towards Tiankui. Feeling the surging power within that drop of blood, Tiankui’s eyes lit up with excitement as it eagerly swallowed. It then lay down on the ground and began to slowly digest.

Seeing this, Shen Changqing did not disturb it. After achieving Perfection with his Divine Heaven Golden Body, even an ordinary drop of his blood contained power equivalent to the late stage of a Grandmaster. Although Tiankui had reached Grandmaster Peak, digesting such blood still required some time.