Chapter Ninety-Two: Long Time No See
Spiritual awakening! The Azure Crystal Lotus at the heart of the lake had gained sentience!
An ancient herb awakening—what did this signify? Perhaps warriors at the Blood-Gathering Realm would not fully comprehend, but the silver-haired elder, Black Flood Dragon King, and the others understood perfectly. It meant that, given enough time, this ancient herb could hope to grow into a Medicine King.
A Medicine King! The Medicine King is a treasure so rare it might not appear for tens of thousands of years!
The value of a Medicine King far exceeds its medicinal properties. Each Medicine King has withstood the baptism of ages, containing fragments of the Dao of Heaven and Earth within its body.
Human martial arts, demon arts, immortal arts, devil arts—all cultivation among the myriad races is a pursuit of the Dao. Yet the Dao is infinite, ethereal, and unattainable, beyond the reach of mortals. Thus, possessing a Medicine King is akin to having the Dao accompany you at every moment.
“Who would have thought we’d be outwitted by an ancient herb?” The silver-haired elder suddenly took a swig of wine and laughed. All of them were seasoned veterans, and upon thinking through the events, they immediately saw the underlying mystery.
Black Flood Dragon King glanced at the masked Luo Hao and then burst out laughing. “Ha ha ha! An awakened ancient herb is comparable to a half-step Medicine King. Excellent! I must have it. Anyone who wishes to die may try to compete with me!”
Boom!
The Black Flood Dragon King, who had only his head above the lake, suddenly surged out like a dragon rising from the water. In an instant, a shadow enveloped everyone, his hundred-zhang-long body coiling in midair like a black fortress.
The oppressive force of his massive body made the void emit a sharp, grinding sound, as if the space itself could barely withstand his presence.
“You little reptile, let’s see whose methods are superior! I, for one, will not hand over this half Medicine King so easily,” the silver-haired elder retorted, his lazy demeanor vanishing. For the first time, his expression turned serious, and he tucked his wine gourd at his waist.
Whoosh!
The void exploded. Above the lake, the silver-haired elder charged straight for the Azure Crystal Lotus, now within arm’s reach. Elder Qingyang followed closely, while the Black Flood Dragon King’s enormous form shrank into a streak of black light, shooting forward.
The two elders and the beast raced ahead, leaving the others far behind—their superiority was unmistakable. Luo Hao gritted his teeth and his feet flashed with golden light as he hurried after them; for the sake of Xiao Hei, he had to fight, even if outmatched.
“You, a mere boy not even at the Blood-Gathering Realm, dare to vie for this half Medicine King?” A middle-aged man from West Yue Hills threw a punch at Luo Hao without hesitation.
The terrifying force of the punch pierced the void, its wind carrying lethal intent. An intense sense of danger surged, but Luo Hao did not dodge; instead, he sped headlong into the middle-aged man’s attack.
Seeing Luo Hao’s reckless charge, the man sneered with disdain. In his view, Luo Hao was nothing but an ant—he could not possibly escape this fatal blow.
With grim resolve, Luo Hao’s nerves tightened to the utmost. “The time has come—risk it all!”
A low roar in his heart, golden light burst forth as Luo Hao unleashed the crude Dragon Concealment Eight Steps with all his might. The Twin Dragons Dominance Art coursed through his body, draconic power surged.
A blurred dragon pattern flickered beneath his feet, and then, to the middle-aged man’s shock, Luo Hao vanished. The man’s killing blow struck nothing.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
As the man recovered, a shadow suddenly enveloped him—a furious Purple-Winged Thunder Python roared, its eyes blazing, purple lightning wings vibrating. Endless purple thunder fell, transforming into a sea of lightning that crashed down upon him.
“You ruthless brat! You—” The man’s words were cut short as his figure was swallowed by the sea of thunder.
In fact, Luo Hao’s figure had blocked the Purple-Winged Thunder Python behind him, so the man’s killing punch, due to Luo Hao’s strange disappearance, landed directly on the python.
Even for a Tier Three beast, a killing punch from a Tiangang Realm warrior was hard to endure, especially since the python was caught off guard.
“You call me ruthless? Compared to you, I am far less so.” Not far from the sea of thunder, Luo Hao appeared in the void, breathing heavily, his face pale, blood streaming from his body. Clearly, evading the fatal blow had come at a cost.
He quickly took a spirit herb to suppress his injuries, then seized the chance while the python battled the man, surging forward.
The ferocious sea of thunder not only trapped the man but also blocked the pursuing martial artists. The clash between a Tier Three beast and a Tiangang Realm warrior was like a battle of gods to most Blood-Gathering Realm fighters. Only Yan Longyuan, clad in white, and Sikong Xuan pressed forward without hesitation.
“The Twin Masters of Tianhai are truly formidable—worthy of their reputation!” Seeing Yan Longyuan and Sikong Xuan disappear into the sea of thunder, the human warriors behind them sighed with envy.
As Luo Hao sped ahead, he suddenly sensed a cold, serpentine killing intent. Before him stood a figure with a pale face and crimson-stained lips—none other than Zuo Qingfeng, the Third Elder of the Wildfire Sect, repeatedly humiliated by the Black Flood Dragon King.
Luo Hao knew his appearance spelled trouble.
“Ant-like brat, die!” Zuo Qingfeng’s pale face twisted with rage; if not for Luo Hao, he would not have suffered humiliation twice at the hands of the Black Flood Dragon King. Fueled by boundless fury, Zuo Qingfeng slammed his palm down toward Luo Hao.
Boom!
The void emitted a muffled thunderous sound. Luo Hao’s pupils contracted as a terrifying gale, sharp as blades, swept forth from the void before him.
In an instant, Luo Hao was knocked back dozens of meters. He roared, “You old bastard! Bullying me with your higher cultivation—go die!”
With a furious shout, he countered with a punch against the incoming palm strike. Ancient, noble golden power erupted from his fist.
Roar!
A tiger’s roar resounded through the forest—a thunderous growl burst from his golden fist, and a peerless fierce tiger leapt forth, its savage might shaking the void.
The Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain—second move of the Final Tiger Art. At this moment, Luo Hao unleashed it with all his strength, reaching a peak in both momentum and power, outshining ordinary martial arts.
Bang!
The peerless tiger roared, tearing forward to shred everything. Zuo Qingfeng’s terrifying palm collided violently with the tiger. Boundless spiritual power spread, even the burning black earth flames atop Lake Tianxing were scattered.
Step, step, step, step!
In the clash, Luo Hao was forced back repeatedly, his throat flooded with the taste of blood, which he swallowed forcibly. A hundred meters away, he stared solemnly at Zuo Qingfeng. Though weakened by the Black Flood Dragon King, Zuo Qingfeng as a Tiangang Realm warrior was more than enough to deal with someone at the Qi Spirit Realm.
“Die!”
Suddenly, Zuo Qingfeng shouted, and a strange power imprisoned the void. Luo Hao felt his body sink, then a blue figure flashed before his eyes.
Spurt!
Blood splattered. Before Luo Hao could react, a terrifying force exploded in his chest, caving in his sternum, and he was flung aside. Zuo Qingfeng stepped forward, his blue figure vanishing again.
Cough, cough, cough, cough!
Struggling to steady himself, Luo Hao barely managed to stand as the blue figure grew larger in his eyes. Zuo Qingfeng’s face, filled with chilling murderous intent, twisted into a cold smile. He thrust out his palm, summoning boundless flames—a vast sea of fire surged toward Luo Hao.
“No, I cannot die—Mengli, Xiao Hei are waiting for me.” Luo Hao knew he could not withstand this fatal blow, but he could not give up.
Whoosh!
At that moment, two figures shot out from behind Luo Hao. Two immense spiritual forces clashed head-on with the raging sea of fire.
Thunder roared, yellow light flashed, and the deadly fire was neutralized by these two powers. A storm of spiritual energy ravaged the void, cyclones howling like giant serpents coiling about.
Zuo Qingfeng’s confident killing strike was thus dissolved. Luo Hao was dumbfounded, and as the storm subsided, he saw two backs standing before him.
The two figures were like pillars holding up the sky, unshakable, blocking the storm completely. No matter how wildly the tempest raged, it could not breach their defense.
In the next moment, one of them turned slightly and said in a low voice, “It’s been half a year—truly a long time, brother!”