Human Clan Defender

While everyone was engaged in battle, nobody noticed that, right beneath their feet, others were present.

In the spacious secret chamber, the ground was etched with irregular lines. At the center of all these lines sat a monk, his robed figure emaciated and dry. The monk's eyes were tightly closed, without a hint of life emanating from him. His shriveled flesh made him look as though he had died long ago. But upon closer inspection, one would discover a faint glow circulating within the withered flesh, brightening the otherwise dim chamber significantly.

Next to the desiccated corpse, Xuanye sat cross-legged, chanting scriptures.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes. He looked up, a puzzled expression on his old face. "How strange," he muttered. "Could another Buddha Sect expert have arrived? Why do I sense such a familiar aura?"

Just moments ago, Xuanye had clearly felt an immense aura, as majestic as the Great Sun, emerge, soon followed by a force that was pure and positive. This force, he knew all too well. It was a presence that only the Great Sun Scripture and the Tathagata Golden Body of the Myriad Buddhas Sect could wield.

But—among the current masters of the Myriad Buddhas Sect, none had cultivated these two martial arts to such a pinnacle of excellence.

Therefore, Xuanye was filled with immense doubt. If not an expert from the Myriad Buddhas Sect, then who else could bring these two martial arts to such a formidable level? Or could it be that I merely perceived it wrongly?

After a moment, Xuanye slightly shook his head and chanted a Buddha's name. "I just hope no complications arise," he murmured. "Otherwise, it would be quite troublesome."

At this crucial time, it was imperative that nothing unexpected happened. Otherwise, it would be a terrible disaster.

As the struggle for the Longevity Fruit became more violent, numerous Jianghu warriors perished, their blood subtly seeping into the ground.

In the secret chamber, the lines carved into the earth seemed to pulsate with a mysterious vibration. As warriors died, the blood that flowed out followed the lines, slowly converging towards the emaciated monk. An almost imperceptible pressure emanated from the monk's body.

Seeing this, a fervent look appeared on Xuanye's usually calm face. "The rumors were true! My Myriad Buddhas Sect is finally on the cusp of a resurgence!"

The Myriad Buddhas Sect, a formidable leader among the Buddha Sects, had fallen into serious decline in recent years. The incursions by the Demon-Subduing Division, forcing the Myriad Buddhas Sect to relinquish two Ultimate Studies, had added insult to injury, humiliating the entire sect. Even now, whenever these events were discussed in the Jianghu, people still sneered at the Myriad Buddhas Sect.

While those in the Buddha Sect supposedly transcended worldly matters, in reality, very few truly remained unmoved by external factors. Many in the Myriad Buddhas Sect longed for the day when their sect could rise again and regain its former glory. The ideal was grand, but the reality was bleak. With the diminishing number of experts within the Myriad Buddhas Sect, not only was reclaiming its grandeur at risk, but even maintaining its position as a leader of the Buddha Sects was precarious.

It was at this time, upon hearing the news of the Heavenly Realm's opening, that the sect had discreetly sent a core group to this place. Their purpose was the monk before them.

Watching as the monk absorbed the blood of many warriors, his once shriveled body gradually filling out and the luminescence it emitted growing ever more grand, Xuanye's heart throbbed with excitement.

So it was true! All the rumors were true!

He recalled the records of the Myriad Buddhas Sect and, comparing them with the sight before him, his eyes flickered unceasingly.

Legend stated that beyond the Grandmaster Realm lies an enigmatic state. Breaking through to this state allows one, to some extent, to transcend life and death. So, all of it is real! To transcend life and death! What does it mean to transcend life and death?

In Xuanye's view, the monk before him was an entity that had transcended life and death. His flesh had existed here for hundreds of years, and now, nourished by an abundance of fresh blood, it could be rejuvenated with life once more.

This realm is the ultimate pursuit for all practitioners of the Martial Dao.

"Kill!" Xuanye declared, a sinister expression crossing his face, wholly unlike the benevolence he had previously shown. "Your deaths will not be in vain. Everything is sacrificed for the honor of our Buddha Sect. I myself will chant scriptures for your souls, ensuring you do not suffer in hell!"

After uttering this, he closed his eyes once again and silently resumed chanting.

Above, the fierce battle raged on.

At this point, there was no distinction between comrades. Even Xiao An and Fu Yue had turned completely against each other. Fellowship in the Demon-Subduing Division? Being fellow Defender Envoys? Before the Longevity Fruit, all such pretenses of camaraderie vanished.

BOOM! BOOM!!

Terrifying power erupted, and bodies clashed with ferocious strength, colliding violently.

In the midst of this power struggle—

BOOM—

A deafening explosion sounded. All the black forces were torn apart. Xiao An's battered figure burst out from within and, without a second thought, he lunged for the Longevity Fruit.

"Delusional!" Fu Yue's face was ice-cold as she struck out with a palm from the air.

Sensing the threat behind him, Xiao An's expression hardened. Instead of turning back to defend, he grimly absorbed the blow.

BANG!!

The powerful palm force landed, caving in his back. He spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood.

Yet, enduring his injuries, Xiao An used the push from the palm strike to quickly close in on the Longevity Fruit. He reached out, grabbed one, and vanished from the spot without a second thought.

"Xiang Yuan, you chase him!" Fu Yue, her pretty face ice-cold, instructed the person beside her before she herself quickly rushed toward the Longevity Fruit that had fallen to the ground. It was the fruit she had originally grasped, but it had been dropped due to Xiao An's sneak attack.

As her words fell, the usually taciturn Xiang Yuan immediately pursued in the direction Xiao An had disappeared. He was the second Defender Envoy from Baiyue City's Demon-Subduing Division, his strength not much weaker than Xiao An's.

While Xiang Yuan pursued, Fei Yun did not interfere, allowing the chase to unfold. Instead, like Fu Yue, he started scrambling for the last Longevity Fruit.

With only one Longevity Fruit left, the battle became even more intense. One Jianghu Martial Artist after another was slain, their blood scattered across the ground. Under the fierce fighting of peak experts, ordinary Grandmasters and Innate Martial Artists had no chance of resistance.

"Let's go!" After watching for a long time, Shen Hua suddenly felt a foreboding premonition. He looked at the bloody battlefield, then made his decision.

This is not a battle my people and I can compete in.

With an ominous feeling rising in his mind, Shen Hua was even less willing to stay.

At my Realm, the sixth sense I've developed is never without reason. Compared to the out-of-reach Longevity Fruit, I prefer to be safe and withdraw for the time being.

Upon hearing this, the several members of the Shen Family did not object. They had long extinguished the pride within their hearts. They understood that they and their kinsmen were worlds apart from true experts. Deeply recognizing their own inadequacies, they had completely extinguished any desire to contend.

Then, Shen Hua led his people away.

Their departure went unnoticed by the others. For those present, there was only one goal now: the last Longevity Fruit.

"The Longevity Fruit is mine! Whoever vies for it must die!" Fu Yue's features twisted ferociously as dark power surged, rising like enormous waves in the ocean. With her palm strike, the power continued to crush down with a force that seemed capable of destroying Heaven and Earth.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

A dozen Jianghu Martial Artists failed to evade in time. Crushed by this power, their bodies exploded, and they were utterly obliterated.

Yun Dingtian and Yin Zizhen's expressions changed drastically. This power… they dared not confront it head-on.

As the force crushed down, the very earth shook.

Just as the dust was about to settle, a dark shadow broke through the mist. A sword light that seemed to tear the heavens and split the earth exploded, sending Fu Yue's body flying from the cleaving strike.

The one who attacked was Fei Yun, who had evidently been waiting for an opportunity. After severely injuring Fu Yue, he grabbed the final Longevity Fruit and vanished on the spot.

"Chase him!" Seeing this, both Yun Dingtian and Yin Zizhen's faces turned grim. Exchanging a glance, they started pursuing in the direction Fei Yun had fled.

As for Fu Yue, neither of them could be bothered with her at that moment.

"Good! Very good! Fei Yun, I will remember you!" Disheveled and in dire straits, Fu Yue's eyes blazed red with rage, her fury nearly driving her to lose her sanity.

She had not obtained the Longevity Fruit. Instead, she was severely wounded by Fei Yun's sword. This struggle was a considerable loss for Baiyue City's Demon-Subduing Division.

With fury overtaking her, Fu Yue turned her gaze toward the remaining people at the scene and then started killing her way through them. In her view, her failure to seize the Longevity Fruit was partly due to the interference of these people. At that moment, Fu Yue was bent on venting her inner rage, unwilling to think any further.

"Run!"

"Not good—"

Those targeted by Fu Yue felt a bone-chilling coldness surge in their hearts, and without a second thought, they tried to turn and flee. But before a Defender Envoy, even one severely wounded, ordinary Jianghu practitioners stood no chance. Now that Fu Yue was consumed by rage, her killing intent surged. In such a state, escape was an even less likely possibility for them.

BOOM—

As the last person fell, Fu Yue flicked her bloodstained hand and looked at the now-empty Longevity Fruit tree. Instead of leaving, she found a nearby spot where she silently began to absorb nature's spiritual energy to heal her injuries.

It couldn't be helped. She had sustained heavy wounds earlier, and exerting herself again had inevitably aggravated her injuries. But it didn't matter. For Defender Envoys, as long as injuries weren't fatal, recovery wouldn't be overly difficult.

Swallowing an Elixir, Fu Yue calmed her spirit.

While she healed, in the secret chamber beneath the ground, a great deal of fresh blood seeped from the earth, following the patterns into the body of the monk. The monk now was completely different from before. His withered flesh had fully regained its plumpness, but the light it emitted had become much more restrained, and a formidable pressure was faintly present.