On the way up the mountain, all the spirit stones, elixirs, and treasures fell into Meng Hao's hands. He had also taken down the flag on the mountaintop, and the disciples' gazes at him grew even more admiring.
Shangguan Tu watched Meng Hao disappear but did not dare to pursue him further.
Meng Hao held many secrets, and Shangguan Tu could not easily expose them to others, even though his desire to kill Meng Hao still raged.
He remembered that there wasn't much time left to retrieve that medicinal herb. Gritting his teeth, he turned and quickly departed, looking much more disheveled than before.
If his gaze could have killed Meng Hao from afar, Meng Hao would have died countless times over.
As Meng Hao's figure vanished behind the mountain, on the mountaintop, Wu Dingqiu's laughter still echoed.
Old Monster Song's eyes were wide, his mouth agape as he stared at the Qiankun Pouch Meng Hao had taken. His face was pale, and his heart was filled with regret.
He couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to rush after Meng Hao, but Wu Dingqiu stopped him.
"Wu Dingqiu, are you still stopping me? The flag has fallen; you haven't won this bet, and I haven't lost. This trial of yours has ended. If you still stop me, don't blame me for being merciless!" Old Monster Song roared at Wu Dingqiu.
"Daoist Friend Song, didn't we agree beforehand? This chessboard has been set up; no one can leave until it's taken down. You are a great cultivator, renowned throughout the Southern Domain. Would you really go back on your word? Earlier, when I wanted to leave, you wouldn't let me. Why are you in such a hurry now?" Wu Dingqiu smiled, returning all of Old Monster Song's previous words to him, an undisguised look of triumph on his face.
He put on an act, determined not to let Old Monster Song have his way.
"You..."
Old Monster Song glared at Wu Dingqiu, speechless for a long time.
He gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, making the entire mountain seem as if it would collapse.
He thought of his status, of the reputation he had built over so many years, and he had no choice but to sit down and continue playing the unfinished game of Go with Wu Dingqiu.
Wu Dingqiu stroked his beard, smiling at Old Monster Song's displeased expression. He pretended to ponder, taking more than half a day to make a single move.
"You all may leave the mountain first. After I finish this game, I will bring you back to the sect. You all saw the person on the mountain just now; that iron spear in his hand is something I greatly fancy. This will be your next mission. Whoever can bring that iron spear back to me will immediately become an inner sect disciple!" Wu Dingqiu laughed, his voice echoing in the ears of the disciples standing below the mountain, greatly invigorating their spirits.
"The dignified Purple Cloud Sect, renowned in the Southern Domain, resorting to such a trick of killing people to seize treasures?" Old Monster Song, still annoyed that he couldn't deal with Meng Hao, scoffed when he saw Wu Dingqiu trying to take advantage of the situation.
"Listen carefully, all of you. Do not make things difficult for that person, and do not try to snatch it. You may only exchange treasures for it. If anyone disobeys, they will be expelled from the sect!" Wu Dingqiu glared, his movements on the chessboard becoming even slower.
The disciples at the foot of the mountain heard clearly, then quickly dispersed.
Some headed in the direction Meng Hao had left, pursuing him, while others rushed ahead at their fastest speed to block his path.
Their trial had ended without anyone gaining any benefits, leaving them unwilling to accept it.
In their hearts, they held no resentment towards Meng Hao; on the contrary, many expressed great admiration for him.
They had personally witnessed how fiercely Meng Hao fought against the ferocious demonic beasts. If it had been them, they might not have survived to return.
Nevertheless, they absolutely had to find a way to acquire the iron spear in Meng Hao's hand.
If the other party was unwilling to trade, they couldn't be blamed for resorting to some less-than-honorable methods.
The meaning in Wu Dingqiu's words was clear: that iron spear absolutely had to be obtained.
At the same time, Meng Hao also hurried down the mountain. Along the way, he collected quite a few spirit stones and elixirs.
He had never seen Wu Dingqiu and Old Monster Song, but he guessed that this place must be a trial for some sect.
His intrusion here would surely make many people resentful.
Shangguan Xiu was no longer in pursuit, but Meng Hao still left at his fastest speed, his heart filled with excitement.
He possessed many treasures. Apart from what he had gained in the cave on Black Mountain's peak, this was his greatest haul yet.
Meng Hao continuously took out demonic cores and put them into his mouth, running non-stop for three days before finally exiting the mountain range.
When he emerged, his body was extremely weary, but his spirit was still buzzing with excitement.
He hadn't had a moment's rest in the past seven days to examine the treasures he had acquired. Now, he just wanted to find a place to inspect them.
After traveling a considerable distance further, Meng Hao saw a city appear before him.
This city was near the eastern part of the State of Zhao, exuding an extraordinary and vast aura. Faint light shimmered all around it, undetectable by mortals.
"This shouldn't be a mortal city, but a city for cultivators?"
Meng Hao was slightly startled when he saw this city, because according to his memory, it was clearly not mentioned on the map of the State of Zhao.
Now he saw many people entering and exiting the city, most of whom had cultivation levels at the Condensation stage, so he made an educated guess.
He didn't enter the city immediately but found a nearby mountain range to temporarily stop. He took out his storage bag and began to inventory the treasures he had acquired.
"What kind of elixir is this? The fragrance is very strong; it must be much more valuable than the Limit Spirit Elixir."
This bottle contained three elixirs, each radiating a shimmering elixir light. They were definitely precious elixirs.
Meng Hao licked his lips. After inspecting both storage bags, he found seventy-eight elixirs of various types, causing his hands to tremble. It took him a long time to recover his composure.
He suppressed his agitated emotions and continued to take out dozens of other storage bags.
"That treasure mountain is truly extraordinary. I just happened to pass by and picked up so many spirit stones."
After inspecting everything, Meng Hao's breathing became more rapid.
The number of spirit stones he now possessed had reached nearly nine thousand.
"I'm rich, I'm truly rich!"
Meng Hao whispered, then one by one he took out flying swords, beads, and also two flags, a scroll painting, and a black net.
All of them were magical artifacts.
Meng Hao laid them out by type, a smile never leaving his face, his expression excited. Especially the scroll painting and the black net, both radiated brilliant light in all directions.
Meng Hao opened the scroll painting, and within it appeared a landscape painting with countless different types of demonic beasts.
Although they looked as if they were painted, each one was incredibly lifelike, and he could vaguely hear the roars of demonic beasts, which shocked Meng Hao's spirit, causing him to drop the scroll painting to the ground.
It took Meng Hao some time to regain his composure, his eyes revealing a brilliant light.
He picked up the scroll painting and put it into his storage bag.
"Treasure! This must be a treasure!"
Meng Hao took a deep breath, then suppressed his excitement. He took out the black net, pondered for a moment, and then walked out of the cave.
He infused spiritual power into the net, then swung it.
The net expanded, growing larger and larger. It flew into the sky, then widened as if to encompass the entire mountain.
The mountain trembled, cracks appearing as if it were about to collapse. At the same time, a powerful pressure emanated, shaking Meng Hao's spirit violently, his face filled with terror.
He hastily raised his hand, and the spiritual power in his body surged out, retracting the net.
The net gradually shrank, transforming into a black streak until it became the black net it was at the beginning.
Holding the net in his hand, Meng Hao's mouth was bitter, but his face was incredibly excited.
"It must be that the closer one gets to the mountain peak, the more precious the magic treasures obtained," Meng Hao thought to himself, taking an object from his chest.
This object was precisely the storage bag that emitted five-colored light.