Chapter 96: Fang Zhan

A wet tearing sound rang out, and the black serpent was instantly split in two by the descending blade. Its blood sprayed over Lin Hao’s snow-white robes, staining them red.

“It seems sharper now... Could it be that certain special demonic beasts can enhance the blade’s edge?” Lin Hao murmured, watching the blade hover near the serpent’s corpse as it continued to devour the blood. After collecting the beast core, he called the blade back and strode onward.

What Lin Hao did not know was that not long after he left, a jade-faced youth radiating a formidable aura stepped out. Looking at the withered remains of the giant black serpent, the youth’s expression turned peculiar as he muttered to himself, “This man’s combat strength is not bad. What a pity... he is not worthy of that woman.”

With that, he set off in the direction Lin Hao had taken.

“His magical treasure is rather unusual.” At the same time, high above the secret realm outside the Azure Lake, the middle-aged man of the Fang family looked down at Lin Hao weaving through the forest below, his eyes flashing with thought. He let out a soft exclamation.

“It is indeed decent. It’s a pity your family’s boy has set his sights on him. I fear he will not keep his life. Still, is this fellow not one of the Ji family boy’s followers?” The leisurely old man beside him glanced at Lin Hao below, then looked in surprise at the black-robed man with the strange aura, smiling as he spoke.

“That boy is merely acquainted with the young master. The young master has never needed anyone to follow him.” The black-robed man with the eerie aura gave a cold snort and answered unhappily.

“Oh?” The old man seemed amused and chuckled lightly. “If your young master is so formidable, why are you here guarding his path?”

“Old Yin, are you looking for trouble?” The black-robed man’s eyes turned icy at those words. He stared hard at the teasing old man, his hoarse voice coming out in clipped syllables.

“And if I am?”

The old man still appeared relaxed, as though he held the man in no regard at all.

“You two should stop. If you fight here in this place, the disgrace will not be yours alone. If you want to fight, wait until the secret realm ends in a month. Find a deserted place and settle it yourselves.” The middle-aged man frowned slightly as he looked at the two men bristling at each other and spoke coolly.

At that, the black-robed man gave a cold snort and said no more. The old man also narrowed his eyes, glanced thoughtfully at the middle-aged man, then stretched lazily and continued watching the image below, no one knowing what he was thinking.

Meanwhile, at the mountain gate of Celestial Mystic Sect, deep beneath the Yin Mountain in the underground palace, an exquisitely beautiful woman in plain white stood quietly. Her gaze seemed able to pierce endless mountains and rivers as she stared fixedly into the darkness above. Within her eyes, endless threads of deduction flowed, as though she could decipher all things in the world.

Beside her lay a deep, bone-chilling cold pool, and at its center floated a green lotus. Boundless vitality emanated from it, giving off a terrifyingly powerful feeling.

“It is almost time...” After a long while, the woman’s lashes trembled slightly, and the brilliance of deduction in her eyes gradually faded. She looked toward the green lotus in the cold pool beside her, and a trace of melancholy seemed to surface in her expression. With a soft sigh, she murmured, “This time, with the fate pattern opening... it is also nearly time for me to leave...”

“I wonder whether I can, as that person said... bring forth hope...”

At the same time, outside the foundation-establishment secret realm of the three sects, about a hundred li away in a mountain valley, a white-robed young man who looked refined as jade stood silently. Beside him was an old woman with an extremely strange aura. If Lin Hao were here, he would certainly recognize the young man at a glance: it was Chen Ping.

At this moment, Chen Ping’s aura was extremely peculiar, seeming to be at the foundation-establishment stage, yet not quite. Upon closer sensing, there was indeed a terrifying fluctuation of power within him, but it did not seem to be something he could truly control.

“Master...” Chen Ping bowed respectfully to the old woman before him, his voice gentle as he spoke. The old woman let out two eerie laughs, then said in a hoarse voice like iron scraping against iron, “That old fellow from Celestial Mystic Sect does not have much time left. The method cultivated by the old ghost Zhong is flawed as well, and he will surely seize the body of the person you mentioned during this period.

This time, the two of us must cooperate and strike when they let their guard down. I can kill the old ghost Duan. As for this boy, you will have to handle him yourself.”

“This disciple understands.” Chen Ping bowed once more and slowly withdrew.

Crack, crackle...

Not long after setting out, Lin Hao also reached a woodland filled with crackling lightning. The trees here were lush and dense, yet all were flickering with snapping arcs of electricity. Sensing the faint numbness and tingling rising from the ground, Lin Hao’s eyes grew solemn.

“Not far ahead should be that black thunder mountain... I just wonder whether I can break through here...” As Lin Hao thought to himself, a youth with a face as handsome as jade appeared behind him. A noble bearing flowed from his body, and the aura of perfect qi condensation subtly surged, as though he were looking down on Lin Hao like a servant.

“What brings you here?” Seeing this person, Lin Hao’s eyes flashed with caution. He remained on guard in his heart and spoke calmly. The moment this man appeared, Lin Hao had already guessed most of it. Fang Zhan must have been tailing him for quite some time and had certainly come with some purpose.

“Nothing. Only to kill you.” Fang Zhan smiled faintly at Lin Hao, as if Lin Hao were fish on a chopping block, waiting only to be slaughtered. It was the confidence of one utterly assured in his own strength.

To speak plainly, the Fang family was a famed martial clan in the eastern region. And Fang Zhan happened to be the second strongest of the younger generation in the Fang family. One must know that the Fang family had long been renowned for martial arts, and its martial techniques were naturally incomparably formidable. Most of its disciples began cultivating top-tier martial arts from childhood. That Fang Zhan could rank second among countless martial prodigies showed just how refined his arts were and how formidable his combat strength was.

Moreover, as the second son of the Fang family’s younger generation, Fang Zhan was the sort of figure who would be the center of attention wherever he went. Whatever he wanted, the clan would do its utmost to satisfy him. Over time, this had fostered his present somewhat domineering temperament.

“Then go and die,” Lin Hao said. Hearing those words, his mood soured immediately. Killing intent flashed in his eyes as he stepped forward, the Heavenly Punishment battle blade condensing in his hand and drawing in a vast amount of spiritual energy from heaven and earth into his body. Then, as his second step landed, his aura erupted violently. The instant frost-cold intent gathered, an illusory force suddenly manifested around his body.

“Interesting...” Fang Zhan’s eyes glittered when he sensed the illusory force around Lin Hao. A surge of white light abruptly rose around him. At the same time, Lin Hao stepped out with fierce momentum and suddenly appeared at Fang Zhan’s side, slashing toward his neck. Yet Fang Zhan raised a hand and blocked it.

Thud!

Only a muffled impact sounded. Lin Hao’s heart sank, and he immediately turned and sprang away, fleeing straight toward the thunder mountain. Looking closely, the blow from the Heavenly Punishment blade had only torn Fang Zhan’s clothing and left a bloody line on his arm.

“You injured me by even a fraction. Unforgivable... but this blade can actually break my body-refining technique...” As the white glow around Fang Zhan gradually faded, he raised a brow and, with murderous intent flashing in his star-like eyes, pursued Lin Hao at once.

To this point, Fang Zhan had fought many people, and while he was not famous solely because of this technique, whenever he used it, his opponents would usually be defeated in no time. He had always been very confident in its power, but today it had actually been broken by Lin Hao, and so he began to take Lin Hao more seriously.

“It couldn’t even sever the Heavenly Punishment blade. Just how strong is this man’s body...” Lin Hao did not dare be careless. He fled desperately toward the thunder mountain, shooting a hurried glance back at Fang Zhan behind him, his face darkening.

Since obtaining the Heavenly Punishment blade, this was the first time such a thing had happened. Even when facing those magical treasures of high-grade qi condensation in the past, they had all shattered beneath the blade’s strike. Yet this man was able to forcibly withstand it with his body alone. That could only mean one of two things: either his physical strength had already reached foundation-establishment level, or it was the powerful white light emanating from him. Or perhaps both...

The blade’s sharpness was beyond doubt, but to bring that sharpness to its fullest, one also needed the corresponding realm. The difference in realms now began to show itself.

“I can’t worry about that anymore...” Seeing Fang Zhan drawing ever closer, Lin Hao also felt some panic. He took out more than a dozen fruits from his storage pouch and swallowed them in huge bites. If Lin Hao had relied on his body, his arts, and the Heavenly Punishment blade’s sharpness to defeat Chen Ping, then before Fang Zhan now, all of his advantages were utterly gone.

Although the two had exchanged only a single strike, Lin Hao had already seen through the matter clearly with his intelligence. What noble family scion of the eastern region would employ crude techniques? Added to Fang Zhan’s formidable physique, there was no need for further probing. If Lin Hao fought him to the death, he would certainly die.

Under the stimulation of that intense life-and-death peril, blood丝 faintly appeared in Lin Hao’s eyes. As the fruits entered his mouth and transformed into endless pure spiritual energy surging into his body, the qi-condensation sea in his dantian, long settled and still, suddenly began to roil, and an aura far stronger than before followed at once.

Qi condensation, eighth level, break through!

Enter demonization!

As large amounts of black filth poured from his pores, Lin Hao had no time to clean himself. Madness spread within his bloodshot eyes as he turned and took two steps toward the pursuing Fang Zhan, then smashed out a punch.

The instant the second step of the spirit-immortal technique formed, an incomparably powerful aura shot skyward. Coupled with the domineering intent of the Enter Demon Punch, Fang Zhan’s pupils constricted sharply. This technique was no weaker than his clan’s martial arts techniques in the slightest. With Lin Hao’s qi-condensation eighth level cultivation, it was enough to pose a threat to him.

“Army Before Me!”

Sensing the terrifying aura coming from Lin Hao, Fang Zhan’s killing intent flared. The white light around him burst forth in an instant, searing heat radiating outward as he launched a full-force punch at Lin Hao.

Boom!!!

A heaven-shaking explosion rang out. Fang Zhan was forced back three steps, blood and energy surging within him. Lin Hao, however, was sent flying backward by that fist.

Crack...

“Only at the peak of qi condensation, at least, can one fight him...” Lin Hao gave Fang Zhan a cold look. Though blood welled in his throat, he still borrowed the force to flick his body and flee straight toward the thunder mountain.

What Lin Hao failed to notice was that, under the intense life-and-death peril and the tremors of blood and energy from before, the Dao seed quietly resting within his dantian had begun to circulate. It released a small amount of restorative power, continuously mending his body...

“You cannot escape!” Fang Zhan coldly watched the direction Lin Hao fled, and murder flashed in his eyes as an odd force suddenly appeared beneath his feet. His speed surged violently.

“Wind-Riding Art, Thunder Bolt Draw!” As that cold, domineering voice rang out, Fang Zhan’s aura suddenly erupted into a storm, closing the distance in an instant. As waves of formidable power spread outward, the lightning atop the thunder mountain was actually drawn toward his body, as if it were exceedingly docile and willing to obey his command. Terrifying power gathered as he pressed a punch down toward Lin Hao.

Enter demonization!

Lin Hao’s sharp instincts detected Fang Zhan drawing near. Feeling the terrifying thunderous force emanating from Fang Zhan’s right fist, madness rose in Lin Hao’s eyes. He stepped out with the spirit-immortal second step, boundless domineering intent flooding forth as he smashed head-on into the attack.

Boom!!!

A violently explosive crash rang out, and Lin Hao’s body was once again sent flying backward. Fang Zhan also spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered back several steps.

Crack...

Feeling the searing pain of lightning invading his body, Lin Hao’s internal organs seemed as though they had been shattered. He endured the heart-rending agony and struggled to rise, only to realize that he had already reached that open area filled with crackling light.

“There is still a sliver of hope...” Lin Hao frantically urged the indestructible Dao seed within him. As his injuries rapidly steadied, he forced himself up and hurried toward the thunder mountain.

“Using lightning to temper resistance... this technique is inferior to the Thunder Bolt Draw of the Fang family...” Lin Hao’s face was exceedingly dark. He shot an unwilling glance at Fang Zhan closing in behind him, his eyes now completely bloodshot. This opponent was simply too strong. In every respect, he utterly overwhelmed him. Even with the Heavenly Punishment blade’s boundless sharpness, Lin Hao could not fully wield it!

He raged inwardly all the more. He had no enmity with this man, yet at first sight Fang Zhan meant to take his life. It was truly outrageous!!!

“I can’t worry about anything else!” A trace of resolve flashed through Lin Hao’s eyes. As he desperately urged the Dao seed onward, he swallowed those glowing fruits one after another as though he knew neither hunger nor fullness, like a man who had gone years without food. The instant the vast spiritual energy poured into his body, the spiritual sea in his dantian rapidly condensed!

That was not all. After finishing those more than a dozen pale, glowing fruits, Lin Hao flipped his hand and swallowed large amounts of mushrooms crackling with electricity. Together with the herbs he had picked up earlier whose use he did not even know, he chewed twice and swallowed them all at once!

“This is...” Pursuing and killing from behind, Fang Zhan naturally noticed Lin Hao’s actions. When he clearly saw what Lin Hao was holding, even he was shaken, and his pupils contracted sharply as a trace of greed surfaced faintly in his eyes.

Giant Spirit Fruit! Lightning-Condensing Mushroom! Such rare treasures, and they had actually fallen into this man’s hands!!