2 - A Scholar With Two Blades
Shangguan Xiu's voice once again sounded on the platform: "There is also… a Dry Spirit Pill." A purple colored medicinal pill could be seen in her hand. Meng Hao smiled, no, Antony smiled. It was the most awaited moment he had always dreamed of when he came to this world and started killing animals in the forest. Antony was an excellent marksman in his country's elite troops and always liked hunting, but with boring political movements and false moralists disturbing the peace of common people, he was unable to hunt and use his favorite sport in his country. But now in a world where honor and values were written not by pens but by swords and strength, everything in front of Antony was a true hunting ground.
"This is… a dry spirit pill!"
"This is… this is something incredibly precious to anyone below the fifth level of Qi Condensation. There can't be many within the sect and yet here it is!"
"When this pill is distributed, the fighting here in the Outer Sect will be fierce. Who knows how many people will die?" The crowd buzzed as they looked at the glowing pill held by Shangguan Xiu, their faces filled with greed and desire. This was especially true for disciples who were about to reach a new level of cultivation. They were practically panting.
"Originally, the Dry Spirit Pill was not supposed to be distributed today. However, I heard that a disciple was promoted to the Outer Sect this month, which made me very happy. If we can do this every month, then shining glory will be just around the corner for the Reliance Sect. I grant this pill to that person as an encouragement." Shangguan Xiu smiled, and his bright eyes swept through the crowd and fell on Meng Hao.
Meng Hao's heart began to race. It was time for his red show. The pill flew like a rocket and landed in Meng Hao's hand to stick and not come off easily. Meng Hao cooled his expressions and allowed the spiritual energy to come out calmly like poison going into a viper's glands.
At that moment, Meng Hao was the center of attention of everyone present.
Greed and cruelty filled his expressions, as if they planned to tear him apart alive. Even Chen Fan and Xu Qing beside Shangguan Xiu were looking on. Xu Qing had a shocked expression on her face, which she quickly covered up with an icy expression.
"Haha, so a first level Qi Condensation disciple receives the pill. There will be a lot of fighting this time. This guy is going to be public enemy number one."
"He will die. The last time there was an Individual Pill Day, the guy who received the pill was at the second level of Qi Condensation. He hesitated for a moment longer, then Senior Brother Zhao Wugang angrily dragged him into the Public Area and chopped off his head."
The sound of the argument reverberated throughout the square, and many disciples of the second or third level of Qi Condensation, despite knowing the danger, became greedy. Since the cultivation base of the person who received the pill was so weak, they felt qualified to snatch it away.
Soon, many extras came to Meng Hao for his pill, and Meng Hao just stared at them as if they were dead meat ready for cutting and cooking. They were ready to kill Meng Hao but there was a waiting time to assist and give the pill day hunting time to flee, negotiate, throw away or die for the pill. This time was measured by the brightness of the statues around the courtyard, which diminished as time passed.
"If you don't give me this pill, on this very day, next year, it will be the anniversary of your death" was the funniest threat that got a laugh from Meng Hao that attracted the attention of everyone there. Was Meng Hao crazy? They think.
At that moment, two old men were sitting cross-legged on one of the nearby mountain peaks, smiling as they discussed the scene unfolding in the Sect's Outer Plaza.
"Master Shangguan really doesn't pay attention to things. To give the medicinal pill to a little boy like the one who just entered the sect… He is dead. It seems that our Reliance Sect will be short of another disciple."
"The fight this time will not be interesting at all. I bet that as soon as the restrictive fog clears from the square, the little guy will throw away the pill." but at that moment, Meng Hao's laughter attracted them.
"Ohhh I've seen a lot of laughs like that"
"Me too, that kind of happiness....."
"A hunter surrounded by game, after years without tasting blood"
"Who is this little boy?"
As soon as the second old man finished speaking, the nine colorful statues carved into dragons that surrounded the square began to fade. From the looks of it, after about ten breaths, they would become completely colorless. At that point, the restrictive fog would also disappear.
Meng Hao stopped laughing and his studious expression was replaced by the smile of a military man, an officer looking down on the recruits and those beneath him.
He stepped forward and shouted, "The disciple has something to say."
"Being able to come to the Reliance Sect and experience the wonders of living among the Immortals was a wonderful stroke of luck. The Disciple would very much like to thank the only person who made this possible."
"Disciple has been waiting day and night for another opportunity to lay eyes on her, to thank her in person. Today, I finally have that opportunity." He spoke faster and faster, and as he did so, Shangguan Xiu stared in shock, no longer leaving.
"That person is Elder Sister Xu. Elder Sister Xu, Younger Brother is extremely grateful for what you have done and is truly unable to reciprocate. I would like to offer this pill to you as a measure of my gratitude for giving me a new lease on life." Meng Hao raised his right hand, raising the medicinal pill high into the air.
Shangguan Xiu gaped, clearly never imagining that Meng Hao would say such a thing. A strange expression appeared on his face and he smiled slowly. Beside him in his silver robe, Xu Qing also looked on in shock. Even though she was still cold and distant, there was something different about her expression now. Her cultivation base was the seventh level of Qi Condensation, therefore Dry Spirit Pills would not be of much help to her. However, Dry Spirit Pills were still relatively rare and not easy to acquire, even for her, an Inner Sect member. If she took this pill and fused it with some other pills, she could create a new pill worth five normal pills. For a moment, she couldn't help but throb with anxiety.
At this moment, even Chen Fan with a cold expression looked at Meng Hao.
Everyone was quiet. The cultivators who had been advancing on Meng Hao suddenly stopped, with strange expressions on their faces. They looked at him confused.
After an uproar and conversations among the extras who were wondering who was crazy enough to steal from Senior Sister Xu Qing, the time Meng Hao had to run or hide, negotiate or simply give up was over and anyone could take the pill for themselves but no one took a step forward.
Xu Qing's surprised expression returned to normal. Without hesitation, her right hand descended and the medicinal pill flew from Meng Hao's hand into hers. Seeing the pill being taken out, Meng Hao secretly sighed in happiness that everything was going as usual. Xu Qing would gift him with an immortal's cave and his cultivation would be improved once again and with his plans post pill distribution, the fourth level of qi condensation was a reality! Around him, everyone sighed, feeling angry at Meng Hao. But as soon as they thought of Elder Sister Xu, such anger dissipated.
Mrs. Xu hesitated for a moment. Considering her status as an Inner Sect disciple, it would be a bit inappropriate to take something so valuable from an Outer Sect disciple and offer nothing in return.
She was silent for a moment, then said, "Years ago, when I was a member of the Outer Sect, an Immortal's Cave was granted to me. I'll lend it to you to live in." She reached into her bag and pulled out a slip of white jade. She threw it toward Meng Hao and he snatched it out of the air.
Just then, atop the mountain peaks outside the Outer Sect were the two gray-clothed old men who were betting on the proceedings. Tall and grand, their eyes sparkled with praise. They laughed heartily.
"This boy is very interesting. He has just joined the sect, but he already knows that he should find someone to trust. Don't tell me he has innate instincts... Very good, splendid. He understands the true meaning of the Reliance Sect. This kid is not bad. He's really not bad!"
"Yes, you're right, but what will happen now? Your hunter expression... It has become more fierce"
"Now for the dogs who desired and who desire what is mine.... Come all at once. I will kill you and your flesh and blood will be the bricks that form the road to my path towards immortality!" She raged at Meng Hao and using all her power and body strengthened in the second phase of qi condensation, she leapt up and opened a hole in the courtyard and landed outside the courtyard. "Come to the public area, all those who wish to die"
The gray-clothed old men on top of one of the mountains looked over and smiled even more: "This little boy is different, he has power, a fighting power that few people have at this level of cultivation."
In the public area, a hundred disciples battle for other disciples' items, spiritual stones, and pills. Most of those fighting were not in the square for Pill Day and were unaware of Meng Hao's challenge, and that was a big mistake! They didn't know that a hungry hunter was stalking them now!
Meng Hao chose 2 men at the peak of the third level of qi condensation fighting with their swords that were clearly magical treasures. With a powerful punch loaded with spiritual energy, Meng Hao strikes a blow to the temple of one of the men, the blow is accurate and although the punch does not open his head, fluids excrete from the orifices and the man struggles on the ground and dies but before he falls, Meng Hao takes his sword and attacks the other man. That guy couldn't imagine that someone at the second level of qi condensation killed a cultivator 2 levels above him! But the surprised man could do nothing when his head was severed and his blade taken by Meng Hao.
"Your God of death descends before you! Come to me those who wish to be reincarnated!" Meng Hao's proud and authoritative warning attracted the attention of everyone there and aroused hatred from those distributing pills. What happened that day was known as the massacre of 74.
There was no chance for those at the third level and below qi condensation. Meng Hao cut like a God of swords and laughed like a God of death, Meng Hao was not an excellent swordsman, Antony had not trained with weapons like that in his past life, he had rifles and pistols and it was not necessary to use swords and it was obvious to understand This was because Meng Hao's cuts and attacks were harsh and thick without the fluidity of a master and the calmness of an apprentice.
The first to attack was cut from the right shoulder to the left hip. The second had his heart pierced by the high-speed blade. The third had his left calf shattered and his head trampled to death and the fourth, trying to take advantage of the fact that Meng Hao was killing the third, attempted a surprise strike but the tip of Meng Hao's blade took out his vision with a hard, sharp cut. , he could no longer see anything and for a while he tried to flee but Meng Hao's blade ended his painful life with an attack to the back of his head. The fifth and sixth rushed forward together, Meng Hao kicked with frightening speed into the stomach, dantian region, and the sixth had his head severed in a powerful blow. The frightened seventh tasted Meng Hao's two blades with a dozen cuts across vital and weak regions. The eighth used all of his strength for a suicide attack but Meng Hao dodged, Meng Hao stuck one of the swords into the ground and grabbed his neck and twisted it until it broke into pieces and he died on the ground.
74. 74 cultivators were killed and their corpses torn apart by Meng Hao with Antony in control of the body. At the end of the massacre, there was nothing to be done, no one was crazy enough to go near Meng Hao with his body and green robes filthy with blood and body parts adorning it like the jewelry of an insane killer.