Mountain Forest Training

As his voice fell, he unleashed the Gale Art beneath his feet. Swift as lightning, he appeared directly before the Qi Condensation, Second Layer cultivator, his fist carrying surging force as it crashed down.

"Pfft!"

One punch was like a mountain collapse, exploding the man's head!

The Qi Condensation, Third Layer cultivator gritted his teeth fiercely, courage rising in his heart. He silently recited an incantation, then pointed forward with one hand. At once, a flame appeared, forming a half-foot-long fire dragon that whistled through the air.

The temperature around them immediately soared.

A first-level spell, the Fire Dragon Technique!

However, this black-clad brute had only just begun cultivating it, and could not bring out even a tenth of its power.

Moreover, even if he could, Su Hao possessed the Devil Lord's inheritance. There were countless methods in his mind to break a first-level spell.

Su Hao remained utterly fearless. As the fire dragon came whistling toward him, he strode forward, his fingers forming a hand seal. A lotus bloomed between his fingertips, carrying an icy chill.

"Go!"

With a sweep of his sleeve, the lotus spun forward and met the fire dragon. A series of hissing sounds rang out. The lotus shattered, and the fire dragon vanished.

At that moment, Su Hao activated the Gale Art again. His cultivation had reached Qi Condensation, Second Layer, yet his spiritual power was even more terrifying than that of an ordinary Qi Condensation, Third Layer cultivator. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the Third Layer brute.

He raised a finger, faint golden light gleaming upon it. Like a sharp iron nail, it tore through the air with a piercing whistle and shot forward.

"Puchi!"

The sound of flesh tearing rang out. His finger was hard enough to shatter great bluestones. It struck the brute's brow and pierced straight through, the spiritual power at his fingertip burrowing inside and crushing the structure of his brain.

The Qi Condensation, Third Layer cultivator died!

"Good thing I arrived in time. Otherwise, things really would have gone terribly wrong." Only then did Su Hao let out a long breath. He looked around, and seeing no one nearby, picked up the black cloth bag and vanished into the night.

A hundred li away.

Su Hao crouched down and burned his own "corpse" to ashes. Looking at the body lying amid the blazing flames, he said, "The old Su Hao is already dead. The one reborn now is an entirely new Su Hao!"

Soon, the corpse turned to ash. With a sweep of his sleeve, Su Hao scattered the ashes across heaven and earth. He had buried himself!

"The Green Forest Mountain Range is high and densely wooded. Demonic beasts roam its depths, and spirit herbs grow within. Since I have already come here, I'll cultivate for a while and use demonic beasts to strengthen myself."

Su Hao murmured to himself. Although he had obtained the Devil Lord's inheritance, sparing him much trouble, and his Innate Dao Body gave him rapid cultivation speed—

Cultivation was not merely the cultivation of the body. It also required cultivating the heart, walking a journey that could not be omitted. He needed to accept all of it.

Besides, the Great Elder's son would return soon. He needed to temper himself between life and death, put pressure on himself, and grow strong quickly.

"Rumble!"

A fierce battle raged within the valley. A youth was fighting a green-eyed, silver-furred demon wolf.

The demon wolf was incredibly fast. With a single flash, it crossed dozens of meters. Its claws were also incomparably hard; one swipe could shatter rock. Several bloody wounds had already appeared on Su Hao's body.

"This Green-Eyed Silver Wolf is equivalent to Qi Condensation, Third Layer, but it is far more terrifying than cultivators at the same level. It really is difficult to kill." Su Hao groaned inwardly. If this continued, all his spiritual power would be exhausted.

"Awooo!"

With a roar, the Green-Eyed Silver Wolf pounced again. A silver shadow landed where Jiang Chen had been standing, and the ground instantly exploded, earth and snow spraying in all directions.

If those claws struck flesh, they would tear it into pieces at once!

Good opportunity!

Su Hao's cold gaze swept across the wolf. As it pounced, he used the Gale Art to evade, but did not retreat far. He merely shifted slightly to the side, dodging by only a meter.

If one did not enter the tiger's den, how could one catch its cub?

Having dodged aside, Su Hao's eyes turned cold. He suddenly drew a deep breath, and his chest visibly swelled into a round bulge as the spiritual power within him surged as well.

"Spit!"

At that moment, Su Hao opened his mouth and exhaled. His swollen chest rapidly deflated, and a crimson blaze roared from his mouth. A large patch of snow around him melted away.

First-level spell: Fire-Breathing Technique!

The silver wolf had not yet had time to turn and evade after its pounce when the flames arrived, engulfing it completely. Heart-rending howls poured desperately from its mouth.

Seizing the chance to strike while it was sick and take its life, Su Hao strode forward. A curved blade flashing with cold light appeared in his hand, densely covered in spiritual power.

The curved blade had been taken from the storage bags of the two brutes.

"Pfft!"

The blade rose and fell. Blood dyed the snow red, and the silver wolf's head was severed.

After taking a few breaths and recovering his strength, Su Hao stepped forward and cut open the demon wolf's chest and abdomen, taking out a walnut-sized bead, smooth and lustrous as a gemstone.

This was a Demonic Core.

Only demonic beasts that had reached the Qi Condensation realm could condense a Demonic Core.

A Demonic Core was also the essence of a demon beast's entire body, an important material for refining pills and magical treasures alike.

Yet upon obtaining it, Su Hao directly stuffed it into his mouth and began circulating his mysterious art.

Had there been outsiders present, they would surely have cursed him as a madman. The energy within a Demonic Core was violent and carried demonic qi. If an ordinary person swallowed one, they would explode outright. Even if they survived, the powerful demonic qi within would severely injure their internal organs.

This was common knowledge.

A Demonic Core had to be processed by an alchemist and mixed with spirit herbs that could neutralize it before it could be used for cultivation.

But Su Hao had no such need. The Demonic Core entered his mouth and was directly refined. Even its demonic qi was reduced to dregs. The Supreme Heavenly Demon Art was just that tyrannical!

Furthermore, his Innate Dao Body was the origin of heaven and earth itself, capable of containing all forms of energy. Why would he fear demonic qi?

He then opened his eyes and smiled. "Not bad. The Demonic Core of a Qi Condensation, Third Layer demon beast is overflowing with essence. It is much denser than the energy of heaven and earth, comparable to spirit stones."

His smile faded as Su Hao strode away. Yet just as he took a step, fierce sounds of battle suddenly came from a stretch of forest to his left.

The commotion was intense. Rocks, grass, and trees shattered amid beastly roars and human screams. It was surely a miserable battle.

His eyes flickered. Su Hao used the Gale Art, concealing his aura as he silently approached.

Ahead.

In an open clearing within the forest, a crimson tiger as large as a yellow ox let out a low roar. It spat forth flames even fiercer than Su Hao's Fire-Breathing Technique.

A cultivator was directly burned to ashes.

"Blazing Tiger!"

Su Hao recognized it at once. This was a Qi Condensation, Fourth Layer demon beast, terrifying beyond compare. He was absolutely no match for it.

Demonic beasts could also cast spells. Their spells were innate. Some could breathe fire, some could summon fierce winds, and some carried deadly poison. Certain powerful demon beasts could even turn invisible, slip into the void, call down lightning, move mountains and overturn seas, and much more. They were incredibly difficult to deal with.

The Blazing Tiger before him could wield the fire spell it had been born with.

Three bodies lay sprawled beneath the demon tiger's feet, their flesh mangled beyond recognition. One of them had half its head bitten off, making for an utterly miserable sight.

At that moment, the demon tiger's massive body moved forward, its gaze fixed on a youth in white robes. Blood stained the white-robed youth's chest, and his face was pale. He was clearly severely injured.

If this continued, he would inevitably be devoured by the demon tiger.