Chapter 61

Far away from the capital city of the State of Zhao, after a long while, Meng Hao suppressed the shock in his heart, but his brows remained furrowed. He examined his entire body and found that about one-tenth of his flesh and blood had withered, making his already not fat body even more emaciated.

This was secondary, but what truly troubled Meng Hao was the wisps of mist emanating from his body. This mist was black, as if it were the smoke from the burning of life, continuously dispersing and impossible to dispel. It had already risen high, and from a distance, one could see the black mist rising around Meng Hao.

"Although my body is no longer withering, this strange black mist shouldn't continue to emanate for long, but this appearance is too conspicuous..." Meng Hao moved quickly, dashing forward, sighing inwardly as he prepared to find another deep mountain to hide in until the black mist disappeared, then he could re-emerge.

An hour later, Meng Hao left a deep mountain in anger. He discovered that even when hiding in a sealed cave, the black mist could still penetrate everything and disperse.

"Damn it, how long will this mist last?" Meng Hao gritted his teeth, not daring to stay in one place for long. He found that if he stayed for a slightly longer time, the black mist would condense even more, and from a distance, it would look as if some treasure had appeared.

Meng Hao, with furrowed brows, entered the deep mountains, continuously dashing forward. If his spiritual energy ran out, he immediately swallowed a pill. Only in this way could the black mist be dispersed and not condense in one place, making it less conspicuous, but it still rose and spread in the sky.

For seven consecutive days, Meng Hao was exhausted, almost without rest in the deep mountains. This damned mist was black during the day, but at night, it was actually bright white, causing Meng Hao great alarm.

Fortunately, after seven days, Meng Hao noticed that the emission of the mist had weakened. Judging by its appearance, he estimated that in about a month, the mist would no longer appear.

He did not dare to stay in one mountain range for long, fearing that it would draw attention. After all, he did not know if the Purple Destiny Sect members had truly left. He could only keep moving from one mountain range to another.

One day, while Meng Hao was sitting cross-legged on a treasure fan, sliding through the forest, he suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked up, seeing four figures rapidly approaching from the distant mountains.

Meng Hao frowned, pondering for a moment, then descended, no longer flying. He patted his storage bag with his right hand, and a flying sword immediately shot out, piercing a hole in an ancient tree. Meng Hao quickly entered the hole.

He had tried this method before. Although the mist would still emanate, it took some time, about several breaths, before the ancient tree would wither.

Using this method, over the past seven days, Meng Hao had avoided some cultivators who were drawn by the rising mist.

Now, sitting cross-legged in the tree hole, he waited for the four people to leave. However, these four figures paused, lingering nearby, scanning the surroundings. One of them, a young man in purple robes, expressionless, leaped onto the treetop, his cultivation spreading, forming a wave of spiritual might. He held a white pearl in his hand.

The black mist that Meng Hao had previously emitted was now being rapidly absorbed by this pearl. Soon, the pearl was mostly black.

This scene stirred Meng Hao's heart.

"Strange, in recent days, many mountain ranges have been filled with a dense aura of death, but we can't find the source," said the woman among the four, a man and a woman. She wore a long dress, was quite beautiful, but her eyes had a hint of a mysterious glow, making her seem somewhat eerie.

The two men beside her scanned the surrounding forest, also frowning.

"Regardless of the reason, let's collect the aura of death and leave. This aura is strange, and it's better not to find its source," one of them hesitated and said.

"Fear not, with Senior Brother Yan here, even if there is danger, with his Inner Sect disciple status and Eighth Stage Qi Condensation cultivation, we can surely turn danger into safety. Perhaps we will even gain some fortune," the woman immediately said with a smile, looking at the young man in purple robes with a flirtatious gaze.

Among the four, only the young man with the pearl, who was absorbing the aura of death, was at the Eighth Stage of Qi Condensation. The others were at the Sixth Stage, and they clearly followed the young man as their leader.

Soon, all the black mist in the area had been absorbed by the pearl, which gradually turned completely black, seemingly unable to absorb more. Meng Hao, seeing this, was deep in thought.

"Let's go," the man surnamed Yan said indifferently, waving his sleeve. The four were about to leave, but at this moment, Meng Hao frowned. These people were moving too slowly, and he didn't have enough time. Black mist was already emanating from the treetop where he was.

The appearance of the black mist immediately caught the attention of the man surnamed Yan, who turned to look.

Meng Hao sighed inwardly and, without hesitation, walked out of the treetop, waving his sleeve and dashing away.

His appearance immediately startled the four people, especially when the black mist emanated from his body, causing the man surnamed Yan's eyes to narrow.

"Please stay, Fellow Daoist," he said decisively, forming a seal with his right hand and pointing forward. Immediately, a black wind appeared, swirling in the air and forming a skull that emitted a silent sneer, opening its mouth and rushing toward Meng Hao.

It seemed to want to make Meng Hao stop, but in reality, the skull, powered by the Eighth Stage Qi Condensation cultivation of the man surnamed Yan, was fast as lightning and emitted a fierce aura.

At the same time, the two men and the woman also had a flash of determination in their eyes and acted together. Two flying swords and a jade bracelet transformed into three beams of treasure light, rushing toward Meng Hao. Especially the jade bracelet, which buzzed and expanded as it flew, aiming to trap Meng Hao.

Meng Hao frowned. He was already in a bad mood, troubled by the black mist. Seeing these people attack with lethal intent, he couldn't help but coldly snort.

Raising his right hand, he waved it, and a fire python, about seven to eight zhang in size, roared and appeared, emitting intense heat as it rushed toward the four people's treasures.

A loud explosion echoed, the jade bracelet shattered, the two flying swords melted, and only the skull of the man surnamed Yan, after colliding with the fire python, dissipated, making the fire python emit a mournful cry and its flames extinguish and disappear.

"Eight Stage Qi Condensation!" The woman and the two men beside her drew a deep breath, their expressions grave. Only the man surnamed Yan took a step forward, staring at Meng Hao.

"I am Yan Ziguo, an Inner Sect disciple of the Cold Wind Sect. Fellow Daoist, please don't leave in a hurry. Please explain why you have such a dense aura of death around you," he said indifferently, his eyes like lightning. Meng Hao was at the Eighth Stage Qi Condensation, and so was Yan Ziguo. His tone remained cold.

Meng Hao coldly glanced at Yan Ziguo, said nothing, and patted his storage bag. The treasure fan flew out, shining with light, landing under his feet, and carrying him away quickly. Yan Ziguo, seeing the treasure fan under Meng Hao's feet, was immediately surprised.

"A flying treasure, his cultivation is not yet at the Foundation Establishment stage, so he can only slide, not fly for long, and he will eventually have to land!" Yan Ziguo's heart raced. He had not obtained such a treasure in the Cold Wind Sect for many years, which was a precious treasure only granted to Ninth Stage Qi Condensation disciples. He coldly snorted, his body flickering as he leaped and ran on the ground, chasing after Meng Hao. The other three hesitated for a moment and then immediately followed.

"Looking for death!" Meng Hao's eyes grew colder. The other party had already seen his cultivation and he had used his techniques, which was like a warning. Yet, they still pursued him relentlessly, causing him great annoyance.

He paused, raised his right hand, formed a seal, and pointed at the four approaching figures. Immediately, the treasure fan under his feet buzzed, and four beams of light shot out. These were four feathers, slicing through the air like four flying swords, instantly reaching the four people.

Yan Ziguo's eyes narrowed, and he raised his right hand, patting his storage bag. A palm-sized small shield appeared, growing rapidly to the size of a head, flying out and colliding with one of the feathers, causing a loud explosion.

At the same time, the other three, with horrified expressions, took out their treasures. The explosions echoed, and the three spat out blood, retreating, their eyes filled with fear.

The three feathers were undamaged, circling back and, with Meng Hao's right hand pointing, rushed toward Yan Ziguo.

Yan Ziguo's face changed, and he suddenly roared. Immediately, a large amount of green mist emanated from his pores, quickly enveloping him and forming a huge green skull, rushing toward the three feathers.

The explosions echoed, and the skull shattered, but the three feathers also lost their luster, twisting and returning to Meng Hao's side.

"Warned once, if you persist..." Meng Hao's eyes flashed, and he coldly said, not finishing his sentence, then turned and transformed into a long rainbow, dashing away.

Yan Ziguo did not pursue. He stared intently at the direction Meng Hao had left, his right hand in his sleeve trembling slightly. Meng Hao's face was unfamiliar to him, but this unfamiliar person had, in a moment, forced him to use his life-saving technique.

"That fan is not only a precious flying treasure but also a powerful weapon!" Yan Ziguo thought to himself, his heart racing even more.

"Has anyone heard of a cultivator at the Eighth Stage Qi Condensation in the State of Zhao's cultivation world who has such a treasure fan?" Yan Ziguo turned and looked at the three rather disheveled fellow disciples behind him.

"Having reached the Eighth Stage Qi Condensation and being so young, he must be a well-known figure in the State of Zhao. But I have thought of all three major sects, and none of them match this person," one of the Cold Wind Sect disciples, under Yan Ziguo's gaze, quickly said.

"Who is this person? Could he not be a cultivator from the State of Zhao?" Yan Ziguo frowned, his thoughts on Meng Hao's treasure fan becoming even more intense.

"Senior Brother Yan, a few months ago, I heard someone mention a fan. It was mentioned by Senior Brother Sun Hua of the Curved Water Sect, who said it was part of a transaction between a disciple of the Southern Region's Purple Destiny Sect and an Inner Sect disciple of the Mountain Support Sect named Meng Hao, involving a fan made of feathers," the woman hesitated for a moment, then looked at Yan Ziguo.

Yan Ziguo was taken aback. He immediately raised his right hand and patted his storage bag, and a jade slip appeared in his hand. This was a jade slip given to Inner Sect disciples by the sect, containing Meng Hao's portrait from the Mountain Support Sect and an order to test the power of his treasure if encountered.

This matter had happened several months ago, and Yan Ziguo had not paid much attention to it. Now, he focused on the jade slip, and an image immediately appeared in his mind. The figure in the image was none other than Meng Hao from just now.

"So it's him!" Yan Ziguo's eyes flashed with a mysterious light, and a cold smile appeared on his lips. He was about to say something when suddenly, the ground shook violently, and the sky turned red. A shocking event, originating from deep within the Southern Region, spread in all directions, instantly covering the entire Southern Region.

---

[AD begins]

[AD ends]