Chapter 107: The Foundation

Name: Shen Changqing
Faction: Great Qin Demon Suppression Division
Identity: Yellow-Rank Demon Slaying Envoy
Martial Arts: Invincible Golden Body (Tenth Level, Unimprovable), Heavenly Martial Gang Qi (Sixteenth Level, Unimprovable), Hundred Battle Saber Technique (Third Level), Iron Sand Palm (Fifth Level, Unfusible), Celestial Luo Stepping Gait (Fifth Level, Unfusible), Mountain Opening Palm Technique (Uninitiated, Unfusible), Willow Floss Movement Technique (Uninitiated, Unfusible)

Slaughter Points: 7

"Invincible Golden Body has reached the tenth level!"

Shen Changqing remained seated, his Qi and blood surging like a monstrous beast unleashing a furious roar.

After a long while, the turbulent Qi and blood gradually subsided.

He drew the Cold Moon Saber.

Lightly, he ran the blade across his palm.

Only a chilling sensation met him. Upon closer inspection, his hand bore no marks, let alone blood.

"The Cold Moon Saber can slice through iron like mud, yet it cannot breach my defenses now—"

He mused internally.

Then, with a surge of true Qi, he slashed harder with the Cold Moon Saber.

A sharp pain erupted as the blade tore a gash in his palm.

Blood trickled from the wound, but not for long. The bleeding ceased, and before Shen Changqing’s eyes, a scab began to form, a slight itch accompanying the healing.

"Even with true Qi bolstering it, the Cold Moon Saber can only barely break my Invincible Golden Body’s defense, so my physical defenses alone are enough to make me invincible against those below the Innate realm, even without Gang Qi.

Moreover, the healing speed is far superior to what it was before.

Unless it’s a truly grievous wound, I won’t even need medicine; it will heal on its own in short order."

He was well pleased with the changes to his physical body.

Though most of the slaughter points, several dozen, had gone into raising only one level of Heavenly Martial Gang Qi, with the rest poured into the Invincible Golden Body, the apparent increase in power was deceptive.

The Invincible Golden Body, in its current state, offered incredible augmentation.

At the tenth level, he could stand undefeated against anyone below the Innate Realm.

What would the fifteenth level bring?

Shen Changqing was eager to see just how formidable his physical defenses would become when the Invincible Golden Body reached its pinnacle.

Moreover, the enhancement of his physical body had also led to an expansion of his Dantian.

The true Qi that once filled it to the brim now occupied only about ninety percent of the space, indicating a significant increase in its capacity.

More than that.

When Shen Changqing attempted to compress his true Qi with his will, his Dantian bore the pressure without the imminent cracking sensation he had felt before.

"An expanded Dantian can accommodate more true Qi."

"And the Dantian itself is stronger, no longer as susceptible to being ruptured by true Qi. Perhaps, in the future, I can further compress my true Qi."

Before this, Shen Changqing had always believed that internal energy was the foundation of a martial artist, with external martial arts serving only as a base for its development.

But now, he was beginning to question that conclusion.

Internal energy was a foundation!

But so too were external martial arts!

Without a powerful physical body, there was no way to accommodate sufficient true Qi, making progress for a martial artist incredibly difficult.

Withdrawing his mind from the status panel, Shen Changqing looked at the table before him, a wry smile spreading across his face.

"The improvement is swift, but the consumption is not small at all!"

The various bottles and jars on the table had been emptied, seven or eight of them.

The most heavily consumed were the Satiety Pills.

Each successive level of the Invincible Golden Body demanded a hefty price, and of the Satiety Pills he had brought, only one bottle remained. The rest had been consumed entirely during his recent breakthroughs.

As for the Qi and Blood Pills, only two bottles remained.

He stowed the three unopened bottles, as well as the empty white jade bottles that had contained Qi and Blood Pills.

The rest, he discarded like trash into the receptacle for refuse.

At that moment, sunlight streamed in through the gauze-covered window.

Shen Changqing rose and opened the window, instantly greeted by the dazzling light.

From the slaying of demons and evil to his subsequent breakthroughs, considerable time had passed.

By now.

A whole night had gone by.

He pushed open the door, went downstairs, and sat at an empty table on the second floor. A sharp-eyed waiter quickly approached.

"What would you like to eat, esteemed customer?"

"Just bring me some food."

Shen Changqing replied casually, taking the menu offered by the waiter and ordering a few side dishes and a small wine pot, nothing more.

Normally, he would not eat here.

Although Tianyi Tower was well-known in Jincheng, he had Satiety Pills and needed not waste time eating.

But now it was different.

With his Satiety Pills dwindling, Shen Changqing felt he had to save some for unforeseen needs.

"Please wait a moment, esteemed customer; I will prepare it for you at once."

The waiter withdrew.

Soon, someone brought the wine.

Shen Changqing poured himself a cup, sipping it as he watched the scene below from the second floor, listening to the conversations of the other patrons.

"I heard strange screams coming from East City last night, apparently related to demons and evil. Did you hear about it?"

"I did. It wasn’t just East City; there were similar screams in West City and South City as well."

"It’s strange, though. Those screams didn’t sound like anything a normal person could make, but there haven’t been any reports of deaths, which is very odd."

At one table, a few scholars, dressed in the attire of their calling, were drinking and chatting while shaking their heads.

Others at nearby tables overheard and couldn’t help but chime in.

"Speaking of which, I live in East City. The screams last night were truly chilling. I suspect the Imperial Court’s experts are slaying demons and evil!"

Many nodded in agreement.

"Very likely!"

"Indeed. Whenever evil is rampant, people die. Like what happened at the Myriad Flowers House, where nearly a thousand people died at once. This time, no one died, which doesn’t seem like the work of evil."

"Hey, so many people died in Jincheng recently that the Imperial Court must be furious. The Black Tiger Army, which has been stationed outside the city, has entered, which speaks volumes."

"Good riddance! It would be best to wipe out all the demons and evil in the world, so we can finally have some peace."

When it came to the subject of demons and evil, everyone’s attitude was remarkably consistent.

For them.

Countless members of the human race had died at the hands of demons and evil over the years. If they could be completely eradicated, it would be a great relief.

Shen Changqing smiled slightly and drained his cup.

Before long.

The food was brought to him one dish at a time.

After eating his fill and paying the bill, Shen Changqing left Tianyi Tower.

The atmosphere among the common people in the city was still somewhat somber.

The events of the previous night were an invisible source of pressure for many.

However.

He didn’t dwell on it.

In any case, he had visited several places last night and killed almost all the demons and evil he could find. Even if there were still some lurking in the city, if they had a way to conceal their Yin and evil aura and weren’t deliberately causing trouble, they would be difficult to detect.

There was nothing Shen Changqing could do about that. He couldn’t just ferret them all out one by one.

"I heard that after reaching the Grandmaster Realm and comprehending the Martial Arts True Intent, one’s spiritual aspect undergoes a transformation, making their perception much stronger.

Then, it should be easier to find hidden demons and evil."

Walking down the street, he reviewed the memories in his mind.

As he pondered, Shen Changqing kept his senses at peak alertness, hoping to find any remaining hidden demons and evil in the city.

Unfortunately.

After traversing almost the entire city again, he found no trace of any Yin and evil aura.

At this point.

Shen Changqing had to admit that perhaps he had truly killed all the demons and evil in Jincheng.

"If there are no more demons and evil, then it’s time to go back!"

Go back!

Not back to Tianyi Tower, but back to the Demon Suppression Division.

The main purpose of this mission was to investigate the authenticity of the Eternal Life Alliance stronghold, and if possible, to destroy the confirmed stronghold.

Shen Changqing had completed both tasks, and exceeded the quota.

As for the other task, which was to protect Xu Yi and the others, even if he had failed, he didn’t think too much about it.

Those who were destined to die.

Could not be saved, no matter what.

Moreover, Xu Yi and the others had been killed while leaving Jincheng and returning to the Demon Suppression Division, which was beyond his control.

Therefore.

Being killed was unavoidable.

Just then.

Liu Jian came walking towards him.

"Lord Shen!"

Upon seeing Shen Changqing, he immediately clasped his hands in greeting.

"Captain Liu."

Shen Changqing stopped and nodded.

He didn’t think his encounter with Liu Jian was a mere coincidence.

Jincheng was not large, but not small either. The fact that he had run into him meant that the other man had come looking for him.

"Did Captain Liu come looking for me about something?"

"Lord Shen is insightful!"

Liu Jian first offered a compliment, then gave an awkward but polite smile.

"Lord Nie has something he wants to discuss with Lord Shen at the Yamen. Would that be convenient for Lord Shen?"

"Very well."

Shen Changqing calmly agreed to Nie Xu’s invitation.

He had already seen almost all of Jincheng, so it was fitting to visit the Yamen before leaving.

Then.

He and Liu Jian headed towards the Yamen.

At the entrance, the two Yamen Runners guarding the gate did not dare to stop them upon seeing Liu Jian and Shen Changqing. Instead, they respectfully allowed them to enter.

They passed through the outer hall and headed straight for the inner hall.

As Shen Changqing stepped inside, Nie Xu saw him and rose from his chair, a warm smile on his face.

"Lord Shen has finally arrived! This official has been waiting!"

"Lord Nie was so eager to have me come. Has something happened in Jincheng?"

End of Chapter