Chapter 341: Chapter 135 Sudden News (Requesting Monthly Tickets)
Ten days had passed. Shen Changqing had been rushing between places, not targeting weaker Demon Evils but specifically hunting down Fiend Level Strange Monsters. Because of this, within ten days, four Fiend Level Strange Monsters had died by his hand, averaging one every two days. The rewards from such actions were quite substantial. On the panel, his Slaughter Value had broken through the 800 mark for the first time. Compared to a four-digit number, it wasn’t far off.
「Inside the city.」
Shen Changqing had, for once, found a place to stay, allowing for a temporary rest. Ten days of relentless travel without sleep, solely to kill Demon Evils, had taken a considerable toll on him. Now, having found lodging, some necessary rest and replenishment were in order.
With 800 Slaughter Value, when I return to the Demon-Subduing Division, I’ll exchange it for a few Outer Techniques and also upgrade my Great Sun Golden Body. Then, I’ll be ready for the next breakthrough!
Eight hundred Slaughter Value points. Shen Changqing felt it should be enough for his Flesh to undergo another transformation. He was already at the pinnacle of physical strength, but this pinnacle was only within the Grandmaster Realm. If he were to break this limit, he would step into another level entirely. However, he couldn’t be one hundred percent certain whether he could break the limit directly using the panel, or if, as he had previously guessed, he needed to reach the pinnacle in both systems before truly breaking through. Of course, whichever it was, it didn’t make much difference to him.
Additionally, at the black market, the Yuanyang Auction House should have collected a batch of Demon Evils for him. The initial agreement was to collect them once a month, but due to unforeseen circumstances, he hadn’t been able to go. By now, several months had passed. With the Yuanyang Auction House’s influence, they had likely gathered quite a few Demon Evils. When he returned to the Capital City, if he harvested this wave of Demon Evils, his Slaughter Value could steadily break through the one thousand point mark.
Finally, there was the Demon Evil that Xun Qu was supposed to give him.
Everything is prepared; now all that’s lacking is the opportune moment! Shen Changqing felt like someone who had been poor his entire life and was suddenly about to receive a huge sum of money. That feeling made him somewhat excited.
KNOCK, KNOCK!
There was a knock at the door.
With a mere thought from Shen Changqing, the door swung open, revealing a person with an unfamiliar face. However, from the aura emanating from the stranger, Shen Changqing was almost certain of his identity.
"Why has Chief Steward Du come?" he asked, his eyebrows slightly raised as he looked at the person before him, a curious expression on his face.
He now knew that Du’er was not merely a member of the Heavenly Inspection Guard but a Steward of the South Nether Prefecture. This Steward was not just an ordinary city Steward; he was a chief Steward, overseeing many others. However, even with such a status, he was no match for a Martial Pavilion Elder.
Upon entering the room and gently closing the door behind him, Du’er first bowed. "Greetings, Elder Shen!"
After speaking, he sat down opposite Shen Changqing and went straight to the point.
"The Demon-Subduing Division has been defeated!"
The Demon-Subduing Division defeated? Shen Changqing was caught off guard by this sudden statement and took a moment to comprehend. After a moment, he recalled something, and his expression changed slightly.
"Are you saying the Demon-Subduing Division lost the battle against the Myriad Buddhas Sect?"
"Precisely!" Du’er confirmed, his face grim.
Receiving a definitive answer, Shen Changqing’s expression also grew somber.
How could the Myriad Buddhas Sect possibly contend with the Demon-Subduing Division given their strength! The defeat of the Demon-Subduing Division was, in his opinion, an impossibility. The power of the Demon-Subduing Division was formidable. Although the Myriad Buddhas Sect was a top-tier Sect, compared to the Demon-Subduing Division, the difference was like that between heaven and earth. Even with the addition of Shimohe, it surely wouldn’t be enough to turn the tide.
Instantly, Shen Changqing asked another question, "Was any other power involved?"
He immediately thought of the Eternal Alliance. If the Myriad Buddhas Sect had allied with the Eternal Alliance, then it might be possible for the South Nether Prefecture’s Demon-Subduing Division to be defeated.
Du’er, his expression still grim, said in a low voice, "It has nothing to do with the Eternal Alliance. The reason for the Demon-Subduing Division’s defeat lies with the Myriad Buddhas Sect. To be precise, it’s because of that Mahavairocana Shimohe!"
"Speak," Shen Changqing commanded.
"A few days ago," Du’er began, "the three major Demon-Subduing Divisions of the South Nether Prefecture joined forces, dispatching an army of 200,000 to surround Buddha Palm Mountain. However, before they even entered the Myriad Buddhas Sect’s territory, they were ambushed by a coalition of several Sects. Later, several Defender Envoys from the Demon-Subduing Division took action, repelling the numerous Jianghu Martial Artists, and then led a group of experts directly into Buddha Palm Mountain. As soon as they entered the Myriad Buddhas Sect’s domain, they clashed with Shimohe."
Du’er paused, his voice trembling slightly as he continued, "And in the end— In the end, Ji Tianlu, Yun Venerable, and Yuan Ji, all three Defender Envoys, were defeated by Shimohe. Among them, Defender Envoys Ji Tianlu and Yun Venerable suffered grievous injuries and were forced to withdraw from the Myriad Buddhas Sect. Immediately after, the experts of the Myriad Buddhas Sect led other Sects in a counterattack, inflicting heavy casualties on the Imperial Court’s army and significantly weakening the Demon-Subduing Division. The South Nether Prefecture is vast, so this news hasn’t spread completely yet. But in a few days, the news of the Demon-Subduing Division’s defeat will officially sweep through the South Nether Prefecture, and indeed, the entire Jianghu!"
Hearing this, Shen Changqing understood the gravity of the situation.
Chaos! Utter chaos! All the forces in the Jianghu were now focused on the battle between the Demon-Subduing Division and the Myriad Buddhas Sect. The outcome of this battle would determine the allegiance of those powers observing from the sidelines. And now, the Demon-Subduing Division had been defeated. Thus, the prestige the Demon-Subduing Division had cultivated for over three hundred years was truly shaken. He didn’t even need to think hard to be sure that once the news spread, more Sects would choose to ally with the Myriad Buddhas Sect. In that case, the Demon-Subduing Division’s authority would face immense resistance.
"Has there been any news from the Capital City?" Shen Changqing asked, his expression grave.
The only thing that could change the current situation was probably intervention from the Capital City. Shimohe’s strength had truly exceeded his expectations. He had originally thought that after Shimohe broke the limit, his strength would, at most, be equivalent to that of a high-level Demon Evil. The Dominators of the Demon-Subduing Division’s various branches generally possessed power around that level. This was something Shen Changqing had only learned after becoming a Martial Pavilion Elder.
Such Defender Envoys also had another title: King Rank Defender Envoy. Normally, a Defender Envoy was just a Defender Envoy, without further distinction. However, there were stronger and weaker ones among them. To differentiate their strength, certain classifications had been established: General Rank, Marquis Rank, King Rank, and Venerable Rank—a distinction from lowest to highest.
Regarding Venerable Rank Defender Envoys, Shen Changqing currently knew of only one: Dongfang Zhao. Apart from Dongfang Zhao, the Dominators of the other branches were all at the King Rank.
Similarly, this classification of titles was not without reason. A General Rank Defender Envoy, within the Imperial Court, held a status no weaker than a general defending a region. A Marquis Rank Defender Envoy was equivalent to a Marquis. As for King Rank Defender Envoys, their status was entirely comparable to that of a King enfeoffed with a different surname. This was the division of ranks among Defender Envoys, as well as the distinction of their statuses.
Venerable Level Defender Envoys were existences that completely surpassed Kings and Marquises.
In Shen Changqing’s view, Dongfang Zhao’s status might only be beneath that of Emperor Qin himself. Now, if Shimohe could suppress three King Rank Defender Envoys single-handedly, then his strength was far from simple. He couldn’t help but wonder if Shimohe had already reached the Venerable Rank. If that were true, it would be equivalent to a living Great Demon! If it were merely a case of recently breaking the limit, Shen Changqing didn’t believe one could become so overwhelmingly powerful. From this, it was evident that Shimohe was definitely not someone who had just recently stepped into that higher realm.
Du’er shook his head. "No news has returned from the Capital City yet. However, the Demon-Subduing Division in Mountain-Breaking City hopes that Elder Shen can return first. With Ji Tianlu seriously injured, it’s very difficult to stabilize the situation in Mountain-Breaking City with our current strength.
"Mountain-Breaking City is worried that the Eternal Alliance will seize this opportunity to act against the Demon-Subduing Division.
"If Elder Shen could oversee things, the situation would be much better."
At this point, Shen Changqing truly understood the purpose of Du’er’s visit.
So, the news about the Demon-Subduing Division’s defeat was just mentioned incidentally. The real reason for Du’er’s visit was that Mountain-Breaking City was now leaderless, and they wanted him to return and help. No, ’help’ might be an understatement; they wanted him to stabilize the situation, that much was true.
Subsequently, he fell into deep thought.
There were still many Demon Evils in the South Nether Prefecture waiting for him; if he didn’t kill them now, such a good opportunity might not come again. But the problem was, Du’er’s words also highlighted the dire situation in the South Nether Prefecture. If the Demon-Subduing Division had won, it wouldn’t be a major issue. But they had lost at this critical juncture, which made matters far more serious. Although the news hadn’t spread widely yet, and the situation hadn’t completely deteriorated, once the news had time to ferment, other incidents would surely occur. At a time like this, unless support came from the Capital City, resolving this issue with only the existing strength of the Demon-Subduing Division in the South Nether Prefecture would be incredibly difficult.
If he returned, he would lose a significant amount of Slaughter Value. If he didn’t return, the Demon-Subduing Division might face serious problems. If the South Nether Prefecture’s Demon-Subduing Division truly collapsed, it went without saying that the Demon Evil Clan would definitely not miss such an opportunity. In that case, the South Nether Prefecture would become a veritable Guiyu.
The Eternal Alliance won’t let this opportunity pass. Even if I return, Demon Evils might attack Mountain-Breaking City. When that time comes, I’ll still have a chance to harvest Slaughter Value. So, there’s no need to be completely fixated on the existing Demon Evils...
As his thoughts reached this point, Shen Changqing had almost made his decision.
After all, he was still a member of the Demon-Subduing Division. As long as it was within his power, he couldn’t truly stand by and let the Eternal Alliance and the Demon Evil Clan wreak havoc in the South Nether Prefecture.