The Old Demon of the Five Animals Reappears

Heavy panting echoed incessantly. Li Hao fled toward the East Sea Bridge with all his might. Behind him, Xu Qing wore an ugly scowl. Having partially unsealed himself, he was surprisingly still unable to instantly overtake Li Hao. He looked in the direction Li Hao was escaping, his face darkening. The East Sea Bridge had been blown apart and collapsed. Was it trouble on the Dongbin side, or something else...? He had yet to receive word. Perhaps someone was waiting at Dongbin to rescue Li Hao. Letting Li Hao rendezvous with them now might bring endless trouble. Pushed to this point, Xu Qing hardened his heart. Gritting his teeth, he snapped another bit of his supernatural lock, immediately following it by swallowing two drops of the Spring of Life. A surge of vitality flowed into his five organs, circulating rapidly. Yet at this juncture, he could not let his body heal. If it repaired itself, breaking the lock would have been in vain. Without healing, the intensifying sensation of being torn apart filled him with dread. Ultimately, suppressing his fear, he gritted his teeth. With a thunderous boom, his legs launched into the air like rockets. In the blink of an eye, he crossed over a thousand meters amid exploding sonic booms, moving with terrifying speed. Ahead, Li Hao's expression changed drastically. *This bastard is truly insane.* A nobleman's son does not sit beneath precarious eaves. *You're not just a martial master—you're a duke, a great figure! Why fight with your life like this?* Seeing his pursuer about to descend upon him, Li Hao gritted his teeth. Suddenly, an object resembling a crystalline tree root appeared in his hand. With a fierce roar, he whipped around and hurled it toward Xu Qing: "Go die!" Xu Qing's pupils contracted violently! Stopping dead in his tracks, he stepped on air and shot straight into the sky, alarm flashing across his face. He had watched with his own eyes as that thing slew Red Beard in a single blow, and he had been on guard against it all along. Yet Li Hao hadn't used it until now, and Xu Qing had nearly forgotten about it. Seeing Li Hao gnashing his teeth, desperate to kill him, how could Xu Qing dare take it head-on? He was confident he was far stronger than Red Beard, yet even so, even if the thing couldn't kill him, it would inevitably grievously wound him or shatter more of his supernatural locks. He dared not risk it. So at this moment, he chose to evade. He knew that such an attack could not sustain itself for long. One second, two seconds, three seconds... Ahead, Li Hao had already sprinted far ahead, widening the gap once more. In midair, that crystal tree root... drifted and drifted, floating along until... it clattered harmlessly onto the ground. Xu Qing froze. The next instant, he looked at Li Hao fleeing in the distance, a venomous glare erupting in his eyes. *He tricked me! Again and again!* "Li Hao!" Xu Qing bellowed in fury. With a thunderous boom, he shattered the void beneath his feet and shot straight after Li Hao! *Does this bastard truly take me for a fool? Tricking me over and over!* Ahead, Li Hao couldn't be bothered to respond. Anyone in Xu Qing's shoes would have been scared out of their wits. Unfortunately, the bluff only worked once. Of course, if he still had a real one and threw it now, it might have achieved a miraculous effect, since Xu Qing, having fallen for it once, might ignore it and charge straight in. Alas, there had only been one. Li Hao even felt a twinge of regret. Earlier, unaware of how powerful the item truly was, he had wasted it on Red Beard. Red Beard had merely been in the Transformation Stage and clearly lacked the ability to unseal himself; Li Hao shouldn't have paid him any mind back then. Unfortunately, he hadn't imagined that the origin tree root was potent enough to kill Red Beard outright. Otherwise, he would have saved it for Xu Qing. Back then, Li Hao had assumed it could at best handle someone around the peak of Rising Light; slaying Red Beard had caught him completely by surprise. "Li Hao! You can't escape!" Xu Qing flew faster and faster, his aura swelling and the malice in his eyes deepening by the moment. The losses Li Hao had inflicted on him were simply unimaginable. If he didn't kill Li Hao... the Duke's Residence would never recover from such devastation. Though Li Hao had widened the gap with his trick, Xu Qing was rapidly closing the distance again. Ahead, Li Hao glanced down at Black Panther, whom he was dragging along. He felt a wave of helplessness. The hound was still completely bald. *Should I just drop Black Panther?* As if sensing his thoughts, Black Panther looked at Li Hao with an innocent, aggrieved expression. Li Hao let out a laugh. Indeed, even now, he could still laugh. It showed just how bold his heart was, devoid of fear. None of the terrors he faced today could compare to the dread that red shadow had brought him back when he was weak and ordinary. From the day he shattered that fear, he had ceased to fear anything else. In the distance, he could already see the sea. He saw the bridge—a massive span crumbling and collapsing into the water. Likewise, he saw numerous soldiers. Faintly, something seemed to be aiming at him, though the sense of danger was not overwhelming. It was likely a city-destroying bomb, but the Dingguo Army showed no sign of firing it. Behind him, Xu Qing saw them as well. Clearly, the garrison up ahead still possessed city-destroying bombs, but he did not order them to fire. They couldn't fire any more. If they continued, it might trigger catastrophic fallout. The Nine Departments, the imperial family, and Silver Moon were all issuing warnings, while other factions kicked him while he was down. If he dared to launch city-destroying bombs with reckless abandon, the East might be carved up by rival powers before Li Hao was even dead. He also looked into the distance across the collapsed bridge, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. With a roar, he shouted, "Dingguo Army, stop Li Hao!" In the distance, the garrison was not particularly large—about a thousand men. At this moment, many of them were drenched in cold sweat, shivering with dread. A Rising Light expert was stationed there, along with several Three Suns cultivators. The rest were mostly ordinary soldiers armed with firearms. Yet now... every last one of them trembled. When the Duke of Dingguo's order arrived, sweat soaked the brow of that Rising Light expert. Having served the Duke's Residence for years and attained Rising Light only through their backing, he dared not disobey. Yet he knew full well how terrifying the Demon Sword was. Earlier, when Generals Tian and Di were here, he hadn't feared anything. But just a short while ago, both generals had departed, leaving him as the sole Rising Light expert guarding the outpost... He was genuinely terrified. Clinging to that dread, yet telling himself that Li Hao was at the end of his rope and that he only needed to stall him for a moment before the Duke arrived... he felt a fraction of comfort return. "Kill!" The general roared, leading several equally terrified Three Suns cultivators into the air to block Li Hao's path. Below, the soldiers began firing into the sky with trembling hands. In truth, the distance was far too great; there was no way their bullets could hit anyone. While there were no city-destroying bombs, ordinary artillery shells were fired toward Li Hao as well! Meanwhile, Li Hao faintly sensed someone approaching. It was a peculiar, intuitive resonance. He looked into the distance, his brows lifting slightly... It wasn't Hong Yitang. There was no notification from the silver armor, and that red dot was still very far away. It seemed... it seemed to share his own origin! Li Hao's heart stirred, and he inwardly cried out in dismay. *Teacher? Don't mess with me! You have to be joking. I'm being hunted by an expert who surpasses Rising Light! What are you doing jumping into this mess? You're a weakling who might not even be able to kill a Rising Light cultivator right now. Why come cause trouble for me? Having good intentions is great, but... you need to know your own limits! In a moment, I might end up having to rescue you instead.* Though he grumbled inwardly, Li Hao could no longer retreat. If he backed off and his teacher charged straight ahead, Yuan Shuo would fall right into Xu Qing's hands. "Kill!" Li Hao didn't dodge. With a fierce shout, he threw a punch. The strike echoed with the roar of a tiger shaking heaven and earth—a ferocious beast bursting from its cage! To the side, though Black Panther had been reduced to a bald dog, seeing weaklings dare to block their way infuriated it. It let out a roar and opened its maw wide, turning it into a black hole that swallowed heaven and earth. A powerful gravitational pull instantly caused the bodies of the Three Suns cultivators to sway, rendering them immobile. The Rising Light general's face paled as he felt the supernatural energy inside him tremble, as if about to be torn from his body. Suppressing his terror, he slashed his saber toward Li Hao! *Li Hao is only at the Rising Light level too... I'm at Rising Light as well. Can the gap really be that vast? I just need to hold him off for a moment... even if it's only two or three exchanges.* Boom! The colossal fist crashed forward with earth-shattering force. With a loud snap, the long saber shattered. Boom! The general's arm exploded into mist. In the next instant, a burst of divine intent erupted, and sword momentum surged into the sky. The Rising Light expert was momentarily dazed, his spirit feeling torn apart as he saw a sword slash through heaven and earth. Groaning, he opened his eyes... only to see a fist plunging toward him. Crack! His head blew apart! The Three Suns cultivators, terrified out of their wits, hadn't even had time to flee before Black Panther's bald tail swept across them. Thump, thump, thump! Like dumplings dropping into boiling water, they were pierced through and plunged from the sky! In the blink of an eye, one Rising Light and four Three Suns cultivators lay dead. Below, the Dingguo soldiers who were still firing... suddenly saw an artillery shell backfire with a boom. Within seconds, the rest fled in terror, scattering in every direction, their faces ash-white and their legs trembling. The phrase "dropping their helmets and abandoning their armor" was embodied to perfection. The soldiers discarded their weapons and armor, fleeing for their lives. Li Hao glanced at them without caring. One couldn't expect too much from the armies of this era. Aside from a few elite forces—such as the Martial Guard Army, the Black Armor Army, and the Heavenly Star Army... the rest were all roughly the same. Naturally, Li Hao had never seen the Silver Moon Army and didn't know their exact capabilities, but most armies in the realm could not fight an uphill battle. Once struck with a setback, they collapsed almost immediately. Though he had slain his interceptors, those few men had indeed caused him a slight delay. Behind him, Xu Qing's aura had already manifested. Li Hao spun around abruptly, ceasing his flight. Because he had sensed Yuan Shuo's force. If Li Hao left, Yuan Shuo wouldn't be able to escape. Li Hao exhaled. *My master... he still thinks things are like the old days. Everything has changed. This era no longer belongs to you. Xu Qing is unimaginably powerful—someone you cannot match right now.* Yet he didn't harbor any blame. For his master to travel thousands of li to save him proved that Yuan Shuo was no fool. Yuan Shuo naturally knew the gap between himself and these mighty experts, yet he had come anyway... For that alone, it was enough. Still, now that his master was here, Li Hao couldn't leave. Looking at Xu Qing charging straight toward him, Li Hao roared, "Go back! Xu Qing has unsealed his power and surpassed Rising Light! He is unbeatable...!" He was telling Yuan Shuo to run! Li Hao might still be able to hold him off for a while, but a Xu Qing with unsealed combat strength was overwhelmingly terrifying. Before the man even arrived, Li Hao could already feel the staggering rush of his vitality and blood. This time... he was truly going to suffer a catastrophic fall. Strictly speaking, the pressure from Silver Moon and Yuan Shuo's arrival were the true triggers of this crisis; otherwise, Li Hao might have escaped. But could he blame them? No. He had to be grateful. They had paid an immense price and risked their lives to rescue him; how could he place blame? But... good intentions had led to bad results. Li Hao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. His mindset was fairly steady; he merely felt that these people sometimes seemed rather unreliable. *Next time you try playing mysterious with me, I'll punch every last one of you into whimpering wrecks!* *Then again, will there even be a next time?* Spitting out the Starry Sky Sword, Li Hao flung his hand, tossing Black Panther away. Li Hao's voice transmitted into the dog's ears: "Take my teacher and run!" Black Panther let out a howl! Fierce light flickered in its eyes, but in the next instant, it turned and bolted to drag Yuan Shuo away... intending to find an opportunity later to kill Xu Qing for revenge. Xu Qing saw it, but didn't care. He didn't care about a dog; right now, he only cared about Li Hao. A grin broke out on his face! Li Hao had stopped running. Nor could he run any longer. With unimaginable speed, Xu Qing kicked forward, as if shattering the void itself. In Li Hao's mind, the image of a tornado emerged—this was the man's force. Xu Qing was a martial master, the strongest martial master among all the enemies Li Hao had ever faced. This was also the first time Li Hao had truly clashed with a top-tier martial master in the strictest sense. In a single instant, his divine intent felt on the verge of being ripped apart. This was likely the reason why Bright Light Sword and the others could kill Rising Light experts with a single sword stroke: their divine intent was too overwhelming, tearing through their opponents' divine intent and paralyzing them instantly, just as Li Hao had done to that Rising Light general moments before. Yet Li Hao was a martial master too—a top-tier martial master! Though not as powerful as the man before him, his divine intent was by no means weak, and having just consumed an entire Heavenly Gold Lotus, his divine intent was at its absolute peak. At this moment, Li Hao put everything else out of his mind. His five organs erupted simultaneously! His divine intent materialized, transforming in the blink of an eye into a sword. The Sword Intent Outline surfaced, and his five forces forcibly merged into it, unleashing a towering sword intent. "Die!" With a ferocious roar, the Starry Sky Sword struck out. Divine intent tore through Xu Qing's tornado. The image of his ancestor's sword strike flashed in Li Hao's mind as, clad in silver armor, he unleashed his blade! Boom! A collision on the spiritual level! In an instant, Li Hao's ever-victorious five-force sword intent trembled violently, shattered, and scattered. His five organs threw themselves into turmoil, and his vision went completely black. Though the tornado was cleaved open, it still carried immensely powerful force. It swept over Li Hao in an instant, utterly shattering his sword momentum! Pfft! A mouthful of blood sprayed out, mingled with fragments of his internal organs. Opposite him, Xu Qing, who had kicked forward, paused slightly, a flicker of surprise appearing in his eyes. *What formidable sword momentum!* It was only slightly unrefined. Naturally, it was not as strong as his own. Having unsealed a portion of his combat strength, Xu Qing had surpassed the bounds of Rising Light; Li Hao was simply no match for him. Though he hadn't severed multiple supernatural locks like others had, half of one lock had broken. Even if he couldn't kill Li Hao in a single strike, crushing him was effortless. Xu Qing stomped down heavily! Li Hao's Starry Sky Sword slashed out, but was kicked aside. The next second, Xu Qing's other foot struck dead center on the armor's chest. With a thunderous boom, even the silver armor cracked slightly and caved in. With a crash, Li Hao was sent flying. His vision darkened, but quickly cleared. Opening his eyes, he saw Xu Qing looking at him with a chillingly indifferent expression: "Not weak! Unfortunately, you met me. Your force is your greatest trump card, but you still met me. Your force is useless here!" "Assembling five forces... is nothing special!" Assembled, not fused. A top martial master like Xu Qing could see right through it the moment they traded blows. Li Hao was formidable against ordinary foes, but against true experts, his flaws were glaring. At this stage, Li Hao was fine playing around with supers, but against top-tier martial masters, he had a nine-out-of-ten chance of dying. Before Li Hao could even think, a deafening blast rang out as Xu Qing vanished, his foot slamming into Li Hao's head. The silver armor caved in a bit more as Xu Qing's voice drifted eerily: "Among all martial arts under heaven, only speed is unbreakable! Still, this armor of yours is quite remarkable—such fine quality. This is the Battle Heaven Armor, isn't it?" "To not shatter after several kicks from me is truly impressive... Unfortunately, can you draw out its full power? The shockwaves alone will rattle you to death!" He spoke merely to dismantle Li Hao's fighting will and shatter his confidence. As for his strikes... he showed not a shred of hesitation. Rumble! Like a leather ball, Li Hao was rapidly suppressed and kicked relentlessly. Inside the armor, Li Hao vomited mouthful after mouthful of blood. The gap! At this moment, Li Hao truly felt the chasm between them. It was vast. Inferior in speed, inferior in reflexes, inferior in divine intent, inferior in force... He was utterly crushed in every single aspect. Were it not for the armor protecting him, were it not for his robust five organs, he would have been kicked to death long ago. No wonder Hong Yitang and the others could effortlessly slay peak Rising Light cultivators, and Bright Light Sword and her peers could dispatch them in seconds once unsealed. Xu Qing hadn't unsealed as much as they had, yet his combat strength was still terrifyingly high. An expert like Li Hao, capable of slaying late-stage Rising Light foes, was left entirely powerless in his hands. Bang! Li Hao was smashed down once more. Taking advantage of the momentum, he tried to plunge into the sea, but the next moment, Xu Qing appeared beneath him. A punch shot upward, sending Li Hao airborne again as concussive force penetrated the armor. Xu Qing praised, "What resilient five organs! To think they haven't been shattered to pieces even now... Li Hao, you are the martial master with the strongest internal organs I have ever seen. Even the likes of Earth-Overturning Sword might not possess organs as hardy as yours..." A tough physical body was normal. But Xu Qing had been using concussive force the entire time—the most suitable attack against martial masters. If Li Hao were truly an ordinary Rising Light martial master, his organs should have pulverized long ago. Yet... Li Hao could still defend himself! That was what made him terrifying! A hint of greed surfaced in Xu Qing's eyes as he glanced at the Starry Sky Sword gripped tightly in Li Hao's hand. All of this was likely connected to that sword. Just as that greed took root... Xu Qing's expression shifted slightly, and he vanished in an instant. Yet when he reappeared, Li Hao was right beside him. The Wind-Chasing Boots beneath Li Hao's feet glowed brightly as a sword thrust out—as if he had been waiting for him all along! Li Hao had not given up on counterattacking! Nor had he seized the chance to run, because he realized his foolish teacher had returned once more... *Holy shit... fine, I won't curse!* Otherwise, Li Hao's original plan had been to feign severe injury and weakness, then look for a chance to activate the Wind-Chasing Boots and flee. But look at that: his lovely teacher, terrified that Li Hao wouldn't die, had rushed over specifically to collect his corpse! It seemed the master-disciple duo would be taking the road to the netherworld together! Clang! The sword stabbed home! Yet the strike produced a crisp metallic ring. In the next instant, a suit of armor materialized over Xu Qing's body. Xu Qing looked on with surprise and slight disbelief. Li Hao... actually dared to strike back! No—he was *able* to strike back! Were it not for this armor, even if the strike couldn't kill him, the sharpness of the Starry Sky Sword could have pierced his defenses and inflicted wounds. That was a rare feat. For a martial master of the younger generation to possess such combat awareness and tenacity was extraordinary. Yet as a duke, was he lacking in Origin God Armaments? Not at all! If he were, a heap of them wouldn't be sitting in his treasury. Not only was he not lacking, but his armaments were of the finest quality. This set of armor he wore was known as the God-Locking Armor. By modern grading, it was a Heaven-grade Origin God Armament—on the same tier as the Fire Phoenix Spear. Even the Starry Sky Sword could not shatter it outright before its armament spirit awakened. Clang! Li Hao was thrown back by the immense recoil, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes. He had guessed as much! A duke like Xu Qing was nothing like the poor wretches of Silver Moon, not a pauper like Earth-Overturning Sword, nor a hired hand like Bright Light Sword. He was a regional hegemon; how could he lack treasures? Were it not for the absence of boot-type armaments, this man might have equipped a divine pair of boots as well. Even so, Li Hao guessed he had more than one armament on him. Xu Qing smiled faintly. "Not bad... Someone once said you are the genius of this generation of Silver Moon martial masters, perhaps capable of raising the ceiling of Silver Moon martial arts once more. I didn't believe it back then, but today, I do. Never mind this generation; even lined up against the martial masters of the previous generation, you would still rank among the best!" With that, he kicked out! With the God-Locking Armor manifested, his defenses were vastly enhanced, and he no longer worried about Li Hao's counterattacks. As his kick flew, Li Hao swung his sword in response—intangible and formless, the Shadowless Sword! Willow catkins drifting in the breeze—the Willow Catkin Sword. At this moment, Li Hao displayed everything he had learned: the Five Animals Grappling, Tiger Roars in the Forest, the Deer Prance technique, and the Nine-Fold Forging Force! Boom! Explosions rang out. Li Hao's eyes remained cool and collected as he struck with sword after sword, blade piercing the air with no intent of return. Sword light illuminated heaven and earth! Force broke through obstacles like splitting bamboo, only to be swept away once again by the tornado. "Roar!" A tiger roared in the forest, bursting from its cage. Yet that ever-victorious tiger was shredded by the tornado unleashed by Xu Qing's fist, stripped of its flesh and disemboweled! The tiger transformed into a skeletal beast, yet remained unyielding, roaring and lashing out in desperate resistance! *A tiger resides in my heart, yearning to break free...* Yet the enemy... was simply too strong! This was the first time Li Hao had been thoroughly crushed. Even with all five forces deployed, they were still shattered. His divine intent was torn apart, his sword deflected, and his Nine-Fold Forging Force broken... His five organs began to fracture. Mountains collapsed, the tiger lay dying, willow trees withered, ocean waves died out, and the golden origin point burst apart... At this moment, no matter how stubbornly resolute Li Hao's willpower was... he still could not overcome the disparity in strength. With a heavy crash, he slammed into the ground, tearing the earth apart as he fell hard! He said nothing, merely forcing his neck to turn and look toward the bridge... *My foolish teacher! I bought you so much time, what on earth are you doing? You didn't run... you didn't think about fusing the five forces, stepping into the Spirit Integration Realm, and then avenging me. You just had to run straight here... Did water get into your brain?* Just as Xu Qing was about to stomp down, he suddenly raised his head and looked across the span. Upon the collapsed bridge, Yuan Shuo walked out, one hand firmly gripping Black Panther by the head, looking rather annoyed. He glanced at Xu Qing, then down at Li Hao lying in the crater in the shattered earth. "My foolish disciple... You had this dog drag me away. Damn it, wasting my time! I had to subdue this dog first. This hound is as stupid as you... I'll stew it in a pot later!" Black Panther, its head pinned in his grip, looked utterly innocent. *I was trying to save you!* Yet it had feared this old man back in the day; it had thought that, now that it was stronger, it could easily claw him to death. But... looking at the situation now, it was still suppressed and dragged back by the head! Black Panther felt terribly wronged, glancing toward Li Hao. *It's not that I didn't try to drag him away; this old man is stronger than me and forced me back!* "Yuan Shuo!" Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. "I thought it was Hong Yitang... I was thinking he shouldn't have been able to arrive so quickly. I didn't expect it to be you!" Yuan Shuo smiled. "Are you mocking me, or what? He's my disciple—why would Hong Yitang be the one coming? Xu Qing, thirty years have passed, yet you're just as stupid as ever. Thirty years ago, I should have shoved you back into your mother's womb to reshape you; your head really isn't right!" Xu Qing looked at him and laughed. "The times... have changed! Yuan Shuo, this is no longer your era." He kicked out, and with a thunderous crash, kicked Li Hao deep into the earth. But the next instant, his expression shifted slightly. At that very moment, Li Hao flung his arms wide and seized his leg in a death grip, dragging him down as he gnashed his teeth and roared, "Cut the idle chatter... beat his ass!" His teacher actually had the leisure to chat! Either run or fight! If they wanted to reminisce, they could do it after killing the bastard, or after being killed by him, reminiscing together down in the netherworld. Boom! Xu Qing's right leg vibrated with concussive power as he kicked out several times in rapid succession. Crack... At this moment, spiderweb fractures appeared across the silver armor. Yet Yuan Shuo still hadn't stepped forward. He simply stood watching, waves of force rippling across his body. Not only that, Yuan Shuo opened his mouth wide and abruptly bit down on Black Panther, his voice echoing in the hound's ears: "Lend me some blood. I'll have Li Hao pay you back later... The blood of a great demon strengthens the five organs. You're a martial master hound and an ancient demon hound; your blood vitality is exceptionally potent, just what I need..." Black Panther let out a mournful howl as its rear was clamped in his teeth, wailing in agony! *I knew it! I knew this old man wanted to eat me all along!* It had thought that growing stronger meant it wouldn't have to fear being eaten by this old bastard, yet the old man hit a dog while it was down, sinking his teeth right into its rump. It could feel the old demon guzzling its blood! "Awoooo!" Black Panther howled pitifully. It hurt so much; it had shed so much blood today, suffering such misery. This sight... stunned Xu Qing and dumbfounded Li Hao. *What is he doing?* They watched as Yuan Shuo bit down on Black Panther, clamping onto the dog's rear, and then seemingly lapped at it... What in the world? Even Xu Qing froze for a second before realizing what was happening. *Is he... drinking the blood of a great demon?* Inside Yuan Shuo, his five organs were roaring. Four of his organs were already immensely strong; only his spleen was slightly weaker, leaving his earth force and bear force somewhat lacking, which had introduced a flaw into his five-force fusion. It wasn't five forces assembled, but five forces fused. The blood of a great demon indeed possessed the power to strengthen the internal organs—ancient texts recorded as much. However, modern great demons had impure bloodlines; no matter how strong they were, they were mediocre. Black Panther, however, had awakened its bloodline, keeping it remarkably pure. Furthermore, it was a hound that had barely absorbed standard energy. It ate only the finest treasures: sword energy, the Spring of Life, and origin energy. Outside, it fed off Li Hao; in Battle Heaven City, it fed off the old turtle. Its blood was extraordinary. Unlike modern great demons who consumed messy, miscellaneous energies and thin mysterious energy, Black Panther's blood was even more potent than that of some true ancient demons. In that brief moment, Yuan Shuo felt it too. He had worried it might not suffice, but after drinking a little, he found the effect... truly remarkable. It didn't even taste metallic—in fact, it carried a hint of sweetness. *What a lovely dog. I should treat it better next time so I can keep it around to drink its blood...* The thought flickered through his mind. As if sensing the thought, Black Panther's eyes burned with humiliation and rage. *Damned old bastard, I'll bite you to death sooner or later!* His five organs roared like thunder! Yuan Shuo paid no heed to Li Hao. From the looks of it, Li Hao was still capable of fighting back and wouldn't die anytime soon, so he could afford to wait a moment. To do good work, one had to sharpen their tools first. Xu Qing's expression changed. Letting out a low shout, he kicked out, sending Li Hao airborne once more. This time, a massive fissure appeared on Li Hao's armor. Li Hao spat blood continuously, sword energy flooding madly into his body, yet he could barely withstand such assaults... Meanwhile, Yuan Shuo finally tossed Black Panther aside. Black Panther, drained of strength, slumped pitifully to the ground, feeling lightheaded from blood loss, on the verge of weeping. "Xu Qing, you've angered me!" A soft chuckle escaped Yuan Shuo's lips. The next instant, a blur crossed Xu Qing's vision—it looked like a small deer bounding forward. Looking again, it seemed like an ape swinging through the air, flashing past before a fist drove home! In that single moment, tiger, bear, deer, ape, and bird—all five creatures manifested, fusing in an instant into a single man! Yuan Shuo! Xu Qing felt as if he had been pulled back thirty years. Back then, it had been the exact same: Yuan Shuo had used the Five Animals Art to beat him, the future Duke of Dingguo, into an utter breakdown. Were it not for the third-generation Duke still being alive and the Xu family's lofty standing, he would have been beaten to death that day! "Do you think this is still the past?" He roared, kicking out with all his might! *Do you think I'm still the Xu Qing of old? Do you think you're still Old Demon Yuan of thirty years ago?* "You will always be that same piece of trash!" Yuan Shuo barked. He threw a punch, a protrusion emerging over his knuckles—it was the stone saber. As his fist slammed home, a deafening boom rang out. The Heaven-grade armor that Li Hao had failed to pierce was dented inward by his single punch! Boom! Yuan Shuo moved like a tiger, pivoting and swinging his arm like a lashing tiger's tail. His backhand strike cracked against Xu Qing once more, shattering the armor over Xu Qing's right leg! Li Hao stared, utterly dumbfounded. Xu Qing's face twisted in shock. "Roar!" A tiger shook heaven and earth! "Clang!" A golden eagle spread its wings to soar high. At this moment, the Five Animals manifested like five towering ancient beasts. A colossal bear seemed to burst through heaven and earth. Yuan Shuo stomped down, splitting the earth beneath them. The moment Xu Qing landed, the ground exploded with a roar! Yuan Shuo transformed into a giant bear, swinging his fist. Xu Qing looked dazed, terror filling his eyes. The next instant, he pushed off the ground and flew into the sky to evade. Boom! The earth was torn apart! Yuan Shuo stood immensely formidable. Looking up at the fleeing Xu Qing, he sneered coldly, "Useless trash! Won't you unseal yourself? Then I'll beat you to death right here!" "Impossible!" Xu Qing shouted in disbelief. "How can this be!" Even now, his strength was at the absolute peak of the Transformation Stage, perhaps even slightly beyond... Yet facing Yuan Shuo at this moment, he was thoroughly suppressed! "Your inner force... your force..." Yuan Shuo sneered. "If everything came down to realm, force, and inner force... martial masters wouldn't need experience or talent at all. We could just tally up numbers; why even fight? You're still as useless as ever!" With that, he swooped down like a bird of prey! "Stupid disciple, watch closely! This is what true five-force fusion is! Under five-force fusion, my body is the force. I am the bear, the tiger, the eagle... at will!" "I can roar like a tiger, fight like a bear, prance like a deer... Once force merges into one, where is the need for all that troublesome switching back and forth, losing the essence of the five forces in the end?" "Metal, wood, water, fire, earth—five forces, five elements. When I throw a punch, all five elements emerge together; there is no such thing as isolated water and fire!" Boom! An explosive roar shook heaven and earth. Water and fire harmonized, unleashing radiant, devastating power. A fist thrust out, the stone saber protruding from his knuckles, slamming Xu Qing backward and tearing a massive bloody hole through his body! Even the armor was punched clean through, though it immediately began repairing itself. Xu Qing flew backward, spitting blood in disbelief. A trace of terror surfaced faintly in his eyes! *That Yuan Shuo... has returned!* This was impossible. Yuan Shuo's inner force seemed on par with Li Hao's—truly, only on par. Yet his force... was absurdly strong! A single force might not be much stronger than Li Hao's, but under five-force fusion, it was by no means simple addition. The fusion of five individual forces unleashed the power of ten, or even twenty forces combined! Xu Qing's expression turned grim as dread coiled in his heart. It was the fear of being crushed and nearly beaten to death thirty years ago. He had thought he had forgotten it, yet he hadn't. He had thought he no longer cared! But... encountering Yuan Shuo again, that fear erupted all over again. Yuan Shuo was like a demon incarnate, sneering coldly. "Trash is always trash. Becoming a top-tier martial master solely by relying on the Xu family... does that even count? You're nothing more than an artificial piece of garbage piled high with resources. Come on, unseal yourself! Let me see just how strong this so-called unsealing really is! Any martial master who relies on unsealing to gain combat strength is nothing but garbage!" "..." To the side, Li Hao was frantically absorbing sword energy to heal his wounds. Hearing this, his mouth opened, but he chose to keep silent. Those words offended every top martial master in the realm at once! That included Hong Yitang and the rest. Yet he was thoroughly shaken. *Is this the true fusion of the five forces?* Why? Under this five-force fusion, Xu Qing, at the peak of the Transformation Stage, was battered so thoroughly by his teacher that he could barely fight back. Of course, that had something to do with the fear in Xu Qing's heart. He was terrified of Yuan Shuo. Even Li Hao could see it: the man lacked the confidence he had shown against Li Hao, fighting Yuan Shuo with timid, hesitant moves, like an entirely different person. Even so, to effortlessly breach a top martial master's defenses with every punch and kick meant his teacher's offensive power had reached an appalling level. Force, inner force, vitality, and blood all seemed to have fused into one. It wasn't purely the five forces fusing, but also carried traces of the Blood Saber Art. Yet his teacher hadn't actually triggered the Blood Saber Art either. Li Hao felt bewildered. He felt that all the confidence he had built up over these past days had been utterly shattered by his teacher. This was true psychological devastation. If he were the enemy, he would probably be having a breakdown right now. Boom! As Li Hao watched, Yuan Shuo seemed to transform into a golden eagle, his hands hooked into claws that seized Xu Qing's arms. In the next instant, a ferocious tiger seemed to manifest along his arm, biting into the armor with a crunch. The armor noticeably caved in. Then, twisting his body at an impossible angle, Yuan Shuo flipped his legs and kicked toward Xu Qing's head. Xu Qing roared relentlessly, his vitality exploding as a tornado swept across heaven and earth, only to be torn apart directly by Yuan Shuo's vibrating five forces! "Roar!" A furious roar rang out. Suddenly, an extra hand seemed to appear on Yuan Shuo's body. Under Li Hao's thrilled gaze, sure enough, a hand hooked upward from below, clawed forward, and then shifted into a hammering strike... Boom! "Argh!" A shrill scream ripped from Xu Qing's throat. Exploding with desperate fury, he tore himself free from Yuan Shuo's grasp with a boom and vaulted into the air. Hunched over, clutching his groin with a deathly pale face, he glared at Yuan Shuo below. The next moment, madness and unyielding venom filled his expression. "Yuan Shuo... you... forced my hand!" Boom! It sounded as if something had snapped. In the next instant, another supernatural lock shattered! Having broken two locks in succession, his aura exploded to the absolute peak in an instant, surpassing even Southern Fist when he had unleashed his full power that day. It was almost unbelievable—it seemed he had only broken two locks! Xu Qing quickly gulped down a large amount of the Spring of Life, pain and reluctance flashing in his eyes. The Spring of Life... he had already consumed three drops earlier. This time, he downed seven drops all at once. He had only brought this many. There were more, of course, but they were kept with the experts in the ruins; even as the Duke of Dingguo, he couldn't carry everything with him. Ten drops... He swallowed them all at once to protect his five organs, preventing them from collapsing and stopping the two supernatural locks from severing completely. A terrifying aura swept across heaven and earth. In this moment, he was far too strong. So strong that even Li Hao felt a chill in his heart. This man was definitely far stronger than Southern Fist, and had saturated more supernatural locks than Bright Light Sword. Bright Light Sword had saturated six supernatural locks, while Southern Fist had only saturated five. This man had at least seven—meaning at least three locks in his five organs were saturated. That was a conservative estimate; it might even be more. Yuan Shuo narrowed his eyes, staring at Xu Qing. Though he kept calling him trash and garbage, his heart grew solemn. *Unsealing combat strength... actually brings such a massive boost!* Having fused his five forces, Yuan Shuo had grown significantly stronger as well, but seeing Xu Qing unseal himself, he realized... his current self was likely no match for this man! Yet... what harm was there in trying? He licked his lips and grinned. "I love... challenging the strong! Xu Qing, you're not trash anymore. You're a slightly more impressive... piece of trash!" "Hahaha!" Boom! A thunderous strike rocketed toward the sky, showcasing Yuan Shuo's peerless explosive power to the absolute fullest! He was too well-rounded, his speed pushed to the absolute extreme; even Xu Qing, who specialized in leg techniques, was not necessarily faster. Leaping like a deer, climbing like an ape, soaring like a bird! Coupled with the devastating destructive power of the stone saber, even though Yuan Shuo was suppressed and fell into a disadvantage, from Li Hao's perspective, his teacher remained unimaginably heroic! Judging purely from momentum, Xu Qing still seemed somewhat fearful. The shadow cast thirty years ago lingered to this day! With a deafening boom, Yuan Shuo was knocked back. Yet even then, Yuan Shuo remained peerlessly domineering, his gaze razor-sharp and a grin on his lips. Even as blood dripped from his mouth, he looked arrogantly defiant. However, Yuan Shuo's exasperated voice echoed in Li Hao's ears: "Are you a fucking idiot? Run! I can't beat him! Once he unseals, I'm going to get trashed!" At this moment, Yuan Shuo was thoroughly disgusted with his idiot disciple. *What the hell are you staring at? Do you have to watch me get beaten half to death before you run?* An unsealed Xu Qing... truly surpassed Rising Light. Yuan Shuo couldn't beat him. Li Hao kept his mouth shut. *I want to run, but... my injuries haven't healed yet. Teacher, hold on a bit longer; I'll be able to run in just a moment.*