Chapter 55

"Me... this humble one..." Meng Hao was stunned, his mouth agape, not knowing what to say. He had never encountered such a situation when buying things in Yunjie County before, especially with the woman's charming smile and the grace in her eyes, which made Meng Hao's face turn red uncontrollably.

The woman covered her mouth and giggled, looking at Meng Hao's dazed expression and his soon-to-be-embarrassed look. She then turned, her waist swaying attractively, and walked away to whisper to the middle-aged man sitting cross-legged by the alchemy furnace. She returned and said, "One hundred and seventy spirit stones, how about that?" The woman blinked, looking at Meng Hao.

"Thank you, Daoist friend." Meng Hao took a deep breath, his face showing happiness. Being able to save these spirit stones made him very pleased. He quickly clasped his hands in a salute.

"Call me sister." The woman smiled, raised her right hand, and took out a jade slip from her sleeve, handing it to Meng Hao.

Meng Hao accepted it and infused it with his spiritual energy. Immediately, images appeared in his mind. His heart raced as he saw the three types of medicinal pills in the storage bag. He quickly took out the spirit stones, clasped his hands in a salute again, and was about to leave when the woman lightly coughed, escorting Meng Hao out of the pavilion. When they reached the pavilion's entrance, she said, "My name is Qiaoling. Remember to look for me next time you come." At the pavilion's entrance, the woman's smile was filled with interest as she glanced at Meng Hao, her eyes very alluring. Meng Hao's face turned even redder, and he quickly clasped his hands and hurried away.

Even after leaving the pavilion, his heart was still pounding. It took a while for him to recover. Looking back at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, he could still see Qiaoling standing there, smiling lightly. Meng Hao felt even more awkward, knowing he had been teased by her.

This was the first time Meng Hao had experienced such a feeling, and he did not find it unpleasant. He even felt a bit proud. He coughed again, lowered his head, and walked forward.

Just then, a group of people came out of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. They were coming down from the second floor, about seven or eight people, both men and women, talking and laughing as they walked. Among them was a young man in a light blue robe, following behind them, looking rather dejected, as if he were a servant.

As they walked out of the pavilion, this person subconsciously looked up and saw Meng Hao.

"Meng Hao!" He was taken aback, and his voice immediately caught the attention of the men and women around him. Meng Hao paused, turned his head, and looked at the young man.

When he saw this person, Meng Hao's expression remained calm, but his heart was somewhat complicated. This person was Zhou Kai, an outer sect disciple of Mount Support Sect, with a cultivation level of the Fifth Layer of Qi Condensation. After the dissolution of Mount Support Sect, he was swept away by the red mist. Today, they met here.

Meng Hao naturally saw Zhou Kai's current state of decline. The people he was following were all dressed in silk, wearing expensive robes, and most of them had bright eyes. One of them was at the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation, and the others were at the Sixth Layer. They were clearly disciples of the major sects of the Zhao Kingdom.

As for Zhou Kai, after the dissolution of Mount Support Sect, he had joined another sect and was now following these people as a servant.

Meng Hao nodded slightly, said nothing, and turned to leave.

"Who is this person?" In front of Zhou Kai, a young man in a luxurious robe, holding a fan, spoke calmly, his voice not loud but carrying a sense of arrogance. Among the seven or eight people around him, he was the one at the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation, clearly the center of attention. When he spoke, the men and women around him immediately paid attention.

"Replying to Senior Brother Sun, he was a fellow disciple of mine back then." Zhou Kai hesitated, not mentioning Meng Hao's inner sect status.

"Meng Hao... This name sounds familiar."

"I remember now. Isn't this the only inner sect disciple of Mount Support Sect who wasn't taken away? He does look somewhat like the portrait." One of the women immediately spoke, as if she had remembered something.

When she said this, the eyes of the people around her immediately lit up. Two of them even moved to block Meng Hao's path. In recent days, a shocking event had spread throughout the Zhao Kingdom's cultivation world.

The dissolution of Mount Support Sect, the fact that the old ancestor of Mount Support Sect was not dead, and his display of power for an inner sect disciple had caused a sensation in the entire Zhao Kingdom's cultivation world, intimidating all the Zhao Kingdom's experts. After they retreated, this event had spread throughout the Zhao Kingdom's cultivation world.

There were even rumors that the old ancestor of Mount Support Sect had personally given this inner sect disciple a supreme treasure, a treasure with earth-shattering power, capable of killing all cultivators. This rumor spread widely, and as people investigated, they gradually learned the name of this inner sect disciple from the former outer sect disciples of Mount Support Sect. This person was named Meng Hao.

If this event had ended there, the entire Zhao Kingdom, intimidated by the old ancestor of Mount Support Sect, would have calmed down. However, the Zhao Kingdom's experts who had been scared away by the old ancestor of Mount Support Sect soon thought of the slight weakness in his final voice and the fact that, according to legend, they would not have survived. Yet, no one had died.

Thus, various speculations arose, and naturally, many people turned their attention to the inner sect disciple named Meng Hao. Even the three major sects had issued orders, instructing their disciples to be vigilant and find this person, and even portraits were circulated.

However, the uncertainty about whether the old ancestor of Mount Support Sect was truly dead or whether his cultivation level was still as it was in the past made the three major sects of the Zhao Kingdom cautious. They did not dare to act rashly, instead offering substantial rewards to their disciples to test the power of the supreme treasure if they encountered Meng Hao.

Meng Hao paused, coldly looking at the two people blocking his path. Behind him, footsteps sounded, and his retreat was blocked by four people. On both sides, there were also people, clearly surrounding him.

Inside the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, the woman named Qiaoling also saw this scene, her eyebrows furrowing.

"What is the meaning of this, everyone?" Meng Hao's gaze swept over the surroundings, and he spoke calmly, showing no sign of fear, but rather a calm and confident demeanor. This scene made the people around him gradually become cautious.

"There is no other intention. We just heard that Daoist Meng has a supreme treasure given by the old ancestor of Mount Support Sect. Since we have met today, we would like to see it." The young man in the luxurious robe in front of Zhou Kai, holding a fan, patted it in his palm and spoke with a smile, but his smile carried a sense of superiority, his eyes somewhat cold, though he was also cautious, as the supreme treasure was said to be given by the old ancestor of Mount Support Sect.

"Indeed, if Daoist Meng has such a supreme treasure, why not show it to us for appreciation?" Someone around immediately spoke, smiling, clearly viewing Meng Hao as a fish in a pot.

Meng Hao's expression remained calm, but his eyes flashed with a cold light, and a hint of mockery appeared at the corners of his mouth. He raised his right hand and suddenly slapped his storage bag. This action made the people around him immediately have their eyes flash, and many had already summoned their magical treasures.

At this moment, a beam of light shone, and a steel spear appeared in Meng Hao's hand. He held it and thrust it into the ground, infusing it with spiritual energy, turning the ordinary steel into a sharp weapon. It pierced the ground, and a humming sound echoed as Meng Hao let go, causing the people around him to instinctively step back, their eyes fixed on the steel spear.

"Whoever wants to die, come and see for yourself." Meng Hao took two steps back, flicked his sleeves, and spoke calmly. At this moment, he looked very confident, especially with the cold light in his eyes and the mocking smile, as if he was waiting for someone to check the spear and die by it.

In reality, these few steps back brought him closer to the city gate. He was waiting for someone to approach the steel spear, and then he would strike, taking advantage of the chaos to leave. After all, this was the city of the three sects, and Meng Hao knew he could not tangle with them here.

The surroundings immediately fell silent, and all eyes were fixed on the steel spear. The spear, at first glance, seemed extraordinary, with intricate patterns covering its body, making it look very complex and somewhat dazzling. The more complex it was, the more it seemed to be an extraordinary weapon.

The sunlight flickered, and the spear tip glinted, as if a cold light flashed in the eyes.

Even Qiaoling inside the Hundred Treasures Pavilion had her eyes fixed on the spear. Some women from the pavilion had also gathered around to look.

"It doesn't seem particularly extraordinary. The patterns on the spear are just very complex, but they don't look like talismans..."

"Is this the supreme treasure given by the old ancestor of Mount Support Sect?" The major sect disciples around them frowned after looking for a while. The young man in the luxurious robe, holding a fan, frowned, looked carefully, and then sneered, about to ask Zhou Kai to approach.

At this moment, footsteps sounded from the west city gate, immediately catching the attention of the cultivators around. Meng Hao's eyes also flashed, but he quickly frowned. He saw more than ten cultivators in white robes coming from the west city gate. Meng Hao recognized them; their attire made him immediately identify them as major sect disciples who had been training in the Treasure Mountain.

Seeing these people enter from the west gate, they inadvertently blocked Meng Hao's exit, making his frown deepen. However, he quickly relaxed, and his right hand had already silently landed on his storage bag.

"Are you from the Southern Region's Purple Luck Sect, Senior Brothers? I am Sun Hua from Qu Shui Sect, greetings to all Daoist friends." The young man in the luxurious robe, holding a fan, saw the group of white-robed cultivators and immediately had his eyes light up, showing respect and quickly clasping his hands in a salute.

When he spoke, the other Zhao Kingdom cultivators around him also showed respect, all clasping their hands to the white-robed cultivators. They were the best of their respective sects, usually feeling superior in the Zhao Kingdom, but when they met the true major sect disciples from the Southern Region, they immediately felt inferior, showing a respectful and courteous demeanor.

Moreover, in the past few days, they had all received jade slips from their respective sects, reminding them not to provoke these white-robed disciples from the Southern Region's Purple Luck Sect. They quickly spoke up.

The white-robed cultivators, just entering the city gate, saw the disciples of the Zhao Kingdom but did not pay much attention. They all had their own concerns, but when they were called out, two of them frowned, their eyes scanning the area with impatience. However, when they saw the steel spear embedded in the ground, they suddenly paused.

This pause made the other disciples around them curious. When they looked, almost all of them immediately became excited and rushed toward the Zhao Kingdom cultivators.