With this push, three hundred flying swords ignited a sword dance, directly condensing into an ancient Yinglong in mid-air according to Meng Hao's will. Almost at the instant the Yinglong took shape, Meng Hao stepped forward, raising his hands, two golden silk wooden swords hovering in his grasp. His entire being was like a rainbow, leaping into that Yinglong sword dance.
As if he had become the soul of this Yinglong flying sword, the sword dance was like the Yinglong raising its head to the sky and roaring, charging straight towards the Tianhe Sea.
A heaven-shaking explosion immediately resounded. The fragments of magical artifacts in the Tianhe Sea quickly lashed out, producing incessant thudding sounds. Meng Hao's flying swords continuously shattered, but every time ten flying swords were destroyed, Meng Hao would take out ten more.
His current limit was controlling three hundred flying swords, but in Meng Hao's storage bag, the number of flying swords exceeded seven hundred. These were what he had created over the past year, having prepared thoroughly when he was about to break through to the ninth level of Qi Condensation, due to the tragic battle with Ding Xin.
Shangguan Xiu's expression changed slightly upon seeing this. He raised his left hand to form a hand seal, and more magical artifacts flew out from his storage bag, joining the Tianhe Sea.
At this moment, flying swords roared around Meng Hao, continuously colliding with the Tianhe Sea. Thudding and rumbling sounds echoed all around. But today, the Tianhe Sea's power was immensely strong. Meng Hao had not advanced far before he was immediately unable to proceed further. He instantly spun his entire body. As he did so, the flying swords around him also spun at an extremely high speed, seemingly forming a whirlwind. In the center, Meng Hao had stopped, but the surrounding whirlwind spun faster and faster.
From a distance, it looked like a high-speed drill, rapidly closing in on the Tianhe Sea. The fragments of magical artifacts in the Tianhe Sea swept towards it, continuously destroying, but they were still broken through by these three hundred moving flying swords in just a few seconds.
Shangguan Xiu's expression changed again. Meng Hao's cultivation surprised him, and the sheer number of magical artifacts surprised him even more. But what frightened him most was his opponent's combat experience. This kind of quick, adaptable response seemed to be made for battle, deeply shaking Shangguan Xiu's heart.
An explosion resounded. The sword dance around Meng Hao broke through the Tianhe Sea, then dispersed. Meng Hao leaped forward, pointing both hands simultaneously ahead. Immediately, the two golden silk wooden swords roared, charging straight towards Shangguan Xiu, whose expression had completely changed.
"Meng Hao!" Shangguan Xiu rapidly retreated, his face pale, his expression filled with panic. Completely unlike him, Meng Hao would not utter a single word once he made a move. It was the same at this moment. The instant Shangguan Xiu spoke, Meng Hao accelerated again, the two wooden swords almost piercing Shangguan Xiu's glabella and chest.
Shangguan Xiu was utterly aggrieved. Today, he had originally held the upper hand, but he had been struck by a potent poison. When the toxin entered his body, he knew for certain that he would lose today. The toxin was impossible to resolve, making him fundamentally dare not unleash his full cultivation. He always had to retain a portion to suppress the toxin, which led to him having to retreat one step, then another.
In an instant, Shangguan Tu slapped his chest, spitting out fresh blood, and the bead reappeared before him. Immediately, an arc-shaped halo emerged, blocking the two wooden swords. But this halo also trembled, on the verge of shattering, while Shangguan Tu continuously retreated.
"Meng Hao, let's stop here today! The three great sects are looking for you. The commotion from our fight has been considerable, and they could arrive at any moment. Today, I haven't harmed anyone from the three counties, so let's call our grievances even. What do you say?" Seeing the halo about to break, Shangguan Tu hastily said.
Meng Hao said nothing, his spiritual energy surged, instantly causing the two wooden swords to erupt with golden light. The sword tips pierced through the halo, terrifying Shangguan Tu, whose eyes narrowed as he roared, pointing his left hand down towards the foot of the mountain.
"Since you are so stubborn, this old man will first destroy the people of those three counties!"
"Xiao Hu!" Meng Hao shouted his second command after making his move.
As he shouted, a bloody light flashed at the foot of the mountain. A blood orb the size of a human head appeared, swelling rapidly, seemingly about to explode. A figure swiftly rushed over. The person was thin, indeed Xiao Hu. Upon appearing, he gritted his teeth, raising a bead with both hands and pressing it forward.
Immediately, the bead flew out, shooting straight towards the blood orb, quickly circling it and forming a seal that isolated it from the outside world, causing the blood orb to instantly stop expanding.
"Meng Hao, I can only hold on for the time it takes an incense stick to burn!" Xiao Hu said, then coughed up blood and immediately sat down cross-legged.
Shangguan Tu's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, but there was no time to cast anything else. A loud bang echoed, the halo shattered, the bead directly cracked open, and the two wooden swords flew forward, with Meng Hao following closely behind, radiating monstrous killing intent.
Shangguan Tu spat out a mouthful of blood, no longer able to suppress the toxins in his body, which had now fully erupted. He barely maintained consciousness, instinctively retreating rapidly.
"Heaven does not help this old man, Meng Hao. This battle, this old man will not lose, but in this life, this old man will surely sever all your bloodlines!" Shangguan Tu laughed painfully, his laughter filled with unwillingness and helplessness, yet not despair. But the unwillingness and helplessness displayed on him were infinitely more profound than despair.
Saying this, he raised his hand and slapped his storage bag. This time, no wooden swords flew out; instead, he took out a medicinal pill. The moment this pill appeared, the surrounding spiritual energy suddenly became dense, and the medicinal fragrance diffused. Shangguan Tu let out a tragic laugh, then swallowed the pill.
Upon seeing this pill, Meng Hao's eyes narrowed. He recognized the amber-colored pill as a Foundation Establishment Pill, and it even bore a mark—it was the very Foundation Establishment Pill that Meng Hao had previously sold to the Tianhe Pavilion.
"This old man, Shangguan Tu, at seven years old, reached the first level of Qi Condensation; at thirty, the sixth level of Qi Condensation; at thirty-nine, the ninth level of Qi Condensation. Now, at ninety-nine..." Shangguan Tu did not look at Meng Hao but turned to gaze at the sky, muttering softly. At this moment, his aura surged dramatically, but his body remained motionless. Only when he had fully absorbed the Foundation Establishment Pill would he be able to move.
But even with such a flaw, his aura at this moment had surpassed the ninth level of Qi Condensation and was gradually rising towards Foundation Establishment. The two wooden swords were seven inches from his body, yet could not advance any further.
Meng Hao's expression changed. He clearly felt the opponent's aura growing stronger and stronger, yet he was attempting Foundation Establishment right here on Mount Daqing. Not only was Meng Hao shocked, but at the foot of the mountain, Xiao Hu's face also turned pale.
"Fifty years ago, I could have achieved Foundation Establishment, but I, this old man, harbored great ambitions and was unwilling to settle for Flawed Foundation Establishment. I spent fifty years preparing, for I wanted my Foundation Establishment to be earth-shattering, to surpass Flawless, to become perfect. But today..." Shangguan Tu murmured, his face desolate, as if on the verge of madness.
"But today, I, this old man, have been poisoned. If I don't achieve Foundation Establishment, I will surely die. My fifty years of preparation, this final step, has been ruined by your hands! Meng Hao, tell me, how deeply do I hate you?"
Shangguan Tu lowered his head to look at Meng Hao, not grinding his teeth, not roaring, but the calm words contained a hatred countless times stronger than being etched into his bones.
Meng Hao's heart pounded, and the shadow of death enveloped him. But he did not retreat. Instead, he suddenly recalled the changes he experienced when he consumed the Foundation Establishment Pill that day: his entire body stiffened, unable to move.
"My eighth level of Qi Condensation absorbs slowly, so it takes two months. If what Shangguan Tu says is true, that he was at the peak of the ninth level of Qi Condensation fifty years ago, his absorption speed must be much faster than mine. But no matter what, this is a method!" Meng Hao thought, immediately raising his right hand, taking out several Qi Condensation Pills, and swallowing them. Spiritual energy surged within his body, and he pointed his hand at the two wooden swords in the distance.
Boom! The two wooden swords trembled, radiating sharp sword intent, and flew straight towards Shangguan Tu. They approached inch by inch, but still stopped three inches away. This was Meng Hao's limit; he lacked sufficient spiritual power to unleash the true might of these two wooden swords.
"Overestimating yourself. Fifty years ago, I, this old man, could already achieve Foundation Establishment. Now, with my profound cultivation, it will only take half an hour to integrate the Foundation Establishment Pill. Even if you use all sorts of methods, after half an hour, no matter where you hide, you will surely die." Shangguan Tu said coldly. As he looked at Meng Hao, the hatred in his heart made all sorts of methods to torture Meng Hao to death flash through his mind.