Human Clan Defender

"Kill!"

Zhuo Wu's eyes were ice-cold as his body vanished like a ghost, only to reappear an instant later near Tiankui's left side. His scale-covered arm struck out, its sharp claws tearing through Tiankui's flesh.

「At that moment,」

Tiankui's wings vibrated, and a violent wind erupted instantly. Caught off guard, Zhuo Wu was immediately sent flying by this force. As he flew, other Demonfolk of the Eternal Alliance attacked simultaneously.

BOOM!

BOOM!!

The battle raged on. Although the Eternal Alliance had suffered some casualties, Tiankui was also seriously injured. By now, its strength had diminished by no less than fifty percent since the battle began.

"It's at the end of its rope! Kill it and seize its inner core!" Zhuo Wu roared furiously.

Atop a certain hillside, Shen Changqing and Xun Qu stood together, overlooking the scene of the battle.

"That is—" Seeing Tiankui, Shen Changqing wore a puzzled expression. He had limited knowledge of the Fierce Beasts within the Heavenly Realm. He only recognized Red Phosphorus because it was mentioned in a booklet.

Xun Qu's brows were tightly furrowed. "That is a Tiankui, a Fierce Beast whose strength upon maturity can match a Grandmaster Peak expert. Those Demonfolk of the Eternal Alliance, despite their strength, should be incapable of fighting a Tiankui to the point where both sides suffer severe injuries."

As a Defender Envoy, he knew very well how strong a Tiankui was. The Demon-Subduing Division had collected a vast amount of information about the Heavenly Realm, and most of the Fierce Beasts within it were recorded in their archives. It was because of this understanding that Xun Qu felt such puzzlement. A Tiankui with four wings was a clear sign of maturity. Fierce Beasts in their mature stage were definitely not something those Demonfolk of the Eternal Alliance could contend with. Within the entire Eternal Alliance, aside from that mysterious Eternal Alliance Master, there were no other top experts.

Suddenly, Xun Qu's expression changed drastically when he caught sight of a faint figure at the entrance of a cave.

"I understand now! The Tiankui is giving birth; it's only because of childbirth that it has become so weak. It's highly probable that the Eternal Alliance entered with the specific goal of seizing the Tiankui's inner core!"

In an instant, Xun Qu connected many dots.

The Tiankui is giving birth? An inner core? Shen Changqing felt only confusion. Compared to an experienced Defender Envoy like Xun Qu, his knowledge base was far inferior.

"Defender Xun, do you mean to say that this Fierce Beast is being attacked by the Eternal Alliance's Demonfolk precisely because it's giving birth?"

"Correct." Xun Qu nodded seriously, his gaze never leaving the scene. "When giving birth, a Tiankui's strength plummets substantially. But to say the Eternal Alliance just chanced upon this... I don't believe it. The Barbarian Clan might be involved—"

"You should know," he continued, "the divination techniques of the Barbarian Clan are formidable. If the Eternal Alliance joined forces with the Barbarian Clan and asked them to perform a divination, then accurately learning of the Tiankui giving birth wouldn't be too difficult!"

As far as the Demon-Subduing Division was concerned, the alliance between the Barbarian Clan and the Eternal Alliance was common knowledge. Xun Qu would never believe the Eternal Alliance stumbled upon Tiankui giving birth by chance. Ultimately, there was only one explanation: the Eternal Alliance must have received prior news of the Tiankui's childbirth before entering the Heavenly Realm. And to know this in advance, other than divination, there was no other way.

Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing nodded then said, "Then what's so special about Tiankui's inner core? Does every Fierce Beast possess one?"

Regarding the inner core, from his memories of a previous life, it wasn't hard to surmise that it was the culmination of a Fierce Beast's power. If every Fierce Beast had an inner core, then he had certainly wasted many opportunities in the past. This was because Shen Changqing hadn't given the matter of inner cores much thought until now.

Xun Qu explained, "Not all Fierce Beasts can possess an inner core; only those at Grandmaster Peak are qualified to form one. Any inner core of a Fierce Beast contains the beast's power. An ordinary Martial Artist who consumes it can easily break through bottlenecks and enhance their strength. If the Eternal Alliance's goal is indeed to seize Tiankui's inner core, I suspect that the Eternal Alliance Master wants to make a breakthrough!"

His expression was grave. If it was indeed the Eternal Alliance Master's breakthrough, then it definitely wouldn't be a simple advancement. Publicly, that individual was already a Grandmaster Peak expert. If another breakthrough ensued, it was very possible they were aiming to break through the Grandmaster's Limit. However, according to the Demon-Subduing Division's records, no one had ever been capable of breaking through the Grandmaster's Limit. Therefore, Xun Qu didn't quite believe the Eternal Alliance Master could reach that step. In his opinion, it was probably just a straightforward enhancement of personal power.

A Fierce Beast at Grandmaster Peak can form an inner core, Shen Changqing pondered. Out of nowhere, he thought of the Great Sun Golden Core forming within his Dantian. His current Great Sun Golden Core, though only an illusionary image, had solidified slightly as his strength improved. If he kept enhancing his strength, one day, it would fully materialize. At that time, would the Great Sun Golden Core resemble the inner core of a Fierce Beast? He had an intuitive feeling that there must be some commonality between them. But these were minor issues. Given the current scenario, the Eternal Alliance must not be allowed to seize the inner core. Such a treasure would naturally be better off in his own hands.

Beside him, Xun Qu's gaze was profound as his tone became calm. "If we can slay this Tiankui, not only can we obtain its inner core, but we can also get that Tiankui offspring, which is a top-tier Fierce Beast. If raised properly, it will be a considerable asset in the future."

A Tiankui offspring! Shen Changqing's eyebrows twitched slightly. Considering the strength of this adult Tiankui, if cultivated, the Tiankui offspring would indeed be powerful. However, raising a Fierce Beast... who knew how long that might take? By then, who knows what Realm I'll have reached. Still, having such a helper would be acceptable. Furthermore, the Tiankui has wings and should be capable of flight; it isn't flying now, most likely out of concern for its offspring in the cave.

Xun Qu stated, "Elder Shen just traded the Longevity Fruit with me. Although it was a trade, exchanging one Demon Evil for a Longevity Fruit seems insufficient to me. At present, the Tiankui Inner Core and the Tiankui offspring are excellent items. Since we've encountered them, let's consider them an additional gain for Elder Shen!"

"Then I thank you!" Shen Changqing did not refuse. With benefits at hand, refusing would be foolish.

"All Fierce Beasts have extremely acute senses. If you kill the Tiankui, its offspring will definitely not acknowledge you as its master. Therefore, the task of killing the Tiankui can only be done by me. Later, I'll have to trouble Elder Shen to deal with those Demonfolk," Xun Qu said gravely.

As soon as his words fell, a voice sounded beside him. "No problem."

Shortly after, Shen Changqing was seen charging forward. Seeing this, Xun Qu also did not hesitate.

BOOM—

A palm strike descended. An aura like the blazing Great Sun erupted, causing the pervasive Yin Evil Aura all around to dissolve.

Zhuo Wu and the other Demonfolk felt a terrifying premonition. Turning their heads, they caught sight of Shen Changqing striding through the air.

"Not good!"

At a hasty glance, Zhuo Wu didn't recognize Shen Changqing's identity, but the dreadful aura made it clear that this was someone he could not contend with. Immediately, this Eternal Alliance Elder chose to retreat.

However, Zhuo Wu retreated quickly, but Shen Changqing's attack was even faster.

As the saying goes, 'To catch bandits, first catch the king.' Among these Demonfolk, Zhuo Wu was clearly the strongest, so he was my initial target. He unleashed a full-power palm strike, pushing the Chiyang Divine Palm to its limit.

With no time to dodge, Zhuo Wu could only unleash all his Yin Evil Aura, gathering it in his palm before striking out fiercely.

BOOM!!

The two powers collided. Upon encountering the Great Sun True Essence, the Yin Evil Aura was crushed as easily as rotten wood, rapidly collapsing.

The rebounding force made Zhuo Wu spit foul blood. Clutching his chest, he rapidly retreated. Just as he fell back, Shen Changqing closely followed, drawing the Tiger Fang Blade from his waist. A blade light like a crescent moon burst forth.

RIP—

An arm flew off his body. Zhuo Wu cried out in pain. Before he could respond, he spotted another blade light entering his field of vision. He instinctively raised his remaining hand to block. The next moment, he felt a chill in that arm, followed by a surge of intense pain as his other arm was also severed from his body.

With both arms lost, Zhuo Wu's power instantly plummeted by seventy percent. At that moment, Shen Changqing stepped closer, the Tiger Fang Blade slashing through the air like the Grim Reaper's scythe. Before Zhuo Wu could resist, a powerful Spiritual Power struck him.

In that instant, Zhuo Wu stood frozen. By the time he regained some awareness, he saw a headless corpse standing where he had been. Then, he was plunged into complete darkness.

After reaping a wave of Slaughter Value, Shen Changqing didn't pause, continuing his assault on the other Demonfolk. From the moment he started his attack to Zhuo Wu's death, only two breaths had passed.

The rest of the Demonfolk had yet to fully react. It wasn't until Zhuo Wu fell that they snapped out of their shock. When they saw Shen Changqing advancing towards them, blade in hand, a chill shot up from the soles of their feet straight to their brains, instantly sobering them.

"Run for it!"

"Go!"

The remaining Demonfolk scattered in flight. But how could Shen Changqing give them the chance to escape?

Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step! Great Sun True Essence burst forth. Over short distances, his speed was so fast it was almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

Every time his blade flashed, a head would fly.

Less than ten breaths later, all the Demonfolk lay dead on the ground.

Shen Changqing sheathed his blade and turned to look at the battle in the center. The Tiankui, truly a top-tier Fierce Beast, was formidable even when gravely injured. However, under Xun Qu's absolute power, it clearly couldn't hold on for much longer.