Chapter 500 - 496: Killing Blow
"Wait, something isn’t right." A Martial Artist, remembering the massive boom from just now, couldn’t help but voice his confusion. "What was that sound?"
No one could answer him.
But soon enough, everyone had their answer.
Down in the massive crater, Lin Hao, standing behind the Fire Serpent, stomped his foot.
Lin Hao’s stomp seemed casual, yet a terrifying scene unfolded.
A deafening boom echoed as the entire area shook violently—it was exactly the same as the tremor they had just experienced.
Countless people stared, their eyes wide and their mouths agape.
That a single stomp from Lin Hao could possess such might... His power was simply terrifying.
More importantly, the beast before Lin Hao was a descendant of a primordial monster. To dare provoke it in such a way—the sheer courage was astounding.
The onlooking crowd held its breath, for they saw the ancient beast turn its head.
The next moment, the Fire Serpent opened its cavernous maw and unleashed a torrent of impossibly hot flames. The fire instantly engulfed Lin Hao, then surged past him to swallow the entire area behind him.
Under the flames, the ground hewn from Celestial Meteorite crumbled like paper!
The crater, originally hundreds of meters wide, expanded once again.
The crowd was watching from behind where Lin Hao had stood. Some of the Martial Artists at the crater’s edge couldn’t react in time as the ground beneath them disintegrated into ash.
They tried to leap away, but a scorching heatwave washed over them. In an instant, several of them were reduced to skeletons, which then crumbled to dust as they fell!
The survivors scrambled back, their faces masks of pure horror.
The heat from that wave was terrifyingly high. To even touch it meant certain death!
"Hahaha, Lin Hao is finished." Marquis Mo, who had retreated quickly, couldn’t help but burst into laughter upon seeing this.
At the very edge of the blast, Martial Artists who were so much as grazed by the heatwave turned to ash without a sound. One could only imagine the fate of Lin Hao, who had taken the full brunt of the attack.
But the ecstatic expression had not yet faded from Marquis Mo’s face when he froze solid.
Below, the sea of fire vanished, revealing Lin Hao standing in the same spot, completely unharmed.
Marquis Mo rubbed his eyes. Lin Hao was still there. He even turned his head and smiled at him.
"Impossible!" Marquis Mo roared. He simply couldn’t believe his eyes.
The rest of the crowd had been staring blankly, their expressions like they had seen a ghost. Marquis Mo’s roar snapped them out of it, and then all hell broke loose.
"Am I dreaming?!"
"Holy shit, he survived even that!"
"He... How did he do that?!"
One question after another erupted from the crowd.
The scene they were witnessing simply defied their understanding.
Along this Ancient Road, the highest cultivation level was merely the Seventh Layer of Soul Gathering Realm. Not long ago, more than ten Martial Artists at the Sixth Layer of Soul Gathering Realm had attacked the Fire Serpent at once, and it had instantly slaughtered all of them without even breathing fire.
That kind of combat prowess was something even a Martial Artist at the Seventh Layer of Soul Gathering Realm couldn’t match.
Therefore, they believed that even a Martial Artist at the Seventh Layer of Soul Gathering Realm would stand no chance against the beast alone—and that was assuming the brute didn’t even breathe fire.
But now, Lin Hao had emerged from that unscathed. This was too damn unbelievable!
’Could it be that Lin Hao has some incredible treasure on him?!’
Someone’s eyes lit up as they considered the possibility.
At once, the breathing of several people in the crowd grew ragged.
They realized that this theory was highly plausible.
Lin Hao was obviously no fool. For him to face the ancient beast alone, he had to have a trump card. Add to that the three fairy-like beauties who followed him with such devotion, and the chances of him possessing a priceless treasure seemed almost certain.
Just as several people began to harbor sinister designs, other Martial Artists noticed something else.
"Look, the Fire Serpent is still ignoring Lin Hao. It’s started digging in the crater again."
"It didn’t chase after us before, and now it’s ignoring this provocation. Could there be a treasure buried down there?" another Martial Artist chimed in.
As soon as he said this, the breathing of nearly everyone in the crowd grew heavy with anticipation.
A treasure coveted by the descendant of a primordial monster would have to be incredibly precious. How many could possibly resist such a temptation?
Still, there were some who remained level-headed.
"Don’t be fools. Even if there is a treasure, what then? Do you really think we can snatch it from under its claws?"
At these words, the crowd fell silent.
But a moment later, a voice piped up, "With so many of us, we can wear it down to death!"
"Are you idiots? You saw what happened. Even Spiritual Artifacts are useless against it. Its defense is impenetrable, its claws strike without warning, and it breathes a fire of utter annihilation. What are we supposed to fight it with? You all can sit here and scheme. I’m leaving." With that, the Martial Artist leaped into the air and shot toward the opposite side of the chasm.
The Fire Serpent’s attention wasn’t on the Martial Artists right now. If they didn’t leave now, they might never get the chance.
The Martial Artist moved like a bolt of lightning, reaching the other side in an instant before quickly vanishing from sight.
His departure prompted several others to follow suit.
They had all witnessed the Fire Serpent’s terrifying power; they knew when to cut their losses.
Before long, half the crowd had departed.
"Fairy Yunxi, do you think we can handle this beast?" one of the remaining Martial Artists asked Yunxi.
They still coveted the potential treasure underground—and, of course, whatever treasure Lin Hao was carrying.
Yunxi didn’t answer directly. Instead, she said coolly, "If you want to leave, there’s still time. If you wait any longer, you may not get the chance."
"Fairy Yunxi, what do you mean by that?"
"Because Lin Hao is about to make his move."
Lin Hao had provoked the Fire Serpent twice. If he provoked it a third time, it would surely fly into a rage. Everyone understood what Yunxi meant.
As Yunxi finished speaking, everyone saw a sword appear in the hands of Lin Hao, who stood below with his back to them.
At this moment, Lin Hao was slowly raising the sword.
All eyes were fixed on Lin Hao, but in that instant, disaster struck.
A flash of light shot toward Lin Hao like a lightning bolt.
Just as Lin Hao prepared to face the Fire Serpent, a Martial Artist from the crowd launched a sneak attack.
It all happened so fast that likely no one, aside from the attacker, could have anticipated it.
By the time Meng Ru, the first of the three women to spot the danger, tried to warn Lin Hao, it was already too late.
It was a fatal blow!
Meng Ru could only stare, wide-eyed, watching helplessly as the flash of light streaked toward Lin Hao.
At that moment, a smug smile appeared on the face of a young man in the crowd.
His name was Yin Tianzheng. He was from the Dark Night Empire, and his cultivation was at the Seventh Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm.
He had just scanned the crowd. The few Martial Artists who could have rivaled him had already left, making his cultivation the highest among those who remained.
’Lin Hao clearly has an incredible treasure. After I kill him, not only will I get my hands on it, but I might even be able to use it to slay this monster!’
’When that happens, my name will shake the Ancient Road, eclipsing even Yang Qingtian’s fame. And these gorgeous, enchanting beauties... they’ll all be my playthings!’
’Killing so many birds with one stone... only a fool would pass up this chance.’
’Lin Hao, oh Lin Hao, my surprise attack was my ultimate technique. You can rest in peace. I’ll take good care of your women for you. Hehehe, and they’re all virgins, too. This is going to be fun,’ Yin Tianzheng thought, a triumphant sneer spreading across his face.