Movie: Get Alpha Dog at the start

Chapter 1372 Soloing the Ink Dragon (Seeking monthly votes!!!)

The mist was dispelled by the light of the Moon Pearl, and the view between the ring-shaped mountains suddenly opened up, revealing the emerald green of the red pines, the bluish-gray of the rocks, and the vibrant colors of the spiritual herbs.

Qin Hao stopped his cautious stealth and took out a speed talisman from his storage bag. He stuck it on his leg with a "snap," and a pale blue aura instantly flowed into his limbs. At the same time, he activated the Cloud-Stepping Boots he had seized from Feng Yue. The cloud patterns on the boots lit up, and a light force supported his body.

With a light touch of his toes, he sped towards the stone palace in the center of the basin like an arrow. The wind whistled in his ears, and the scenery on both sides rushed past. With the combined power of his peak Qi Refining 12th level magic power, the Divine Speed ​​Talisman, and the Cloud-Stepping Boots, his speed was directly maximized.

Along the way, monsters would occasionally rush out—there were "Iron Feather Eagles" perched on red pines, "Poisonous Fang Snakes" lurking in the grass, and "Red Armor Beasts" coiled beside rocks. All of them were top-level monsters. The monsters in the central area were much stronger than those in the outer area.

However, for Qin Hao, who possesses top-quality magical artifacts, level one demonic beasts are merely materials delivered to him.

Along the way, they also harvested three spiritual herbs that were over four hundred years old, but unfortunately they were only auxiliary ingredients for Foundation Building Pills.

"These spiritual herbs together are enough to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill." Qin Hao continued running towards the stone hall without slowing down.

Two hours later, an ancient stone hall appeared at the edge of the field of vision. The stone hall was built entirely of dark blue-black rock, about ten zhang high and twenty zhang wide. Above the hall door were engraved blurry ancient runes. Over time, the runes had become illegible, but they still exuded a faint ancient aura.

"This should be the stone hall where the golden box is stored." Qin Hao stopped and scanned his surroundings warily—the area around the stone hall was unusually quiet, without even the roars of demonic beasts, which seemed rather eerie.

Qin Hao did not rush in, but instead took out the five-colored command flag from his storage bag.

"Go!" With a low shout, five command flags were thrown into the rocks, trees, and bushes around the stone hall, disappearing into them instantly upon landing.

"With this Reversed Five Elements Formation in place, even if Nangong Wan comes, she will have to put in some effort to break the formation, which is enough for me to deal with the Ink Dragon."

Relieved, Qin Hao stepped towards the bronze gate of the stone hall.

Pushing open the heavy bronze door, the hinges creaked old and the hall was filled with dust and the smell of decay.

Inside the hall is a winding corridor with murals on the walls on both sides depicting ancient cultivators battling demons, crafting magical artifacts, and setting up formations. Although the colors have faded, the grandeur of the past is still evident.

As you walk along the corridor, the stone slabs under your feet occasionally make a soft "crack" sound. At the end of the corridor is an empty hall with a broken stone pillar in the center and several pieces of rotten wood scattered around it, which are obviously the remains of tables and chairs from back then.

Qin Hao searched the hall carefully and finally found a hidden tunnel next to the railing on the west side. The entrance to the tunnel was covered by a stone slab that was similar in color to the ground. There were tiny gaps on the edge of the stone slab. If it weren't for his keen senses, he would not have been able to find it at all.

Qin Hao lifted the stone slab, and a surge of scorching air rushed out from the tunnel. He lit a "lighting talisman," which transformed into a pale white ball of light that floated in front of him, illuminating the stone steps inside the tunnel.

As you descend the stone steps, the tunnel is initially narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time, but it widens as you go down, eventually accommodating two people side by side.

The scorching heat intensified, and the humidity in the air grew heavier, clearly indicating they were approaching an underground swamp. Reaching the tunnel exit, Qin Hao took a deep breath, activating his Xuan Tie Scale Armor with his left hand—a pale black armor covering his entire body, the plates clinging tightly to his skin, providing a cool touch; with his right hand, he pulled out three Vajra Talismans, instantly unfurling pale golden shields to form a quadruple defense.

After making thorough preparations, he slowly stepped out of the tunnel. Outside the tunnel was a vast underground world, about thirty feet high, with stalactites hanging from the top, and water droplets falling from time to time, the "drip-drip" sound echoing in the empty underground.

The ground was a black swamp, with bubbles rising from it and emitting a pungent sulfur smell. When the bubbles burst, they splashed black mud onto the rocks, instantly corroding the rock surfaces and creating small pits.

On the western edge of the swamp, dozens of spiritual herbs grow, surrounded by a faint aura of spiritual energy—including a 500-year-old Jade Marrow Fungus, a 550-year-old Purple Monkey Flower, a 700-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruit, and several 400-year-old Blood Coagulation Grasses, all of which are precious medicinal materials for Foundation Establishment Pills.

Qin Hao's gaze, however, bypassed the spiritual herbs and landed on the white jade pavilion in the center of the swamp. The pavilion was made of white marble, about three zhang high, with a circular dome on top. In the center of the pavilion floated a golden box about half a foot square, with intricate cloud patterns engraved on its surface, gleaming with a soft golden light. This was the core objective of his trip.

"Ink Dragon, come out." Qin Hao sneered, took out three Flame Bullet Talismans from his storage bag, infused them with magic power, and threw them simultaneously into the center of the swamp.

"Boom!" Three blazing fireballs exploded in the swamp, black mud splashed everywhere, and huge waves several feet high rose on the surface of the swamp, with the sound of bubbles bursting echoing around.

The fireball's residual power dissipated, and the swamp returned to calm, but the Ink Dragon was still nowhere to be seen.

Qin Hao frowned and took out five more Flame Bullet Talismans. This time, he deliberately scattered the talismans and threw them out, covering most of the swamp area. "Boom! Boom!" Five explosions in a row blasted open five huge vortexes in the swamp, and black mud shot into the sky like a fountain. The entire underground world was trembling slightly.

"If you don't come out, I'll turn this entire swamp upside down, leaving you nowhere to hide!"

"Roar—!" An angry roar came from the center of the swamp, the sound shaking the stalactites from the ground and causing them to fall and shatter.

Immediately afterwards, a black figure three or four zhang long darted out of the swamp at a speed too fast for the naked eye to see. In the blink of an eye, a black light flashed and it was already pouncing on Qin Hao – it was the second-level demon beast, the Ink Dragon!

The black dragon was covered in black scales, with a faint black mist swirling around them. The mist had a corrosive effect, and a pungent, fishy smell could be detected when one got close. Its head was triangular, with dark red vertical pupils in its eyes, and its mouth was full of sharp fangs, from which dripped black venom, which had an extremely foul stench.

Qin Hao was prepared. The moment the black dragon darted out, he took out three dungeon talismans from his storage bag and activated them simultaneously.

"go with!"

Three beams of earthen-yellow light flashed, and the dungeon talisman transformed into three earthen dungeons, each half a zhang high, stacked one on top of the other, firmly trapping the black dragon within.

"Bang!" The black dragon lashed its tail, unleashing the immense power of a level-two demon beast. The earthen prison was instantly shattered, and the black mist on its black scales even corroded the prison walls, leaving black marks.

"As expected, a level two demon beast is equivalent to a Foundation Establishment cultivator; even a low-level high-grade talisman cannot contain it."

Qin Hao was not surprised; all he wanted was this brief delay—the instant the earthen prison shattered, he used the speed boost from the Divine Speed ​​Talisman and the Cloud-Stepping Boots to barely avoid the black dragon's attack.

"You beast, you're asking for death!" Qin Hao shouted, taking out the crystal ball magic artifact he had seized from Duobao Nu from his storage bag. The crystal ball was three inches in diameter and was filled with pink mist.

As magic power was injected, the crystal ball instantly shot out three streams of pink liquid, which gathered in the air to form a large net that enveloped the black dragon.

The pink liquid has extremely strong viscosity. Upon touching the body of the black dragon, it instantly solidified, trapping the dragon firmly inside and forming a pink sphere about half a meter in size.

The black dragon struggled frantically inside the sphere, stretching the pink sphere until it was constantly deformed, but it did not immediately break.

Without pausing, Qin Hao flipped his left hand, and a talisman with a small gray sword engraved on it appeared before his eyes—it was the Gray Sword Talisman he had obtained from the Golden Light Master.

He frantically poured his peak Qi Refining level 12 power into the talisman, and the gray sword on the surface of the talisman gradually became clearer, emitting a "humming" sword sound.

"Go!" The gray sword talisman transformed into a seven-foot-long gray sword, its blade gleaming with a faint cold light. After circling once in the air, it hurtled straight towards the black dragon inside the pink sphere with a sharp whooshing sound.

The black dragon seemed to sense the danger. A hint of fear flashed in its dark red vertical pupils. It suddenly opened its mouth, and a jet of black water shot out. The water contained extremely strong corrosive power and went straight for the gray sword.

"Bang!" The sword collided with the water column, and the gray sword light and the black water column were locked in mid-air. The black water column continued to corrode the sword, and the sword's light gradually dimmed; while the sword was also constantly cutting the water column, and the black water column became smaller and smaller.

Half an incense stick later, the light of the gray sword went out completely.

With a "poof," it turned into specks of gray light and dissipated—the magic power of the Gray Sword Talisman had been completely exhausted.

"Roar!" The black dragon broke free from the pink sphere's restraints. It was clearly enraged, and its body suddenly began to tremble violently. Its black scales fell off one by one, revealing new light purple scales underneath.

The black mist on its new scales was thicker, a hint of scarlet flashed in its dark red vertical pupils, and its aura suddenly increased, reaching the level of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator—at the critical moment of life and death, it shed its old scales and completed its evolution!

At that moment, the Golden Halberd Talisman in Qin Hao's hand was fully activated—the talisman transformed into a golden halberd over ten feet long, with fine metallic patterns engraved on its body and a dazzling golden light emanating from its tip, radiating a pressure far exceeding that of the Gray Sword Talisman.

"Now!" Qin Hao poured all his remaining magic power into the Golden Halberd.

"Go!" The golden halberd shot out like a meteor, its tip pointing directly at the pale purple scales of the black dragon, which had not yet fully hardened after its evolution.

……

Meanwhile, in the ring of mountains outside the stone hall, Nangong Wan was leading more than ten disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect to arrive.

A disciple of the Hidden Moon Sect at the eleventh level of Qi Refining was the first to walk towards the stone hall gate. As soon as he took a step, the scene in front of him suddenly changed—the original red pines and rocks disappeared, replaced by a world of ice and snow. Goose feather snowflakes fell in a flurry, and when they landed on him, he could feel the biting cold.

"Not good! There's an ambush!" The disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect exclaimed in alarm, instinctively summoning their defensive magical artifacts and cautiously looking around.

"What's the panic!" Nangong Wan shouted sharply. She reached out and caught a snowflake, feeling a real chill on her fingertips, but her brows furrowed even more: "This is the Reversed Five Elements Formation, it's not offensive."

"Grandmaster, are you referring to the legendary ancient formation known as the 'Minor Forbidden Formation'?" a disciple asked in surprise. "But the disciples we sent to investigate said there were no formations or restrictions around the stone hall!"

“Just because it didn’t exist before doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist now.” Nangong Wan’s eyes were gloomy. She took out the Vermilion Bird Ring, infused it with magic power, and the Vermilion Bird Ring shot out a crimson light, heading straight for the snow in front of her. The light passed through the snow, but disappeared as if it had been thrown into the sea, without causing any ripples.

"Hiss—" The surrounding disciples gasped. Even the Vermilion Bird Ring's attack couldn't break the illusion. The power of this formation far exceeded their expectations.

Nangong Wan waved her hand: "This formation is only simplified and does not have a complete core. As long as we find the location of the formation flags, we can break the formation."

She changed the subject, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes: "But who exactly set up this formation here? Their target is probably the golden box in the stone hall!"

With this in mind, she no longer hesitated and began to manipulate the Vermilion Bird Ring, shooting out beams of crimson light to probe for the location of the array flags. The Vermilion Bird Ring was a Golden Core stage magic weapon that could sense the spiritual energy fluctuations of the array. Although it could not directly break the array, it could roughly pinpoint the location of the array flags.

……

In the underground world, the golden battle halberd had already reached the black dragon. The black dragon had just completed its evolution when it suffered a severe injury.

"Pfft—" The golden halberd instantly pierced through the black dragon's scales and into its abdominal cavity, drawing out a spray of black blood.

The black dragon let out a shrill roar, its tail whipping wildly in an attempt to shake off the halberd, but to no avail—the tip of the golden halberd was firmly embedded in its bones, continuously releasing metallic magic power that was damaging its spine.

Qin Hao gave it no chance to breathe, taking out dozens of talismans from his storage bag—Golden Gang Talisman, Flame Bullet Talisman, Armor-Piercing Golden Arrow Talisman—and throwing them at the black dragon as if they were free.

"Boom!" The Flame Bullet Talisman exploded on the black dragon's body, scorching its black scales; the Armor-Piercing Golden Arrow Talisman transformed into silver arrow energy, piercing the black dragon's wound and worsening its injury; the Golden Gang Talisman stuck to its own body, blocking the black dragon's tail counterattack.

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he squandered all the talismans worth thousands of low-grade spirit stones, and the effect was extremely remarkable—the dark dragon's pale purple scales were covered with cracks, black blood kept gushing from the wound in its abdominal cavity, a trace of despair flashed in its dark red vertical pupils, and its struggles became weaker and weaker, especially its back, which was pierced by the golden halberd, a hideous wound had exposed its spine, and black blood dripped down the spine, falling into the swamp and stirring up small ripples.

"Now!" Qin Hao shouted, summoning the Crimson Soul Blade. Flames blazed on the blade as he poured his remaining mana into it.

"Crimson Soul Blade, slash!" The Crimson Soul Blade transformed into a streak of crimson light, heading straight for the exposed spine of the Ink Dragon.

"Roar—!" The black dragon tried to twist its body to dodge, but due to the damage to its spine, its movements became sluggish. The Crimson Soul Blade instantly struck its spine, and with a "crack," the spine was severed.

The black dragon's body froze in mid-air, its dark red vertical pupils lost their luster, and its huge body fell into the swamp with a "plop". After twisting wildly a few times, it became completely still, with only black blood slowly spreading in the swamp.

Qin Hao breathed a sigh of relief, took out the crystal ball from his storage bag, and activated it again—the pink liquid turned into threads, wrapped around the black dragon's corpse, and pulled it out of the swamp.

Just as he collected the corpse, Qin Hao suddenly sensed a violent tremor coming from the Inverted Five Elements Array outside the stone hall—the spiritual energy fluctuations of the array flags became chaotic, clearly indicating that someone was breaking the array.

"Nangong Wan and the others are here!" He didn't delay any longer, took out two "Qi Gathering Pills" from his pocket, and put them in his mouth—the pills melted instantly upon entering his mouth, turning into a gentle stream of magical power to alleviate his depletion of magical power.

Then, he leaped into the air and flew towards the white jade pavilion in the center of the swamp, reaching out to put the golden box floating in the pavilion into his storage bag.

Immediately afterwards, he landed beside the spiritual herbs on the west side of the swamp and picked all the spiritual herbs, including Jade Marrow Fungus, Purple Monkey Flower, and Heavenly Spirit Fruit, and put them into a jade box.

After all this was done, a cracking sound came from the direction of the stone hall—the Inverted Five Elements Formation had been broken, and the footsteps of Nangong Wan and her group were heading towards the tunnel.

Qin Hao knew he couldn't fight her head-on. Although Nangong Wan's cultivation level had dropped to the twelfth level of Qi Refining due to her cultivation method, she was still a Golden Core cultivator. Now that his magic power was exhausted, even if he had a talisman, he might not be her match.

He quietly hid behind a rock near the tunnel entrance, waiting for Nangong Wan and her group to enter the underground world.

A moment later, Nangong Wan led the disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect into the underground passage. As soon as they stepped into the underground world, their eyes were drawn to the white jade pavilion in the center of the swamp and the swamp pit where the black dragon had fallen. The black blood of the black dragon was still left in the swamp pit, indicating that a fierce battle had just taken place.

"Where is that thing?!" Nangong Wan scanned the area but found nothing. Her face turned ashen. She turned sharply toward the entrance to the tunnel, but only saw a dark shadow flash by.

Qin Hao had activated the Swift Travel Talisman and Cloud-Stepping Boots, transforming into a black shadow as he rushed out of the tunnel.

"Where do you think you're going!" Nangong Wan gritted her teeth and leaped after him.

"Grandmaster~~~"

"What are you all standing there for? Go after them!" (End of Chapter)