Chapter 131: Charging the Ranks

In the middle of the Blackwater Pool, an island stretching several dozen miles across was covered entirely in soft, fine white sand.

Three thousand youths, clad in form-fitting black snakeskin armor that covered even their faces—leaving only two pitch-black eye sockets visible—moved slowly across the dunes. Each of them was tall and lean, moving as silently as slithering vipers, leaving not a single trace upon the white sand.

Viewed from high above, the military formation composed of these youths from the Blackwater Mysterious Snake Tribe resembled a long, multi-headed serpent, slowly stretching its body as it coiled toward Ji Hao, who stood several miles away.

The witch priests and elders of the Blackwater Mysterious Snake Tribe wore expressions of joy, pointing at Ji Hao and whispering with mocking laughter.

"This is the Xuanming Black Snake Guard, painstakingly forged by our entire clan, consuming all the rare medicinal herbs we have hoarded for thousands of years!"

"Three thousand little cubs—though young, they are all elites at the Minor Witch level. They are the only Black Snake Guard of their kind in the entire Southern Wasteland!"

"The armor they wear is crafted from the dragon skin shed by our ancestors every decade. Although the essence within the skin was reclaimed by our forebears, it remains incredibly tough. Only a Great Witch could break through it, only a Great Witch!"

"This arrogant brat, is his name Ji Hao? He is doomed. The line of the Witch Emperor inherited by Ji Xia is about to be extinguished!"

"What a pity. I truly hoped the Fire Crow Tribe would send three thousand elite youths so our children could have a real slaughter. What a shame, such a shame—today, we can only kill one!"

These priests and elders deliberately used their witch power to project their voices in every direction. Countless tribesmen of the Blackwater Mysterious Snake Tribe cheered in unison, heaping praises upon their tribe’s Xuanming Black Snake Guard, while the families of the youths loudly boasted of their children’s prowess.

The Water Ape and the Black Flood Dragon looked at Zhurong Tonggong with smug satisfaction, their eyes filled with provocation. The Water Ape even chuckled, "The Xuanming Black Snake Guard is an elite force modeled after the Gonggong Divine Army. To ensure these children possess sufficient strength, they have been tempering their bodies beside the Xuanming Water Eye since childhood. Surely, Prince Zhurong knows the power of the Xuanming aura."

Zhurong Tonggong, Ji Xia, and Ji Pi merely smiled without a word; they were full of confidence in Ji Hao.

Having escaped the pursuit of the Blood Tooth Band unscathed, having repeatedly slaughtered Gallow-clan warriors at the Great Witch level, and having endured hundreds of heavy blows from Gallow warriors without dying—although Ji Hao was only at the Minor Witch stage, his true strength was undoubtedly that of a Great Witch!

Before such a monster, rarely seen in the Southern Wasteland in ten thousand years, what were these mere unfinished Xuanming Black Snake Guards?

Ji Pi laughed aloud: "Hao, my boy, don't show any mercy! Wipe out these little runts! Heh, these kids from the Blackwater Mysterious Snake Tribe, they all look so gloomy—they only look pleasing to the eye once their heads have been smashed!"

Ji Hao laughed. He stomped his foot hard, and instantly, winds rose and clouds surged. A whirlwind erupted from the ground, kicking up a vast cloud of white sand that shrouded an area of nearly a mile. Ji Hao’s figure quickly vanished into the sand, his body seemingly merging with the dust, rendering him invisible to the naked eye.

For the warriors of the Southern Wasteland, who did not cultivate their primordial spirits and lacked divine sense, they relied entirely on their five senses in battle. As Ji Hao whipped up the sandstorm, the vision of the three thousand youths was immediately compromised, and their once-fluid serpentine formation fell into chaos.

The youths at the vanguard of the formation, holding glowing swords clearly enhanced by runic witch artifacts, stopped in their tracks, at a loss. They were the leaders of the formation; as the saying goes, a snake cannot move without a head. With the leaders acting as the "snake's head" halted, the entire formation ground to a standstill.

Zhurong Tonggong clapped his hands and laughed: "Beautifully done!"

The Water Ape roared in fury: "Utterly shameless! You Fire Crow Tribe brat, fight like a true warrior! Stop skulking about and disgracing the ancestors of your tribe!"

The Water Ape’s voice boomed like thunder, inciting the countless Blackwater Mysterious Snake tribesmen to clamor in unison: "Fight like a warrior, fight head-on! Fight like a warrior, fight head-on!"

Amidst the boundless roar, luminous fire wings flickered behind Ji Hao, and he shot out of the sandstorm like a bolt of lightning. He let out a long howl, fire erupting from his eyes. A faint white light shimmered on his right hand, and he unleashed a punch with the weight of ten thousand tons, slamming it into one of the youths.

In this blow, Ji Hao exerted his full strength—having consumed a Witch King-level flood dragon at the Manman Palace, his physical body was already comparable to a newly advanced Great Witch!

Beyond the physical strength of a Great Witch, this punch of Ji Hao’s also gathered the potent witch power and Golden Core energy within his body, while simultaneously channeling the power of the white orb fused into his right fist.

The white orb, in particular, was of a grade clearly exceeding that of a Great Witch. Though Ji Hao could not yet unleash its full power, its fusion with his fist made his strike unimaginably hard and heavy as a mountain.

With several forces united, Ji Hao had the fleeting illusion that this single punch could tear the sky asunder.

The fist churned the air, friction igniting a sheet of flame. The youth from the Blackwater Mysterious Snake Tribe, bearing the brunt of the attack, could not dodge in time and was struck squarely in the chest. Everyone heard a deafening boom, and then, the youth simply vanished.

The power of Ji Hao’s punch was so immense that it surged into the opponent’s body, causing the youth to explode into a mist of blood. Every strand of hair was atomized, and he vanished from the world entirely.

Even the so-called armor that only a Great Witch could break was shattered into dust by the blow. Only the sword in his hand was sent flying, but before it could fall, Ji Hao snatched it from the air. With a backhand flick, he unleashed a flurry of brilliant, flower-shaped sword lights.

The sword techniques of the Southern Wasteland warriors were either rigid and fierce or sinister and treacherous, but they were usually direct and simple. They pursued the most powerful, immediate lethality; no one ever bothered with the aesthetics of swordsmanship.

Yet, Ji Hao’s sword move was like a ten-thousand-mile east wind scattering the blossoms of a pear tree. Countless petals fell, the dazzling sword light reflecting the sunlight in the sky, brilliant to the point of extremity. All the Xuanming Black Snake guards felt a sharp ache in their eyes and instinctively squeezed them shut.

And then, over thirty of those youths would never open their eyes again.

The sharp sword light pierced through the eye sockets of their masks and drove deep into their eyes. The whistling sword qi penetrated their brains, claiming their lives.

Ji Hao’s first punch was fierce and tyrannical, destroying the enemy head-on with the purest power. His second sword move was magnificent, killing his enemies on the spot with a cruelty that was both beautiful and mesmerizing.

Zhurong Tonggong watched with delight, unable to stop himself from letting out long shouts of praise, and the warriors of the Zhurong Divine Army cheered in unison.

The Water Ape, trembling with rage, immediately roared: "Are you all idiots? Xuanming Black Snake Formation, crush him with everything you have!"