Human Clan Defender

Within a cave, a Fierce Beast crouched, its breath as thunderous as the beating of a great drum, a terrifying oppressive force rampaging through the space. The beast resembled a ferocious tiger in shape, but it had four wings on its back, and its fur was glossy and smooth. Beneath this Fierce Beast lay its newborn offspring, a miniaturized version of itself, in deep slumber. The only difference from the adult beast was that the young beast did not have wings on its back, only two small, fleshy bumps where wings might form.

"According to the information provided by the Barbarian Clan, the Tiankui Fierce Beast must have just finished giving birth and is in a state of weakness, with a significant decrease in strength. If we can slay the Tiankui and seize its inner core, our task will be complete," Zhuo Wu stated, his voice low as he stared at the cave ahead. Behind him followed several members of the Eternal Alliance.

This time, to penetrate the Heavenly Realm, the Eternal Alliance had made considerable preparations. Those who entered were all powerful members of the Eternal Alliance, none of whom were below the Grandmaster Realm. Their leader, Zhuo Wu, was a powerhouse in the late-stage Grandmaster Realm. Though he hadn't broken through to the Grandmaster Peak, he was not far off. This was why the Eternal Alliance dared to have Zhuo Wu lead the team.

Upon hearing this, a Demonfolk's expression turned serious. "Is the information from the Barbarian Clan truly accurate? If it's not, and we act rashly, we'll be in serious trouble. After all, a mature Tiankui possesses strength comparable to a Grandmaster Peak expert. Although we outnumber it, we are definitely not its match."

Fierce Beasts are inherently extremely powerful. Physically, they hold a natural, significant advantage over the Human Clan. A Tiankui at the Grandmaster Peak is considerably stronger overall than an average individual at the Grandmaster Peak. Although there are many of us here, I have no confidence in victory if we truly fight a Fierce Beast of this caliber, one of the Demonfolk thought. The other Demonfolk shared similar sentiments.

Their primary objective this time was to seize the Tiankui's inner core. However, their lives were far more crucial than the inner core. Losing our lives for the inner core wouldn't be worth it.

Zhuo Wu obviously understood their concerns, so he patiently explained, "This time, to divine information about the Heavenly Realm, the Barbarian Clan sacrificed a High Priest who was on the verge of a breakthrough, just to ascertain the Tiankui's situation. The Barbarian Clan possesses a unique gift for divination. A divination performed by a High Priest on the verge of a breakthrough, using his own life, will yield absolutely accurate results. Only a Fierce Beast at the Grandmaster Peak Realm is capable of producing an inner core. Currently, in the Heavenly Realm, this Tiankui is the most manageable among the Grandmaster Peak Fierce Beasts. If we miss this chance, neither you nor I can afford the consequences when we return."

Hearing this, no one else dared to object. Their anxieties about the Tiankui also lessened somewhat. A High Priest! In the Barbarian Clan, that's a Grandmaster-level powerhouse. A High Priest on the verge of a breakthrough is an existence at the late-stage Grandmaster level. A divination performed by such a Priest at the cost of his life is indeed unlikely to be wrong.

Seeing no objections, Zhuo Wu wasted no more time. "The cave ahead is where the Tiankui resides. The Tiankui is a Grandmaster Peak Fierce Beast. Other Fierce Beasts wouldn't dare approach its territory easily, so there's no chance of encountering other Fierce Beasts within a ten-mile radius. However, right now in the Heavenly Realm, aside from Fierce Beasts, there are other people present. If we cause too much commotion, we can't guarantee that others won't interfere. Therefore, when we act, we must be swift and decisive. We absolutely cannot afford to waste time."

"Understood!"

"Good!"

The others all nodded.

Seeing this, Zhuo Wu reiterated, "The Tiankui has just given birth. Our main goal is to slay the adult Tiankui. As for the young Tiankui, the Alliance Hierarch has instructed us to bring it back if possible."

The others nodded silently. They were aware of the Eternal Alliance Master's plan. The Tiankui was incredibly powerful, and its offspring also held immense potential. If it could be nurtured and domesticated after being brought back, it would surely become a powerful ally in the future. A Grandmaster Peak Fierce Beast was not to be taken lightly under any circumstances.

As they slowly approached, the sound of breathing, akin to a great drum, became clearly audible. The powerful aura leaking from the mouth of the cave made Zhuo Wu's heart heavy. He had never truly witnessed the Tiankui's strength, but the mere aura emanating from it now was already shocking. It was hard to imagine just how formidable the Tiankui would be in its prime.

Inside the cave, the Tiankui, previously deep in sleep, seemed to sense something. It abruptly opened its tightly closed eyes, from which a ferocious red light burst forth.

The next instant—

"ROAR!!"

An angry roar resounded, shaking the surrounding forest. The slumbering Tiankui cub was awakened by the roar. The Tiankui paid it no heed, flashing out of the cave in an instant. It could feel new intruders had appeared within its territory.

Outside, a Fierce Beast appeared. It was over three zhang tall and four to five zhang long, with four wings on its back, resembling a ferocious tiger. A terrible murderous aura spread out from it in all directions. For a moment, a fierce wind rose sharply as slaughter descended.

Zhuo Wu's expression changed dramatically, and without thinking, he immediately took action.

"Kill!"

「In the forest.」

Shen Changqing and Xun Qu were walking through it. Although the Heavenly Realm was rich in natural treasures, considering its vastness, these treasures, once dispersed, were not as easy to find as one might imagine. For nearly two days, the two had not encountered a single natural treasure. They had, however, come across quite a few Fierce Beasts. But as strong as the Fierce Beasts were, they were no match for a Grandmaster Peak expert and a Defender Envoy. Often, either Shen Changqing or Xun Qu would take action and suppress the Fierce Beast directly. Moreover, the attacking Fierce Beasts were all relatively weak. Thus, Shen Changqing's gains were still limited to the two Red Phosphorus horns on his back, and nothing else.

"The Heavenly Realm is about to end; it seems we are unlikely to find any other treasures," he said, shaking his head.

Despite saying this, entering the Heavenly Realm this time had still been a good experience for Shen Changqing. Setting all else aside, the mere gain of ten additional years of lifespan was already a profitable transaction. They had entered only once. And how much time had it taken? At most, ten days to half a month. Gaining so much lifespan for such a small investment of time was definitely worthwhile, no matter how he thought about it.

Upon hearing this, Xun Qu chuckled. "We were lucky to have obtained the Longevity Fruit, which is a tremendous stroke of fortune. On average, the Heavenly Realm opens every ten years, and it's not every time that a Longevity Fruit appears. Our finding the Longevity Fruit here is an opportunity beyond what others could expect. Sometimes, one has to be content."

Whether Shen Changqing was content, Xun Qu couldn't be sure. But Xun Qu himself was truly satisfied. He had entered once and added fifteen years to his lifespan. It might seem that an additional fifteen years didn't make much of a difference. However, it was important to remember that the Hidden Heart Pavilion had been continuously researching ways to extend the lifespan of Defender Envoys. If those additional years led to a breakthrough in the Pavilion's research, then his own lifespan could be extended even further. By that calculation, those fifteen years of lifespan could be far more significant than they seemed.

However, Xun Qu also knew the likelihood of the Hidden Heart Pavilion solving the lifespan issue in the short term wasn't high. But even if the chances were low, there was still a possibility. After all, Demon Evil could live for a very long time. To some extent, Defender Envoys also shared some characteristics with Demon Evil. Therefore, the Hidden Heart Pavilion's research had some basis. For Xun Qu, he would try anything if there was even the slightest possibility.

"Defender Xun makes a good point," Shen Changqing said. "I wonder who ended up with the other two Longevity Fruits. It would have been nice if we could have gotten them."

He still coveted the other two Longevity Fruits. Such fine treasures, wasted in someone else's hands!

Xun Qu shook his head. "We're unlikely to get those two Longevity Fruits. Anyone who obtains a Longevity Fruit consumes it immediately. By now, those two fruits have probably been devoured by others!" He held no real hope for those two Longevity Fruits. A treasure like the Longevity Fruit would be consumed immediately by whoever found it; it was rare to keep it on hand. Unless there were other important uses for the Longevity Fruit, it would typically be consumed.

Shen Changqing nodded. Suddenly, he looked ahead. With his strong perceptive abilities, he sensed several fluctuations spreading out.

"There's a battle over there!"

"A battle?" Xun Qu was surprised.

"Indeed, there is a battle going on, and—" Xun Qu said, after sensing the area carefully and nodding. At this point, the Defender Envoy's eyes turned icy cold. "And if my senses aren't mistaken, there's also the aura of Demon Evil. It must be those from the Eternal Alliance that Elder Shen mentioned. They must have entered here with some ulterior motive. Let's go take a look; we might make some other gains."

"Alright," Shen Changqing agreed readily.

He was just lamenting his lack of incoming Slaughter Value. Now that Demonfolk were practically offering themselves up, it couldn't be better. Additionally, he was eager to discover the Eternal Alliance's purpose for entering the Heavenly Realm and what kind of natural treasure could incite them to fight.

After exchanging a glance, the two silently headed towards the source of the fluctuations.

There, the ground within a radius of a hundred zhang looked as if it had been savagely plowed, and several inhuman corpses lay scattered about. The powerful Tiankui Fierce Beast's fur was now severely damaged, blood flowing from its wounds, presenting a miserable sight. Its blood-red eyes stared intently at the few remaining Demonfolk, its aura substantially weakened.