Chapter 28: Seeking Help in Desperation

Situ Bei's words made Shen Changqing realize the truth.

As expected.

The Demon Suppression Division was aware of the matter regarding the demon essence blood.

After all, since Situ Bei, as a member of the Sky Observation Guard, knew about it, there was no reason for the Demon Suppression Division itself to be completely in the dark.

Having confirmed his suspicion, Shen Changqing said, "Since the Demon Suppression Division is aware of the demon essence blood, why have there been no subsequent actions? Are you just going to let it emerge?"

To be honest, he had great doubts in his heart.

If the Demon Suppression Division was so well-informed about the essence blood, why hadn't they reinforced the seal from the beginning, or more simply, just taken the essence blood away? Instead, they had allowed it to remain here, watching as the seal crumbled.

However, Situ Bei's next words resolved Shen Changqing's confusion.

"Lord Shen, what you may not know is that the location of that demon essence blood is extremely secretive. Unless one is willing to pay a heavy price, it is nearly impossible to find its location. Furthermore, according to the intelligence, the grade of the essence blood there is not high, making it unworthy of the Demon Suppression Division incurring such a great cost. Of course, that is relative to the Division; in the eyes of ordinary people, such essence blood is still a precious treasure!" Situ Bei replied truthfully.

Shen Changqing nodded. "Can you determine which rank the emerging essence blood belongs to?"

"The fallen demon was likely a mid-tier demon, but after hundreds of years of dissipation, the essence blood certainly won't retain its original power. It will likely drop in rank, perhaps only comparable to a low-tier demon," Situ Bei said after a moment of deliberation.

It was originally a mid-tier demon, but over hundreds of years, it had weakened to the level of a low-tier demon. This explanation was perfectly logical.

After speaking, Situ Bei gave Shen Changqing a testing glance. "Could it be that Lord Shen also has intentions to contend for the essence blood? If you truly do, the Sky Observation Guards of Lin'an City will certainly cooperate with you with all our might!"

"The demon essence blood is of no use to me for the time being," Shen Changqing said, shaking his head.

He understood Situ Bei's meaning; the man simply assumed he intended to fight for the blood. In fact, demon essence blood was indeed a precious item. Although demons and monsters were feared, it didn't mean they were entirely useless. Among their attributes, a demon's essence blood was a treasure. Some could use special methods to refine the energy contained within it for their own use.

If he didn't have the Panel in his hands, Shen Changqing might have actually fought for it. But now, as long as he steadily killed some weaker monsters, he could directly increase his strength. Compared to fighting for essence blood, that was far better.

Furthermore, Shen Changqing suspected that refining demon essence blood must come with other drawbacks. However, he wasn't entirely sure what those drawbacks were; the records in the first floor of the Library were, after all, limited. Once he returned to the Demon Suppression Division, he planned to dedicate time to making up for his lack of knowledge regarding the important aspects of this world.

Suddenly, a young man walked in and whispered something into Situ Bei's ear. Because their voices were incredibly low, even with Shen Changqing's focused listening, he couldn't hear clearly.

Once the young man finished, he took a letter from his robe, handed it to Situ Bei, and respectfully withdrew. After he left, Situ Bei stepped forward and respectfully handed the letter to Shen Changqing.

"Lord Shen, a letter has arrived for you from the Demon Suppression Division in the capital!"

"Hmm?" Shen Changqing's brow furrowed instinctively as he took the letter.

A bad premonition rose in his heart. He had only come out to complete an assessment task, and he should have returned once it was finished. For a letter to arrive at this moment, it was impossible for there not to be an issue.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Changqing opened the letter in front of Situ Bei to read its contents.

*According to intelligence, demon essence blood is emerging in the vicinity of Lin'an City. This news will undoubtedly attract the attention of many experts and monsters. To prevent the citizens of Lin'an City from being caught in the crossfire, we hope you can temporarily remain in Lin'an City to ensure that various factions do not affect the common people. Additionally, there is no need for excessive worry. Although your strength is not yet great, with the reputation of the Demon Suppression Division behind you, various factions will surely show some respect. As long as you do not do anything too outrageous, they will give you face. As long as you ensure the safety of Lin'an City, it will be recorded as a merit, and you will not be required to go on missions for the next year, allowing you to stay in the Demon Suppression Division to focus on your cultivation.*

In just a few breaths, Shen Changqing had finished reading. The signature at the end was simply "Jiang Zuo."

After reading it, his expression became quite strange.

Clearly, the Demon Suppression Division had only just received news that the demon essence blood was about to break free from its seal. However, Shen Changqing couldn't help but complain about Jiang Zuo asking him to guard Lin'an City.

The Demon Suppression Division was truly so short-handed that they were asking a martial artist who, on the surface, had only just reached the Pulse Connection stage, to guard an entire region. As for the words that followed, they were even more nonsensical.

What did he mean by "with the reputation of the Demon Suppression Division, they will show respect"? It was true that the Division's reputation was often very useful, but one had to understand that the greatest threat to the essence blood, aside from various factions, was the monsters themselves!

Other factions might show respect to the Demon Suppression Division, but monsters absolutely would not. If the monsters knew of his existence, they might even seek to eliminate him immediately.

"They are truly desperate, throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks," Shen Changqing sighed.

As expected, none of the tasks from the Demon Suppression Division were simple. Eradicating the anomalies in Guyue Village was a dangerous task, and now guarding Lin'an City was a task where one could lose their life at any moment.

But there was no way out. Jiang Zuo's words had already reached him, and a manager of a Yellow Division Demon Suppression Bureau could not possibly have the authority to entrust the safety of a city to a trainee Demon Suppressor. Therefore, this must have been the intention of the higher-ups.

From a single simple letter, Shen Changqing could see just how dire the situation of the Demon Suppression Division had become.

Standing to the side, Situ Bei saw his expression constantly changing and did not dare to ask anything.

After a long time, Shen Changqing finally snapped out of his thoughts. Since things had come to this, there was no way to refuse. All he could do was stay in Lin'an City and suppress all the ghosts and monsters.

With that thought, he looked at Situ Bei, took out the items he had prepared to bring back to the Division, and handed them over along with the Clear Spirit Jade Pendant.

"Send this letter and the Clear Spirit Jade Pendant to the Demon Suppression Division in the capital with the utmost speed. Additionally, mobilize all the strength of the Lin'an City Sky Observation Guards. I want to obtain information on all factions and experts at or above the Pulse Connection stage currently staying in Lin'an City in the shortest time possible."