The death of the Intermediate Beast General Rank Iron-Armored Bull enraged the remaining Iron-Armored Bulls at Beast General Level. They snorted hot air from their nostrils and surged forward as one.
As Chen Hao dodged, he thoroughly absorbed the memories and experience he had previously fused into himself, putting them to use in battle.
This allowed his footwork and blade technique to gradually blend perfectly together, bringing him to a truly flawless level.
His blade technique had already reached perfection, but it had never been tempered in real combat, so his mastery had been somewhat superficial. After this battle, he could finally say he had earned that mastery.
Now that his footwork had reached perfection, he stopped holding back. He attached his Mental Power to the blade, boosting its force to Advanced Warlord Rank.
Combined with his own 2.1-times force amplification, the blade could now easily pierce the defenses of an Advanced Beast General, even though his force amplification could not be applied to his Mental Power.
The Iron-Armored Bull leader had thought its defenses would keep this human from doing it any harm.
Aside from the first strike, which had caught it completely off guard, it hadn't been hurt again. Even if all its Beast General-level underlings died, that wouldn't be a big problem. It could just gather more later.
But it hadn't expected the detestable two-legged creature to be so cunning. He had been hiding his strength!
The weapon that had been unable to break through its defenses could now slice through its hide and cut into its body with ease. A trace of fear crept into its heart.
After an urgent bellow, the Beast Soldier-level Iron-Armored Bulls that had just fled into the distance returned. They filled the entire area, leaving Chen Hao nowhere to dodge.
Chen Hao was secretly pleased. He had been worried that after he killed the few Iron-Armored Bulls at Beast General Level, the rest would run away.
It looked like he would have to keep them alive. As long as the leader and its subordinates stayed, the Beast Soldier-level Bulls wouldn't dare flee.
Then the bloody slaughter began. At his current strength, he could kill a Beast Soldier-level Iron-Armored Bull with a single slash even without using Mental Power.
As time passed, fewer and fewer Iron-Armored Bulls remained standing on the battlefield, while their mournful cries grew more frequent.
Chen Hao couldn't kill every one with a single strike. Many were merely wounded and left unable to move, wailing loudly where they lay.
Watching its entire herd die or fall wounded, the Iron-Armored Bull leader's eyes blazed with rage. It charged Chen Hao without hesitation.
Chen Hao was breathing a little hard by now. When the bull charged, he gave a short laugh. "Big guy, time to send you on your way!" He unleashed the second level of Nine Heavens Thunder Blade, empowered it with Mental Power, and added the force of his forward charge.
When the blade fell on the Iron-Armored Bull leader's head, the immense force behind it drove the razor-sharp S-Grade Battle Blade through the bull's skull as easily as a knife through butter, cleaving its entire upper body apart.
A flood of filthy blood splashed toward his face. Chen Hao frowned and covered his body with Mental Power, deflecting it.
The few remaining Iron-Armored Bulls at Beast General Level were battered and covered in wounds, terror in their eyes. Seeing their leader fall, they immediately turned to flee.
But Chen Hao wasn't about to let them get away. He quickly caught up, and after a few flashes of his blade, the Iron-Armored Bulls at Beast General Level stumbled forward with mournful cries before collapsing and lying still.
A breeze passed. Chen Hao let out a long breath. The slaughter, along with the time he had spent honing himself against the Iron-Armored Bulls at Beast General Level, had lasted more than two hours.
It had also drained him badly. He took out a 300-Year-Old He Shou Wu and swallowed it whole. His depleted strength quickly returned, and his physical fitness began to improve bit by bit.
Four or five kilometers from the battlefield, several people were watching the fight through binoculars.
"My God, that's incredible!" A burly man swallowed and muttered under his breath, afraid of drawing the other man's attention.
"The Iron-Armored Bull Herd—wiped out just like that." The burly man holding a huge firearm looked equally shocked.
Two young men who looked very much alike stood nearby. Though they said nothing, their faces showed the same astonishment.
A burly man with a pair of warhammers hanging from him wore a grave expression. "He's powerful. That strike that killed the Iron-Armored Bull leader definitely had the force of a War God. This is clearly a big shot at War God Rank."
As Chen Hao took a moment to recover, Xiao Mei's warning came through his earpiece. "Master, five humans are observing you with equipment from 4.7 kilometers away."
He turned to look in the direction Xiao Mei indicated. Having just finished a slaughter, his eyes were full of killing intent.
The men observing him jumped in fright and instinctively took a few steps back.
The big man with the warhammers' expression changed at once. He called to his teammates, "We've been spotted. Move! If this big shot is in a bad mood, we'll be in for trouble!"
The others didn't hesitate. As soon as the hammer-wielding man finished speaking, they packed up and followed him away.
Xiao Mei then projected images and information about the group in front of Chen Hao.
Judging by their weapons and the information, Chen Hao identified them: the Fire Hammer Squad.
"So it's them. I didn't expect them to be hunting monsters in the Wilderness Zone at this time, too."
"Xiao Mei, scan the area. Is anyone else nearby?"
"Master, there are no signs of life within five kilometers."
Chen Hao understood. The fierce battle had frightened away the surrounding monsters. Even though the area had gone quiet, none of them dared come near.
He then controlled his flying knives and began cutting off the horns of all the Iron-Armored Bulls. Compared with the last time, this had been a bumper harvest. After he synthesized everything, his gains this time would be worth at least a hundred million.
Very satisfied with the haul, he put away the synthesized horns and headed into the county seat. He found an eleven-story building and cleared the top floor. Xiao Mei scanned the area and found no signs of life.
He took out the Safe House, opened it, and climbed inside. Then he lay down on the bed and began to digest what he had learned from the battle.
Chen Hao realized that he didn't feel uncomfortable about fighting and killing. If anything, he felt faintly excited.
He couldn't help but mock himself. Looks like every seemingly honest person has a bloodthirsty demon lurking inside.
That was a good thing for him, at least. It would help him go further in this world.
After digesting what he had gained from the battle, he went to the bathroom and took a shower. Then he brought out some ready-to-eat food and wolfed it down. Belching, he took out the 300-Year-Old He Shou Wu and bit into it. "Looks like I still prefer eating regular food."
Unfortunately, a 300-Year-Old He Shou Wu wasn't a Spirit of Grass and Wood. If he ate the whole thing at once, his body might not be able to handle it.
Spirit of Grass and Wood had no side effects, and its medicinal effects were gentle, steadily improving one's physical fitness from low to high.
But using a Spirit of Grass and Wood now would be a waste. Since he needed combat experience anyway, the 300-Year-Old He Shou Wu was a better fit.
Once he reached the peak of Advanced Warlord Rank, he could use a Spirit of Grass and Wood and quickly reach the peak of Advanced Wargod Rank.
Thanks to Kimchi and Feng for the monthly tickets, and thanks to everyone for your recommendation tickets. This book was signed so quickly thanks to all your generous support, your votes, and your help correcting mistakes. Thanks again, everyone!
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