Chapter 72

In the midst of this desolate mountain not far from Mount Daqing, Meng Hao's body trembled inside the cave, sweat continuously streaming down, soaking his clothes, which were then vaporized by the intense heat emanating from his body, causing the cave to be filled with mist and a strong smell of sweat.

Meng Hao's entire body was flushed red, and it seemed as if a raging fire was burning within him. This fire seemed to be drying up his flesh and blood, burning his body to ashes, and even causing his body to stiffen, making it impossible for him to move.

In fact, this was one of the drawbacks of the Foundation Establishment Pill. When swallowed, the body could not move until the pill's power dissipated. Even if a flood came or someone stabbed through his body with a sword, he would still be unable to move. Therefore, every time a cultivator in the cultivation world swallowed a Foundation Establishment Pill, they would choose the location with great caution.

Otherwise, the unresolvable side effect of the Foundation Establishment Pill would make it impossible to move if an enemy appeared, leading to certain death.

Meng Hao could be considered the first person to swallow a Foundation Establishment Pill at the Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation. Moreover, this Foundation Establishment Pill was not ordinary, but personally refined by a master.

He had no choice; the bottleneck from the Eighth Layer to the Ninth Layer was always difficult to break through. Unless there was a special opportunity, he would need a powerful pill to forcefully break through.

Meng Hao did not have a pill like the Platform Pill, which could achieve this effect. Only the Foundation Establishment Pill could, and he dared not use it excessively. The power of the Foundation Establishment Pill was too strong, and for Meng Hao's body, using just one was a gamble.

In fact, Meng Hao had long guessed the reason. The reason his bottleneck at the Eighth Layer was so difficult must be related to the many demon cores he had swallowed over the years. Although he had undergone a reformation in the Northern Sea, the demon energy that had been embedded in his bones for years could not be dispelled in just one go.

This made Meng Hao's bottleneck much thicker than that of ordinary people. However, it was not without benefits. Once he broke through the bottleneck, he would directly reach the middle stage of the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation. Moreover, although his body appeared weak, he could clearly feel that it had gained some resilience and was gradually changing.

This was not a change in a cultivator, but a change in the residual demon energy within his body, or even the demon core in the Dantian.

Days passed, and two months after Meng Hao swallowed the Foundation Establishment Pill, he finally absorbed it. At the moment of complete absorption, Meng Hao suddenly opened his eyes, and his body could finally move. His body rumbled, and an indescribable pain, as if some parts of his body were being torn apart, caused him to spit out a mouthful of black blood.

As the blood was spat out, Meng Hao's vision blurred, and he felt as if he were about to faint. But he bit his tongue hard, forcing himself to stay awake, and began to circulate his cultivation to break through to the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation.

His expression was filled with unprecedented determination, and he gathered the burning and explosive spiritual energy to break through.

In an instant, the spiritual energy in Meng Hao's body surged, and his mind felt as if it were struck by a thunderbolt. His entire body seemed about to explode, but soon, the spiritual energy in his body seemed to open up a new world. The resulting sensation was indescribably comfortable, a tingling feeling as if someone were quickly brushing a feather over his body.

This sensation made Meng Hao immerse himself for a long time. When he opened his eyes again, his eyes shone with a brilliant light, making the dark cave seem to be illuminated by a flash of lightning.

Meng Hao took a deep breath, and immediately, the spiritual energy inside and outside the cave surged, entering through his sweat pores and then quickly exiting. With the entry and exit of the spiritual energy, a large amount of dirt oozed out from his sweat pores, making his body lighter and his eyes brighter.

The Dantian in his body had become even more vast, expanding by a factor of two, seemingly boundless. The golden sea of waves roared, and the demon core moved up and down within the Dantian, emitting a powerful spiritual energy that filled Meng Hao's body with a golden glow, making him feel like he wanted to let out a long roar.

" Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation, I, Meng Hao, have finally reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation. One more step, and I will reach the Foundation Establishment stage!" Meng Hao's expression showed excitement as he took a deep breath.

"With the Qi Condensation Scroll of the Great Spirit Scripture, once I reach the Foundation Establishment stage, I can form a flawless Foundation Establishment, surpassing the flawed one and crushing the stone slab!" Meng Hao stood up, and at this moment, he was filled with boundless confidence and anticipation for the future.

He looked forward to reaching the Southern Domain to see the world there. He also looked forward to the moment of Foundation Establishment, when his flawless Foundation Establishment would shine, and the brilliance it would emit when encountering other Foundation Establishment cultivators.

All of this was new to Meng Hao, as he had not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage and did not know how rare a flawless Foundation Establishment was. The more he did not understand, the more he looked forward to it.

Meng Hao waved his sleeve, and immediately, a fist-sized water ball appeared, approaching his body and turning into a layer of water film that spread over his entire body. Meng Hao took a step forward, and as he walked out of the water film, all the dirt on his body was washed away, leaving his body emitting a fresh fragrance.

The cave door opened with a rumble, and it was noon outside. Meng Hao stepped out, and the season had already changed. A warm mountain breeze blew, but Meng Hao felt a refreshing coolness.

"If I can reach the Foundation Establishment stage, I can truly fly in the sky." Meng Hao looked up at the blue sky, his smile growing wider. He took a step forward, and immediately, a treasure fan flew out of his storage bag, supporting him and sliding forward.

This place was not far from Mount Daqing. Soon after Meng Hao flew out, he saw a figure running swiftly on the ground ahead. Behind this person, a large man was chasing him with a fierce expression.

The person running ahead had a pale face, but a fierce look in his eyes. He was not tall, thin, and about thirteen or fourteen years old, but his cultivation had already reached the Fifth Layer of Qi Condensation.

The person chasing him was a Sixth Layer of Qi Condensation cultivator, wearing a light blue robe, with tattered clothes, looking somewhat disheveled, and a strong look of killing intent and anger on his face.

"See where you can run, Dong Hu. If you hand over that pearl, I can give you a chance to live, considering we are both from the Fangye Sect. Otherwise, you are dead!" The large man raised his right hand, and immediately, a cold light shone, forming a crescent moon-shaped blade that spun and rushed toward the young boy.

This young boy was none other than Xiao Hu, who had been brought into the Kao Shan Sect by Senior Sister Xu along with Meng Hao and others.

When the sect was dissolved, Xiao Hu was taken away and disappeared, and no one knew where he had gone. Now, Meng Hao, in the sky, saw Xiao Hu with a glance.

Xiao Hu, who was fleeing ahead, had a pale face, but a fierce look in his eyes. In a flash, he raised his right hand, and several cold lights immediately shot out from his sleeve. These cold lights were arrows, glowing with a dark light, clearly coated with a powerful poison, and they shot straight at the large man.

The large man sneered and waved his sleeve, immediately causing a wind to blow away the arrows. He made a hand seal and pointed, and the crescent moon blade rushed toward Xiao Hu. As it was about to reach him, Xiao Hu's eyes turned red, and he turned around, raising his hands. In his hands, a light blue pearl appeared, half-transparent, with clouds swirling inside. As he held it up, a cloud immediately flew out and transformed into a blurry figure, which rushed toward the crescent moon blade at lightning speed.

The moment they touched, a loud boom echoed, and the crescent moon blade shattered, and the figure also dissipated.

The large man spat out a mouthful of blood, and the greed in his eyes intensified as he continued to chase.

Xiao Hu's face was pale, and it was clear that this attack had been very difficult for him. He staggered and fell to the ground after taking a few more steps.

"You can't escape!" The large man sneered, and in an instant, he was right in front of Xiao Hu. Xiao Hu's face was pale, and his eyes showed despair. At this moment, Meng Hao sighed from a distance, looking meaningfully at Xiao Hu, who was facing away from him. He saw through Xiao Hu's intentions but still raised his right hand and pointed forward.

With this gesture, a fierce wind howled through the mountains and forests, and the pressure of the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation instantly descended, enveloping the large man, making him tremble. He looked up and saw Meng Hao approaching from the sky, his expression turning to shock.

Almost at the same moment he looked up, a cold light flashed in Xiao Hu's eyes, and he suddenly raised his right hand. In his hand, a dagger coated with poison appeared. The dagger was extremely sharp, and Xiao Hu's speed was very fast. He leaped up, and the dagger flashed, slicing through the large man's neck in the instant he was stunned by Meng Hao.

A scream could not be heard, and blood spurted, covering Xiao Hu's body. At this moment, Xiao Hu was no longer weak, though he was tired. Clearly, everything before was a ruse, and he was waiting for the large man to lose his guard, to launch a counterattack.

The large man fell to the ground, twitching and clutching his neck, but the blood continued to gush out. Gradually, his eyes widened, and he died.

Xiao Hu did not move but took a step forward, turning around and looking up to see Meng Hao approaching. He paused, but remained in a position ready to flee. When he felt Meng Hao's cultivation again, his body trembled.

Meng Hao did not speak, walked over, and stood next to the corpse, looking at it and then at the clearly nervous Xiao Hu, remaining silent.

Xiao Hu also did not speak, looking at Meng Hao with a complex expression.

"Was it for that pearl that you killed Wang Youcai?" After a long pause, Meng Hao spoke calmly, a hint of deception flashing in his eyes.

Xiao Hu remained silent, not speaking. His small stature, slightly dark skin, thin body, tattered clothes, and disheveled appearance made him look like a beggar. However, the coldness he showed when killing contrasted sharply with his current state, making him stand out.

Meng Hao looked at Xiao Hu for a while, then shook his head, looked at Xiao Hu again, sighed, and turned to leave.

But just as Meng Hao was about to leave, Xiao Hu's expression showed a hint of hesitation, and he suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse but urgent.

"Senior Brother Meng... Are you going to Mount Daqing to save someone?"

"What do you mean?" Meng Hao paused, turned to look at Xiao Hu, and asked in a serious tone.

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