Human Clan Defender-Chapter 531 - 268: Start of the War (Thanks to the "Passerby, No Thanks" Alliance Hierarch for the reward)

Chapter 531: Chapter 268: Start of the War (Thanks to the "Passerby, No Thanks" Alliance Hierarch for the reward)

Momentum erupted. Three individuals stepped into the air from Jincheng, immediately surrounding Shen Changqing.

Shen Changqing looked at the three men. Each was bare-chested, with blood-colored patterns sprawling over their flesh, even on their faces, giving them an overall eerie appearance. Simultaneously, the aura each person emitted was powerful and malevolent; they stood there as if they were living Demon Evils.

"I’ve heard that among the Barbarian Clan, there’s a system known as Demon Spirit Generals," Shen Changqing said, his expression unchanged, his tone calm. "Their strength surpasses ordinary Martial Artists and can compare to Great Qin’s Defender Envoys. Now, it seems the tales were true."

Demon Spirit Generals, he mused. In essence, they are much like Great Qin’s Defender Envoys, having obtained strength beyond their own limits through some special methods. Judging by the appearance of these few Demon Spirit Generals, their auras are malevolent, indistinguishable from those of Demon Evils. I can almost confirm that these so-called Demon Spirit Generals are probably not much different from the Demonfolk.

Comparatively, although the Defender Envoys of Great Qin also integrate the power of Demon Evils, strictly speaking, they do not submit to it. Instead, they use their own strength to suppress and refine the power of Demon Evils, assimilating it for their own use. Submission and refinement—there is a fundamental difference. Looking at these Demon Spirit Generals, it’s more accurate to say they are reincarnated Demon Evils rather than humans.

His words had barely faded when one of the Demon Spirit Generals slowly spoke, his voice hoarse, "Defender Shen, since you are aware of the existence of the Demon Spirit Generals, yet you still dare to venture deep into our Barbarian Clan’s territory, you’re quite bold."

"All I know is that this is one of Great Qin’s nine prefectures, Great Wilderness Prefecture. When did it become Barbarian Clan territory?" Shen Changqing sneered.

The Demon Spirit General replied, "The Great Wilderness Prefecture you speak of existed before our Barbarian Clan arrived. Now that our Barbarian Clan has conquered this place, this land belongs to us."

"No, this is Great Wilderness Prefecture," Shen Changqing said, shaking his head slightly, firm in his response.

Upon hearing this, the faces of the Demon Spirit Generals darkened. One of them said coldly, "Whether this is Great Wilderness Prefecture or not will depend on your strength."

"I am Demon Spirit General Yarman from the Priest Hall," the first Demon Spirit General to speak announced. He then added, "After you die, remember who you fell to."

"Priest Hall Demon Spirit General, Barlo!"

"Priest Hall Demon Spirit General, Barley!"

The other two Demon Spirit Generals also announced their names. In their eyes, for a showdown between the strong, announcing one’s name was a sign of respect.

"Very well. Three Demon Spirit Generals," Shen Changqing laughed. "Wang Mubai, is this your confidence?"

Wang Mubai’s expression was icy, his eyes dark and foreboding. "You needn’t mystify matters. You’ve been able to follow me, which must mean you possess some kind of Divine Skill. With your foundations, continuously using Divine Skills to follow me through several prefectures must have drained your strength significantly. If you were at your peak, I naturally couldn’t hold you back. But now, that remains to be seen."

Three Demon Spirit Generals. All were powerful individuals from the Priest Hall, considered in Great Qin to be at the King Rank Defender Envoy level. Such powerful individuals, even in their prime, would naturally count for little in front of a Venerable Rank Defender Envoy. However, in Wang Mubai’s view, Shen Changqing had little strength left. With his own direct intervention, coupled with the aid of several Demon Spirit Generals, the likelihood of taking down his opponent was substantial. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"You’re very confident," Shen Changqing replied, still not making a move, his responses casual. His posture was extremely relaxed, as if he were completely unconcerned.

Seeing this, Wang Mubai seemed to realize something and shouted coldly, "He’s stalling for time, trying to recover his strength! Everyone, attack!"

As soon as he spoke, he was the first to act. His Demon Evil true body reemerged, an overwhelming Yin Evil Aura erupting, formidable enough to obscure the sun and sky.

Simultaneously, the other three Demon Spirit Generals also attacked. Each unleashed a dense Yin Evil Aura, as if countless wronged spirits were shrieking and wailing, the malevolent energy spreading far and wide.

BOOM! Wang Mubai’s palm strike thundered toward Shen Changqing.

Shen Changqing’s smile vanished. He activated his Divine Heaven Golden Body, Divine Thunder Heavenly Gang coalescing around him. Simultaneously, he pointed, the power of Heaven and Earth bolstering him; it was as if stars themselves were plummeting, the momentum so tremendous it instilled fear.

Divine Skill—Star Finger! The Banishing Evil Silent Obliteration Finger is too costly, Shen Changqing thought, so I’ll use Star Finger for now.

Nevertheless, when this Divine Skill was unleashed, its grandeur was still sweeping and profound.

RUMBLE!! The two forces clashed, then both dissipated into nothingness.

Immediately afterward, the assault from the three Demon Spirit Generals arrived. Shen Changqing took a step back, their attacks all missing. He then appeared behind one of them, striking out with his finger. The power of the Divine Skill shook the very void.

"Be careful!" Wang Mubai’s expression changed slightly. His power unfolded, creating a domain that covered a hundred zhang in all directions. Then, his body vanished, reappearing next to Shen Changqing in the next instant. He struck out with his palm, seeking to intercept the Star Finger’s momentum.

However, Shen Changqing’s assault was too fast; Wang Mubai’s intervention only neutralized half the force. The remaining power continued, undiminished.

Just as a strong premonition surged in Barlo’s heart, he heard Wang Mubai’s roar. Before he could turn to defend, a force blasted him, sending him flying. Instantly, his back erupted, flesh and blood scattering.

"Damn it!" Seeing one of his own severely injured so quickly, Wang Mubai’s fury was imaginable. He vented all his anger on Shen Changqing. A palm strike thundered out, the Yin Evil Aura surging like a collapsing mountain and a crashing tsunami.

Witnessing this, Shen Changqing tried to use Shrinking Earth into Inches to escape but found the surrounding space had solidified, greatly limiting his Divine Skill. While not completely ineffective, it wasn’t as smooth as before. This sudden restriction caught him off guard.

Delayed by a moment, Wang Mubai’s onslaught arrived. BOOM!! The Divine Thunder Heavenly Gang’s purple lightning exploded. Shen Changqing grunted, stumbling backward. After regaining his footing, his gaze turned icy as he faced his opponent again. A Domain! he realized.

It wasn’t that he had never encountered a Domain before. When he fought Shimohe, he had personally experienced its power. But Shimohe’s Domain couldn’t constrain him at all; he could easily destroy it with his own strength. But now, the strength of the Domain Wang Mubai exhibited was far beyond what Shimohe could compare to. This made Shen Changqing realize the situation’s difficulty. The idea he originally had—to use Shrinking Earth into Inches to pick them off one by one—was completely dashed.

"Today shall be your end!" From within Wang Mubai’s Demon Evil true body, his vertical eye emitted a green light, its destructive aura alarming.

Shen Changqing swiftly moved. Though Shrinking Earth into Inches was greatly restricted, ordinary evasion was not a problem. "You think you’re worthy to kill me?!" As he spoke, he thrust his finger out. BOOM! The collision of two forces caused the entire Domain to tremble violently.

Elsewhere, the attacks from Yarman, Barley, and the somewhat recovered Barlo—the three Demon Spirit Generals—came once more.

This time, Shen Changqing didn’t use Divine Skills to dodge. He directly invoked Divine Thunder Heavenly Gang, clenched his right fist, and struck. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A fierce battle erupted before Jincheng. Terrifying fluctuations spread, causing the city walls, which had stood undecayed for countless years, to crack.

The soldiers on the walls were either killed by this force or had been ordered to retreat in advance.

「Great Wilderness Prefecture, the front line of the standoff between Great Qin and the Barbarian Clan.」

On the walls of a majestic city, Wei Gao, the Great Qin General clad in armor, watched the anomaly piercing the Firmament, his expression grave. "The South Nether Prefecture Defender Envoy entered that area a short while ago," he muttered. "With such fluctuations erupting now, a great battle must have begun."

The lieutenant beside him, also looking grave, asked, "General, what should we do now?"

The region ahead is occupied by the Barbarian Clan, Wei Gao mused. Normally, we wouldn’t interfere. But the one who ventured deep within is the South Nether Prefecture Defender Envoy. That complicates things.

After a moment’s thought, Wei Gao said, "Inform Dongyang that my Fire Qilin Army is preparing a full-scale attack on the Barbarian Clan to support Defender Shen. Tell his Black Tiger Army to be ready as well."

"General, are we truly going to launch a full-scale attack?" the lieutenant asked, hesitating. He had thought they would at most send a few powerful warriors to try to reach Shen Changqing. But it appeared a full offensive was intended.

Wei Gao’s expression turned icy. "Why not? The Great Wilderness Prefecture is inherently Great Qin’s territory. We’ve been at a stalemate with the Barbarian Clan for too long. It’s time they understand that not just anyone can covet the Great Wilderness Prefecture. No more talk. Send the orders immediately: the army is to attack head-on. We must take the Barbarian Clan’s frontier city as quickly as possible. Also, tell the Demon-Subduing Division to send powerful reinforcements immediately."

Either we don’t fight at all, or if we fight, we go all out. As a Great Qin General, especially one commanding the Fire Qilin Army, Wei Gao was inherently hot-tempered. Having been stationed at Great Wilderness Prefecture, facing the Barbarian Clan for so long without reclaiming it, had already left him quite frustrated. Now, Shen Changqing has entered the area alone. He has undoubtedly clashed with that Great Demon. In such circumstances, the Barbarian Clan won’t stand idly by. If we let him fall there, the trouble will be immense. Instead, it’s better to take this gamble. Besides, striking now is the best opportunity.

Upon hearing this, the lieutenant dared not say more and hastened away. In less than half an hour, the Fire Qilin Army within the city was fully mobilized.

On the city wall, Wei Gao watched the distant shockwaves rippling through the void, his gaze deep. Even from such a distance, the fluctuations are so evident—the power level of the combatants is unimaginable. If Shen Changqing falls, the Fire Qilin Army might be next to face such a powerful adversary. Therefore, he must not die.