Human Clan Defender

The Fierce Beast's blood fell into his stomach.

It felt like a ball of flame had exploded right inside his belly. An extremely scorching heat burst forth, but it could not shake the Qi and Blood Force within his flesh, which was as strong as the Great Sun Furnace.

Quickly, the power of the blood was dissolved.

Shen Changqing clearly felt that the Qi and Blood within his flesh seemed to have strengthened slightly. Although it was very subtle, it was still a real and tangible enhancement.

It worked!

He was delighted. At his current Realm, anything, no matter how slight, that could enhance his strength was extremely precious.

Immediately after, Shen Changqing looked at the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast's corpse on the ground, and the blood that was still flowing from it; a pained expression flashed in his eyes.

What a waste! Such a waste! So much blood has flowed away in vain.

Having personally experienced the effects of the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast's blood, Shen Changqing naturally wouldn't miss out on such a treasure.

With no one around, he did not care about his image and directly sprawled on top of the beast's carcass, gulping down the blood in large mouthfuls.

After a while, Shen Changqing got up from the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast's carcass.

The Fierce Beast's carcass now looked clearly more shriveled. Although there was still faint blood flowing from the wound, there wasn't much left.

"BURP!"

He let out a satisfied burp. He then stood still, continually mobilizing his power to digest the blood force he had ingested.

In fact, while devouring it earlier, Shen Changqing had already been using his power to break it down and digest it. Otherwise, considering the size of the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast, the blood it contained was simply too much for one person to consume entirely. Only by simultaneously breaking it down, digesting it, and converting it all into his own strength could he continue to ingest more blood.

One hour passed.

Shen Changqing's body finally moved again.

"The Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast's blood is indeed a great tonic. It contains a lot of Spiritual Energy. If I could have a few more Red Phosphorus Fierce Beasts, maybe my strength could increase a bit more!"

He was very pleased with the changes in his body.

The records in the book were not wrong. The Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast's blood contained an abundance of Spiritual Power.

After devouring its entire body of blood, although the Great Sun Golden Core showed no change, his True Yuan reserves had increased by a full twenty percent. Not only that, the Qi and Blood within his flesh had also undergone a more noticeable transformation.

It could be said that after consuming the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast's blood, Shen Changqing felt his overall strength had increased by at least twenty percent.

This increase should not be underestimated. At the Grandmaster Peak Realm, every single increment of increase required painstaking effort to achieve. Without the panel, achieving this step would take at least a decade or two.

Now, a single Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast had perfectly resolved this issue.

At this moment, Shen Changqing deeply appreciated the benefits of the Heavenly Realm. Apart from those heavenly materials and earthly treasures, the Fierce Beasts living in the Heavenly Realm were also a valuable resource.

No wonder every time the Heavenly Realm opened, people would flock to it. Simultaneously, it did not allow people from outside the local prefecture to enter the Heavenly Realm. Few were willing to share such an opportunity.

His gaze once again fell on the shriveled carcass of the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast. Eventually, Shen Changqing's eyes moved to the two fierce, thick horns on its head. These two horns were exceedingly robust and savage-looking.

He pulled out the Tiger Fang Blade, attempting to chop down on the horns.

CLANG!

Sparks flew. The horns remained unscathed.

"What tough horns!"

Shen Changqing's eyes instantly lit up. His strike was not a casual chop but was imbued with his own strength. Even the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast couldn't withstand such an attack. However, the horns before him remained completely unblemished.

This indicated that the toughest part of the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast's body was not its Scale Armor, but the two horns atop its head. Compared to the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast's body, the horns were not particularly large. However, they were actually a bit longer than the Tiger Fang Blade.

Although the Tiger Fang Blade is strong, if it could be fused with better materials, its power might be enhanced further. These horns of the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast before me must not be wasted!

Shen Changqing's expression stirred. If it were an ordinary object, he might have discarded it. But the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast's horns were clearly extraordinary.

For a Martial Artist, a suitable weapon could significantly enhance one's strength. Especially when fighting Demon Evils, weapons that were not strong enough often got corroded by the creatures' blood. These two horns, with their extraordinary material, could likely be forged into a powerful Divine Weapon if he found a suitable craftsman.

With that thought, Shen Changqing bent down and used the Tiger Fang Blade to sever the two horns. Although the horns themselves were incredibly tough, the base of the horns was relatively softer.

After some effort, he successfully severed the two blood-stained horns.

He then stripped some of the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast's Scale Armor, fashioned it into a sturdy rope, and slung the two horns onto his back.

Finally, Shen Changqing glanced at the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast, which he had exploited to near depletion, and then left.

The Nirvana Fruit is still where it was. With the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast no longer defending it, and after so much time has passed, who knows what problems might have arisen. These Spirit Fruits were practically in his grasp; he certainly did not want them to just fly away.

After Shen Changqing's departure, the corpse of the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast remained lying there, with no other fierce beasts daring to approach. A tiger retains its fearsomeness even in death. Even though the Red Phosphorus Fierce Beast had fallen, the terrifying ferocity clinging to it was still more than other fierce beasts could withstand.

「Back to the original spot.」

The Nirvana Fruit was still quietly lying there. Shen Changqing felt reassured.

He stepped forward and plucked all three Nirvana Fruits.

According to the records, Nirvana Fruits would naturally fall off when ripe; forcibly picking them would greatly weaken their effects. But Shen Changqing didn't have that much time to wait for the Nirvana Fruits to ripen naturally.

Who knew how long such Spirit Fruits took to mature. He only had about half a month in the Heavenly Realm, at most. Wasting time here wasn't worth it.

He was very clear. The purpose of his entry into the Heavenly Realm was to find heavenly materials and earthly treasures that could extend his lifespan. Besides that, everything else could wait.

After collecting the Nirvana Fruit, Shen Changqing didn't leave; instead, he directly took out the Nirvana Fruits and swallowed them. As for such Spirit Fruits, he had to try them first to see their effects.

「Another part of the Heavenly Realm.」

An Elder of the Myriad Buddhas Sect walked slowly toward what lay ahead. Many from the Myriad Buddhas Sect had entered the Heavenly Realm, but once inside, they had involuntarily separated.

He paused for a moment, assessing the surroundings.

According to the map, this opened Heavenly Realm is indeed the same one from that year! Xuanye mused to himself.

The description on the map perfectly matched the surrounding scenery. At this, a hint of joy arose in his heart.

No one knew how many Heavenly Realms existed in the world. Furthermore, a Heavenly Realm only appeared once every many years. Xuanye couldn't be certain that this newly opened Heavenly Realm was the one from that year. Fortunately, the opening of this Heavenly Realm didn't disappoint him.

He had destroyed the map when he entered the Heavenly Realm earlier, but everything recorded on it was etched deeply in his mind. Now, just one glance at his surroundings was enough for Xuanye to understand a great deal.

Relying on his memory, he walked in a particular direction.

Inside the Heavenly Realm, there were no distinctions between day and night; it was always bright.

He might have walked for a day, or perhaps two or three. In the end, Xuanye stopped before a mountain.

Vines grew on the mountainside. He struck out with his palm, and when his True Qi erupted, all the vines growing there were completely destroyed.

The destruction of the vines revealed the smooth surface of the mountain. On the mountain's surface, Xuanye saw a strange patterned mark.

Immediately, his face lit up with joy. He stepped forward, took out a dagger, and slashed his palm. Pale golden blood gushed out. Xuanye smeared all the blood on the pattern.

In an instant, the smeared blood seemed to come alive, writhing across the pattern. Soon, once the blood had completely traced the pattern, the mountain shook violently, as if an Earth Dragon had turned over.

RUMBLE!!

The earth trembled. The mountain too trembled. All nearby fierce beasts and birds, as if sensing something terrifying, fled in panic.

Xuanye remained calm, merely watching the unfolding changes.

As the mountain vibrated, the pattern suddenly split open. Following that, part of the mountain fell away, revealing an entrance whose interior was obscured from view.

"Amitabha Buddha!"

Seeing the entrance, Xuanye put his palms together. Even his heart, which had remained steadfastly calm for decades, couldn't help but stir with excitement.

Then, he looked at the mountain entrance and, without much hesitation, stepped inside.

The entrance was extremely dark. Light simply couldn't penetrate. But for a powerhouse like Xuanye, whether it was dark or not was irrelevant.

It's worth mentioning that the entrance didn't lead straight into the mountain but sloped downwards, with irregular steps that looked as if they had been hastily fashioned in a rush.

As he descended the steps, time slowly passed. He didn't know how long it took, but finally, he reached the bottom of the cave.

At the bottom of the cave, the previous darkness had completely vanished, replaced by a strange light that suffused the area.

The cave was small, small enough to be taken in at a single glance.

Xuanye stood with his back to the stairs, his gaze fixed on the scene before him. A smile finally touched his originally calm, aged face, and he clasped his hands together once more.

"Amitabha Buddha, I've finally found it!"