Blood Battle Fang Yan (5)

Hao Meng's imposing aura surged with each passing moment. Though his arms still trembled, his entire being radiated peak vitality.

The cheers from below continued, and Fang Yan's blood-colored sword shadows still danced wildly in the air, but Hao Meng's heart was as still as calm water. All external noise and distractions vanished.

A crystal-clear pill appeared in his hand, the sole Heavenly Origin Immortal Pill.

There were countless types of pills in the world. Unlike martial arts and cultivation techniques, which were classified into Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow tiers, pills were divided into only Mortal Grade Pills and Immortal Grade Pills. These could be further subdivided into nine ranks. Most cultivators in the Core Formation Realm and Nascent Soul Realm only needed Mortal Grade Pills. While Immortal Grade Pills were superior, the immense natural energy they contained was too overwhelming for those with insufficient strength. Forcing oneself to consume them would bring more harm than good.

The Heavenly Origin Immortal Pill in Hao Meng's hand was a genuine Rank 9 Mortal Grade Pill, arguably the most potent pill a cultivator below the Nascent Soul Realm could use.

The Heavenly Origin Immortal Pill was rumored to have been created by the renowned alchemist Ouyang Ling during his Nascent Soul Realm cultivation. Ouyang Ling, born a commoner, showed no exceptional talent and couldn't cultivate until he was fifteen. By chance, he began studying alchemy and became completely engrossed. He eventually achieved enlightenment through alchemy, reaching the Tribulation Crossing Realm, and was known as the Medicine Immortal.

This Master Ouyang dedicated his life to aiding commoners. Unlike many other alchemy grandmasters, he freely shared all the precious pill recipes he created throughout his life, greatly accelerating the development of alchemy in the Immortal Realm.

Three hundred years ago, on Giant Pillar Peak, over five hundred miles west of the White Dragon Empire, Ouyang Ling, under the reverent gazes of countless people, ascended towards his tribulation lightning amidst colorful auspicious clouds. After eighty-one bolts of lightning, he vanished along with the vibrant medicinal light. No one knew if he had successfully entered the Ascension Realm, but the legend of the Medicine Immortal was forever etched into the glorious history of the Immortal Realm.

The pill in Hao Meng's hand required over sixty types of rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures and took thirty days to refine. It was priceless, but it also possessed incredible power. It could instantly mobilize all the natural energy within the user's Dantian, allowing them to unleash a desperate, all-or-nothing attack.

The Dantian was where cultivators stored their natural energy. Each step, from Core Formation to Nascent Soul, and then to expanding the Immeasurable Sea, required condensing energy within the Dantian. Unless absolutely necessary, no cultivator would risk mobilizing all the power within their Dantian. It was a true act of giving one's all, a last resort.

And Hao Meng believed this was the moment to gamble everything he had.

Without hesitation, he consumed the Heavenly Origin Immortal Pill. A surge of potent medicinal energy flowed through his body via his widened meridians, traveling from the Shangqu acupoint to the Qi Sea, and finally directly to his Dantian.

Five years of day and night cultivation had accumulated an astonishing amount of natural energy in Hao Meng's Dantian. However, unlike most cultivators, this energy hadn't transformed into a vortex to form a Golden Core. Instead, it lay dormant in his Dantian like a stagnant pool, exuding an aura of decay.

At this moment, the surging medicinal power of the Heavenly Origin Immortal Pill struck this pool of stagnant energy like a massive boulder, stirring up a thousand waves. The immense energy in Hao Meng's Dantian churned, flowing into the meridians throughout his body, circulating through acupoints in a continuous cycle.

The white light between his fists intensified with the dramatic changes within his Dantian. The White Tiger phantom behind him began to transform, and a majestic Azure Dragon suddenly appeared. This was a celestial phenomenon that only manifested when the Dragon Tiger Fighting Saint Fist reached its sixth stance, yet it appeared on Hao Meng, who hadn't even formed a Core yet, causing all the family elders in the stands to exclaim in disbelief.

"The sixth stance, Azure Dragon's Unyielding Regret. Ever since our Hao Family ancestor created the Dragon Tiger Fighting Saint Fist, no one has ever used this move before reaching the Core Formation Realm."

Hao Meng knew better than anyone the difficulty of the sixth stance of the Dragon Tiger Fighting Saint Fist. The natural energy required for this move was far beyond what a cultivator who hadn't formed a Core could imagine. Yet, even knowing it was impossible, he had to take the risk. He couldn't retreat. Behind him were over a hundred students from the Profound Tier Class, all their hopes resting on him. Even if it cost him his life, Hao Meng would defy the heavens today.

Across from him, Fang Yan, cloaked in blood-colored armor, seemed to have lost all self-awareness, completely controlled by the viscous blood armor. His eyes held only endless killing intent. His intense combat instincts drove him to unleash blow after blow, each strike carrying astonishing power, leaving terrifying sword marks on the stage. Any one of these blows was enough to kill the current Hao Meng.

He moved with bizarre footwork, flashing across the stage, letting out beast-like roars. Fang Yan, completely driven by his killing instinct, attacked in ways that defied logic, making it impossible for Hao Meng to defend.

Another blood blade narrowly grazed his ear. Hao Meng executed a clumsy roll to avoid Fang Yan's attack, but Fang Yan, having missed, suddenly reversed his grip like a phantom, reoriented his sword in mid-air, and swept it towards Hao Meng's throat.

The aura of death descended. This blow was unavoidable. With a roar, Hao Meng's Marauder Wisteria Armor emitted a dazzling purple light, activating its special skill—Marauder's Doom—instantly blocking the fatal strike.

Fang Yan, now a puppet of blood energy and killing intent, didn't falter when his deadly attack was thwarted. He leaped up, his long sword flying from his right hand. He caught the hilt with his left hand and slashed down at Hao Meng's right arm again.

The armor's special skill was on cooldown. In a flash, Hao Meng could only raise his arm to block. An intense pain shot through him as a horrific wound pierced his entire right arm.

He pulled out his last healing pill and swallowed it. But an even more astonishing sight appeared: the blood energy spread over the wound like an unshakeable parasite. The pill's power couldn't stop the bleeding or heal the wound quickly. Fang Yan's sword swung again. Hao Meng was truly pushed to the brink.

The natural energy in his Dantian churned relentlessly, vast amounts of it forced into his meridians. In stark contrast to the vigorous life force within him were the numerous wounds on Hao Meng's body. Gasping for breath, he was nearing his physical limit. Fang Yan, after consuming the Blood Demon Pill, had completely surpassed human limits. This life-draining combat style was beyond anything Hao Meng could have imagined.

The battle grew more intense, and everyone in the stands held their breath. Hao Xiaomeng, who had been hiding beside Li Mu, finally couldn't help but cry. Watching her brother fight desperately on the stage, how could her heart not ache? Her brother had always been so gentle, carrying all the burdens himself.

Dodging another fatal blow, Hao Meng finally felt all the immense energy from his Dantian being squeezed into his meridians. His entire body now shone with white light, and the Azure Dragon phantom behind him was incredibly solid. He punched Fang Yan's long sword away. Hao Meng took a deep breath, stepped forward with his right foot, and stood before Fang Yan like a giant.

The mysterious sash around his waist flashed, activating its special skill—All Things Spring Revival!

Green light enveloped Hao Meng's entire body. The blood energy attached to his wounds dissipated instantly under the green glow, and all his wounds began to stop bleeding and heal at a visible rate. Both his body and mind reached their optimal state.

"Such potent life energy. What kind of magical artifact is that? To possess such power. This kid has an endless supply of weapons and artifacts. It seems his family values him greatly."

Elder Qin, watching from the stands, was impressed by Hao Meng's diverse abilities. Endless pills and powerful weapons and artifacts were all components of a cultivator's strength, and there was nothing wrong with that.

Assuming a simple horse stance, facing the aggressive, blood-colored Fang Yan, Hao Meng stood in the center of the stage like a god of war, an unyielding guardian. This was the epitome of his five years of relentless effort: unremarkable, yet flawless.

His meridians had expanded to their limit. A massive amount of natural energy converged on his fists. Strength, spirit, and unity achieved perfect balance at this moment. He unleashed his fists, and the Azure Dragon behind him roared, lunging towards Fang Yan in the sea of blood. His fist technique was unstoppable, without regret.

The sixth stance of the Dragon Tiger Fighting Saint Fist—Azure Dragon's Unyielding Regret—was perfectly executed by Hao Meng, who had yet to form a Core.

This was no longer the power of a cultivator before the Core Formation Realm. Even a cultivator who had entered the Core Formation Realm would be unable to block this punch, let alone Fang Yan.

The sea of blood shattered before the Azure Dragon. Even the blood-colored armor couldn't withstand the slightest bit of this punch. Fang Yan flew out of the ring like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the ground. His long sword was also stuck upright beside him.

Fang Yan, defeated!

The entire arena fell silent, everyone stunned into speechlessness by the scene. Someone let out the first cheer, followed by the eruption of the entire crowd. Hao Meng stood on the stage, bathed in the sunset's glow, like an immortal, receiving everyone's admiration.

Just as Hao Meng steadied his breathing and prepared to leave the stage, the natural energy that had been forced into his meridians suddenly began to surge back into his Dantian. This time, it wasn't calm but transformed into a golden vortex, spinning continuously.

A golden, round Core slowly appeared. Hao Meng was greatly alarmed. This sudden turn of events left him somewhat flustered. A figure in white leaped from the stands and came to Hao Meng's side. It was Mu Bai.

"Calm your breathing, draw all the natural energy into your Dantian, and maintain the stable rotation of the vortex. You are about to form your Core."

His words struck Hao Meng like thunder. The scene he had longed for over the past five years was actually happening now. His persistence and hard work had finally culminated in this joy. With this step, he had truly embarked on the path of cultivation.

He calmed his mind and, escorted by Mu Bai, arrived at a quiet room outside the arena. Sitting cross-legged, Hao Meng continuously guided all the natural energy into his Dantian. Core formation was a long process, sometimes taking a day, sometimes several months. But when he succeeded, he would undergo a complete transformation.