Below the arena, a sinister smile suddenly appeared at the corner of Shangguan Tu's mouth. He didn't care whether Meng Hao lived or died; he only wanted the magic treasure in Meng Hao's storage bag...
Even earlier, upon hearing that Meng Hao had signed up for the inner sect trial, he had sought out Chu and Yun to inquire about the so-called demonic art used during the battle on Black Mountain, when Meng Hao had provoked the beast horde.
But according to Shangguan Tu, it wasn't a demonic art; it must have been a supreme treasure.
Meng Hao's eyes narrowed slightly. Seeing the two mist souls preparing to charge, he raised his left hand and swept it forcefully forward. An invisible wind blade appeared, slicing straight into the two mist souls with extreme speed.
Simultaneously, Meng Hao took out several demon cores and threw them into his mouth. Then, he patted his storage bag, and streaks of sword light rapidly shot out. In the blink of an eye, twenty flying swords were visible, an overwhelming number that covered the sky, their momentum intimidating as they simultaneously shot straight towards the two howling mist souls.
Many of these flying swords were damaged, their colors mottled.
This scene utterly terrified the cultivators below. Before they could even utter a word, the wind blade and the two mist souls collided, sending out waves of shockwaves after the explosion. Immediately after, the flying swords charged forward relentlessly. In that instant, miserable wails echoed out; no matter how strong the two mist souls were, Meng Hao's flying swords were simply too numerous.
The swarm of flying swords surged forward, directly shattering the two mist souls. They then simultaneously slashed straight at the multicolored banner. With a rumbling explosion, the banner was instantly destroyed. Of the twenty flying swords, only half had been expended, the remaining ones transforming into streaks of sword light. While Han Zong was still gaping in astonishment, Meng Hao patted his storage bag, took out a demon core and swallowed it, then more than ten additional flying swords flew out from his storage bag and charged forward together.
Han Zong could never have imagined Meng Hao would possess so many flying swords. At this moment, he was utterly terrified, desperately trying to retreat. He raised his right hand, and another layer of light appeared before him. Although he now had two layers of protective light, Han Zong was still not at ease. At this moment, his scalp tingled incessantly, as if a life-or-death crisis loomed, threatening him. His right hand swept again, and a jade pendant appeared before him, emitting a third layer of light that enveloped him. Only then did Han Zong finally feel at ease.
Just then, the sword rain had already flown close. Dazzling sword light pierced straight into the first layer with continuous explosions, and that halo of light was gradually shattered, as if it was too weak to withstand a single blow. Immediately after, the second layer also vanished, unable to stop this charging sword rain.
"How can there be so many flying swords?"
Han Zong's eyes constricted, his face filled with terror, and his body seemed to want to retreat further.
At that very moment, the third ray of light was also shattered, and the jade was struck by the rain of swords, finally breaking into countless pieces. The rain of swords surged past the obstruction, and amidst Han Zong’s mournful scream, all of them impaled his body. A dense cluster of swords pierced through him, carrying Han Zong’s body upwards, then his corpse fell straight down beneath the arena, only managing to twitch a few times before his life force extinguished, and he perished. His body at this moment was no different from a hedgehog, causing all the spectators to draw a sharp, cold breath, filled with endless horror.
“This… this… how can there be so many flying swords?”
“No wonder he runs a general store. These flying swords are so numerous! A few days ago, I saw someone selling a dozen of them. In these past few months, he must not have been selling pills, but rather selling magical treasures.”
“I think this Meng Hao must have stumbled upon a great opportunity. Otherwise, his cultivation couldn’t have increased so rapidly. He must have acquired quite a few treasures back then…”
The murmurs of discussion rose ceaselessly. As everyone was talking, Shangguan Xiu’s expression was extremely grim, his brows furrowed without end.
Meng Hao stood on the stage, his face pale. Only a fraction of his spiritual energy remained in his body. Just now he had unleashed twenty flying swords; even at the sixth level of Qi Condensation, his spiritual energy would still be depleted faster than usual. Fortunately, during the process, he had continuously swallowed demon cores to replenish his vital energy, which was why his actions were so fluid. This was his conclusion, the most suitable fighting method for him. He had practiced it frequently, thus becoming extremely proficient.
Meng Hao waved his right hand. The flying swords impaled in Han Zong’s body flew up together, carrying fresh blood, returning to his side. They circled him once, then were stored into his storage bag.
After descending, Meng Hao immediately sat down cross-legged beside the little fatty, continuously swallowing replenishment pills. The demon cores in his mouth quickly dissolved. At this moment, he no longer had any reservations about using demon cores; after all, with the battle at Black Mountain, he had a reason for how he had acquired so many demon cores.
Furthermore, he had an obsession regarding the next battle. The humiliation of that day, those four fingers of Wang Tengfei – today, he wanted to repay the debt with interest.
He had waited for this day for far too long!
Grand Elder Ouyang looked towards Meng Hao, unconcealed admiration appearing in his eyes. Ever since Meng Hao entered the outer sect, he had always appreciated this young man, and even more so later, the more he looked, the more pleasing he found him. Now, seeing Meng Hao’s growth, he also showed a relaxed expression.
He didn’t need to know what fortuitous encounter Meng Hao had, because as a cultivator, having such an opportunity was a miracle of creation, and those who achieved such encounters were always people he admired. Grand Elder Ouyang initially smiled kindly, but later, his expression grew more regretful and worried.
“In the inner sect trial, combatants disregard life and death. Wang Tengfei’s talent is rarely seen in a hundred years; still young, yet his cultivation is extraordinary. In the future, he will definitely successfully enter Foundation Establishment. Even when the sect is at its peak, such talent is rare. Meng Hao is truly no match for this fellow.”
Grand Elder Ouyang sighed softly again.
Shangguan Xiu, amidst the crowd, had an endlessly grim expression at this moment, his eyes narrowing even further.
The old man never would have expected Meng Hao to defeat Han Zong, especially after he had given Han Zong so many treasures. He had even provided Han Zong with a five-colored banner, capable of unleashing mist spirits, believing it would make killing Meng Hao an easy task.
Yet, with a mere flick of his wrist, Meng Hao unleashed dozens of flying swords, destroying everything. The old man was utterly terrified at the thought of Meng Hao possessing so many flying swords. Though these flying swords were all low-grade items, easily shattered, even if they were just scrap metal, their sheer quantity alone was enough to strike fear into anyone.
Meanwhile, atop the East Peak of the Reliance Sect, a middle-aged man, approximately forty years old, stood clad in a green scholarly robe, resembling a literatus. A strange glint shone in his eyes. As he gazed down at the plaza below, his eyes remained fixed on Meng Hao.
“This fellow… I saw him before. Though his aptitude is ordinary, he possesses extraordinary fortuitous encounters.”
This middle-aged man was the Core Formation expert of the Reliance Sect, Sect Leader He Luohua.