202: Chapter 202 Green Fang

Tianlu's utility went without saying.

Although it hadn't fully grown yet, the abilities it displayed even surpassed the Blue Phoenix.

At the very least, the Blue Phoenix couldn't have carried a human who wasn't using any Pet Beast power through ten kilometers of Vicious Beast packs—all starting at Silver Rank—without being attacked once.

Furthermore, it had found a freshly deceased Silver Peak Giant Python.

Then, by taking the crystal core and performing a blood-drop ownership ritual, they had activated territorial sovereignty.

This revealed the true operational rules beneath the Space-Time Rift.

Who else but Tianlu could know such hidden rules?

Vicious Beasts had descended a century ago, and Qin Ce was the first person to become a lord within a Vicious Beast zone under a Space-Time Rift!

All of this was thanks to Tianlu's Divine-Grade talent, Nine-Radiance Spiritual Wisdom!

Qin Ce stood up and re-examined the outline of this territory.

The territory activated by a Silver Rank crystal core wasn't large, only about the size of a few football fields.

But he was now the "Master" of this land.

In the Vicious Beast world beneath the Space-Time Rift, this meant he was no longer an outsider or an "intruder."

This wasn't just about having an identity, a sense of belonging, or the protection of rules.

Rather, according to the rules of this world, a battle between territories was a matter between two lords.

Other factions would not intervene.

What did this mean?

Qin Ce's eyes lit up.

It meant that if he attacked the Vicious Beasts of another territory in his capacity as a lord,

he wouldn't be besieged like when the Blue Phoenix charged in before; instead, it would become a one-on-one duel for dominance between "Lords."

It would be a one-on-one internal war.

He no longer needed to worry about chain reactions, being ganged up on, or a Gold Rank Vicious Beast suddenly appearing from the side mid-fight.

In that case...

Qin Ce took a deep breath and began to calculate his next plan.

The sensations coming from beyond the territorial borders resurfaced in his mind.

Covetousness, hatred, indifference, friendliness.

Like four needles, they pointed in four different directions.

He was thinking about which one he should strike first.

The covetous one was the most insidious; they had long had their eyes on this valley, only held back by the Giant Python's strength.

Now that the Giant Python was dead and the successor was a "weak" human, they likely wouldn't be able to restrain themselves.

As for why they hadn't come just now, Qin Ce guessed it was probably for fear of a trap, so they were letting Qin Ce and his party test the waters first.

Therefore, movement from that side should appear soon.

As for the one filled with hatred, there was a high probability they had a life-and-death conflict with the Giant Python, or might even be its killer.

By inheriting this territory, Qin Ce had also inherited this grudge; the other party wouldn't let him go.

However, the fact that the Giant Python had managed to crawl back suggested that both sides had likely suffered heavy losses, making it temporarily safe.

Just as Qin Ce was calculating,

Tianlu, who was squatting by the stone platform grooming its fur, suddenly stopped.

Its ears perked up, the nine-colored light on its antlers flashed violently, and its body tensed up like a fully drawn bowstring.

Heavenly Chant.

Silent ripples spread out from Tianlu's mouth, sweeping across the valley, the mountain walls, and the mist-shrouded wasteland to the west.

Then, Tianlu spun around, rushed to Qin Ce's feet, patted his calf with its small paws, and let out an urgent, sharp cry.

"Mee-woo!"

Qin Ce perceived Tianlu's meaning through the Soul Bond, and his expression darkened.

The west.

A large group of creatures was moving very fast.

They were approaching the valley.

Almost at the same moment, the outline of the territory in Qin Ce's mind jolted violently.

Territorial perception—intruders on the western border.

Not just one, but many.

They had crossed the boundary line and invaded his territory.

According to the rules of this world, this was a declaration of war.

Qin Ce's eyes narrowed.

"Good timing," he whispered.

Turning around, Qin Ce ran toward the cliff on that side of the valley, preparing to climb the wall to observe the enemy situation.

But he had barely run dozens of meters when a commotion broke out on the western cliff wall.

A massive figure emerged from the edge of the cliff.

It was a Green Fang.

Its size was comparable to a mature bull, its body covered in grayish-green bristles, and tusks curled upward from both sides of its mouth like two curved daggers.

Its eyes were blood-red, glowing with bloodlust in the thin mist, staring fixedly at Qin Ce and Tianlu in the valley.

A Silver Rank Vicious Beast?

Qin Ce's pupils contracted slightly.

The Green Fang looked down from its height, overlooking the valley, a hint of excitement flashing in its blood-colored eyes.

It opened its mouth and let out a long, sharp howl.

"Awoo—"

The howl echoed back and forth in the valley like an invisible blade, cutting through every inch of air.

Following this howl, six more Green Fangs leaped out from the edge of the cliff.

Same size, same grayish-green bristles, same blood-red eyes.

Seven Silver Rank Green Fangs.

They stood in a row at the edge of the cliff, their blood-colored eyes all staring in unison at Qin Ce and Tianlu.

Then, the largest among them, with the longest tusks and the deepest blood-red eyes—the Green Fang King—howled to the heavens.

"Awoo—"

Its howl was lower and heavier than the previous one, sounding like a massive drum being struck in the valley.

More figures appeared at the edge of the cliff.

Bronze Rank.

black iron rank.

Densely packed, they poked their heads out from the cliff edge like mushrooms popping out of the ground after rain, one after another, patch after patch.

Qin Ce did a rough count; there were at least a hundred.

Over a hundred Green Fangs stood on the cliff, their blood-red eyes like a hundred red lamps, flickering with greedy light in the thin mist.

The Green Fang King lowered its head, looking at Qin Ce in the valley, a flash of contempt in its blood-red eyes.

It had long coveted this valley.

When that Giant Python was around, it didn't dare move.

The Giant Python was at Silver Peak, just a step away from the threshold of Gold Rank; it couldn't win.

But now, the Giant Python was dead.

The one inheriting this valley was actually a human and a black iron rank cub.

A single black iron rank?

The Green Fang King's mouth pulled back, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth, filled with mockery.

Then, it let out another low growl.

The roar was full of longing—the command to attack.

The next moment!

Over a hundred Green Fangs leapt down from the cliff simultaneously.

Like a grayish-green tide, they poured down from the heights, surging toward Qin Ce and Tianlu in the valley.

Their claws hit the rocks, creating a dense "da-da" sound like heavy rain hitting a tin roof.

Their tusks glinted coldly in the mist, and their blood-red eyes were full of excitement and greed.

This valley would be theirs.

The pack would grow stronger because of it.

Looking at the surging tide, there was no fear in Qin Ce's eyes, only a calculation refined to the extreme.

He didn't turn to run.

He didn't hide in the depths of the valley.

He didn't try to negotiate with the Green Fang pack.

He simply raised his right hand and pressed it to his chest.

"Blue Phoenix."

Silver-blue light gushed from his chest, condensing, stretching, and unfolding in the air.

A clear, resonant cry pierced the sky.

A silver-blue bird with a twelve-meter wingspan appeared above Qin Ce, wings spread, its silver-blue feathers gleaming with a cold metallic luster in the mist.

Tianlu leapt up from Qin Ce's feet, its small claws grabbing the Blue Phoenix's feathers, and with a flip, it landed steadily on the Blue Phoenix's back.

It squatted on the Blue Phoenix's broad back, the nine-colored light on its antlers shining brilliantly, its golden eyes staring fixedly at the approaching grayish-green tide.

"Mee-woo!" Tianlu let out a short cry.

Qin Ce drew the combat blade from his waist.

It was a standard-issue long blade, with a slender body and sharp edge, glinting with a cold white light in the mist.

Then, he used the Blue Phoenix's energy to imbue the blade with wind-attribute power.

Silver-white energy doubled the width of the blade.

Then, holding the blade, Qin Ce stood beneath the Blue Phoenix and looked at the approaching Green Fang pack, giving the order.

"Nine Wind Cores."

The Blue Phoenix flapped its wings, and nine silver points of light drifted out from its feathers, like nine falling stars, landing precisely at nine different positions on the battlefield.

Two before the cliff wall, three in the center of the valley, and four around Qin Ce.

The nine Wind Cores activated simultaneously the moment they landed, silver light spreading from each core, forming visible wind-attribute ripples in the air.

They didn't activate a Wind Barrier, nor Phoenix Dance Nine Turns, nor even a Wind Prison.

They simply hovered 2 meters above the ground like a massive, invisible force field, enveloping the entire battlefield between the Green Fangs and Qin Ce.

The Green Fang King saw those silver points of light.

It didn't understand what they were, but it instinctively sensed danger.

But it didn't retreat.

Over a hundred Green Fangs against two individuals.

The advantage was its.

"Awoo—" The Green Fang King let out a roar.

Over a hundred Green Fangs accelerated simultaneously.

Charging at the forefront were those seven Silver Rank Green Fangs.

They were the fastest, the strongest, and had the sharpest tusks.

In their blood-red eyes, there was only Qin Ce.

As long as they killed him, that bird and that cub would be of no concern.

Qin Ce moved.

He didn't charge toward the Green Fang pack; instead, he rushed toward the Wind Core nearest to him.

His foot tapped the grass, and his body, as if pulled by an invisible hand, slid into the halo of that Wind Core.

Then, from another direction, he charged toward another Wind Core.

His speed was twice as fast as before.

The acceleration effect of the Wind Core—Qin Ce's wind-attribute energy, being of the same source as the Blue Phoenix's, allowed him to use the Wind Core's power to boost his speed to an incredible degree upon entering its range of influence.

It wasn't just speed, but direction as well.

The moment Qin Ce burst out of the Wind Core, his body twisted in mid-air, appearing at a bizarre angle beside a Silver Rank Green Fang.

That Green Fang's blood-red eyes widened violently.

It saw Qin Ce, and it saw that combat blade glinting coldly in the mist.

But it had no time to react.

Qin Ce's blade had already slashed down.

On the combat blade, silver-white wind energy condensed into a thin edge, coating the blade and increasing its sharpness several times over.

Puchi.

The blade sliced into the Green Fang's shoulder blade.

It wasn't a fatal wound, but it was deep, extending from the shoulder blade to the front leg; the grayish-green bristles were sliced open, and dark red blood gushed out.

The Green Fang let out a scream, its body wobbling violently.

It wanted to counterattack.

It turned its head and opened its mouth, its sharp tusks snapping toward Qin Ce.

But Qin Ce was no longer there.

The moment the blade entered the flesh, his body was again pulled by a Wind Core, sliding into the nearest one.

The Green Fang's tusks snapped on empty air, its upper and lower teeth colliding with a sharp "clack."

It was stunned.

Qin Ce burst out from another Wind Core, appearing beside another Green Fang.

The same angle, the same speed, the same blade technique.

Puchi.

Another wound deep enough to see bone.

That Green Fang screamed and tried to give chase, but Qin Ce had vanished again.

Three Green Fangs tried to surround Qin Ce.

They pounced from three directions, tusks, claws, and thick tails launching a three-way pincer attack, sealing off all of Qin Ce's retreats.

Qin Ce didn't retreat.

He charged directly into the encirclement of the three Green Fangs; the moment before they closed in, his body was pulled by a Wind Core, sliding out through the gap between them.

The three Green Fangs collided with each other, tusks biting into companions, claws scratching companions' faces, and thick tails whipping companions' legs.

It was total chaos.

Qin Ce burst out from a Wind Core and appeared behind another Green Fang.

Another slash.

Tianlu squatted on the Blue Phoenix's back, the nine-colored light on its antlers flashing frantically.

Lumeng.

One rune after another flew from Tianlu's antlers, landing precisely on the Bronze Rank Green Fangs.

Tianlu's Black Iron Mid-grade Rank meant its hit rate against Silver Rank Green Fangs was too low and the control duration too short to be meaningful.

But against Bronze Rank, it was instant control.

Those Bronze Rank Green Fangs hit by Lumeng stiffened instantly, as if an invisible hand had seized their Souls, rendering them unable to move.

Then, the Blue Phoenix moved.

The Blue Phoenix hovered above the battlefield, the nine Wind Cores rotating slowly around it, while the Phoenix Flows behind it condensed one by one—five, eight, eleven, thirteen.

Thirteen silver-white Phoenix Flows swayed behind it like thirteen silver ribbons, gently waving in the thin mist.

The Blue Phoenix let out a long cry toward the sky.

The sound wasn't a clear chirp, but a deeper screech, as if squeezed from the depths of its chest, carrying energy that had been suppressed for a long time.

The Phoenix Flows surged into its body.

On the Blue Phoenix's wings, the longest and toughest flight feathers began to glow. Silver-white light condensed at the tip of each feather, growing brighter and brighter.

And then—

The Blue Phoenix flapped its wings violently.

Nearly a hundred silver-white, feather-shaped Wind Blades shot out from its wings.

They weren't fired randomly; they were released with direction, layering, and rhythm.

The upper layer of feather Wind Blades shot high into the sky before curving downward.

The middle layer of feather Wind Blades shot straight out, covering the mid-air space of the battlefield.

The lower layer of feather Wind Blades flew close to the ground, sweeping across the Green Fang pack's lower bodies.

Three layers of Wind Blades fell simultaneously.

This was an area-of-effect skill the Blue Phoenix had comprehended on its own upon ascending to Silver Rank.

Chaotic Wind Sea.

The moment the Wind Blades hit the ground, they didn't dissipate; they exploded.

As each feather Wind Blade exploded, it transformed into dozens of tiny, silver-white Wind Blades spreading in all directions.

Nearly a hundred feather Wind Blades exploded at once, with thousands of tiny blades cutting frantically through the Green Fang pack.

...