Amidst the resounding explosions, after an unknown period of time, Meng Hao opened his eyes. An unprecedented gleam shot forth from them, and a series of crackling sounds emanated from his body, which seemed to have grown slightly taller. His skin, however, remained a bit dark, yet his face now possessed an indescribable aura.
"Qi Condensation, Fifth Layer!" Meng Hao took a deep breath and smiled. Reaching the fifth layer meant he could cultivate the Windwalk Art. With this art combined with his flying sword, both his attack speed and movement speed would increase significantly, completely unlike the fourth layer.
"The Limit Spirit Pill is indeed remarkable, but this medicinal pill also has its limitations. I wonder if taking more will still be as effective, can it sustain me to reach the sixth layer!?" Meng Hao lowered his head, looking at the two Limit Spirit Pills before him, his expression hesitant. Suddenly, outside, the mournful roars of a python demon, accompanied by booming sounds, rang out. Meng Hao poked his head out, glancing outside.
Upon seeing, his pupils immediately contracted, and he clenched his fists.
He saw a mountain peak not far away, where an extraordinarily handsome young man, as perfect as if crafted by heaven and earth, was battling the python demon. A golden flying sword circled around him, stirring up gales of wind, while the python demon had half its body lodged inside a cave.
This person... was Wang Tengfei.
He still wore a smile, looking very unruffled. That gentle gaze, that friendly smile, made him appear like the sun, radiating blinding light, enough to overshadow everyone else.
Even his attacks felt perfect; his every action seemed beloved by heaven and earth.
Around him were about nine people, one of whom was Shangguan Xiu. With a flick of his wrist, Shangguan Xiu became the primary force engaging the python demon. These people all had cultivation levels above Qi Condensation, Seventh Layer; they looked unfamiliar, Meng Hao had never seen them before. They surrounded and attacked the python demon, incessant explosions rang out, and the python demon roared without end.
Staring intently at Wang Tengfei, Meng Hao remained motionless. In his eyes, a hidden gloom emerged, gradually replacing the usual light in his eyes, replacing the tranquility in his heart, becoming the sole thought in his gaze.
Not long after, he saw the python demon's roars grow increasingly mournful. Numerous wounds appeared on its body, fresh blood splattering everywhere. At this moment, it was truly at its weakest, and everyone attacked even more fiercely. Wang Tengfei still smiled, a perfect smile, but the excitement in his eyes could not be hidden.
He had waited for this day for too long.
At this moment, on the peaks of the nine desolate mountains, lights suddenly flashed. Wisps of silver light, strand by strand, swirled, as if forming a spell array. This array floated in the sky, transforming into countless silver threads, becoming a silver mist, enveloping this place directly, seemingly intending to seal the python demon.
In this instant, the python demon suddenly threw its head back and roared to the heavens. Its roar reverberated in all directions, causing Black Mountain to tremble. Immediately after, a phantom image appeared above the python's head.
This beast-shaped phantom image was dark red with gigantic wings, its formidable claws radiated a chilling light, and a long tail behind it. In the instant this phantom image appeared, the winds and clouds changed color, and everyone was terrified. Only Wang Tengfei was intensely excited. Fortunately, the phantom image only flashed into existence before disappearing.
After the phantom disappeared, the python demon immediately rushed out of the stone cave. Its gleaming tail indicated it had completely and successfully shed its skin. As it flew out, an earth-shattering roar erupted, and it spat out crimson mist, which transformed into a powerful shockwave covering all directions. Everyone found it difficult to avoid, even Wang Tengfei. He watched helplessly as the crimson mist approached, enveloped everyone, lifted them into the air, carried them far away, and then lowered them into the silver mist. That silver mist not only enveloped the python demon, but Wang Tengfei and the others were also trapped within it.
The moment Wang Tengfei and the python demon were enveloped by the mist, Meng Hao's heart pounded like never before. Ever since the python demon successfully shed its skin, that sword was no longer there. How could he not know where it was? Without hesitation, he instantly shot out, moving at the fastest speed he could muster. The flying sword beneath his feet roared, carrying him up the mountain peak, and he swiftly plunged into the cave.
"— Quick, quick..."
Meng Hao whispered urgently. After recklessly leaping into the cave, he ignored the strange smell within and rushed straight into its depths. Upon entering, he immediately saw large patches of shed snake skin, and on one of them lay an ancient sword.
Without stopping, he directly pulled out the sword, his heart thumping, his face flushed red—a clear sign of extreme excitement and exhilaration. As he prepared to leave, Meng Hao's eyes suddenly widened. Upon seeing the pile of skin, even in his state of extreme excitement, he couldn't help but take a deep breath. This was indeed real snake skin, but it was also the most terrifying thing Meng Hao had ever seen in his life.
It was a beast corpse, a withered body nearly a hundred zhang long, occupying more than half of the interior of this Black Mountain.
Its body, nearly a hundred zhang long, though broken in two, still revealed the form of enormous wings. Its head, even in death, was terrifying. The appearance of this demon beast was precisely the phantom that had appeared above the python demon's head, and that python itself was merely the tail of this corpse.
"— A tail that became a demon... what kind of demon beast is this!" Meng Hao exclaimed, his mouth agape.
"— This... this must be a demon core!" Meng Hao gritted his teeth and took out the Demon Beast Scripture. He knew that demon cores weren't always found in the belly; most were located in the head. He quickly rushed forward, directly approaching the head of the demon beast's corpse. Wielding the ancient flying sword in his right hand, he directly cut open the head. Sure enough, inside was a shriveled demon core. He immediately took it out. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly felt a jolt of alarm. He saw that on the demon beast's head lay a set of skeletal remains.
These skeletal remains had been dead for an unknown number of years, placed beneath the demon beast's skull, and beside them was a golden storage bag.
Meng Hao felt his entire body's blood boil. It was as if this place was where his destiny flourished: he had obtained the small sword, acquired the demon core, and now, this golden storage bag. Without hesitation, he snatched it, his body transforming into a gust of wind, rushing out with excitement and plunging straight down to the foot of the mountain.
"— I'm f***ing rich! This time, I'm rich!"
Meng Hao was inside the cave for only about ten breaths of time, and after he rushed out, it was another ten breaths or so. Just as his figure entered the black forest, a figure descended directly from the silver mist in the sky—a white-clad figure, it was Wang Tengfei. As he landed, he flicked his sleeve, his body gently floating down. His eyes scanned the surroundings, and with excitement, he rushed towards that cave.