SSS rank Mother-In-Law to an Invincible Family-Chapter 451: Hu Liwei’s Elite Rapid Response Team

Meanwhile, back in the Southern Continent.

The forest wind had stopped moving.

Birds that once chirped above the canopy were silent. Insects that usually buzzed near the roots had vanished.

The Spiritual Qi itself had turned heavy, as if the land was holding its breath.

They were here.

The elite squad stood at the edge of a narrow ridge overlooking a deep basin. There were only six of them.

There were no banners, no flashy armor, and their robes were plain and light, designed for function, not appearance.

But anyone who knew what to look for would notice the subtle silver lining along their sleeves—the mark of Hu Liwei's elite rapid response team.

Their captain stood at the front.

A tall woman, calm-eyed, with short dark hair and a long-handled glaive resting casually across her back. Her name was Hu Qinglan. She didn't talk much. She didn't need to.

Behind her were five others, each quiet, each sharp. They didn't speak. They didn't need to.

They had received their orders less than two hours ago.

A high-ranking beast was on the move.

It wasn't like the others.

This one didn't stumble through traps or roar mindlessly. It had avoided every kill zone set by the Monster Race and the Xu family. It didn't rush. It didn't rage.

It walked.

Straight toward the command center hidden in the southern jungle.

If it reached the heart of the region, the cost would be massive.

That's why they were here.

Hu Qinglan raised a hand.

Everyone stopped.

Below them, the trees parted slowly as something moved.

Not fast.

But it was impossible to miss.

Each step made the soil pulse.

The branches didn't bend—they withered.

And then, it emerged.

It was big.

Taller than any beast they'd fought so far. Its body was wrapped in layers of dark bone and armored scales, its face was hidden behind a plated crest shaped like a twisted crown, and in its chest pulsed a glowing red orb of energy that beat like a second heart.

Its aura wasn't chaotic.

It was focused.

Controlled.

This was not a wild beast.

This was a war creature—bred for destruction.

One of the men behind Hu Qinglan whispered, "Definitely core-level. Might be even higher."

Another replied, "No signature flares. It's suppressing itself."

Hu Qinglan didn't respond. She was already moving.

She stepped down the slope calmly, each movement precise, her glaive held loosely in one hand.

The beast didn't react right away.

It simply turned its head—slowly—and stared at her with glowing yellow eyes.

She stopped ten steps in front of it.

"You're not going any further," she said plainly.

The beast tilted its head.

Then opened its mouth.

It didn't roar.

It spoke.

The words were broken, deep, like two rocks grinding together.

"You… are… in my way."

Hu Qinglan didn't flinch.

"That's the idea."

Without warning, the beast lunged.

It was fast.

Faster than anything that big had the right to be.

But Hu Qinglan didn't back down.

Her glaive spun through the air, catching the strike mid-swing and redirecting the blow to the side.

The impact cracked the ground beneath her feet.

She slid back only a few inches.

Then she moved again—low, sharp, efficient.

The others didn't wait.

The entire team activated in sync.

One vanished from sight entirely—stealth class.

Another leapt into the trees, tossing down a barrage of talismans that sealed the surrounding area, locking in the Spiritual Qi.

A third released a barrier shield, trapping both the beast and their captain inside a shimmering dome.

"No escape," he muttered.

Hu Qinglan and the beast clashed again. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

This time, their strikes lit up the forest.

Glaive met claw, metal against bone, sparks flying in all directions.

But she wasn't fighting to overpower it.

She was watching.

Every movement.

Every delay.

Every twitch.

She was learning its patterns.

It took her thirty seconds to understand it wasn't a typical beast.

It didn't fight wild.

It fought like a soldier.

Trained.

Disciplined.

Which meant it had limits.

And she was going to find them.

Behind her, the rest of the squad moved like gears in a well-oiled machine.

A wind-element cultivator slipped between trees, using gusts to slice at the beast's limbs when it exposed openings.

The stealth operative appeared behind its neck, driving two spirit needles deep into the nerves near its spine. The beast howled—not in pain, but in irritation.

It turned and swung wide.

The stealth operative vanished again.

Hu Qinglan pressed the attack.

Her glaive swept low, then high, then reversed mid-spin to strike upward at the beast's chin.

The blow connected.

Its head jerked back.

She followed with a shoulder slam that knocked it a step off balance.

That was all they needed.

The talisman user shouted, "Marking point!"

A golden rune exploded under the beast's feet, locking it in place for half a second.

The wind cultivator launched a spear of air through its leg.

Another stabbed it through the shoulder.

The stealth operative landed three more hits.

Then Hu Qinglan leapt, twisting mid-air.

Her glaive spun with glowing energy and came down like a falling star.

She struck the beast dead center in the chest.

The red core flared in response, absorbing the blow, but the energy rippled across its entire body.

The beast stumbled.

First one step.

Then another.

Then dropped to one knee.

But it wasn't done.

It let out a pulse—a shockwave of raw force.

The stealth member was thrown back.

The wind cultivator was slammed into a tree.

Even Hu Qinglan was forced to retreat two steps.

The beast stood again, chest heaving.

"You… will not… win…"

Hu Qinglan rolled her shoulder once and exhaled slowly.

Then said, "You already lost the moment you walked into our forest."

She raised her hand.

The last member of the team, silent until now, finished the seal he'd been carving into the ground.

The Earth cracked.

Dozens of silver spikes shot up around the beast, locking into a perfect ring.

The talismans lit.

The trap was complete.

A flash of light burst from the formation—blinding, sharp, and suffocating.

When it cleared, the beast was still alive.

But it wasn't moving.

Its limbs were bound.

It's Qi sealed.

And its core flickered weakly.