CHAPTER 494: CHAPTER 241: SEVENTH RANK OF DIVINE SOUL (REQUEST FOR MONTHLY VOTES)

Throughout the entire day, Shen Changqing had remained in the great hall without taking a single step out. At this moment, he stood alone, his eyes tightly closed, appearing as if submerged in deep slumber.

In front of him, all ten coffins had been opened, and the Demon Evils that were supposed to be inside had all been completely eradicated.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the tiny figure that was originally only four inches tall had now grown to eight inches. The lotus upon which he sat cross-legged below had also grown significantly larger, now possessing an even more mystical aura.

When he opened his eyes, a terrifyingly sharp glint shot out, causing the air before him to tremble slightly.

Shen Changqing looked around. The Spiritual Energy, normally invisible to the naked eye, was slowly drifting before him.

The flow of Spiritual Energy is very slow! That was his first reaction. His second reaction, immediately after, was that it wasn’t the Spiritual Energy flowing slowly, but rather that his perception of everything had slowed down due to the further improvement of his Divine Soul.

With a simple wave of his hand, his movements were frighteningly fast. After settling his mind, he confirmed he had successfully broken through to the Seventh Rank in Divine Soul Power.

Divine Soul Seventh Rank! Divine Heaven Golden Body Sixth Rank!

Shen Changqing looked at the information on the panel and pondered silently. For the first time, I’ve perfectly surpassed my physical progress with my Divine Soul.

With a Seventh-Rank Divine Soul and Sixth-Rank Flesh strength, my current Divine Soul Power allows me full control over my Flesh’s strength. There’s even a tendency to surpass mere physical control. It’s precisely because of the surge in Divine Soul Power that Spiritual Energy seems to flow so much slower in my eyes. This advantage will be significant in martial combat.

When someone makes a move, you see through their actions, then skillfully dodge and counterattack with ease. Just this point alone would make me unbeatable.

In all of martial arts, only speed is unbreakable. While this saying wasn’t entirely accurate, it wasn’t far off the mark.

Standing still, Shen Changqing commanded his Divine Soul Power to burst forth from his body. Instantly, an invisible storm swept through the great hall. It lifted all the coffins into the air before a terrifying force tore them asunder, leaving no fragments behind.

After the coffins were destroyed, the Divine Soul gale quickly dissipated. The great hall was now a wreck, a testament to the storm’s passage.

A barely noticeable sense of weakness washed over him, indicating the strike had consumed some power. However, compared to his total Divine Soul Power, it was insignificant.

Shen Changqing felt satisfied with this. With a Seventh-Rank Divine Soul, simply using Spiritual Power attacks, I could annihilate all Martial Artists below the Great Grandmaster rank. Even if there were 100,000 soldiers before me, eradicating them all would probably not be a problem. Before breaking through to Great Grandmaster, I could also become a one-man army. But now, just by sweeping with my Divine Soul, I’m capable of slaying strong Martial Artists. The two situations aren’t even comparable.

Ten high-rank Demon Evils had allowed his Divine Soul to accumulate to the Seventh Rank. This point alone had greatly enhanced his strength.

Compared to before this breakthrough, I could easily suppress my former self. To put it another way, suppressing Shimohe now wouldn’t be a problem either.

Following that, he looked at the Slaughter Value on the panel. His Slaughter Value, which was only slightly over three hundred points before, had skyrocketed after he slaughtered ten high-rank Demon Evils. It broke through the 8,000 mark, reaching an unprecedented 8,320 points.

A surge of exhilaration, astonishment, and joy! Countless indescribable emotions flooded his heart, causing Shen Changqing’s expression to shift constantly.

Over 8,000 Slaughter Value... not counting what I already had. That means each high-rank Demon Evil gave me nearly eight hundred Slaughter Value on average. So, ten high-rank Demon Evils gave me roughly 8,000 points.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself, seeing the Slaughter Value actually break through to over 8,000 points still astonished him. It couldn’t be helped; seeing such an abundance of Slaughter Value for the first time, it was impossible not to be shocked.

Moreover, Shen Changqing understood what 8,320 Slaughter Value could allow him to achieve. Divine Heaven Golden Body Perfection? No, not just Divine Heaven Golden Body Perfection. Even if the Divine Heaven Golden Body is further enhanced, it couldn’t possibly use up 8,000 Slaughter Value. With the remainder, even further integrating Divine Skills wouldn’t be a problem.

However, Shen Changqing did not immediately break through the Divine Heaven Golden Body. Each breakthrough of the Divine Heaven Golden Body would invoke the descent of heavenly lightning. The great hall had not been easy to construct, and it wouldn’t be good to destroy it.

The sealed hall doors opened. Mu Qing and Ji Tianlu saw someone walking out from inside. The very moment the two of them met Shen Changqing’s gaze, their expressions became somewhat dazed, as if those eyes held a powerful attraction, drawing them in involuntarily.

Less than a single breath passed. Ji Tianlu immediately snapped back to reality. When he looked at Shen Changqing again, his eyes were filled with horror. Merely locking eyes was enough to draw one in; even if it was for less than a single breath, it was still astonishingly powerful. Especially when strong opponents clashed, a half-breath’s pause could decide victory or defeat.

While Ji Tianlu had come to his senses, Mu Qing was still deeply affected. It wasn’t until Shen Changqing spoke that he was jolted back from the shock. In an instant, Mu Qing looked at Shen Changqing as if he had seen some terrible being.

To be drawn in so deeply by a single glance implied that if the other party wished to kill him, it would require almost no effort.

"Defender Shen..." he stammered, taking a deep, silent breath of cold air.

Seeing the shock on their faces, Shen Changqing instantly understood. My Divine Soul just broke through. It’s temporarily a bit difficult to control. He restrained the power of his Divine Soul, allowing his eyes to return to normal.

After suppressing the overflow of his Divine Soul Power, he said with a light smile, "I feel I’ve made a breakthrough and need to leave Mountain-Breaking City for a few days. I’ll have to trouble the two of you here for the time being."

"Uh, sure..." Ji Tianlu gave a slight nod. He didn’t even ask why the other could break through so quickly. That one look had made this Dominator of Mountain-Breaking City recognize the gap in strength between them.

As for Mu Qing, he was still too shocked to speak. It wasn’t until long after Shen Changqing had left that he slowly regained his composure.

"Defender Shen’s strength... it’s become even more terrifying!" His tone held a mixture of awe, reverence, and shock.

Indeed. Terrifying. Even though Shen Changqing’s strength was already formidable, it was nothing compared to how he was now.

Hearing this, Ji Tianlu shook his head. "Martial Artists are different from us Defender Envoys. They can obtain Spiritual Power by slaying Demon Evils. Consider Defender Shen, who has executed ten high-rank Demon Evils; the amount of Spiritual Power he has obtained must be immense. Previously, his strength was already formidable among King Rank Defender Envoys. Now, bolstered by the Spiritual Power of ten high-rank Demon Evils, I’m afraid that within the entire Demon-Subduing Division, probably only Defender Dongfang could suppress him!"

Dongfang Zhao was the publicly recognized strongest within the Demon-Subduing Division. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have the qualifications to be the Dominator. The strongest beneath Dongfang Zhao. This was Ji Tianlu’s evaluation of him, an extremely high one indeed.

Hearing this, Mu Qing’s heart trembled again. "Is Defender Ji implying that Defender Shen can now rival a Great Demon?"

"Even if he can’t, he’s nearly there." After saying this, Ji Tianlu added, "Defender Shen’s talent is the greatest I’ve ever witnessed. Even if he’s not on par with Defender Dongfang now, give him another ten years, and the title of the Demon-Subduing Division’s number one will likely change hands."

And there’s something else I haven’t said, Ji Tianlu thought. The fact that Dongfang Zhao is nearing the end of his lifespan is no great secret among us Dominators of the various branches; anyone with a mind to could roughly calculate it. Once Dongfang Zhao dies, the Demon-Subduing Division will inevitably see a new Dominator emerge. I used to wonder who Dongfang Zhao would choose as his successor. But now... it seems the next Dominator of the Demon-Subduing Division will undoubtedly be Shen Changqing. He has the talent, and the strength too. I can’t think of anyone more suitable.

"By then, he’ll be more than just the Defender Envoy of the South Nether Prefecture!" In the end, Ji Tianlu sighed.

This statement left Mu Qing dumbfounded. Of course, I understand what Defender Ji is implying. It’s just... it’s hard to imagine someone who only recently joined the Demon-Subduing Division could possibly reach that step.

Then again... the likelihood isn’t small. Who in the Demon-Subduing Division currently has strength surpassing Shen Changqing’s? You couldn’t even count them on one hand. And in terms of talent and age, no one even comes close.

Watching Shen Changqing’s departing figure, he thought, One day, he’ll grow to a level I can only look up to... No. Even now, I already have to look up to him.

Shaking their heads, Mu Qing and Ji Tianlu entered the great hall together. The Yin Evil Aura had vanished, but they still felt the need to inspect the area. Only when they saw the empty hall, devoid of any trace of Demon Evils or the original coffins, did they finally relax.

Evidently, Shen Changqing had already taken care of all the problems.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, thunder rumbled once again outside Mountain-Breaking City. Such a phenomenon tugged at everyone’s heartstrings. Thunder had rumbled not long ago, leading to a significant natural disaster. Now that it had abruptly appeared again, many people felt an instinctive dread.

Fortunately, this time, the phenomenon of the thunder was different from the last. After appearing in the Firmament for a while, it suddenly crashed down, striking the hillsides outside Mountain-Breaking City.

This spectacle made it clear to the people of Mountain-Breaking City what had caused the thunder this time.