Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Banishing Evil Crossbow
Sizing up Shen Changqing, Tan Tianji fell into deep thought. After a while, he emerged from his contemplation, a look of sudden realization dawning on his face.
"I remember now, you’ve obtained the Great Sun Scripture from the Martial Hall, haven’t you?"
"Elder Tan is also familiar with the Great Sun Scripture?" Shen Changqing’s expression remained unchanged.
He had just started cultivating the Great Sun Scripture, and his aura wasn’t fully concealed yet, so it was normal for the other party to notice. The perception of a Grandmaster was incomparable to that of other martial artists.
Elder Tan Tianji smiled faintly. "Many people know about the Great Sun Scripture. In years past, to obtain the Great Sun Scripture and the Tathagata Golden Body from the Buddha Sect, the Demon-Subduing Division had many Defender Envoys personally visit the Myriad Buddhas Sect. Ultimately, under pressure, the Myriad Buddhas Sect handed over these two sect-defining martial arts. The incident caused quite a stir, and many people requested entry into the Martial Hall just to study the Great Sun Scripture and the Tathagata Golden Body."
To prompt the Demon-Subduing Division to go to such lengths, the power of the two martial arts was self-evident.
Shortly afterward, Elder Tan Tianji continued, "Unfortunately, while these two martial arts are indeed powerful, their initial mastery is extremely difficult, especially the Great Sun Scripture, which aims straight for the Grandmaster Peak. However, not a single person has ever managed to cultivate it to Great Achievement. Even among the Myriad Buddhas Sect members, throughout history, those who have truly mastered the Great Sun Scripture can be counted on one hand. And those who have achieved Great Achievement in both are limited to a mere one or two individuals." He paused briefly before continuing, "Some people in the Martial Hall, like you, have switched to cultivating the Great Sun Scripture, but subsequently found themselves unable to reach Perfection. Eventually, many abandoned this martial art to cultivate others. After all, the difference between achieving Great Achievement in a martial art and not is significant. If one’s cultivation of the Great Sun Scripture doesn’t truly reach the Great Achievement stage, it may not necessarily be much stronger than other martial arts."
"However—"
"You have good talent; perhaps one day you will successfully cultivate the Great Sun Scripture, though that’s not guaranteed. If you are interested, you can look for the Tathagata Golden Body in the Martial Hall. The two martial arts complement each other, but the Tathagata Golden Body is also quite difficult. I wouldn’t suggest it for ordinary people, but you could try it."
Elder Tan Tianji’s expression was serious. As the sect-defining martial arts of the Buddha Sect, comprehension, innate wisdom, and talent were all indispensable. Shen Changqing had only been in the Demon-Subduing Division for a few years yet had already reached such a realm. Purely in terms of talent, no one since the creation of the Demon-Subduing Division could compare to him. Therefore, he was inclined to suggest Shen Changqing try cultivating it. However, given the considerable difficulty of both martial arts, Elder Tan Tianji wouldn’t have said more if Shen Changqing hadn’t already started cultivating the Great Sun Scripture.
Shen Changqing nodded. "Thank you for the advice, Elder Tan. I will look for the Tathagata Golden Body when I have the time."
He didn’t mention that he had already looked over the Tathagata Golden Body. Some things didn’t need to be shared with everyone.
Subsequently, Elder Tan Tianji gestured towards Jiang An beside him and said, "This is Jiang An, a member of the Suppressing Evil Hall."
Then, he pointed towards Shen Changqing and introduced him to Jiang An. "This is Shen Changqing from the Martial Hall. He is currently the most talented person in the Martial Hall. If the limits of the human body can truly be broken, his chances are quite high."
Upon hearing this, Jiang An’s expression flickered slightly as he cupped his fist towards Shen Changqing. "Greetings, Brother Shen!"
"Brother Jiang." Shen Changqing nodded in response.
He hadn’t heard much about Jiang An, but the aura emanating from the man clearly indicated he was a formidable martial artist. Perhaps he had entered the Grandmaster Realm, perhaps not. But one thing Shen Changqing was certain of was that Jiang An had definitely not entered the Physical System. Anyone who had entered the Physical System possessed a distinct characteristic: a robust vitality that couldn’t be concealed from fellow Grandmaster martial artists. The Jiang An before him clearly hadn’t reached such a stage.
After the introductions, Jiang An wasted no time and got straight to the point. "Brother Shen, you must know that accompanying me to the Demon-Subduing Prison comes with a reward of ten Merit Points."
"Of course, I’m aware," Shen Changqing nodded, indicating he already knew.
Seeing this, Jiang An took a silver Demon-Subduing Coin from within his robes and handed it over. "This is the reward, Brother Shen. Please keep it safe. If there are no issues, we can set off now."
"No problem." Shen Changqing discreetly accepted the Demon-Subduing Coin and replied in a serious tone.
Receiving the affirmative, Jiang An finally showed a slight smile. "Good, let’s set off immediately. Elder Tan, we shall take our leave!"
With that, Jiang An left directly.
Shen Changqing nodded his farewell to Elder Tan Tianji and followed Jiang An. The distance from the Martial Hall to the Demon-Subduing Prison was not far. This was the first time Shen Changqing had left the confines of the Hidden Heart Pavilion since joining the Martial Hall.
En route, he silently observed Jiang An by his side. After pondering for a moment, he couldn’t help but ask, "Brother Jiang, I am actually quite curious about the Suppressing Evil Hall. I’ve always heard that it’s dedicated to researching Demon Evil, but I don’t know what specific aspects your research primarily focuses on."
Researching Demon Evil! The specifics of their research into Demon Evil were certainly worth elaborating on.
Facing the inquiry, Jiang An showed no intention of concealing anything, a gentle smile on his face. "When you were a Demon Hunter, Brother Shen, you must have encountered some of our work. For instance, the devices used by the Demon Slaying Hall to measure Yin Evil Aura, as well as the Pure Spirit Jade Pendants carried by Demon Hunters, are all products of the Suppressing Evil Hall. Additionally, the seals within the Demon-Subduing Prison were also developed through our research."
After a brief pause, Jiang An continued, "Since their first appearance, Demon Evil have plagued the world. Although the Demon-Subduing Division has many powerful individuals maintaining stability across various regions, human effort has its limits. Compared to the sheer number of Demon Evil, the Human Clan ultimately has too few experts. Therefore, we have always hoped to find methods to restrain Demon Evil."
"Later, a predecessor said that all things in Heaven and Earth generate and overcome one another. Since Demon Evil exist, their nemesis must also exist. If we cannot find this nemesis elsewhere, we can try starting with the Demon Evil themselves. It is for this reason that the Suppressing Evil Hall was officially established. The myriad Demon Evil imprisoned in the Demon-Subduing Prison are, in fact, our research subjects."
When Jiang An spoke of that predecessor, an expression of admiration crossed his face. Immediately afterward, however, he shook his head. "Over the years, Defender Envoys and experts from the Martial Hall have often taken action to capture Demon Evil across various regions. All captured Demon Evil are imprisoned in the Demon-Subduing Prison. We hope to study the Demon Evil and discover something from them that can restrain their kind. If we could truly identify the weaknesses of Demon Evil, then perhaps even an ordinary person might be able to contend with a powerful Demon Evil, no longer like now, where common folk are no more than livestock before them!"
Capturing Demon Evil. Researching Demon Evil. Finding their weaknesses and developing ways to restrain them. Jiang An’s words gave Shen Changqing a much greater understanding of the Suppressing Evil Hall.
Undoubtedly, if one considered only strength, the members of the Suppressing Evil Hall might not match those in the Martial Hall. However, if the Suppressing Evil Hall’s research succeeded, its impact would be far beyond anything the Martial Hall could achieve. To put it simply, even if the Martial Hall found a method to break through the limits of the human body, how many people could truly reach that stage? The Martial Dao required talent. Before breaking the body’s limits, one still faced the daunting obstacles of the Grandmaster, Innate, and Pulse Condensation Realms. But the research of the Suppressing Evil Hall was different. They aimed to find the weaknesses of Demon Evil. If they truly developed something to counteract them, the threshold for its use would surely not be as high as that for breaking the body’s limits. Moreover, there was the possibility of mass production. At that point, the threat of Demon Evil would be significantly reduced.
Thinking of this, Shen Changqing couldn’t help but ask, "So, does that mean the Demon Sealing Hall researches the weaknesses of Demon Evil?"
"Essentially, yes," Jiang An replied ambiguously.
Seeing that Jiang An evidently didn’t wish to elaborate, Shen Changqing didn’t press the issue further. He immediately changed the subject. "I wonder, has the Suppressing Evil Hall made any significant gains so far?"
"Of course, there have been some gains." Jiang An stopped and took something out from within his robes.
Shen Changqing looked attentively. He saw Jiang An reveal an item that resembled a miniature crossbow, about the size of an adult’s palm. Strange patterns were engraved on its body, and a finger-thick arrow was nocked upon it. It was worth noting that the arrow appeared to be made of neither copper nor iron. It resembled wood, yet it felt different from ordinary wood.
"What is this?"
"This is the Banishing Evil Crossbow, a product of our Suppressing Evil Hall. It has a significant restraining effect on ordinary Demon Evil. Normally, anyone wielding the Banishing Evil Crossbow can contend with a Ghostly Level Fiend." Jiang An’s face filled with pride, and he became quite animated when discussing the Banishing Evil Crossbow. Soon after, however, his expression dimmed slightly. "Unfortunately, the Banishing Evil Crossbow still has limitations. Namely, activating it requires a specific power source, and currently, only a martial artist’s True Qi is suitable. If we could solve this issue, the Banishing Evil Crossbow would be immensely useful."
Shen Changqing understood instantly. Requiring True Qi as a power source meant that only martial artists at the Pulse Condensation Realm could use the Banishing Evil Crossbow. This essentially eliminated the possibility of ordinary people using it. Martial artists at the Pulse Condensation Realm were already capable of dealing with Ghostly Level Fiends, so possessing the Banishing Evil Crossbow didn’t make a significant difference for them. At most, an extra weapon offered a slightly better chance of victory. In some respects, while the Banishing Evil Crossbow developed by the Suppressing Evil Hall wasn’t completely useless, it was certainly of limited practical value. Of course, if the Suppressing Evil Hall could resolve the True Qi activation requirement, allowing ordinary people to use the Banishing Evil Crossbow, then the weapon would become remarkably effective.