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At that moment, Lan Minghua was flying along the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, pondering whether he could find Oscar a suitable replacement for the Rooster-Fang Snake.
After all, Oscar's third ability from that spirit beast let him fly briefly—but that beast was never an adept flyer, and its venom was a liability. In every respect, it was a poor match.
In the original story, Oscar only absorbed it out of desperation. But now that Oscar was Lan Minghua's disciple, he deserved better.
"A pity the Mirror-Shadow Beast lives far to the north in the Frozen Forest," Lan Minghua muttered. "Otherwise, it might have made a fine third spirit ring."
Since there were no Mirror-Shadow Beasts in the Star Dou region, he thought of a better alternative: the Sharp-Tail Swift.
One of the Lower Four Sects, the Speed Clan, used the Sharp-Tail Swift as its Martial Soul. It was a speed-type flying beast whose spirit abilities nearly always granted flight or tremendous speed boosts. Paired with Oscar's Indestructible Vajra, perhaps the Douluo Continent could produce its own "Golden Flash."
Lan Minghua had told Zhao Wuji to await news: if he didn't return by morning, Zhao Wuji was to hunt a thousand-year Rooster-Fang Snake for Oscar. Yet after hours of searching, flying spirit beasts were scarce, let alone a Sharp-Tail Swift.
Just then, Lan Minghua sensed a familiar spirit power. "This aura… feels like Tang Ri Tian's!"
Though they'd only fought once, Lan Minghua recognized Tang Hao's energy—even if it was now faint, roughly at the Spirit Emperor level.
Since he was having no luck finding a Sharp-Tail Swift, he decided to pay Tang Hao a visit instead.
Within the territory of the Mating Apes, Tang Hao was on a slaughtering spree. Despite his disability, his battle instincts as a Titled Douluo endured.
Among the horde, only the Ape King was a Ten-Thousand-Year Beast; the next few dozen were only centuries old, and the rest were mere decades.
Tang Hao planted his right foot firmly, sidestepped, and appeared atop a thousand-year Mating Ape's head. With his left fist, he struck downward.
Bang! The ape's skull exploded like a watermelon. Its two-meter-tall corpse collapsed.
Tang Hao vividly remembered how this very ape had assaulted him—its massive strength had driven him to the brink.
"Die! All of you must die!" he roared.
Soon, a small mountain of ape corpses piled at his feet, the stench of blood hanging thick in the air.
Returning from a hunt, the Ape King beheld the carnage. Its eyes blazed red, fur standing on end.
"Aaaah!" It howled skyward, unleashing a shockwave that rattled the forest.
At that instant, Tang Hao's Killing God Domain activated automatically. After all, the five-meter-tall Ape King before him was the first to have his way with him.
As the saying goes, "Foes encounter each other with heightened rage."
They charged, large and small entangled in brutal combat. Though neither was at full strength, the commotion was enormous—enough that Lan Minghua, Yue Guan, and Gui Mei all rushed toward the disturbance.
Lan Minghua hovered above, peering down at the fight. "A Mating Ape? Why is Tang Hao fighting one? Could it be…"
He narrowed his eyes, probing Tang Hao's injuries. Aside from the damage Lan Minghua and the Ring Detonation had inflicted, Tang Hao bore fresh wounds—suggesting the Ape King had truly experienced an overnight "ascension" to Titled Douluo status at his expense.
He drew in a sharp breath. Tang Hao was ruthless—surviving that and still bursting with vitality. The Ape King's sudden power-up was equally savage!
But in the end, the Ape King was just a Ten-Thousand-Year Beast—no match for Tang Hao. After a single exchange, the ape's arm snapped, bone protruding. It crumpled to its knees with a thunderous crack.
Tang Hao blurred forward and delivered a crushing punch to its chest. Boom! The ape's torso exploded in gore.
"Anyone else?!" Tang Hao bellowed.
Lan Minghua watched in astonishment. He just killed one ten-thousand-year beast. What's the big deal? Seeing Tang Hao's posturing was almost comical.
"Anyone else?!" Tang Hao repeated, oblivious to being watched like a monkey in a cage.
Lan Minghua could no longer stand it. Loftily, he called down, "How about me?"
Tang Hao spun like a startled bird, eyes darting wildly. He'd forgotten the battle had drawn an audience.
Lan Minghua flicked his fingers—an invisible strike snapped Tang Hao's head back, sending him flying.
"It's only been a few days—how could you forget me? Weren't you planning to kill me?"
Tang Hao's pupils constricted. He looked up, and Lan Minghua's form loomed overhead, a chill racing down his spine. That figure was all too familiar.
"Lan Minghua! Why are you here?!"
Lan Minghua smirked. "Ha—if you can have… intimate fun with Mating Apes in the Star Dou Forest, why can't I hunt spirit beasts here? Am I ruining your fun?"
Tang Hao's face fell, and without looking back, he fled deeper into the woods. At his prime, he didn't stand a chance—now, he was even weaker.
"I won't die here! I must live! There are too many things left undone!" Tang Hao screamed internally, tapping into a reserve of speed that rivaled his peak.
Lan Minghua watched him retreat. "Not bad pace for a half-a-man."
But no matter how fast he ran—could he outfly someone?
As the saying goes: he who kills will always be killed.
Last time, Tang Hao had escaped by luck—this time, Lan Minghua refused to let him slip away. He swooped after him, fingers pointed like deadly arrows.
"Oi, half-a-man! Run faster—or die!"
Tang Hao yelped, "Don't come any closer!"
At that moment, Yue Guan and Gui Mei arrived. Both were level-95 Titled Douluo and had easily traced the clash to this spot.
Despite Tang Hao's depleted power, his battle reflexes remained. He sensed two unmistakable spirit energies closing in and guessed who they were.
A desperate plan formed in his mind: risky, but his only chance.
"Let's do it!"
Tang Hao brandished the Clear Sky Hammer, letting it gleam. Instantly, all eyes fixed on it.
"Old Ghost—it's the Clear Sky Hammer! Tang Hao is right here!" Yue Guan cried.
"Kill him!" Gui Mei roared.
They struck simultaneously, two terrifying attacks surging toward Tang Hao.
His eyes narrowed. Survival instinct propelled him forward with lightning speed, and he narrowly evaded both barrages.
Behind him, Lan Minghua's smile faded in confusion—why were these two attacking him?
But before he could react, a golden beam and an ebony streak shot toward his face.
"What the—?!"
(End of Chapter)