"Haha! A wet-behind-the-ears brat like you thinks he can kill us? Who gave you that kind of nerve!"
Inside the main hall, the chieftains of the Evil Wolf Stronghold were stunned for a moment before bursting into uproarious laughter.
"You’re Xiao Chen’s adopted son, Xiao Hao? It looks like that bastard Xiao Chen is the one who killed my men. Tell him to get his ass out here and face his death."
Ma Hong said, his expression incredibly grim as he instantly recognized who Xiao Hao was.
However, he didn’t believe for a second that Xiao Hao had the strength to kill his men.
After all, Xiao Hao was just a piece of trash who had awakened the Black Snake Martial Soul. He had been cultivating for less than two months, so how strong could he possibly be?
Therefore, it must have been Xiao Chen who killed his men.
"You’re the one who’s going to die!"
Xiao Hao tightened his grip on his Treasure Sword, his body leaving an afterimage as he lunged at Ma Hong.
’What? His cultivation has reached the Profound Realm? How is that possible?’
Ma Hong’s pupils constricted abruptly, as if he’d just seen a ghost.
"Insolent brat! Die!"
Just then, a burly man wielding a Giant Axe let out a sudden roar and charged at Xiao Hao like a humanoid Fierce Beast.
This man was the ninth chieftain of the Evil Wolf Stronghold, and his cultivation had reached the Profound Realm Second Layer.
He didn’t know how Xiao Hao had become so powerful at such a young age.
’But anyone who dares to cause trouble here must die.’
BOOM!
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Xiao Hao. His Battle Axe, brimming with True Qi, swung horizontally, letting out an ear-piercing crack as it split the air.
Flames surged!
Xiao Hao didn’t dodge. Instead, he directly unleashed his Three-headed Dragon Elephant Power and executed the first form of the Flame Emperor Sword Skill, swinging his Treasure Sword to meet the attack head-on.
"Aaargh!"
A blood-curdling scream instantly echoed through the main hall.
Before Xiao Hao, the Evil Wolf Stronghold’s ninth chieftain’s Battle Axe was shattered as easily as if it were made of tofu.
His chest was then pierced by Xiao Hao’s sword, killing him instantly.
"No! Old Nine!"
"What kind of monster is this little bastard?"
The eyes of the Evil Wolf Stronghold’s chieftains were wide with utter disbelief.
’Weren’t they saying Xiao Chen’s adopted son was trash? How can he be this strong! The Xiao Family must have been blind.’
Even Ma Hong couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath, his face a mask of pure horror.
"Now it’s your turn!"
Just then, Xiao Hao’s figure abruptly appeared before Ma Hong. The Treasure Sword in his hand seemed to become a ball of fire as he slashed at Ma Hong’s neck.
"You can’t kill me! Now you die!"
Ma Hong’s expression turned savage. He instantly unleashed all the True Qi in his body, infusing it into his Battle Saber and clashing violently with Xiao Hao’s sword.
CLANG!
But in the next moment, a terrifyingly immense force sent Ma Hong stumbling backward, splitting open the web of his hand.
’How is this possible?’
Ma Hong was utterly horrified.
His cultivation had reached the Profound Realm Fifth Layer, and his True Qi was several times more potent than Xiao Hao’s.
Yet he had still suffered a major disadvantage at Xiao Hao’s hands.
He couldn’t bring himself to believe it.
’A demon like this must be eliminated immediately, or he’ll become an endless source of trouble! Barbaric Bull Martial Soul!’
A ten-foot-tall barbaric bull materialized behind Ma Hong. It seemed to merge with him as it charged violently toward Xiao Hao.
This was his signature Soul Technique, powerful enough to threaten even an expert at the Profound Realm Fifth Layer.
He refused to believe Xiao Hao could possibly withstand this.
"Flaming Meteor!"
Facing the terrifying barbaric bull, Xiao Hao didn’t dare to be careless. He unhesitatingly unleashed the second form of the Flame Emperor Sword Skill.
CRACKLE!
The True Qi in his body instantly condensed into a massive ball of fire that enveloped his sword, whistling through the air toward the barbaric bull like a meteor.
This strike was even infused with his Three-headed Dragon Elephant Power—it was the strongest attack Xiao Hao could currently muster.
’What is this Swordsmanship? How can it be so terrifying!’
The hair on Ma Hong’s body stood on end as he felt the overwhelming threat of death.
But there was no turning back now.
BOOM!
The next instant, their attacks collided violently, generating a terrifying shockwave.
"Aaargh!"
Immediately after, Ma Hong’s body was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut. He was a mangled mess of flesh and blood, his body seemingly scorched black.
"The Black... Black Dragon Alliance... will avenge me!"
After struggling to utter those last words, Ma Hong died, his eyes wide with disbelief.
He had never dreamed that he would die at the hands of a fifteen-year-old boy.
"No! Boss!"
"Kill him! Let’s team up and kill him to avenge the boss!"
The other chieftains of the Evil Wolf Stronghold charged toward Xiao Hao as if they’d gone mad.
"Then I’ll send you down to join him."
Xiao Hao’s eyes were like ice as he once again activated the second form of the Flame Emperor Sword Skill.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
In the next moment, balls of searing flame shot toward the men like a meteor shower, instantly incinerating four of them.
"Run! Run for your lives!"
The remaining three were scared out of their wits and scrambled to flee the hall.
But there was no way Xiao Hao would let them escape.
Pfft. Pfft.
Soon, he caught up to the three chieftains and killed them all as well.
Even though his cultivation was only at the Profound Realm First Layer, killing enemies four or five Small Realms above him was not a difficult task.
Next, Xiao Hao proceeded to execute every last bandit in the Evil Wolf Stronghold. Not a single one escaped.
Afterward, he activated his Heaven-Devouring Martial Soul and devoured the Martial Souls of Ma Hong and his men.
HUMMM!
Just then, Xiao Hao’s Heaven-Devouring Martial Soul erupted with a blinding, colorful light, and its body nearly doubled in size.
After devouring the Martial Souls of so many powerful experts, his Heaven-Devouring Martial Soul had finally evolved to the Bronze Five-Star level.
"It’s a pity. The Essence of Qi and Blood from the Human Race is far inferior to that of Demon Beasts. Otherwise, I could have used them to enhance my Dragon Elephant Power," Xiao Hao said, slightly disappointed.
The strengths of the Human Race lay in their True Qi, Martial Souls, and various Martial Arts. Their physical bodies, however, were often quite weak and couldn’t compare to those of Demon Beasts.
Therefore, even if Xiao Hao devoured the Essence of Qi and Blood from Ma Hong and his men, the benefit was negligible.
’If I want to increase my Dragon Elephant Power, hunting Demon Beasts is still the best way.’
’Someone’s coming. It should be my adoptive father and the others. Time for me to leave.’
With a flicker, Xiao Hao’s figure shot toward the Ancient Forest ahead, quickly vanishing into its depths.
Ever since he started practicing the Chaos Dragon Elephant Technique, his hearing had become exceptionally sharp. He could hear a group of people making their way toward the Evil Wolf Stronghold.
It wasn’t the right time for him to reveal his true strength, so leaving was his only option.
In any case, he had already resolved his adoptive father’s crisis, so there was no reason to remain.
"Second Brother, the Evil Wolf Stronghold is just ahead. We’ll escort you this far. With your strength, you can surely defeat Ma Hong with ease. We’ll just wait here for your triumphant return!"
In the Ancient Forest a few miles from the Evil Wolf Stronghold, Xiao Yang spoke with a mocking tone.