A single iron spear deceived the disciples of the Ziyun Sect.
A single silver spear deceived Sun Hua and Liu Daoyun, causing conflict between the Quishui Sect and the Fenghan Sect.
If the chubby boy's father knew about this, he would surely be wide-eyed and open-mouthed in disbelief, because those three long spears were products made in his own blacksmith shop.
If it were the chubby boy, he would probably be incredibly excited.
Meng Hao didn't know what effect that silver spear would have. He only knew that the Quishui Sect and the Fenghan Sect had given up on pursuing him, and even if they were still pursuing him, it would be impossible to find Meng Hao in a short amount of time.
However, Meng Hao's expression was grim at this moment. Sitting on his treasured fan, he occasionally swallowed elixirs. Behind him, Ding Xin, stepping on a large leaf, pursued him coldly, as if he would kill Meng Hao even if it meant chasing him to the ends of the earth.
If it were just a chase, Meng Hao had many elixirs to maintain his spiritual power and could still cope, but he was already injured. Over this long journey, his injuries had not improved, so he could only suppress them with demon cores.
But even if these injuries could be suppressed, if it went on for too long, to the point where they could no longer be suppressed, once they erupted, the injuries would become even more severe.
Occasionally, a sharp arrow would whistle from behind him, creating a piercing sound as it flew straight towards Meng Hao, forcing him to take out various magical artifacts to resist. The most dangerous moments were when he landed, as his speed slowed and he lacked agility. Fortunately, there were many mountains and forests below, and each time he glided over a mountain peak, it gave Meng Hao enough time to take out his treasured fan and continue.
However, Ding Xin also couldn't fly for extended periods. Like Liu Daoyun before, he occasionally needed to land. Such a vast terrain was very advantageous for gliding.
"You can't escape. If you surrender, I, Ding, will not kill you. I will take you back to the sect, and you will be dealt with after your story is heard."
Ding Xin's eyes flashed as he spoke slightly.
"Is there an inside story regarding my matter with the Ziyun Sect, Fellow Daoist Ding?"
Meng Hao, flying rapidly ahead, immediately asked.
"I, Ding, do not need to know. I will bring you back to the sect, and naturally, the law enforcement elders will handle it. My Ziyun Sect, as a great sect in the Southern Domain, naturally understands principles and can distinguish between truth and falsehood."
Ding Xin said indifferently, his gaze growing colder.
"That day's incident was not my fault. It was Tian Shuiyin and Lü Song who forcibly tried to buy it. I told them that the iron spear was an ordinary item, but those two insisted and even threatened me. I, Meng, am not in the wrong!"
Meng Hao reached a relatively high mound, turned his head to explain, and as he spoke, he took a step, and his treasured fan reappeared, carrying him away swiftly.
"Perhaps you are not wrong. You should have probably crushed that iron spear on the spot, then taken out a true treasure to give to the person who came to exchange it, and then none of this would have happened." Ding Xin's words remained as calm as before, his speed undiminished. He raised his right hand and patted his storage pouch. Immediately, a black wooden bow appeared in his hand. He pulled it back forcefully and released it, and a sharp arrow immediately whistled straight towards Meng Hao.
With a loud bang, Meng Hao used a magical artifact to resist. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, but he still smiled, a smile full of blood, looking somewhat ferocious.
This was the so-called "explaining the道理 (dàolǐ, principles)." Meng Hao’s eyes flashed with killing intent, but he remained silent. Swallowing many demon cores, the treasured fan beneath his feet hummed, accelerating him forward with a roar.
In just a few short hours, from noon until late afternoon, Meng Hao was utterly exhausted. This single day felt like several consecutive days of fleeing. By now, he had long realized that deep within his opponent’s cold eyes lay a cruel, mocking intent.
This was treating him as prey, not wanting to kill him directly but to toy with him until the prey went mad, reaching its limit before a single strike severed its head.
Beneath Meng Hao’s feet was the land of the Zhao State. Ding Xin had been pursuing him for a long time. With Meng Hao’s cultivation at the eighth level of Condensation, he was naturally nearing exhaustion. Even with more demon cores, if he continued to swallow them, the consequence would be a weakening of Meng Hao’s body, leading to intense rejection, and even the appearance of demonic qi in his blood.
For a cultivator, such a thing was no different from crippling one’s own cultivation. Meng Hao hadn’t understood this before, but now, even knowing it, he had no choice but to swallow them.
And that Ding Xin, evidently, had known this all along, which was why he followed unhurriedly. His eyes gradually lit up with interest, as if he had found a very amusing toy.
“I truly want to see what you’ll become after swallowing so many demon cores, when your entire body transforms into demonic qi. Killing you then might even allow me to find the demon core of an eighth-level Condensation demon beast.” Ding Xin laughed, his voice reaching Meng Hao’s ears, causing more blood vessels to appear in Meng Hao’s eyes, his expression grim.
But his nature was not to waste words during battle. If his previous explanations were not understood by his opponent, Meng Hao would not speak further. Just like when he faced Wang Tengfei back then, he never roared or shouted, only remained silent, grim to the extreme.
After a long period of fleeing, Meng Hao’s speed on the treasured fan reached its maximum. At this moment, looking down at the ground, he vaguely saw Mount Daqing. For the past half year, he had mostly been in hiding, and now he had circled back, returning once again to Mount Daqing.
Even in this direction, one could see far into the distance, where there was a lake, its surface clear as a mirror—that was Beihai.
The moment he saw Beihai, Meng Hao’s eyes flashed.
Beihai…
Meng Hao thought of the solitary boat on Beihai, of the old ferryman, of that little girl, and even more so, of the Beihai Dao!
At this moment, his gaze sharpened, and he immediately changed direction, heading straight for Beihai.
His speed was incredibly fast, using the treasured fan to glide over Mount Daqing. Ding Xin’s eyes behind him held a mocking intent. Throughout this chase, what satisfied him most was forcing his opponent to continuously swallow demon cores.
“Although I don’t know how this person has so many demon cores, it doesn’t matter. I can always force the answer out of him before he dies. But more than that, I look forward to his demonized appearance after swallowing too many demon cores.” Ding Xin smiled, stepping on a large leaf, casually giving chase.
The two, one in front and one behind, did not take long. As they roared through the sky, in the blink of an eye, they arrived above the waters of Beihai. Just as Meng Hao patted his storage bag, a black net immediately appeared and was flung behind him.