Human Clan Defender-Chapter 453 -s 200-201 Turbulence of Heavenly Mechanism (Request for Monthly Pass)_3

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had a chance to return.

「In less than half a quarter of an hour,」

Zhou Yuanzheng put down the secret letter, his eyebrows tightly knitted. "The Mountain Spirit Clan? When did such a race appear in Great Qin?"

"Based on the information from the secret letter, the emergence of the Mountain Spirit Clan is definitely connected with the Demon Evil Clan. Moreover, behind the Mountain Spirit Clan, there must surely be a powerful entity." Dongfang Zhao shook his head slightly, his face growing more somber as he continued, "To openly kill someone in front of a Great Grandmaster... I’m afraid even you might not be capable of such a feat."

When it rains, it pours, Dongfang Zhao thought. He had originally considered, if possible, temporarily forming an alliance with the Mountain Spirit Clan. But now, it seemed that wouldn’t be possible. The Mountain Spirit Clan’s predation on humans had almost become instinctual. With such an instinct, it was predetermined that there would be no chance for cooperation between the two.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuanzheng said in a deep voice, "According to the intelligence, those Great Grandmasters are very formidable. The power displayed by just two of them is already comparable to top King Rank Defender Envoys. Truthfully, if there’s someone Shen Changqing can’t stop, I’d also have great difficulty stopping them." Although he was always confident, he also knew what the facts were.

Dongfang Zhao couldn’t help but smile. "It’s rare to hear you speak like this." He knew Zhou Yuanzheng was confident, but the man certainly had the basis for it. In terms of strength, Zhou Yuanzheng might be slightly weaker than him, but not by much. It could be said that even though he hadn’t reached the Venerable Level, he was already among the top King Rank Defender Envoys. Before Shen Changqing appeared, Dongfang Zhao had even made preparations: if he were to pass away first, the position of Dominator of the Demon-Subduing Division would temporarily fall to Zhou Yuanzheng.

Zhou Yuanzheng’s expression was calm. "What is, is; what isn’t, isn’t. You know I never engage in empty talk. Now that Shen Changqing has advanced to Great Grandmaster and clearly possesses formidable strength, your worries should be put to rest, shouldn’t they?"

"If nothing unexpected occurs, it can be considered temporarily resolved," Dongfang Zhao sighed.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuanzheng’s eyebrows rose. "What? Did you not tell him, or did he outright refuse?"

"I did tell him," Dongfang Zhao said, a helpless expression on his face. "He didn’t refuse, but he seems to be considering whether or not to take on this responsibility. I can’t force this on him. If he’s unwilling, and I forcibly thrust the Demon-Subduing Division upon him, he’d eventually cast it aside anyway. We’ll see. I can still hold on for a few more years!"

Zhou Yuanzheng’s eyebrows rose. "Interesting." It was the first time he’d heard of someone not immediately accepting the position of Dominator. One had to understand, the authority that came with this position was immense. Seated there, even Emperor Qin would have to think twice before making a move against the one holding it, lest it cause severe upheaval.

"Let’s not discuss this matter for now," Dongfang Zhao said, changing the subject. "We’ll revisit it in time. We need to find more talented individuals with great potential who are loyal to the Human Clan and send them to the Martial Hall for proper cultivation. If a few more Great Grandmasters could emerge, the current situation would be even more stable."

The biggest advantage Great Grandmasters had over Defender Envoys was their significantly longer lifespans. If Great Qin could have several more Great Grandmasters defending it, it could ensure the safety of the Human Clan within its borders. This would hold true unless the Demon Evil Clan truly intensified their attacks with several Demon Saints taking action.

He paused, then looked towards Zhou Yuanzheng. "You’ve seen the secret letter too. Our Human Clan is already exhausting every effort against the Demon Evil Clan. If we also have to deal with the Mountain Spirit Clan, troubles will arise everywhere. In your view, what would be the best solution to this problem?"

"Kill!" Zhou Yuanzheng’s expression turned cold, brimming with killing intent. "If the Mountain Spirit Clan insists on becoming an enemy of our Human Clan, then we should exterminate them thoroughly. This is especially crucial now while they don’t possess much strength. If we wait until the Mountain Spirit Clan is fully fledged, that’s when the real trouble will begin."

The secret letter from Shen Changqing contained an assessment of the Mountain Spirit Clan’s strength, so he was also clear about their current state. At most, they only had a group of Shapechanging Mountain Spirits comparable to General Rank Defender Envoys. Even if they truly had stronger Mountain Spirits hidden, they would likely only be around the Marquis to King Rank Defender Envoy level. With such strength, the Demon-Subduing Division could completely handle them. Only by thoroughly suppressing the Mountain Spirit Clan could they be free from future concerns.

Dongfang Zhao nodded, fully agreeing with Zhou Yuanzheng’s decision. "Indeed. The Mountain Spirit Clan is a hidden threat. Since their strength isn’t great right now, it’s suitable to eliminate them. This is particularly important because Shapechanging Mountain Spirits lack Yin Evil Aura; if they were to infiltrate the Human Clan, they’d be difficult to identify, and if they took the opportunity to cause chaos, it would be a significant problem."

His earlier reluctance to conflict with the Mountain Spirit Clan, aside from a desire to cooperate, stemmed mainly from fearing their potentially formidable strength. Now that it was clear the Mountain Spirit Clan had weak foundations, eliminating them wasn’t an issue. Cooperation! That was a term applicable to entities of equal standing. As for the weaker ones, there were only two options: subjugation or destruction! The Mountain Spirit Clan clearly wouldn’t submit, and the Human Clan didn’t need the submission of an Outer Clan, especially one that preyed on humans and could tear up any agreement at any moment. That being the case, the Demon-Subduing Division had only one approach to the Mountain Spirit Clan.