The two hadn't walked far when they encountered Liu Zhengfeng and his group coming towards them.
" Young Master Zhu, it's so good that you're all alright!"
Liu Zhengfeng and the others, who were cautiously making their way forward, were taken aback when they saw Wang Hao and the other two emerge. But when they saw that Xie Feng seemed to have regained his senses, they all breathed a sigh of relief and put away their weapons.
To be honest, they made a huge decision to come here, after all, the power they displayed in their Xie Feng- breaking state was truly terrifying.
Not only did it snap hundreds of turns of the fine steel chain, but it also lifted the massive copper pillar weighing tens of thousands of kilograms and flung it away as if it were a chopstick.
That divine power far exceeded their imagination, not to mention the physical sword energy that condensed afterward.
If they were to face that opponent, they would likely be instantly defeated.
So it took a lot of determination for them to come along; they even had the conviction to face death.
Fortunately, the situation did not develop in the worst possible way, sparing them some disaster.
"Go down the mountain first!"
Wang Hao gave Liu Zhengfeng a deep look, then said nothing more and continued walking down the mountain.
Liu Zhengfeng broke out in a cold sweat after being stared at by Wang Hao. He glanced back at the direction Wang Hao and the other man had come from, shuddered, and quickly followed.
The group quickly returned to the valley, where a man in black was tending to Xie Feng's wife, Wang Xiufang's, wounds, while little Ning'er stood guard nearby.
" Ning'er! Xiufang!"
Upon seeing his wife and daughter, Xie Feng was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to pick up his daughter.
But Xiao Ning'er instinctively took a step back, staring at him warily, her eyes seeming to say, "Uncle, who are you?"
There was no way around it; Wang Hao had indeed struck hard enough earlier, using his immense strength and Innate Qi to turn Xie Feng into a pig's head, and his clothes had long since been reduced to rags in the battle.
His appearance is so grotesque that even his own mother might not recognize him.
"..."
Xie Feng felt deeply hurt. He had fought so hard for so long and finally made it through, only to find that his little darling no longer recognized him!
The group rested on a clearing outside the valley, as they were not in a suitable condition to enter Xiangyang City and attract attention.
After some explanation and Wang Hao's confirmation, Xiao Ning'er finally confirmed that the pig-headed guy was her father. After some tidying up, Xie Feng took the opportunity to have Xiao Ning'er become Wang Hao's apprentice and decided to have his wife and daughter leave the Central Plains with Wang Hao.
He did this to demonstrate his loyalty, and also because he was unsure of his own condition and feared that another outburst could harm his wife and daughters.
Therefore, it would be safest for his wife and daughter to stay with Wang Hao, and at the same time, it would also secure a good future for his daughter.
Wang Hao found Xiao Ning'er to be quite adorable and also noted her exceptional talent, so he agreed.
From then on, he had three disciples: the eldest disciple Zhu Yuanwai, the second disciple Yushu, and the third disciple was this little Ning'er.
" Liu Zhengfeng, I must admit you are a smart and capable man. For the past month, you haven't given me a reason to kill you. However, the more outstanding you are, the stronger my desire to kill you becomes!"
Inside a makeshift wooden hut, Wang Hao stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the setting sun in the distance. Behind him stood Liu Zhengfeng, while Zhang Yi remained in Jiangnan to assist Ding Dian, Zhou Xueyi, and the others in relocating the beggar children.
After a month of turmoil, his deal with the Mount Heng Sword Sect was finally complete, and it was time to part ways.
However, it would be best to intimidate this guy one last time before leaving, since smart people often mean trouble.
"..."
These words left Liu Zhengfeng speechless, and his vest was soaked with cold sweat. He was inwardly cursing.
I knew this guy was still up to no good and was always looking for an opportunity to kill us. Luckily, I was smart enough not to give him an excuse to do it.
"Our transaction is now complete, but I need you to do one more thing!"
After a casual tap, Wang Hao got down to business.
"Please give your orders, young master, and I, Liu, will do my utmost!"
Liu Zhengfeng quickly responded, feeling a sense of relief.
Finally, we can get rid of this killer!
" The Central Plains is the stronghold of Confucian School. Given my current status, it is not appropriate for me to go there and cause trouble for the time being. Later, I will invite several other friends from my Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult to pay homage to the Five Mountains Sword Sect."
Therefore, I need you to send a formal letter of invitation in the name of the Mount Heng Sword Sect. I am not an unreasonable person; this time, I will only punish the ringleaders and borrow martial arts manuals. Let them not even think about escaping, otherwise they will not be facing one person paying homage, but several powerful figures of my level joining forces to hunt them down."
Wang Hao didn't waste any words and stated his requirements directly.
This was a last resort, since the Central Plains was the stronghold of Confucian School, and all eight branches of Confucian School were rooted there. If he went there under the guise of Zhu Yanzu, a member of the royal family, he might be targeted by Confucian School, or even be surrounded and killed by experts.
After all, even an unofficial member like Elder Chu attracted the attention of the Confucian School back then, whose mental state was shattered and whose cultivation could not make any progress thereafter.
Now that I'm going to their stronghold with the identity of a hidden member of the Da Ming Dynasty's royal family, it would be unreasonable for them not to respond.
Therefore, it's time to change the leadership and solidify the reputation of their Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult Sect. This will both attract some of the Confucian School' attention and prepare for the next phase of their plan.
It kills two birds with one stone, so why not?
"I, Liu, will personally deliver this visiting card!"
Liu Zhengfeng was taken aback at first, then solemnly made a promise, secretly delighted.
Their Mount Heng Sword Sect had been severely damaged by Wang Hao this time, falling into its weakest period. Naturally, they hoped that the other four Five Mountains Sword Sect would also be tormented by this guy.
In this way, everyone is on the same level again. Through this transaction, they not only obtained the sect's long-lost sword technique, but also the Innate skill, the Divine Illumination Scripture.
It's conceivable that in just a few years, their Mount Heng Sword Sect will become even stronger, perhaps even surpassing its former glory, and it's not impossible that a Half-step Innate expert will emerge from among them.
In that case, they would be the foremost of the Five Sacred Mountains!
" Young Master Zhu, do you need Liu and the others to continue cooperating? Our Mount Heng Sword Sect also has a solid intelligence network in other places."
With a quick glance, Liu Zhengfeng had a bold idea.
He wanted to continue cooperating with Wang Hao, firstly to obtain even greater rewards, and secondly to cut off the other four Five Mountains Sword Sect' opportunity to trade with this person, preventing the remaining four Five Mountains Sword Sect from obtaining the inheritance of their unique skills, which was equivalent to weakening the other party.
After all, he didn't want the other four major Five Mountains Sword Sect to also obtain some Innate secret techniques from this big shot, that would be a disaster.
"I'm pleased that you have this idea, but unfortunately, my friends who are about to take action aren't as good-natured as I am. Don't blame me for not warning you if they get wiped out!"
He turned around and looked at Liu Zhengfeng in front of him with a half-smile.
With his intelligence, how could he not understand this guy's true intention?
"Uh! I forgot that I also need to assist Young Master Zhu's two subordinates in relocating the Beggars' Sect's children, so I don't have any manpower available for the time being."
His expression froze for a moment, then Liu Zhengfeng gave an awkward laugh.
Although he really wanted to make another deal with Wang Hao and cut off the other opportunities from the Five Mountains Sword Sect, he valued his own life more.
If he were to be wiped out by other powerful figures invited by this big shot, he wouldn't even have a place to cry.
"Well, when you go to the Mount Hua Sect, take this challenge with you—a challenge to Feng Qingyang, the Mount Hua Sword Saint. It just so happens that our Holy Sect also has a Sword Saint who wants to compete with him for the title of Sword Saint."
Wang Hao said proudly, having already determined the identity he needed for his next plan.
"May I ask the name of this senior member of your esteemed sect...?"
Liu Zhengfeng was stunned again, clearly hearing for the first time that Feng Qingyang was still alive. However, he reacted quickly and immediately asked about the name of the Sword Saint that Wang Hao had mentioned.
At first, he was skeptical of the so-called Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult that Wang Hao mentioned. After all, he had searched through all the sect's past information and found not a single clue, as if the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult did not exist at all.
There are only three possibilities for this to happen.
First, the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult is not located in Central Plains Central Plains and has never had any dealings with the martial arts world there. Second, the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult Holy Sect does not exist at all; this guy in front of me just made it up to bluff. Third, the Heavenly Demon Sacred Cult was only recently established and has not yet made its mark in the Central Plains.
It now seems to be the third scenario!
They just didn't know the name of that Sword Saint. Once they knew the name, they would have a clue and be able to begin their investigation.
" Dugu Jian, the Sword Saint of Peerless City, created the Holy Spirit Swordsmanship, which is incomparably sharp!"
Wang Hao proudly revealed the name of that so-called friend.
That's right, the role he'll be playing next is that of the Sword Saint from the Feng Yun Riders.
After all, that person's name was quite renowned. Back in Huaxia before the transmigration, when people of that generation inquired about the title of Sword Saint, most would immediately think of the TV series " Feng Yun ".
The Sword Saint's character design is incredibly impressive, especially the Heaven-Destroying Earth-Extinguishing Sword Twenty-Three, which delivers a devastating blow before his death and leaves a lasting impression.
" Dugu?"
Liu Zhengfeng's heart skipped a beat. He had no recollection of the Peerless City Sword Saint or the Holy Spirit Swordsmanship, but the surname Dugu was somewhat legendary in the martial arts world.
"Could it be that the Sword Saint Dugu Jian is from that lineage?"
Liu Zhengfeng felt as if he had vaguely grasped some of the truth. If they were from that lineage, it seemed only natural that such a master would emerge.
After dismissing Liu Zhengfeng and the others, Wang Hao began to memorize and write down the secret manual of the Nine Swords of Dugu, and then handed it to Xie Feng.
"This is a sword technique created by the master of the Sword Intent you've fused with. It's currently quite suitable for your situation. However, I personally suggest that you use that Sword Intent as your last resort. After all, it wasn't something you cultivated on your own, and once it's damaged, it will be extremely difficult to recover. I'm sure you've already sensed that."
Wang Hao handed the manuscript to Xie Feng and then gave a final, serious reminder.
Sword Intent, and indeed all Martial Dao Will will, consumes energy when used, though the amount consumed is small, it is still a form of consumption.
If the Martial Dao Intent Realm is cultivated independently, the recovery will not be slow. However, the sword energy in Xie Feng's body was integrated through the baleful energy.
Although they have merged into one, they possess a certain degree of regenerative ability and can even become stronger.
But it wasn't his own, and Xie Feng didn't have much of a foundation in Sword Dao, so his recovery speed was only one percent of normal Martial Dao Will.
Therefore, he did not recommend that this guy use it as a regular method, unless this guy could completely refine that Sword Intent and have a sufficiently solid foundation in Sword Dao.
But achieving this is incredibly difficult; at least until Xie Feng breaks through to the Innate Realm, there is no hope.
"These are four sword techniques I obtained from the Mount Heng Sword Sect. I've improved them and reduced the side effects. You can try practicing them."
Wang Hao then picked up the second draft and handed it over. Inside were the cultivation methods for the four sword techniques of the Mount Heng Sword Sect, which he had written down from memory. He felt that this thing was more suitable for Xie Feng.
Although Xie Feng's dantian was completely destroyed, the human body has countless acupoints that can be used as a substitute for the dantian.
Of course, he only presented it to Xie Feng for reference, and then he created a new cultivation method suitable for himself based on his own situation.
This guy was able to create a martial art like the Blazing Fire Art based on the incomplete version of the Emei Nine Yang Art, so his talent in this area is naturally not bad.
"My lord, I beseech you to bestow upon me the Imperial Dragon Divine Fist!"
After taking the manuscript, Xie Feng hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but ask for permission.