CHAPTER 484: CHAPTER 231: STRENGTH ENHANCEMENT

"What is the situation in South Nether Prefecture now?"

Inside the Imperial Palace, Gu Xuanji stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the lotus pond before him, his face showing little emotion. Behind him, Li Shou replied with respectful deference, "Shen Changqing ordered a purge of all sects that violated the laws of Great Qin. The martial arts circles in South Nether Prefecture are in turmoil. Many top-tier Great Sects have been eradicated, and a portion of the sects have openly sided with the Heaven Alliance. As a result, the strength of the Heaven Alliance has risen considerably."

"What is your opinion on this matter?" Gu Xuanji’s expression remained largely unflustered.

Upon hearing this, Li Shou said solemnly, "Your servant believes that there is nothing wrong with Shen Changqing’s approach. Those sects that defected to the Heaven Alliance were already indecisive. Now that he has acted in such a way, the situation in South Nether Prefecture has actually become much clearer."

"Hmm." Gu Xuanji nodded slightly, his face impassive as he spoke indifferently. "It’s good that the situation is clearer. However, the indirect strengthening of the Heaven Alliance’s power is a cause for concern unless he is confident he can suppress them in one fell swoop. Otherwise, there’s still a latent danger."

Having said that, Gu Xuanji turned and looked at the person before him. "You visited South Nether Prefecture last time. What do you think of Shen Changqing?"

"Based on his words and actions, he seems quite loyal to the Imperial Court. But one can never truly judge a book by its cover, so Your servant would not dare to speak rashly." Li Shou stopped there, giving an objective assessment without infusing too much personal opinion.

Gu Xuanji smiled faintly. "You have been by Our side for decades and should be capable of judging others. For you to use the term ’loyal’ means Shen Changqing is indeed someone We can trust to some extent."

Upon hearing this, Li Shou bowed his head but did not answer.

Regarding this, Gu Xuanji then muttered to himself, The lifespan of a Defender Envoy is limited, while a Great Grandmaster has no such restrictions. Dongfang Zhao’s time is probably running out. The Demon-Subduing Division is the legacy passed down through generations, so he will certainly make thorough preparations. Compared to other Defender Envoys, a contemporary Great Grandmaster is an even better candidate to take charge of the Demon-Subduing Division.

Li Shou remained silent. These matters were not for a close eunuch like him to be involved in. To survive long, one must know when to speak up and when to turn a deaf ear.

"By the way, have the Grandmaster Martial Arts arrived at the Martial Hall yet?"

"Not yet." Li Shou shook his head.

Gu Xuanji huffed softly. "All talk and no action. To think that the Martial Hall currently does not possess even one set of Grandmaster Martial Arts! Find some time to remind Shen Changqing to ensure that backup copies of Grandmaster Martial Arts are placed inside the Martial Hall."

"Furthermore—" Gu Xuanji continued, "For Shen Changqing’s efforts in eradicating the rebels and enhancing the prestige of the Great Qin Nation, award him ten thousand Silver Taels and three thousand Merit Points."

Upon hearing this, Li Shou bowed deeply. "Yes!"

"Also, summon Dongfang Zhao to the palace. We have some matters to discuss with him," Gu Xuanji added.

"Yes!" Li Shou responded again.

「South Nether Prefecture.」

Within the Demon-Subduing Division, Xing Yi was reporting the gains. "Lord Defender, including South Sea City, we have exterminated three top-tier sects and sixteen others this time. The total gains, converted into Silver Taels, amount to fifty-seven million, two hundred and twenty-six thousand. The silver notes are all here."

"Out of the fifty-seven million, two hundred and twenty-six thousand taels, has ten percent already been deducted?"

"It has been deducted."

"Good." Shen Changqing looked at the chests full of silver notes before him, a satisfied smile on his face. He had earned nearly sixty million taels by destroying less than twenty sects. Previously, from auctioning so many Grandmaster Martial Arts (not considering the Spirit Fruits), he had only made a little more than sixty million taels.

For a moment, it was as though he had unlocked a new door.

The gains from exterminating sects are indeed incomparable to anything else, he thought. "Steward Xing, how many sects are there now in South Nether Prefecture?"

"Uh... Sects often rise and fall. If Lord Defender needs an exact number, I can compile a report immediately." Xing Yi looked taken aback, then hesitated for a moment. "It’s just that our recent exterminations of sects have been justifiable. If we were to wipe out other sects without cause, I fear it would indeed provoke significant backlash from the Jianghu. Handling it then would become severely troublesome."

He was worried that Shen Changqing might actually become addicted to exterminating sects. In such a case, the brutal reputation of the Demon-Subduing Division would become undeniable. The Jianghu is vast. No matter how formidable a single person is, provoking the entire Jianghu would invite no small trouble.

Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing smiled faintly. "Steward Xing, you worry too much. I was just asking. Those Jianghu Sects also contributed during the times when Demon Evil wreaked havoc. If we were to eradicate them, wouldn’t that be cutting off our own limbs?"

He indeed had the idea of eradicating all sects just moments ago, Shen Changqing mused. But upon further consideration, there were indeed many ramifications in doing so. And, if all sects were eradicated, even holding vast amounts of silver would not be as useful as keeping those sects around.

Seeing this, Steward Xing inwardly sighed with relief. In the recent period, he had followed Shen Changqing in exterminating sects and had come to understand the South Nether Prefecture Defender Envoy’s ruthlessness and ferocity. Any sect that resisted or defied was completely annihilated.

Nowadays, Shen Changqing’s name had thoroughly circulated throughout the Jianghu. However, unlike in the past, this time what spread was a notorious reputation.

Glancing at the silver notes on the table, he originally intended to have Xing Yi take them all to Yuan Sheng to purchase Demon Evil. But after some thought, he decided against it. The Yuanyang Auction House already had tens of millions of Silver Taels set aside, which was about enough. Sending more money there was unnecessary. It would be better to keep it here, where it had other uses.

With a wave of his hand, Shen Changqing let Xing Yi leave, then returned to his room to retrieve several sealed jade boxes. These boxes contained Spirit Fruits used as payment offsets at the last auction. Each type of Spirit Fruit could enhance a Martial Artist’s spiritual power. He had heard of some of these fruits, while others he was encountering for the first time.

Immediately, Shen Changqing opened one of the jade boxes, and a refreshing fragrance wafted out. Inside the box, a fist-sized green fruit lay quiet and still. When the Spirit Fruit was exposed to the air, the surrounding nature’s spiritual energy became much more active. This alone showed the extraordinary nature of the Spirit Fruit.

Clear Moon Spirit Fruit! Shen Changqing recognized it. After consumption by a late-stage Grandmaster, there is a high chance of advancing to Grandmaster Peak. This probability likely depends on the foundation of the late-stage Grandmaster! After all, there’s a limit to the Spiritual Power a Spirit Fruit can enhance. A late-stage Grandmaster with sixty percent True Intent is a completely different concept from one with thirty to forty percent.

Looking at the Spirit Fruit before him, Shen Changqing silently reflected. Without a doubt, the deeper the foundation of a late-stage Grandmaster Martial Artist, the greater the likelihood of breaking through to Grandmaster Peak after consumption. Of course, this statement about late-stage Grandmasters is not absolute. If a Grandmaster cultivates only the Spiritual System and has not begun the Physical System, then breaking through after consuming a Clear Moon Spirit Fruit would be equivalent to stepping directly from the mid-Grandmaster stage into the Grandmaster Peak realm.

Without hesitation, he took out the Clear Moon Spirit Fruit and swallowed it. The fist-sized fruit was shattered by True Yuan the moment it entered his mouth, turning into pure juice that slid down his throat. Soon after, a surging power rose from his Dantian and rushed directly into his Sea of Consciousness.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, the tiny figure sat cross-legged on a lotus. With the influx of that power, its tightly closed mouth opened slightly to absorb the energy for itself. As the energy from the Clear Moon Spirit Fruit was absorbed, the tiny figure seemed to grow somewhat larger, though perhaps there was no significant change.

After a long while, the effect of the Clear Moon Spirit Fruit was completely consumed. Opening his tightly shut eyes, Shen Changqing checked the changes in himself and nodded slightly.

The Clear Moon Spirit Fruit’s effect is quite good, he thought. The Spiritual Power it provides is roughly equivalent to that of a fairly strong low-level Demon Evil. No wonder it’s said that consuming such Spirit Fruits gives a high chance of breaking through to Grandmaster Peak. As long as someone with fifty percent True Intent or more consumes it, they can almost certainly enter the Grandmaster Peak realm. But if it’s less than fifty percent True Intent, then it’s not possible.

Although it didn’t allow his Divine Soul to break through to the third tier, the effect of the Clear Moon Spirit Fruit still left him quite satisfied. Spiritual power equivalent to that of a low-level Demon Evil could also shorten the distance to his own breakthrough.

Not pausing for long, Shen Changqing opened the other jade boxes and swallowed the Spirit Fruits inside. Each time he consumed a Spirit Fruit, he had to spend some time assimilating it.

Several hours later, the jade boxes that held the Spirit Fruits were all empty. Looking at the tiny figure in his Sea of Consciousness, it appeared slightly fuller.

If I could get a few more treasures like the Clear Moon Spirit Fruit, I could likely break through to the third tier of the Divine Soul, Shen Changqing sighed regretfully, sensing his own changes. But for now, I’m still a bit short.

Just a little short. If I could break through to the third tier of the Divine Soul, then my Divine Heaven Golden Body could make further breakthroughs.

However, he wasn’t discouraged. Calculating the time, Beiming Wang and Wang Xiao had been away for almost a month. The method for breaking through to Great Grandmaster was extremely important for both parties. Since the two forces had decided to make an exchange, it wouldn’t be long before the traded Demon Evils would arrive. Once ten high-level Demon Evils arrived, Shen Changqing felt that even if his Divine Soul could not reach Perfection, breaking through to a considerably profound realm wouldn’t be a problem.

After leaving his room, Tiankui remained the same, sprawled out and fast asleep. Ever since entering its mature stage, this Fierce Beast had become much sleepier.

Regarding this, Shen Changqing couldn’t help but speculate that perhaps this was characteristic of the Chixiao Clan. After reaching maturity, unable to break through their limits, their only option is to while away time in slumber.

Shaking his head, he didn’t disturb it and walked straight out of the courtyard, heading toward the Scripture Pavilion. Naturally, Shen Changqing’s goal was not the Scripture Pavilion, but the Demon-Subduing Prison next to it. Occasionally, he would make a trip to the Demon-Subduing Prison just to check on the progress.