Chapter Fifty-Nine: A Fierce Confrontation

Killing intent—an icy, marrow-piercing killing intent!

Just as the martial artists who had dealt with the Wild Rhinoceros Sect finally breathed a sigh of relief, they felt the murderous aura boiling from Yang Li. His expression was cold and ruthless as he fixed his gaze on Luo Hao, eyes filled with contempt and cruelty.

Many martial artists instinctively edged away from the two. Even Xue Yue of the Limitless Sword Sect and the yellow-robed middle-aged man from the Western Hills retreated in silence, clearly unwilling to get involved any further.

“I told you—once the Wild Rhinoceros were dealt with, your life would be mine. I didn’t expect you not to flee. Seems I underestimated you.” As Yang Li spoke, clad in his black robe, he strode toward Luo Hao.

His tall figure was grave, but the robe concealed any change in his demeanor; only the icy, bloodthirsty light in his eyes betrayed the darkness within.

Facing Yang Li, Luo Hao’s lips curled with his signature wicked grin. He laughed, “You talk too much. How about I give you an hour to rest, so you don’t make excuses when you lose and refuse to admit defeat? After all, it’s my first time dealing with beasts.”

Provocation—undisguised, absolute provocation!

The onlookers were appalled. How could a rookie at the Qi Spirit Realm dare such audacity? He’d just called Yang Li a beast—implying the entire Myriad Demon Sect was nothing more. This was an insult none had ever dared express so openly before.

“This boy must be mad.” Xue Yue of the Limitless Sword Sect was first shocked, then shook his head. Though many forces in the Northwest disdained the Myriad Demon Sect’s cultivation as heretical and inhuman, no one had ever dared speak so directly. The Myriad Demon Sect’s legacy was ancient and unfathomable; none could claim to know its true depths.

Moreover, if there was one thing the Myriad Demon Sect loathed above all, it was being compared to animals. Luo Hao’s remark would surely have dire consequences.

Many martial artists looked at Luo Hao with sympathy. Even the seven disciples of the Heavenly Sea Sect behind him were grim-faced. Were it not for his timely assistance just now, they might already have distanced themselves from him.

The seven stared bitterly at Luo Hao’s back. Couldn’t their senior be a little less reckless? The Myriad Demon Sect outnumbered them, and head-on confrontation brought only disaster. If he kept this up, he’d have no friends left.

A mountain wind swept through the pass, chilling the crowd. Suddenly, a wave of freezing, sinister energy burst from Yang Li’s body.

Crack! Crack!

The ground around Yang Li was instantly coated with blue frost, spreading outward like a tidal wave, chilling to the soul. All except Xue Yue and the yellow-robed man felt a trembling in their very spirits.

Black spiritual power, demonic and oppressive, enveloped Yang Li. In the darkness, he resembled a fiend walking through the night, his face twisted with fury, rage at its peak.

“You little beast, what a venomous heart. Today, you will not be spared.” His voice was rough and grating, filled with murderous intent. He knew full well that Luo Hao’s words had cursed the entire Myriad Demon Sect—how could he, as a disciple, tolerate it?

“Venomous? Hmph. I could never compare to your deliberate malice. Enough talk—those who wish to live, get lost!” Luo Hao’s voice rang out, thunderous to the disciples behind Yang Li, as if lightning had exploded in their ears.

Arrogance!

Many Myriad Demon Sect disciples bristled at Luo Hao’s rebuke. When had they ever feared anyone? When had they ever suffered such disdain?

Behind Yang Li, one shadow could no longer restrain himself. Like a phantom, he shot toward Luo Hao, a torrent of spiritual power surging forth like a breached river, a black wave sweeping across.

“Whoever insults my sect must die.” The attacker’s growl was low, his endless spiritual power crashing over Luo Hao like a dark tide.

A sickening sound.

“So you do understand what it means to honor your sect—shame you chose the wrong one.” As the crowd wondered if Luo Hao had survived, a calm voice echoed from within the black wave.

Then, a dazzling golden light burst forth—a golden palm tore through the darkness and, with thunderous force, struck the attacking figure.

Bang!

The golden palm landed squarely on the man’s chest. In that instant, he had no chance to evade; blood spurted from his mouth as he was hurled backward like a broken kite, crashing into the black stone where the Wild Rhinoceros had stood.

Crack!

The stone shattered, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface before it exploded. Amidst the debris, the attacker lay unconscious, blood seeping from his lips.

The black energy dissipated, revealing Luo Hao’s slender figure—calm, untouched, not a single mark on his robe.

All the martial artists were dumbfounded. With a single strike, he’d felled a Qi Spirit Realm eighth-stage cultivator with ease.

Behind Luo Hao, the Heavenly Sea Sect disciples couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of their mouths, silently mourning their fallen foe. To challenge this fiend at the eighth stage was to court disaster.

The uninitiated saw a spectacle; the experts saw the truth. Xue Yue and the yellow-robed man exchanged grave glances at Luo Hao. The force behind that strike far exceeded their expectations—so fierce, so righteous, so domineering it seemed capable of shattering heaven and earth. Even they sensed danger.

“Insolent whelp!” Seeing his fellow disciple fall, Yang Li’s expression twisted with madness. His eyes reddened, he roared, black spiritual power surging in his palm, striking at Luo Hao with a force that seemed to pierce the void itself.

The terrifying gust made even Luo Hao’s tempered body ache. The demonic power, a hybrid force, was tyrannical indeed.

Facing such an opponent, Luo Hao dared not be careless—especially since his foe was at the Blood Convergence Realm, though whether mid or late stage he could not say.

A dragon’s roar resounded from Luo Hao’s spine, ancient and deep. Its primeval aura shook the hearts of all present, as if they’d been transported to some distant, blood-soaked age.

A killing intent like an abyss swept out from Luo Hao, and faintly, the crowd saw the shadow of a true dragon rise behind him—soaring across the heavens, draconic might shaking the world, eyes like stars gazing down upon the wild continent.

With a mighty shout, Luo Hao’s body blazed forth like an eternal divine ray, meeting Yang Li head-on. His form was as a dragon, golden dragon force surging like a boundless sea. The spectators could almost hear the roar of the waves.

Monstrous!

The crowd was aghast. What immense power—could such terrifying energy truly belong to a Qi Spirit Realm cultivator? The Heavenly Sea Sect disciples merely smirked; if this startled them, what came next would surely terrify them.

As all watched in shock, a fist shrouded in ancient, noble golden light burst forth from Luo Hao, like a blazing sun, striking straight at Yang Li. The punch soared like an eagle, rolled like a dragon, rending the void, hurricane winds tearing through, destruction sweeping the field.

Bang!

The divine sun’s radiance collided with the surging demonic power, a furious clash of titans. For a moment, the world fell silent, all eyes fixed on the two battling figures.

Boom!

The void trembled violently—a thunderous crash sounded between Luo Hao and Yang Li, and then a terrifying shockwave, like a once-in-an-era cosmic tide, swept out from their clash.

The onlookers felt the press of death itself and retreated a hundred paces, hearts still pounding in fear. Even Xue Yue and the yellow-robed man, themselves Blood Convergence cultivators, were aghast at the apocalyptic battle before them.

The mountain path erupted, boulders exploding, dust blotting out the sky, gales rampaging like ancient beasts. The entire road became a battlefield of hellish fury—so chaotic that even Xue Yue and the others could see nothing of what transpired within.