C23 Razorclaw Group

The Razorclaw had no intention of letting Zhang Nan go so easily. It quickly caught up with him once more.

A wave of anger rose in Zhang Nan's chest at the sight, and he spat out a curse: "If you're so eager to die, I'll be happy to oblige."

With those words, Zhang Nan drew the Skycleaver and charged into the fray.

Not a single Razorclaw could stand against the Skycleaver. In an instant, they were cleaved in two by its blade.

Before long, Zhang Nan had slain all of the Razorclaw.

He swiftly searched the corpses for any loot but came up empty-handed.

"Why am I so unlucky? Not a single Demon Core to be found," Zhang Nan grumbled under his breath.

"What are you up to?"

A middle-aged man inquired, looking at Zhang Nan.

Zhang Nan responded with a smile, "Oh, nothing much. I was just dealing with a Razorclaw ambush. I've taken care of them now. And who might you be?"

The middle-aged man didn't respond to Zhang Nan's question, instead, he surveyed the fallen Razorclaw and remarked, "Impressive. The strongest of these Razorclaw was at the ninth level of Foundation Building, and the weakest at the first. For you, at the sixth level, to have dispatched them is quite a feat."

Zhang Nan simply smiled in response, offering no words.

"Kid, the name's Lei Zhan. How about you team up with me? I'm with the Hunting Group, and we're short one member. Interested in joining us?" Lei Zhan asked, smiling.

Zhang Nan frowned upon hearing this. He was familiar with the Hunting Group, an organization known for hunting spirit animals in the forest to harvest their cores. Such groups were loosely organized, with no central authority, operating as a free profession. It was also common for scions of great families to join the Hunting Group for experience.

"Short on people? Have you stumbled upon something big?"

Zhang Nan's thoughts immediately turned to the Crocdemon. He was concerned that the "big find" might be the Crocdemon. Knowing he owed a great debt to the Crocdemon family, Zhang Nan was determined not to let these hunters trouble the Crocdemon any further.

Upon hearing Zhang Nan's inquiry, Lei Zhan responded with a grin, "You're quite sharp. Since you've figured it out, I'll be straightforward. We've stumbled upon a treasure, the Aetherfruit. If you consume this Aetherfruit, you could shoot up to the seventh or possibly even the eighth level of Foundation Building. Interested?"

Zhang Nan nodded in response and then asked, "But are there any Aetherfruit Trees in the woods outside the city? If so, wouldn't they have been discovered long ago?"

"The Aetherfruit Tree we found isn't thriving, so it only bears three fruits. However, if you agree to help us sell them, I'll give you one as compensation," Lei Zhan explained, still smiling.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Nan inquired, "Tell me, how many are in your group? What are your cultivation levels, and what kind of spirit animal is guarding the tree?"

Lei Zhan furrowed his brow at the barrage of questions and remarked, "I see I've underestimated you. You're quite experienced, aren't you?"

Zhang Nan chuckled, "I've had some prior teamwork, so I'm familiar with these matters."

"Very well. There are six of us. I'm the highest in cultivation, having just reached the Return to Origin stage. The spirit animal watching over the Aetherfruit Tree is an adult Razorclaw, which is likely at the ninth level of Return to Origin," Lei Zhan shared with a smile.

"What? Ninth level of Return to Origin? You're not serious, are you?" Zhang Nan exclaimed in astonishment.

Lei Zhan gave an embarrassed smile and reassured, "Don't worry, we have strength in numbers—seven of us in total. We can wear it down."

"What difference does it make whether there are seven or six of us?" Zhang Nan asked, intrigued.

Lei Zhan, momentarily at a loss for words, eventually said with resignation, "Just don't worry about it too much. You'll understand once we're there. So, are you in?"

Zhang Nan replied with a smile, "Of course, I'm in. Why wouldn't I be?"

With that settled, Zhang Nan followed Lei Zhan to their campsite.

Zhang Nan observed that the camp was occupied by three men and two women.

Upon Lei Zhan's arrival, the group greeted him, "Boss, have you brought back a master?"

Lei Zhan chuckled uncomfortably and replied, "I tried to find one, but the master wouldn't give me the time of day. There was nothing I could do. However, on my way back, I stumbled upon another master."

With that, Lei Zhan introduced Zhang Nan to the group.

The five members looked at Zhang Nan and expressed their doubts, "Boss, why bring someone who's only at the sixth level of Foundation Building? And he's just a kid. Sure, he looks clean-cut, but has he ever taken down a spirit animal?"

"Don't underestimate our young friend here. I witnessed him single-handedly annihilate a pack of ninth-level Foundation Building Razorclaws," Lei Zhan quickly added, hoping to prevent Zhang Nan from taking offense.

"Ninth level of Foundation Building? Really, boss? You're not pulling our leg, are you?" asked one of the women.

"Yanyan, when have I ever played tricks on you? Besides, I'm more eager to find the Aetherfruit than any of you. Do you honestly think I'd joke about this?" Lei Zhan responded with a hint of frustration.

The group fell silent, recognizing the gravity of Lei Zhan's words; they knew that in times like these, everyone might crack a joke, except for their boss, Lei Zhan.

Zhang Nan sensed an odd vibe from the group but couldn't quite pinpoint the issue.

"There's definitely more to this story," he whispered to himself.

"Are we heading out now?" Zhang Nan asked directly.

Lei Zhan nodded, and the six of them, along with Zhang Nan, made their way to the Aetherfruit Tree.

There, Zhang Nan spotted a massive Razorclaw beneath the Aetherfruit Tree, surrounded by a sizable pack of its kin. It was clear that this was another Razorclaw pack, with the large one under the tree as its alpha.

Zhang Nan leaned over to Lei Zhan and whispered, "Hey, you never mentioned we were walking into a Razorclaw pack. There must be at least thirty of them."

Lei Zhan gave an embarrassed smile and replied, "Razorclaws are pack creatures by nature. I assumed you knew, my apologies. Now, let's focus on our partnership."

"Ah, let's just move on. We've come this far already."

Zhang Nan let out a resigned sigh.

"Much appreciated, young man."

Lei Zhan responded with a grin.

"We're up against thirty Razorclaws. Each of you take on five, and I'll engage the strongest one. You'd better hurry over to back me up. I can only keep it at bay for so long. If it drags on, I won't be able to hold it off."

Lei Zhan surveyed the group as he spoke.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Handling five Razorclaws was no big deal for Zhang Nan.

"Attack!"

At Lei Zhan's command, they all charged forward.

The resting wolf pack sprang to their feet and watched warily as Zhang Nan and the others approached.

"Awoo, awoo."

The Razorclaw with the highest cultivation level let out a howl.