18: Chapter Awakening of the God of War

As Xiao Ruobai stepped into the mountain range, the decaying leaves under his feet crackled, startling several colorful birds on the treetops into flight.

A "hissing" sound came from the treetops.

A silver-scaled snake was coiled on a branch, its triangular eyes gleaming with a sinister light, clearly having marked him as its prey.

The snake's scales shimmered with a metallic luster; it was clearly a Silver-Scaled Snake in the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment.

Xiao Ruobai held hishalberd across his chest, Spiritual Qi surging through his Meridians. The Silver-Scaled Snake lunged suddenly, its venomous fangs glowing blue as it struck directly at his face.

As he dodged, his longhalberd swept out, the tip of thehalberd whistling through the air as it sliced across the snake's body, cutting it in half at the waist.

The two halves of the snake's body twitched on the ground, blood splattering the surrounding fallen leaves, and he had already withdrawn hishalberd and retreated.

As he pondered, a rustling came from the bushes to his left, and three gray-furred wolves slowly emerged, their green eyes greedily fixed on him.

The lead wolf had an old scar on its neck, and its aura had reached the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.

Xiao Ruobai tapped his toe on the ground and leaped, his longhalberd drawing a cold arc in mid-air.

The moment the alpha wolf raised its paw to block, the tip of thehalberd had already pierced its throat, black blood gushing out, and its massive body crashed to the ground.

The other two wolves, startled, turned and fled. He spun around to pursue them, his longhalberd darting out like a spirit snake from its hole, piercing their hearts one after another.

The three wolf corpses quickly stiffened on the ground, their eyes still wide open, filled with lingering terror.

Just as Xiao Ruobai finished counting the numbers, heavy footsteps echoed from a distance, and the ground trembled slightly.

An Iron-Backed Bear, two zhang tall, pushed aside the bushes and approached. The white fur on its chest formed the character "King," indicating it was a Yao Beast in the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.

This bear was more robust than any Yao Beast he had seen in the Azure Profound Sect, and the dull thud of its paws hitting its chest made his eardrums ache.

Xiao Ruobai took a deep breath and met it head-on. The Iron-Backed Bear roared and swiped its paw at him.

His figure dodged like a willow catkin, while his longhalberd simultaneously reversed its strike, thrusting directly at the bear's abdomen.

The longhalberd directly pierced into the Iron-Backed Bear's body, causing it to roar in pain, which only enraged the Iron-Backed Bear further.

Xiao Ruobai's heart tensed. He quickly changed his move, pouring all his Spiritual Qi into the longhalberd, and with a low shout of "Break," the longhalberd transformed into a streak of light, stabbing towards the Iron-Backed Bear's left eye.

The Iron-Backed Bear frantically turned its head to dodge but couldn't completely avoid it. The tip of thehalberd grazed its eye socket and pierced in, bringing out a gush of crimson.

The giant bear roared in pain, its front paws furiously striking at Xiao Ruobai.

He used the force to leap backward, drawing out the longhalberd, then immediately thrust it out again, precisely piercing the Iron-Backed Bear's heart.

Warm bear blood splattered on his face. He wiped it away with his hand, his gaze unwavering.

From the depths of the dense forest, a chorus of beast roars rose and fell, indicating that the fight had disturbed nearby Yao Beasts.

He tightened his grip on the longhalberd, looking at the several already cold corpses on the ground, and suddenly understood his Master's intention—actual combat was never a game; being merciful to the enemy was being cruel to oneself.

As Xiao Ruobai delved deeper, the Yao Beasts he faced grew stronger.

His battle robe was already soaked with beast blood, his hair clung to his forehead, but his eyes grew sharper.

Xiao Ruobai gradually settled into a combat rhythm, having long put away his Dragon Soul Halberd, and simply engaged in battle with his Physical Body.

With each punch, the War God Bloodline within him boiled a bit more, and the faint clang of metal echoed from his bones, as if an ancient battle spirit was Awakening in his Bloodline.

"Boom!"

With one punch, an Inferno Tiger in the Early Stage of Core Formation Realm was pierced through at the waist.

Hot beast blood splattered on his face, but Xiao Ruobai grinned—he felt a certain shackles breaking.

Just then, a giant wolf, entirely silver-white, blocked his path, its vertical pupil on its forehead glowing with an eerie light.

This was a Three-Eyed Silver Moon Wolf in the Middle Stage of Core Formation Realm, a full major Realm higher than Xiao Ruobai.

"Roar—"

The silver wolf let out a low growl, its body transforming into a silver lightning bolt as it pounced.

Xiao Ruobai did not dodge, his fists glowing with golden Battle Intent, directly smashing into the silver wolf head-on.

Amidst the surging fist wind, ancient battle patterns appeared around him, each pattern drawing in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

One man and one wolf fiercely clashed, toppling ancient trees and sending earth and stones flying wherever they went.

The silver wolf's sharp claws tore through the air, while Xiao Ruobai responded with exquisite boxing techniques, each strike carrying an indomitable Battle Intent.

"Battle!"

Xiao Ruobai suddenly let out a long cry, and the battle patterns all over his body flared brightly.

He seized the moment the silver wolf pounced, landing a heavy punch on its abdomen. The silver wolf cried out in pain and retreated violently, the fierce light in its eyes growing even more intense.

Xiao Ruobai grew braver with each fight, his War God Body constantly transforming in battle.

He gradually figured out the silver wolf's attack patterns and began to gain the upper hand.

"Break!"

Seizing the moment the silver wolf turned, Xiao Ruobai gathered all his Battle Intent, delivering a punch directly at the silver wolf's throat.

This punch was simple and unadorned, yet it contained the purest Battle Intent.

"Bang!"

The silver wolf fell to the ground with a thud, struggling a few times before becoming still.

Xiao Ruobai let out a long breath, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, but there wasn't a single injury on his body.

He felt the surging Battle Intent within him, realizing that his War God Body had Broken through to a new level.

With every move, he could stir the surrounding Spiritual Qi to resonate.

"Master was right, actual combat is the best way to Cultivate."

Xiao Ruobai wiped his sweat and continued deeper into the dense forest.

Battle Intent flowed around him, as if an invisible battle armor had been draped over him.

The sun gradually slanted, and Xiao Ruobai leaned against an ancient tree, panting, with fifty-seven Yao Beast corpses piled at his feet.

The most troublesome was a Red-Eyed Leopard in the Middle Stage of Core Formation Realm. When he pierced its heart with his longhalberd, his arm was also scratched by its claws, the wound burning with pain, yet a resolute light burned in his eyes.

"Forty-three more to go."

He tore off a corner of his clothes and tightly bound the wound, then clenched his fists again.

In the distance, mountains faded into the twilight, and his figure disappeared into the depths of the dense forest. The sharp whistle of his long fists breaking the air intertwined with the dying wails of Yao Beasts, weaving a scene of desolation in the Ten Thousand Mountains' dusk.

Each time the tip of thehalberd fell, it was accompanied by the end of a life, without pity, without hesitation, only the absolute obsession with "slaying one hundred," growing more fervent in this cruel trial ground.

Gu Changge watched Xiao Ruobai's performance from afar, and seeing Xiao Ruobai's transformation, he nodded in satisfaction.

He did not leave immediately; instead, he walked deeper into the Ten Thousand Mountains, his steps leisurely, as if strolling in his own backyard.

"Let's go see if that old Azure Sky Python Ox has gotten fat."

Gu Changge flicked its head with his finger, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

No sooner had he spoken than a cloud-shrouded mountain peak in the distance suddenly trembled violently, and a faint, indignant roar echoed, scattering some of the clouds.

That roar was full of despair.

"Don't come over! I just grew back my tenderloin yesterday!"

Gu Changge ignored it, casually drawing a line in the Void Realm with his fingertip. The space before him rippled, and with one step, he was already ten thousand li away.

The Yao Beasts along the way seemed to sense something, scurrying into their caves in fright. Even the fiercest Bloodthirsty Demon Wolves tucked their tails and hid in rock crevices, fearing to be looked at twice by him.

He stopped before a completely black mountain peak.

At the summit, an Azure Sky Python Ox, whose body was comparable to a small mountain, was pawing at the ground with its front hooves. A profound Saint Realm pressure condensed on its horns, yet it trembled like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind.