Human Clan Defender

Kill! Mairba's heart roared furiously as he threw his fists out with a force that seemed to tear the heavens apart. True Qi burst forth. Gang Qi condensed as if it were tangible. Blade Gang shattered.

Immediately after, the apparition became more solid, as if a heaven-shattering roar had been emitted. In an instant, Shen Changqing felt an enormous impact on his mind. A sharp pain washed over him, and the scene before his eyes changed.

In the blood-red sky, an ominous figure with an obscured face loomed high above like a deity, and then it launched a punch downwards. That punch felt as if heaven and earth were collapsing.

Standing below, Shen Changqing felt as fragile as an ant, despair etched on his face. Instantly, a strong sense of unwillingness surged up from his heart.

No, I can't die! Whoever wants to kill me, I will take their life! Even if it's a god, they must die too! His spirit roared. His Qi and blood seethed.

In an instant, as if the roars of thousands of beasts were shattering the void, Shen Changqing clenched the Lengyue Blade with both arms and swung it fiercely forward. Immediately, the blood-red sky shattered, and the deity vanished.

All the illusions disappeared, leaving only a massive fist hurtling towards him, along with Mairba's ferocious face. The fist was about to land. The strong power, carried by the gale, made Shen Changqing's spirit churn wildly.

Die! A surge of killing intent erupted within him, his expression ice-cold.

The Lengyue Blade cleaved through the air, coated with Heavenly Centipede True Qi, its infinite sharpness manifesting. The Qi and blood in his Flesh boiled, and the phenomenon of the Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar appeared once again.

ROAR—

BOOM!!

The two forces annihilated each other upon impact.

Subsequently, a golden light exploded from Mairba's fist as it collided forcefully with the Lengyue Blade. Ultimately, the golden light dimmed, and blood spilled.

The two briefly separated. Mairba, observing the blade mark on his fist, said with a grim face, "Good. Since I mastered my Undying Golden Body, you're the first person to break its defense. This battle... I admit you've won!"

"Admit?" Shen Changqing sneered. He suddenly sheathed his Lengyue Blade and closed the distance with a single step, a palm infused with surging power already thrusting out. "I don't need your concession! Today, I will kill you right here and show everyone that these so-called Barbarian Clan Warriors are nothing but a joke!"

He was now thoroughly enraged. The impact of the Martial Dao True Intent had just given him the illusion of facing death. That sensation had transformed the fear stirred within Shen Changqing's heart completely into an intense killing intent. This battle wasn't about victory or defeat; it was about life and death.

Since Mairba prided himself on his formidable Flesh, Shen Changqing would crush him precisely where he was proudest. A palm struck out. Fire poison coalesced in his palm, and the powerful force compressed the air, creating layers of heat waves.

Feeling the power of the Iron Sand Palm, Mairba's expression changed. However, when he saw Shen Changqing had switched from his blade technique to a palm technique, anger also rose in his heart. He threw out a punch, its force seeming to tear the skies asunder.

BOOM!!!

The two terrifying powers collided, heat waves engulfing everything.

Immediately after, Mairba felt an all-destroying power surge from Shen Changqing's palm into his body, scorching his meridians as if they were on fire.

What vigorous and domineering True Qi! His expression changed drastically. The seventeenth layer of Heavenly Martial Gang Qi, combined with the seventeenth layer of the Invincible Golden Body, thoroughly shattered the illusions of this Barbarian Clan commander.

Before Mairba could react, Shen Changqing's palm trembled, the vibration sending his opponent staggering backward. The next moment, another palm struck out. The scorching palm wind forced Mairba to endure the discomfort in his meridians and raise his fist to meet it.

BANG—

Their forces met, and Mairba was again repelled.

Shen Changqing struck with another palm, his aura soaring. "Undying Golden Body! Today, let's see how my Invincible Golden Body breaks your Undying Golden Body!"

BOOM!!

While speaking, Shen Changqing launched dozens of palm strikes. Each was massively powerful, as though capable of splitting mountains and parting seas, utterly unstoppable.

Against such an assault, Mairba could only grit his teeth and endure. At this moment, the two were engaged in a pure contest of physical prowess. Yet, to Mairba's astonishment, he found his own Flesh was so much inferior to Shen Changqing's. After dozens of exchanges, Mairba's Flesh felt like it was about to fracture. Yet Shen Changqing seemed unaffected, his aura still unquenchably overwhelming.

Not only that, but with each collision, fire poison seeped into his body, making Mairba's meridians burn tormentingly. As the battle continued, the fire poison accumulated, rapidly approaching a critical threshold.

SPURT—

With another palm strike, the fire poison built up inside Mairba's body erupted, instantly injuring his meridians. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

As he spat out the blood, his aura immediately weakened. Shen Changqing changed his palm strike into a fist, blasting it into Mairba's chest like a cannonball. Power burst forth. Mairba coughed up more blood and was sent flying sideways.

This scene unfolded before the eyes of the other Barbarian Clan members. The Priest's expression changed drastically. He wasted no time, directly waving his bone Scepter and summoning dark power in an attempt to intercept Shen Changqing. A palm strike thundered forth, tearing the dark power apart. Shen Changqing kept moving, still heading towards Mairba.

At this moment, the skin on Mairba's chest had burst open, blood flowing profusely. A powerful True Qi swirled within the wound, relentlessly countering his own. Seeing Shen Changqing approach, his expression also changed drastically. "Kill him!"

If one-on-one fighting didn't work, then it would be a group assault. On the battlefield, justice was rarely considered; only the outcome—life or death—mattered. The Barbarian Clan Army was already prepared. Now, upon hearing Mairba's words, the army surged forward, charging toward Shen Changqing.

WHIZ!

WHIZ!!

A dense rain of arrows split the air, accompanied by a series of piercing sounds.

Shen Changqing paused. His Protective Gang Qi flared, deflecting all the arrows. Though he suffered no harm, this gave Mairba the chance to retreat and also allowed the Barbarian Clan Army to close in. Foot soldiers moved forward, all having switched to long weapons.

Watching the gleaming long spears stabbing from all directions, Shen Changqing drew his Lengyue Blade. His Protective Gang Qi enveloped him as he swept his blade in a wide arc, instantly slicing most of the long spears to pieces. Moreover, as the Blade Gang swept through, a dozen Barbarian Clan warriors exploded. At the same time, attacks from behind struck his Protective Gang Qi, but their powerful force hardly caused it to waver. In response, Shen Changqing disregarded them, relying on his Protective Gang Qi as he began his slaughter with blade in hand.

SWISH!

SWISH! SWISH!

The Lengyue Blade, like the Grim Reaper's scythe, claimed lives with each sweep.

The Barbarian Clan soldiers were brave and fierce. Whenever one fell, another quickly took his place, their long spears continuously thrusting out, landing heavily on the Protective Gang Qi. With each strike, Shen Changqing could distinctly feel the True Qi in his Dantian diminishing slightly. Yet, compared to the vast reserves in his Dantian, the loss was negligible.

KILL—

While numerous Barbarian Clan warriors besieged Shen Changqing, on the other side, Mairba was being retrieved by his men.

"Are you alright, my lord?"

"I'm fine." Mairba shook his head slowly, his cold eyes fixated on Shen Changqing, who was surrounded by the vast army.

The residual True Qi on his chest had been ground away. The powerful Flesh of a Grandmaster was taking effect, slowly healing his wounds. However, only Mairba himself knew how severely the invading fire poison had ravaged his body. To recover completely would likely take at least a year and a half of rest. All of this was a "gift" from Shen Changqing. If he didn't kill his opponent, he would never be able to swallow this grievance.

"Kill him! At any cost!" Mairba gritted his teeth. "A Grandmaster so young... if allowed to mature, he will be a colossal threat to our clan!" If not for his severe injuries, he would have charged back to fight Shen Changqing.

The Priest nodded. "Rest assured, my lord, he will not escape. With our clan's eighty-thousand-strong army here, even a Defender Envoy could be slain. No matter how strong this man is, he cannot escape with wings. Protective Gang Qi isn't endless. Once his True Qi is exhausted, the power he can exert will diminish significantly."

"His Flesh is also remarkably strong; we shouldn't underestimate it," Mairba cautioned, shaking his head. He was well aware of Shen Changqing's robust Flesh from their encounter.

Upon hearing Mairba's caution, the Priest said, "A Martial Artist's Flesh, no matter how strong, can only resist some bladed weapons. Moreover, each defense consumes some Qi and blood. When that is exhausted, their physical defenses will weaken further. By then, he will have no way to survive." Saying this, the Priest looked at Mairba and then suddenly bowed solemnly. "After he is killed, I hope Lord Mairba will hand over the corpse to the Priest Hall. The body of an expert who has reached the Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar can certainly be refined into a powerful Puppet. With such a Puppet to aid us, our clan's conquest of Great Qin will have a stronger foundation."

"We'll discuss this after he's dead," Mairba said noncommittally. He had neither agreed outright nor refused. Seeing this, the Priest said no more.

In the midst of the battlefield, the Barbarian Clan Army continued their siege. Shen Changqing, relying on the formidable strength of his Protective Gang Qi, completely disregarded their attacks, wielding his Lengyue Blade to cut down every enemy he could see. For Martial Artists, especially those at or above the Innate Outer Gang realm, Protective Gang Qi is their strongest safeguard. As long as the Gang Qi remains unbroken, no attack can threaten their life. But if the Protective Gang Qi shatters, then in the eyes of most Martial Artists, it is equivalent to losing half their combat strength.

As of now, Shen Changqing's True Qi was still far from depleted, and the shattering of his Protective Gang Qi was a distant prospect.