While Meng Hao was in secluded cultivation in the mountain crevice on Black Mountain, the storm surrounding the Limitless Spirit Elixir in the Reliance Sect gradually subsided. Especially since Yin Chu and his companion had just returned and many people had seen them, yet no one dared to ask who held the Limitless Spirit Elixir.
However, with Meng Hao nowhere to be seen, rumors slowly began to spread that he had died.
At this very moment, on the Outer Sect's East Peak, within a cave abode, Wang Tengfei stood there, clad in white robes, his hair fluttering in the wind. His entire being appeared flawless, his handsome face captivating the majority of female cultivators.
In fact, this was truly the case. If Wang Tengfei were to nod his head, let alone the Reliance Sect, even the young female cultivators throughout the entire Cultivation World of the State of Zhao would go crazy for him.
Gentle eyes, an amiable aura, a handsome face, a tall and imposing physique, exceptional talent and proud demeanor, extraordinary cultivation, and a background that struck awe into people's hearts—all of these attributes made Wang Tengfei seem as if he were the heavens' favored child, blessed with every grace, causing everyone to look upon him with reverence and deem him a Heavenly Chosen.
Standing there at this moment, a captivating smile played on his lips, his star-like eyes gazing into the distance. His gaze seemed to pierce through the mountain range, settling upon Black Mountain, which teemed with demonic beasts.
After a long while, a subtle flicker of excitement, hard to discern, flashed in his eyes.
"The time has come," he murmured. "I spent three years searching through ancient texts, then another year searching in the State of Zhao, and finally, I waited two years here in the Reliance Sect. At last, this day has arrived. Two hundred years ago, that Yinglong truly flew to this place before its death!"
The smile on Wang Tengfei's face remained as gentle as a cool breeze, but his heart was now ablaze with fervent heat.
"I never thought the two most important matters to me would both be related to the Reliance Sect. Is this sect perhaps a place where my luck flourishes? Once this matter concludes, I'll enter the Inner Sect. Preparing to advance to Foundation Establishment will be the second matter!"
Wang Tengfei's smile grew even more captivating.
"Senior Brother Wang, everything is ready," a male cultivator behind Wang Tengfei, at the fifth level of Qi Condensation, respectfully stated. "Even other sects, following your conditions, have invited several fellow Daoists. This time, success is assured. It's just a pity that Shangguan Song hasn't returned yet. We don't know where he went, nor do we know if he managed to invite Martial Uncle Shangguan!"
"It's fine," Wang Tengfei said with a smile. "I've been preparing for this matter for a very long time. Moreover, according to my deductions, its two-year molting period is about to end. Once it succeeds, that will also be when it is at its weakest!"
Wang Tengfei said with a smile, his eyes growing even brighter. For this endeavor, which he had prepared for over many years, he had even expended four precious treasures and used tens of thousands of spirit stones to set up a spell formation. Even for him, such a hefty price could only be borne once; he was now completely broke.
"Senior Brother Wang, please rest assured," his junior brother said. "This matter is bound to succeed. Your junior brother congratulates you in advance on successfully obtaining the elixir!"
"Naturally, it will succeed," Wang Tengfei declared. "I, Wang Tengfei, have never failed!"
Wang Tengfei laughed, his expression growing increasingly radiant. He knew that if those ancient records were accurate, he would surely obtain a supreme treasure that would accompany him for the rest of his life. He might even seize the fortune of heaven and earth, securing an ancient inheritance. As for the demon core, had it been in its prime, it would indeed be a heaven-defying treasure. However, after countless years of dissipation, its efficacy was likely minimal. It would merely serve to mislead outsiders, while conveniently helping him break through his bottleneck to reach the seventh level of Qi Condensation.
"Tomorrow morning, we head to Black Mountain!"
Wang Tengfei smiled faintly, lightly caressing his arm through his sleeve. Beneath the fabric lay a red mark; as he stroked it, a trace of excitement flickered in his eyes.
When he was six years old, a drop of blood had fallen from the heavens, landing on his arm and forming this very mark. From that day on, a recurring dream haunted him every night. In the dream, he seemed to become the sovereign of the cosmos, roaming freely between heaven and earth.
It was this single drop of blood that had allowed him to obtain a trace of an ancient inheritance. Guided by his intuition, he had searched through ancient records from two hundred years ago, meticulously piecing together every clue to locate this place.
"In this world, no one but me can find this place. For only I have obtained a trace of the inheritance within that drop of blood. I can even sense that it is the only drop of its kind in existence!"
Wang Tengfei gazed at Black Mountain in the distance, a brilliant, captivating smile gracing his face, brimming with anticipation.
"If Patriarch Kaoshan were still alive, this treasure would undoubtedly belong to him. But he vanished four hundred years ago. This is my destiny—Wang Tengfei's destiny!"
"Furthermore, according to the ancient records I have scrutinized time and again, when the flying dragon arrived here two hundred years ago, its aura was completely masked by that supreme treasure. Extremely few people discovered it, even within the Kaoshan Sect. Moreover, that place is protected by a powerful restriction. Not only does it prevent any aura from leaking out, but even if someone were to wander in, they would find absolutely nothing, their senses completely deluded by illusions."
Furthermore, this demon python was also highly cunning. Normally, it remained in a deep slumber, never showing itself. Only during its shedding process would its roars echo out. It was also because the restriction would only dissipate once the demon python successfully completed its metamorphosis, making it safe to enter. Thanks to that drop of blood, he had been able to deduce all of this; outsiders would have absolutely no way of knowing.
"The supreme treasure and the inheritance are still waiting there, waiting for me, Wang Tengfei!"
Wang Tengfei smiled faintly, waved his sleeve, and returned to his cave abode. The moonlight draped over him, as if lingering and unwilling to depart. This transcendent, immortal-like display filled the surrounding cultivators with deep reverence.
Early the next morning, Meng Hao sat cross-legged within a hidden crevice on the peak of Black Mountain. His entire body had turned a deep crimson. As sweat poured off him, it carried black impurities that continuously seeped from his pores.
He had been in secluded cultivation for several days now. His mind remained crystal clear, and he could hear the python demon's roars growing increasingly frequent, as if a critical moment was fast approaching.
Meng Hao did not allow his attention to wander. Focusing wholeheartedly on circulating his cultivation base, he repeatedly attempted to break through the bottleneck of the fourth level, but it refused to budge. Finally, his eyes bloodshot, Meng Hao swallowed ten Hanling Pills. Instantly, a roar exploded in his mind. His entire body trembled violently as a tearing sensation ripped through him, and he felt as light as paper, slowly floating upward.
Within his body, his meridians became translucent—not like crystal, but rather bearing the mark of transcending the mundane. The spiritual energy surging through him was as dense as crashing waves, pooling into a lake. It might have been a small lake, but it was a lake nonetheless!
This heavy body of water resided within Meng Hao's dantian, resembling a pill lake.
At Meng Hao's command, this small lake could unleash the power of the fifth level of Qi Condensation. Though it might seem insignificantly small to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, to those in the Qi Condensation stage, the fifth level was the first major threshold. The second threshold was the seventh level, followed by the great perfection of the ninth level. Condensing a core within the sea of consciousness and raising a Dao platform—no longer possessing a mortal body, but instead forging a spiritual foundation—that was Foundation Establishment.