Human Clan Defender-Chapter 437 - 190: Secret Tasks to Do (Vote for Monthly Ticket)

Chapter 437: Chapter 190: Secret Tasks to Do (Vote for Monthly Ticket)

The next day, as dawn broke, Shen Changqing emerged from his meditative state. He stepped into the courtyard and began to inhale and exhale the Heaven and Earth Purple Qi.

With the increase of his strength, the amount of Purple Qi he could absorb each time was significantly greater than before.

Just as the eastern sky began to show the first light, faint streams of Purple Qi, like wisps of mist, drifted down into the courtyard.

The mist was thick.

Finally, Shen Changqing absorbed all the Purple Qi in one breath, and the slight fatigue in his spirit was completely restored.

"BURP!"

He let out a satisfied burp, a faint smile on his face.

"The Heaven and Earth Purple Qi is truly mystical. Even at the Great Grandmaster Realm, absorbing Purple Qi still has some effect. Although very subtle, persistent absorption yields considerable benefits."

Heaven and Earth Purple Qi... probably the only treasure applicable to both Pulse Condensation Realm martial artists and Great Grandmasters. Regardless of one’s strength, one can absorb Purple Qi daily, and it will have certain benefits for the body.

After completing this, Shen Changqing planned to seek out Dongfang Zhao again.

The construction of the Demon-Subduing Prison needed to be expedited. Once he found the people he needed, he could return to South Nether Prefecture.

He needed to handle the auction and find those hidden essence spirits to eliminate them.

Harvesting Divine Ability Value. To him now, it was as important as Slaughter Value.

"That’s right," he suddenly recalled.

I almost forgot to ask about the essence spirits. If the Demon-Subduing Division had received news about them, they should have considerable information.

The matter of the essence spirits—he had intended to inquire about it anyway. However, with so much happening, it had slipped his mind.

Now remembering, Shen Changqing planned to ask about it as well.

"Defender Shen has come again?" Dongfang Zhao looked exasperated.

Three visits in two days was quite frequent.

Is Shen Changqing visiting daily to check if I’ve died yet? Dongfang Zhao shook his head. No, that’s just a malicious guess.

Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing immediately cupped his fists, "This time, I have come to inquire about the progress of the Hidden Heart Pavilion matter from you, Lord Defender. If possible, I plan to take them back to South Nether Prefecture with me. After all, my absence as the Defender Envoy of South Nether Prefecture has been far too long, which isn’t ideal."

"That makes sense," Dongfang Zhao nodded in agreement, then continued, "There’s no major issue with the Hidden Heart Pavilion. I have found people for you. Someone from the Suppressing Evil Hall will accompany you. As for the construction of the Demon-Subduing Prison, you’ll handle any issues that arise yourself. However, I must mention one thing. The personnel from the Suppressing Evil Hall are very important; try to ensure no harm comes to them."

He added another word of caution at the end.

Hearing this, Shen Changqing understood.

Researchers were always highly valued, regardless of the era.

Especially now, the people from the Suppressing Evil Hall and the Demon Sealing Hall primarily focused on researching Demon Evil. To put it mildly, they were crucial to the Demon-Subduing Division and Great Qin. More broadly, their work could significantly impact the entire Human Clan.

As for the members of the Martial Hall and the Internal Affairs Hall, they weren’t considered as critical in this specific context.

It could be said that the creation of Defender Envoys, researched by these two halls, had already improved Great Qin’s situation.

Without Defender Envoys, Great Qin might have long ago become a domain of Guiyu.

With this in mind, Shen Changqing couldn’t help but ask, "Our Great Qin has Defender Envoys. What about other countries? How do they combat the threat of Demon Evil?"

He understood that the Defender Envoys were a secret of the Demon-Subduing Division. It would be impossible for the Demon-Subduing Division to disclose the secret of the Defender Envoys to other nations.

If I were part of the Demon-Subduing Division, I certainly wouldn’t reveal the secret of the Defender Envoys. Other countries are none of my concern. If other nations were destroyed by Demon Evil, allowing Great Qin to rise supreme, wouldn’t that be even better?

Thus, Shen Changqing was very curious about the methods other nations employed to counter Demon Evil.

Dongfang Zhao said, "Among the nations, Great Qin has the shallowest foundation, established only about three hundred years ago. Other countries have existed for over a thousand years, each with profound legacies. When Demon Evil emerged, they also established organizations similar to our Demon-Subduing Division. However, their methods for creating their equivalents of Defender Envoys are not like ours—we purely fuse the power of Demon Evil. Theirs involve other elements."

At this point, he shook his head slightly. "But these are national secrets, just as the Demon-Subduing Division’s secrets aren’t spread. We only have a fragmented understanding of other nations’ Defender Envoy equivalents. Beyond that, we can’t learn more."

So that’s how it is! Shen Changqing nodded in understanding.

That explanation made sense. It was normal for nations over a thousand years old to possess their own legacies.

He didn’t dwell on this, quickly moving to the main topic. "Did the Lord Defender receive the message I sent to the Demon-Subduing Division last time?"

"Message?" Dongfang Zhao was momentarily stunned. Then, he reacted, "You mean, regarding the matter of the essence spirits?"

"Exactly!" Shen Changqing nodded. "In Fengqiu Mountain, I slew a massive fox capable of human speech. It had shed its beastly nature and transformed into an essence spirit. Such essence spirits are cruel and ruthless, feeding on human Essence Blood, posing a significant future threat." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Speaking of essence spirits, Dongfang Zhao agreed with his sentiment. "You’re right, essence spirits are indeed a menace. The Demon-Subduing Division is already hard-pressed dealing with Demon Evil. If essence spirits also get involved, things will become even more troublesome. Speaking of which, I’m quite curious. How did you learn of the existence of essence spirits?"

Regarding this question, Shen Changqing was well-prepared with an answer, "I only heard about essence spirits through common rumors. Later, upon seeing that fox in Fengqiu Mountain, I concluded it was an essence spirit. But I was wondering, does the Demon-Subduing Division have any information on essence spirits?"

That answer was quite vague. Dongfang Zhao gave him a deep look but did not pursue the matter further.

Whether he heard it from common rumors or learned it through other means wasn’t important.

What truly mattered was that essence spirits genuinely existed.

"This is the first the Demon-Subduing Division has officially heard of essence spirits," Dongfang Zhao stated. "We’ve never received any such reports in the past. However, after you reported it, I had the Heavenly Inspection Guard consolidate some files. We’ve confirmed that essence spirits are indeed hidden throughout Great Qin. But these essence spirits are very skilled at concealment, mostly residing in mountains and forests, making them difficult to find. While they do harm commoners, they typically only attack those who enter the mountains. They seldom emerge from the forests to assault local villages or towns. Consequently, eradicating them is not easy for us."

Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing fell silent.

Essence spirits are extremely adept at hiding, making them difficult to find. However, Dongfang Zhao’s words clearly suggest they’ve already located some.

At this moment, Dongfang Zhao continued, "Until Demon Evil is eradicated, the Demon-Subduing Division should not make any large-scale moves against essence spirits. Otherwise, they might ally with Demon Evil. Of course, while the Demon-Subduing Division doesn’t wish to make enemies of them, we are not afraid of trouble. If the essence spirits insist on antagonizing us, then there’s nothing more to be said."

Currently, the Demon-Subduing Division isn’t sure if essence spirits have any connection with Demon Evil. If there’s no connection, it means the two factions are distinct. In that scenario, essence spirits could be enemies of the Human Clan, or they could be enemies of Demon Evil. However, if the Human Clan attacks the essence spirits, they will undoubtedly retaliate and might even ally with Demon Evil. The pressure on the Demon-Subduing Division would then be even greater.

Dongfang Zhao understood this well. "The Demon-Subduing Division has its own pressures," he said. "Until we ascertain the true intentions of the essence spirits, we must be cautious." After he finished speaking, his eyes held a profound meaning.

Shen Changqing maintained his composure and calmly said, "Lord Defender is right. In that case, perhaps we could try to negotiate with these essence spirits. If possible, we could even collaborate. After all, Demon Evil is the primary threat. If the essence spirits aren’t allied with them, then Demon Evil’s growing strength will threaten them too."

Dongfang Zhao nodded slightly. "I’ve considered this too. Let’s wait and see. If we can reach an agreement, it would indeed be beneficial for Great Qin in the short term."

Seeing this, Shen Changqing didn’t ask Dongfang Zhao for the locations of any essence spirits.

From my own perspective, the more essence spirits killed, the better. But from the Demon-Subduing Division’s broader strategic view, they aren’t necessarily enemies. At least, not necessarily in the short term.

Moreover, Dongfang Zhao’s words also implied a certain stance.

It means—attacking essence spirits is permissible, even without a reason, but it must be done covertly, without widespread publicity. Especially now, with the true strength and details of the essence spirit clans unknown. Under these circumstances, caution is paramount.

When he stepped out of the main hall, a ray of sunlight struck his face. He looked directly at the sun, completely unaffected.

The Demon-Subduing Division has its own burdens. Unless one is truly invincible, there will always be many concerns!

This return visit to the Demon-Subduing Division helped Shen Changqing understand its true predicament and the pressure Dongfang Zhao, the Dominator, was under.