Beneath the Sword Lord, All Techniques Shatter!

After the voice rang out, the earth suddenly began to tremble, one shudder after another. The force of it struck at everyone's hearts. In the forest ahead, countless trees snapped as flocks of birds fled.

Before long, a monster the size of a house appeared before them. Its fur was black as ink, and its dozens-of-centimeters-long claws gleamed like the cold light of hell. Three hideous heads, six eyes as large as lanterns—all stared straight at everyone present.

"This is... a Platinum-rank Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff!" Jiang Weiwei had the highest cultivation among them, yet even she could barely lift her head under the pressure. An aura of death shrouded the entire sky. Everyone else, including the teachers, was forced to cough up blood by the crushing pressure. Only the Gold-rank instructors and the three of them were spared.

Once Fierce Beasts reached Platinum rank or higher, they could speak. They also gained the ability to exert their innate pressure.

Lin Hao sighed. "Damn, so this is Platinum-rank strength? I can barely move right now."

"Heh. You humans really are weak. You can't even withstand a fraction of my pressure." The Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff looked down scornfully at the humans prostrate before it. "Which of you should I start with? You all look pretty delicious." All three heads turned toward Jiang Weiwei, standing at the front of the group. "Heh. You're the only little girl here with any cultivation, and you suit my taste. I'll start with you."

"Weiwei!" Su Xiaorui wanted to protect Jiang Weiwei, but even moving was beyond her now. A sense of despair and helplessness filled her from head to toe.

Lin Hao shook his head. Looks like I have no choice but to use my trump card. I wonder if the Spiritual Power I have left will be enough.

With that thought, Lin Hao raised his head. "You little lion dog, what the hell are you yapping about in front of me?"

Hearing someone still mock it, the Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff turned toward the voice. "Human, I have to admit, you've got guts. I'll start with you, then. You probably won't even be enough to get stuck between my teeth."

"Heh. You little lion dog think you can eat me? You should take a good look at yourself first."

Seeing Lin Hao still mocking it, the Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff stopped wasting words and opened its jaws, swallowing him whole.

"No, Lin Hao!" Jiang Weiwei's eyes reddened, and tears fell like pearls from a broken string. She thought of how she and Lin Hao had been at odds from the start, and how he had stayed at Shancheng Martial University because of her. Once again, she felt how small and powerless she was. She had an SS-rank talent. She had both light and life abilities. And yet, in the end, she could only watch Lin Hao die right before her eyes.

Su Xiaorui stood frozen, too. Lin Hao, who had always been at odds with her, Lin Hao, who could crush the sky and earth and even the air, Lin Hao, who was always messing with her—he had just been eaten by that beast right in front of her.

Just then, a powerful killing intent suddenly erupted from inside the Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff's mouth. Its three enormous heads tilted up toward the sky, as if trying to bite through that overwhelming force. At the same time, the pressure it exerted vanished. Everyone seized the chance to retreat to a safe distance.

Jiang Weiwei tried to rush forward and save Lin Hao, but Su Xiaorui grabbed her and pulled her out of the battle zone.

"Something's wrong with that beast." An instructor's expression was grave. "The force in its mouth doesn't seem to belong to it. This is our chance. All teachers, get the students out of here! Any martial artist at Gold rank or above, stay behind to cover the retreat!" The instructor quickly issued his orders.

The Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff's six eyes widened at once. Black Light suddenly swirled around its body, forcibly driving that force out of it. The powerful aura kicked up a vast cloud of dust that blanketed the entire area.

When the dust cleared, a man wearing a black cloth robe, with a Black Sword Box strapped to his back, was floating before the Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff. He stood tall and straight, his expression detached, a worldly aura about him that seemed untouched by mortal dust. His flowing white hair fluttered in the wind. A pair of scarlet eyes looked down at the beast with disdain, as if nothing in the world mattered to him. The fine Black Lightning that had surrounded him was gone, replaced by Sword Qi brimming with killing intent.

The man spoke in a flat voice that echoed like a dry well, reaching everyone's ears. "You little lion dog, didn't you say you wanted to eat me? Why'd you stop?"

The Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff stared in shock. Its six lantern-sized eyes were fixed on Lin Hao. "Who are you? Why do I feel a familiar pressure coming from you?"

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that you're about to die." Lin Hao's voice was as cold as ice that had lain for ten thousand years, striking straight into the Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff's heart.

"Hahaha! A Bronze-rank ant thinks it can shake a great tree? What a joke. Let's see what you've got!" All three of the Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff's heads laughed at once.

"Go ahead and try." Lin Hao remained calm and unhurried.

"Arrogant!"

The Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff could no longer hold back. Energy began gathering above its three enormous heads. In the next instant, it turned into a beam of light that shot straight at Lin Hao. He neither dodged nor flinched, and the beam swallowed him whole.

After a long while, the dust settled. Lin Hao was still standing in the same spot, completely unmoved.

"That all you've got?"

"Heh. I can't believe an ant like you made a fool of me. How about you try this?" As it spoke, an enormous black ball of energy instantly gathered above its three heads.

"Die!" The black energy ball, packed with terrifying power, hurtled straight toward Lin Hao.

Lin Hao still didn't dodge. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly beneath his calm expression. Suddenly, the Sword Box behind him opened. With a gesture, the first Flying Sword inside dropped into his hand.

It was a long, slender sword with a purple blade, named Zixiao—the first of the nine Flying Swords in the Sword Box.

"What is this?" Jiang Weiwei and the others stood stunned. "That white-haired, handsome guy is Lin Hao? How did he turn into that? Isn't he an Ability User?" Question after question filled Jiang Weiwei's mind, and the minds of everyone there.

As the energy ball grew larger before him, Lin Hao simply closed his eyes and murmured, "Beneath the Sword Lord, all techniques shatter!" Then his scarlet eyes snapped open, and he swung Zixiao.

"Shatter!!!"

A streak of Sword Qi slashed into the black energy ball. The instant they made contact, the ball exploded with a thunderous boom.

"This..." The Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff stared at Lin Hao, stunned. Its strongest attack had been broken by the man before it with nothing more than a casual wave.

"I refuse to believe that a mere ant can stand against me!" The Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff roared at the sky. Countless energy bullets gathered in its mouth and blasted toward Lin Hao. Yet he still didn't dodge. The moment the bullets entered a ten-meter radius around him, they were deflected.

After a round of bombardment, Lin Hao was still standing in place, without even a speck of dust on him.

The Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff was now drenched in cold sweat. The swagger it had shown at first was gone. "Who exactly are you?"

"Looks like you've had enough. Now it's my turn." Lin Hao's calm voice rang out. Dark clouds blanketed the sky, and countless purple bolts of lightning rolled through them.

Elsewhere, Jiang Hanhan led the Phoenix Legion rapidly toward their destination.

"Stop!" Jiang Hanhan halted, her expression grave as she stared at the purple lightning rolling through the distant sky. "What a terrifying aura! Could a Diamond-rank Fierce Beast have made it behind the battle lines?"

Just then, a dense crowd appeared in the distance, running toward them. They were the teachers and students of Shancheng Martial University, led by their instructors. Jiang Hanhan didn't hesitate and immediately joined up with them.

One of the teachers, gasping for breath, explained what had just happened. After hearing the account, Jiang Hanhan blurred forward, and a pair of fiery red wings appeared on her back. "Phoenix Legion, hear my command! Everyone, escort the teachers and students of Shancheng Martial University back to Phoenix Fortress!"

She herself flew toward the cloud-covered sky as fast as she could.

At the battlefield, countless purple bolts of lightning rolled through the clouds, and thunder rumbled like the roar of beasts. The flashes lit up a small patch of land, making it look like the end of the world.

Lin Hao raised the Zixiao Sword high. In a low voice, he murmured, "Beneath Zixiao, ten deaths and no life! Battle Skill: One Sword Opens the Heavens!"

The Zixiao Sword began to tremble in Lin Hao's hand. A tremendous surge of Sword Qi poured into its blade. What's more, the purple lightning flashing in the sky seemed to hear a summons, and one bolt after another poured into the sword as well.

A moment later, Lin Hao brought Zixiao down in a single slash. An enormous purple, crescent-shaped blade of Sword Qi, carrying an endless killing intent, shot toward the Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff.

In that moment, the world seemed to stand still.

The sword fell. With a thought, Lin Hao sent Zixiao back into the Sword Box, turned, and walked away. The Three-headed Earth Demon Mastiff stood motionless where it was. At last, it let out a low, resentful murmur. "Impossible, you're..." Before it could finish, its body split in two and crashed to the ground. The sky cleared, leaving behind only a corpse cut in half and a sword scar so deep its bottom couldn't be seen.

At that moment, in a cultivation chamber at military Headquarters, Han Feng suddenly awoke from his cultivation. He gazed out the window, his eyes profound, and murmured, "What a familiar aura."