Body-Protecting Astral Energy

By the light of their torches, several constables could clearly see what was rolling across the ground—it was unmistakably a human head.

Though the head was smeared with blood and had gathered plenty of dust as it rolled along the ground,

they still recognized it. It was Zhang Long's head.

Zhang Long was dead!

The one who had killed him was Shen Changqing, standing before them!

For a moment,

the atmosphere turned grave.

Though the constables' faces showed shock and fury, none of them dared act rashly. They knew full well that the methods of someone from the Demon Suppression Bureau were not something they could contend with.

Besides,

Zhang Long's strength was among the very best in Lin'an City.

Even if all the constables in the yamen joined forces, they would still be no match for him.

And yet someone as strong as Zhang Long

had died at Shen Changqing's hands.

If they went up against him, they would only be walking into certain death.

It was only because they wore the court's uniform and lived off the court's grain that these constables had not been so easily frightened away.

Advancing slowly,

Shen Changqing looked at the constables retreating step by step, his voice indifferent. "Zhao Fang and Zhang Long colluded with demons and evil creatures, slaughtering over a thousand lives in Ancient Moon Village. Zhang Long has now been executed, but Zhao Fang still roams free.

I am here only to take Zhao Fang's life. All unrelated parties, leave at once. Otherwise, do not blame me for showing no mercy!"

At those words,

the constables' expressions changed again.

Zhao Fang and Zhang Long had colluded with demons and evil creatures, slaughtering over a thousand people from Ancient Moon Village!

The instant Shen Changqing spoke, they instinctively refused to believe him.

But—

when they saw that Shen Changqing wore the uniform of the Demon Suppression Bureau, and that he himself was a Demon Slayer,

the conviction in their hearts began to waver.

At that moment,

led by one of the constables, Zhao Fang and Zhuang Mingyuan had arrived as well.

"What happened here?!"

Zhao Fang wore a stern expression. After sweeping his gaze around, his pupils shrank when he saw Shen Changqing standing there. Then, when he saw Zhang Long's head on the ground, his cheek twitched.

The moment the words left his mouth,

the scene fell deathly silent.

None of the constables answered. Instead, they looked at Zhao Fang with complicated expressions.

Some of them

even imperceptibly stepped farther away.

Seeing this,

Zhao Fang's heart sank again. Yet outwardly, he remained composed and cupped his hands toward Shen Changqing.

"Lord Shen, may I ask what happened? Why has Constable Zhang died here?"

At that,

a subtle smile curled Shen Changqing's lips. "Zhang Long colluded with demons and evil creatures, slaughtering over a thousand people in Ancient Moon Village. I have already killed him. My purpose in coming here now is to make another traitor who abandoned humanity answer for his crimes."

After saying that,

the smile vanished from his face, replaced by a frosty chill. With an angry roar, he shook the night sky.

"Zhao Fang, you colluded with demons and evil creatures and betrayed humanity. Do you admit your guilt?!"

His voice was thunderous.

It echoed not only through the yamen, but could be heard even outside it.

At once,

Zhao Fang's expression darkened. "Lord Shen, one may eat carelessly, but one must not speak carelessly. I have served as the magistrate of Lin'an City for twenty years, diligently serving the people, never daring to make the slightest mistake.

Now you accuse me of colluding with demons and evil creatures and harming the people of Ancient Moon Village. Do you have any solid evidence?

You should know that even someone from the Demon Suppression Bureau would be guilty of no small crime for falsely accusing an imperial official!"

"Evidence?"

Shen Changqing stepped closer. The long saber at his waist quietly slid from its sheath, its white blade gleaming with a chilling light in the night.

"My words are the evidence!"

As the words fell,

the saber struck!

Pure Yang True Qi erupted. The instant the long saber slashed through the air, a clap of thunder exploded overhead, nearly deafening everyone.

Faced with this strike,

Zhao Fang was terrified out of his wits.

Though he had colluded with demons and evil creatures, he was still an ordinary man by nature. He possessed no martial arts whatsoever and had no chance of resisting.

Just then,

Zhuang Mingyuan, standing beside Zhao Fang, suddenly moved.

Bang—

A scream rang out as black blood splattered down, corroding a huge pit into the ground.

Zhuang Mingyuan pulled back and retreated explosively.

He had now completely changed appearance. Scales covered much of his body, countless black markings spread across him, and a cold, sinister aura seeped from within.

Looking closely,

one could see that he stood still, his right arm hanging limply at his side. The scales on it had been scorched black and shattered, while black blood trickled from the wound.

This sudden turn of events

completely stunned everyone else.

By the time they came back to their senses, they happened to see Zhuang Mingyuan's bizarre state.

"D-demon! An evil creature!"

Some knowledgeable constables turned pale the moment they saw the arm covered in azure scales.

Zhuang Mingyuan's exposure

made them completely believe Shen Changqing's words.

After all, Zhuang Mingyuan had come out alongside Zhao Fang. Since he was a demon or evil creature, Zhao Fang was almost certainly connected to such creatures as well.

As the constables retreated,

Zhao Fang's face darkened like still water.

He understood that Zhuang Mingyuan's exposure had completely cut off his path of retreat.

Yet even now,

Zhao Fang could not understand why Shen Changqing had not died, while Zhang Long had.

"Why aren't you dead?!"

His words were practically ground out through clenched teeth.

Shen Changqing lightly shook the hand holding his saber, scattering the black blood from its blade onto the ground. The once-white blade was now pitted in several places.

"Looks like I was right. You truly did collude with demons and evil creatures. As for why Zhang Long died, all I can say is that he was too weak. And likewise, you will die next, because you are too weak as well!"

As his voice fell,

the long saber slashed out once more.

But this time, his target was no longer Zhao Fang. It was Zhuang Mingyuan at the side.

It was clear to see

that Zhao Fang had no cultivation whatsoever. Zhuang Mingyuan, on the other hand, posed no small threat. Yet after breaking through to the Innate Realm, Shen Changqing no longer thought much of him.

The long saber cleaved through the air, swift as a thunderbolt.

A strange smile appeared on Zhuang Mingyuan's face. His figure suddenly vanished from where he stood, and when the saber came down, it struck only empty space.

At the same time,

an icy, biting gust attacked from behind him.

Without even looking, Shen Changqing swung his saber backward from beneath his arm.

Squelch!

The sound of the saber sinking into flesh rang out, followed immediately by a powerful force striking his back.

The clothes on his back burst apart.

Just as his skin split open, a layer of searing energy rose up and instead sent the attacker reeling backward.

He withdrew his saber.

He retreated some distance.

Shen Changqing turned around, his expression indifferent as he looked at Zhuang Mingyuan clutching his shoulder.

Zhuang Mingyuan's face was now filled with disbelief.

"Body-Protecting Astral Energy—you're an Innate Realm martial artist? No, impossible! How could a probationary Demon Slayer possibly be an Innate Realm martial artist?!"

No matter how unwilling he was to believe it, what had just happened plainly told him that it was Body-Protecting Astral Energy.

The person before him

was not some probationary Demon Slayer at all, but a powerful Demon Slayer with Innate Realm cultivation.

Realizing this,

Zhuang Mingyuan did not dare linger for even a moment. He immediately fled toward the outside of the yamen.