Chapter 23: The Demon

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Mingyuan's heart instantly relaxed.

To them, those who emerged from the Demon Suppression Division were sacred; the Division was an absolutely divine place in their hearts. Once a vow was made in the name of the Demon Suppression Division, it was understood that one would never easily break their word. Furthermore, as a mere Pulse-Connecting martial artist, he was not worth the other party breaking such a promise.

After a moment of deliberation, Zhuang Mingyuan finally confessed: "In the past, when demons descended upon the world and brought havoc to the land, a powerful evil appeared near Lin'an City and was ultimately slain by an unknown expert. That fallen demon did not vanish completely from this world. According to rumors, that powerful demon left behind essence blood near Lin'an City, and it will emerge fully before long. When that time comes, many experts will surely arrive to fight for it."

"Demon essence blood!?"

Shen Changqing's expression shifted slightly.

Demons were existences far more powerful than ordinary ghosts or monsters. Although it seemed many demons were imprisoned within the Demon Suppression Prison, those had all been personally hunted and captured by the top experts of the Division. In reality, any single demon was incomparably powerful. Even though Shen Changqing had broken through to the Xiantian Realm, he still lacked the means to contend with a demon.

Similarly, the essence blood of a demon was a rare treasure for certain individuals. Moreover—according to Zhuang Mingyuan's account, that drop of essence blood might not necessarily belong to a low-level demon; it could very well belong to an even more powerful one.

After a long pause, Shen Changqing frowned deeply. "This demon essence blood you speak of—what level is it at?"

"I am unsure, but according to rumors, it will be at least the essence blood of a mid-tier demon." Zhuang Mingyuan had intended to shake his head, but feeling the coldness against his neck, he halted the movement. Faced with Shen Changqing's inquiry, he practically revealed everything he knew.

"Rumors? Where did you hear these rumors?"

"Your Excellency may not know, but the news of demon essence blood appearing near Lin'an City is not a secret. Many factions have received word."

"Hmph, if every faction truly had news of it, how could the Demon Suppression Division be unaware!" Shen Changqing gave a disdainful laugh. Although there had been a discrepancy in the intelligence this time, he could not deny the Division's intelligence-gathering capabilities. If demon essence blood were truly emerging and many factions knew of it, the Division would certainly not be left in the dark.

Zhuang Mingyuan smiled bitterly. "The Demon Suppression Division has many experts. Rumor has it that the unknown expert who slew the demon had some connection to the Division. Given the Division's status and position, it would be normal for them to look down upon a mere drop of demon essence blood. I have told you everything I can. I only hope Your Excellency will fulfill your promise and grant me a way to live!"

"Fine!"

Shen Changqing nodded. His hand did not withdraw from the long saber; instead, it swept directly across Zhuang Mingyuan's neck. The sharp blade, combined with his transformed Pure Yang True Qi, severed Zhuang Mingyuan's head in an instant. The searing heat of the energy forcibly cauterized the wound, preventing much blood from spraying.

As the head hit the ground, Zhuang Mingyuan's eyes remained wide, filled with an expression of disbelief.

He had broken his word! The other party had truly disregarded the honor of the Demon Suppression Division and openly broken his vow! Until the moment of death, Zhuang Mingyuan could not accept it.

"Still too naive!"

Looking at the dead man with unclosed eyes, Shen Changqing shook his head, a mocking smile appearing on his face. He hadn't expected that someone who had lived so long could still be so naive. What did the honor of the Demon Suppression Division matter? It couldn't be eaten.

However, the information obtained from Zhuang Mingyuan was quite useful to Shen Changqing.

"Demon essence blood emerging, at least mid-tier!"

"Is the Demon Suppression Division truly indifferent, or have they simply not received the news yet—"

Shen Changqing couldn't be sure. But since he had obtained this information, he would certainly report it back to the Division. As for the specifics, that would be for the Division to decide.

At that moment, a faint aura rose from Zhuang Mingyuan's body and drifted toward Shen Changqing.

"This is—"

Sensing that familiar scent, Shen Changqing's eyes flickered, and he immediately focused his mind.

[Name: Shen Changqing] [Faction: Great Qin Demon Suppression Division] [Identity: Apprentice Demon Slayer] [Martial Arts: Thirteen Grand Protectors Hard Qigong (Level 15, cannot be upgraded), Pure Yang Art (Level 11, cannot be upgraded), Seven Kills Saber Technique (Level 2), Iron Sand Palm (Level 2)] [Slaughter: 4]

The cleared slaughter points had directly turned into four points.

Thinking of this, Shen Changqing took out the Clear Spirit Jade Pendant from his bosom. He saw a thick black line on it, and beside it, another black line had appeared at some unknown time.

The Clear Spirit Jade Pendant was the proof of whether an Apprentice Demon Slayer had completed a mission. Only when an evil was slain, or when an evil died within a certain range, would the pendant capture the aura. That thick black line was left behind after the death of the monster in Gu Yue Village. Now, there was another black line.

Without a doubt, it was because of Zhuang Mingyuan.

"The Clear Spirit Jade Pendant can only capture the aura of evil beings. The fact that I can now capture an aura from Zhuang Mingyuan proves that he was no longer truly human, but something similar to an evil being!"

Shen Changqing's gaze was indifferent. In his sight, Zhuang Mingyuan's decapitated corpse lay quietly there. However, the long-sealed blood had broken through the constraints of the wound and flowed onto the ground, corroding the surface severely.

From any perspective, the current Zhuang Mingyuan bore no resemblance to a human. Such people who betrayed humanity had a unified name in the records of the Demon Suppression Division: Demon-Men!

So-called Demon-Men were those who had abandoned humanity to side with evil. They sold their bodies and souls to obtain great power and longevity from the evils. But as a price, these people would gradually become cruel and bloodthirsty, eventually having their minds corrupted and falling completely into darkness.

It sounded terrifying, but faced with the temptation of power and longevity, some could not help but fall in. To them, whether they were human or not did not matter, as long as they could live longer.

To be honest, Shen Changqing's understanding of Demon-Men was merely fragmentary, gained from the library. Zhuang Mingyuan was the first Demon-Man he had encountered. Before this, he hadn't even known that killing a Demon-Man could grant slaughter points.

He gathered some dry branches and placed Zhuang Mingyuan's corpse upon them. Driven by his transformed Pure Yang True Qi, a searing heat erupted, instantly igniting the branches. Amidst the roaring flames, the corpse was soon swallowed whole.

Shen Changqing stood not far away, silently watching the scene.