"Bang!"
As Xiao Hu dodged Su Yuan and Su Neng's attack, he heard a scream. At first, he thought it was Su Hao and turned with a grin. But his expression quickly changed as he saw Pan Ta, now missing an arm, being engulfed by blood-colored vines. In the blink of an eye, Pan Ta was consumed, leaving only bones.
On the other side, Lu Yi, who had been pierced through the chest mid-leap, also turned into a skeleton and fell.
Xiao Hu's gaze shifted to the ground. Where there had been corpses, now only skeletons remained.
Large beads of sweat formed on Xiao Hu's forehead, dripping down. His hand holding the saber trembled, seemingly beyond his control.
"This is too terrifying. What the hell is that thing?" Xiao Hu's eyes were filled with fear.
Whoosh! After consuming the flesh and blood of these people, the blood-devouring demon vine transformed into a thin tendril, appearing in Su Hao's hand as a streak of blood light. However, it didn't merge with Su Hao's body.
Su Hao toyed with the vine as he slowly approached the terrified Xiao Hu.
"I'll give you one chance. Tell me, who wants me dead?" Su Hao's eyes were cold as he looked at Xiao Hu.
"We're just bandits. We only wanted to rob you," Xiao Hu said, trying to struggle despite his fear.
Swish! The vine in Su Hao's palm instantly darted to Xiao Hu's face. A tendril extended a thorn, poised to pierce his skull at any moment.
The thorn gleamed like a sharp blade in the light. Xiao Hu broke out in a cold sweat again.
"I'll talk. It was Young Master Qin Hao's order," Xiao Hu said, prioritizing his immediate survival. If he could get back, he'd slaughter all those spies. The Su family's third young master a waste? This was no waste, but a monster!
"Third Young Master, please..." Before Xiao Hu could finish, the vine on his face pierced his skull, burrowing into his body and beginning to devour his flesh and blood.
Meanwhile, Su Ming and Shen Chong, who had been watching from afar, were shocked. Shen Chong stuttered, "Master, not only has the young master cultivated his hard skills to an extremely high level, but he's also obtained a mystical treasure. I'm not sure even I could subdue him!"
Shen Chong, the leader of the Su family's death squad, was at the ninth level of the Earth Realm.
"Indeed," Su Ming replied. He had known about the blood-colored vine but never imagined Su Hao could use it.
"Go to Qingyu Stronghold and surround the perimeter. Later, Hao and I will personally deal with them," Su Ming said. He then leaped into the air, appearing before Su Hao in a few flashes.
"Dad, you've been watching all along?" Su Hao said with a smile upon seeing Su Ming.
"You little rascal, you handled it yourself. Why would I need to intervene? Do you know who wants you dead?" Su Ming asked gravely.
"The Blood Demon Cult, obviously, since I killed Lan Yue. As for these Qingyu Stronghold bandits, they were sent by Qin Hao of the Qin family."
"Qin Hao of the Qin family!" Su Ming's face showed confusion. He didn't understand why the Qin family would target Su Hao.
"We had a bit of a conflict a few days ago. I didn't expect that kid to send bandits to kill me. I think I'll have to deal with him when I get the chance," Su Hao said coldly.
"Qin Hao of the Qin family dares to move against you? It seems these prefecture noble families' offspring truly have no fear. Since he dared to act, I'll cut him down!" Su Ming's face darkened.
"Dad, don't worry about Qin Hao. I'll handle it myself," Su Hao said seriously, stopping his father.
"Hmm." Su Ming looked at Su Hao and nodded.
"These bandits are from Qingyu Stronghold, about 40 li from here. Let's go there and wipe them out," Su Ming said casually, glancing at Xiao Hu's skeleton.
"Alright," Su Hao agreed, as he had planned to eliminate these bandits anyway. He had a task to destroy the bandits who had attacked him.
"Let's go!" Su Ming grabbed Su Hao, and they sped off.
With Su Ming's Sky Realm cultivation, their speed was incredible. Su Hao could only see blurred scenery.
About 20 minutes later, they arrived at Qingyu Stronghold's gate.
"Who goes there?" Two guards at the gate shouted as Su Hao and Su Ming appeared.
Whoosh! Su Ming was about to act, but Su Hao moved even faster. In a flash, he smashed one guard's neck with a punch, then leaped to the other guard and did the same. His actions were swift and merciless.
"Dad, leave these small fry to me. I haven't had enough action today," Su Hao said coldly.
These bandits were all check-in points, and he didn't want to miss the opportunity. He didn't know when he'd get another chance to rack up points like this.
Su Hao charged forward after speaking.
The commotion at the gate had been noticed, and a small squad of about a dozen bandits emerged from inside. Seeing the bodies on the ground, they shouted "Enemy attack!" and rushed at Su Hao with their sabers.
Su Hao smirked, grabbed one of the incoming sabers, and used it to behead the approaching bandit.
Splat! Blood sprayed everywhere, but Su Hao's previously calm mood became excited again. He continued to slash at the bandits.
Clang! Clang! The bandits' sabers struck Su Hao's body but were blocked by his Golden Bell Shield. The impact sent a shock through their hands, numbing them.
Su Hao showed no mercy, cutting down the dozen or so bandits like vegetables.
Whoosh! Suddenly, a powerful arrow shot from within the stronghold towards Su Hao.
Su Ming, not far from Su Hao, flicked his finger, sending out a red energy that destroyed the arrow.
"Who are you, kid, daring to cause trouble at my Qingyu Stronghold?" A group emerged from inside, led by three people. In the center stood a shirtless man wielding a man-sized saber. This was Li Hu, the third-in-command of Qingyu Stronghold.
Beside him was a scantily clad woman with flashing eyes, looking at Su Hao with a slight smile. She was Sun Wuniang, the fourth-in-command and Li Hu's lover.
The third was a young man with a sallow complexion holding a longbow. He had fired the arrow earlier. This was Lu Ming, the fifth-in-command.