"Old thing, you should just stop struggling. My men might have already killed the fourth prince and fifth princess at this time. Hahaha!" The man in black robes laughed scornfully as he looked at Defender Duanmu with taunting eyes.

The latter's eyes reddened as he let out a savage howl full of hate and anger. After consuming the Berserk Pill, Defender Duanmu's strength was temporarily upgraded to the next level. Although he was only at the initial stage of the 8th-rank Divine realm at the moment, he believed that he had sufficient strength to defeat the man in front of him.

"Prepare to die you bastard!" Defender Duanmu held his spear in front of him and pointed it towards the man in black robes.

"Sky Cleaving Spear Thrust!"

Defender Duanmu's biceps bulged and his feet sank deeper on the ground as he thrust his spear forward.

His attack produced a vibrating wind blade that sliced towards the man in black robes. The wind blade left fissures on the ground showing how destructive it was.

The man who was on the receiving end of such an attack was still wearing a disdainful smile. "If I can only use my true form, this old man should have died earlier. But it doesn't matter, he will still die by my hands today! Hahah!" The man laughed in contempt.

The training method of the demons didn't differ much from the humans. Just that the former enhances their bodies mostly through body strengthening, while almost eighty percent of the humans enhance themselves by cultivating their true essence.

The demons were so talented in the art of body strengthening that it was easier for everyone in their kind to improve themselves by simply training physically. Of course, their development will continue to become harder as their level increases.

A cultivator can control 'true essence', while a body strengthening expert can control 'anma'. The difference between these two energies lies in their ability to control the power of the elements.

With sufficient true essence, a cultivator can freely control the power of elements once they reached a high level of cultivation, but a body strengthening expert can only use their anma to maximize the hidden potential in their bodies.

The man in black robes gathered the anma in his body and waved his sword against the incoming attack aimed his way. 'Tsk! I can't control my anma properly with this weak body, but it's more than enough to block that old man's attack.'

"Haaaa!!" The man in black robes forcefully cleaved the wind blade with his sword.

"Baangg!"

Defender Duanmu's eyes widened when he felt the energy from the man in black robes. "You! You're a body enhancer! Who are you?! There is no body enhancing expert in our Silver Wing Empire. You must be from one of our neighboring empires." He glared at the man in black robes.

The latter ignored Defender Duanmu and started his assault.

"Now, it's my turn, old bastard!" The man lifted his sword and dashed towards Defender Duanmu at breakneck speed. His movement was so fast that he left afterimages in his wake.

After closing his distance against the old defender, the man raised his sword and slashed it towards Defender Duanmu.

Defender Duanmu raised his spear with two hands to block the slash.

"Clangg!" A thunderous clanging sound echoed as their weapons collided.

Defender Duanmu's feet sank even further on the ground after receiving the strike.

'Crap! This man's physical strength is at the 8th-rank Divine realm! I can't continue fighting with him in close combat or I'll only be defeated.' Defender Duanmu thought to himself as he controlled more true essence from his dantian.

The man in black robes smirked after sensing his opponent's actions. "Do you think I'll allow you to gather more true essence? Keep dreaming you old bastard!" He sneered as he added more strength to his sword.

Defender Duanmu gritted his teeth while holding on to his spear tightly. He then twisted his spear and backed off several meters away.

The man in black robes refused to give him time to gather himself together and swiftly rushed towards the panting Defender Duanmu.

The man in black robes somersaulted in mid-air and slashed his sword with both his hands.

As Defender Duanmu was about to raise his spear, he felt his body weakening at rapid speed. He spat a mouthful of black blood and knelt on the ground with one knee. He then raised his head and glanced at the approaching enemy with weary eyes. "Is this the end of my old life?" He muttered as black blood continued to stream out of his mouth.

"Diiiee!!" The man in black robes shouted with a malicious look.

Just as his sword was about to cleave Defender Duanmu's body, a short sword with a white handle blocked his strike.

"Shiing!"

The man in black robes hurriedly distanced himself after feeling a grave sense of danger. His eyes dilated as he glanced at the graceful figure standing in front of the old defender. "Who are you?! Why are you putting your nose on someone's business?!" He shouted while looking at Hestia alertly.

Hestia ignored him and turned to look at Defender Duanmu who was now looking at her with a stunned look.

"Yo-Young Mi-Miss Hestia..." The old man muttered with difficulty. He wasn't really injured, but the effects of the Berserk Pill was slowly taking effect. If he wasn't treated right away, he might turn into a cripple.

"Shh... Stop talking and drink this." Hestia smiled and stuffed a healing pill inside the old man's mouth.

Defender Duanmu did not reject the offer and absorbed the effects of the pill in his mouth. He was very grateful for the help, but he was too weak to continue speaking.

Hestia turned to look at the man in black robes and shook her head gently. "Sigh. I don't want to kill a guest from our store, but your presence can destroy my master's business."

The man in black robes laughed at her words. "Do you really think that I'm afraid of you? You're just a mid stage 8th-rank Divine realm cultivator. Let me show you my true form!" He then grabbed a jade necklace that was tied to his neck and pulled it.

The man's body slowly morphed into a two-meter tall humanoid with dark purple skin. There were also two long black horns attached to his head. His appearance looked grotesque as he let out a twisted smile that exposed his two rows of sharp teeth. "Little girl, I look forward to eating your body. Your taste shouldn't be too bad, right? Hahaha!"