Chapter 130: The Profound Meaning of Achieving Foundation Establishment

“Hahaha!” Du Meng laughed. “Fellow cultivators, we are all immortals!”

“How could immortals resort to fighting and killing?”

“Why don’t we…?”

“Why don’t we what?” Zhao Feng asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Hahaha!” Du Meng laughed. “Why don’t we have a battle of wits?”

“A battle of wits?!”

“That’s right!”

“What exactly is a battle of wits?” Zhao Feng asked, folding his arms and watching him at his leisure.

Du Meng rubbed his nose. “I have a magical treasure here. As long as you can look at it for more than ten seconds, you win!”

“Heh.” Zhao Feng laughed.

Du Meng continued, “If you win, we’ll follow your suggestion. But if you lose…”

In truth, Du Meng did not merely want to regain his dignity. He wanted to draw more people into the affair.

Only then could he fish in troubled waters.

Born into a cultivation family, Du Meng possessed information unavailable to others. He knew that the journey to the Extreme Yang Sea Eye would be exceedingly dangerous.

That was why he needed others to scout the way for him.

Zhao Feng watched him with folded arms, his expression amused.

Du Meng chuckled. “I wonder whether you have the courage, fellow cultivator!”

Zhao Feng said nothing.

Du Meng could not tell what he meant.

After a brief chuckle, Du Meng came up with an idea.

He turned toward the cultivators present and said, “Everyone, I have a magical treasure here! Anyone who can look at it for more than ten seconds will be allowed to join the journey to the Extreme Yang Sea Eye!”

Du Meng glanced at Zhao Feng. “Let me make this clear: anyone who lasts more than ten seconds may participate! If anyone tries to stop them then, we will all attack that person together!”

When he said “attack that person together,” Du Meng deliberately emphasized the words, then cast an ambiguous glance at Zhao Feng.

Zhao Feng stood there with his arms folded, silently watching Du Meng’s performance.

Du Meng’s proposal won the crowd’s approval, and voices rang out one after another.

“I think it’ll work!”

“Exactly! This will weed out those trying to fish in troubled waters!”

“That’s right! As long as we pass, we’ll be allowed to participate. Even the domineering ones won’t be able to say anything!”

“Exactly! We’ll all attack together!”

The crowd voiced its support.

Seeing their reaction, Du Meng chuckled.

He turned to Zhao Feng. “Fellow cultivator, what do you think?”

Zhao Feng gave a mocking laugh. “Sure.”

Du Meng blinked. “You agree?”

“Are you deaf?” Zhao Feng taunted.

“Hahaha!” Du Meng laughed.

“Very well! We’ll proceed as agreed.”

“Good!”

“I agree!”

“I agree as well!”

Du Meng looked toward Xiang Tao. “Xiao Tao, bring out the treasure!”

Xiang Tao nodded.

He removed the sixty-liter backpack from his back and unzipped it. At last, he pulled out a long scroll.

“Whoosh!”

The crowd erupted into an uproar, everyone beginning to whisper among themselves.

“What is that?”

“A painting?”

“My heavens! Because of the cultivation method I practice, I can already sense killing intent!”

“Killing intent?”

“That’s right! Killing intent condensed into tangible form!”

Xiang Tao glanced at Zhao Feng, hoping to find some trace of familiarity. Yet the Zhao Feng before him was worlds apart from the Zhao Feng in his memories.

Perhaps the Zhao Feng of the past had already died.

Xiang Tao handed the scroll to Du Meng.

Du Meng accepted it with a broad smile.

He said, “Who wants to go first?”

Everyone looked at one another, but no one was willing to be the first to step forward.

Du Meng chuckled. “Is no one willing to try?”

“I will!”

A voice rang out.

Everyone turned to look. The speaker was none other than Tyrant Blade Wang Hu.

Du Meng laughed. “Brother Wang Hu, you truly have courage!”

“Heh.” Wang Hu chuckled. “Brother Du Meng, to be honest, I’ve really been wanting to see what makes this magical treasure of yours so special.”

“You come from the Du family of Xiangjiang. Any treasure you brought with you must be extraordinary!”

Du Meng modestly shook his head. “You flatter me.”

“Heh!”

“Haha!”

Wang Hu walked over to Du Meng and took the scroll in one hand.

He drew a deep breath. “Let me see what makes it so extraordinary!”

With a ripping sound, Wang Hu tore the scroll open.

The painting was none other than the Thousand-Mile Iron Cavalry Painting!

The instant Wang Hu focused his gaze upon it, a vast, overwhelming aura of slaughter surged toward him.

“Kill!”

The cries of battle shook the heavens.

The iron cavalry and armored soldiers within the painting seemed to come alive, charging straight into Wang Hu’s mind in an endless tide.

“Pfft!”

Wang Hu spat out a mouthful of blood. “What the hell is this?”

He let out a terrified scream and clutched his chest. With a single glance, he had already suffered severe injuries.

“Heh!” Du Meng chuckled as he hurriedly rolled up the painting. “Is anyone else willing to try?”

“I will,” Zhai Xiangyu said.

Du Meng laughed. “Very well. Let Brother Zhai give it a try!”

Zhai Xiangyu smiled, walked over to Du Meng, and accepted the scroll.

He inhaled deeply, then tore it open with a sharp rip.

“Boom!”

A vast tide of warhorses charged forth.

They galloped like heavenly steeds descending from the ninth heaven, surging toward Zhai Xiangyu.

The horses whinnied while the armored soldiers shouted their battle cries.

These scenes overwhelmed every flash of saber and sword.

Within the painting, all the spectators could feel was slaughter.

Pure, unadulterated slaughter.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

“Pfft!”

At the fourth second, Zhai Xiangyu spat out a mouthful of blood.

He stared at Du Meng in horror. “Brother Du Meng, where did you get this painting?”

Du Meng chuckled. “It is a treasure passed down through my family.”

“Heh! The current head of my Du family once said that whoever can comprehend the profound meaning hidden within this painting will certainly be able to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator!”

“What?!”

Everyone was shocked.

They stared at Du Meng in astonishment.

“Brother Du Meng, is that true?”

“Yes, is it really true?”

“What profound meaning could this painting possibly contain?”

Du Meng smiled. “Let us continue with the selection. After the journey to the Extreme Yang Sea Eye is over, I will explain everything to you.”

“Good!”

“We’ll hold you to that!”

Afterward, Iron Tower Taishan, Whirlwind Iron Monkey, and several other renowned cultivators all tried their hands. Yet not one of them managed to last ten seconds. Every one of them vomited blood and retreated in defeat.

Du Meng chuckled. “The selection is over! No one has qualified. I think that means we can all participate!”

“Heh.”

A cold laugh rang out.

The crowd turned toward the sound, only to see Zhao Feng, who had remained with his arms folded the entire time, laughing.

Zhao Feng gave a cold smile. “Have you all forgotten about me?”

Du Meng frowned. “Fellow cultivator, we agreed beforehand. If you won, we would follow your suggestion. But you haven’t won at all!”

Zhao Feng grinned. “I haven’t even started yet. How can you say I’ve lost?”

“But—but…”