The next steps were relatively simple. Wang Hao first went to pay a visit to the Iron Sword Sect. However, unlike the Beggars' Sect and the Fragrant Jade Fan Sect, the Iron Sword Sect was a standard Taoist School. Although they had done some despicable things, they were all harmless.
After all, it's very difficult to find a purely Taoist School these days. Even the two supreme sects that dominate the martial arts world, Shaolin and Wudang Sect, have a lot of dirty deeds behind the scenes.
Therefore, we shouldn't be too strict with people. As long as it's not a heinous crime that disregards human life, we can turn a blind eye.
Upon arriving at the Iron Sword Sect, Wang Hao didn't bother with any pleasantries before resorting to force. He immediately displayed overwhelming strength. The Iron Sword Sect leader, being a pragmatic man, sensibly handed over all their martial arts manuals, even their direct lineage Iron Sword Swordsmanship.
Seeing that the other party was so sensible, Wang Hao didn't kill him. He only severely injured him, and incidentally killed Liu Zhengfeng and some of the others who deserved to die. Then he left.
What followed was relatively simple. Wang Hao would sweep through three or four Jianghu forces every day until he temporarily stopped a month later.
Over the past month, he has visited every Second-rate force in the Jiangnan martial arts world, killing or severely injuring the experts of those forces.
After all, these sects all have their share of dirty deeds. Although he wouldn't kill those who hadn't done many bad things, he could spare them the death penalty but not escape punishment. It was inevitable that they would be seriously injured.
During that time, those forces did try to take action against him, including ambushing, poisoning, setting traps, and even once using a honey trap.
Unfortunately, before he could even enjoy it, the beautiful woman who had used her charms was suddenly eliminated by Zhou Xueyi, leaving him with a deep sense of regret.
After all, that beautiful woman was his favorite type of woman with big, wavy hair!
Of course, it was just a bit of a pity; he wouldn't blame Zhou Xueyi for the sake of an outsider with ill intentions.
Having dealt with the major forces in the Jiangnan martial arts world, Wang Hao compiled all the martial arts manuals he had collected into a book. Along with the martial arts scrolls he had copied from the Mount Heng Sword Sect, he disguised himself using the Thousand Faces Divine Technique and mailed them to Dongfang Bai through a reputable escort agency.
After settling all these matters, he traveled to Xiangyang in a completely different guise to reunite with Xie Feng.
On the other side, Zhou Xueyi, Ding Dian, and others also made good progress. Yu Shu also dispatched a large fleet to meet them at various ports along the Yangtze River and the coast. In just one month, they transported away 100,000 beggars and those unfortunate women from brothels.
Indeed, all the unfortunate courtesans under Fragrant Jade Fan's command, as long as they weren't inherently bad, were taken away by Ding Dian and his men.
After all, these women have lost their innocence, and even if they are taken back to their hometowns, they will not have a good ending. At best, they will be kicked out of their homes, and at worst, they will be drowned in pig cages.
This is similar to the girls like Yushu who were abducted by the Japanese pirates, so Wang Hao's overseas base is the best choice for these girls, where they can start a new life.
Of course, this was something Wang Hao specifically instructed him to do.
After all, most of the disabled beggar children under the Beggars' Sect' Sect were boys. Some of the girls were sold to Fragrant Jade Fan, while others, being weaker than boys by nature, could not endure that miserable life and died.
Although Wang Hao wished he could dig up and whip the corpses of those Beggars' Sect Clan leaders who had already been dealt with, he couldn't bring those girls back to life. So he could only secretly vow in his heart to eradicate such dirty businesses as brothels and casinos in the future and realize the ideal of a world without beggars.
"How's your practice of the Evil-Suppressing Heart Sutra going?"
Upon arriving in Xiangyang, Wang Hao was quite satisfied with Xie Feng, whose spirits and energy had improved considerably.
The upcoming experiment does not have high physical requirements, but it has extremely demanding requirements on mental will. That's why he went to the trouble of getting Xie Feng to put aside all his concerns and join in willingly. He even specially sent over the Evil-Suppressing Heart Sutra that he got from Fragrant Jade Fan's fan.
"Your subordinate has lived up to your expectations and has already completed the cultivation of the Evil-Suppressing Heart Sutra!"
Xie Feng replied respectfully, changing his address to Wang Hao from "Young Master" to "Master," thus genuinely acknowledging Wang Hao as his master.
"That's good. Tomorrow, go to the valley fifty miles northwest of the city. Oh, and remember to bring your wife and daughter with you; their presence should increase your chances of success."
Nodding in satisfaction again, Wang Hao gave an order and then walked briskly out of the city.
Although the plan is to start tomorrow, he still needs to make some preparations in advance.
"My husband, we..."
Xie Feng, Xiufang's wife who had been silent until now, spoke up with concern, but before she could finish speaking, Xie Feng waved his hand to interrupt her.
Raising his hand to gently stroke his wife's cheek, Xie Feng explained resolutely yet helplessly, "I have no other way to survive now. I can only fight as the Lord said, otherwise, given my collapsed meridians and dantian, I will only live for another half a month at most."
Xie Feng felt helpless about this. He knew his own situation well, and one could even say that he was currently in a state of temporary lucidity before death.
After all, the meridians are the channels through which the body's Qi (vital energy) circulates. Without the constraints of the meridians, that Qi will quickly dissipate.
His body is now like a tattered sack; no matter how strong his foundation or how much energy he generates, it will all dissipate completely.
Qi does not arise from nothing; it is generated autonomously by the human body and is not infinite.
It's already quite an achievement that he's survived this long, so his only way out now is to do as Wang Hao says.
That way he would have a sliver of hope; otherwise, he would simply close his eyes and wait to die.
"Don't worry, even if not for myself, I will survive for you and Ning'er!"
He pulled his worried wife into his arms, his Xie Feng showing a resolute expression.
He will definitely survive tomorrow!
Leaving aside what happened to Xie Feng, Wang Hao soon arrived at a valley outside the city.
The valley here is extremely large, spanning several miles in circumference. According to Liu Zhengfeng, the Ming Cult once ambushed 100,000 elite cavalry of the Yuan Dynasty here, and the battle was extremely fierce.
The Yuan Dynasty's most elite 100,000 cavalrymen all perished here, which also cut off the last breath of the Yuan Dynasty. From then on, it never recovered, suffered defeat after defeat, and was eventually destroyed by various rebel armies.
Of course, the Ming Cult also suffered heavy losses in this battle. It is said that most of the Five Elements Flags were lost here, and most of the Ming Cult's masters also perished.
This battle severely weakened the Ming Cult's leadership, creating an opportunity for Zhu Yuanzhang to seize power within the Ming Cult.
The dead warhorses and the bodies of the warriors were buried on the spot, so beneath this valley lie the remains of more than 200,000 soldiers, as well as a large number of broken weapons.
This is precisely the ancient battlefield that Wang Hao specifically asked Liu Zhengfeng to find!
Liu Zhengfeng had been waiting there for a long time, accompanied by dozens of people and a large amount of valuable supplies that had been collected.
After processing the supplies and burying them in the pre-calculated locations, the work took most of the night. By the time they were finished, the sun had already risen in the east.
Three figures, two adults and Xiao San, appeared on the perimeter; they were none other than Xie Feng and his family of three.
" Xie Feng, you must be well aware of your current situation. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that even a god couldn't save you. So, if you want to survive, or even gain stronger power, you'll have to resort to some unorthodox methods."
I once obtained an ancient secret technique that could refine people into Soldier Man, essentially a kind of living dead, somewhere between the dead and the living. However, this is my first time trying to use this technique, and I don't have absolute confidence in its effectiveness.
It's not too late for you to regret it now!
Having prepared everything, Wang Hao strode over, his gaze fixed intently on Xie Feng.
The success rate of this experiment was too low. He hoped that Xie Feng could completely let go of all his worries, devote himself wholeheartedly to the experiment, and remain steadfast in his belief, so as to maximize the success rate.
He even regretted not stopping Xie Feng from using such self-harming and desperate methods. After all, true men like him are rare, and it would be a great pity if he died.
"My lord, I have already made my decision. Rather than prolonging my life for another half month, I'd rather take a gamble. And I believe I will survive this time!"
Xie Feng patted his wife's shoulder to comfort her, then looked at Wang Hao with an extremely resolute and determined expression, his eyes revealing an intense desire to live.
He will definitely succeed this time!
"If you've thought it through, then that's fine!"
Wang Hao gave Xie Feng a deep look and said in a deep voice, "Be prepared and enter that blood pool. Remember, unwavering faith is the key to survival. No matter what, you must hold fast to your will and not let negative emotions overwhelm your mind. Otherwise, I don't need to elaborate on the consequences; you should be able to guess some of them."
Xie Feng didn't say much. He kissed his wife and daughter on the forehead, and then resolutely stepped into the pool of blood.
Within this pool of blood stood a massive bronze pillar, three feet thick. Xie Feng glanced at it and stood close to the pillar. Two men in black stepped forward and used fine steel chains to firmly bind Xie Feng to the pillar, circling him hundreds of times, until he was completely immobilized, like a dumpling.
"Pour in blood!"
With everything ready, Wang Hao immediately gave the order, and a dozen or so men in black carried nine large wooden barrels and poured the blood inside into the blood pit, leaving only Xie Feng's head exposed.
This blood was obtained by Wang Hao through Liu Zhengfeng's deliberate act of killing a group of notorious bandits.
After all, Wang Hao is a man with principles. He can't kill innocent people indiscriminately, but it's different when dealing with those bandits who commit arson, murder, robbery, and all sorts of evil deeds. There's no need to be polite when dealing with such scum.
As for this blood, it can be considered a way to make use of waste!
"That's about enough!"
Seeing the sunlight shining on the blood pool, Wang Hao stepped forward, used his Ziwei Soft Sword to make Palm One, suppressing the restorative effect of his Bloodline Power, and allowing his own blood to flow quickly from the wound on his palm and drip into the blood pool below.
As blood dripped in, the blood pool began to ripple strangely, eventually seeming to boil and emitting an intense heat.
Immediately following, an eerie crimson light emanated from the blood pool, darkening the sky wherever it passed and causing the temperature in the valley to drop rapidly, as if all the sunlight's heat had been absorbed by the crimson light.
"It really works!"
Upon seeing the eerie crimson light, Wang Hao's face lit up with joy, knowing that he had already succeeded halfway.
At the same time, countless blood threads spread from the boiling blood pool and began to invade Xie Feng's body, slowly spreading across his neck and face, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.
"Ah!"
This change was accompanied by unimaginable pain, and even with Xie Feng's strong will, he couldn't help but scream in agony, his face contorted to the extreme.
"My husband!"
"Father!"
Xie Feng's wife and daughter shouted anxiously and took a step to rush over, but were stopped by Wang Hao.
" The Blood Sha has begun to gestate. At this moment, it doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. If you go over there, you will be completely eroded until only bones remain. Later, Xie Feng will need you to strengthen his will to live. It's best to stay here for now."
To put it simply, Wang Hao turned his head and stared intently at the crimson light that was gradually evolving and taking shape in mid-air.
That is the legendary Blood Sha!