On the main road outside War Dragon City, Wu Sipei stood beside a beast that was deader than dead, her face etched with killing intent.

Three years had passed, and Lin Hao was still only at the Third Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm. Against three Martial Artists at the Fifth Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm, he shouldn’t have stood a chance.

That was why Wu Sipei hadn’t been in a hurry to pursue him, taking her time.

But now, seeing the message Lin Hao had left, she discovered reality wasn’t quite what she had expected. Lin Hao had even called her a good-for-nothing. How could Wu Sipei possibly tolerate that?

Gazing toward Tianduan Mountain, killing intent flared in her eyes.

She would wash away the shame Lin Hao had brought her three years ago, no matter what it took!

She slapped the back of her beast. Pained, it let out a long cry and galloped madly toward Tianduan Mountain...

Meanwhile, the three Zhengyang Sect disciples were already standing by the embers of an extinguished fire.

Next to the fire were four pieces of roasted meat and a message: "You’ve worked hard. I prepared this especially for you, so don’t be shy."

BOOM!

Sun Xiao sent a palm strike blasting into the ground, leaving a deep crater that buried the roasted meat and the message.

This time, the three of them were silent, their chests filled with nothing but raw fury.

Lin Hao had toyed with them time and again. They were driven to madness, wanting nothing more than to drink his blood and eat his flesh.

"Wait! Don’t rush into the woods. We should wait for Junior Sister Wu. Her Spiritual Jade Fox can help," one of the others said, stopping Sun Xiao just as he was about to give chase.

"He’s only at the Third Layer of Blood Coagulation Realm, and all three of us are at the Fifth Layer! Are you two scared?! If you won’t go, I will! If we don’t take him down today, people will think our Zhengyang Sect is easy to bully!" Sun Xiao sneered, his face full of disdain.

He had only suffered at Lin Hao’s hands because of his own carelessness. Sun Xiao had already decided that the next time they met, he would go all out.

Unfortunately for him, he was still underestimating Lin Hao.

’Three experts at the Fifth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, afraid to advance? What would Junior Sister Wu think if she found out?’

Wu Sipei seemed to have gotten close to some big shot in the sect. While none of them dared to make a move on her, they certainly didn’t want her to look down on them.

After exchanging a glance and a nod, the three men entered the forest.

Their two beasts were, of course, left behind. The massive creatures would only be a hindrance in the dense woods.

"At our speed, the little bastard can’t have gotten more than a few hundred meters. We’ll split up. If I’m not mistaken, this is Tianduan Mountain. He won’t dare go too deep and will stick to the outer areas. That leaves two possible directions..." one of the disciples analyzed.

But before he could finish, Sun Xiao had already picked a direction and charged off in pursuit.

The remaining two exchanged a glance and headed in the opposite direction.

What none of them could have possibly expected was that Lin Hao hadn’t gone far at all.

The moment their figures vanished, Lin Hao’s head emerged from a dense thicket.

Looking at the beasts they had left behind, Lin Hao’s eyes darted about, a strange, excited glint in their depths.

His original plan was to wait for the trio to enter the woods, then ride Wu Sipei’s beast to lure them toward the Heaven-Stepping Sect. But now, he suddenly had a change of heart.

He had spent a good amount of time in Tianduan Mountain. This was his turf.

Since the three of them were arrogant enough to split up, he had a real chance to take them down one by one.

With that thought, Lin Hao set off, following the direction Sun Xiao had taken.

In an instant, the prey became the predator.

Relying on his marvelous Body Technique, Lin Hao moved like a phantom through the woods. Before long, he had closed in on Sun Xiao.

A violent aura raged around Sun Xiao. A single stride covered several meters, and the fierce winds he generated pulverized any obstacle in his path!

Lin Hao was inwardly alarmed. ’The Fifth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm really is terrifying. If he had gone all out back in War Dragon City, I’d probably be dead by now.’

However, watching Sun Xiao blunder about like a headless chicken, a cold smirk played on Lin Hao’s lips.

’Let’s see just how much True Essence he has to waste,’ he thought.

Like a seasoned Hunter, Lin Hao’s patience was exceptional.

"You little bastard, I know you’re nearby! Get the hell out here!" Although not much time had passed, it felt like an eternity to Sun Xiao. He was losing patience, his roar echoing through the trees as his aura flared even more intensely.

’Idiot,’ Lin Hao scoffed inwardly, though a smile graced his face.

The more impatient Sun Xiao grew, the greater his own odds of victory became.

’A spurt of energy on the first charge, a decline on the second, and exhaustion on the third. Just one more time...’ Lin Hao recited to himself, still not making a move.

Before long, Sun Xiao reached the bank of a small creek.

He scanned his surroundings—nothing but rocks and trees. A violent rage surged within Sun Xiao. He repeatedly unleashed palm strikes, blasting them into a pool in the creek.

BOOM! RUMBLE!

Under his furious Palm Force, the water in the pool erupted into towering walls.

"AAARGH! You little bastard, get the hell out here!" Sun Xiao’s patience was at its absolute limit. He frantically unleashed palm strikes, venting his fury.

Sun Xiao’s roar was like thunder, shaking the entire forest.

"Sun Xiao has lost his mind. This is bad for him. Go help him!" Elsewhere, the disciple who had previously cautioned Sun Xiao faintly heard the roars. He frowned and spoke to the other man.

This man clearly held a higher status. The other disciple nodded at his words and sped off in the direction of Sun Xiao’s voice.

And by the creek, Lin Hao’s eyes flashed. He made his move!

Lin Hao activated his Ghostly Divine Step and threw a punch.

His body was like a phantom, his fist a falling stone!

Unyielding, and impossibly fast!

But Sun Xiao was still a formidable opponent. The moment Lin Hao threw his punch, he reacted, spinning around and launching a counter-punch of his own.

BOOM!

The creek water radiated outward from the point where their fists met, retreating several meters before exploding violently.

Having taken the blow in a rush, Sun Xiao was forced back several steps.

Lin Hao’s own arm went numb, his blood and qi roiling within him.

He was inwardly awed. ’The Fifth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm really is something else. To think he still has this much power after all that.’

Sun Xiao could retreat, but Lin Hao could not. If he took even one step back, he would lose the upper hand, and the price for that could be his life.

Lin Hao understood this. He forcibly halted his momentum and once again shot out his fist like a bolt of lightning.

It was the Stone Fall Fist again. Before his body even arrived, his fist was already there.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Hao had thrown over a dozen punches, his speed pushed to the absolute limit.

The pool was right behind Sun Xiao. As he landed, his footing was unstable. Just as he tried to gather his energy, Lin Hao’s fists arrived.

His flow of True Essence faltered. Sun Xiao raised a fist to block, but it was struck squarely by Lin Hao’s.

The force of Lin Hao’s punch exceeded four thousand pounds. Under the full-power blow, Sun Xiao’s right arm was sent flying before exploding into a bloody mist.

Pressing his advantage, Lin Hao punched out again.

BOOM!

His punch smashed Sun Xiao’s body into the pool. The residual power was so immense that it parted the water, driving his fist into the pool’s bottom several meters below.

A huge hole appeared in Sun Xiao’s chest. He was pinned to the bottom of the pool by Lin Hao’s fist, dying with his eyes wide in disbelief.

The force of his blow had held the water apart; a second later, it crashed back together.

The once-clear water turned into a pool of blood.

Lin Hao propelled himself up from the bottom of the pool, landing on the bank.

"Sun Xiao! Sun Xiao...!" A voice drew nearer.

Lin Hao was about to flee, but then an idea struck him. He collapsed to the ground...

"Sun—" The other Zhengyang Sect disciple had just reached the creek when he saw the blood-red water. He stopped short, his guard instantly up.

Then, he saw a body on the bank.

The corpse was face-up. Who else could it be but Lin Hao, the one they had been hunting so desperately?

The disciple let out a breath of relief. He walked over, gave the body a vicious kick, and tutted, "That Sun Xiao is a ruthless one. He dyed the whole creek red."

He plopped down beside the body and looked around, hoping to spot Sun Xiao.

Just then!

The "corpse"—Lin Hao—suddenly snapped his eyes open, sprang to his feet, and threw a punch.

A terrifying aura erupted, and immense fist energy surged forth...

BANG!

The disciple, caught completely off guard and then suppressed by the terrifying aura, had only just begun to react when Lin Hao’s fist landed.

Lin Hao’s fist struck him in the head, which promptly exploded like a watermelon, shattering into pieces!

A moment later, another headless corpse lay in the creek.

Only then did the current wash Sun Xiao’s body out from the depths.

Two Martial Artists from the Zhengyang Sect, both at the Fifth Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm, had died at Lin Hao’s hands in the space of a few dozen breaths!

"Just you wait. The others will be along to join you soon!" Lin Hao stared at the two corpses, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

Having killed Zhengyang Sect disciples, he had made a mortal enemy of the sect. There was no way Lin Hao could let the other two go.

If he let them go, the Lin family would truly face annihilation.

Lin Hao made some arrangements, leaving Sun Xiao’s body behind and hoisting the other headless corpse over his shoulder before leaving the creekside.

"Hahaha! You’re as weak as that other good-for-nothing! You call that a punch?!" Lin Hao roared with laughter before he left.

He deliberately projected his voice so that it would carry a great distance—all the way to the last man.

The last Zhengyang Sect disciple froze, then sped toward the source of the sound.

A few minutes later, he arrived at the creek.

He stopped dead when he saw Sun Xiao’s corpse. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, quickly replaced by horror.

Before today, if someone had told him a cultivator at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm could defeat someone at the Fifth Layer, he would have dismissed it as a fool’s dream. But now, he was forced to reconsider. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

’That Martial Artist at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm... he has some tricks up his sleeve!’

’But it’s fine. He must be at the end of his rope.’

He had heard Lin Hao’s taunt. If he hadn’t seen Sun Xiao’s body, he would have assumed it was a trick. But seeing the corpse, he could only conclude that Lin Hao was bluffing, putting on a brave front.

’For someone at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm to kill someone at the Fifth Layer, he must have paid a heavy price. Not to mention, he supposedly took a hit from the other Martial Artist at the Fifth Layer.’

The Zhengyang Sect disciple’s eyes flashed, and he spotted a trail of blood leading away from the opposite bank of the creek.

He immediately gave chase, following the trail of blood.

He hadn’t gone far before he heard the sounds of a fight.

"You good-for-nothing! Why aren’t you running anymore? Go on, run! You’ll die a miserable death for killing someone from my Zhengyang Sect!"

It was the voice of the other Zhengyang Sect disciple.

"*Cough*... I killed him, and I can kill you too... *cough*... And the other one! Tell him to get his ass out here! I’ll show you all that killing you is no different than butchering dogs for me!" Lin Hao’s voice rang out at the same time. It sounded weak, but his words were brimming with arrogance.

Hearing this, killing intent surged in the Zhengyang Sect disciple’s eyes, and he strode forward...