"Why spare him? Have you truly betrayed our clan?"

A panicked voice arose. The Nine-headed Serpent's tone seemed to carry the clang of striking metal.

"I have my reasons!"

"Speak!"

Ta Qing immediately raised his head, exuding confidence as he explained his strategy in an orderly manner.

"I sensed surveillance! Someone was watching in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment. Although we have the envoy here, the Human Martial King cannot escape his fate! However, I do not wish to merely hunt down one Human Martial King. I want to capture all of the Human Race who dared to spy on us in the Star War Battlefield, wiping them out in one fell swoop!

"Furthermore, that Federal Human Race Martial King still has some fight left in him. Since there are Beast Clan groups watching us who do not obey our clan's will, why not let them test the waters? See if they can draw out the Human Race's true strength. Wouldn't that be a great thing?"

These words sent a ripple of shock through those present.

Never mind the two Martial Kings; even this Nine-headed Serpent before them hadn't detected any surveillance.

As for the two Martial Kings, their expressions turned quite grim.

They had naturally sensed that the Human Martial King still had fight left in him. However, whether due to rigid thinking or an inability to find a quick solution, they hadn't conceived of this method of wearing down the enemy's morale and using another's hand to kill.

This undoubtedly caused their standing in the Nine-headed Serpent's eyes to plummet irrevocably, leaving them with no qualifications to compete with Ta Qing.

The Nine-headed Serpent paid no mind to such petty schemes.

As Ta Qing had said, a single human was at best a minor, insignificant merit. But a group of the Human Race…

Heh heh, perhaps then the Emperor might casually bestow upon it some of the spirit elixirs and medicines snatched from the Human Race. It too could advance in rank, becoming the third royal-level beast under the Emperor, possessing a territory of its own.

By then, so what if they were the top King-level beasts? Would they dare show their faces before it?

Suppressing the burning excitement in its heart, the Nine-headed Serpent asked in a deep voice, "You sensed someone spying? Convince me. Otherwise, you know the price for deceiving me!"

It was the Nine-headed Serpent, a trusted subordinate of the Emperor, not one to be easily fooled.

However, Ta Qing offered no proof, merely stating calmly, "This is my innate Talent! I can sense impending danger, probe my surroundings, and detect unusual auras hidden nearby! But… I have no evidence.

The only thing I can do is swear on my ancestors' name to Your Lordship that everything I've said is true! Surely, Lord Nine-headed snake remembers the great contributions my Hyena Clan made on the Star War Battlefield."

The Nine-headed Serpent fell silent.

…

This was the root of the Beast Clan's power; it could not question, only choose to believe.

After all, 'The dragon has nine sons, each different from the other.' Who could guarantee that what Ta Qing said wasn't true?

Considering the brilliant precedent set by the Hell's Three-Headed Hound, and now the Hyena Clan offering its own contribution, it wasn't so difficult to understand.

However…

The Nine-headed Serpent did not immediately issue an order. Instead, its gaze cold, it said, "If the final result is that I celebrated for nothing due to your misguided claims, you know what you must do!"

Deceiving a superior, even for the lightest offense, meant being sold into slavery for a hundred years.

More severe cases involved confiscation of family property, annihilation of the entire clan, and the severing of one's lineage—such things were commonplace.

Yet, Ta Qing remained fearless, his eyes resolute as he said, "This humble one understands! If I have erred, I will submit to Your Lordship's judgment!"

"Good! White Jade, Ming Tu, hear my command!"

A thunderous shout suddenly rang out.

Wisps of dense, pitch-black smoke rose from the Nine-headed Serpent's body, exuding a chilling, eerie aura, like a glimpse into a netherworld of ghosts.

White Jade and Ming Tu were, naturally, the names of the two King-level beasts whom Ta Qing had already outmaneuvered.

Summoned thus by the Nine-headed Serpent, a bitter taste filled their hearts. They understood that Ta Qing, having secured a place in the Nine-headed Serpent's esteem, was not far from his true ascent.

And they would become mere stepping stones for Ta Qing's rise to greater heights; in the future, they might even have to look up to him.

But what could they do? They could only blame their own inflexible minds, so unlike Ta Qing's. They had already fallen far behind. Could they dare to feign compliance while secretly defying the Nine-headed Serpent, ignoring its orders?

He can't possibly succeed. I absolutely refuse to believe someone could spy on me right under my nose…

So what if you rise for a moment! Do you really think the Emperor is so easily fooled? The higher you stand, the harder you fall. No matter how high your petty cleverness takes you, you're only seeking your own doom…

In truth, they had no recourse but to curse Ta Qing inwardly, their hearts filled with endless vigilance and hatred towards him. Then, they responded loudly,

"Present!"

"Present!"

"From this day forward, you are to cooperate with Ta Qing! Track them for me. I can forgo the merit from a single Human Martial King. But if there truly is a group of the Federal Human Race lurking in the Surroundings, then even if it costs all of you your lives, you must detain them until my reinforcements arrive!"

As it spoke, the Nine-headed Serpent's gaze sharpened, its pupils transforming into what seemed like dizzying triangles.

This was especially vital at such a critical moment, as it was under the Emperor's orders to purge the Human Race spies who had infiltrated their ranks.

"In short, you had better not disappoint me. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind turning all of you into my food! And that includes you, Hyena—Ta Qing!"

The three beasts bowed their heads in unison and responded in chorus, "Yes! We shall respectfully obey Lord Nine-headed snake's decree!"

Ta Qing was among them, yet his eyes showed no trace of nervousness. On the contrary, he appeared rather pleased and excited.

Finally, this wonderful opportunity has arrived!

As long as I can eliminate this contingent of the Human Race, I will have achieved a great merit. In the future, even if I rest on my laurels, no one will dare look down on me, and I can escape this current awkward predicament.

Instantly, a dark gleam flashed in his eyes, as if he had rediscovered his predator's instincts. He glanced stealthily in the direction the Human Martial King had fled and laughed harshly, "Run, run, Human Martial King! The farther you flee, the happier I'll be when I chase you!"

As long as I can catch you, I'll definitely make you… hehehe!

…

In fact, the moment the middle-aged man left the battlefield, rushing frantically in a certain direction under the siege of several Human-shaped creatures, Wang Zhan had already made his move.

Even if he missed the opportunity to uncover the secrets beneath all these appearances, it was more likely that he wouldn't have cared even if he knew, as that was not his purpose.

If it hadn't been for his desire to turn back and see if he could rescue this righteous Martial King who had carved out a path of survival for him, he would have departed without pause to continue his mission.

Therefore, at that moment, Wang Zhan's clone pressed forward at high speed without hesitation, intent on catching sight of that senior Martial King.

However, it was evident that a Human Martial King was a Human Martial King, after all. The distance between them was constantly widening. Although a tenuous connection remained, it seemed like a thread that could snap at any second.

This isn't working!

Wang Zhan shook his head, and a bright light flashed in his eyes.

"Come out! Bat Wings!"

WHOOSH! A pair of enormous wings, shimmering faintly before the light vanished as if condensing the very color of the night, instantly appeared on either side of Wang Zhan. They enveloped him like two giant cattail fans. Though their appearance was somewhat abrupt, they seemed perfectly harmonious, as if they naturally belonged to him.

This was the wealth of knowledge Wang Zhan had obtained from the Small World Book Repository.

Although most of them were prehistoric martial arts of low grade, weak power, and little appeal, there was no doubt that here, in the Star War Battlefield saturated with Spiritual Energy so dense it was almost suffocating, they were gradually shedding the constraints of their prehistoric origins. They brazenly brandished their fangs and claws before Wang Zhan, transforming into his underlying strength.

"Hahahaha, let's go!"

Feeling the powerful eagerness to take flight emanating from the two energy wings, Wang Zhan felt a thrill of excitement.

He had long envied those who could fly. Unfortunately, he was still a Martial Master. Although he was halfway through that stage, a great hurdle—Martial General—still stood between him and the rank of Grandmaster.

In other words, for a long time to come, Wang Zhan could only abide by the frustrating rule that even if he could slay a Grandmaster, he was confined to walking on the ground.

But from this day forward, all that would change.

Perhaps he couldn't achieve this on Earth; the Essence Energy in his body wouldn't be able to support it.

But at the very least, here on the Star War Battlefield, no one could stop him!

Just then, a shadowy figure rode the wind upwards. WHOOSH! It broke through the shackles of air and earthly bounds, truly soaring between Heaven and Earth.

Although along the way he nearly tumbled headfirst, ending up as a splattered mess on the ground for plants to feed on, his face was deathly pale, and he'd nearly fainted from terror countless times.

Yet, Wang Zhan ultimately mastered it!

BAM! His giant wings swept across the vast expanse, momentarily illuminating the night, piercing through the oppressive heat and biting cold.

Finally, not far ahead, he saw several figures locked in a constant struggle.

One was the Human Martial King, the middle-aged man who had previously escaped from the three Martial Kings. The others were those bizarre and unpredictable Human-shaped creatures, whose speed was in no way inferior to the middle-aged man's.

Of course, they were not in the Martial King Realm. And although their speed was on par with a Martial King's, they dared not confront him head-on. They could only harass him from behind, attempting to wear him down through consumption.

But even though the situation looked perilous, Wang Zhan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Good thing I made it in time...

Good thing he didn't die!

…

The middle-aged man had no idea that under the vast moonlight, a seventeen-year-old boy was desperately concerned for him.

In fact, he was incredibly frustrated at the moment. "Damn it, they're like shadows you can't shake!"

Although he had escaped the encircling attack of the three Martial Kings, he knew they wouldn't give up.

What he wanted to do now was to quickly flee through this opening, escape far away, and find a good nook to hide in.

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