Human Clan Defender

After the noise of battle had subsided, it wasn't long before Shen Changqing emerged from the dark alleyway, a saber slung at his waist.

"Lord Shen, how did it go?"

"The Barbarian Clan has been slain; the rest is up to you to handle!"

Shen Changqing's face was calm.

"Thank you for your efforts!"

Wen Ce inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and then had others lead the Black Tiger Army inside to deal with the aftermath. He, however, stayed where he was, continuing to converse with Shen Changqing.

"What do you plan to do now, Lord Shen?"

"Although the Barbarian Clan has been annihilated, the Demonfolk of the Eternal Alliance are still in the city. Tonight, we must purge Jincheng completely, not allowing a single Demon Evil to remain," Shen Changqing said.

The Barbarian Clan's location matched what Zhong Chi had reported. The whereabouts of the remaining Demonfolk from the Eternal Alliance were also largely accounted for.

At that moment, flames leaped into the sky in the distance. Loud battle cries, along with the sounds of Martial Artists clashing, echoed out.

"The Demon Evils of the Eternal Alliance have revealed their position! Lord Wen, you stay here to manage the aftermath; I will go on ahead."

Leaving these words behind, Shen Changqing's body vanished like a wild goose, darting toward the horizon.

***

On the wide streets, a battle was erupting.

"Demonfolk daring to bring chaos to my Jincheng deserve death!"

Chu Ding, wielding a long spear, fought as fiercely as a Flood Dragon emerging from its cave, his Gang Qi surging in all directions, locked in fierce combat with Hongyi.

Facing Chu Ding's offensive, Hongyi, though undaunted, found it difficult to break free quickly.

She had never expected the Black Tiger Army to locate her hiding place so rapidly. The sudden eruption of battle had caught her completely off guard.

"Chu Ding, you still have time to oppose my Eternal Alliance? Once the Barbarian Clan Army arrives, just wait for Jincheng to fall and its people to perish!" Hongyi's body twisted like a spider, her movements as swift as a phantom; even while exchanging blows with Chu Ding, she still had the breath to speak.

"Before the Barbarian Clan arrives, this general will use your Eternal Alliance Demonfolk to consecrate my banner!" Chu Ding's voice was icy.

As he spoke, his long spear thrust out. The Spear Gang swept across, instantly causing the air to implode.

Facing such an onslaught, Hongyi remained composed. A palm strike shot out, releasing a chilling aura that forcefully extinguished the Spear Gang. Simultaneously, that aura spread along the spear, rushing straight toward Chu Ding.

True Qi vibrated, obliterating the Yin Evil Aura.

Chu Ding's spear swept across in wide, powerful arcs, each blow embodying the force to split steles and crack rocks. As the commander of the Black Tiger Army, his strength was naturally substantial. The army's spear techniques were particularly geared towards lethal battlefield moves. Each thrust, while seemingly ordinary, concealed dreadful murderous intent.

As for Hongyi, being a Hall Master of the Eternal Alliance, her strength was equally formidable. Although she had not broken through to the Grandmaster Realm, she was not far from it. Comparing the two, it was hard to determine a winner for the time being.

Elsewhere, the other two Demonfolk of the Eternal Alliance were completely surrounded by Jianghu Martial Artists. They were not as powerful as Hongyi but were no pushovers either. Although they had not reached the Innate Realm, they were among the stronger individuals within the Pulse Condensation Realm.

However, the Jianghu Martial Artists encircling them were no weaklings. In fact, those whom the Black Tiger Army could summon would not possibly be feeble. Among them were even several experts in the later stages of Pulse Condensation. Though the Demonfolk employed strange tactics, they were unable to break out of the encirclement for the time being.

As for the rest of the Black Tiger Army, they had already fully encircled the battlefield; should any Demonfolk attempt to escape, they would intercept immediately.

"Sir, do you think we have a chance of winning?"

Standing by Nie Xu's side, Liu Jian watched the fights, his eyes dazzled. He was just a Martial Artist in the Body Tempering Realm with limited eyesight; discerning the battles of those in the Pulse Condensation and Innate Realms was no easy task for him.

Hearing this, Nie Xu was speechless. He wasn't a Martial Artist. If Liu Jian couldn't make out the situation, how could he possibly understand it?

However, Nie Xu also recognized that ever since he had slain a Demon Evil by relying on his Noble Spirit, Liu Jian had come to see him as a deeply concealed expert. He had no intention of explaining this further.

Clearing his throat, Nie Xu observed the situation on the field. To him, everyone's movements were as fast as phantoms; forget analysis, even discerning their techniques was difficult.

"Hmm... General Chu is indeed very strong. However, that Eternal Alliance Demonfolk is not weak either. It will likely be difficult to determine a winner quickly. But as it stands, the Black Tiger Army has surrounded the area. With the army's strength, once they form a battle formation, even powerful Demonfolk would have no way to escape. Even now, though restricted by the environment and unable to form a complete battle array, with the cooperation of those Jianghu experts, the Demonfolk have no chance of victory."

Nie Xu merely described the strengths of Chu Ding and Hongyi lightly, then proceeded to analyze the overall situation from a broader perspective. Though he couldn't see the details of the combat clearly, the current state of affairs was quite evident.

The Demonfolk of the Eternal Alliance were strong. But no matter how strong, they could not contend against the Black Tiger Army. Otherwise, those Demonfolk wouldn't have simply cowered when the Black Tiger Army entered the city.

Put simply, it was a lack of strength and confidence to contend with the Black Tiger Army. Now that their hiding place had been exposed, leading to a siege by the Black Tiger Army, it was akin to a desperate struggle of trapped beasts. Unless something unexpected occurred, the defeat and demise of the Demonfolk were only a matter of time.

"Your insight is truly unique, Sir!" Liu Jian exclaimed, his face showing admiration.

Nie Xu smiled faintly, saying nothing more.

At that moment, a figure leaped from a rooftop. The chilling glint of a saber illuminated the night sky, and a murderous aura instantly erupted.

BOOM—

Hongyi let out a piercing scream, instinctively trying to retreat, but she was a step too slow.

The saber's light vanished, replaced by a blossom of blood. A wound so deep the bone was visible instantly appeared on her shoulder. The flesh was cauterized by the scorching True Qi, which paradoxically stemmed much of the bleeding.

"Shen! Chang! Qing!"

Hongyi's emerald eyes were filled with malice and horror. She stared intently at the person before her, wishing she could flay him alive and tear out his tendons.

This sudden turn of events also caught Chu Ding by surprise. By the time he regained his composure, Hongyi was already wounded, and another person had appeared beside him.

His long saber pointed diagonally at the ground, corrosive blood dripping from it. Shen Changqing gripped the saber's hilt tightly, his gaze indifferent as he looked at her.

"We meet again. You escaped last time. Where will you run this time?"

Fail to kill a snake, and you'll suffer its bite later. After clashing with Hongyi last time, where both sustained heavy injuries, he had been waiting for an opportunity—a chance to slay her. Now, that opportunity had arrived. Compared to their last encounter, his strength had risen to another level, and he also had Chu Ding by his side. Their advantage was undeniable.

Hearing this, Hongyi's pretty face grew frosty. Her emerald eyes, like venomous snakes in the dark, watched as the bone-deep wound on her shoulder healed at an incredibly rapid pace.

"Is this the way of the Demon-Subduing Division? Ganging up on the outnumbered?"

"The duty of the Demon-Subduing Division is to eradicate Demon Evil. As long as we can exterminate all Demon Evil in the world, what does the method matter?" Shen Changqing remained unmoved.

His long saber twirled slightly, emitting a powerful Blade Qi.

"General Chu, let's attack together and kill her! Eliminate this threat for good!"

"Alright!" Chu Ding agreed without hesitation. He had no intention of fighting alone; as for whether joining forces would invite criticism, that was even more laughable. On the battlefield, victory and defeat were synonymous with life and death. When one's own life was at stake, who could afford so many scruples?

As the words fell, both attacked simultaneously. The moment the Blade Gang tore through the air, the spear's glint also thrust forward.

Facing their combined attack, Hongyi's expression turned pale with fright. She could barely handle Chu Ding alone; now, with the even more ruthless Shen Changqing added to the fray, she had no chance of resisting.

I'll die!

At this thought, Hongyi lost all desire to continue fighting and immediately turned to flee.

Just as she turned to flee, the encircling Black Tiger Army soldiers sprang into action, thrusting their spears in unison. The sheer killing intent formed a powerful shockwave, causing the Eternal Alliance Hall Master's expression to shift once more.

Under normal circumstances, Hongyi wouldn't fear a small detachment of the Black Tiger Army. But now, any hesitation could trap her. So, she forced herself to leap into the air, evading the spear thrusts and aiming for the rooftops.

However, the rooftops were already defended by the Black Tiger Army. As Hongyi leaped, rows of Black Tiger Army soldiers armed with crossbows triggered their mechanisms, unleashing a volley of arrows that shrieked through the night air.

"Courting death!"

Infuriated, Hongyi unleashed her Protective Gang Qi, deflecting all the arrows. Then, she thrust out a palm, aiming for those Black Tiger Army soldiers.

BOOM!!

The rooftop collapsed. Some soldiers, caught off guard, were struck by the Palm Gang. The Yin Evil Aura swept over them, freezing their blood.

Just as she struck, her escape faltered for an instant. In that moment, Shen Changqing's and Chu Ding's attacks descended upon her.

BOOM! BOOM!!

Her Protective Gang Qi shattered. Hongyi spun around, striking out with a palm. Just as she managed to deflect the spear, a flash of saber light entered her vision. A chill ran down her shoulder, followed an instant later by a surge of excruciating pain that twisted her features.

Her arm was severed by the saber.

Shen Changqing harvested another wave of Slaughter Value. He then swept his long saber, intending to behead Hongyi, but she suddenly ducked, narrowly avoiding the saber's edge.

Reacting to this, Shen Changqing delivered a fierce mid-air kick, the powerful force tearing through the air as it slammed viciously into Hongyi.

BANG—

Her lithe body flew out like a broken weed, crashing onto the street below and shattering the bluestone pavers.

Before she could react or rise, Shen Changqing landed. The Heavenly Centipede True Qi in his Dantian surged as he unleashed a direct palm strike.

Iron Sand Palm!

The blazing Palm Gang, saturated with fiery poison, slammed into Hongyi's head. One could only imagine the effect of a force capable of pulverizing a stele when applied to flesh and blood.

BANG!!

Her head exploded. Hongyi's headless corpse twitched a few times on the ground before falling still.