A fight to the death, nourishment for the Wood Race!

What? An other race!

The stone spear's reaction went beyond Qingyang Huan's expectations. That was clearly a blood-drinking ancient tree. How could it be a member of another race?

He had known about the other races since childhood. The elders of his clan had also told him that they were the Human Race's great enemies. For the Human Race to survive, many people died fighting them every year!

Moreover, "other races" was a collective term encompassing many races, all mortal enemies of humanity's survival!

Take him, for example. As one of the Qingyang Clan's young lords, although his father ruled the clan and he had his eldest and second brothers, he still knew something about the situation beyond the tribe!

The land within a radius of ten thousand li under the Qingyang Clan's protection seemed peaceful, yet hidden dangers always existed. Beneath the surface of this land, everything dripped with blood. The strong devouring the weak was the law of survival here.

To preserve the tribe's legacy and safeguard the peace across those ten thousand li, many Qingyang clansmen died in battle away from home each year. These dangers came not only from within the Human Race, but also from outside it-the other races, for instance!

In fact, most of the clan's warriors who fell each year died at the hands of other races!

Ancient forests and burial grounds dotted the vast land, all excellent places to hide. Although Qingyang claimed to shelter ten thousand li, there were actually far too many places across this sprawling land that remained unexplored.

It was not that Qingyang did not want to, but that it lacked the strength. Maintaining even the appearance of peace across ten thousand li was already the utmost Qingyang could manage!

As for why it did this, that was part of the Human Race's mission.

In this world, a hundred races contended for supremacy. The Human Race was not among the greatest races at the very pinnacle, and it had no exalted sage to anchor its racial foundations. To survive and reproduce without having its breeding grounds squeezed away by other races, it had to unite!

Although the Human Race had its own sordid dealings, it would not descend into disorder when it came to the overall course!

Qingyang, which could rule ten thousand li of land, barely qualified as a human power holding sway over a region. Maintaining peace across those ten thousand li and allowing tribes large and small to propagate was Qingyang's mission.

Of course, ensuring that these tribes could propagate did not mean the Qingyang Clan controlled every tribe. The real reason was to hunt down members of other races.

As for the various tribes and clans under its rule contending with one another, or even annexing one another, Qingyang would not interfere. Only constant struggle and slaughter could give birth to the strong. Making the tribes compete was a way of raising gu!

Qingyang's role was to ensure that no power emerged capable of destroying this territory within a radius of ten thousand li and interrupting the tribes' competition-the process of raising gu.

The emergence of powerful members of other races was something the Qingyang Clan would never permit. To maintain stability throughout this territory, the clan had paid far too much.

Of course, if any tribe on this land sought to challenge the Qingyang Clan's position, Qingyang would naturally strike with thunderous force and wipe out the challenger!

Although it seemed somewhat contradictory, Qingyang had to hunt down members of other races appearing within those ten thousand li to preserve peace, while also guarding against large tribes emerging under its rule to challenge it. For this, its clansmen spilled their blood in the Great Wilderness every year.

Yet this was the truth, and this contradiction had persisted for two thousand years!

Two thousand years ago, Qingyang had not yet been the overlord of these ten thousand li. The previous ruling clan, the Yanshan Clan, had fallen into internal strife, and a wandering band of other-race stragglers had seized the opportunity.

After a great battle, the Yanshan Clan suffered almost devastating losses. By now, it had vanished from this land.

The Yanshan Clan's internal strife had also dealt this land a considerable blow. Only later did that generation's Qingyang ancestor rise and lead the Qingyang Clan to become overlord of these ten thousand li.

Then, for its service in protecting the Human Race, the regional lord stationed in the Ancient Land of La Mountain bestowed upon it the Qingyang Token to shelter ten thousand li of land. Two thousand years had passed since then!

This was the glory of the entire Qingyang Clan, and its moment of greatest splendor!

Even after two thousand years, successive generations of Qingyang clansmen still upheld their ancestral teachings, doing everything they could to safeguard peace within their territory and continually hunting down wandering members of other races that appeared!

Indeed, without generation after generation of Qingyang clansmen hunting other races all these years, the number of tribes destroyed within those ten thousand li would have multiplied!

Under such harsh conditions for survival, most human tribes were extremely united internally, let alone a clan of shared blood like Qingyang. Without gathering their greatest strength, they could not challenge the Great Wilderness at all.

Pfft!

In that instant, the withered tree pierced another savage beast, a Jade Blood Wolf, and sucked it dry.

Qingyang Huan focused his attention, but however he looked at the withered tree before him, it did not resemble a member of another race. It was plainly an ancient tree that had gained sentience and become uncanny. Still, he trusted the stone spear.

Yet what worried him most now was that he had not gone far from the Qingyang Mountain Range. He estimated even this spot was only a few hundred li away, yet a member of another race had appeared here!

The places other races were least willing to appear were those near the Qingyang Mountain Range. Within ten thousand li, Qingyang reigned supreme. For an ordinary member of another race to appear here was to court death!

Moreover, the Qingyang Clan had the Qingyang Guard, all experts in the Divine Treasure Realm. His second brother served as a centurion in the Divine Treasure Guard. Their task was to patrol the entire ten-thousand-li territory and hunt down members of other races that appeared. This was also why Qingyang lost clansmen every year.

Yet a member of another race had still appeared here, along with a purple marten!

"This is a member of the Wood Race. Countless ages ago, they belonged to the Demon Race, but later became a race of their own. They are one of our Human Race's great enemies!"

At that moment, Qingyang Huan's expression tightened. Beneath the withered ancient tree, he saw white bones scattered all over the ground, many belonging to humans. Clearly, this member of the Wood Race had been here for quite some time.

"The Wood Race's blood Qi is mild, and its blood Qi essence contains the spiritual essence of ancient trees, enough to rival precious medicines. Didn't you want your flesh and blood to give birth to radiance? Here is your chance!"

Hearing the stone spear's voice, Qingyang Huan's eyes immediately lit up. But he did not foolishly charge forward. Though men of the Great Wilderness were rough and direct, they were not so direct that they would throw their lives away!

At the stone spear's words, killing intent flashed through Qingyang Huan's eyes. Between the Human Race and the other races, there was no right or wrong, only life and death. Put plainly, it was all for survival. The wilderness seemed vast, but its extent was fixed. One race's rise would inevitably squeeze the space another race needed to survive and reproduce.

He hunted savage beasts and even wanted to absorb the Wood Race's blood Qi. Conversely, other races also hunted humans to absorb their blood Qi. Thus, to survive and reproduce, the races were actually locked in constant mortal struggle. For survival, there was no right or wrong, only life and death!

Sensing the stone spear's fluctuations fade, Qingyang Huan understood that he had to kill this Wood Race member today. It was not merely because they were enemies. More importantly, this foe could advance the tempering of his flesh and blood. That alone was enough.

But he did not rush to attack. He concealed himself beneath an ancient tree and kept waiting. This was a swamp, and the Wood Race member had clearly made preparations, positioning himself neither deep within it nor at its edge.

Boom!

Yet the next moment, Qingyang Huan's entire body retreated backward. From the ancient tree where he had hidden, a blood-colored branch reached out, glinting with an uncanny light!

"Human child, the essence of your flesh and blood excites me!"

The trunk and branches of the withered tree that had stood in the swamp kept contracting, transforming into a middle-aged man with long brown hair.

As Qingyang Huan flew sideways, a bloody hole marked his left shoulder, pierced by the Wood Race member just now. He had been careless. Rumor had it that the Wood Race had evolved from ancient trees in the Great Wilderness that gained sentience.

Although it was only legend, since they were called the Wood Race, it was hardly surprising that they could sense the plants of the Great Wilderness. Since the stone spear had recognized the Wood Race, it should have known this too. Its silence clearly meant it wanted him to experience it himself.

As the somewhat uncanny-looking middle-aged Wood Race man finished speaking, his two hands, like rotten wood and withered branches, were already reaching down for Qingyang Huan.

Mockery filled his eyes. He was about to reach the peak of the Body Forging Realm and possessed ten thousand jin of strength. This human brat had only just stepped into the Body Forging Realm.

Mm, his blood Qi truly was delicious.

Ever since he had first refined the blood Qi essence of a human, he had become infatuated with the sensation. Human blood Qi was actually even purer than that of savage beasts.

Qingyang Huan hurriedly rolled aside, bringing the stone spear in his hand up to block the withered hand sweeping toward him. Under the recoil of the force, he was sent flying sideways again.

The arm holding the stone spear trembled, nearly losing its grip on the weapon, and he crashed heavily to the ground. The gap was rather large. If he could finish tempering his flesh and blood, perhaps he would have the strength to fight.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Yet the Wood Race man gave him no chance to catch his breath. He lunged forward, his hands piercing the surrounding ancient trees like sharp blades as they clawed down at him.

At that moment, a ruthless gleam flashed through Qingyang Huan's eyes, and he tilted his body slightly. In an instant, those withered-wood fingers pierced his shoulder once more, and even the stone spear in his hand fell to the ground.

"Human brat, you know your resistance is futile. That's right, behave yourself. Don't worry, I'll be gentle!"

Pulling Qingyang Huan back before him, the Wood Race man's eyes glimmered with bloody light.

"Gentle, my ass!"

Just as the Wood Race man pierced his shoulder and held him up for inspection, Qingyang Huan thrust out a hand and struck toward his chest!

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