Chapter 98: The Hollow Hunt
Rustle, rustle...
Leaves whispered underfoot as Su Tianhao moved deeper into Dragonspire Forest, branches swaying gently in the morning breeze. The forest breathed around him—alive with the faint hum of insects and the distant call of birds. His steps were light and measured, barely disturbing the undergrowth. The air carried the smell of damp earth and pine bark, cool and sharp against his throat.
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out—the unmistakable snap of twigs underfoot.
Su Tianhao paused. His golden eyes flickered toward the source, muscles coiling instinctively. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple despite the cool air.
Then—
GRRRR!
A low growl rumbled from within the shadows. Sharp, primal, unnerving—the sound vibrated deep in his chest.
Slowly, a massive spirit beast stepped into the clearing. Its sinewy form was covered in dark, coarse fur, eyes gleaming with fierce intelligence and raw hunger. Each breath from its nostrils sent small puffs of mist curling into the morning air.
Su Tianhao's grip tightened around his sword hilt, the leather warm against his palm.
"Hollow Hound," he murmured, recognition flashing across his face.
From his inherited memories, he knew these creatures well. Hollow Hounds were pack beasts born with rare bloodlines—not among the most feared, but carrying the potential to one day evolve into grade six beasts capable of rivaling even Martial Masters. Their alphas, specimens with denser bloodlines, could grow even further—grade seven beasts with strength no inferior to a Martial Grandmaster.
'What's a lone Hollow Hound doing out here in the outer region?' Su Tianhao wondered, eyes narrowing as he studied it carefully. 'Luckily, this one's still young—only a Peak-stage grade two beast.'
Relieved by that assessment, he relaxed slightly. Its power was at best equal to a Peak-stage Martial Disciple. Still, he didn't underestimate it—rare-bloodline spirit beasts were known to surpass cultivators of similar realms in sheer ferocity.
But caution wasn't fear.
'With the Shadow-Splitting Flash and the Raging Dragon Fist, anything below grade three is no real threat.'
His golden eyes blazed as they locked onto the Hollow Hound.
ROARRR!
The bellow tore through the stillness like a thunderclap, shaking birds from the treetops and scattering smaller creatures into the underbrush. The force of it pressed against Su Tianhao's skin like a physical weight.
Before he could draw a full breath, the Hollow Hound lunged.
A blur of dark fur and snapping jaws closed the distance in an instant, massive claws tearing through leaves and soil. Its glowing eyes locked onto his throat, fangs bared, saliva hissing where it hit the ground.
But Su Tianhao was already in motion.
"Let's see how strong you truly are," he said with a wide smile, his figure surging forward with an explosive burst of speed that cracked the earth beneath his feet, sending dust and debris flying.
Man and beast charging at each other—killing intent clear in both their eyes.
No blade drawn. No steel rang.
Raging Dragon Fist—Raging Pulse!
His fist drove outward with the relentless momentum of a raging dragon, phantom roars echoing through the air as if in worship of the strike. The sound rolled through the clearing like distant thunder.
This was the Great Success form of the Raging Dragon Fist—a technique he had completely mastered. Though not as overwhelming as the Perfection form, it still granted a fifty percent boost in strength, enough to crush ordinary Peak-stage Martial Disciples.
Whoosh!
His fist cut through the air like a comet. The full force of fifteen thousand pounds exploded outward, sending ripples through the air and raining leaves from the treetops.
However—
RrrrRRR!
The beast twisted mid-air with unnatural grace, its body coiling just enough to let the punch graze past by a hair's width. Su Tianhao felt the displacement of air as the creature passed.
Slash!
The Hollow Hound's momentum didn't slow. Its dagger-like claws lashed out in the same breath, aimed directly at Su Tianhao's throat—eyes burning with primal hunger.
'So fast.'
Su Tianhao's eyes widened slightly, but his refined instincts moved before his thoughts could. He twisted away from the strike, propelling himself to the far side of the clearing in a single fluid motion.
SWOOSH!
The beast's claws carved deep gouges into the earth where he had just stood. Chunks of soil flew through the air.
"Haha—excellent!" Su Tianhao laughed, battle intent surging through him like fire in his veins.
Even with one wrong move potentially costing him his life, he wasn't worried. That first exchange had been nothing more than testing the waters.
GRRRR!
The Hollow Hound snarled, turning to face him with a flicker of madness in its glowing eyes—the kind of look designed to break weaker opponents.
But Su Tianhao wasn't weak. Not before this creature.
"Come at me with everything you've got!" he called out, beckoning the beast forward with a deliberate motion, that exhilarating smile still on his face.
The battle with Su Jian had been child's play—far from what he truly longed for. This was different.
Seeing the obvious provocation, the beast roared furiously and charged, its massive paws pounding against the earth like war drums.
"Good," Su Tianhao said, his expression hardening into something battle-worn and certain. "Let's see how you fare against the true might of the Raging Dragon Fist."
He charged forward to meet it. His fist clenched tight, veins bulging along his entire arm, visibly surging with barely contained raw power.
Raging Dragon Fist—Dragon Roar Descent!
ROOOOAR!!!
A mighty phantom roar thundered from within him. The air shook. His azure robes whipped wildly as if alive, and the temperature seemed to spike for a brief, breathless moment.
At that instant, he gave off the illusion of a true raging dragon descending with devastating might upon helpless prey. The true power of Dragon Roar Descent wasn't merely the seventy percent strength boost—it was the overwhelming draconic force unleashed alongside it.
The Hollow Hound froze mid-charge. Its legs trembled. Instinct screamed danger, every fiber of the creature's being overwhelmed by the momentum bearing down on it.
With a frightened cry, it abandoned all reason and plunged into the forest undergrowth in a desperate bid to escape.
BOOM!
Su Tianhao's fist met empty air. Shockwaves rippled outward in all directions, uprooting grasses and sending the surrounding trees shuddering as if in awe.
He straightened, eyes narrowing as he watched the beast flee. A profound coldness flickered in their golden depths.
"Futile effort."
He scoffed quietly.
He wouldn't let his prey escape so easily. His hand moved to Shadowfang's hilt, fingers wrapping around the familiar grip with calm certainty.
"Shadow-Splitting Flash..." he said quietly, dropping into his stance. Golden eyes stilled to a point of absolute focus. "Flicker Edge."
The moment those words left his lips—
Shing!
A sharp, electric sound cut through the air like a whip crack. Su Tianhao's figure vanished, erupting forward with the speed of a lightning bolt. Shadowfang flickered from its sheath—cold and precise as a serpent's tongue.
One slash.
Phantom trails hung in the air as he seamlessly overtook the retreating beast.
He paused.
Shadowfang slid back into its sheath with a quiet, satisfying click.
Behind him, the Hollow Hound—still running just a moment ago—slowed to a stop. A deep slash materialized across its neck, clean and absolute. The head separated from the body without resistance.
Whoosh!
Blood fell like rain. The beast collapsed with a dull thud, twitching once before going still.
Dead.
Its eyes remained wide open—frozen in the shock of never having understood how it died.
Aah~
Su Tianhao exhaled slowly, breath curling in visible mist against the cool forest air. His hand rested against Shadowfang's hilt with quiet satisfaction.
This was the might of the Shadow-Splitting Flash.
From stillness—to death.
One slash. Two afterimages. Absolute.
---
The forest fell silent. Only the fading echoes of battle remained.
Then—
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Slow, deliberate applause rang out through the stillness—crisp and unhurried, as if the one clapping had all the time in the world.
Su Tianhao's golden eyes snapped toward the sound. Every muscle in his body tensed as footsteps cracked through the underbrush, steady and unbothered.
From the shadows stepped a tall figure in dark hooded robes that seemed to drink in what little light reached the forest floor. The hood was deliberately lowered, revealing his face without hesitation—as if daring Su Tianhao to look.
A bald head with patchy tufts of hair scattered unevenly across the scalp. A hideous scar carving across his face. Two eyes—one gleaming with sinister light, the other pale and lifeless, a void completely without color.
And that smile. Wild and nightmarish, distorting his already twisted features into something that didn't quite belong in the waking world.
Su Tianhao felt goosebumps rise without permission. There was something about this man that didn't just suggest danger—it announced it.
"Who are you?" he asked instinctively, hand already gripping his sword hilt.
"Who I am isn't important," Blood Grin said, that smile never faltering. His voice rasped like metal dragged across stone. "What's important is my mission."
Su Tianhao's expression darkened.
'Who is this man?' he thought, mind racing. 'To approach me this close without triggering any of my instincts...'
"Jejeje, no need to be so tense," Blood Grin said, his crackling laughter cutting through Su Tianhao's thoughts.
He stepped forward and pointed at his own twisted face, almost fondly.
"Just remember—this is the last face you'll see before you travel to the netherworld—I, Blood Grin would take good care of you."
Hiss!
Su Tianhao drew a sharp breath. Cold sweat beaded at his temples, and despite himself, his face paled slightly.
'I've never met this man before. There is no enmity between us...' he thought, puzzled. Then the cold glint returned to his eyes, sharp and certain.
"Who sent you?" he asked, voice low and steady despite the tension coiling in his gut.
With the wisdom carried in his inherited memories, he would be a fool not to recognize what this was.
'Someone placed a hit on me,' the realization settled like ice in his chest. 'Was it Su Jian? Ye Wenjie? Or... Su Liang?'
"Hahaha! There's no use trying to find out!" Blood Grin's laughter rang like twisted thunder, full of scorn. "You're going to die soon anyway!"
"How much did he pay you?" Su Tianhao asked, voice still cold and even.
Hmph.
"The Blood Shadow Assassin Group doesn't betray its clients," Blood Grin said, lips curling with disdain.
'Blood Shadow Assassin Group?'
Su Tianhao's brow furrowed slightly. Despite their infamy across Longzhou Country, the name hadn't appeared in his inherited memories or the scrolls from the Su family library. So he had never heard of them before.
Blood Grin's expression stiffened. He realized, a breath too late, that he'd said more than he intended.
"Doesn't matter. You've learned too much—"
Die!
He flicked his wrist.
Shing!
A volley of razor-sharp darts shot forward, gleaming darkly as they cut through the air with a whistling shriek. Each tip laced with poison.
'Hidden weapons!'
Su Tianhao's eyes widened. Instinct moved him before thought could.
Swoosh!
His figure darted sideways. The darts slammed into the tree behind him with a series of dull thuds.
Crack.
The tree withered almost instantly. Its bark blackened and peeled back, leaves curling inward with a dry hiss, sap oozing from the trunk like something diseased. The acrid smell of decay hit Su Tianhao's nostrils a moment later.
His breath caught.
'What terrifying venom.'
He turned back toward Blood Grin—eyes sharp, body tensed, heart steady despite the weight pressing against his ribs.
There was no longer just caution in his gaze. There was dread—quiet, cold, and entirely rational.
'This man... is absolutely terrifying.'