Meng Hao's flying swords and Wang Tengfei's special magic techniques left the surrounding Cultivators awestruck. No longer did they look down on Meng Hao, but rather were stunned by his vast array of magical items.
It wasn't just them. Shangguan Xiu, Grand Elder Ouyang, and even Sect Leader He Luohua stared in amazement.
Wang Tengfei was strong, able to inspire fear into his Cultivator peers. Everyone knew this, so to see Meng Hao go toe to toe with Wang Tengfei caused everyone watching to feel shocked.
At the moment, forty flying swords descended upon him from multiple directions, a Sword Tempest that seemed as if it could rip apart any living thing that stood in its path. An ordinary Qi condensation sixth-level opponent would have difficulty standing up against it.
Meng Hao coughed up more blood. The only way to force himself to remain upright was to continuously consume Demonic Cores.
A booming sound erupted as Meng Hao's forty flying swords collided with the power of Wang Tengfei's second finger attack. More than half of them were destroyed, but the finger attack could do nothing to Meng Hao other than force him to cough up a bit of blood.
Anyone else would be cautious in their approach to dealing with Meng Hao, but Wang Tengfei was as dismissive as ever. He stepped forward and waved his finger a third time.
Meng Hao's spiritual energy was almost completely exhausted. But he had a lot of Demonic Cores available to replenish himself. During this entire time, he had managed to keep his spiritual energy at roughly an even level. As he watched Wang Tengfei make his third movement, he could not help but recall the same finger attack taking away the gourd bottle. The killing intent in his eyes grew stronger. He didn't retreat, and in fact took a step forward, flingers flickering in incantation movements. Three or four of his bags of holding began to tremble, and then suddenly a succession of sword auras appeared, to the astonishment of all the onlookers.
Waving his sleeve, he sent forth one wave, two waves, three waves of flying swords. They transformed into a dazzling sword rain. One sword, ten, twenty, thirty swords… Seventy swords in four waves, an unbelievable sword aura. They shot toward Wang Tengfei.
Meng Hao constantly coughed up blood, then consumed medicinal pills. His eyes were completely bloodshot, but the killing intent in them was as strong as ever. Even if he ran out of spiritual power, he would spare nothing!
Wang Tengfei gave a cold harrumph. With so many people looking on, he didn't want to dodge the attack, but there were just too many flying swords. They appeared to be approaching in a direct line, and yet something about the attack looked off. He had a dark premonition that if he attempted to dodge the attack, he would still be walking into death.
For the first time, something flickered within Wang Tengfei's eyes. Lifting his finger, he immediately moved into the fourth finger attack. A ripple appeared in front of him, and even as it began to spread out, Meng Hao's fingers stopped moving and he clasped his palms together flat in front of him.
"Wind-construct Sword!" As soon as the words came out of Meng Hao's mouth, the seventy flying swords suddenly began to combine together.
The onlookers gaped in shock as the fourth wave of swords picked up speed, slamming into the third wave, which then swept into the sword rain of the second wave, and then finally smacked into the back of the first wave. Then a sweeping wind pressed in from multiple directions to form them into the solid shape! From a distance, it appeared as if they had formed a gigantic flying sword.
This was Meng Hao's Flying Sword Matrix, created along with the issuance of his Wind Blade. It was a sword technique he had developed after his time on the black mountain. It shot toward Wang Tengfei with irresistible force. Popping sounds filled the air as the ripple in front of Wang Tengfei began to warp as if it were being pushed against by a massive force. This in turn caused Wang Tengfei, for the first time ever, to take a step backward.
"How arrogant of you to force me to take a step back." This was the first time he had spoken to Meng Hao during the entire battle. His left hand slapped his bag of holding and a glittering, crystal statue appeared. It was a statue of a horse, vivid and lifelike, seemingly full of energy and spirit.
A neighing sound filled the air, and the crystal statue seemed to come to life, leaping out of Wang Tengfei's palm and flying straight toward Meng Hao's giant sword. As soon as they collided, the giant sword began to collapse, starting from its tip. Layer after layer of swords peeled away, torn apart by the crystal horse. Within an instant, a huge portion of the giant sword had been destroyed, and the only thing left was the hilt. Flying swords scattered about in all directions.
Seeing this, the onlookers' hearts raced, and they had little time to even process in their minds what was happening. They appeared shocked beyond belief.
And then, just as the giant sword was broken down into a mere hilt, a new sword flew out from the midst of the other swords. A sword made of wood. It shot toward the crystal horse, and when the two hit each other, a sound boomed out louder than any sound which had been heard so far during the battle. It echoed out multiple times.
As of now, the wooden sword was the only sword under Meng Hao's control. Everything up to this point had been a ruse to keep it concealed, then use it in a surprise move.
The sword, once meant for Wang Tengfei, was now in Meng Hao's hands. To Wang Tengfei, it was a treasure, but to Meng Hao, it was worth two thousand Spirit Stones. Regardless of how powerful it was, it was the most powerful weapon he had, so of course he would use it.
Amidst the deafening boom, the crystal horse began to shake, and a multitude of cracks appeared on its surface. Then, it simply collapsed into pieces.
Wang Tengfei's expression changed instantly. Carrying with it the remaining flying swords, the wooden sword shot toward him. As it neared, he reflexively lifted his arm, focused his Cultivation base on his finger and shot out an explosive force. The force sent all the flying swords spinning, but not the wooden sword. It continued on, stabbing into his finger and shredding it to bloody pieces. Then it spun back to hover next to Meng Hao.
"That finger brought me humiliation," Meng Hao said slowly. "Today, I cripple it!" He spat out a mass of blood, staggering back several paces. Blood dripped from the corners of his mouth.
Wang Tengfei took several heavy steps back, ignoring the pain of his finger, eyes filled with disbelief. He stared at the wooden sword floating next to Meng Hao. The words Meng Hao had just uttered rang in his ears. And then, an unspeakable rage welled up within him.
He recognized this sword!
The moment Wang Tengfei's finger was shredded to pieces, all the Cultivators in the square were shocked. The buzz of conversation again arose.
"Meng Hao destroyed Elder Brother Wang's finger. This… this can't be!"
"Elder Brother Wang is injured. He's a Chosen, but Meng Hao decimated his finger… Meng Hao…"
"It's scary that he has so many flying swords. And he used seventy of them to make a giant sword. How astonishing!"
Shangguan Xiu sucked in a deep breath. Everything that was happening seemed unimaginable. He wasn't the only one surprised. Grand Elder Ouyang had stood up and was looking at Meng Hao, his eyes filled with deep admiration and intense anticipation.
Even He Luohua, standing atop the East Mountain, stared down at Meng Hao, his eyes glittering.
The buzz of conversation reached Wang Tengfei's ears, but he paid it no heed, as if he hadn't heard it at all. Fury burned in his eyes, and he stared murderously at the wooden sword circling Meng Hao.
"So it was you!" Wang Tengfei didn't even bother to stop the blood from gushing out of where finger had once been. He had only been furious once before in his life, and that was the day in the cave when he realized the treasure he had hunted for years had been snatched away. His inner humiliation and madness, and his hatred toward that unknown person, had seeped into his very bones.
This matter was his biggest regret. His shrill screams that day still seemed to echo in his ears. Often, he was shaken from meditation deep in the quiet of night, his heart dripping with blood, feeling like a fool. Every time he thought about it, he fought the urge to go crazy.
Today was the second time in his life that he was furious. He recognised the sword. In his eyes, it belonged to him, his own treasure with which control heaven and earth. And today… here it was in Meng Hao's hands.
"So it was you!" Wang Tengfei's eyes overflowed with murder. His desire to kill Meng Hao could not be any stronger. This look was so different from his usual calm visage that the surrounding Cultivators could not help but murmur to each other about it.
"It was you who stole away my treasure!" Wang Tengfei stared at the wooden sword, murder roiling in his eyes. He felt an impulsive desire to rip Meng Hao to pieces. He suddenly laughed, and as the laughter rolled out across the square, he seemed to grow even more awe-inspiring.
"I have no idea what Elder Brother Wang is talking about," said Meng Hao coldly, wiping the blood off of his mouth. "This sword is yours? Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?" He consumed several Demonic Cores.
"I planned for years to get that sword. It is one-of-a-kind, the only like it in the world. The gold lines on its surface were etched by Heaven itself. Of course I haven't made a mistake." Wang Tengfei looked up to the skies and laughed. It was a grim laugh, a laugh that seemed to make everything around it grow cold.
Wang Tengfei glared at Meng Hao with cold eyes, then took a step forward. He slapped his bag of holding, and two glittering beams of light shot out. Two magical treasures appeared, one a stone tiger, the other a stone aquatic dragon.
They were accompanied by two sounds which reverberated across the square, one, the roaring of a tiger, the other, the howl of a aquatic dragon. The treasures immediately transformed. The first became a white tiger, a few dozen meters in length, the other, a magnificent aquatic dragon. They circled around Wang Tengfei, making him look even more imposing.
"You can refuse to admit it, but that sword is mine," said Wang Tengfei, his voice ghastly. "I never agreed to let you have it and you are not permitted to leave with it." His fingers moved in an incantation pattern, and the white tiger roared and leaped toward Meng Hao. The aquatic dragon howled as it followed, its body becoming a streaking rainbow.
Meng Hao moved backwards, waving his right hand. The wooden sword flashed forward, followed by a Wind Blade and a Flame Python.
A boom reverberated out and Meng Hao coughed up a mouthful of blood. As he flew back, he saw Wang Tengfei walking out from the explosion, his snow-white robes and long hair floating in the wind, a look of murder on his beautiful features. His eyes shone forth with ridicule.
"Absurd!" said Meng Hao. "You clearly see that the sword is extraordinary, so you want to use the Inner Sect training as an opportunity to rob it from me!"
"It's useless to keep talking. I will kill you today, and then you will know that you aren't qualified to take things which belong to Wang Tengfei." His eyes cold, he waved his hand again; roaring and howling, the white tiger and the aquatic dragon once again charged Meng Hao.
"One-of-a-kind? The only one like it in the world?" Meng Hao laughed, his eyes sneering. He made no attempt to hide the cold ridicule. "Why don't you take a look and see if the sword really is one of a kind like you say?" His left hand slapped his bag of holding, and a black beam shot out to circle around Meng Hao. A loud humming sound rang out, like that of a sword. It was his duplicate copy of the wooden sword!
Now that it had appeared, two wooden swords swirled around him. They looked exactly the same in every aspect, their sword auras shining brightly and with immense power.
When he laid eyes on the second wooden sword, Wang Tengfei's body shook and his eyes went wide, filled with disbelief. His mind dissolved into chaos, and he felt as if he had just been crushed by an entire mountain. He immediately lost control of the white tiger and the aquatic dragon.
"This… this…" His head spun. This unexpected turn of events had caught him completely off guard. He didn't know what to think, and couldn't even control his mind.
"Is this sword yours too?" Meng Hao's eyes flashed, and he stepped forward, suddenly radiating the power of his Cultivation base. "Is this your one-of-a-kind sword?" He took another step forward.
Wang Tengfei couldn't answer. Feeling the pressure of Meng Hao's spirit, he involuntarily took two steps backwards.
"Is this the only sword like it in the whole world?" Meng Hao's eyes flickered as if with lightning. He continued moving forward, as if all the power he possessed were supporting him.
Wang Tengfei's face grew pale, and he continued to retreat.
"Wang Tengfei, these two swords are Meng Hao's! My swords of heaven and earth!" Eyes burning, Meng Hao leaped into the air, incantation patterns flashing in his hands. The two wooden swords glowed brightly, shooting toward the white tiger and the aquatic dragon.
A boom rang out as the white tiger was broken to pieces and the aquatic dragon shattered. Filled with power that seemed capable of destroying anything in the world, the two wooden swords shot toward Wang Tengfei.
Seeing them approach, Wang Tengfei suddenly lifted his head. He slammed his right hand down onto the ground, and a massive incense stick appeared. As it burned, tendrils of smoke curled up and then shot in Meng Hao's direction. As they moved, they transformed into two figures which slammed into the two wooden swords. A thunderous boom sounded out.
The incense stick was smashed, and the wooden swords retreated back to Meng Hao, who spat out a mouthful of blood. He watched as Wang Tengfei moved forward through the smoke. He didn't walk on the platform, but rather flew through the air, carried forward by tendrils of smoke. He looked at Meng Hao with a strange expression, then eyed the two wooden swords. At the moment, he was still completely at a loss about them, and had begun to doubt himself.
According to his research in the ancient records, the wooden sword really was unique in heaven and earth. There could not be a second one. Regardless of that, the sword was exactly the same one he had seen before, except now there were two…
Meng Hao looked at Wang Tengfei soaring through the air and let out a cold snort. He slapped his bag of holding and two ordinary flying swords appeared. He stepped forward onto them, and they carried him flying into the air. This caused quite a stir amongst the observing Cultivators.
"Only Cultivators who have reached Foundation Establishment can fly. But look, he's flying…"
"Brother Wang has some magical item that lets him fly temporarily, but Meng Hao… he's not sparing any spiritual energy at all. He's using the flying swords to fly."
Killing intent flickered in Wang Tengfei's eyes as he stared at Meng Hao. He put the matter of the wooden swords out of mind. Regardless of whether or not these were the treasures he had sought, he would take them away.
As the killing intent filled the air, Wang Tengfei slapped his bag of holding, and a strip of yellow paper appeared in front of him, a talisman. Its surface was inscribed with various mystical patterns, and it emitted a strong spiritual pressure. It shined with a golden light. This talisman appeared to be quite different than the one Han Zong had used.
"If you allow me to take the treasure, you can feel some pride when you reach the yellow springs of the underworld," said Wang Tengfei, glaring at Meng Hao. He felt somewhat distressed. This talisman was the last magical item in his bag of holding. He had spent everything else he possessed in his search for the wooden sword.
He would not have used the talisman were it not necessary. Normally, it could be used three times. But with the level of his Cultivation base, he could only use it once. Even still, it was powerful, enough to slay a Cultivator of the eighth level of Qi condensation.
Glaring coldly at Meng Hao, Wang Tengfei suddenly lifted his right hand and waved it in front of him. At the same time, his spat out some of his spiritual energy, transferring it to the talisman.
The talisman glowed with immeasurable brightness; as Meng Hao flew through the air, he looked down at it, and suddenly felt a stabbing pain inside him.
It was at this moment that Wang Tengfei's face changed. He suddenly realized that he didn't have enough spiritual energy… In fact, he now noticed that the spiritual energy in his body was continuously draining out through his wounded finger.
Because he had been enraged upon seeing the first wooden sword, then shocked and confused by the second, he hadn't sensed it until now. As of now, there was not enough spirit energy to fully activate the talisman, and not enough time to consume medicinal pills to replenish himself.
"Even though the talisman can't be fully utilized, it's still strong enough to kill someone of the sixth level of Qi condensation. Killing you will be as easy as falling off a log!" With no hesitation, he flung the talisman out. It suddenly appeared to be a golden sun which shot toward Meng Hao.
At this life-and-death juncture, a strange light appeared in Meng Hao's eyes. Even as he flew through mid-air, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the dream he had experienced the day he consumed the Flying Rain-Dragon's Demonic Core. In the dream, he had looked down into a lake and seen the reflection of the ancient Flying Rain-Dragon. Now, he could see the same thing again.
"A sovereign of the sky…" Meng Hao felt as if he were filled with good fortune. He closed his eyes, and as the golden sun summoned by the talisman approached, the Demonic Core which rested in his Core lake began to shudder. Then, a massive force of spiritual power burst out, filling Meng Hao's body and causing him to snap his hands out in front of him.
All of the various swords laying around, which he had previously lost control off, suddenly began to shake, then lifted into the air and sped toward Meng Hao. At the same time, the rest of the flying swords in his bag of holding flew out, along with the rest of the various magical items he possessed. They began to merge together, glowing with an intense brightness. All of this was happening, not because of Meng Hao's spiritual energy, but because of the Demonic Core's!
For some reason, the Demonic Core had suddenly been stirred into action, and its eruption had utilized some sort of underworldly power to control the nearly one hundred flying swords and magical items. In the blink of an eye, they had merged together to form… an ancient Flying Rain-Dragon!
Its form was somewhat indistinct, perhaps indistinguishable to the onlookers. Even Wang Tengfei wasn't aware of it, now that he had lost his Blood connection to the Legacy. Only Meng Hao could sense it.
The two wooden swords were the Flying Rain-Dragon's fangs. It let out a roar filled with the power of heaven and earth then charged toward the talisman. As soon as they met, a thunderous explosion rang out which shook the entirety of the Reliance Sect. The surrounding Outer Sect disciples retreated backward, nearly deafened. Some of the disciples with low-level Cultivation bases were nearly knocked senseless.
Both the talisman and the Flying Rain-Dragon contained power far beyond the sixth level of Qi condensation. When they smashed into each other, even someone of the seventh level would be shaken. Only someone of the eighth level might possibly be able to withstand the power.
As the reverberations from the explosion rang out, the golden sun faded rapidly, and the Flying Rain-Dragon began to fall apart. Layer by layer, one sword, ten swords, one hundred swords… they slowly fell, along with the other magical items which had merged together to form the dragon. They fell and transformed to ash, which drifted away in the wind.
The talisman slowly faded away, and the magical items forming the Flying Rain-Dragon disappeared… but not the two wooden swords. Instead, they shot forward toward pale-faced Wang Tengfei.
Wang Tengfei watched as the swords approached, stabbing toward his chest. Just as they were about to plunge into his heart, a light, sighing voice could be heard descending from the East Mountain.
"Very well, there's nothing left to do." Along with the sigh came a gentle force which appeared next to Wang Tengfei, blocking the wooden swords. Wang Tengfei was lifted up and pulled back, off of the platform and down onto the square. He coughed up blood, his eyes blank and confused. He couldn't believe it… he had lost.
He Luohua had appeared on the platform. Grand Elder Ouyang immediately saluted him with clasped fists. "Greetings, Sect Leader."
A buzz arose among the surrounding Outer Sect disciples. Each and every one greeted the Sect Leader and saluted respectfully.
Meng Hao looked pale. His spiritual energy was completely dried up. If the Flying Rain-Dragon's Demonic Core had not exercised its power, he would not have been able to continue. His bags of holding were now completely empty of any magical items. As far as he was concerned, this battle had been a bitter one indeed.
Although he wasn't quite willing to let Wang Tengfei continue to live, with the Sect Leader here, he had no choice. He would not be able to kill Wang Tengfei this day.
Without a word, he descended onto the platform, his stubborn personality forcing his body to remain upright. He took a few steps forward, then reached down to pick up the Wang Tengfei's talisman, which had drifted to the ground, and placed it into his robe. Then he lifted his head and looked at He Luohua.
"In this match, Meng Hao is the winner," said He Luohua, looking at Meng Hao with a slight smile. "From this day forth, he is the third member of the Reliance Inner Sect." His words rang out over the silent square. The minds of the onlookers were still reeling, the details of the battle replaying in their heads.
Wang Tengfei looked confused, and when he heard He Luohua's words, he let out a bitter laugh. He looked around at the crowd, who already seemed to have forgotten him, and his heart filled with regret. He laughed again, then coughed up some blood, and collapsed into unconsciousness.
As he collapsed, Meng Hao bit down hard on his own tongue. He saluted He Luohua, then sat down cross-legged and began to meditate.
Grand Elder Ouyang looked at him, his eyes filled with admiration. He slapped his own bag of holding and produced a medicinal pill, which flew forward toward Meng Hao. Meng Hao grabbed it and popped it into his mouth.
He was exhausted to the extreme. Despite his eyes growing dim, he continued on with his breathing exercises, slowly attempting to recover.
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