The surrounding cultivators' faces were pale. Meng Hao had acted decisively, proving himself truly ruthless and cruel, a fact even he himself hadn't realized.
But looking at the people around him, Meng Hao was now the foremost figure on Pingding Mountain, and certainly among the top tier even in the entire Outer Sect.
Many cultivators, reflecting on the past half-month, felt they understood Meng Hao a few shades better. Considering his cultivation level, he still hadn't resorted to forceful plunder. While his general store was certainly annoying, it was still considered a much gentler approach. All of them looked at him with reverence and awe.
That day, following Meng Hao's departure, no fights occurred on Pingding Mountain. The news of him crippling Lu Hong's cultivation spread like wildfire. Moreover, Lu Hong had called out Senior Brother Wang Tengfei's name, which immediately made the news spread even faster. By evening, many Outer Sect disciples had heard about it, and a strong impression of Meng Hao's reputation quickly formed.
East Peak, the highest of all peaks in the Reliance Sect, was where five-colored mists swirled. Even the spiritual energy there was different from the other three main peaks. This was the Inner Sect peak of the Reliance Sect, and also where Sect Leader He Luohua was in secluded cultivation.
Back when the Reliance Sect flourished, all four Inner Sect peaks were bustling with people, and disciples of Qi Condensation Stage Seven and above were everywhere. Unlike now, only East Peak had two Inner Sect disciples, Xu and Chen, residing there; the other Inner Sect peaks were all empty.
At this moment, at the foot of East Peak, there was a cave abode. This cave abode was much better than Meng Hao's residence. Indeed, it could be said that throughout the entire Reliance Sect, the best Outer Sect disciple's cave abode could rival that of an Inner Sect disciple.
Inside, there was also a spiritual spring, but it wasn't half-dry; instead, it flowed profusely, its spiritual energy incredibly dense.
Among all the Outer Sect disciples of the Reliance Sect, only one person had the qualifications to reside here: he was the Reliance Sect's Heaven's Chosen, Wang Tengfei.
At this moment, Wang Tengfei, clad in white robes, sat cross-legged in the cave abode, his expression calm, looking at Lu Hong who was kneeling before him. Lu Hong's face was pale, his body trembling, his cultivation completely crippled by Meng Hao.
"...I respectfully request, Senior Brother Wang, to preside over justice. This person is cunning and deceitful; he did not flee during the day as Senior Brother Wang predicted."
Lu Hong knelt and spoke in a low voice. Every time he saw Senior Brother Wang, he felt that the other party was perfect, unlike a mortal. This feeling, over the past two years, had grown even stronger in Lu Hong's heart as the other party's cultivation increased.
After a long while, the handsome and perfect Wang Tengfei smiled and spoke. His smile was amiable, making people feel an irresistible sense of closeness upon seeing it. Yet his voice was light and casual, further creating an ineffable noble aura.
Lu Hong said nothing, his face pleading, as he knelt and kowtowed, his body trembling incessantly.
"Alright, this person acted ruthlessly, so he should indeed receive a small warning. I'll trouble Senior Brother Shangguan to make a trip. But out of respect for Senior Sister Xu, don't make things too difficult for him. Tomorrow, have him cripple his own cultivation, hand over his jade treasures, and cut off an arm and a leg himself, as an apology to you, Lu Hong. How about that?"
Wang Tengfei spoke gently, as if all matters in the Reliance Sect were decided by his single word. Meng Hao's cultivation, his very limbs – it was the same. As soon as Wang Tengfei spoke, they seemed to no longer belong to Meng Hao. Yet, at this moment, he still smiled kindly and amicably as before, perfectly flawless.
"Many thanks, Senior Brother. This person... this person is truly malicious..." Lu Hong gritted his teeth, his heart filled with venomous resentment.
"Then expel him from the sect, send him to the wild mountains to fend for himself." Wang Tengfei spoke, shaking his head with a smile, as if such a matter was too trivial, utterly insignificant to him.
At this moment, in his cave abode on South Peak, Meng Hao sat cross-legged, gazing at the jade gourd in his hand, his expression fluctuating between light and shadow, lost in thought. Ending this battle, and moreover, breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Condensation, had cost him greatly. Now, he had little left, having only managed to seize this precious gourd.
Since entering the Reliance Sect, his path had seemed smooth and unobstructed, but in reality, it was bought with his own shrewdness. If it had been anyone else, they would have faced mortal danger during the very first distribution of medicinal pills.
From that time onward, even though he had the copper mirror for protection and mysterious transformation methods, someone immediately coveted his cave abode. If Senior Brother Zhao hadn't died, Meng Hao's situation would have been even more perilous; he wouldn't even have been master of his own life and property. That was the first time he had killed someone.
And then, without the general store's business, Meng Hao absolutely could not have reached his current level. Behind the facade of a smooth journey lay hardships that only Meng Hao himself truly understood.
But now, all of this was like a storm brewing, and the jade gourd before him had made Meng Hao silent for an entire day. Remembering Wang Tengfei, the foremost talent, the outer sect's prodigy, remembering that extraordinarily handsome Senior Brother, Meng Hao felt as if a great mountain was pressing down on him, making it impossible to breathe.
During the day, he had even considered fleeing the sect, but he knew clearly that he was no longer a mere handyman; he had been promoted to an outer sect disciple. He also understood that fleeing would be an act of betrayal, which would undoubtedly provoke the sect elders to act, leading to his certain death.
"If only I had known earlier that Wang Tengfei was behind Lu Hong..." Meng Hao murmured, but very quickly, determination flashed in his eyes.
"I still would have acted against this person. If I hadn't, he surely would have killed me. It wasn't me who forced him, but he who forced me. No matter what, this enmity has already been forged. Unless I, Meng Hao, had willingly allowed Cao Yang to rob me without retaliation when we first met, it would have been the same. Even if I hadn't killed him, eventually, because of the general store's business, others would have grown envious, and the outcome would have been the same."
A sharp glint flashed in Meng Hao's eyes as he silently looked at his cave abode, his expression grim.
"It's a pity Senior Sister Xu is in secluded cultivation..." Meng Hao fell silent. After crippling Lu Hong's cultivation, he had immediately gone to find Senior Sister Xu, only to be informed by the inner sect that she was in secluded cultivation and it was inconvenient to disturb her.
"This jade gourd..." This gourd possessed immense power, especially when Meng Hao tried to use it, activating it with his own cultivation. It was even more suited for explosive power, greatly stirring his heart. Its appearance suggested it had the fluctuations of a fifth-level Qi Condensation item, yet for some unknown reason, it couldn't be placed in a storage bag and could only be worn on his person. The only pity was that Meng Hao currently lacked sufficient spirit stones, all of them having been expended during his breakthrough to the fourth level of Qi Condensation, making it difficult to replicate this gourd.