Chapter 330: Chapter 128 I’m Waiting for You (Asking for Monthly Votes)
From Du’er, Shen Changqing once again learned about the specific situation in South Nether Prefecture. Since Shimohe’s appearance, the Myriad Buddhas Sect had grown exceedingly arrogant, now even to the point of openly challenging the Demon-Subduing Division. Similarly, the Demon-Subduing Division was not to be trifled with. The Myriad Buddhas Sect had provoked them, so they should be prepared to be struck in return. For this reason, the Demon-Subduing Division not only mobilized its own forces but also drew upon the power of the Imperial Court, intent on eradicating all rebels and traitors in one fell swoop. Such actions indeed befitted the domineering style of the Demon-Subduing Division. Moreover, there were no issues with their methods.
The current situation in Great Qin was very delicate; one misstep could lead to even greater turmoil. Therefore, the Demon-Subduing Division had to act with lightning speed to completely dismantle forces like the Myriad Buddhas Sect. This would intimidate other Sects, preventing them from harboring any rebellious ideas.
"Now that the forces of both sides have gathered, it should be just a few more days before the war officially starts!" Du’er finally added.
Shen Changqing nodded. "I am aware of the situation. Regarding the affairs of Luoyang City, go back and tell them not to act rashly. If they interfere with my extermination of the Demon Evil, causing it to escape, then they shouldn’t blame me for being severe!" At the end of his words, a faint fiendish aura leaked from his body.
In an instant, a chill went through Du’er’s heart. "Elder Shen, rest assured. Without your command, we will not step within fifty miles of Luoyang City."
"You may leave!" Shen Changqing waved his hand.
Du’er bowed deeply and then, with a leap, vanished down the ancient path.
Watching him leave, Shen Changqing looked down at Tiankui. In the time he’d had it, Tiankui had grown to more than twice its original size. Although its strength hadn’t increased by much, the unique aura of a Fierce Beast was beginning to show. It had lost some of its cuteness and gained more of a menacing presence. The fleshy lumps on its back were much more pronounced, though it was still some way from truly developing wings.
When Tiankui was first born, its strength was equivalent to a Martial Artist in the Body Tempering Realm, Shen Changqing mused internally. Now, after being fed a great deal of fresh blood and devouring a large amount of Essence Blood from a Strange Monster, its strength is already comparable to a Martial Artist in the Pulse Condensation Realm. After a while longer, breaking through to the Innate Realm shouldn’t be a problem. But as for growing wings, I’m afraid that won’t happen until it reaches the Grandmaster Realm!
Fierce Beasts, like Heavenly Calamities, are divided into three stages: juvenile, growth, and mature. Tiankui’s juvenile stage encompassed both the Body Tempering and Pulse Condensation Realms. The growth stage encompassed the Innate and Grandmaster Realms. The final mature stage is when it would truly reach Grandmaster Peak. Under normal circumstances, for Tiankui to transition from the juvenile to the growth stage would take a considerable amount of time, measured in years. But there are exceptions, such as feeding Tiankui large quantities of energy-rich substances, which can shorten its growth cycle.
What kind of substance is rich in energy? Clearly, very few things could contain more energy than the fresh blood of a Grandmaster at the absolute peak of the Flesh. With such a foundation, Tiankui has been able to grow so quickly.
After looking at the creature for a moment, Shen Changqing continued on his way to Luoyang City. According to the information from the Heavenly Inspection Guard, the Demon Evil in Luoyang City must have undergone some unknown changes to enter its breakthrough stage. Although he wasn’t worried about a newly broken-through Demon Evil, if it successfully broke through and escaped before he arrived, that would be a major problem. What Shen Changqing needed to do now was to reach Luoyang City before the Demon Evil completed its breakthrough.
「In less than a day’s time.」
A city enveloped by a Yin Evil Aura appeared in Shen Changqing’s sight. The Yin Evil Aura there had become so dense it was visible to the naked eye. Ordinary people who got too close would be frozen by this intense Yin Evil Aura.
"This is Luoyang City!" Looking at the city, Shen Changqing felt a sense of calm. After receiving news of the Demon Evil’s impending breakthrough, he had rushed, carrying Tiankui, with all his might. A journey that would normally take one or two days had been forcefully shortened to half a day. Now, Luoyang City finally lay before him.
In his view, the entirety of Luoyang City had become a desolate, lifeless stronghold. Not only was it devoid of any signs of life, but cloaked in the Yin Evil Aura, it resembled an incredibly terrifying Fierce Beast lying in wait. The Yin Evil Aura within the city seemed to be drawn by some powerful presence, first contracting sharply, then surging dramatically. A powerful aura waxed and waned within Luoyang City.
It’s still in the process of breakthrough; it seems I’ve arrived a bit early! Shen Changqing stood with his hands behind his back. He did not immediately enter Luoyang City, nor did he have any immediate intention of exterminating the Demon Evil inside. If the Demon Evil hadn’t been in the midst of a breakthrough, he would have directly entered the city, eliminated it, and then moved on elsewhere. But now, Shen Changqing had other ideas.
A Fiend Level Strange Monster, even one at its peak, would only yield a few dozen Slaughter Value points at most. Conversely, if it were a Demon Evil, the Slaughter Value provided would be in three-digit numbers. For instance, the Demon Evil in Luyang City had yielded him two hundred Slaughter Value points, but that Demon Evil had been on the verge of breaking through to become a mid-tier Demon Evil. The Demon Evil in Luoyang City, if its breakthrough succeeded, probably wouldn’t yield two hundred points, but over a hundred points should be no problem. After all, for Demon Evils of the same realm, whether newly advanced or at their peak, the contributed Slaughter Value generally didn’t differ much. Besides, the Spiritual Power provided by a Demon Evil is significantly more than that of a Strange Monster.
Shen Changqing’s True Intent was now already above sixty percent. If he could slay another Demon Evil, he was certain he could reach the peak of the Spiritual System. Although, that kind of peak definitely isn’t the absolute pinnacle of one hundred percent. However—as long as one enters the peak range, their strength will undergo a noticeable change. In today’s world, among the Grandmasters at the peak of the Spiritual System, few have truly reached the absolute pinnacle; the vast majority have merely scraped into that range. Thus, if I can make a breakthrough, my strength should be able to shatter the threshold of low-tier Demon Evils and reach a level comparable to mid-tier Demon Evils.
The leap from a low-tier Demon Evil to a mid-tier Demon Evil is a formidable one. Similarly, advancing from one system at its absolute peak to one at its absolute peak plus another at its peak is also a huge leap. Xun Qu still owes me one Demon Evil. With that additional one, there’s a very high probability I can truly have two systems simultaneously reach their absolute peaks!
A faint smile touched Shen Changqing’s lips.He hadn’t seriously considered reaching the absolute pinnacle of the Spiritual System before. Judging by the Spiritual Power provided by ordinary Demon Evils, it seemed very difficult to slay one and jump directly from sixty percent to one hundred percent True Intent. However, with one more Demon Evil as a foundation, reaching the absolute pinnacle would become highly probable. Moreover, based on the information he had obtained, only by having two systems at their absolute pinnacles was there a true possibility of breaking one’s limits. Once the limits are broken, a Martial Artist’s own strength will experience an exponential increase. At that time, I would dare to claim I am among the powerhouses of this era. If even the strength of a high-tier Demon Evil doesn’t qualify one as a powerhouse of the era, that would be too much of an exaggeration. This was also why he didn’t want others to interfere. If someone disrupted the Demon Evil’s breakthrough, it would be a considerable loss.
Break through! he thought. I am waiting for you—
Shen Changqing watched the commotion in the city. He did not enter, to avoid disturbing it. Instead, he took Tiankui and found a suitable spot near Luoyang City, then sat cross-legged and quietly focused on his own cultivation. He was not in a hurry.
Unless it was a mid-tier Demon Evil, nothing could be my match. Suppressing a newly broken-through low-tier Demon Evil would be no problem at all. This was the confidence that came with strength.
「While Shen Changqing was waiting outside the city.」
Inside the city, the man in the black robe was also feeling somewhat anxious. It was simply that the commotion from the Demon Evil’s breakthrough was too great. Even with an entire city as cover, such fluctuations couldn’t be completely concealed. As long as the Demon-Subduing Division weren’t fools, they could deduce what was happening here.
Hurry up and break through! If experts from the Demon-Subduing Division arrive en masse, I won’t be able to hold them off for long! the man in the black robe thought anxiously. It was true that he was a member of the Eternal Alliance, and it was also true that he had entered Luoyang City to recruit this Demon Evil. However, regardless of the purpose, there was one absolute prerequisite: ensuring his own survival. Most people who joined the Eternal Alliance shared a common trait—they feared death. Because they feared death, they joined the Eternal Alliance, seeking longer lives. If anything threatened their lives, members of the Eternal Alliance would retreat at the first opportunity.
More than a day had passed since the Demon Evil had entered its breakthrough phase. According to its claims, it would only take two days to successfully break through. With only half a day left, the man in the black robe was filled with a mix of anxiety and anticipation.
Are two days long? Not really. No experts from the Demon-Subduing Division were stationed within a hundred miles of Luoyang City. The Demon Evil had truly begun to show unusual signs more than a day ago. Meaning, the unusual signs had only been manifesting for just over a day. For the news to be relayed, and for the Demon-Subduing Division to react and dispatch experts, would require a certain buffer of time. It was uncertain if the Demon-Subduing Division could dispatch experts before this Demon Evil successfully broke through.
Moreover, if it were only ordinary experts, the man in the black robe was confident he could hold out against one or two. His strength as a Grandmaster was not to be underestimated. But if it were an expert at the late-Grandmaster Realm or above, he would have to slip away quietly. As for the Demon Evil’s life or death, that had little to do with me.
While the man in the black robe worried, the Demon Evil’s breakthrough continued relentlessly.