38: Zhang Meng

Hong Yu, who was currently following the merchant caravan toward Xuan Yun Residence, never dreamed that Pang Hu would end up being the one to take the fall for him.

At this moment, Pang Hu was Inside the Mansion, specifically within his Immortal Cave, guiding young Disciples in their Qi Refining Stage cultivation.

"Cultivation begins with cultivating the body. The physical foundation is the key factor that determines the upper limit of one's cultivation. Without a solid physical foundation, one is destined to be unable to cultivate to a profound Realm."

Pang Hu spoke slowly, pacing as he explained eloquently. This style contrasted greatly with his rugged appearance, but the brilliance of his teachings was enough to make these young Disciples overlook the discrepancy.

The more the young Disciples listened, the more enthralled they became, and their respect for Pang Hu grew. Seeing this, Pang Hu gave a barely perceptible nod.

He had been the Mountain Lord of Pan Mountain for several years now. Over the years, he had been suppressed by the old guard led by Li Guangen. Through his own secret efforts, his influence had finally begun to expand. These young Disciples before him were his hope for seizing power in the future.

One must realize that Inside the Mansion, he was merely a Core Disciple. People like him were a dime a dozen. There were countless Core Disciples looking to cling to the coattails of the True Disciples. If he lacked capability, he might be discarded as a pawn by Xu Jing at any moment.

Pang Hu had grand ambitions, and he was willing to do anything to achieve them.

Just as he was immersed in his lecture, the door to the Immortal Cave was suddenly kicked open, followed by a fierce and frantic male voice.

"Pang Hu, get over here and face your death!"

Everyone present was startled. They looked toward the sound and saw a tall man with a full beard striding in. With a head like a leopard, round eyes, a chin like a swallow, and a tiger's whiskers, he looked incredibly formidable.

He moved like the wind, crossing ten meters in just a couple of steps. He charged directly in front of Pang Hu, raising his hand to smash a Cannon Punch straight at Pang Hu's head.

The fist, the size of a clay pot, shimmered with light. The punch was incredibly fast, even producing the sound of breaking wind. It was clearly a full-strength, lethal strike. Several low-cultivation Disciples were so terrified just by the sight of it that their spirits felt crushed, and they stood frozen in place, not daring to Move.

"Zhang Meng, how dare you! You have the audacity to attack within the sect?" Pang Hu shouted sternly.

Though caught by a sneak attack, he was no pushover either. He clenched his fist to meet the blow head-on.

Clang!

When the two fists collided, a massive sound like clashing metal rang out.

It even triggered a violent gust of wind from the impact, knocking the low-cultivation Disciples over.

"Good." A cruel smile appeared on Zhang Meng's face, and a bloodthirsty Battle Intent flashed in his eyes. A green light flickered on his fists, and a pair of gauntlets covered in sharp spikes tightly enveloped his hands.

Zhang Meng licked his lips and said, "Good, good, good! The more you resist, the more excited I get. Today, either you die or I do!"

With that, he swung his fists and continued his aggressive assault.

Pang Hu was both shocked and enraged. He had dealt with Zhang Meng for years and knew the man's cultivation was actually a level higher than his own. Now that the other party clearly intended to fight to the death, he naturally didn't have full confidence.

Especially in front of these new Disciples—if he lost, the prestige he had worked so hard to establish would surely vanish.

Thus, Pang Hu summoned his weapon—a metal Bronze Staff—to block Zhang Meng's attack while shouting angrily, "Zhang Meng, our past grievances were settled! Why are you starting trouble again? To be so audacious, you clearly have no respect for the sect rules of Xuan Yun Residence, nor for Saintess Xu!"

Zhang Meng grew more excited as he fought. The phantom of a fierce tiger appeared behind him, and his Moves carried the faint sound of roaring. He said coldly, "Since you know the grievances were settled, why did you kill my younger brother? Zhang Meng is my only brother. If I, as his Elder brother, cannot avenge him, how can I face my parents in the afterlife? No matter where this goes, I am in the right. Even Saintess Xu won't be able to fault me for killing you."

Pang Hu was dumbfounded. He said indignantly, "Bullshit! When did I kill your brother? I don't even know who your brother is!"

Zhang Meng sneered, "Pang Hu, we've fought for years. I thought you were a real man, but I didn't expect you to be this kind of person—someone who dares to do something but doesn't dare to admit it. What kind of man are you?"

"You idiot! If I did it, I would absolutely admit it. The problem is I didn't do it, so why should I take the fall?" Pang Hu felt like he was about to spit blood from rage. He cursed, "You brainless fool, you've definitely been used as someone's tool!"

Zhang Meng's attacks became even more fierce. The gusts from his punches soon smashed the furniture in Pang Hu's Immortal Cave to pieces.

At the same time, he cursed back angrily, "You're the brainless fool! I'm no idiot. You go around every day saying I'm your defeated opponent, saying that if it weren't for the sect rules, you'd definitely teach me a lesson. I've heard those words so often I have calluses on my ears! You damn well can't beat me, so you secretly sent someone to kill my brother. Such despicable methods are truly shameful. Pui!"

"I..." Pang Hu wanted to explain, but what Zhang Meng said was indeed true. He often bragged and talked tough outside, which naturally reached the ears of Zhang Meng, who was also a Mountain Lord. This made it difficult to explain. Moreover, looking at this madman's state, he likely wouldn't listen to any explanation anyway.

He stopped talking and focused on defending against Zhang Meng's attacks. He swung his heavy Bronze Staff with such force it whistled, and it made massive clanging sounds as it repeatedly collided with Zhang Meng's gauntlets.

Zhang Meng was indeed Zhang Meng's Elder brother, a Core Disciple of Xuan Yun Residence, and one of the seven Mountain Lords. He had entered the residence at roughly the same time as Pang Hu. Starting from when they were ordinary Disciples, they had always disliked each other, and fighting was a common occurrence.

Later, Pang Hu gained Xu Jing's favor and surpassed Zhang Meng after being promoted to Core Disciple. Their grudge grew even deeper after they became Mountain Lords. However, Zhang Meng also had his opportunities and became a Mountain Lord not long after. Under the mediation of the Mansion's Elders, they had supposedly shaken hands and made peace. But they still couldn't stand each other. Although they stopped fighting, they still frequently talked trash.

As the two traded blows, they had already exchanged dozens of Moves. Pang Hu grew increasingly alarmed. The other man's strength far exceeded his estimates. Although they were both in the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, Zhang Meng was completely suppressing him, his rain-like offensive leaving him unable to catch his breath.

Just as Pang Hu suffered a momentary lapse in concentration, Zhang Meng keenly caught the opening and landed a punch directly on Pang Hu's chest.

Pang Hu felt a sharp pain in his chest. The immense force of the punch forced him to retreat to dissipate the impact. When he looked down to check the wound on his chest, he saw azure blue blood trickling from the puncture marks made by the spikes on Zhang Meng's gauntlets.

An ice-cold, bone-chilling sensation rushed straight to his head, and frost began to spread outward from the wound.