However, this point was not without its advantages. Once he broke through the bottleneck, he could directly reach the mid-stage of the ninth level of Qi Condensation. Moreover, although Meng Hao's body appeared frail, he clearly felt that it was more resilient than when he was a scholar, simply undergoing a gradual transformation.
This was not a transformation of a cultivator, but rather the residual demonic power within his body. It could even be said to be the transformation of the demonic core within his Dan Sea.
Time slowly passed. It was not until two months after Meng Hao swallowed the Foundation Establishment Pill that he completely absorbed it. The moment he finished absorbing it, Meng Hao's eyes snapped open, and his body could finally move. Inside him, there were resounding explosions, causing an unimaginable pain, as if some part of him had directly shattered. In an instant, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and that blood was black.
After spitting blood, Meng Hao felt dizzy, as if he was about to faint, but he bit his tongue hard, forcing himself to stay conscious, and circulated his cultivation to impact the ninth level of Qi Condensation.
His face showed an unprecedented determination, as he condensed his spiritual power, which seemed to be burning and about to explode, to make the breakthrough.
In an instant, the spiritual energy in Meng Hao's body surged, his mind was filled with thunder and lightning, and his entire body felt like it was about to burst. But immediately after, his spiritual energy suddenly seemed to open up a new world within him, followed by a comfort that Meng Hao could not describe. It was a tingling sensation, as if someone was quickly brushing feathers over every part of his body.
This sensation immersed Meng Hao. A long time later, when he opened his eyes, a brilliant light shone from them, illuminating the dark cave dwelling as if a flash of lightning had streaked across it, brightening it in an instant.
Meng Hao took a deep breath. Immediately, the spiritual energy inside and outside the cave dwelling instantly entered through the pores on Meng Hao's body, but then quickly exited. With the ingress and egress of spiritual energy, numerous impurities were immediately secreted from the pores all over Meng Hao's body, making his body lighter and his eyes brighter.
At this moment, the Dan Sea within his body was even larger, having doubled in size from before, so vast that its shores were no longer visible. Golden waves surged up and down, rumbling and roaring. The demonic core moved up and down in the water, radiating immense spiritual power that caused golden light to shine for ten thousand zhang, filling Meng Hao's body and making him want to look up at the sky and let out a long roar.
"Ninth level of Qi Condensation! I, Meng Hao, have finally reached the ninth level of Qi Condensation! Just one more level and I'll be at Foundation Establishment!" Meng Hao was exhilarated, taking a deep breath.
"With the Qi Condensation Scroll of the Grand Spirit Scripture, once I reach Foundation Establishment, I will condense a Flawless Foundation, surpassing the Imperfect and crushing the Shattered Plate!" Meng Hao stood up. At this moment, he was filled with immense confidence and anticipation for the future.
He looked forward to being able to go to the Southern Domain, to wander across the vast lands of the Southern Domain. He also looked forward to the moment of Foundation Establishment, to what kind of splendor his Flawless Foundation Establishment would radiate, and what kind of brilliant power he would unleash when he met other Foundation Establishment cultivators.
All of this, for Meng Hao, because he had not yet reached Foundation Establishment, and because he did not understand the rarity of a Flawless Foundation, he did not comprehend it. But the less he understood, the more he anticipated it.
Meng Hao waved his sleeve, and immediately a fist-sized ball of water appeared. In an instant, it neared his body, but then, following his skin, it transformed into a film of water that spread across his entire body. Meng Hao took a step forward, emerging from the water film. All the dirt on his body was washed away, leaving his body instantly radiating a fragrant scent.
The door to the cave dwelling rumbled open. By now, it was already noon outside. Meng Hao stepped out. The weather had long since changed; the mountain wind carried a dry heat, but Meng Hao felt light and refreshed all over.
"If I can reach Foundation Establishment, I can truly fly in the sky."
Meng Hao looked up at the blue sky, the smile on his face growing brighter. He took a step forward, and immediately his treasure fan flew out from his storage bag, positioning itself beneath his feet, carrying Meng Hao soaring away.
This place was not far from Mount Daqing. Meng Hao had not flown for long when he immediately saw a figure fleeing on the ground below, with a fierce-faced burly man chasing behind.
The person fleeing in front had a pale face, but his eyes flashed with ruthlessness. He was not tall, thin all over, about thirteen or fourteen years old, but his cultivation had reached the fifth level of Qi Condensation.
The pursuer behind him was a sixth-level Qi Condensation cultivator. This man wore a tattered, somewhat tight azure robe, looking quite disheveled, his face filled with murderous intent and anger.
"Let's see where you'll run, Dong Hu! If you hand over that bead, considering we're both from the Fangye Sect, I'll spare your life today. Otherwise, you're definitely going to die!" The burly man said this, and raised his right hand. Immediately, a shimmering cold light appeared, which actually transformed into a Crescent Moon Scimitar, spinning and striking directly at the young man in front.
This young man was indeed Xiao Hu, one of the group of people Meng Hao had brought into the Kaoshan Sect with Senior Sister Xu.
Previously, when the sect disbanded, he was swept away, his whereabouts unknown, no one knew where he went. At this moment, Meng Hao, looking down from the sky, immediately spotted Xiao Hu.
Xiao Hu fled in front, his face pale, but between his eyebrows was a look of sternness, and murderous intent flashed. He raised his right hand, and immediately several streaks of cold light flew out from his sleeve. These cold lights were sharp arrows that glowed with a dark light, obviously coated with potent poison, shooting directly at the burly man.
The burly man sneered, waving his sleeve, and immediately a gust of wind blew, deflecting the arrows. He then formed a hand seal with his right hand and pointed, and the scimitar immediately shot towards Xiao Hu. Seeing it about to close in, Xiao Hu's eyes turned bloodshot. He quickly turned around, and as he waved his hand, a blue bead appeared in his grasp. This bead was slightly opaque, with many layers of swirling clouds within. As he raised it, a cloud flew out from inside, transforming into a blurry figure that shot towards the scimitar with lightning speed.
The moment they collided, a thunderous explosion rang out. The scimitar shattered directly, and the figure also dissipated.
The burly man spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, the greed in his eyes growing even stronger as he continued to pursue.
Xiao Hu's face was pale; clearly, this attack was extremely difficult for him. At this moment, his steps faltered, and after running a few more steps, he fell to the ground.
"You can't escape!" The burly man bared his teeth in a ferocious grin, rushing forward at an extremely fast speed. Xiao Hu's face grew even paler, his eyes filled with despair. At this moment, in the distance, Meng Hao sighed deeply, looking meaningfully at Xiao Hu, who had his back to him. He understood the other party's thoughts, but still raised his hand and pointed forward.
This finger immediately caused the winds in the mountains and forests to howl, and the oppressive power of the ninth layer of Qi Condensation instantly descended, directly pressing down on the burly man. The burly man shivered, quickly looked up, and saw Meng Hao approaching from a distance, immediately struck with panic.
Almost as soon as he looked up, Xiao Hu, who had been lying face down on the ground, suddenly had a cold glint in his eyes. He abruptly swung his right hand, in which he held a dagger coated with poison, extremely sharp. Xiao Hu's speed was incredibly fast; he directly leaped up, the cold glint on the dagger in his right hand flashing. Just as the burly man was startled by Meng Hao, the dagger directly slashed across his neck.
A tragic scream could not escape his lips; fresh blood directly gushed out, splattering all over Xiao Hu. At this moment, Xiao Hu no longer showed any sign of weakness. Although he was tired, it was clear that all his previous expressions had been faked. He had indeed been waiting for this burly man to approach, and when his guard was down, he delivered a strike.
The burly man fell to the ground, clutching his neck and twitching a few times, but too much blood flowed out. Gradually, his eyes widened, and he breathed his last.
Xiao Hu immediately stepped forward. When he turned around and looked up, clearly seeing that the approaching person was Meng Hao, he stopped, but still maintained a posture ready to flee at any moment. However, when he sensed Meng Hao's cultivation, his body trembled uncontrollably.
Meng Hao said nothing, stepping to the side of the corpse. He looked at the corpse, then at Xiao Hu, who was clearly very nervous at this moment. He remained silent.
Xiao Hu also said nothing, only looking at Meng Hao with complex eyes.
"You killed Wang Youcai for this bead."
After a long while, Meng Hao slowly spoke, a hint of calculating deception in his eyes that outsiders could not detect.
Xiao Hu remained silent. The short man with slightly dark skin, a gaunt figure, and tattered clothes looked utterly disheveled, making him seem just like a beggar. However, the coldness he displayed when killing earlier, contrasted with his current appearance, made him truly stand out.
Meng Hao looked at Xiao Hu, then after a long moment, shook his head. He looked at Xiao Hu again, sighed, and then turned to leave this place.
But just as Meng Hao was about to leave, Xiao Hu hesitated for a moment, then suddenly spoke in a somewhat hoarse but anxious voice.
"Is Senior Brother Meng Meng going to Daqing Mountain to save someone?"
"What do you mean?" Meng Hao stopped, turned around to look at Xiao Hu, and asked in a deep voice.