Chapter 147: Good News

Even if he managed to break through the Barbarian army’s encirclement alone, there was no guarantee he would find his way here.

He turned back.

The Black Tiger soldiers acting as sentries remained at their original posts.

As for Shen Changqing, he returned with Chu Ding.

Neither of them spoke during the journey.

Chu Ding was curious about how Shen Changqing had fought his way out and the current state of the Barbarian army, but the thick, bloody stench emanating from him spoke volumes.

His clothes were stained crimson.

His saber dripped blood.

The congealed blood was so thick that it was impossible to tell if Shen Changqing had suffered any serious injuries.

Soon, they returned.

Nie Xu, who had been waiting anxiously, immediately noticed Shen Changqing among the returning party.

"Lord Shen!"

Surprise flickered across his face, quickly replaced by joy.

"Lord Nie."

Shen Changqing managed a smile. Seeing a familiar face lifted his spirits.

Soon, soldiers brought clear water and dry provisions.

"Lord Shen, please sit down and rest for a moment. Drink some water and eat some dry food to replenish your strength. I don’t know if you sustained any injuries. We have some healing medicine in the army."

After handing the supplies to Shen Changqing, Chu Ding inquired further.

Shen Changqing didn’t refuse, accepting the water and dry provisions without hesitation. He sat down on the spot and quickly devoured them.

The battle had taken its toll.

Some of the exhaustion couldn’t be completely offset by his powerful physique alone.

Only after eating and drinking did he feel somewhat relieved.

After a long while, Shen Changqing exhaled deeply, used the remaining water to wash the bloodstains from his face, and shook his head.

"I don’t have any serious injuries. I’ll be fine after a short rest."

The most severe injury he had sustained was the saber strike from Mierba.

However, the restorative power of the Invincible Golden Body was truly remarkable.

Thanks to his physical body’s self-healing abilities, although the wound on his shoulder hadn’t fully recovered, it was mostly healed. As long as he didn’t exert himself again in the short term, the wound wouldn’t reopen.

At this rate, he would fully recover in a few days.

Hearing this, the others were somewhat relieved.

"By the way," Shen Changqing said casually, as if remembering something.

"Mierba is dead. The remaining Barbarian army should be in disarray for the short term. It won’t be easy for them to continue the pursuit.

The Black Tiger Army can take this opportunity to rest and reorganize."

His calm words struck Chu Ding and the others like a thunderbolt, causing their bodies to tremble violently.

What did that mean?

Mierba was dead!

How did he die?

Chu Ding’s face was filled with excitement. The commander of the Black Tiger Army could no longer maintain his composure, and his voice trembled as he spoke.

"Lord Shen, are you saying that Mierba is dead!?"

"That’s right."

Shen Changqing nodded, confirming their suspicions once more.

"If I hadn’t killed him, I wouldn’t have been able to escape so easily."

"Good, very good! Who would have thought that Mierba, who had wreaked havoc for so long, would fall at Lord Shen’s hands? This is a great achievement!"

Chu Ding laughed heartily.

He never expected Mierba to die at Shen Changqing’s hands.

He knew that Mierba was very strong. Even the once-powerful Baijiang Sect hadn’t been able to contend with him and was ultimately uprooted.

In terms of strength, very few in the Jianghu could contend with Mierba.

A Grandmaster Middle Stage expert was not as common as cabbages in a field.

However, Chu Ding quickly realized that Shen Changqing’s physical body had reached the Tiger Roar Leopard Thunder stage, making him a Grandmaster Late Stage expert. It wasn’t surprising that he could slay Mierba, who was at the Grandmaster Middle Stage.

If it were a one-on-one situation, he wouldn’t be surprised at all.

But Mierba wasn’t alone. He had tens of thousands of Barbarian soldiers under his command.

For Shen Changqing to kill Mierba under such circumstances was astonishing.

Of course, Chu Ding didn’t doubt the truth of Shen Changqing’s words.

After all, news of Mierba’s death would spread quickly, and it would be easy to confirm.

Since he had said it, it couldn’t be false.

When Shen Changqing announced Mierba’s death, Chu Ding was shocked. Zhong Chi, Nie Xu, and the others also wore expressions of astonishment.

"Lord Shen slew Mierba, so the Barbarian army attacking Jincheng is now leaderless. It’s a pity that we only have two thousand remnant Black Tiger soldiers. If we had tens of thousands, we could retake Jincheng."

Zhong Chi sighed before shaking his head regretfully.

What a pity.

If only they had sufficient forces, the lost city of Jincheng could be brought back under the Imperial Court’s control.

Chu Ding’s expression calmed down.

"There’s no need to rush the counterattack on Jincheng. The villagers have all been evacuated, and most of the remaining granaries have been burned. Even if the Barbarians capture Jincheng, it won’t be of much use.

Moreover, although Mierba is dead, the remaining Barbarian army is still considerable. It won’t be easy to capture Jincheng.

What we need to do now is regroup with the others and then make further plans."

Just as Shen Changqing had said, with Mierba dead, the probability of the Barbarians continuing their pursuit was low.

The death of an army’s commander would inevitably cause considerable turmoil.

Seeing the expressions on everyone’s faces, Shen Changqing didn’t offer any suggestions.

"I expended a lot of energy in the previous battle and need to rest. If you have anything to discuss, please do so among yourselves. I won’t participate."

"Lord Shen should rest well."

Chu Ding nodded in agreement.

Shen Changqing stood up and found a relatively secluded spot. He sat cross-legged and began to meditate, recovering from his earlier exertion.

Physical exhaustion could be restored by consuming meat.

Mental exhaustion required time to slowly recuperate.

Originally, his mental exhaustion wasn’t significant. A normal night’s sleep would have been enough to restore most of it.

But after comprehending the Hundred Battle Saber Technique’s True Intent and using his intent to fight, his mental strain had increased significantly.

Now, Shen Changqing felt a throbbing pain in his head, which he was forcibly suppressing.

He sat cross-legged and didn’t immediately enter a meditative state. Instead, he calmed his mind and entered his status panel.

On the panel, the slaughter points were still pitifully low, preventing him from upgrading his martial arts. However, there were some changes on the other panels.

First, a new panel called "True Intent" had appeared in the "Martial Arts" section.

At the same time, the words "Hundred Battle Saber Technique" had disappeared from the "Martial Arts" panel and were replaced by an entry on the "True Intent" panel.

Hundred Battle True Intent: 10%.

"The Hundred Battle True Intent is the Martial Arts True Intent comprehended after perfecting the Hundred Battle Saber Technique. The so-called ‘10%’ likely refers to my comprehension of the True Intent."

Shen Changqing mused.

Hundred Battle True Intent at 10% meant that he had just crossed the threshold of True Intent.

"The deeper one comprehends the Martial Arts True Intent, the stronger the martial artist should become. I have only comprehended 10% of the Hundred Battle True Intent, barely crossing the threshold of the Grandmaster Realm. Then how much did Mierba comprehend in Martial Arts True Intent?"

Shen Changqing thought of Mierba, whom he had killed.

Soon, he dismissed his speculations.

To be honest, Shen Changqing’s own situation was unclear. He couldn’t be certain about his true strength.

If he were to go by Martial Arts True Intent, he would only barely qualify as a Grandmaster.

But in terms of actual strength, he was clearly qualified to crush Mierba, who was at the Grandmaster Middle Stage.

Moreover, the Tiger Roar Leopard Thunder seemed to be a Grandmaster Realm in itself.

"My understanding of the Grandmaster Realm is too limited. I must find time to return to the Demon Suppression Division. All my doubts can be answered by the Demon Suppression Division."

He had been in Jincheng for a considerable amount of time.

Initially, it was just to cooperate with the Heavenly Inspection Guard to investigate the Eternal Life Alliance’s stronghold. No one had expected to encounter the Barbarian invasion.

So, strictly speaking, Shen Changqing’s mission in Jincheng had long been completed.

Returning to the Demon Suppression Division now wouldn’t be a problem.

Normally, he wouldn’t be in such a hurry to return to the Demon Suppression Division.

But now that his strength had increased significantly, Shen Changqing had many doubts about martial arts. To resolve these doubts, he had to turn to the Demon Suppression Division.

Understanding these matters would greatly aid in improving his strength.

Immediately, after making his decision, Shen Changqing completely calmed his mind and entered a meditative state.

On the other side, Chu Ding and the others were still discussing matters.

For them, Shen Changqing breaking out of the encirclement was already a joyous occasion. Now that he had brought news of Mierba’s death, it was double the joy.

With Mierba dead, the threat posed by the Barbarian army that had captured Jincheng would be greatly reduced.

In this situation, Chu Ding had to adjust his initial strategy.

The night passed without incident.

Originally, the Black Tiger Army was only going to rest briefly for an hour or two before withdrawing, as this would reduce the probability of being discovered by the Barbarians.

If they stayed too long, they could easily be surrounded by the Barbarians.

But the news brought by Shen Changqing allowed the Black Tiger Army to not rush their departure. They could rest sufficiently before setting off.

When dawn was breaking, Shen Changqing awoke from his meditation and, as usual, opened his mouth to swallow the first wisp of purple Qi wandering between heaven and earth.

Compared to his current True Qi reserves, that wisp of purple Qi entering his body was like a clay ox entering the sea, creating no ripples whatsoever.

End of Chapter