Human Clan Defender-Chapter 594 - s 305 to 308: Slaying the Demon Saint, Ten Thousand Bells Tolling (Four-in-One, Seeking Monthly Votes)_6

Immortal Golden Body Realm, lifespan of one thousand years.

"A lifespan of one thousand years!"

His spirit was somewhat shaken. As a Great Grandmaster, Shen Changqing had estimated his own lifespan to be perhaps just three to five hundred years. Even at their peak, the strong could calculate the range of their lifespan.

Now, having successfully broken through to the Immortal Golden Body Realm, his lifespan had directly reached one thousand years.

Moreover, he had a premonition. One thousand years, in fact, is not the limit of the Immortal Golden Body Realm; I might still live longer. It's just that a thousand years is a threshold for the Immortal Golden Body Realm. But exactly what kind of threshold it was, Shen Changqing did not yet know.

If he could further merge his Divine Heaven Golden Body, perhaps he could obtain some information about the Immortal Golden Body Realm from the Dharma.

At the moment, he had ample Slaughter Value. The fusion of his Divine Soul and Flesh meant he no longer had to worry about his Flesh growing too strong for his Divine Soul to control, as the two were now harmonized. As his Flesh's vitality and vigor grew, his Divine Soul would likewise be nourished; the two were now capable of synchronous growth.

But even so, the Divine Heaven Golden Body was temporarily unable to merge. The issue remained: there were some characteristics of the Divine Heaven Golden Body that Shen Changqing did not want to give up. Only by comprehending a Martial Art comparable to it could he merge once more.

For this, he had set a time limit for himself: three years. If he could not comprehend that Martial Art within three years, then he would settle for the second best, using other Martial Arts to enhance himself. In that case, whether the merged Martial Art would be to his liking was hard to say.

His mind withdrew from the panel.

Shen Changqing looked at Dongfang Zhao. "I have a matter I would like to consult Defender Dongfang about."

"What matter?"

"I see that you Defender Envoys can also use a Domain. I want to ask, what is the prerequisite for using a Domain?"

"Defender Shen doesn't know?" Dongfang Zhao's expression was astonished for a moment, but he quickly realized he had misspoken. Since Shen Changqing was asking, he clearly didn't understand Domains.

After thinking it over, Dongfang Zhao spoke, "Speaking of Domains, it is actually a manifestation of Divine Soul Power. Only when the Divine Soul is stronger than the Flesh can it break free from the Flesh's constraints and connect to Heaven and Earth. The so-called Domain involves borrowing the power of Heaven and Earth to lay down a different spatial territory. In that space, you are equivalent to the ruler of Heaven and Earth, capable of controlling the life and death of all beings within the Domain. However, there is a prerequisite: the strength of the beings within the Domain cannot be too great. If the beings' strength is too great, they can directly break the Domain. Once the Domain is shattered, the one who deployed it may suffer a certain degree of backlash."

Understood!

Hearing this explanation, Shen Changqing finally understood why he was unable to use a Domain. Only when the Divine Soul is stronger than the Flesh can a Domain be used. My Divine Soul is currently neither stronger nor weaker than my Flesh. The two are in an absolute state of balance. As such, I cannot use a Domain.

Shen Changqing was now certain. The path I walk is different from that of the Defender Envoys and the Demon Evils. It's even different from the paths of Ancient Times. Perhaps—this is the true path of a Martial Artist!

The Divine Soul and Flesh fused, creating an unrivaled physique.

Shaking his head, Shen Changqing did not dwell on this matter for the time being.

The tolling of the bells continued. One after another, they rang out, the sound spreading from Luo'an Prefecture to other prefectures.

「Half a day later,」

The solemn peal of bells echoed over the skies of Great Qin. The whole nation wore mourning attire. The citizens grieved.

「Three days later,」

The remains of Gu Xuanji and the corpse of the Ghost Saint were all transported to the Capital City. Shen Changqing did not stay at Fallen Saint Pass but accompanied them back.

——

「Ten days later,」

In the Capital City, within the royal court, Gu Xing, still dressed in his python robe, sat on the throne, listening to a report from one of his subordinates.

"His Majesty battled the Demon Saint of the Demon Evil Clan in Luo'an Prefecture. Later, together with the newly appointed Great Qin Defender, Shen Changqing, he jointly slew the Demon Saint before Fallen Saint Pass. The following day, His Majesty passed away. His remains are currently being transported to the Capital City!"

These simple words contained an enormous amount of information.

They were well aware that Gu Xuanji had been battling a formidable enemy when he borrowed Great Qin's destiny. Otherwise, there would have been no need to borrow the destiny of Great Qin to face an enemy. After that, the death knell tolled throughout Great Qin. Although the news of Gu Xuanji's fall had not yet reached the Capital City, every minister understood clearly.

Now that the New Emperor had not yet ascended the throne, they were waiting for the imperial edict to arrive. Or rather, they were waiting for Gu Xuanji's remains to return to the Capital City. Thus, they were not surprised by Gu Xuanji's passing. What truly astonished them was the slaying of the Demon Saint and the appearance of a Great Qin Defender.

"So Father Emperor has truly passed away!" Gu Xing's face showed sorrow, as if in disbelief.

The man bowed his head. "The funeral bell has tolled. His Majesty's passing is a fact. I hope the Crown Prince will not grieve excessively!"

"That's right," another minister chimed in. "Now that His Majesty has passed away, Great Qin needs the Crown Prince to take charge. Do not grieve excessively. Should Your Highness fall ill, it would be calamitous news for Great Qin."

The other ministers, hearing this, also spoke up in turn.

Gu Xuanji's death was a certainty. Thus, who the New Emperor would be needed no further discussion. Within the Imperial Family, no one could contend with Gu Xing. Moreover, before Gu Xuanji had personally led the campaign, he had entrusted Gu Xing with state affairs, which in itself indicated that arrangements had been made.

Now that Gu Xuanji had passed away,