Chapter 176: Fierce Battle, Dark Nether Beast
Two days later, on a beautiful evening.
The sun hung low on the horizon like a molten orb of gold, bleeding rich hues of crimson, amber, and deep violet across the sky. Long, golden rays pierced through the dense canopy of the Verdant Mist Forest, turning the ever-present emerald fog into a shimmering sea of liquid light. Every leaf seemed edged in fire, every vine and fern gilded by the dying sun. The air carried the sweet, heavy scent of blooming night jasmine mixed with the faint metallic tang of distant spirit dew.
The kind of evening that made even ancient trees appear young again. Peaceful. Almost sacred.
Yet beneath that serene beauty, the forest thrummed with barely restrained violence.
Su Tianhao stood motionless atop a massive, moss-covered boulder jutting from the earth like the spine of some long-dead colossus. His azure robes fluttered gently in the cool evening breeze, long black hair drifting behind him. Golden eyes glowed faintly in the twilight—calm, focused.
He had been hunting deeper into the inner region these past two days. Grade four beast corpses littered his path like broken toys, each one drained to a withered husk by the Heavenly Devouring Dragon Physique.
By now, he had completely stabilised his cultivation foundation, familiarised himself with his newfound strength, and begun pushing toward the 7th level Martial Adept Realm. Each battle had revealed new ways to use his abilities—pushing him to his limits, and beyond them. Challenging, yes. But not life-threatening.
But tonight felt different.
The spiritual energy in the air was thicker here, heavier, almost oppressive. It carried a strange, primal chill that had nothing to do with the temperature. Something dark. Something ancient.
A low, guttural growl rolled through the trees like distant thunder.
Su Tianhao's lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile.
"Finally... something interesting."
---
From the shadows between two towering spirit oaks stepped a beast that made the very air tremble.
Its body was enormous—nearly six metres from snout to tail tip—built like a nightmarish cross between a panther and a dragon. Jet-black fur absorbed light like a living void, broken only by jagged streaks of deep purple pulsing like veins of nether energy across its hide. Four glowing crimson eyes burned from its elongated skull, each one radiating malevolent intelligence. From its maw dripped thick, corrosive saliva that hissed and smoked upon touching the ground, leaving small craters of corroded earth.
Two pairs of obsidian wings—tattered yet powerful—flexed behind its shoulders, each feather edged with faint purple flames that gave off no heat, only an eerie, bone-deep cold.
The moment it appeared, the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to darken and twist, as though reality itself was being slowly corrupted by its mere presence.
Su Tianhao's expression remained calm, but his pupils contracted slightly.
"Dark Nether Beast..."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"Luckily this one is still very young. Only Peak 2nd level grade four... I can take it."
His eyes gleamed with battle intent.
The Dark Nether Beast was a rare bloodline beast with the potential to one day evolve into a grade 7 entity capable of rivalling even Martial Grandmasters. But it was no ordinary spirit beast—it was a Demon Beast, capable of controlling nether qi so potent it could corrode normal spiritual energy and even life force upon contact.
And as a Demon Beast, it was already stronger than ordinary creatures within the same rank. This particular variant sat at the top tier even among Peak 2nd level grade four beasts—its combat prowess equivalent to some 3rd level grade four spirit beasts.
Demon Beasts were corrupted creatures born with the power to manipulate dark energy. Found mostly in places saturated with dark, sinister, or blood qi, they were typically more vicious, terrifying, and powerful than spirit beasts of the same rank. Where spirit beasts could evolve and eventually transform into human forms upon reaching grade nine, Demon Beasts evolved into True Demons.
Su Tianhao's expression turned serious. Confident—but not careless.
"This will be a good test."
In sixteen years of existence, this was his first encounter with a Demon Beast—a testament to how rare they were even in a forest like this.
The Dark Nether Beast locked all four eyes onto him. It sensed no fear. Only the delicious scent of powerful yang-attributed dragon blood radiating from Su Tianhao's body like a beacon.
A low, rumbling snarl escaped its throat.
Then, without warning—it moved.
---
Boom!
The ground shattered beneath its paws as it exploded forward with terrifying speed, leaving afterimages of dark purple energy in its wake. One massive clawed forelimb slashed toward Su Tianhao's chest, the claw tips wrapped in writhing nether flames capable of devouring flesh and bones alike.
Su Tianhao didn't dodge.
He vanished.
Formless Sovereign.
The Dark Nether Beast lost its target mid-leap and pounced ferociously onto the ground where Su Tianhao had been standing moments before.
Boom!
The impact shook the earth, sending dust and debris flying in all directions. Nether qi seeped into the soil, causing the surrounding grass to wither and died instantly. Cracks spread across the ground in ghastly spiderwebs, steaming with residual dark energy.
'It's not holding back at all. It's like it has a personal grudge!'
Su Tianhao cried inwardly, but quickly steadied himself. His golden eyes turned cold and calculating.
The Dark Nether Beast flew into a rage. Its four eyes turned bloodshot as it prowled and growled, sniffing the air—resilient, relentless, refusing to give up the hunt.
At that moment, Su Tianhao appeared mid-air behind it, Shadowfang gleaming in his hand.
"Shadow-Splitting Flash—Ninefold Deathflash!"
He slashed down with everything he had, his entire body radiating blinding crismon-golden light. His hands pulsed with strange intricate patterns—Dragon God Enchantment activating at full force.
The attack was devastating. The very air trembled under the concentrated force.
Everything happened so fast the Dark Nether Beast had no time to react.
Yet—a heartbeat before impact—
The beast vanished into the mist in a trail of dark light.
Fast. Slippery. Terrifyingly agile.
Boom!
Su Tianhao's attack met the earth instead, carving nine deep gashes into the ground. Dust rose around him like billowing storm clouds, emerald mist swirling into the air like coiling serpents.
Before he could process how it had escaped—
Whoosh.
Dragon Instincts screamed.
Without hesitation, Su Tianhao activated Dragon Defence.
His entire body erupted with blinding golden light. Dragon scales shimmered faintly beneath his skin. Ancient patterns etched themselves across every inch of him—mythical runes from a forgotten era. His aura surged with a power that was deep, ancient, and wholly inhuman.
The dust and mist parted violently.
Five ferocious claw strikes wrapped in nether flames charged toward his vital points.
Su Tianhao's eyes went wide. He tried to dodge.
Too slow.
---
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Three strikes connected.
Despite Dragon Defence's formidable protection, the sheer impact sent him flying like a broken ragdoll into a nearby ancient tree.
Thud!
The tree shook violently. Several thick branches snapped. Leaves rained down like a thousand falling blades.
"Argh!"
Su Tianhao vomited a mouthful of blood, his face pale as moonlight.
Fortunately, there was no physical injury as the Dragon Defense was able to absolve most of the damage
The Dark Nether Beast slowly walked toward him, a mocking gleam in all four of its glowing eyes. Thick saliva dripped from its maw, and its lips curled into something that resembled a smile—startling and horrifying in equal measure.
Su Tianhao's heart trembled.
Without hesitation, he activated Formless Sovereign again and vanished.
The beast halted mid-stride. Its eyes blazed with fury.
"ROOOOOOAARRR!!!"
The roar erupted like a physical force—shaking the air, trembling the trees, sending every creature within earshot into a frantic flee. And beneath the raw volume was something else: a mental assault that crashed directly against the mind.
Hidden from sight, Su Tianhao pressed both hands desperately against his ears, struggling not to scream. His figure trembled, flickering in and out of existence like a dying flame.
The roar ended as abruptly as it had begun.
Su Tianhao exhaled shakily. His concealment had held—barely.
This time, he didn't strike back immediately. He waited.
Scanning. Analysing. Watching.
'This beast is agile beyond reason... it dodged the Ninefold Deathflash.'
The thought greatly unsettled him. Since mastering that technique, he had never once failed to land it on a target.
Until now.
Su Tianhao's eyes narrowed as he studied the creature. The Dark Nether Beast paced and prowled, maddened, refusing to stand down. Unlike ordinary beasts that would eventually calm upon losing their target, this one remained on full alert—as though it had marked him specifically and would not stop until one of them was dead.
His instincts confirmed it. The moment he revealed himself would be the moment it struck—and that blow would be lethal.
'I need a plan.'
The idea came quickly.
'This beast dodges my Ninefold Deathflash not just because it's faster—it dodges because it can anticipate the attack the moment I reveal my presence. What happens when it can't?'
His lips curved into a slow, predatory smile.
---
The Dark Nether Beast continued to sniff the air, completely unaware.
Su Tianhao appeared.
Not invisibly, not hidden—fully visible, Shadowfang drawn, gleaming under a single beam of evening light that had pierced through the canopy as though the world itself was announcing his presence.
The beast sprang instantly. A ferocious burst of nether qi erupted from its frame, rippling through the air.
Su Tianhao's expression hardened. Both hands tightened on Shadowfang's hilt.
"Shadow-Splitting Flash—Third Form..."
His voice rang out cold and low.
"Phantom Bloom!"
Swoosh!
Shadowfang slashed at explosive speed, its edge vanishing into a blur. The air distorted—the strike splitting into a torrent of afterimages. A thousand phantom blades danced through the space between them, swift and indistinguishable, blurring the line between illusion and reality.
The Dark Nether Beast froze. Its beastly eyes widened. It was as though it had been thrown into a sea of swords, each one charging toward it like divine judgment.
Then—it snorted and charged directly into them, eyes burning with bloodthirsty killing intent.
Su Tianhao's eyes went icy.
If he couldn't land a decisive blow through the illusion of a thousand swords, then he wouldn't deserve to call himself the son of the Sword Saint of the Moon.
His sword cut through the air like a lightning bolt—a single decisive strike to the beast's exposed neck.
Shriek!
A clean cut opened across its neck. Violet-black blood sprayed across the forest floor, sizzling where it landed.
The Dark Nether Beast skidded to a halt, powerful paws carving deep gashes into the earth. Its eyes widened—not with pain or rage, but with something closer to disbelief.
It couldn't understand how the seemingly weak human had wounded it so cleanly.
It whipped toward where the strike had come from.
Nothing.
The sea of swords had vanished. Su Tianhao was gone.
The beast's quadruple eyes turned bloodshot.
"ROOOOOOAARRR!!!"
The roar tore through the air—but this time on a far larger scale than before. The mental assault crashed against Su Tianhao like a tidal wave.
He fell to his knees, eyes shut, hands pressed hard against his ears. The sound was so overwhelming he nearly lost consciousness.
Luckily, his soul power far exceeded that of an ordinary Martial Adept—refined by countless devoured essences, his inherited memories and the Supreme Dragon Essence Refinement Art.
He held on.
But holding on wasn't the same as maintaining control. His mind couldn't stay calm enough to sustain Formless Sovereign.
His figure flickered—and appeared.
Blood trailed from his ears in thin crimson streams.
The Dark Nether Beast locked onto him instantly.
It moved.
Hiss.
Su Tianhao's breath caught.
He wanted to dodge—his speed wasn't enough. He wanted to vanish again—his spiritual energy was running dangerously low.
He stretched one hand into empty space.
"Devour!"
His golden eyes blazed. A powerful suction force expanded across a forty-five-metre radius, drawing in every trace of surrounding spiritual energy like a raging vortex.
Just as the beast was a heartbeat away—
Su Tianhao exploded with renewed energy and propelled himself sideways like an arrow.
The beast slammed into the ground where he had stood, narrowly missing. Veins bulged across its elongated skull.
It slashed outward, launching five claw strikes charged with nether qi.
Su Tianhao activated Formless Sovereign—and vanished.
A slow smile spread across his hidden features.
'I know how to deal with you now.'
He reached into his spatial ring and produced the Ethereal Mind Crystal. The swirling spiritual energy around him shifted from golden to ethereal gold.
The Dark Nether Beast relied on its mind-assaulting roar to break concentration. The Ethereal Mind Crystal stabilised mental focus and soul power—enhancing clarity and willpower even under assault.
'Should be a perfect counter.'
---
Su Tianhao attacked again—striking the existing wound precisely, then vanishing immediately.
The beast released its roar.
"ROOOOAARRR!!!"
The mental pressure crashed against him like a tidal wave. His head throbbed. But his mind stayed clear. Formless Sovereign held.
It works.
Relief flooded through him. Cold determination followed.
Again and again he struck—each time targeting the same wound. The beast's roars grew weaker. Blood loss mounted. Its nether qi circulation fell into increasing disarray.
On the seventh strike, the Dark Nether Beast nearly caught him—its claw passing mere inches from his face before he vanished. On the ninth, it tried to collapse the clearing entirely with a massive nether qi explosion. But Su Tianhao was already gone, patient and hidden.
Each strike deepened the wound.
Each roar grew a little more desperate.
The beast's movements slowed. Its roars quieted. All four eyes dimmed.
Finally—
Su Tianhao delivered the last strike.
Shadowfang pierced clean through the accumulated wound at the beast's neck, severing vital meridians and arteries in one decisive motion.
The Dark Nether Beast swayed once.
Then collapsed.
Dead.
---
Su Tianhao stood before the fallen creature, chest heaving. His hand was numb from countless strikes. Sweat and blood mingled on his face. His spiritual energy reserves were nearly empty.
But on his face was something rare—genuine, earned satisfaction.
"I did it..."
His voice was barely a whisper.
"I won."