Human Clan Defender

The heavy blade bore down. Its immense force pushed Shen Changqing back, causing the Lengyue Blade to dip.

Immediately, a deep, bone-exposing wound appeared on his shoulder.

Despite the strength of his seventeen-layer Invincible Golden Body, it ultimately couldn't withstand an attack from a Grandmaster.

His flesh was breached. A surge of intense pain swept over him.

Far from being alarmed, the pain instead greatly ignited the murderous intent within Shen Changqing's heart. His qi and blood surged.

The Lengyue Blade unleashed its powerful force, driving the greatsword back.

"You've finally made your move!"

Shen Changqing's face twisted savagely, his blood-red eyes sending a chill down Mairba's spine.

While his opponent was still in shock, Shen Changqing instantly pushed the True Qi he had been reserving in his Dantian to its absolute limit.

His Liquefied True Qi ignited, and his physical body's qi and blood boiled.

Shen Changqing stepped forward. As the Lengyue Blade slashed down, carrying a torrent of sickening wind, the murderous intent that had long brewed in his heart erupted simultaneously.

BOOM!!

Mairba was terrified and could only scramble to raise his blade in defense.

The two forces collided. Violent shockwaves swept out, and all Barbarians within thirty feet either coughed up blood from the impact, died instantly, or were sent flying.

SPURT!

The powerful impact jarred Mairba's internal organs, aggravating his unhealed injuries. He spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood.

Before he could even catch his breath, Shen Changqing's assault resumed.

In response, Mairba could only raise his blade again in defense.

BOOM—

At this moment, Shen Changqing had only one thought: to kill Mairba.

Initially, with the Barbarian Clan Army obstructing him, slaying Mairba was no easy feat. That was why he had conserved a portion of his True Qi, intending to lure Mairba into making a move.

As expected, after a prolonged and fierce battle, his opponent mistakenly believed Shen Changqing was low on strength and tried to land a killing blow.

Thus, it played right into Shen Changqing's calculations.

Truthfully, tens of thousands of soldiers from the Barbarian Clan Army can't stop my advance. If I wished to leave, I could do so at any time. The reason I'm staying is solely because I haven't killed Mairba yet, he considered.

Now that his enemy had made another move, Shen Changqing had no intention of letting him escape alive.

His True Qi burned. Combined with his surging qi and blood, the rumble of the Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar shook the wilderness.

This also made his attacks nearly relentless.

SLASH!

The long blade fell, and Mairba coughed up blood as he stumbled back.

SLASH!

The same descending long blade forced Mairba back again.

By now, Shen Changqing had completely forgotten the forms of the Hundred Battles Blade Method. He attacked using only the simplest moves, the murderous intent erupting from his heart reaching its zenith.

BOOM—

Another Blade Slash fell.

Mairba's tiger's mouth split open, and he nearly lost his grip on his weapon's hilt. Seeing Shen Changqing still charging, intent on killing him, Mairba's face filled with horror.

"Save me!" he cried.

Other Barbarians immediately rushed forward to intercept.

"Scram!" Shen Changqing bellowed, his voice thundering. As his long blade slashed down, all intercepting Barbarians were bisected, their organs and limbs scattering across the ground.

Such power struck fear into the hearts of the nearby Barbarians.

By this point in the battle, countless of their kinsmen had fallen to his blade. Even the typically valiant Barbarians felt a deep dread before such a ferocious warrior.

The Barbarians' hesitation created a perfect opportunity for Shen Changqing.

Seeing Mairba about to flee, Shen Changqing shot forward, a faint bloody glint appearing on his Lengyue Blade.

KILL—!

BOOM!!

At that moment, the murderous intent accumulated in Shen Changqing's heart finally surged beyond its peak.

A grim, savage will arose spontaneously. Simultaneously, all the moves of the Hundred Battles Blade Method flashed through his mind, finally converging into a single, heaven-shattering Blade Slash.

That single Blade Slash carried boundless murderous intent.

In Mairba's vision, Heaven and Earth seemed stained crimson. It was as if the apocalypse had arrived, with the Bloody Iron Cavalry trampling mountains and rivers, annihilating all life in their path.

Instantly, Mairba stood frozen.

His mind reeled. A powerful will surged within him, on the verge of shattering the vision of the Bloody Iron Cavalry, when suddenly, Heaven and Earth seemed to split apart.

A streak of blood-red blade light completely filled the Barbarian general's vision.

He lifted his hand. His greatsword had barely left the ground when it froze in mid-air.

The terrifying Blade Gang carved a scar twenty to thirty feet long into the ground behind Mairba.

Instantly, the scene fell silent.

Every Barbarian's gaze was fixed on Mairba and Shen Changqing.

Then, they saw a thin red line appear on Mairba's forehead, spreading rapidly downwards.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Blood erupted, and his body split in two.

"Lord Mairba has fallen!"

"Oh no, our lord is dead!"

"Lord Mairba—!"

The Barbarians who witnessed this scene turned deathly pale, their expressions changing drastically, and they immediately let out horrified shouts.

Very soon, news of Mairba's fall reached every Barbarian.

Their commander had fallen! For the army, this was undoubtedly a devastating blow.

Instantly, considerable chaos erupted among the Barbarians.

Shen Changqing took a couple of breaths, glanced at Mairba's severed body, and then charged towards the other Barbarians.

I need to break through! Killing Mairba was about the limit of what I can do. To completely exterminate eighty to ninety thousand Barbarians... that's impossible, Shen Changqing decided.

Although Shen Changqing was severely exhausted, his momentum was like a tidal wave. Imbued with the aura of one who had just slain a Grandmaster, he charged directly into the Barbarian Clan Army's formation.

The Lengyue Blade swept out. All Barbarians in its path fell.

Soon, other Barbarian experts rushed to engage him.

Shen Changqing unleashed another Blade Slash, and that newly manifested will burst forth once more.

The impact of his will struck them.

Those Barbarian experts screamed miserably, clutching their heads as they collapsed. Some even bled from all seven orifices, clearly severely injured.

Then, the Lengyue Blade swung, reaping the lives of those Barbarian experts.

Without truly comprehending Martial Dao True Intent, one could never understand its power.

Only now did Shen Changqing truly understand the sheer suppressive power a Grandmaster held over cultivators below their realm.

A single sweep of Martial Dao True Intent could damage the minds and spirits of other Martial Artists.

For anyone not at the Grandmaster level, resisting an attack of will was extraordinarily difficult.

First, a large number of Barbarians had died. Then, Mairba himself had fallen.

The morale of the remaining Barbarian Clan Army was crushed, their resistance weakening considerably. And now, with Shen Changqing focused solely on breaking through, his attacks became even fiercer.

Consequently, in just a short time, he had almost completely broken through the Barbarian Clan Army's encirclement.

「Within the central army tent.」

Gurna's hand, clutching his bone scepter, trembled slightly. Watching the blood-soaked figure charge and slaughter through the ranks, he felt a chill seep into his bones, as if he had been plunged into an icy cellar.

Dead! Mairba is dead! Gurna thought, utterly shocked. I never imagined Mairba would die at Shen Changqing's hands. With tens of thousands of troops supporting him, even a Defender Envoy shouldn't have been able to kill Mairba! After all, mortal strength has its limits; it can't truly defy the heavens. And yet—Mairba still died. Of course, if Mairba hadn't attacked, he wouldn't have died by Shen Changqing's hand. But there are no 'ifs' in this world. What's done is done. That Qin person must have anticipated Mairba couldn't resist attacking. That's why he conserved his strength—to kill him at the critical moment.

With Mairba fallen, the Barbarian Clan Army no longer had a Grandmaster to command them.

With the Barbarians' remaining strength, detaining that Qin person was now impossible.

Great Qin's Demon Suppression Division, Shen Changqing... Gurna murmured the name silently. I know it won't be long before this name shocks the world. A Grandmaster who has reached the realm of Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar. Someone who could kill the commander of eighty to ninety thousand troops and then retreat at ease. Such a person is destined to be known by all.

Gurna silently watched Shen Changqing break through, neither intending to take action himself nor planning to command other Barbarians to change their formation.

I'm not sure how much strength Shen Changqing still has, Gurna pondered. An expert of this caliber, even at their limit... their dying counterattack would be unstoppable. Besides, he doesn't even look like he's at his limit yet. If I draw his attention, even with tens of thousands of troops protecting me, I won't feel safe. Mairba is dead, so be it. My own life is what's most important. Besides, I have the Priest Hall backing me. Even if those above assign blame, it won't fall on my head.

Beside him, a Barbarian general's expression changed drastically.

"Great Priest, what shall we do now?" the general asked, his voice laced with panic.

"What can we do? That Qin person is too formidable. Even Lord Mairba couldn't match him, so what could you and I possibly do? For now, we can only take one step at a time," Gurna glanced at him and replied nonchalantly.

Hearing this, the Barbarian general seemed to recall something dreadful, and profound fear etched itself onto his face.

"Now that Lord Mairba has fallen, if we do nothing... I fear those above will hold us accountable!"

Gurna shook his head. "No need to worry too much. The man's strength is beyond our expectations. If those above truly understand the situation, they won't blame us for anything. Just watch calmly."

"Thank you, Great Priest Gurna, for clearing my doubts!"

"It's a minor matter," Gurna replied with a slight smile, but the Barbarian general couldn't see the cold glint flashing in his eyes.

I have the Priest Hall supporting me, so of course, I have nothing to fear, Gurna thought. As for the others... what do they have to do with me?

「On the other side.」

Shen Changqing moved like a meat grinder, constantly carving a path through the Barbarian Clan Army. No matter how they tried to intercept him, they could not stop his advance.

Soon, he had carved clean through their army's formation.

"You paltry Barbarians are nothing much!" Shen Changqing declared with a hearty laugh, then strode away.

A volley of arrows rained down from behind, but they only struck empty air.