CHAPTER 489: CHAPTER 236: SUPPORT FROM ALL SIDES (REQUESTING MONTHLY TICKETS)

"Grand Elder, what’s the situation now?"

As soon as Yun Yi returned, Chang Yin couldn’t wait to ask. The matter of him going to the Demon-Subduing Division had been personally instructed by Chang Yin.

Upon hearing this, Yun Yi smiled faintly. "There are no major issues."

With that, he narrated everything that had happened at the Demon-Subduing Division in detail.

After he finished speaking, Chang Yin’s expression flickered, filled with both joy and skepticism.

"It’s not a problem to exchange Demon Evil for merit points, but Demon Evil is also useful to us. If we can slay a large number of Demon Evils, our Qingyu Sect might produce a Grandmaster at the pinnacle of the Spiritual System. Now, if we give up this opportunity and choose to exchange Demon Evil for resources, it might not be a good thing."

Demon Evil is significant to all Martial Artists. It boosts spiritual power. All Grandmaster Realm Martial Arts require it. After all, enhancing spiritual power through sheer hard practice alone is extremely difficult. Only slaying Demon Evils is considered the quickest way.

Of course, this so-called quickness is only relative. If a Grandmaster truly wants to break through using Demon Evils, the number required would unquestionably be enormously large.

Yun Yi said in a deep voice, "The Sect Master’s concerns are also clear to me. But even if our sect possesses a Grandmaster at the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit of the Spiritual System, what of it? The Grandmaster Ultimate Summit was considered the pinnacle of the Martial Dao in the past. However, with the emergence of Great Grandmasters, the future is destined to belong to them. What our Qingyu Sect needs is not just a Grandmaster at the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit, but rather the birth of a Great Grandmaster. At present, don’t be deceived by the long-standing peace in the South Nether Prefecture. An undercurrent is surging, and even the entire world situation is unstable. Who knows when it might completely collapse? At that time, if our Qingyu Sect wants to ensure its own safety, we must possess sufficient strength to protect ourselves. In peacetime, a Grandmaster at the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit still has some use, but when chaos arises everywhere, do you think, Sect Master, that a Grandmaster at the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit can truly safeguard our Qingyu Sect?"

Can a Grandmaster at the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit protect the Qingyu Sect?

Chang Yin fell silent.

Yun Yi continued, "In the past, the Demon-Subduing Division had Defender Envoys who once dominated an era, but what about now? Currently, several Defender Envoys in the South Nether Prefecture have died at the hands of Shimohe, including the Dominator of the Demon-Subduing Division in Baiyue City. That powerhouse is not something that a Grandmaster at the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit could compare with. Even so, they could not escape the fate of death. If our Qingyu Sect truly wants to continue its legacy, relying solely on a Grandmaster at the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit is impossible. We need to enhance the Sect’s foundation and produce powerhouses in the Great Grandmaster Realm to ensure the Sect’s stability. Now, aligning ourselves with the Demon-Subduing Division and obtaining Martial Arts resources from Shen Changqing is the only way out for our Qingyu Sect."

Yun Yi saw these matters very clearly.

All this talk of Grandmaster Peak and Grandmaster Ultimate Summit is illusory. Only by having the backing of a Great Grandmaster, and with a Great Grandmaster truly emerging from within the Qingyu Sect, can our legacy continue indefinitely.

"Moreover—"

"To elevate a Grandmaster to the pinnacle of the Spiritual System requires a significant number of Demon Evils. If we convert these Demon Evils into merit points, we could completely obtain several Grandmaster Martial Arts from Shen Changqing’s hands. Or we could invite him to the Qingyu Sect to explain the Martial Dao, thereby enhancing the overall strength of our Sect. If we try to push a Grandmaster to the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit of the Spiritual System using Demon Evils, the difficulty would be much greater. The previous Sect Master had not reached that point by the time he perished. Sect Master, have you considered the immense benefits to the Qingyu Sect if we forgo a Grandmaster at the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit of the Spiritual System and exchange everything for resources?"

Upon hearing this, Chang Yin took a deep breath. "I was short-sighted. With the Grand Elder in the Qingyu Sect, we are worry-free."

He knew he was far behind Yun Yi in his perspective on matters. With such an explanation from the other party, there indeed seemed to be no problem in exchanging Demon Evil for Martial Arts resources.

Yun Yi then said, "Shen Changqing desires Demon Evils, presumably to enhance his own strength. Although our Qingyu Sect is aligning with him, he surely won’t need only our Sect. In the future, it’s likely that many Jianghu Sects in the South Nether Prefecture will back the Demon-Subduing Division."

The temptations offered by Shen Changqing are not something other sects could refuse. Even the mighty Qingyu Sect is tempted, let alone other sects.

However, Yun Yi was certain that the Qingyu Sect would be the first Sect to ally with the Demon-Subduing Division and, in some aspects, might receive preferential treatment.

「Before long.」

Chang Yin gathered all the Elders of the Qingyu Sect for a meeting.

"The Grand Elder personally made a trip to the Demon-Subduing Division, and now our Qingyu Sect is considered to have formed an alliance with them—"

He looked at all the Elders and slowly conveyed the demands of the Demon-Subduing Division as well as the benefits for the Qingyu Sect.

To the astonishment of the Elders, Chang Yin finally said, "Effective immediately, our Qingyu Sect will dedicate its full effort to capturing Demon Evils. The assessment tasks for all Disciples at the Pulse Condensation Realm and above will be related to Demon Evils."

「After Yun Yi left.」

Shen Changqing called over Xing Yi and said indifferently, "After the Demon-Subduing Division exterminated sects and wiped out clans, many sects directly pledged allegiance to the Heaven Alliance, but there are still some sects that remain neutral. I plan to hold a Hundred Sects Alliance meeting to gather all those sects."

The subsequent alliance with these sects will bring considerable benefits to the Demon-Subduing Division’s future actions. Gathering Demon Evils from just one sect like the Qingyu Sect is hardly enough. He wanted all the Sects in the South Nether Prefecture to collect Demon Evils for him. In the future, once the Heaven Alliance crumbles, and with the Demon-Subduing Division already collecting Demon Evils for him...then—Shen Changqing could confidently say that the entire South Nether Prefecture would be fully supporting him. With this in place, he was certain his growth rate would be many times faster than relying solely on the Demon-Subduing Division or the Yuanyang Auction House. Regarding this, Shen Changqing felt somewhat regretful that he had auctioned off so many Grandmaster Martial Arts. In hindsight, exchanging them for merit points with the sects would have been much more cost-effective. But what was done, was done; regret was futile. Grandmaster Martial Arts were exceedingly precious to others. But to him, as long as he wished for them, they were easily attainable with hardly any difficulty.

Xing Yi was stunned for a moment before understanding dawned on him.

"I will handle it right away."

"Hmm, let’s tentatively set the time for the Hundred Sects Alliance meeting a month from today, and the location will be within the Demon-Subduing Division in Mountain-Breaking City," Shen Changqing added.

Xing Yi immediately took his leave to carry out the command. He voiced no opinion about the Hundred Sects Alliance meeting.

The position of Defender Envoy of South Nether Prefecture is indeed favorable. It has made many actions much more convenient than before. However, it’s only as the Defender Envoy of South Nether Prefecture that I am able to do this. In the future, if I really take control of the Demon-Subduing Division, acting this way won’t be so simple. If my strength reaches a point where I need not have any concerns, then there will be no trouble.

Shen Changqing now deeply understood the advantages of being the Defender Envoy of South Nether Prefecture. The vast South Nether Prefecture was entirely his to command. Moreover, if he only acted within the South Nether Prefecture and avoided causing any major disarray, the Imperial Court might not necessarily intervene. But if he were the Dominator of the Demon-Subduing Division, sitting in Dongfang Zhao’s position, that would be a different story. By itself, the Demon-Subduing Division was an entity the Imperial Court regarded with caution. As the Dominator of the Demon-Subduing Division, to brazenly align with the Jianghu Sects would be to invoke the wariness of the Imperial Family. Even if one had no intentions of rebelling, from the Imperial Family’s perspective, the risk was there.

However, these matters were somewhat too distant for Shen Changqing right now. He was merely the Defender Envoy of South Nether Prefecture, and although Dongfang Zhao said he was about to die, it was clear his lifespan wasn’t depleting that quickly.

In a few more years, Shen Changqing was confident he could break the Grandmaster’s Limit and ascend to another level. Given that his strength as a Grandmaster was comparable to a King Rank Defender Envoy, ascension to another level would equate to a presence similar to Dongfang Zhao’s. In comparison to Demon Evils, this would be equivalent to a Great Demon.

No, it’s not as simple as just being comparable to a Great Demon. Currently, with my Divine Soul at the second stage and my Divine Heaven Golden Body at the sixth stage, I face almost no opposition among high-level Demon Evils. If both the Divine Soul and Divine Heaven Golden Body mature to the tenth stage, I will have no issues contending with a Great Demon. With such foundations, breaking the limit and advancing to another level will render my strength incomparable to that of an ordinary Great Demon. At the very least, I would be among the stronger Great Demons or even potentially stepping into the realm of a Demon Saint.

Shen Changqing pondered.

A Demon Saint—currently the most powerful known entity of the Demon Evil Clan, and also the limit of what Great Qin can contend with. If I reach that level, there will be little within Great Qin that I need to fear. The Imperial Family and the Imperial Court alike would no longer burden my actions with their concerns. In such a world, might is the only truth.

It has been over three years since I joined the Demon-Subduing Division. Given another three years, breaking past the Grandmaster’s Limit shouldn’t be a problem. With the support from the sects of the South Nether Prefecture and the Demon-Subduing Division, my power will grow much faster than before.

A smile appeared on Shen Changqing’s face.

If he had to slay Demon Evils alone, he had no confidence he could break through to the next Realm in three years. After all, the resources needed for each subsequent incremental upgrade were beyond comparison to those required previously. Take the Divine Soul, for example; the resources needed to advance from the second to the third stage could instantly elevate a Grandmaster who had just entered the Spiritual System directly to the level of the Grandmaster Ultimate Summit. Not to mention, the third stage of the Divine Soul was still just the initial phase, and further growth would demand even greater consumption. This showed that every fraction of power gained at the Great Grandmaster level involved an astronomical consumption of resources. If he were to rely on himself alone, forget three years; Shen Changqing doubted he could break the Grandmaster’s Limit even in ten years. But now, with support from all fronts, given three more years... although he couldn’t say for certain, it was nearly a sure thing.