Once cast at the third level, this technique could instantly make Zhao Wugang's body several times stronger, and even his speed increased significantly. Wearing a ferocious and greedy expression, he lunged straight at Meng Hao, his sharp claws gleaming in the sunlight.
Zhao Wugang was highly confident in this technique. He believed Meng Hao was already trembling with fear, and even if he tried to run, he would find it impossible to escape his grasp.
"Run all you want! Under my spell, you won't escape!"
Zhao Wugang laughed ferociously, his chilling voice echoing all around.
Almost the instant Zhao Wugang transformed into a beast, Meng Hao, who was running ahead, caught sight of this scene. He was stunned for a moment, and then, as if realizing something, his expression turned peculiar. He had never expected Senior Brother Zhao to know such a spell. That beastly appearance was extremely similar to the wild beasts that had died under his copper mirror. In fact, Zhao Wugang's entire body was now covered in long hair, even thicker than that of a wild beast.
Meng Hao's expression grew even more peculiar as he carefully observed Zhao Wugang. At this moment, the man was covered in fur from head to toe, an extremely eye-catching sight that made him look like a golden-furred beast king.
His expression did not escape Zhao Wugang's notice, causing him some secret surprise. He had tested this level-three Qi Condensation beastification after his breakthrough, but this was the first time he was displaying it in front of someone else. Meng Hao's peculiar look displeased Zhao Wugang. He snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.
"This... the copper mirror should be very pleased..."
Seeing that Zhao Wugang's speed had surged after transforming and that he was rapidly closing the distance, Meng Hao gritted his teeth. Without the slightest hesitation, he slapped his storage bag, and the copper mirror instantly appeared in his hand. With a peculiar expression, he pointed it at the smug Zhao Wugang.
As soon as he did, Meng Hao felt the copper mirror in his hand suddenly burst with an unprecedented heat. It was even hotter than when he had encountered those wild beasts before, as if an intense yearning was transmitting from within. At the same time, an invisible energy seemed to want to break through the copper mirror and leak out.
Zhao Wugang leaped high into the air, his face filled with killing intent. Suddenly, he felt a strange energy appear inside his body. This energy was incredibly violent, thrashing wildly within him and causing parts of his body to bulge out from time to time. Zhao Wugang's face paled. This energy caused his internal organs to ache agonizingly, and a strong sense of crisis washed over him. Instinctively, he channeled his Qi to his dantian, trying to force this energy out of his body.
But this energy was too powerful, seemingly seeking the weakest parts of his body to burst through. As Zhao Wugang channeled his Qi to his dantian, the energy instantly gathered toward his buttocks. An excruciating, sudden pain shot through him, causing Zhao Wugang to let out a miserable, blood-curdling shriek.
He had never made such a sound in his entire life, for he had never experienced such unbelievable pain. His whole body trembled as he glared at Meng Hao with extreme fury. His eyes were completely bloodshot, and his murderous intent had reached its absolute limit.
"Senior Brother Zhao, let's end this here today. I won't make things difficult for you, and you don't make things difficult for me, alright?!"
Meng Hao was alarmed. This was his first time fighting another person, and he hastily covered the mirror. The other man's miserable screams shook Meng Hao to the core, making him feel quite bad. After all, his opponent was a human, not a wild beast.
"You bastard! Today, not only will I kill you, but when I go down the mountain in the future, I will find your family and slaughter them all! I will humiliate your parents' entire clan to appease my hatred!"
Zhao Wugang's eyes were bloodshot, the pain driving him mad. Letting out a loud roar, his body suddenly lunged at Meng Hao, his sharp claws looking as if they wanted to tear Meng Hao to shreds.
Meng Hao was a scholar, and though he had never fought anyone before, he was not without backbone. Hearing Zhao Wugang's words, killing intent flickered in his eyes. This man was completely unreasonable. He had clearly provoked Meng Hao first, and even when Meng Hao had felt pity seeing his miserable state and wanted to stop, the man still dared to utter such threats. Everyone has a temper. Meng Hao retreated a few steps and raised the copper mirror without the slightest hesitation.
Before Zhao Wugang could even get close, another boom rang out. He felt that strange current of air appear inside his body once more. Having learned his lesson, Zhao Wugang immediately tried to suppress it internally, preventing the air from venting. But the moment his focus wavered, the current of air surged through his body. With a loud bang, it exploded out of his ear.
The pain multiplied several times over. He let out an indescribably agonizing, wretched shriek. His left ear was blown to pieces, and a torrent of fresh blood sprayed out.
The relentless pain made Zhao Wugang's head feel as if it were about to split open. His face was deathly pale, and he stared at Meng Hao with a terrified expression, yet his eyes were still filled with madness and fury.
"I'll kill your whole family! I'll exterminate your entire clan! I'll make everyone in your clan die in this exact same agony...!"
Enduring the excruciating pain, his left ear already deaf, Zhao Wugang lunged at Meng Hao, driven by a mad determination to kill him or die trying.
"I showed you mercy, yet you refuse to take it!"
Meng Hao was also momentarily stunned; he had never seen the copper mirror blow apart an opponent's ear before. However, his expression quickly turned cold. He swiftly retreated a few paces and raised the copper mirror once more, flashing its light.
"Meng Hao!"
Zhao Wugang shrieked in agony as his right ear was also blown to pieces, leaving him completely deaf in both ears. At this moment, he was gripped by an unprecedented, indescribable terror that consumed his entire being. Spinning around, he fled at a speed he had never achieved before. He no longer harbored any thoughts of causing trouble for Meng Hao; both his mind and body were trembling with sheer dread. He wished he could instantly vanish from these mountains. However, a dark resolve formed in his mind: once he survived this, he would bring others back to kill Meng Hao, subject him to the same agonizing torture, and seize that cursed copper mirror.
But the moment he turned, the copper mirror in Meng Hao's hand flew out of his grasp for the very first time, giving chase. It was as if the mirror was excited to the absolute limit. It flew straight after Zhao Wugang, striking him repeatedly. Despair filled Zhao Wugang's eyes as he struggled, but an invisible force seemed to pin him down, rendering his body completely unresponsive to his control. His agonizing screams grew even more piercing. Unable to flee, he was suspended in mid-air as his left ear, right ear, chest, and thighs repeatedly exploded.
Jets of air blasted out, accompanied by geysers of blood. After about ten breaths of time, the light in Zhao Wugang's eyes faded, and his beast-like form reverted to that of a human as his fur vanished. With that, the copper mirror seemed to lose interest and flew back on its own, leaving Zhao Wugang's limp body to crash heavily onto the ground.
Blood splattered the ground. Zhao Wugang's eyes were wide open; he was already dead. Fear and despair still lingered in his eyes, sending a shiver down the spine of anyone who looked.
Meng Hao stared at Zhao Wugang's corpse and took a deep breath, then watched the copper mirror circle through the air before returning to his hand. Holding the mirror, Meng Hao's body trembled slightly, his eyes filled with dread. Normally, seeing demonic beasts explode was nothing, but today, seeing a living person killed like this—especially with so many parts of his body blown to pieces, a bloody, mangled mess—was entirely different. Meng Hao's body trembled even more violently. He felt the mirror was incredibly bloodthirsty, and even felt an urge to throw it away. Loosening his grip, he let the mirror fall to the ground.
He was, after all, just a scholar. At first, he had found the mirror somewhat interesting, but now he felt it was extremely sinister and eerie, vaguely conflicting with the Confucian values he held in his heart.