Chapter 15: You Are Being Too Impatient

Clang—

Sparks flew.

Shen Changqing turned back to look at Zhang Long, who was holding a long saber with a face full of horror, though a hint of regret flickered in his eyes.

"Constable Zhang, you were too impatient!"

He had originally intended to play around with the monstrosity in the illusion, but Zhang Long's attack had directly forced him out of the illusion.

It was unavoidable.

The monstrosity casting the illusion was not particularly strong; had there been no outside interference, it would have taken Shen Changqing some time to break it.

But with external interference, the illusion would be shattered instantly.

"How is this possible? How can you be completely unharmed—" Zhang Long cried out in disbelief. He knew very well the power behind that single strike.

Even an expert in the Pulse Connection Realm would certainly not survive taking a direct hit from him while completely unprepared.

Not to mention, he had aimed for a lethal spot—the neck.

However, what Zhang Long never expected was that Shen Changqing had mastered the Thirteenth Protector Hard Qigong to perfection—no, not just perfection, but had broken through to an unprecedented fifteenth level.

The fifteenth level of the Thirteenth Protector Hard Qigong.

While not entirely impervious to fire and water, it had reached a state of being invulnerable to blades and spears.

With the physique of a Body Tempering Realm martial artist, even if Shen Changqing had stood there and let him hack away, he would have remained unscathed, save for vital spots like the eyes.

"I told you, you were too impatient."

Shen Changqing shook his head and walked slowly toward Zhang Long.

An invisible pressure forced Zhang Long to retreat step by step.

Suddenly.

Shen Changqing swung his saber through the air. A piercing blade light, infused with Pure Yang True Qi, slashed with lightning speed, severing Zhang Long's arm. The searing heat even cauterized the wound.

"Ah—!"

The excruciating pain caused Zhang Long to scream, his face turning deathly pale instantly.

Just as Shen Changqing took his second step, the surrounding illusion shifted abruptly, returning to the courtyard.

The appearances of those dark shadows were now clearly visible; they were, in fact, several small children.

But unlike normal children, their faces were as pale as corpses, their lips were bluish-black, and some parts of their bodies were so decayed that maggots were wriggling within. A stench of rot wafted toward them.

"Begone!"

Shen Changqing roared, his Pure Yang True Qi erupting suddenly.

Eight layers of Pure Yang True Qi, combined with the Seven Kills Saber Technique, instantly tore through the figures before him.

Their bodies were shredded.

A non-human scream rang out as the children dispersed like black mist.

In the next instant, the scene vanished.

The severed arm still lay on the ground, but Zhang Long was nowhere to be seen.

Looking at the blood on the ground, Shen Changqing's expression turned cold, and he strode forward in pursuit.

In the desolate village.

Zhang Long was stumbling away, clutching his severed arm, glancing back frequently with lingering terror on his face.

Even now, he could not believe he had fallen to such a state.

"It's impossible—"

"I clearly poisoned the pastries. According to the timing, the poison should have taken effect by now. Why does he still possess such strength!"

Zhang Long was in disbelief.

To ensure perfect timing and leave nothing to chance, he had not acted immediately when Shen Changqing fell into the illusion. Instead, he had waited silently for the poison to take effect before daring to strike.

Even so, he had failed.

And it was a true failure.

The strike that severed his arm had left him no time to react; such strength was far beyond what any ordinary Pulse Connection expert could match.

Just then, a piercing gust of wind swept in from behind.

Years of combat experience allowed Zhang Long to dive to the left. Simultaneously, he saw a searing blade qi strike the ground, leaving a shallow furrow.

Shen Changqing approached with his saber drawn.

Looking at the fallen Zhang Long, who had no strength left to resist, killing intent rose in Shen Changqing's heart.

"Why?"

He didn't understand.

Why had Zhang Long tried to assassinate him?

Since arriving in Lin'an City, Shen Changqing had understood many things, but he could not fathom Zhang Long's motive.

"If I tell you, will you let me live?"

Zhang Long gasped for breath, his eyes revealing a desperate longing for life.

Shen Changqing pondered for a moment. "If you tell the truth and disable your own martial arts, I can grant you a way out."

"Fine!"

***

Shen Changqing stood in the same spot, his unsheathed saber stained with blood. The decapitated corpse of Zhang Long lay on the ground.

He had broken his word.

For Zhang Long, telling the truth meant the end of his life.

In fact, back in Lin'an City, when Zhao Fang mentioned that all the villagers had been relocated, Shen Changqing hadn't noticed anything wrong.

But later, he realized the atmosphere in Lin'an City was different, and that was when he sensed the problem.

It was too quiet!

Too peaceful!

It didn't feel at all like a place where evil spirits had appeared.

For ordinary citizens, the appearance of monsters should have caused panic and dread, but the people of Lin'an City showed none.

Clearly, news of the monsters had not been allowed to spread.

This contradicted what Zhao Fang and Zhang Long had told him.

Furthermore, regarding the pastries Zhang Long had given him today, Shen Changqing had realized something was wrong from the very first bite.

Unfortunately, while the poison in the pastries was not weak, it was no match for his own Pure Yang True Qi.

Before eight layers of Pure Yang True Qi, the poison was silently neutralized.

Due to these various reasons, Shen Changqing was almost certain that the "monsters" in Lin'an City were not as simple as they seemed. Both Zhao Fang and Zhang Long were involved, but he simply couldn't figure out their purpose.

It wasn't until Zhang Long confessed that he truly understood.

"The villagers died long ago, all perished at the hands of the monsters. Lin'an City only reported a few deaths to the higher-ups to lure the Demon Suppression Division here.

If a monstrosity is judged to be barely at the Ghost Grade, the Demon Suppression Division won't send anyone too powerful.

The most likely scenario is that they will send Apprentice Demon Slayers as part of an assessment mission."

"A few Apprentice Demon Slayers, even if they are in the Pulse Connection Realm, will certainly not be too strong!"

"A powerful Ghost Grade monster, after devouring several Pulse Connection experts, is very likely to evolve into the Grievance Grade—"

That was Zhang Long's purpose.

To quietly nurture a Grievance Grade monster.

After all, to normally cultivate a Grievance Grade monster, it would require a massive amount of flesh and blood from living beings, far more than what one or two villages could provide.

By then, the high death toll would inevitably attract the attention of the Demon Suppression Division.

Once the experts of the Demon Suppression Division turned their gaze toward Lin'an City, there was a risk that the Ghost Grade monster would be destroyed before it could ascend.

Therefore, they had to use high-quality essence blood to nourish the Ghost Grade monster, ensuring it successfully evolved before the Demon Suppression Division fully realized the problem.