But there were also drawbacks. Almost the instant his cultivation reached the tenth level of Qi Condensation, his body seemed to be severed from all of heaven and earth. Not a single trace of the power of heaven and earth flowed in, as if he had been isolated. Meng Hao clearly felt a frantic suction appear within his body, causing him to tremble. It was like a newborn baby needing to absorb nourishment from heaven and earth, but heaven and earth bluntly refused.
Meng Hao's body at this moment still appeared to be that of a frail scholar, but in reality, the power within his flesh and blood gave Meng Hao a formidable strength, as if he could tear down city walls with his bare hands. But Meng Hao had no time to think much. From his star-like eyes and Shangguan Tu's incredulous expression, Meng Hao took a deep breath. His right hand suddenly rose and pointed forcefully at the two wooden swords.
This one finger, aimed at one of the swords, condensed all of Meng Hao's Qi Condensation tenth-level spiritual power at this moment. It condensed a trace of spiritual sense in his mind, which Shangguan Tu had not yet acquired, and even more, it condensed Meng Hao's physical strength.
This was Meng Hao's most powerful strike, and it could even be said that within the Cultivation World of Zhao State, this was the strongest strike in Qi Condensation!
A resounding explosion echoed. As Meng Hao pointed at the sword, that sword instantly emitted a formidable sword intent, piercing through three inches of obstruction in a flash. The sword tip plunged straight into Shangguan Tu's chest, going deeper and deeper, until with a loud bang, the sword suddenly pierced through Shangguan Tu's chest, bringing with it a stream of fresh blood.
Shangguan Tu's body trembled, yet he was unable to move. His eyes revealed fear and bewilderment. He clearly felt that the Foundation Establishment stage required a large amount of spiritual energy, but in this instant, a large amount was gushing out from the wound in his body. The speed of this outflow even caught up with the speed of Foundation Establishment. Thus, it was as if the time for Foundation Establishment was being prolonged indefinitely.
At this moment, Meng Hao's right hand rose again, pointing at the other wooden sword. That sword immediately shot out with a whoosh, flying straight towards Shangguan Tu's neck.
"Meng Hao, how dare you kill me!" Shangguan Tu's mind was terrified at this moment. His previous arrogance and killing intent vanished in an instant, replaced by a desperate struggle against death.
Meng Hao said nothing, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. His right index finger touched the second wooden sword. This sword howled with a whoosh, piercing through three inches of obstruction in a flash and plunging straight into Shangguan Tu's neck. But just as it was about to pierce through, Shangguan Tu's head tilted away in an unbelievable manner, causing the sword to merely graze him. Although it cut a wound and a large amount of fresh blood spurted out, Shangguan Tu did not die immediately.
But Shangguan Tu's eyes were now filled with fear. He felt his life force rapidly draining away, and his spiritual power dissipating frantically. It was even because of this dissipation of spiritual power that his stiff body loosened slightly.
"Meng Hao, the hatred between us is irreconcilable. If you let me go today, I am willing to give you the ancient text, the Grand Spirit Scripture!" Shangguan Xiu was terrified to the extreme, but before he could finish his sentence, two flying swords instantly shot forth, once again piercing through his three-inch protective barrier, stabbing directly through his chest, and fresh blood gushed out. Shangguan Xiu's mournful and desperate cries rang out, but they were accompanied by weakness and despair.
Although he had uttered the three words "Grand Spirit Scripture," Meng Hao completely ignored them, his eyes still filled with the same murderous intent. No matter what Shangguan Xiu said now, Meng Hao was determined to kill him.
Such was Meng Hao's character; once he made a decision, he would not easily change it.
At this moment, the two flying swords circled around, once again emitting astonishing sword qi, heading straight for Shangguan Xiu's head, one from the left and one from the right, carrying Meng Hao's killing intent. Clearly, this time, no matter what, Shangguan Xiu would not be allowed to escape.
"That is transcending the Flawless Foundation Establishment! Throughout the entire Southern Heaven region, as well as all the Cultivation Worlds of the four great continents, it is a thousand times rarer than your tenth level of Qi Condensation! It is Perfect Foundation Establishment!"
"Meng Hao, you—" Shangguan Xiu's roar had just begun when it immediately choked off. Meng Hao's two wooden swords instantly pierced through his head, fresh blood splattered, and flesh and blood flew everywhere.
Shangguan Xiu immediately died, not yet a hundred years old, his resentment soaring to the heavens!
He was unwilling, for he harbored great ambitions, and because today he had sat idly by and died during the process of ascending to Foundation Establishment. But all of this, now, as his head exploded, as his body fell with a thud onto Mount Daqing, falling into the great river at the foot of the mountain, gradually drifted away.
Only his storage bag, as it fell, was snatched directly into Meng Hao's hand with a grab into the void. It was a dark green money pouch. Meng Hao did not even look at it, but immediately tucked it into his chest.
Meng Hao panted heavily. Even though he had reached the tenth level of Qi Condensation, controlling two wooden swords to eliminate someone about to reach Foundation Establishment was a huge drain on him.
Watching Shangguan Xiu's body disappear into the depths of the great river, Meng Hao turned and flashed, transforming into a rainbow that stepped onto a wooden sword, instantly descending the mountain and appearing before the unconscious Xiao Hu.
Xiao Hu's face was pale, his eyes tightly shut as he lay there, his breath faint, his life like a flickering flame that could extinguish at any moment.
Meng Hao was silent, his gaze fixed on the bead hovering beside him. Its power filled him with extreme shock; it could be called a supreme treasure, even comparable to his bronze mirror.
"If this item could be replicated, the amount of spirit stones required would surely be an astronomical figure... What a pity!" Meng Hao sighed softly, raising his head to look at the sky.
He had long since realized that this bead and Xiao Hu were linked by fate; if he were to snatch this bead, Xiao Hu would surely die.
"He entrusted his life to me. How could I, Meng Hao, be such a petty person, to live a life of shame, forever troubled in my thoughts, and thus see the end of my path of cultivation?" A sharp glint appeared in Meng Hao's eyes. He raised his right hand and pointed at Xiao Hu's glabella.
Xiao Hu's body trembled, and he vaguely opened his eyes, but instantly revealed a wary expression, springing up and retreating a few steps, looking at the bead in Meng Hao's hand, his body trembling slightly, a hint of despair in his eyes.
Meng Hao flicked the hand holding the bead, and the bead immediately flew straight towards Xiao Hu. When Xiao Hu caught it, his expression became even more complex, looking at Meng Hao in astonishment.
"Thank you for your assistance. This treasure is astonishing; you must be careful and handle it well yourself." As the bead left, Meng Hao's body immediately weakened. Even his tenth layer Qi Condensation realm gradually showed signs of falling, and as his cultivation dropped, the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which had been isolated, slowly reappeared.