Chapter 18

Meng Hao's body stiffened as he stared at Wang Tengfei. He felt that in this instant, the gazes of all the outer sect disciples in the square had suddenly focused on him. The cultivators around him quickly retreated, leaving Meng Hao alone in an empty space.

A sense of loneliness permeated Meng Hao’s mind. It was as if, in this moment, the entire world had abandoned him, all because of Wang Tengfei’s words, which seemed to have pushed him to the opposite side of the world.

No one spoke. At this moment, all the outer sect disciples were looking at Meng Hao. Wang Tengfei’s reputation was too great, and his words still echoed in everyone’s minds.

Few people were surprised, as the events of yesterday had already spread thoroughly. In fact, many people present today had already guessed such an outcome.

Even the elders on the high platform did not leave but instead looked down at Meng Hao.

"The sect rules state that what is seized belongs to the one who seizes it," Meng Hao said, each word seeming to be spoken with great difficulty. He knew that in the other party’s eyes, his words were filled with the weakness of a laughable person, and they could easily use this to counter him. Yet, Meng Hao still spoke these words.

Meng Hao also understood that he could have directly taken out the green jade gourd and given it to Wang Tengfei, crying and begging. In front of so many people, Wang Tengfei would likely not refuse, at most giving him a minor punishment, but his cultivation might still be preserved.

If he begged more fervently, even kneeling and kowtowing, admitting his mistakes, and not caring about any humiliation, he could humiliate himself and perhaps turn the situation around today.

But Meng Hao could not do such a thing! Whether people called him foolish or stubborn, he simply could not do it!

Even if he clearly knew that today would bring a great calamity, he still could not beg for mercy, could not humiliate himself, could not kneel and beg. He could not do it!

He had integrity and principles. Life and death were not the most important things in the world. Sometimes, the righteous spirit of a person was the eternal dignity that could never be bent or shaken!

Therefore, he had to say these words, and he had to speak them word by word. Even if he faced Wang Tengfei, who was like a mountain, even if today brought a great calamity, even if he became the opposite of the world, even if no one approached him in his loneliness, he still... had to hold his head high with dignity and say those words.

This was Meng Hao!

These few words seemed to have gathered all his strength. Death was nothing, and living to be only seventeen was nothing. You could humiliate me, you could ruin my cultivation, but you would never see me yield, and you would never make my soul bend!

His voice, in the silence around him, was particularly clear, but it also carried an indescribable loneliness. The bitterness in his words was something only Meng Hao could understand. His hands were tightly clenched into fists, and though others did not notice, Meng Hao felt it very clearly. With Wang Tengfei’s words came a force that made him feel as if he were about to collapse.

His body felt as if it were about to shatter, even his bones felt as if they were about to break. It was as if an invisible force was pressing down on him, trying to make him kneel. Meng Hao’s body trembled, but he gritted his teeth and stood there, even though his bones were in excruciating pain.

"The jade treasure is mine. I decide who gets it. If I don’t give it to you, you can’t take it," Wang Tengfei said with a gentle smile, his voice soft, but the domineering intent in his words was clear to all. He took a step forward, raised his right hand, and casually pointed at Meng Hao.

Instantly, the entire square was filled with wind and clouds. The strong wind whipped around, blowing the long robes of the people present. Meng Hao’s body seemed to be frozen, as if all the surrounding qi had instantly turned into death, binding him tightly, making it impossible for him to move at all. His body was completely restrained. But at this moment, a pink jade pendant flew out of Meng Hao’s pocket, floating in front of him. A pink light barrier instantly appeared, enveloping Meng Hao.

Wang Tengfei’s smile remained gentle, and his gesture was as casual as a wave of the hand. He took another step and pointed a second time.

With a bang, the second finger landed, and the light barrier in front of Meng Hao immediately distorted, flashing three times before shattering. At the same time, the jade slip also shattered instantly, turning into jade powder that scattered around. As this jade slip, given to Meng Hao by Senior Sister Xu, shattered, blood trickled from the corner of Meng Hao’s mouth, and the pressure on his body suddenly increased. But he still gritted his teeth and stood there, refusing to yield!

His eyes were filled with an extremely cold and dark look, and his hands were clenched even tighter, the nails deeply embedded in the flesh.

Wang Tengfei still wore that gentle smile, took a third step, and landed in front of Meng Hao, pointing a third time. Immediately, a strong wind blew, as if an