"Shen, Brother Shen!"
It wasn’t until the Yin Evil Aura had dissipated that Jiang Zuo came back to his senses.
Dead! A Fiend Level Strange Monster, just like that, dead! Crush. Absolute, utter crush. From the moment Shen Changqing made his move to the end, the lady in red had no chance to fight back and was simply blown to pieces while still alive.
He had encountered Fiend Level Demon Evils before. During missions, he had also come across monsters of this level, and Earth Rank Demon Hunters had taken action as well. But he had never seen anyone like Shen Changqing, who could directly crush a Fiend Level Strange Monster and then utterly obliterate it.
Shen Changqing looked at the Slaughter Value added to his panel, a smile on his face.
A Fiend Level Strange Monster. The Slaughter Value it provided was more than he had imagined. According to his guess, a Resentment Level Peak monster would grant over twenty points of Slaughter Value, so a Fiend Level monster should be around thirty-something points. But in reality, the panel directly showed an increase of over forty points of Slaughter Value, almost equivalent to two Resentment Level Peak monsters. Moreover, his True Intent of Hundreds of Battles had also grown a bit. Though not much, it was almost equal to a month of hard cultivation. Such a gain was already very substantial. However, what truly delighted Shen Changqing was that his current strength was much stronger than he had imagined. The lady in red just now was obviously not an ordinary Fiend Level Strange Monster. Even so, she had no right to resist him.
Apart from my own strength, perhaps the Great Sun Golden Body has a certain restraining effect on Demon Evils!
Great Sun Golden Body! It was the Martial Arts Grandmaster Outer Technique Shen Changqing had obtained by fusing the Invincible Golden Body with the Tathagata Golden Body. Two Outer Techniques: one that could reach the first stage of the Physical System, and the other that, at its peak, could allow entry into the second stage of the Physical System. He had thought that fusing the two Martial Arts could create a technique that would break the limits of the Physical System. Unfortunately, when the Great Sun Golden Body was created, it failed to break the limits of the Physical System and instead stabilized at the peak level of the Great Sun Furnace. Much like the Great Sun Scripture, the Great Sun Golden Body also comprised twenty-five levels of Martial Arts. By now, Shen Changqing basically understood that a Martial Arts technique with twenty-five Innate levels was almost the limit that Martial Artists of the present stage could cultivate. He suspected the reason the fused Martial Art was named Great Sun Golden Body was because the rank of the Tathagata Golden Body was too high—much stronger than the Invincible Golden Body—so the fusion leaned more towards the Tathagata Golden Body. Now—compared to the Tathagata Golden Body, the Great Sun Golden Body was far more attuned to the Great Sun Scripture. After the fusion, Shen Changqing had already stabilized himself at the fifteenth level of the twenty-five-level Great Sun Golden Body.
Dismissing the stray thoughts in his mind, he glanced at the mangled corpse on the ground and immediately activated his Great Sun True Qi, enveloping the flesh and blood. The powerful Great Sun True Qi, like a furnace, conjured flames in the void. The scattered pieces of flesh and blood on the ground rapidly turned to ash before his eyes.
After a few breaths, not a trace of the lady in red remained.
With the death of the lady in red, the darkness over Fengyun Village quickly dissolved, and in no time, sunlight streamed in. The suddenly appearing mansion also became illusory, then gradually faded away without a trace.
Everything, under the sunlight, vanished into nothingness.
The vast Fengyun Village seemed to return to its original state. The difference was that now Fengyun Village was deathly silent, no longer bursting with the vitality of the past.
After surveying the surroundings, Shen Changqing finally turned back to look at Jiang Zuo. "Steward Jiang, you’re not seriously injured, are you?"
"It’s nothing. I was just attacked by that Demon Evil’s spiritual power and sustained some injuries. After some rest, there’s no major problem," Jiang Zuo shook his head.
Then, a wry smile appeared on his face. "I don’t know what’s been happening lately. Ever since I took over as Steward of the Huang Department in the Demon Hunting Court, it’s as if my luck has turned extremely bad. Almost every mission, I encounter powerful Demon Evils. If Brother Shen hadn’t arrived in time this instance, I might well have fallen at the hands of this Demon Evil."
Saying this, Jiang Zuo felt incredibly fortunate. Thankfully, Qin Shujian had arrived quickly; otherwise, he would have truly died at the hands of the lady in red.
Shen Changqing smiled faintly. "I had just come out of seclusion when Defender Dongfang told me that Brother Jiang was trapped in Fengyun Village, so I rushed over. Fortunately, I made it in time."
He didn’t mention that he had first fused two Martial Arts techniques before coming. Otherwise, he could have arrived even earlier.
Afterward, Shen Changqing asked again, "I heard that besides you, Steward Jiang, there were a few people from the Prefecture Yamen trapped in Fengyun Village. How are they now?"
When he arrived, he had only seen Jiang Zuo. In such a situation, one could imagine the fate of the others.
"Several constables died at the hands of the Puppets in Fengyun Village. Constable Wang from the Prefecture Yamen and I fled separately. I encountered this Demon Evil; he should have escaped safely," Jiang Zuo wasn’t too sure. Although the Demon Evil had been blocking him, whether Constable Wang could have safely retreated was still a question.
Saying that, he looked again towards the silent Fengyun Village, his face showing hatred. "The Demon Evil’s methods were cruel; all the people of Fengyun Village were turned into Puppets by that Demon Evil. Now that the Demon Evil is dead, Fengyun Village has effectively become a dead village. This is not something you or I can handle. We will report back to the Demon-Subduing Division and let the Imperial Court manage the aftermath!"
The thousand or so inhabitants of Fengyun Village were all dead, not a single survivor.
There was no helping it; this was the reality of a chaotic world. In the face of a powerful Demon Evil, ordinary people simply had no means of resistance. Death, in such times, was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Alright," Shen Changqing nodded.
"Let’s go. Killing the Demon Evil today can be considered revenge for them. I only hope that one day, we can eradicate all Demon Evils in the world, so that the common people no longer have to suffer such calamities!" Jiang Zuo seemed to be saying this to Shen Changqing, but also as if speaking to himself.
The two lingered in Fengyun Village for a while before leaving together.
The Demon Evil was dead. The aftermath in Fengyun Village was beyond their ability to manage. The Demon-Subduing Division was only responsible for slaying Demon Evils; the rest would be handled by the Imperial Court.
As the two were leaving, Chen Shu, dressed in a blue scholar’s robe, slowly stepped into another village.
As he entered, the villagers, already turned into Puppets by a Demon Evil, all swarmed towards him.
Looking at the rigid-faced villagers before him, Chen Shu’s face filled with anger, his voice icy, "The Master taught: ’Speak not of prodigies, force, disorder, or spirits!’"
As his words fell, Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi surged from his body, sweeping out in all directions like a tidal wave.
Instantly, all Puppets touched by the Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi let out shrill screams, their bodies rapidly dissolving, disappearing completely within a few breaths.
As the Puppets were eradicated, an incredibly sinister Yin Evil Aura erupted from within the village.
In less than an instant, the sky and clouds changed color. It was as if midday had suddenly turned to night, and a dense fog rose, enveloping the entire village.
"Demon Evils causing chaos in my Great Qin! I shall see just how capable you truly are!" Chen Shu’s expression was indifferent. The terrifying Yin Evil Aura, which would make others pale, did not cause him the slightest fear.
Moreover, as the Yin Evil Aura howled, attempting to engulf him, his Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi automatically formed Protective Gang Qi around his body, deflecting all the sinister aura.
"A gentleman must keep to the righteous path!" Chen Shu declared, taking steps forward, heading into the village.
With each step he took, the Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi emanating from him grew stronger. The surrounding Yin Evil Aura scattered, like winter snow meeting the spring sun.
By the time he reached the village center, the Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi around him shone as brightly as the scorching sun. The surrounding Yin Evil Aura rapidly retreated, completely unable to contend with it.
Before Chen Shu stood a Demon Evil similar to the lady in red from Fengyun Village. This one, however, was different: its appearance was more hideous, its long limbs sprawled on the ground, making it resemble a terrifying Fierce Beast. Obviously, it was very wary of Chen Shu.
"Great Confucian, do you come from the Imperial College, or from Qingyun Academy?" the Demon Evil spoke, its long tongue flicking like a snake’s, its small, green eyes filled with a cold glint.
In Great Qin, there were only two places that could produce a Great Confucian: the Imperial College and Qingyun Academy. The Demon Evil had assumed the arrivals would be powerful individuals from the Demon-Subduing Division; it had not expected a Great Confucian who had cultivated Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi. Compared to a Martial Arts Grandmaster, a Great Confucian was clearly far more terrifying.
"Where I come from is no concern of yours, Demon Evils! For slaughtering the people of Great Qin, you deserve death!" Chen Shu roared, his hair and beard bristling with anger.
With his denunciation, Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi erupted, forcing the Demon Evil to retreat step by step. Its Yin Evil Aura flickered like a candle in the wind, on the verge of being snuffed out.
Unmatched! That was the first thought that emerged in the Demon Evil’s mind.
Then, without even attempting a counterattack, it turned and fled into the distance. If it didn’t leave now, it would truly be courting death.
Seeing the Demon Evil flee, Chen Shu remained unhurried, uttering two words, "Purge Evil!"
As his words fell, the Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi surged, coalescing in mid-air into two large characters: ’Purge Evil.’ These characters then pressed down towards the fleeing Demon Evil.
Before they could strike, the characters dispersed, transforming into a myriad of swords and sabers that rained down.
"No—" The Demon Evil shrieked in despair, unleashing all its power in its dying moments, but against the dense barrage of blades, it was futile.
In less than a breath, the Demon Evil was sliced into mincemeat.
Instantly killing a Fiend Level Strange Monster, Chen Shu declared again, "Heaven and Earth Righteous Qi, forever enduring!"
As his words faded, all remaining Yin Evil Aura vanished without a trace.