Chapter 440: Chapter 438: Brother Shen, Accept Us
Shen Haoran gazed indifferently at the flattened valley, his expression completely placid. He had never stopped practicing the Nine Dragon Stomp since the day he’d obtained it. Just now, he had only executed its fourth step: Nine Dragons Shaking Mountains and Rivers. What’s more, he had used less than half of its full power. Legend had it that when the Nine Dragon Venerable stomped his foot, the very heavens and earth would shatter. Shen Haoran was still a long way from that kind of power.
Still, even at less than half strength, it was more than enough for his current needs. ’This kind of power... I doubt many people could withstand it.’
Shen Haoran gestured toward the valley below. A streak of golden light shot out from a pile of rubble and landed in his palm. When the light faded, a Golden Death Warrior Medal rested in his hand, radiating an immense power.
"Worthy of a Gold Level Death Warrior. The Energy contained within this medal is on a completely different level from the Black Iron and Silver Level ones." Shen Haoran felt the vast Energy and nodded in satisfaction. With this Golden Death Warrior Medal, he was confident he could reach Tier Five Spirit Marquis Peak within two days. ’If I can get just one more, I could break through to Tier Six Spirit Marquis!’
At this thought, Shen Haoran suppressed his excitement. ’The priority now is to find a secluded place to begin the Refinement of this Golden Death Warrior Medal. This valley just saw a huge battle. The commotion will probably attract other Death Warriors in the area, so I can’t stay here much longer.’
Shen Haoran descended from the sky. He saw the shocked expressions on Xu Hao and his followers but paid them no mind, turning to leave. However, just as he was about to depart, Xu Hao called out to him.
"Wait!"
At this, Shen Haoran frowned. He turned back, his expression turning sour. "What? Are you still looking for trouble?"
Seeing Shen Haoran’s displeased expression, Xu Hao wasted no more words and dropped to his knees right in front of him. The disciples behind him immediately followed suit.
Shen Haoran was completely stunned to see Xu Hao and his men kneeling before him. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it. ’What are these guys trying to pull? Weren’t they just trying to frame me? Why are they kneeling now? Are they trying to apologize?’
"Brother Shen, please take us on as your subordinates!" Xu Hao declared loudly, his expression deadly serious. He then performed a respectful bow. The Qi Refining Sect disciples behind him copied his actions, kowtowing to Shen Haoran.
Hearing Xu Hao’s words and seeing the serious, earnest expressions on their faces, Shen Haoran was left speechless. ’Aren’t we supposed to be enemies? Didn’t you want to kill me? Why the sudden change of heart? Now you want me to be your boss? Did Xu Hao and his men take the wrong medicine or something?’
Seeing Shen Haoran’s conflicted expression, Xu Hao hurriedly explained, "Brother Shen, I looked down on you before. I attacked you and even tried to frame you. It was all my fault. I must have lost my mind. Please, be the bigger person and forgive our foolishness. We genuinely want to be your subordinates. Here! These are the Death Warrior Medals we’ve collected over the last few days. They’re all yours!" With that, Xu Hao pulled a stack of Black Iron Level Death Warrior Medals from his Storage Ring and offered them to Shen Haoran.
Shen Haoran looked at the offered Death Warrior Medals, then at the fanatical gleam in Xu Hao’s eyes. He could tell Xu Hao wasn’t lying; he truly wanted to become his subordinate. ’But why? And he’s clearly much older than I am. Is he really willing to call me ’Brother’?’
What Shen Haoran didn’t realize was that his battle with the Gold Level Death Warrior had completely won Xu Hao over. Deep down, Xu Hao was a battle maniac himself. Now that he had encountered Shen Haoran, whose combat power was off the charts, his admiration knew no bounds.
When Shen Haoran still didn’t respond, Xu Hao grew anxious. "Don’t worry, Brother Shen, we won’t hold you back! We might even be able to help you out. This Secret Realm is fraught with danger, and you never know what might happen. An extra person is an extra pair of hands, right? We’re willing to give you all the Death Warrior Medals we find, now and in the future. Brother Shen, please, just take us in!"
"Are you sure you want to follow me?" Shen Haoran asked, looking at the desperate, eager expression on Xu Hao’s face.
"We’re sure!" Xu Hao and his men replied without a hint of hesitation.
"Fine. Then you can follow me," Shen Haoran said coolly. "I don’t need you to go through fire and water for me, and I don’t need your Death Warrior Medals. All I require is your absolute obedience. Also, if you’re serious about following me, you’ll swallow this." He presented a pill. "This is a Spirit Devouring Pill. It won’t kill you, but if you ever do anything to betray me, the pill will activate and destroy your Dantian, turning you into a cripple. However, if you perform well, I’ll give you the antidote." Although Xu Hao seemed sincere, Shen Haoran still couldn’t fully trust him. It was always better to be cautious.
"Deal!" Xu Hao and his men took the Spirit Devouring Pills from Shen Haoran’s hand and swallowed them without a second thought. The corner of Shen Haoran’s mouth twitched. ’They really are desperate to be my subordinates, aren’t they? Swallowing poison without even hesitating?’ With this, however, Shen Haoran’s worries were put to rest. He then led Xu Hao and the others away.
...
「One day later.」
Xu Hao and his men stood guard before a cave, vigilantly watching their surroundings. Every so often, however, their gazes would drift toward the cave behind them, their eyes filled with fervent admiration.
After leaving the valley, Shen Haoran had found this cave to absorb and begin the Refinement of the Energy within the Golden Death Warrior Medal. Xu Hao and his men stood watch outside.
Inside the cave, the golden Death Warrior Medal floated before Shen Haoran. Countless golden threads unspooled from the medal, wrapping around his body. Streams of pure Energy flowed along these threads, pouring into his system as his strength steadily grew.
This had continued for a full day. The golden glow of the Death Warrior Medal grew dimmer and dimmer, while Shen Haoran’s aura grew more and more powerful. Suddenly, Shen Haoran’s tightly shut eyes snapped open. A violent presence erupted from within the cave, so domineering that the surrounding stone walls couldn’t withstand it. A web of fine cracks spread across their surface.
WHOOSH... The gale of powerful Spiritual Power raged for several minutes before finally subsiding. Shen Haoran exhaled a long, turbid breath and stood up. He carefully assessed his current strength, a look of deep satisfaction spreading across his face.
"Tier Five Spirit Marquis Peak!"
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