Shen Changqing paused slightly as he said this, recalling the appearance of the black-robed individual as he fled. He then asked Du’er for paper and ink and proceeded to sketch the likeness of the black-robed person.
"This is what the Eternal Alliance Demonfolk looked like."
Du’er took the sketch, examined it carefully for a moment, then passed it on to Feng Qi. Feng Qi glanced at the sketch and immediately commanded his men to tighten the encirclement and search for the Demonfolk’s whereabouts.
To prevent the Demon Evil from breaking through, the Demon-Subduing Division had long established defensive lines here. If anyone entered or left, it would be impossible to escape their vigilance.
There was only one explanation at present: the Eternal Alliance Demonfolk was still within the encirclement. With a patient search, locating him would not be too difficult.
Du’er said, "Elder Shen, what are your plans now?"
"How long will you need to find the whereabouts of that Eternal Alliance Demonfolk?"
"It will take between one and two days," Du’er replied after a moment’s thought. His response was a conservative estimate; if he were less conservative, the time could be even shorter.
Shen Changqing pondered for a moment. One or two days... A Grandmaster-level Demonfolk would be worth at least several dozen Slaughter Value points. If they could find the individual, waiting a day or two wouldn’t be a problem. The rewards from leaving to hunt Demon Evil elsewhere wouldn’t be as great as waiting here for these two days.
"I will stay in the nearest city," he then said. "Notify me immediately once you have news of that Demonfolk."
A Grandmaster-level Demonfolk was worth, at a minimum, several tens of Slaughter Value points. If they could indeed find him, waiting one or two days was of no consequence to Shen Changqing. If he were to leave and go to the next place to kill Demon Evil, the gains would not be as high as waiting here for two days.
"No problem!" Du’er nodded gravely.
"Damn it, Gu Cang died so quickly—what a waste!"
In a certain part of Luoyang City, the black-robed individual who had initially left had now returned. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to leave, but as he was trying to do so, he had run right into the encirclement set up by the Imperial Court.
If he had tried to break through forcefully, it would certainly have caused a major disturbance. If he had alerted the experts from the Demon-Subduing Division, or worse, Shen Changqing himself, then he would face certain death.
So, believing that the most dangerous place was the safest, the black-robed person quietly returned to Luoyang City to hide. Although Luoyang City was now an isolated city, its area was by no means small. For one person to hide here, it would be quite difficult for even the Imperial Court’s people to find him. He would just wait for the right opportunity later and then figure out a way to withdraw.
「Two days passed almost in the blink of an eye.」
During this time, Shen Changqing had remained in the city, occasionally strolling around, never stepping half a foot outside its limits.
「As evening fell, someone knocked on the door.」
Du’er, in disguise, entered the room.
"Elder Shen." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍
"I’m afraid I’ve failed to meet your expectations, Elder Shen. That Demonfolk is extremely adept at hiding, and we haven’t been able to locate him yet. If I’m not mistaken, he’s likely hiding somewhere within Luoyang City. Unfortunately, Luoyang City’s terrain is complex, making it very difficult to find one person." Du’er looked ashamed. He had boasted he could do it in two days, but now he had failed, which was rather embarrassing.
Shen Changqing, however, had already anticipated this outcome upon hearing Du’er’s words. No one from the Heavenly Inspection Guard had come to find him during the two days; Du’er only now came to his door. The outcome had already been clear.
"Since we can’t find him, let’s drop it. That Demonfolk is just an ordinary Grandmaster; his escape won’t have a significant impact. More importantly, I managed to get some information from that Demon Evil."
"What information?" Du’er looked startled. Information from a Demon Evil is unlikely to be anything trivial.
Shen Changqing said, "That Demon Evil was able to break through successfully because the Eternal Alliance provided it with a Blood Soul Pill. To successfully refine a Blood Soul Pill, the blood, flesh, and souls of at least 10,000 living beings must be sacrificed."
When Shen Changqing finished speaking, Du’er’s face was a mask of horror.