In his new quarters.
Having an individual standalone building truly was wonderful. No one disturbed him; the nearest small building was several hundred meters away, and none of the surrounding houses had been claimed.
Right now, Li Hao brought out the embroidery needle—the Fire Phoenix Spear.
The spear soon expanded back to its full length, yet it remained dull and lusterless.
Looking at the dim Fire Phoenix Spear, Li Hao immediately frowned.
It had actually sealed itself off!
He took out a divine energy stone, but the spear gave no reaction whatsoever.
Chief Steward Yu had said that once sealed, only Hou Xiaochen could reactivate it.
That was troublesome.
If he went to Hou Xiaochen and said, *I want to activate your Fire Phoenix Spear so I can fight against your intent and momentum to gain some enlightenment; would you mind?*
Li Hao worried Hou Xiaochen would beat him to death.
“Why shut yourself down?”
Li Hao muttered to himself as he pulled a sword—a relatively short dagger-sized blade—from his boot.
He lightly tapped the Fire Phoenix Spear with it. The spear seemed to shudder.
Li Hao sighed. “It’s not like I said I’d chop you in half. You’re Director Hou’s weapon; would I dare? I just wanted to activate you so I could see the fire phoenix. Why did you seal yourself?”
*Clang, clang, clang!*
The small sword tapped lightly, producing a series of metallic chimes.
The Fire Phoenix Spear remained dull and dark.
Wearing a troubled expression, Li Hao mumbled, “I heard the Fire Phoenix Spear is of an extremely high grade. My Starry Sky Sword severed the Shadow Snake Sword earlier and devoured its soul. I wonder if it could cut through you too? Probably not, right?
“They say you’re a Heaven-rank Origin God Armament, terrifyingly powerful.”
The Fire Phoenix Spear seemed to tremble slightly.
Li Hao sighed once more. “Forget it, since you won't activate... I’ll just hack at you a few times to satisfy my itch and return you later. If you break, no one will believe I did it anyway. I don’t have the strength to break the Fire Phoenix Spear, so it must be a counterfeit!”
“...”
The instant Li Hao raised the small sword, a flush of fiery red bloomed across the Fire Phoenix Spear!
Li Hao’s eyes flickered, and he broke into a grin. “Impressive!”
Truly impressive!
This Fire Phoenix Spear could genuinely hear human speech—or at least comprehend human intent.
The soul of a weapon!
He had seen the Shadow Snake Sword before. Inside it was the shadow of a serpent. When that phantom manifested and Li Hao struck it with his sword, the little snake had seemed to understand; at the very least, Li Hao had sensed fear in it at that moment.
Earlier, after he dripped his blood onto it, the Fire Phoenix Spear had sealed itself.
Li Hao had suspected then that this weapon might possess sentience!
It could understand and perceive.
Sure enough, the thing truly understood.
In truth, Li Hao still felt a jolt of shock. A weapon could actually understand human speech? What was that about?
If weapons truly possessed souls... wouldn’t that mean they might be alive?
It was simply mind-boggling!
Furthermore, why did each of these weapons harbor the shadow of some demon beast?
Like the fire phoenix, or the shadow snake from before...
And on Ziyue’s Thunder God Armor, there also seemed to be the silhouette of a lightning demon beast.
What in the world were these things?
A kind of momentum?
Or a kind of will?
Li Hao did not quite get it, nor did he understand.
Could it be... weapons forged from demon beasts?
At this thought, Li Hao was reminded of the Black Panther, who might already be dead. If he forged the Black Panther into a weapon, would that weapon bear the silhouette of a dog in the future?
*My poor Black Panther... after consuming so many of my resources, you just vanished like that.*
Li Hao let out a sigh!
Still, that dog was smart. Li Hao figured it might not necessarily be dead; it could have simply run away. After all, when it followed them around, Yuan Shuo had constantly talked about eating it, which might have terrified the beast.
His thoughts had leaped from the Fire Phoenix Spear straight to the Black Panther.
Looking back at the glowing red spear, Li Hao gripped it and suddenly thrust forward. The empty air boomed. Solely based on its physical material, it was extraordinarily sturdy, piercing straight through the air with a single jab.
A wisp of fire energy leaked out, bringing a burning sensation.
A formidable weapon indeed!
At least more potent than the small sword right now... Of course, the small sword had always been sealed; Li Hao still believed the sword was superior, or why else would the Fire Phoenix Spear be afraid of it?
Holding the spear, Li Hao stood in silence.
In this moment, he seemed to embody Hou Xiaochen, stepping into Hou Xiaochen’s shoes to perceive something. Yet after a few moments, Li Hao shook his head and lowered the spear. Without being activated, the Fire Phoenix Spear revealed almost nothing.
Only that faint trace of latent killing intent held any promise.
*South Fist said that activating the Fire Phoenix Spear might let me sense Hou Xiaochen’s intent and momentum. At the very least, that spear strike Hou Xiaochen used to kill Red Hair a few days ago should still linger within...*
Li Hao pondered. What was Hou Xiaochen’s momentum?
Was he still a martial master?
If he was no longer a martial master, but purely a supernatural beyond Rising Light, could he still manifest momentum?
*Spear momentum?*
Li Hao turned the thought over. Divine energy stones were extraordinarily precious. If he fed one to the Fire Phoenix Spear and gained nothing, it would be a colossal waste.
Stamping his foot lightly, Li Hao inspected the floorboards... and nodded in deep satisfaction.
The buildings here were not ordinary.
Hou Xiaochen must have used public resources for personal gain, employing supernaturals to construct this base. Li Hao had noticed yesterday that the floor tiles here were far sturdier than those outside.
Yesterday, when he slammed a Thousand-Battler into the ground, a normal paved floor would have caved in more than ten meters deep; here, the impact had only cratered a single meter.
Sure enough, this house was the same—most likely built by an earth-element supernatural using their powers.
Very sturdy, very fine.
Looking at the Fire Phoenix Spear in his hand again, Li Hao suddenly spoke: “Can you display Hou Xiaochen’s spirit intent and momentum? How about letting me take a look?”
The Fire Phoenix Spear remained silent.
Li Hao picked up the Starry Sky Sword and sighed. “Guess not. Let me try slashing you with a sword strike; maybe that'll draw it out!”
The spear still made no sound.
Li Hao raised an eyebrow. In an instant, sword momentum manifested as he brought the blade down...
Before the strike could land, the Fire Phoenix Spear vanished, reappearing several meters away, hovering in midair.
Li Hao chuckled. As he laughed, he felt a twinge of awe. “Is a weapon having a soul truly a good thing?”
A weapon with a soul might protect its master, but it could just as easily turn on them!
That was not necessarily a blessing!
“Looks like you can’t run away, huh? You can only move this far?”
Li Hao grinned. “How about this: I’ll feed you a divine energy stone, and you fight me once? If you fight well, I’ll feed you more. If you do poorly... I’ll hack you to pieces with the Starry Sky Sword!”
Saying so, Li Hao added, “Ordinary sword momentum might not cut through you, but I know a rather peculiar sword momentum... the Sever Self Sword, or perhaps the Longevity Sword?”
In the next breath, Li Hao’s sword momentum surged!
In that split second, he channeled the sword strike from his memories, one that felt capable of piercing the heavens!
The Fire Phoenix Spear, which had merely been hovering, suddenly shook violently and vanished without a trace.
Li Hao’s expression changed. *It ran away?*
*Holy shit!*
*If it escapes, I’m finished! Hou Xiaochen will beat me to death.*
He rushed outside. As soon as he burst out, he heard a *bang* as the Fire Phoenix Spear crashed to the ground. It seemed unable to travel too far from Li Hao. He was somewhat surprised—this thing could flee, but his previous blood-dripping seemed to have constrained the radius it could wander.
It couldn't stray too far from him.
Interesting!
He scooped up the spear, which was still shivering.
Evidently, Li Hao’s display just now had genuinely terrified the weapon.
The Longevity Sword, the Starry Sky Sword...
When those two things came together, the Fire Phoenix Spear still quaked in fear.
“Keep running!”
Li Hao had noticed its reaction, and he laughed. “Seems you antique weapons have seen a thing or two—you recognize my ancestor’s sword strike. Now do you think I can chop you in half?”
The Fire Phoenix Spear shuddered once, seemingly in reply.
It believed him!
Li Hao’s eyes shifted. “Fire Phoenix Spear, were you really a phoenix in the past? Did phoenixes truly exist? In the ancient civilization era, were there really mythical beasts like giant dragons and phoenixes?”
The spear shuddered once again, as if confirming that they did.
Li Hao stroked his chin. “Then, Fire Phoenix Spear, were you powerful in the past?”
Another single tremor.
Li Hao deduced that one tremor meant yes—it believed itself to be very strong?
“Then compared to my Starry Sky Sword, are you stronger?”
“...”
This time, the Fire Phoenix Spear trembled twice.
Li Hao was overjoyed!
*Holy crap, this spear really can respond to people!* Clearly, it considered the Starry Sky Sword superior.
Li Hao was thrilled. If this thing could respond, did that mean... it could revive on its own without needing him to feed it divine energy stones?
Well, that was all Li Hao cared about right now.
As for the Starry Sky Sword being stronger, Li Hao had never doubted it.
His own ancestor had undoubtedly been an extraordinary figure!
Just the sheer sword momentum alone was terrifying.
The Fire Phoenix Spear had never given him such a feeling.
“Who’s stronger, Director Hou or me?”
Li Hao asked. The spear remained motionless.
It probably didn't know how to answer.
“Am I stronger than Director Hou?”
The spear trembled twice—a negative response without the slightest hesitation. It clearly thought Li Hao was dreaming.
“Is Director Hou a martial master?”
This time the spear did not move at all. Li Hao frowned. What did no movement mean?
A thought struck him, and he asked, “Did Director Hou tread the path of energy?”
This time, the spear trembled—once, twice...
Negative!
The path of energy was the supernatural path, a term Li Hao had heard from the Silver Warrior. In the ancient civilization era, that was likely what it was called, whereas the Fire Phoenix Spear might not understand the term “supernatural.”
Of course, it was hard to say for sure.
At this moment, Li Hao frowned. Not the supernatural path?
Then it truly was the path of the martial master.
A supernatural transitioning to martial master!
Li Hao thought to himself that it must be so. As for why he hadn't walked the pure martial path from start to finish, Li Hao reasoned that was almost certainly not the case; otherwise, the aura Li Hao observed from him wouldn't have been so blinding that he could hardly bear to look.
Martial masters were restrained!
They would never emit a presence so glaring it hurt the eyes!
Director Hou’s transition might still be incomplete, leaving an undercurrent of supernatural power in him that produced that glaring sensation. Several others had given him that same feeling—an intensely dazzling presence that felt deeply uncomfortable.
Pure martial masters never gave off that feeling.
By now, Li Hao was getting into the swing of his questioning, so he asked again: “Do you know momentum? Don’t pretend you don’t—I’ve read ancient texts, and ancients talked about momentum too! If you do, tremble once.”
It trembled once.
It did!
Li Hao’s eyes lit up. “Fire momentum? Never mind, it’s all the same. Elements depend on personal comprehension; momentum isn't bound to specific forms...”
He recalled Hong Yitang’s words, and in this moment, he suddenly felt Hong Yitang possessed an exceptionally unique understanding of momentum.
Li Hao asked no further questions; one tremble or two had lost its novelty.
Better to experience momentum firsthand!
“Fire Phoenix Spear, let’s have a fight!”
Li Hao tossed the spear upward... and it immediately clattered to the floor.
Playing dead?
Li Hao was speechless. He stepped forward, picked up the spear, and scowled. “Fight, or I’ll cut you in two!”
The spear trembled.
This time, it shuddered repeatedly.
Li Hao was at a loss. What did that mean?
The souls in these weapons didn't seem all that bright at times.
“Not activated? You need to eat a divine energy stone? Can’t you activate yourself?”
Li Hao still wanted to pinch pennies.
The spear continued to vibrate relentlessly.
Li Hao was resigned. He understood now: it still needed to eat. No food, no work. He guessed it wasn't just greed; these Origin God Armaments had lain dormant for so long that without a master’s power supporting them, they lacked a sufficient energy source.
Evidently, when Hou Xiaochen gave it to Hao Lianchuan, he might have infused some inner force or supernatural energy into it, whereas he had likely infused nothing when handing it to Li Hao.
That was the real truth behind activating it!
Li Hao wasted no more words. He drew a fire-attribute energy stone from his storage ring. When he killed Yu Xiao and the others, he had acquired thirteen stones, and he already possessed a few of his own. Since he hadn't used them recently, he had kept them all.
Fire-attribute ones were few, however; upon checking, he found only three in total.
*One stone should last a good while, right?*
Li Hao thought. Looking at the Fire Phoenix Spear, he couldn't resist the temptation. Might as well give it a shot.
Divine energy stones were precious, but there would be chances to obtain more later.
The Fire Phoenix Spear, on the other hand, was only his for three days.
Gritting his teeth, he crushed the divine energy stone. A surge of fire energy gushed out. The Starry Sky Sword in his hand couldn't even be bothered to absorb it; typically, it only absorbed energy when Li Hao circulated the Five Animals Breathing Technique. The small sword was a picky eater.
The Fire Phoenix Spear, however, was not picky at all. The instant the stone shattered, it began absorbing the energy like mad.
From this alone, the small sword was clearly a cut above the Fire Phoenix Spear.
The Starry Sky Sword had surely dined on fine fare in the past, while the spear settled for lower-tier food.
Having absorbed a massive amount of fire energy, the faint silhouette of a fire phoenix began to flicker into view!
A scorching heat filled the entire living room.
Li Hao’s eyes sparkled. Was it about to activate?
What would emerge?
The soul of the fire phoenix, or would the spear itself make a move?
He wasn't sure; this was his first time doing this, and he lacked experience.
The reason he had chosen to do this here was that he had nowhere suitable back in the city and worried that causing too much commotion might collapse Hao Lianchuan’s house.
As he was thinking, a modest-sized phoenix suddenly materialized above the spear.
Li Hao assumed the phoenix was about to strike... He waited in eager anticipation, his opening stance already prepared, only for the phoenix to vanish abruptly.
Gone!
Li Hao blinked. He waited a moment, but nothing happened.
Stepping forward to inspect it, the spear looked glossier and more vibrant than before.
Yet... there was no movement?
“Let’s fight!” Li Hao yelled.
The spear merely shuddered, as if conveying that it hadn't eaten enough and lacked strength.
Li Hao was stunned. It took him a moment to grasp the meaning, and his face instantly darkened. “Well, aren't you something—I actually got played by a weapon!”
Did it take him for a fool?
Li Hao gritted his teeth, abruptly raised the sword, and hacked straight down at the Fire Phoenix Spear!
*Want to eat more? Dream on!*
A divine energy stone contained a vast reserve of fire energy; how could it possibly fail to activate? This weapon actually dared to trick him?
*I'll chop you in half and see if you strike back or not!*
Yet the instant he slashed downward, the Fire Phoenix Spear suddenly moved—striking with alarming abruptness, thrusting straight toward Li Hao’s throat!
Its speed was blinding!
It was as though it had plotted this all along, waiting for Li Hao to close in.
Li Hao was startled, feeling a sudden surge of mortal peril.
This thing knew how to launch sneak attacks?
As his sword fell, the Fire Phoenix Spear vanished, reappearing practically at Li Hao’s throat. Li Hao retreated instantly, pushing the Deer Grace Art to its utmost limit, floating backward like a feather drifting through the air.
*Boom!*
The spear blazed like fire!
In that moment, the Fire Phoenix Spear unleashed a raging inferno that seemed capable of scorching heaven and earth. Li Hao abruptly felt as if he were plunged into a sea of flames. The surrounding furniture remained untouched, yet he felt his very spirit burning!
What kind of attack was this?
He was appalled. In this moment, he finally understood how Red Hair had been killed!
This spear struck with spirit!
It didn't target the physical body first, but the spirit. When the spirit died, the body perished with it. That was why Red Hair had lacked time to evade—the moment the spear pierced his body, his spirit had already been trapped, or burned to ash!
“Ha!”
Li Hao roared, a ferocious bellow like a tiger breaking out of its cage!
From his heart, a fierce tiger suddenly surged!
With the tiger possessing him, Li Hao swept his sword out. This slash seemed to manifest not in the physical realm, but in a battle of spirit intent!
In his mind, a phoenix appeared.
A phoenix scorching the heavens!
Sharp talons accompanied by fire lunged straight at the tiger. In reality, the spear thrust violently toward Li Hao’s throat, while Li Hao slashed his sword, his mind picturing the caged tiger springing forth and swiping its claws!
*Boom!*
His mind rang with a deafening roar. In reality, the Starry Sky Sword struck with a loud *clang*, deflecting the Fire Phoenix Spear slightly off course. The spear was unimaginably tough and showed no signs of breaking.
Li Hao snapped back to complete clarity. The tiger and the phoenix appeared evenly matched.
He looked at the spear right in front of him, then down at the sword in his hand, somewhat surprised. Unscratched?
Then what were you afraid of before?
Soon, a realization dawned on him... The small sword might only be able to cut souls. That was why the spear’s soul hadn't fully emerged earlier—only after the soul was slain could an Origin God Armament truly be severed?
He wasn't entirely certain.
Still, worried that he might actually break the spear, he slid the small sword back into his combat boot and grinned, baring his teeth. “I won’t use that thing, so you don’t have to tremble in fear. Just like that, show me what you've got! I want to experience the true Fire Phoenix Spear... Bring it on!”
Now he had some experience.
As he tucked the small sword away, a phantom fire phoenix materialized in reality. Sure enough, the weapon had been terrified of the small sword earlier—not for its physical form, but for the soul within.
Now, the fire phoenix itself transformed into a spear, and in the blink of an eye, the spear swung!
A living spear!
It was peerlessly agile. Li Hao retreated rapidly without striking immediately. But the spear instantly shook out countless spear afterimages. For a moment, Li Hao couldn't tell real from false—or perhaps all were real, moving so fast that he was only seeing afterimages.
Li Hao transformed into a ferocious tiger, roaring as he threw a punch—a pouncing tiger strike!
Yet the punch struck empty air!
The spear vanished and reappeared right beside his head. Li Hao dodged swiftly, tilting his head, but still struggled to parry the onslaught. In a flash, the spear thrust past. Li Hao jerked his head aside... yet a sharp pain stabbed through his ear.
The spear momentum clipped his right earlobe, tearing away a chunk of flesh. Blood began to drip profusely.
Sharp spear energy grazed his cheek, leaving blood running down his face and neck!
Not just blood, but scorched burn marks as well.
Li Hao sucked in a breath of cold air and kicked off the ground, hurriedly evading a horizontal sweep. The Fire Phoenix Spear was more agile than a living person, far exceeding his expectations. It was so fast he couldn't keep up with its rhythm.
The moment he leaped into the air, the spear soared like a flying bird, cutting through the void to thrust straight at his groin, as if intent on skewering him.
Cold sweat broke out on Li Hao’s forehead. He hadn't felt this level of danger even when fighting a peak Three Suns practitioner.
Unable to hold back any longer, he let out a thunderous roar and kicked downward. With a deafening boom, the spear shook from the impact, but in the next second, it twisted like a serpent and coiled toward his leg.
This was a move Li Hao himself loved to use. Skilled in the Five Animals Art, he often leveraged his agility to wrap around an enemy's weapon, advancing along their momentum to crush them. He never expected to be taught a lesson in his own tactics by the Fire Phoenix Spear: *If you know it, so do I!*
Shaking his leg free, Li Hao opened his fist into a claw and snatched at the spear!
Just then, the spear tip morphed into the sharp beak of a fire phoenix, pecking violently at Li Hao’s claw. Was this a spear tip?
Li Hao was momentarily dazed! He felt as if he were fighting not a spear, but a real fire phoenix. He couldn't quite articulate it, but it reminded him of the Five Animals Art—his master’s Five Animals Art!
When his master fought, his enemies experienced the exact same thing.
When you thought you were fighting a human, you weren't; Yuan Shuo genuinely seemed to transform into a tiger, a black bear, a flying bird...
*Bird Art...*
The thought flashed through Li Hao’s mind. Suddenly, his hand shaped into a bird’s beak, pecking forward to collide with the fire phoenix’s beak!
*Clang!*
Sparks flew in all directions. A sharp pain tore through Li Hao’s palm. Looking down, his hand had been pierced clean through, leaving a bloody hole.
Li Hao cursed under his breath. So sharp!
This wasn't Hou Xiaochen’s momentum; this was the fire phoenix’s innate power!
As for him, pecking the spear with his fingers had produced no effect whatsoever...
Li Hao felt like an idiot.
His hand was tough, but it was still flesh and blood. What he perceived as a fire phoenix wasn't an actual living bird; it was a spear—an unimaginably solid spear. Pecking the spearhead with his hand just now was practically begging for injury.
He couldn't be blamed for making that choice, though; the illusion of the fire phoenix had simply been too realistic!
In the next second, Li Hao collected himself, casting aside all errant thoughts. A flash of insight hit him: he shouldn't treat this thing as a weapon, nor as a fire phoenix, but as... Yuan Shuo executing the Bird Art!
Yes, in that instant, Li Hao understood!
This was an expert wielding the Bird Art. If he couldn't even handle the Fire Phoenix Spear, it meant he wouldn't stand a chance against his master using only the Bird Art.
*Bird Art... Now this is interesting!*
With this realization, Li Hao stopped caring about what Hou Xiaochen’s momentum was. He pounced forward like a fierce tiger—a flying tiger hunting a bird!
Tigers could catch birds too!
A tiger and a phoenix seemed to come alive, clashing furiously inside the small room. The tiger roared across the mountains; the phoenix cried to the nine heavens!
***
At the same time.
Mu Lin rushed over, his expression grim. Looking toward the small courtyard in the distance, he frowned. *What the hell?*
*Has an expert infiltrated this place to assassinate Li Hao?*
He wanted to draw closer because he felt two immensely powerful momentums clashing. As a martial master, he was acutely sensitive to momentum. One was Li Hao’s tiger momentum, while the other resembled fire momentum, yet also felt like a bird’s momentum...
The sensation made him wonder if Yuan Shuo had arrived. Was this an internal civil war within the Five Animals sect?
Bird Art versus Tiger Combat Art?
Because of this, he hesitated slightly. Could Yuan Shuo have snuck back and was currently instructing his disciple?
Mu Lin had a massive headache. After a split second of hesitation, he resolved to charge in!
Even if Yuan Shuo was back, starting a fight here without a word of notice was completely unacceptable.
If he misjudged and Li Hao was killed on their grounds, what would become of the Martial Guard Army's dignity?
Just as he was about to burst inside, a figure dropped from the sky!
A tall, burly man landed before him, grabbing Mu Lin with one hand. His posture was ramrod straight, like a poised spear.
The newcomer appeared to be in his fifties, his gaze extraordinarily sharp.
He looked like a spear ready to strike at any moment.
“Boss!”
Mu Lin was startled. Why was the boss back?
The arrival was none other than Golden Spear!
Golden Spear’s eyes burned like torches as he gazed at the small building a hundred meters away. It was as though his vision penetrated the walls—what appeared before his eyes was not a building, but a tiger and a phoenix locked in vicious combat!
His eyes turned razor-sharp. After pondering for a moment, he said in a deep voice, “Li Hao?”
“Yes, Boss, it seems he’s under attack...”
“He isn’t!”
Golden Spear stood motionless, the sharpness in his eyes slowly receding. “It’s an Origin God Armament!”
“What?”
“You wouldn't understand.”
He didn't elaborate. It wasn't that Mu Lin was stupid; he simply hadn't experienced it.
It was Director Hou’s weapon!
The Fire Phoenix Spear!
Li Hao... He had heard Hou Xiaochen mention this youth before—Yuan Shuo’s disciple.
A bold one!
Of course, remarkably strong as well.
His Tiger Combat Art had reached an almost miraculous level.
Director Hou had been ruthless enough to actually lend the Fire Phoenix Spear to this kid, unbothered by the risk of the phoenix awakening and killing Li Hao.
Golden Spear watched in silence. In this moment, he seemed to see Yuan Shuo from years ago—a tiger roaring through the mountains, sweeping across the realm... Could this disciple of his suppress the Fire Phoenix Spear?
Beside him, Mu Lin asked nervously, “Boss, it isn't Yuan Shuo?”
“Nonsense, of course not!”
Golden Spear’s voice was like iron as he said coldly, “It’s the fire phoenix. This Li Hao is remarkably bold, using the Fire Phoenix Spear as a whetstone. Whether to comprehend the Five Animals Art or probe Director Hou’s intent, I cannot say... Let’s see how he handles it. This is only the beginning; the phoenix’s intent is merely the first hurdle!”
Daring to use Director Hou’s weapon as a whetstone... Li Hao was either stupid, insane, or supremely confident.
Once you defeated the fire phoenix, you would realize... that was where the true challenge began!
Director Hou’s intent lay in the second layer. Whether Li Hao could witness it depended on his ability.
In the entire Martial Guard Army, aside from himself, only Mu Lin stood a chance—provided Mu Lin wasn't burned to ashes by the fire phoenix first.
***
Inside the room.
Li Hao had no intention of killing the fire phoenix... Having clashed against it with tiger momentum for a while, he suddenly caught himself and frowned slightly.
*I’m not here to kill the fire phoenix!*
*I’m here to learn!*
*Fire phoenix... Bird Art!*
Expending a divine energy stone wasn't so he could beat a fire phoenix to death.
With a shift in mindset, the tiger retreated to the mountains.
Suddenly, a suit of mountain-like armor seemed to drape over Li Hao. The next second, he began mimicking the fire phoenix, swaying with the wind and spreading wings to take flight. In the air, a fire phoenix was swooping down on a fledgling bird.
Rocked by wind and rain!
The fledgling couldn't fly—or at least it felt like it couldn't fly very high... It was somewhat akin to an eagle hunting a chick!
Yes, exactly like that.
That was how Li Hao felt: he was a chick on the grass, and the fire phoenix was an eagle in the sky.
He stopped clashing head-on and focused entirely on fleeing!
Using the Bird Art to evade, Li Hao discovered that imitation could indeed aid the growth of his Bird Art. To comprehend the Bird Art, one needed to witness real birds soaring through the sky and hunting in their natural element... What bird could possibly be more formidable than a fire phoenix?
This was an existence far more powerful than any eagle!
Li Hao twisted his body, arms held straight out, constantly evading the fire phoenix’s talons and sharp beak.
His movements were clumsy and ugly.
With a *bang*, the beak pecked down, fracturing the mountain armor across Li Hao’s body, yet the armor restored itself in an instant—the Armor of the Earth!
He didn't dare let himself take a direct hit; that was equivalent to being impaled by the Fire Phoenix Spear. Even if he survived, he would be crippled.
Inside the small room, the fire phoenix pursued relentlessly while Li Hao dodged repeatedly...
After a moment, Li Hao gritted his teeth and burst out of the room. The space was too cramped for maneuvering.
The moment he broke outside, Li Hao seemed to become a bird soaring into the sky.
Behind him, the fire phoenix came in hot pursuit.
Before long, Mu Lin saw this spectacle, his jaw dropping slightly. In his eyes, he saw a fire phoenix chasing down a bird... a very tiny fledgling.
Golden Spear saw it as well.
Yet there were also ordinary soldiers nearby, and what they saw was entirely different.
They saw a man stepping through the air, wobbling erratically, with a fiery red spear pursuing right behind him.
In that moment, others spotted it from afar too.
Those with a deep comprehension of momentum saw momentum; those who had yet to grasp it saw only a spear in pursuit. What their eyes perceived neatly divided the Martial Guard Army into two distinct tiers.
***
Up in the air.
Li Hao wheeled around as the phoenix continued its pursuit. Suddenly mimicking the fire phoenix, Li Hao straightened both arms and extended them forward, shooting upward like an arrow.
Transforming into an arrow!
On the ground, Golden Spear looked up, his gaze shifting slightly.
This kid had an astonishing capacity to learn.
He was imitating it!
Instead of clashing head-on, he was copying the phoenix to comprehend his own Bird Art.
Disciples of the Five Animals sect were indeed full of surprises.
Yet... could mere imitation blaze one's own path?
Back then, Yuan Shuo had also imitated—imitating the five animals—yet he ultimately grasped his own path. Blindly mimicking might not allow one to grasp the bird momentum.
What was the core of bird momentum?
Golden Spear had some understanding of it: it was neither speed nor flight, but freedom!
At least, that was how Yuan Shuo’s bird momentum felt.
Neither offensive nor defensive, it was unfettered freedom—like a bird flying wherever it pleased, roaming without restraint.
Li Hao, however, seemed solely fixated on speed.
Golden Spear watched in silence, his eyes flickering with thought.
Up in the air, Li Hao harbored no such grand musings. Right now, he held only a single thought: *Faster, faster still!*
*Faster than this fire phoenix!*
If a sword strike was fast enough—pushed to its absolute limit—that too was a form of momentum.
Like an arrow piercing the void, he soared higher.
Behind him, the spear pursued.
One person and one spear vanished from the base in an instant. Seeing this, Golden Spear kicked off the ground and rocketed up like a cannonball, disappearing from where he stood to pursue into the distance.
Mu Lin’s eyes flashed, and he immediately charged forth, hurtling forward with thunderous speed to follow!
He wanted to see how this would end.
Farther off, several centurions broke through the air as well, eyes filled with confusion and anticipation, keen to see the outcome.
What on earth was that?
Li Hao was being chased everywhere by a spear... and it looked like the Fire Phoenix Spear!
***
Above the forest.
When Li Hao turned, the spear turned.
When Li Hao flew straight, the spear flew straight, unleashing waves of fire from time to time.
A peck from the beak!
Pain shot through Li Hao’s heel—the spear had caught up and grazed him.
At that moment, Li Hao’s eyes shifted. He seemed to transform into an ape, instantly diving into the canopy and swinging from tree to tree.
*Bang!*
With a massive roar, a giant tree was skewered clean through by the spear. Yet Li Hao’s mind churned relentlessly: *The Bird Art... what is its core?*
*What does it pursue?*
*Speed?*
*Absolute speed?*
He glanced back at the fire phoenix. The phoenix was fast, but along with that speed came devastating offensive power.
Both blindingly swift and lethally destructive.
Was that the Bird Art?
Was that what bird momentum truly was?
*No, no... not necessarily... Besides, everyone's momentum is different...*
*Be it speed or lethal power... speed taken to its extreme becomes sharpness!*
In this instant, Li Hao thought of water. When a single drop of water moved at extreme velocity, it was razor-sharp. The fire phoenix’s beak was so destructive, piercing through his flesh and defense in an instant, precisely because it was too fast!
The same went for its talons.
Why did an eagle dive from the sky to snatch its prey? Because of speed—a rapid descent granted it far deadlier striking power...
The Five Animals Art was a lethal secret art, and the Bird Art was no exception!
*So the core of the Bird Art isn't fleeing, nor is it mere speed... but the explosive burst at the peak of that speed!*
A single drop of water, pushed to extreme speed, could pierce steel.
Then if the Bird Art were taken to its ultimate speed, wouldn't that mean every single part of the body became a lethal weapon?
Li Hao glanced back again and abruptly slowed down slightly. The fire phoenix behind seized the opening instantly, its beak pecking forward once more. Li Hao’s reaction was slow... With a squelch, his arm was pierced clean through!
Blood hadn't even had time to spill; it was that fast!
It had punctured straight through him!
Behind them, Golden Spear’s expression flickered.
*What happened?*
Li Hao had suddenly decelerated, allowing the Fire Phoenix Spear to wound him immediately—and severely at that. His arm had been pierced through; in reality, the spear had impaled his arm!
Below, Mu Lin’s face changed as well. Why had Li Hao suddenly slowed down? Had his inner force run dry?
***
Li Hao, however, was enduring agonizing pain!
Yet through the pain, he extended his uninjured left hand and grabbed toward the spear!
At his grab, the phoenix pecked again!
*Pfft!*
Breaching his defenses once more, the beak struck his left arm—but this time, it failed to pierce clean through!
Feeling the two different pains, Li Hao actually broke into a grin.
*Yes!*
A distinctly different sensation: his right arm had been pierced through with excruciating pain, while his left arm had not, meaning the spear’s lethal force had weakened slightly!
*I see... The Bird Art still pursues speed, but its essence is the explosive burst at the pinnacle of that speed...*
His comprehension was entirely different from Yuan Shuo’s!
Yet every martial master walked their own path, and Li Hao found nothing wrong with that.
In that instant, a thought struck him. He leaped into the air, flying far faster than before.
The Fire Phoenix Spear gave chase again!
Li Hao accelerated, accelerated, and accelerated further...
Accelerating until he could push no faster, Li Hao whipped around and threw a punch in an instant. All that speed consolidated into an explosion in that split second, transforming into sheer sharpness!
A cycle of explosion, restraint, and re-explosion!
*Boom!*
With a thunderous crash, the Fire Phoenix Spear was knocked backward by the punch, while Li Hao’s hand was soaked in blood.
He didn't care!
A grin spread across his face. Struck by an idea, he looked at the spear and bared his teeth. “Run! The faster you run, the better! If you aren't fast enough, I’ll chop you in half!”
The Fire Phoenix Spear burst into motion and fled!
Li Hao summoned every ounce of strength and gave chase!
Accelerate!
Recalling the process of acceleration, he unleashed all his power, pursuing relentlessly, moving faster and faster. In this moment, Li Hao embodied a soaring bird, its beak piercing through the void!
*Buzz!*
A sharp detonation rang out. Li Hao’s right hand formed a claw that tore through the empty air, clamping down on the tail end of the Fire Phoenix Spear with crushing force!
*Rumble!*
With a massive roar, Li Hao felt as though his fingers had fractured, yet in that instant, he actually left several claw indentations on the sturdy spear shaft, though they faded a moment later.
The spear body was unharmed, but the manifested fire phoenix had a gaping hole torn into it by Li Hao’s grasp!
Delight flooded Li Hao’s eyes. But just then... the phoenix vanished in a flash, and the spear tumbled downward.
Li Hao froze, only then snapping back to his senses.
Gone!
The divine energy stone's energy was spent.
There might have been some left originally, but his claw strike had seemingly damaged the phoenix, causing it to absorb the remaining energy to recover... and exhausting it entirely.
Snatching the spear from the air, Li Hao felt the urge to spit blood. “So fast?”
A whole divine energy stone!
Exhausted in the blink of an eye?
What the hell!
He frowned, thoroughly annoyed, but paid no mind to his injuries. Both his arms had been pierced, his palm had a hole in it, his foot was wounded...
In this brief span, he had suffered substantial injuries.
His earlobe was a mangled, bloody mess.
Yet Li Hao didn't care in the slightest, barely feeling the pain. Though he felt depressed over the lost stone, his eyes shone brightly.
“So that’s it...”
As if grasping a fundamental truth, he muttered, “The flying bird... extreme speed turned into lethal sharpness... Metal element?”
Approaching from behind, Golden Spear froze slightly.
*What is going on?*
The Bird Art was meant for escaping; he knew this intimately. It was a specialized footwork technique, not an offensive art. Yet what was Li Hao saying?
Extreme speed, lethal sharpness?
Using the Bird Art to kill?
Though he saw Li Hao lost in thought, Golden Spear couldn't help but interrupt, “The Bird Art is about unfettered freedom—free and unrestrained. That is what a bird is!”
He didn't want Old Fiend Yuan’s disciple to stray into reckless misinterpretations, nor did he want this martial genius to take a wrong turn.
Li Hao blurted out without thinking: “Nonsense! Be it bird or eagle, every living creature must hunt to survive. The Five Animals Art is a lethal art. Where is there any room for ‘unfettered freedom’? There is only killing! The root of the secret art, the foundation of the secret art, is slaughter!”
What did this guy know?
The Five Animals Art mimicked animals hunting. All five secret arts were designed to kill people—what unfettered freedom?
Pure bullshit!
Only after speaking did he snap out of his trance. Looking at the spear-straight figure before him, Li Hao suddenly realized who it was. He coughed awkwardly. “Greetings, Chiliarch! I thought it was Brother Ermu speaking just now and was making a joke!”
Golden Spear remained silent, a bewildered look surfacing in his eyes.
*The Five Animals... all meant for killing?*
He frowned slightly. This was different from Yuan Shuo’s Five Animals Art.
The Five Animals Art was a versatile, all-encompassing secret art; it didn't mean every technique was an offensive killing art. Yet what Li Hao had blurted out differed from the Five Animals Art—or rather, from Yuan Shuo’s version.
Yet Yuan Shuo was the creator!
Who was right and who was wrong?
Furthermore, was this Li Hao... harboring such intense bloodlust?
A technique meant for escaping had somehow turned into a lethal weapon in his eyes!
To comprehend the Bird Art into a devastating killer move... To tell the truth, in this moment, an old martial master like Golden Spear couldn't easily overturn his ingrained perceptions. Yuan Shuo’s influence on them was simply too profound; he had never stepped out from the shadow of Yuan Shuo’s Five Animals Art.
Li Hao, meanwhile, examined the older man before him more closely. Golden Spear was not young, roughly his master’s age; while he appeared in his fifties, he was likely in his seventies.
As for what Golden Spear had said, Li Hao reflected on it and understood: that was his master’s spirit intent!
Yet his master’s path was not the only one.
Golden Spear had been deeply influenced by his master!
Yuan Shuo himself had said that walking the path of the Five Animals did not require one to copy him.
Hong Yitang had also said that momentum varied from person to person. Liu Long’s father had wielded the Fire Dragon Spear, while Liu Long developed the Water Wave Axe. The same secret art naturally produced different outcomes.
In this instant, Li Hao actually felt that this Golden Spear might... might not even measure up to Hong Yitang!
Yes, exactly that feeling.
Not in raw strength, but in comprehension of the martial path and momentum.
Golden Spear was undeniably powerful. Without needing to test him, merely standing there gave Li Hao an impression of invincibility. Yet powerful as he was, Golden Spear did not possess that sense of profound wisdom.
Yes, wisdom!
Hong Yitang had it!
Among the martial masters he had met, Hong Yitang gave off that aura; He Yong... half and half; Yuan Shuo had it too.
Because he had spent so much time with Yuan Shuo, Li Hao hadn't felt much when he met Hong Yitang. But now, after interacting with the likes of He Yong and Golden Spear, he found himself lost in thought.
Hong Yitang... was no longer a martial master!
Yet his understanding of the martial path seemed unfathomably deep!
Even if Chief Steward Yu was Jade Rakshasa, she hadn't given him that feeling either. Hou Xiaochen had a bit of it, but mostly radiated mystery rather than the calm wisdom of someone who saw through the nature of things.
Now, Li Hao was spacing out as well.
Hong Yitang... this supposedly timid member of the Thirty-Six Heroes, the second among the Seven Swords—was he truly... that mediocre?
Blinking, Li Hao suddenly felt a strong, inexplicable urge to see Hong Yitang. He wanted to witness this man’s sword momentum!
Even with Golden Spear right before him, he couldn't suppress the impulse.
Why had Hong Yitang taken the supernatural path?
Was it purely to grow stronger?
In this instant, his curiosity about Golden Spear fell far short of his curiosity about Hong Yitang. The Earth-Overturning Sword seemed much more intriguing than Golden Spear. Golden Spear struck Li Hao merely as an old-fashioned, rigid martial master.
No matter how strong he was, Li Hao didn't feel like he could learn anything from him.
“Chiliarch, Brother Ermu, I’m injured; I need to head back to the city first...”
Tossing out these words, Li Hao suddenly sprinted off.
Mu Lin, who had just caught up, paused in confusion. *Why are you running?*
*What’s going on?!*
Golden Spear was also caught off guard. This Li Hao... what was his deal?
To be frank, as a renowned senior figure in the martial world, countless martial masters treated him with reverence. He hadn't expected Li Hao to fawn over him, but simply dumping them here and taking off—wasn't that... a bit improper?
Could it be that Old Fiend Yuan had frequently badmouthed him in front of Li Hao?
Golden Spear couldn't help but wonder.
A faint smile appeared on his stern face. Rather interesting. As for Li Hao’s earlier comprehension of the Bird Art, he didn't press the matter further. Perhaps the boy was right; besides, he wasn't his master, so there was no need to lecture him.
Chapter 124