Chapter 44: Two Evils (First Update, Seeking First Subscription)

'Hong Cheng' moved as fast as a ghost. Although his right arm was severely twisted, it did not hinder him significantly.

*Swish!*

*Bang—*

The two engaged in combat in the open space, their figures moving so swiftly that an ordinary person would be unable to see them clearly.

There was only a chilling frost intermingled with rolling waves of heat.

*Boom!!*

A long saber slashed out, which 'Hong Cheng' managed to dodge. However, Shen Changqing took this opportunity to strike out with his other hand, moving with the momentum of a force capable of splitting stone.

The Iron Sand Palm!

His palm was glowing red, like a red-hot iron. As it struck 'Hong Cheng's' body, the scent of burning flesh immediately wafted out.

"Ah!"

With a piercing scream, 'Hong Cheng' was sent flying sideways by the blow.

But at that very moment.

Yin energy surged from behind, bringing a freezing sensation accompanied by a sharp pain.

Even with the strength of the Thirteenth Protector Hard Qigong at the fifteenth level, his defense was forcibly breached. The astral qi hidden within his physical body erupted, managing to obstruct the incoming assault.

Seizing this opportunity.

Shen Changqing thrust his long saber through the opponent's armpit. The scorching blade made a sizzling sound, as if intense flames had met freezing ice.

"Ah—"

Another piercing scream rang out.

Shen Changqing withdrew his blade and retreated directly to the entrance of the prison, only then having the chance to see clearly what had launched the sneak attack.

It was a grotesque creature with disheveled hair and a rotting face, identical to the female corpse he had seen in the illusion within the ruined temple.

However, there was a difference.

This creature's left arm was severed, leaving only its right arm intact.

Clearly.

This was the Ghost-grade creature that had previously attempted to ambush him, only to be wounded by his counterattack.

"They've all come out!"

Shen Changqing took a sharp breath, his gaze scanning back and forth between the two creatures. His mangled back was slowly healing.

The hierarchy of creatures was strict.

Therefore, the armless Ghost-grade creature must be under the command of the Resentment-grade creature possessing Hong Cheng.

From the current situation, the Eternal Life Alliance had indeed only dispatched two creatures.

"Two creatures, one Ghost-grade and one Resentment-grade. The Eternal Life Alliance certainly thinks highly of me!"

Shen Changqing sneered. In the next instant, his body shot out like an arrow from a bow, lunging toward the Ghost-grade creature.

One picks the softest fruit to squeeze.

Between the two creatures, the easiest to kill was the injured Ghost-grade one.

Just as Shen Changqing charged, the female corpse seemed to sense the danger; her body dispersed like mist, as if she had never appeared at all.

To counter this.

He pushed his perception to the absolute limit.

"Right here!"

Taking a step to the left, he slashed his long saber as if it were his own shadow. Where there should have been nothing, the female corpse's form suddenly manifested as the blade descended.

Facing Shen Changqing's full-strength strike, and under the crushing weight of his absolute strength, the Yin energy on the female corpse flickered like a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

Simultaneously.

Just as the female corpse was about to be slain, 'Hong Cheng's' ghostly body closed in, launching a sneak attack at Shen Changqing's back.

The Resentment-grade creature struck.

Yin energy blanketed the area.

In that instant, a pervasive chill swept over him, but instead of fear, Shen Changqing's face twisted into a savage grin.

"This is exactly what I was waiting for!"

He abruptly retracted the strike aimed at the female corpse. Shen Changqing shifted his body slightly and threw himself backward, colliding head-on with 'Hong Cheng.'

Having reached perfection in the Thirteenth Protector Hard Qigong long ago, he had achieved the level where his strength could be directed at will.

The impact of his back.

Was no weaker than the force of his stone-splitting palm.

Caught off guard, 'Hong Cheng' had his chest cavity crushed by the collision and was sent stumbling backward.

With the strike successful.

Shen Changqing twisted his body, and his long saber whistled through the air, slashing directly toward 'Hong Cheng's' neck.

The blade passed through, and a massive head flew into the air.

Blood erupted from the severed neck.

A white shadow emerged from the corpse and attempted to flee into the distance with lightning speed.

"You think you can escape!"

Shen Changqing roared. He stomped his right foot hard against the ground, shattering the bluestone tiles. Using the momentum, his body soared into the air, and he swung his long saber violently toward the white shadow.

*Rip—*

"Ah!!"

The sound of tearing cloth was accompanied by a piercing, desperate scream as the white shadow was sliced in two by the long saber.

Shen Changqing landed.

When he looked back, the female corpse had already vanished without a trace.

The scene.

Suddenly fell silent.

Only Hong Cheng's severed head and body lay there quietly, blood pooling across the ground.

"Two evils!"

Looking at Hong Cheng's corpse, Shen Changqing's expression turned grim, devoid of any joy from slaying the creature.

The Eternal Life Alliance had sent two evils.

One was intended to rescue the Zhao family, while the other was meant to assassinate the others in the yamen.

From this, it was evident.

Their goal was not merely a prison break, but to kill everyone in the yamen to avenge the death of the anomaly in Guyue Village.

It was clear to say.

That Resentment-grade creature was coming specifically for him, Shen Changqing.

Standing in place.

Shen Changqing silently recovered the energy consumed during the battle.

Though the fight seemed brief, every breath was potentially lethal, and the consumption was immense.

In his dantian, his Pure Yang True Qi had already been depleted by more than half.

Despite such a fierce battle, no one from the yamen had come to investigate. Combined with the recent disturbances in other parts of the yamen, it meant either everyone was dead, or the survivors were hiding elsewhere, too terrified to show their faces.

Regardless of the outcome, Shen Changqing's heart remained steady.

After a long while.

A faint sound drifted toward him.

Shen Changqing turned his head and saw a suspicious figure.

Because of the distance, he could not discern the specific features for a moment.

"Who is it? Come out!"

"Is... is it... Lord Shen?"

A trembling voice rang out in the silent night, but the figure did not dare to approach easily.

Shi Qingsheng?

Shen Changqing recognized him just by his voice.

"It is I!"

Upon receiving confirmation.

The figure finally dared to approach with trembling steps. When he was fully within sight, Shi Qingsheng's face was revealed.

Unlike his usual self, he looked panicked; when he saw Hong Cheng lying on the ground, decapitated, his face turned deathly pale.

"Lo... Lord, Constable Hong, he is—"

Shi Qingsheng's fingers shook, and his speech was stuttered. His heart raced violently, especially when he saw Shen Changqing standing there with a blood-dripping blade.

Shen Changqing sheathed his saber.

He spoke calmly: "Evil creatures attacked the yamen. Hong Cheng was possessed, so I killed him. What is the situation in the other areas?"

From the moment he was possessed, Hong Cheng was effectively dead.

Regardless of whether the evil would eventually leave his body, the man was doomed.

On the contrary, it surprised Shen Changqing that Shi Qingsheng, a mere clerk with no combat strength, had managed to survive until now.

Hearing this.

Shi Qingsheng forced himself to calm down, but looking at Hong Cheng's corpse, he swallowed hard. "Re... reporting to the Lord, I was sleeping when I heard the commotion, so I immediately rushed to the area where the constables reside.

Unfortunately, by the time I arrived, several had already turned into dried corpses.

Then I heard movement here, so I came to check, not expecting that you would have already slain the evil."

Shen Changqing understood.

With Shi Qingsheng's cowardice, it was impossible that he would have rushed over at the first sign of trouble; he likely waited until things had quieted down before daring to investigate.

As for why he hadn't died, it could only be attributed to luck—the evil had not yet found him.

After killing several constables and possessing Hong Cheng.

The Resentment-grade creature, upon learning the prison break had failed, had immediately come to assist, thereby temporarily sparing Shi Qingsheng.

"The evil has been slain. There will be no major movements for a short while. Send people here immediately to handle the corpses of Hong Cheng and the others. Do not neglect the pensions that are owed.

You need not concern yourself with anything else."

Shen Changqing issued his orders.

Seeing this, Shi Qingsheng nodded. "As you command!"

As he retreated, Shen Changqing settled his mind and checked his status panel.

Slaying a Resentment-grade creature would surely yield significant rewards.

The creature from Guyue Village, which was less than Resentment-grade, had contributed fifteen points of Slaughter Value to him. The creature that possessed Hong Cheng could not possibly be inferior.

Sure enough.

The Slaughter Value on his panel had jumped from six points directly to thirty-two.

Excluding his original six points, that Resentment-grade creature had contributed twenty-six points of Slaughter Value.

"Thirty-two points of Slaughter Value will allow my strength to increase significantly!"

Shen Changqing nodded with satisfaction; it was the only good news from tonight.

"The Eternal Life Alliance just sent two evils. I killed one and the other escaped. My strength has certainly been exposed. Although the Alliance won't act immediately, accidents can happen.

To ensure nothing goes wrong, increasing my strength is urgent."

Having made his decision.

Shen Changqing focused his intent on the Heavenly Martial Astral Qi.

With the high-grade Heavenly Martial Astral Qi, there was no need to continue upgrading the Pure Yang Art.

With a thought.

Four points of Slaughter Value were consumed, and the Heavenly Martial Astral Qi was directly raised to the fourth level.

At the fourth level, the quality of the True Qi in his dantian increased significantly. His blood and vitality were somewhat depleted, but it was within a tolerable range.

If it was tolerable—

Then he would continue to upgrade!

Immediately.

Under the influence of Shen Changqing's will, the Heavenly Martial Astral Qi began to rise steadily.

Fifth level!

—

Sixth level.

Seventh level.

By the time the Heavenly Martial Astral Qi reached the eighth level, the Heavenly Martial True Qi in his dantian underwent a powerful transformation, becoming more solid and significantly more potent.

Immediately following this.

A wave of intense weakness washed over him, turning Shen Changqing's face pale.

"I've reached the limit!"

He was no stranger to this state.

It was the result of upgrading too quickly, leading to a deficit in blood and vitality.

In other words.

The Heavenly Martial Astral Qi could only be raised to the eighth level for now; he would need to wait for his body to recover before he could proceed with the next round of upgrades.

But even so.

The eighth-level Heavenly Martial Astral Qi was enough to allow a martial artist to officially step into the realm of the Xiantian.