With three moves of Heavenly-level martial technique, the beast, already hanging by a thread, didn't stand a chance.

BOOM! With a thunderous sound, its four limbs collapsed completely, its head cracked open, and a mixture of fresh blood and brain matter spilled out. It was utterly finished.

What the heck, why is it so weak? Wang Zhan almost couldn't accept this reality. I just switched fists! I haven't even used a major technique yet! Can't you last a bit longer?

Before Wang Zhan could react, his somewhat rigid clone charged over again, grabbed him, and sped away.

Suddenly, a delicate shout pierced the air again.

"Wang Zhan!"

The little brat's expression froze, then turned slightly frosty.

"What? He's Wang Zhan?" he immediately yelled, hoping Wang Zhan would hear and respond to his challenge. "Wang Zhan, you killed my senior brother! This is an irreconcilable feud! You stole my prey; this hatred is endless! You must remember this: I, Asus, will definitely settle this score with you! You will die by my hands!"

Hanqing and Chu Yuming had no time for this immature brat with delusions of grandeur. They squinted, their expressions complex.

"He seems even stronger. Has his realm risen again? The gap between us feels like it's widening!"

"Not necessarily. I just caught a glimpse; those fist weapons he's using are impressive too. But who was that figure that took him away? Was it that senior from the One-Blade School, or Wang Zhan's father?"

"Wang Yidao?!!"

Their hearts sank. Could Wang Yidao, who had vanished from the Federation's mortal world for over twenty years, have returned? Otherwise, how could anyone execute such Saber techniques?

Lin Xiaoyin wasn't interested in these matters; however, her interest in Wang Zhan grew. She and Wang Zhan had met once before and had even shared life-and-death experiences, leading her to believe their bond was quite deep.

Knowing full well what she was doing, she immediately teased her cousin, Yuan Mengru, who couldn't help herself and was now staring blankly at Wang Zhan's departing figure. "Cousin, how can you be so sure he's Wang Zhan? He's just a Warrior. He might not even stay in the current wilderness area, right?"

Little did she know, Yuan Mengru looked at her as if she were an idiot.

"Can't you recognize it? His fist technique is your Dean Shi Jintian's ultimate skill, the ancient Eight Extremes Fist, isn't it?"

Erm... Lin Xiaoyin's eyes darted around.

"Of course, I remember! But not everyone who knows the Eight Extremes Fist is Wang Zhan. You said so yourself!"

Yuan Mengru felt mentally exhausted.

"...Have you ever asked your Dean if the Eight Extremes Fist has always been passed down to a single disciple each generation?"

By now, however, Yuan Mengru was certain that the one who had slaughtered the Leader-level beasts wasn't Wang Zhan. She too had seen the indistinct figure that had whisked Wang Zhan away.

"Wang Yidao...?" she murmured. The Federation's prodigy, even more famous in his youth than she was, who had directly entered the Martial King Realm at the age of thirty. As for Yuan Mengru, she was already eighteen, like a shy bud, yet destined to be less dazzling than the ephemeral night-blooming cereus.

「」

Wang Zhan, forcefully carried away by his clone, felt a bit helpless.

Master Yun really didn't lie. This clone doesn't know how to adapt at all; it's as dumb as a pig... PTUI! PTUI! PTUI! Why am I scolding myself again? I should give myself a break. I can't be so hard on myself...

As for the faint, immature voice he'd heard from behind, Wang Zhan found it truly bizarre.

These people... they're all damn crazy, aren't they? Every single one of them is targeting me. Do they really think I'm such an easy target?

He pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

Forget it, forget it. A great person doesn't haggle over minor offenses. Besides, I'm almost eighteen and feel like I've already ruined my reputation anyway. How could I lower myself to argue too much with a little brat?

Qin Ying, you've really done a number on me!

But that woman's figure was quite familiar. Was it Yuan Mengru? She's just a mere Warrior, though, not even a match for one of my fingers. Did she come to the Wilderness Area to seek death?

Wang Zhan quickly recalled and ruefully realized something. That group had a Dao Protector, a Grandmaster Realm expert. I almost overlooked them, barely giving them a second glance.

It had to be said, perhaps Wang Zhan himself hadn't noticed, but one shouldn't get too arrogant. The more arrogant one became, the more likely they were to look down on others—just like him now.

If Yuan Mengru and the others knew that Wang Zhan, originally on the same level as them, could now slay a Grandmaster, wouldn't they be driven mad with frustration? Their martial arts progress might even stall, and a seed of despair could be planted in their hearts.

In any case, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't catch up to that cheater. If one advantage wasn't enough, he'd find another. Who could possibly be a match for that shameless fellow? They might as well just give up, go home, and live out their days in mediocrity.

Not long after, Su Tao, whose cultivation had fully recovered, was carried over by Yang Qi with one hand. The group set off once more to hunt beasts and collect some unimpressive beast cores... COUGH, COUGH. Or rather, they should be punishing evil, promoting good, and maintaining peace and love for humanity.

And incidentally, gain more wealth.

However...

"When will the reinforcements arrive? If they don't come soon, those old masters, like Old Master Zao, will really be drained dry..."

The situation was growing increasingly dire.

「」

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

「Jing State.」

At the edge of the urban district, the towering city wall, like an impregnable fortress of bronze and iron, staunchly protected the countless vulnerable people within the cradle it had built.

However, it lacked intentions, Essence Energy, and weapons. Thus, it still needed these vulnerable members of the Human Race to stand before it, using their flesh and blood to construct an even more solid rampart.

At that moment, cries of war, the clang of battle, thuds of impact, the screech of clashing blades, and the roar of gunfire intertwined, an unceasing cacophony. They fought for their lives, spilling their blood and sweat, carrying the pride and honor of the Human Race. Each embarked on a solitary path.

"Die!"

Even Shi Zhongming, the highest official of Jing State, could no longer hold back and entered the fray. He awkwardly utilized his unpracticed martial arts, tearing a middle-rank General-level beast before him to shreds.

In truth, he too was a Grandmaster, one renowned for his speed. However, in the final analysis, he was an official accustomed to commanding from the rear, a passionate martial artist whose abilities were cultivated through a wealth of Federation resources.

As a result, even a middle-rank General-level beast splattered blood across his face, filling his nostrils with its reek. Mangled corpses, the struggling crowds, the fallen young—the seeds of their future—and their homeland, their hope, all were being overwhelmed by the countless beasts before them.

"State Governor, there are too many beasts! We don't have many mid to high-rank Warriors left in reserve! It's hard to cope!" a deputy governor, also a Grandmaster Realm expert, cried out from the side. He panickedly dodged an attack from a flying beast and fell flat on his butt on the ground, looking utterly wretched.

Shi Zhongming glanced around. He knew this was likely the beasts' strategy. The Human Race's mid to high-rank forces were tied down in the wilderness, but the number of beasts here was unrestricted.

Even if General-level beasts seemed rather unremarkable on the wilderness battlefields, a General-level was still a General-level. They were virtually unstoppable against these Internal Energy Martial Artists and low-rank cultivators.

At this thought, a flicker of resolve crossed Shi Zhongming's face. He ordered the person beside him, "Notify the Four Greats! Tell them to dispatch all their mentors and students! No need to hold anyone back! Reinforce the city perimeter immediately!"

At this critical moment, he had no choice but to summon the Four Greats, who served as a mobile force for the Federation. Federal reinforcements were long overdue. If they could hold out for a while, they had to keep holding out.

He was the highest official of Jing State, the one responsible for the welfare of Jing State's citizens, an Internal Energy Martial Artist of the Federal Government.

At this moment, he could not retreat. To retreat meant millions of lives lost in an instant. To retreat meant a lifetime of condemnation from his conscience. To retreat meant plunging Jing State into utter ruin.

Therefore, "KILL!!!"

Shi Zhongming held nothing back and charged forward once more. Every additional General-level beast he could slay meant more resources for his soldiers, the family factions, and others under his command.

There's no other choice! he roared in his heart, furiously tearing at the head of a high-rank General-level beast. Federation, I, Shi Zhongming, am ready to die for you! If you stand by and watch us perish, don't blame the people of Jing State for feigning allegiance while secretly defying you, for casting you aside like a worn-out shoe... Go to hell, you damn beasts!

Like a dirge, yet also like a rallying cry. Atop the city walls, the people, already exhausted, were once again galvanized under Shi Zhongming's lead.

They let the beasts' claws tear at their flesh, let their comrades' bodies fall beside them, let the infinitely viscous, thick blood drench them.

They all roared the same words in unison, a testament to all in Jing State, a declaration of the true courage, confidence, and determination that had allowed the Federation to survive for decades:

"HUMANS! WE WILL NEVER BE SLAVES!!!"

「」

"HUMANS! WE WILL NEVER BE SLAVES!!!"

The resounding cry, like a beacon, lit up and echoed through the skies and lands of all the people of Jing State.

Every adult murmured the words; every child trembled with anxiety.

In their hearts, on their lips, in their hands, in their rooms, in the very air—everywhere was filled with the potent sense of death and rebirth, like a sunflower emitting the heavy scent of incense.

"Humans... will never be slaves..."

「」

Wang Zhan, who was in the middle of hunting a Leader-level beast, suddenly faltered in his steps.

He could only watch helplessly as the monster soaring in the sky escaped freely before his eyes.

"Humans... never slaves..." he murmured. He had heard it.

And precisely because of this, he wished he hadn't heard it, hadn't seen it, didn't want to witness it, didn't want to face it.

What utter despair this was! What resolute determination! What humility, and yet, what nobility!

Once again, he felt the turbulent emotions of being a member of the Human Race. His mind flooded with memories of all the people who had left a deep impression on him during his short life: his mother, his sister, Yao Yao, Qin Ying, Song Dongming, Huang Pufeng, even Lv Zhenglong and Liu Zhenfeng...

Perhaps it was the touch of despair in his heart that galvanized him; Wang Zhan truly made a decision.

"I can't wait for you anymore, Su Tao. Whether you can keep up with me, whether you can capture it on camera, that's all up to you now. It's just ten billion, isn't it? I don't think it's that important anymore. HAHAHAHA..."

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