Chapter 140: The Statue of the Ancient God

That person seemed to have grasped the hero's weakness and broke into a smug laugh.

The few individuals were all speaking in the local dialect, confident that the Huaguo native could not understand them.

However, Qin Hao had no need to understand. Sensing that he was being followed, a thought flickered through his mind. Instantly, the abandoned vehicles by the roadside twisted, transforming into a long blade that descended with a swift, merciless slash.

"Puff, puff, puff!"

Beneath the metallic blade, the legs of the men trailing him were severed cleanly.

"Ahhhhh!"

Miserable shrieks tore from their throats.

Yet, those screams rapidly transformed into sheer terror.

"The Corpse King is coming! The Corpse King..."

A massive zombie, towering a full five meters tall, loomed into view, closely followed by a vast horde. Having caught the scent of blood, they emitted excited, rattling groans and lunged forward, tearing the evolvers to pieces.

Other evolvers who had shared the exact same intentions no longer dared to linger, scattering in all directions to flee for their lives.

Qin Hao pressed on in the direction the Ancient Demons had escaped. His sense of smell was exceptionally sharp; he had previously inflicted injuries upon those Ancient Demons, and the lingering scent of blood drifted through the air. Without needing to activate his biological scanner, Qin Hao could easily track their exact whereabouts.

After running for three kilometers, Qin Hao laid eyes on a remarkably magnificent luxury estate.

The continent was vast and sparsely populated; even a middle-class family could afford a villa, let alone the wealthy with their sprawling estates. Possessing intelligence, these Ancient Demons naturally had an aesthetic sense, and it was clear they found this place grand and luxurious.

A straight road cut through the estate, leading directly to the main building. The central fountain had been toppled to make way for a newly erected altar, atop which stood a majestic, green-faced, fanged monster.

To human eyes, this monster looked no different from a bone demon, merely magnified manifold. In the eyes of the Ancient Demons, however, this was their deity.

It was the idol of the Black King God.

At this moment, the idol radiated a peculiar divine power. Any living creature that entered its radius felt a heavy, oppressive sensation, their astral energy slowing to a sluggish crawl.

Several wounded Ancient Demons knelt before the idol, their psychic waves drifting toward the statue as though offering prayers.

Shortly after, an Ancient Demon beside the idol extended a hand, releasing a beam of light that descended upon the kneeling figures.

In an instant, the Ancient Demons who had been heavily wounded by Qin Hao's attacks sprang back to life, their injuries rapidly healing.

"Damn it, there are still human heroes alive out there. Is anyone willing to go slay him and offer him as a sacrifice to the Black King God? Our god will surely be immensely pleased."

"I'll go with you."

"You good-for-nothing, you couldn't even handle a puny human and still need me to step in."

"You few may go, but do not forget our primary objective."

The Ancient Demon standing beside the idol spoke. He was even taller than the others, clad in silver armor adorned with dark, gold-plated runes that radiated an air of deep mystery.

This was a suit of high-tech armor.

It was clear this Ancient Demon held a remarkably distinct status.

The other Ancient Demons held him in profound respect, bordering on fear.

"Rest assured, Priest, we shall successfully complete our mission."

"That human won't escape this time."

"You can wait here to collect his corpse; I'll bring it back so we can all roast it together."

"Ha ha, excellent."

The Ancient Demons chimed in one after another, their rapid communication flowing back and forth.

Standing on the hillside, Qin Hao naturally perceived the information transmitted through those psychic tentacles, prompting a cold sneer.

Subservient and obedient promises.

That idol...

"An Ancient Demon Priest!"

From his vantage point on the peak, Qin Hao observed the scene with magnified vision, instantly recognizing the figure.

The Ancient Demon race was an intelligent species; their evolvers similarly commanded a wide array of innate talents and elemental powers. Due to their racial traits, the majority of Ancient Demons excelled in vitality, while only a small fraction mastered the elements.

An Ancient Demon Priest possessed immensely powerful psychic energy, capable of even summoning a divine descent.

By then, this priest's combat power would likely surpass the third rank, reaching the fourth.

Yet, what did a fourth rank matter?

Qin Hao had advanced with steady, solid steps. Having pushed his psychic power and vitality to their absolute limits at every single tier, his current mental tentacles and physical strength far surpassed these Tier 3 intelligent civilizations. Even if a Tier 4 opponent appeared, he would fight them just the same.

"The Vanisher!"

The divine artifact in Qin Hao's hand activated, shrouding his form and erasing his presence entirely from the perception of the Ancient Demons. He closed in on the estate while simultaneously using his psychic power to stir the heavens above.

A sharp crack of thunder echoed across the sky.

"Crash!"

Thunder-attribute supernatural powers erupted.

Heavenly Thunder Art.

Lightning materialized out of thin air, bursting with silver and purple radiance as it struck vertically downward toward the idol.

The Ancient Demon Priest turned pale with shock at the sight.

This was a sacred idol; how could it be damaged so casually?

He instantly unleashed his psychic power, waving a pitch-black piece of wood in his hand that surprisingly emitted a brilliant white beam, forming a protective barrier above the statue.

At that exact moment, Qin Hao shifted his psychic power once more. The bolt of lightning in mid-air abruptly curved, instantly crashing down directly upon the head of the Ancient Demon Priest.

The priest had not anticipated such ruthless tactics from his opponent. Caught completely off guard, he took the full force of the lightning strike head-on.

Arcs of electricity coursed wildly across his body, sending a plume of black smoke billowing from the top of his head before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed heavily to the ground.

The surrounding patrolling Ancient Demons never expected such a turn of events.

"Priest!"

"Enemy attack!"

"Who? Who dared to attack the Priest?"

Filled with sudden fury, the Ancient Demons swept their gazes across the surroundings, catching sight of a blurred afterimage.

Once psychic power was used to trigger an elemental explosion, Qin Hao's camouflage was no longer flawless, and his position was exposed to the Ancient Demons.

Instantly, a dozen Ancient Demons lunged forward to kill.

"Damn it."

Pushing off the ground with their hind legs like infuriated bulls, they charged with the intent to trample Qin Hao into dust.

Having no intention of hiding any longer, Qin Hao dropped the Vanisher, and two exceptionally sharp divine weapons materialized in his hands.

Star-Slayer and Ice Abyss.

Wielding the twin weapons, Qin Hao waded into the approaching Ancient Demons, slaughtering them wholesale.

Star-Slayer severed their heads, while Ice Abyss froze their bodies solid.

"Explode!"

The frozen corpses shattered with a concussive blast.

The subsequent wave of approaching Ancient Demons was blown backward by the icy explosion, their scales cracked and battered by the shockwave.

"It's him! He's here!"

The Ancient Demon who had previously intended to seek revenge panicked upon catching sight of Qin Hao, crying out in alarm.

In that instant, he seemed to recall the terror of being dominated by Qin Hao's gray energy. Hundreds of his kin had perished beneath that power. Yet now, even without using that terrifying gray might, this human was still overwhelmingly formidable, striking fear into their hearts.

Beaten into terror, the Ancient Demon instinctively shrank back.

Meanwhile, Qin Hao activated his Triple Title, the lingering curse of the Ancient Demon civilization stimulating the creatures' nerves and driving them to charge at him with bloodshot, bloodthirsty eyes.

Qin Hao stood motionless in his tracks, yet the divine weapon in his hand whirled like a meat grinder, continuously mincing the incoming Ancient Demons.

"Nothing more than overconfident fools, courting their own destruction."