The Dragon Rhinoceros was an Exotic Beast from the Barbaric lands. It measured over sixty feet in length, its body covered in Scale Armor with scales as large as cattail fans. It had four short, thick, pillar-like legs, and its belly was a mere eight feet off the ground. Its claws alone were three feet long.

Inside its cavernous, blood-red maw were two rows of menacing teeth, a chilling sight to behold.

The beast likely weighed no less than eight or nine thousand pounds. When it ran, the very ground shook. Its Powerful Qi was ferocious, and its momentum was staggering.

Moreover, ferocious flames wreathed its body, incinerating everything in its path and leaving a massive, charred channel in its wake. It was a terrifying sight!

"My Lord, be careful! Let me fight it!"

Although Qian Luo was panicking inwardly, he still positioned himself just in front and to the right of Shen Lang, striking a pose as if to protect his master.

But for all his heroic bravado, the man’s legs were trembling uncontrollably.

It wasn’t his fault. Though he was the Peak Master of Qi Yun Peak in the Holy Light Sect, he had never ventured so deep into the Barbaric lands.

The constant attacks from various massive, flying Wild Beasts during their journey had already scared him out of his wits.

He was simply trying to appear a little braver and more loyal in front of Shen Lang.

The only reason he dared to stand before Shen Lang was his certainty that his own Cultivation was no match for the Dragon Rhinoceros. When the time came, Ying Huo would be the one to act.

In fact, they had made it this far primarily because Ying Huo had been the one slaying the countless Demon Beasts along the way.

This time was different, however. They had encountered a Dragon Rhinoceros—a beast with unparalleled Defense Power, immense strength, and exceptionally ferocious flames!

Even Ying Huo, a master at the Xuanwu Realm Seventh Heaven, felt his palms begin to sweat.

"Tie Feng, protect our Lord! I’ll slaughter this beast!"

Ying Huo’s voice was steady, but deep down, he was hesitant.

Three months ago, Shen Lang had taught all the members of War Wolf both the Netherworld King’s Three Extremes Sword and the complete Thunder Control Divine Technique.

But the Thunder Control Divine Technique was not a Cultivation Technique whose immense Attack Power could be demonstrated after just a few days of Cultivation.

In such a short time, an ordinary Martial Artist couldn’t possibly absorb enough Thunder Power to raise their Cultivation.

As for the Netherworld King’s Three Extremes Sword...

While this Swordsmanship was several Levels lower than the Thunder Control Divine Technique, it was incomparably sharp and devastatingly powerful.

In the early stages, its Attack Power was far superior to that of the Thunder Control Divine Technique.

However, as potent as the Swordsmanship was, Shen Lang had only taught it to them three months ago.

The more powerful a Swordsmanship or Cultivation Technique, the longer it takes to cultivate and master.

Some peerless Swordsmanship techniques could be cultivated for millennia without one ever achieving full comprehension or reaching the highest Realm.

A mere three months was only enough to be considered a beginner.

For those with less talent, they might not have even reached the beginner stage, having only glimpsed an illusion of its true nature.

Whether he could slay this Demon Beast with this peerless Swordsmanship was still an unknown.

If he did manage to slay the Demon Beast using the Netherworld King’s Three Extremes Sword, Ying Huo worried that Shen Lang might think less of him.

’Using this Swordsmanship would be an indirect admission of my own weak Cultivation, proving I need to rely on such a technique just to deal with this kind of Demon Beast...’

This was the reason for Ying Huo’s hesitation.

Hesitation was an emotion that Ying Huo, Commander of the Thunder Guard, had not felt for many years.

As the leader of a force that held a transcendent status within the Profound Dao Sect, Ying Huo wielded the power of life and death. He was decisive and ruthless, a figure feared even by Elders whose Cultivation far surpassed his own.

This fear did not stem from his Cultivation.

But from his bloody methods.

A man like him hardly knew the meaning of hesitation.

Yet this time, before Shen Lang, Ying Huo was truly and utterly hesitant.

In the brief moment that both Ying Huo and Tie Feng hesitated...

Beneath the setting sun, a devastatingly powerful flash of a blade suddenly tore through the air, cleaving the swirling dust in two!

A heaven-shaking Sword Qi, dozens of zhang long, solidified and streaked across the sky, striking the Dragon Rhinoceros in an instant!

The intense flames wreathing the Dragon Rhinoceros’s body parted like water, flowing to either side.

Then, a roar so deafening it could make one’s head spin erupted from the Dragon Rhinoceros’s mouth.

The Dragon Rhinoceros, a beast that even Ying Huo was wary of, was split down the middle as if it were made of paper. Its two halves continued forward for dozens of meters due to inertia, crashing through several towering trees and massive boulders before collapsing with a thunderous BOOM!

Shen Lang sheathed his saber and said, "Alright, collect the Dragon Rhinoceros’s corpse. It’s time to get to business."

Ying Huo and Tie Feng were less shocked; even without seeing Shen Lang truly make a move, they knew that when he did, it would be extraordinary.

But it was a different story for Qian Luo up front. Even if he knew Shen Lang had some skills, he would never have dared to imagine he was this powerful...

There were no flashy moves. He didn’t even seem to have time to be Cultivating or gathering Spiritual Power.

With just a casual swing of his saber, he had sliced the thick-hided Dragon Rhinoceros in two!

’Even if there were two or three Ying Huos, it would probably take them half a day of hacking to kill such a powerful Demon Beast, right?’

"Let me, let me!"

Qian Luo, vying with Tie Feng for the task, acted with great enthusiasm and ran quickly toward the Dragon Rhinoceros’s corpse.

When he reached the corpse, the man secretly channeled Spiritual Power into his longsword and viciously stabbed at the Dragon Rhinoceros’s body.

CLANG!

Sparks flew, and the longsword skidded to the side.

A strike like that hadn’t even managed to pierce the Dragon Rhinoceros’s hide!

Qian Luo stared blankly at the Demon Beast’s corpse, unable to snap out of his daze for a long time...

Just then, a small, translucent, miniature wolf materialized on Shen Lang’s shoulder.

"Why are you out?" Shen Lang asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

Labrador quickly replied, "Er, Boss, the bloody aura of this Dragon Rhinoceros drew me out."

"This beast is an ancient, exotic species. Legend says it’s the offspring of a dragon and a fire rhinoceros. Its blood and qi are incredibly vigorous. Can you let me devour this Demon Beast’s flesh and blood?"

"Go ahead," Shen Lang nodded.

Labrador let out a cheer, transformed into a gust of ghostly wind, and instantly flew out to circle the two halves of the corpse!

The Dragon Rhinoceros’s flesh and blood were immediately and completely absorbed by him, leaving the two halves of the corpse shriveled and dry.

Other than the two hides, all that remained were the sturdy rhinoceros horn, teeth, and other parts.

When had Qian Luo ever seen such a terrifying creature?

Startled by the sight, he scrambled back to Shen Lang’s side.

Tie Feng, who was standing nearby, had overheard the conversation between Shen Lang and Labrador, so he knew the creature was a friend, not a foe. He shook his head and went to collect the Beast Hide and other materials.

A sharp glint flashed inadvertently through Shen Lang’s eyes.

’The thing inside the Immortal Celestial Saber seems to be getting more and more brazen! It absorbed half the blood of such a massive Dragon Rhinoceros, yet Labrador, the Artifact Spirit of the Immortal Celestial Saber, didn’t get a single drop before it was gone!’

’Is this thing so arrogant because it thinks my current Cultivation is too low to notice? Or perhaps it thinks that even if I do notice, there’s nothing I can do about it?’

’My Cultivation is too low right now. I can only continue to endure it for a while longer.’

Shen Lang had long since sensed that something was strange about the Immortal Celestial Saber. Furthermore, Gu Feng, the "Master of All Things," had once left him a note that had intentionally or unintentionally pointed out a problem with it.

But during this entire time, he had not shown the slightest sign that anything was amiss.

He hadn’t inspected the Immortal Celestial Saber, either, merely burying the matter deep in his heart.

The Immortal Celestial Saber was the Lifebound Emperor Artifact that Shark’s Kiss had used for one or two thousand years.

Even an expert of Shark’s Kiss’s caliber, with his Emperor Martial Realm Cultivation, had never noticed anything strange despite being with it day and night. This showed that the matter was far from simple.

Shen Lang rarely did things he wasn’t certain about.

He always planned before he acted. Once he made a move, it would be with the force of a thunderbolt, sweeping away everything in his path!

His expression unchanging, Shen Lang pushed aside his stray thoughts and released the remaining members of War Wolf from the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron.

The group immediately fanned out in all directions, guarding him in the center.

Tie Feng, who had just finished collecting the Dragon Rhinoceros hides, also trotted eagerly back.

Then, Shen Lang took out a pile of bottles and jars, placing them on the bluestone at his feet.

’My Lord is starting Alchemy again... But aren’t we here to look for a mineral vein? Why is he doing Alchemy now?’

’Could it be that this Alchemy is part of the search for the vein?’

Because Tie Feng had previously seen Shen Lang refine High Grade Elixir Pills several times and had benefited greatly from it, he grew excited whenever he saw Shen Lang perform Alchemy.

"You talk too much."

Ying Huo scolded. However, the curiosity in his eyes betrayed him... he was thinking the exact same thing as Tie Feng.

Meanwhile, Labrador, having absorbed the Dragon Rhinoceros’s blood, felt refreshed and invigorated. He transformed back into a miniature wolf and swaggered over.

As he sauntered, he said, "Ah, the air in the Barbaric lands is just fantastic! This is the kind of place fit for a character like me!"

"Cooped up in that sunless place for ten thousand years, I was bored out of my skull. At this point, even a sow would look gorgeous to me. Looks like I’ll have to come out for a stroll more often in the future."

"Hmm? What’s with that look, you lot? Just stand guard properly and don’t get distracted, understand?"

"You’re War Wolf, and yours truly is a Howling Moon Celestial Wolf. We’re the same kind, serving the Boss. Got it?"

Tie Feng and the others exchanged glances, not daring to respond.

Although this creature was only a Soul Body, its aura was terrifying. Moreover, it had just transformed into a ghostly wind and, in a flash, devoured all the Dragon Rhinoceros’s flesh and blood. Even an expert like Ying Huo felt a chill of fear watching it.

How could the others possibly dare to offend it?

In that short amount of time, Shen Lang had already finished preparing something.

With a series of waves from his hands, several smoking, arm-thick objects were caught by the people surrounding him.

"Plant these thirty meters out, spacing them evenly in a circle around this area. After that, you can relax a little."

Everyone was stunned. What was this stuff? Was it that amazing?

If they just stuck these in the ground, would Demon Beasts really not dare to approach?

Tie Feng suddenly recalled something and asked in astonishment, "My Lord, is this... Beast-Repelling Incense? Isn’t Beast-Repelling Incense incredibly precious? How do you have so much? And isn’t Beast-Repelling Incense supposed to be a natural product? I just saw you clearly concoct some kind of Medicinal Liquid and then soak those wooden sticks in it..."