Chapter 49

As the thunder rolled and the sky darkened at dusk, a red glow could be seen in the distance. The autumn wind was brisk, carrying fallen leaves that floated in the air. It should have been a beautiful night before the autumn rain, but now it was torn apart by two streaks of light that rose and fell intermittently.

Meng Hao stood at the front, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light. After reaching the seventh layer of the Qi Condensation stage, he could stay on the flying sword for more than half an incense stick's time. Even so, he could not shake off Shangguan Xiu, who was pursuing him from behind.

Once the time passed, he had to land and run forward with all his might. If he wanted to glide again, he needed to run halfway up the mountain before he could continue gliding.

Shangguan Xiu pursued him relentlessly, determined not to let him escape again. Although the State of Zhao was not large, if Meng Hao hid, it would be very troublesome to find him. Moreover, Shangguan Xiu had great ambitions and was at a critical moment. Although he did not know the effect of the unknown treasure on Meng Hao, he trusted his judgment and was determined to obtain it.

"Meng Hao, you won't escape today! I am determined to rule the Southern Domain. If I hadn't been discontented in my early years, my cultivation would have already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. In front of me, you are like an ant, and you will surely become the stepping stone for my Foundation Establishment." Shangguan Xiu was at the ninth layer of the Qi Condensation stage, just one step away from the Foundation Establishment stage. Despite this, there was still a vast difference between him and Foundation Establishment cultivators. He was still in the same major realm as Meng Hao, but his cultivation was two layers higher, making his speed extremely fast. As an elder of the Mountain Relying Sect, the magical treasures he possessed were of a higher level.

For example, the talisman that carried him forward made the wind howl, and his momentum was impressive. With a flick of his sleeve, a jade slip shattered, transforming into green mist that condensed into a green bottle taller than a person, which rushed straight toward Meng Hao.

Meng Hao's eyes flashed, and he raised his right hand to pat his storage bag. Instantly, ten flying swords flew out, heading straight for the treasure bottle. The moment they touched, the ten flying swords immediately collapsed and exploded, the sword fragments scattering in all directions. The treasure bottle also shattered, but Shangguan Xiu's speed instantly increased, leaping over the shattered bottle and closing the distance.

At this moment, Meng Hao suddenly turned around, made a hand seal, and pointed forward. Three wind blades instantly flew out, not heading straight for Shangguan Xiu but circling around him. As Meng Hao's finger moved, the three wind blades suddenly spun, creating a suction force that made the scattered sword fragments pause and then rush toward the vortex.

With a loud boom, the sound echoed, and Meng Hao fled without looking back. Behind him, the vortex around Shangguan Xiu shattered, and he took a step forward, his eyes filled with anger, his clothes torn.

"You've reached the seventh layer of Qi Condensation!" Shangguan Xiu stared at the direction Meng Hao was fleeing, continuing his pursuit but with more caution, knowing that Meng Hao was cunning and he must not underestimate him and use his full strength.

Thinking of Meng Hao's method of using the flying sword fragments, Shangguan Xiu was also shaken. If Meng Hao's cultivation were the same as his, that attack would not have killed him, but it would have injured him.

"You are so devious at such a young age. The explosion of the flying swords was just a distraction. You must be killed!" Shangguan Xiu's speed increased, turning into a rainbow as he pursued Meng Hao.

The two, one in front and one behind, soon saw the dusk fade and night fall. The bright moon high in the sky seemed to look down on the earth, its gaze falling on the two of them.

Meng Hao's face was grim. He occasionally took out and swallowed demon cores. If it weren't for his breakthrough to the seventh layer of Qi Condensation, he would likely be in grave danger today. Even at the seventh layer, if he couldn't find a way to shake off his pursuer, he would still be in danger.

"I will definitely kill this person one day!" Meng Hao thought of the inexplicable hatred between them, all due to the other's greed, which had caused him much trouble.

Seeing Shangguan Xiu still pursuing him, Meng Hao gritted his teeth and, as the time on the flying sword ran out, landed and rushed toward a distant desolate mountain. This place was not in the direction of the Mountain Relying Sect but to the east of the Great Green Mountain, where the mountains stretched to the heart of the Zhao State's plains.

The number of mountains here far exceeded the desolate mountains around the Mountain Relying Sect, making it the first mountain range in the entire State of Zhao, known as the National Guard Mountains. From a distance, it looked endless, like a sleeping dragon in the night sky, with its back undulating, full of ruggedness.

Meng Hao lowered his head and instantly entered this National Guard Mountain range, heading deep into it. In the past three years, this was not the first time Meng Hao had been pursued. The battle at Black Mountain had taught him how to use the situation to his advantage. Now, he moved quickly, disappearing into the desolate mountains.

Shangguan Xiu's speed did not decrease. No matter where Meng Hao tried to escape, he would pursue him to the end. Today, he had made up his mind to kill Meng Hao and take the treasure, but he also knew he did not have much time. The herb he had hidden was about to mature and could be harvested. If he arrived too late, the herb would wither, dealing a devastating blow to his future plans.

However, Shangguan Xiu believed that killing Meng Hao would take no more than a day or two and would not delay him too much. Therefore, he did not hesitate and instantly pursued Meng Hao into the desolate mountains.

As Meng Hao and Shangguan Xiu entered the National Guard Mountain range of the State of Zhao, about a few thousand miles away, there was a towering mountain peak.

This mountain peak seemed to pierce the clouds, visible from a distance. From the waist of the mountain upward, one could see snow. The mountain was much larger than ordinary peaks, especially at the top, where a faint light spread, as if it could cover the entire mountain like flowing water.

To the right of this mountain peak was another high mountain, with the top cut off to form a circular square. At this square, there were nearly a hundred cultivators wearing white robes.

Most of these people were young, the youngest being about eleven or twelve years old, and the oldest about seventeen or eighteen. There were both males and females, and most of them looked tense and expectant, while some who were confident in their cultivation had a proud look.

Among them were cultivators at the seventh and eighth layers of Qi Condensation, and a few were even at the ninth layer. The weakest were at the fifth and sixth layers. This group of young disciples, in any sect in the State of Zhao, would be rare. A sect that could have such disciples must be one of the major sects in the Southern Domain.

Their uniform clothing gave off an indescribable aura, as if they could stir the surrounding forces. Most of them had excellent aptitude, and some had even stronger aptitude, making them full of vitality, like the future of the cultivation world, where they would surely have a place.

"These are some of the outer sect disciples I brought this time, Old Monster Song, what do you think?" A proud laugh echoed, and in front of this group, on a platform near the edge, two old men were sitting cross-legged, a chessboard in front of them. The one who laughed was an old man with white hair, wearing a white robe, looking like a sage.

This old man's eyes were like lightning, and he was smiling proudly as he spoke.

The old man sitting opposite him, Song Lao Guai, wore a black robe with many colors, looking somewhat dizzying. His face was slightly dark, and his gray hair was disheveled. He had a deep, unfathomable smile on his face.

"Very good, very good. Your Purple Luck Sect is indeed one of the five major sects in the Southern Domain. The outer sect disciples you brought this time are indeed quite promising." Song Lao Guai's smile seemed to bring a cold wind, making the nearly a hundred disciples tremble.

"Since that's the case, let's fulfill our bet." The old man in the white robe's eyes flashed, and he smiled, raising his right hand and grabbing a stone the size of a human head, which landed with a thud beside him.

This stone looked black and dull, but it had a black light flashing inside, with many points of light, as if made of countless gems.

"This is my bet, the Heavenly Crystal Stone!" The old man in the white robe's eyes gleamed as he looked at Song Lao Guai.

"No problem, this is the broken star fragment you were interested in." Song Lao Guai flicked his sleeve, and a fist-sized iron block landed beside him. The iron block emitted a black light, as if it could devour the surrounding void, and it was extraordinary from the moment it appeared.

"Do you see the flag on the mountain top? If your disciples can take it down, you win. But if your Purple Luck Sect's disciples can't make it up the mountain, this Heavenly Crystal Stone will be mine." Song Lao Guai laughed, speaking with pride.

"Rest assured, the disciples of the Purple Luck Sect will surely break that flag and empty this treasure mountain. When your beasts die, don't be upset and break your word." The old man in the white robe, Wu Dingqiu, spoke confidently, mocking Song Lao Guai.

"Song has roamed the world for over four hundred years and has never broken a promise. Even if this mountain is filled with treasures and spirit stones, and I have carefully cultivated and raised many spirit beasts, I will say this: if the mountain is not opened, it will remain closed. But once it is opened, within seven days, not only the disciples of the Purple Luck Sect, but any disciples below the Foundation Establishment stage from other sects can come!"

"Whoever has the ability can take the treasure. If someone can dig the mountain empty, I will not frown even once. If I break my word, I will no longer be surnamed Song!" Song Lao Guai raised his head, speaking with determination.

"However, if they lack the ability, not only will they not get the treasure, but they won't even be able to climb the mountain, and they will become food for my spirit beasts. That is their fate." Song Lao Guai's smile grew colder, and a hint of mockery appeared in his eyes.

"The disciples of the Purple Luck Sect are all outstanding. Emptying your mountain will be as easy as turning over one's hand." Wu Dingqiu's eyes widened, his voice booming.

"My treasure mountain, within a hundred miles, is filled with spirit beasts. The earth here is made of mud from the Eastern Sea that has not seen the sun for ten thousand years, which I have relaid. I have also brought the peak of the Southern Domain's Tian Mountain here, and after sixty years of refining, I have made it part of the mountain range, making it a natural fit. Each of these spirit beasts is a rare and fierce creature that I have collected with great effort from all over the world!"

"Your hundred or so disciples won't even be enough to feed my spirit beasts." Song Lao Guai's eyes also widened, and he stroked his beard.