Chapter 107: Storming Through Dragonspire Forest
The forest was dead silent.
Not a single leaf stirred. Not a bird sang.
Only the slow, echoing drip of blood falling onto the forest floor broke the stillness.
Su Tianhao stood motionless amidst the aftermath, Shadowfang held low at his side, its dark blade still humming faintly from the strike. A gentle breeze rustled his azure robes, carrying with it the scent of ozone—and blood.
Several meters behind him, the Shadowclaw Leopard lay lifeless on the ground, savage eyes frozen in wide disbelief. A single, clean gash ran across its throat—deep and decisive. There had been no struggle. No second strike.
Just one.
Su Tianhao exhaled slowly, golden eyes narrowing. "So this is the might of Phantom Bloom..."
Even now, faint afterimages of the attack lingered in the air like petals drifting on invisible currents—remnants of a technique so fast and illusory, the world itself hadn't yet caught up.
He walked toward the fallen beast with measured steps, Shadowfang sliding back into its sheath with a quiet shhhnk. He knelt beside the Shadowclaw Leopard—not out of sympathy, but respect. It had been a worthy test.
"Now," he said, rising, eyes gleaming with intent, "on to the next."
He extended one hand, his voice carrying quiet authority.
"Devour."
The moment the word left his lips, the familiar vortex roared to life within his dantian, swirling with insatiable hunger.
Whoosh!
A powerful suction force surged outward, enveloping the fallen beast instantly. Within seconds, the Shadowclaw Leopard's corpse began to wither—dense wisps of ethereal crimson energy tearing free from its body, drawn into Su Tianhao by an invisible, relentless pull.
The vortex devoured it greedily, refining the crimson essence into pure spiritual energy that slowly circulated through his meridians. This was no longer merely blood essence being absorbed—it was the very essence of the Shadowclaw Leopard itself. Life force, spiritual power, latent potential—all of it being assimilated. A natural evolution of the devouring ability as his physique continued to advance.
Eyes closed, Su Tianhao guided the refined energy along the pathways of the Supreme Dragon Essence Refinement Art. Almost immediately, profound changes stirred within—his physique strengthening, his meridians expanding, his cultivation pressing steadily toward the 8th level.
Even he was mildly surprised by the pace. But not shocked.
The Shadowclaw Leopard had been a 3rd level grade three beast—equivalent to a 3rd level Martial Adept in strength. One major realm and four minor realms above him. Devouring the essence of a being that far superior in cultivation naturally produced overwhelming results. Luckily, the Heavenly Devouring Dragon Physique existed precisely for moments like this—without it, the energy alone could have caused Qi deviation.
Defeating it in a single strike, meanwhile, hadn't been solely the Shadow-Splitting Flash's doing. His base strength had reached sixteen thousand pounds through the Supreme Dragon Transformation Technique—just shy of a 1st level Martial Adept's threshold. Combined with Phantom Bloom and Sword Sense at Perfection, the outcome had been inevitable.
---
A few minutes later, Su Tianhao had fully devoured and refined the beast's essence. His body brimmed with energy and surging vitality. He hadn't broken through to the 8th level directly—but he had taken a significant step toward it.
The Shadowclaw Leopard, by contrast, now appeared withered and dry—like a corpse that had been dead for decades rather than minutes.
Su Tianhao studied it for a moment, then exhaled quietly. "Luckily it's a beast. I cannot imagine doing the same to an intelligent being."
He gave the fallen creature a subtle bow of respect before turning and walking away, one hand resting lightly on Shadowfang's hilt.
Before leaving the area entirely, he activated Illusory Flow. The vitality and energy brimming from his frame dimmed and thinned—his presence softening back into something entirely unremarkable.
"Perfect," he murmured, then dashed into the forest undergrowth.
Tap. Tap. Rustle.
Footsteps and rustling leaves filled the air as his boots pressed against dried foliage, crisp sounds marking his passage through the trees.
It didn't take long to find his next opponent.
The Forest Mad Ape.
Just as the name suggested, these creatures were notorious for their berserk nature—attacking anything within sight with brute, frenzied force. They were common to thick forests and fortunately limited to ordinary bloodlines, capping at Peak-stage grade three. Had they possessed rare bloodlines, they would have been a menace to the entire surrounding animal kingdom.
Su Tianhao came to a halt. The beast stood before him—squat, massively muscular, with thick matted brown fur and arms long enough to drag across the forest floor. Its yellow eyes burned with wild fury. Old scars crisscrossed its chest and knuckles, testament to countless savage brawls.
His golden eyes swept over it briefly.
"A 1st level grade three beast," he said, his tone unhurried.
HRAAUUGH!
As if enraged by the dismissal, the Forest Mad Ape let out a guttural roar and pounded its chest in a savage display. To the beast, Su Tianhao appeared as nothing more than a 3rd level Martial Disciple—an ant daring to stand before it.
But then—Su Tianhao surged forward without drawing his sword, meeting the charge head-on.
The Ape's eyes gleamed with premature triumph. Both fists clenched and glowing with yellowish spiritual energy, it drove them forward with the crushing momentum of a falling mountain.
Su Tianhao's right fist clenched. His aura shifted—hidden, yet undeniable.
Raging Dragon Fist—Dragon Roar Descent!
A phantom dragon's roar erupted from within him, deep and thunderous, resonating through the forest like a divine beast howling through a violent storm. The Forest Mad Ape froze mid-charge, bloodshot eyes widening. That sound was not natural.
But before it could process the danger—
BOOM!
Su Tianhao's fist tore through the air like a meteor, azure robes flaring wildly. Every muscle moved as one with the strike, channeling the full momentum of a raging dragon descending from the heavens.
"Too slow."
His voice arrived before the impact—soft, final.
The beast's roar died unfinished.
Su Tianhao's fist connected squarely with the Mad Ape's skull. The impact echoed like a cannon blast through the trees. The creature swayed once on its feet, body still twitching from the sudden shock—then collapsed with a heavy thud that shook the earth beneath.
Su Tianhao straightened, fist still clenched, expression calm.
The calculation was simple. A 1st level grade three beast, even fully amplified with spiritual energy, commanded approximately twenty thousand pounds of force. Su Tianhao's base strength stood at sixteen thousand pounds—but Dragon Roar Descent added a seventy percent boost, bringing his total strike force to approximately twenty-seven thousand pounds. The outcome had never been in question.
"Devour."
Whoosh!
The vortex roared to life again. Dense crimson wisps surged from the fallen ape, drawn into Su Tianhao's dantian in a steady torrent. Within minutes the essence was fully absorbed—the ape's corpse left dry and hollow.
Su Tianhao clenched his fist, feeling the rush of refined energy settle through his body. Not as overwhelming as the Shadowclaw Leopard's essence, but satisfying—bringing him another step closer to the 8th level. The Mad Ape may have been a major realm and two minor realm above him, but that gap had meant nothing in combat and meant everything in the devouring.
He cast one last glance at the withered corpse, then dashed onward through the forest.
---
His next encounter was a Thornhide Lizard—a 2nd level grade three beast. Stronger than the Forest Mad Ape, but weaker than the Shadowclaw Leopard. Its famed defenses—rock-hard scales and thorn-lined back—but meant nothing before a sword that seemed to blur reality itself.
Under Phantom Bloom, toughness became irrelevant. What the creature couldn't see, it couldn't defend against.
It died without knowing how. No resistance, no aggression—just a stunned blink, and then nothing.
Su Tianhao sheathed his blade without sparing it a second glance. Not a drop of blood stained his robes.
"Devour."
The command came like a natural breath.
The vortex reappeared, siphoning the Thornhide Lizard's essence in steady crimson wisps. Compared to the other two, this devouring brought the most balance—not overwhelming like the Shadowclaw Leopard, not shallow like the Mad Ape. It was precisely what he needed to stabilize and refine the surging energy already building within him.
Su Tianhao's eyes glinted faintly. He was getting closer.
---
He tore through Dragonspire Forest like a storm unleashed.
More grade three beasts fell in his wake—some rare-bloodline specimens stronger even than the Shadowclaw Leopard. Each one became fuel for his relentless growth. With every kill, his swordsmanship sharpened, his killing intent deepened, and his comprehension of Killing Sword Sense grew clearer and more instinctive—no longer something he reached for consciously, but something that was beginning to breathe on its own.
By nightfall, beneath a moon hanging heavy among bright stars, Su Tianhao had slain over a dozen spirit beasts and devoured their essences one after another.
And still he stood just shy of the 8th level.
A testament, above all else, to the insatiable hunger of the Heavenly Devouring Dragon Physique.