Fierce Clash

Jiang Tianlong, suspended in midair, stared in shock at the devastation wrought by Qin Hao's claw strike. Half the houses in the entire Zhang residence had been reduced to ruins.

The sight left Jiang Tianlong drenched in cold sweat. If he had not reacted quickly, he would likely have been blasted into serious injury as well.

The elderly Ghost cultivator floating beside him was also greatly shocked by Qin Hao's claw.

He had not expected such terrifying destruction from such a casual strike.

His expression turned exceptionally grave. A little ghost detached itself from the old man at incredible speed and raced into the distance.

The entire Zhang residence was now shrouded in smoke and dust that soared into the heavens, while Jiang Tianlong kept his eyes fixed on Qin Hao's position.

Just as Jiang Tianlong was distracted, the black-robed old man suddenly launched an attack on him.

A massive scythe slashed toward Jiang Tianlong. His face changed drastically, and he hurriedly raised his blade to block it. Yet the old man's strength was too great, and Jiang Tianlong was instantly sent flying.

He crashed heavily into a house below.

Knowing that Qin Hao was no ordinary opponent, the old man decided to strike first and kill Jiang Tianlong before dealing with him.

Jiang Tianlong, buried in the crater, felt sweetness rise in his throat before he sprayed out a mouthful of blood.

Just as the old man prepared to attack again, a blue streak shot into the sky from Zhang Family Manor and kicked toward him.

Knowing Qin Hao had reacted, the old man swiftly raised his scythe to block the kick. The instant Qin Hao's lightning-wreathed foot touched the scythe, it shattered.

The heavy kick struck the old man's body, twisting his entire frame out of shape.

Like a meteor, he slammed into the ground and directly raised a mushroom cloud.

Qin Hao glanced at Jiang Tianlong. He was not seriously hurt, merely temporarily unable to fight after taking the old man's attack.

Qin Hao hovered in the air without acting rashly. His most important target now was the Ghost cultivator before him.

When the smoke dispersed, the old man was half-kneeling in the deep pit, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth as he clutched the waist Qin Hao had kicked.

The old man slowly raised his head and glared viciously at Qin Hao in the sky, wishing he could tear him in two.

Seeing the old man in such a miserable state, Qin Hao laughed. "Hahaha! Well, old man? That kick of mine wasn't bad, was it?"

"You little brat, ahhh!"

Hearing Qin Hao provoke him, the old man struggled to his feet.

Then, with a flick of his hand, he produced a black gourd from thin air and pulled out its stopper without hesitation.

A vast number of ghosts and human souls poured out from the gourd.

The old man opened his mouth and swallowed every soul like a whale drawing in water.

Seeing this, Qin Hao had no idea what the old man intended to do.

Jiang Tianlong's face changed dramatically when he saw the old man's actions, and he shouted at Qin Hao, "Qin Hao! Stop him quickly! He's devouring souls!"

"If he successfully devours those souls and ghosts, he'll transform into something neither human nor ghost!"

Hearing Jiang Tianlong's explanation, Qin Hao immediately turned toward the old man, ready to interrupt him.

"Hahahaha! Too late! You two can just wait to die! But don't worry—everyone in Qingshi County will be buried with you!"

As soon as he spoke, the old man swallowed every last soul.

"Hahahaha! Let me show you my final form!"

As he spoke, the old man's body rapidly expanded. His clothes burst apart, revealing powerful muscles.

One point eight meters... two meters... two point two... two point three... two point five!

The old man's body quickly swelled to an astonishing two and a half meters, even taller than Qin Hao. His skin was no longer the color of a normal human's, but a bluish green, while devil-like horns grew from his head.

His strength had also transformed from the peak of the Core Formation stage to the Nascent Soul stage.

Qin Hao noticed that the old man's form bore a striking resemblance to Gui Wuya's. Could the direction of a Ghost cultivator's evolution be toward becoming a ghost race?

Seeing the old man successfully devour the souls, Jiang Tianlong's face turned ashen.

Qin Hao noticed Jiang Tianlong's expression and said, "Constable Jiang, go notify Uncle Ge. Evacuate everyone in the county beyond the city walls."

"Leave this place to me."

Hearing Qin Hao's words, Jiang Tianlong still wanted to say something, but this seemed to be the best choice. If the entire city was not evacuated now, those people would become food for the Ghost cultivator. Jiang Tianlong nodded with difficulty.

He stood up and looked at Qin Hao. "Qin Hao, are you sure you'll be alright?"

"His cultivation may have already reached the Nascent Soul stage."

Qin Hao nodded and smiled. "No problem. I'm only worried that the aftershocks of our battle will harm innocent people. Once they've been evacuated, I can fight without restraint."

Seeing Qin Hao's certain answer, Jiang Tianlong no longer hesitated. He turned and flew rapidly toward the government office.

The old man watched Jiang Tianlong leave without stopping him. Instead, he looked mockingly at Qin Hao, as though he did not care in the slightest.

At first, Qin Hao had thought the old man would stop Jiang Tianlong from leaving, but he had not cared at all.

Qin Hao looked at him and asked in confusion, "Hm? Old man, aren't you going to stop him? You're just letting him leave?"

The old man did not answer. Instead, he took a huge bone hammer from his Storage Bag. It was fashioned from the skull of a massive beast and radiated waves of ghostly energy.

"Boy, are you ready to die?"

He looked coldly at Qin Hao as he spoke.

Qin Hao slowly descended to the ground as well, because he believed that clashes of flesh and blood were the most thrilling.

The moment he landed, Qin Hao curled his lips into a smile, raised his right hand, and crooked his index finger at the old man. "You, come here!"

Faced with such provocation, the old man's rage instantly reached its peak. "Ah! You brat, you're courting death!"

He immediately charged at Qin Hao with the huge bone hammer in hand. Every step he took left a massive crater in the ground.

When he was not far from Qin Hao, the old man suddenly exerted force. Like a cannonball, he blasted a deep pit into the spot beneath him, gripped the hammer with both hands, and smashed it viciously toward Qin Hao.

The hammer swept toward Qin Hao with a thunderous shriek that tore through the air. Yet Qin Hao did not panic in the slightest. He began gathering strength, stomped hard with both feet, and charged rapidly at the old man.

He shouted, "Barbarian Bull Fist!"

His fist collided with the bone hammer. A deafening explosion rang out, and an instant blast erupted around the two of them. A mushroom cloud dozens of meters tall rose into the air, shining with dazzling light.

The shockwave produced by their collision instantly flattened the vast Old Zhang Family Residence, and its range continued to spread.

The enormous blast jolted most of the county's residents awake from their dreams! They stuck their heads out of their windows, only to see a mushroom cloud rising into the sky before their eyes.

"My heavens! What happened over there?!"

"Ah! Wake up, old woman! How can you still sleep through something like this?!"

"That's terrifying! Isn't that the haunted Old Zhang Family Residence?!"

The townspeople all looked toward the Old Zhang Family Residence as they spoke.

Even Ge Wengong in the government office was startled by the sound of the two men fighting. The moment he heard the blast, Ge Wengong leaped onto the roof and gazed into the distance, where a mushroom cloud rose into the sky in the direction of the Old Zhang Family Residence.

Staring at the mushroom cloud, Ge Wengong said in shock, "What's going on? Isn't that the direction of the Old Zhang Family Residence? How could such an astonishing battle break out there?!"