3 - And ironically, he liked it

Meng Hao was in his immortal's cave, meditating and cultivating the accumulation of spiritual energy. One day had passed since the massacre of Meng Hao, and his accumulation of pills, treasures, and spiritual stones had increased significantly thanks to the massacre of 74. Meng Hao was now richer than he had ever been in the Outer Sect, and with abundant spiritual energy, his path to the third level was not impossible.

With over 100 spiritual stones, 20 demon beast cores, and a few treasures, along with the copper mirror's duplication ability, Meng Hao began his closed-door cultivation.

First, he cultivated nearly all the surrounding spiritual energy in the cave, and while there wasn't significant progress, the demon cores came next. After a quick inspection followed by sorting out cores with more spiritual energy being set aside, and the smaller ones absorbed by Meng Hao, his cultivation rose to a level of 70% filled, needing another 30% to break through to the second level and reach the third level of Qi Condensation. Antony realized that, unlike the original, he had more difficulty gaining cultivation levels as he advanced, but his power surpassed his own realm. His spiritual energy was above the common level, but his dependence on spiritual energy increased alongside that unusual power.

With the refined and absorbed smaller cores, Meng Hao duplicated the larger ones. Out of eight larger cores and 109 spiritual stones, all the spiritual stones were used to create 22 larger cores filled with pure spiritual energy. Meng Hao took two cores at once and refined them, causing a powerful wave of spiritual energy to surge through his body, filling the remaining 30% to the limit, making it possible to enter the third level of Qi Condensation.

The days passed, and Meng Hao was now a proficient cultivator at the third level of Qi Condensation. All the cores were consumed, and his spiritual energy was pure and destructive, akin to hydrochloric acid when Meng Hao trained sword attacks in the immortal's cave. His energy was as powerful as sulfuric acid when he used it to nourish a small plant growing inside his immortal's cave, making the plant grow as if it had been pumped with celestial vitality.

Meng Hao not only trained with his swords but also honed his spells. Even though he didn't use his spells in the massacre of 74 to avoid revealing his high proficiency in spiritual energy and his nearly infinite spiritual energy present in his dantian, the art of the Flaming Serpent was now growing as if it were given anabolic steroids. With the size of a boa constrictor and an increasingly scorching heat with each new understanding of the technique, Meng Hao had become a true swordmage with his Flaming Serpent alongside the stolen swords from the previous month's massacre.

The bells rang, and Meng Hao left the immortal's cave for the Pill Distribution Day. He descended from the immortal's cave and headed to the central square of the Outer Sect, with everyone watching him along the way. The "Massacre of 74" rumors had spread to the many disciples scattered throughout the Reliance Sect, and Meng Hao, once a common pariah, had acquired a valuable pill on Pill Distribution Day and was smart enough to exchange it for an immortal's cave. He was now seen as the mad demon of the public area who killed for pleasure and bathed in the blood of his victims. Today, Pill Distribution Day proceeded as usual, with no individual distributions, and everyone received the same: a pill and a half of spiritual stone. Meng Hao reluctantly took what was his and left directly for his immortal's cave. As he was about to climb the hill where his dwelling was located, Meng Hao narrowed his eyes and smiled, though he didn't show his teeth. He was waiting for Zhao Wugang.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Zhao," Meng Hao said, his expression changing as he took a few steps back. He moved his left hand backward and began to move through the air. He had seen this person before. Almost everyone in the Outer Sect knew Senior Brother Zhao Wugang. He was cruel and ruthless, and some lower-level disciples had died by his hand in the public area. He was the kind of person who pleased disciples above the third level but dominated the first and second levels. Antony decided to follow the original script and kill Zhao Wugang with his new achievements.

"So, you've heard of me already," Zhao Wugang said coldly. "I don't need to make any introductions. Hand over your medicinal pill and your spiritual stone." Others dared not even touch Meng Hao; no one wanted to die. But Zhao Wugang had joined the sect years ago and knew how things worked. Senior Sister Xu often secluded herself, ignoring the lives of the people beneath her.

"Senior Brother Zhao, can't you make an exception?" Meng Hao said, taking a few steps back. "I'm just a simple scholar, and I just received the spiritual stone and the medicinal pill. Can't you give me some time with them?" This person's cultivation level was the same as his, but he didn't know it. These xianxia idiots were full of themselves, and he surely underestimated the massacre, believing that only the weak had died by his hands. Meng Hao also hid his aura until the second level.

"Do you consider yourself a scholar?" He scoffed and then laughed loudly. "Don't tell me you were a scholar before coming here? Come, come, recite some poetry for your Senior Brother. Perhaps you'll improve my mood, and I won't beat you and break your legs." Meng Hao smiled inwardly and recited, "In the darkness of death and cruelty, Sin demands its rightful truth. In purgatory, the soul seeks redemption, A quest for peace and salvation. In the shadow of death and cruelty, Sins are charged with fervor an1d malevolence. In purgatory, the soul finds its fate, Seeking redemption on an eternal slate."

Zhao Wugang frowned, what the hell poem was that? Was he threatening him? Did he think Zhao Wugang was weak like those weak 74 idiots?!

"Shut up. Not only will I take your medicinal pill and Spirit Stone, but also the Immortal's Cave. From now on, we are disciples in the outside world, but in the cave you will be my servant. If you say one more word, I will I will help you understand the meaning of the expression 'death is better than life!'" With a murderous gaze, he began walking toward Meng Hao.

His cultivation base had already advanced to the third level and needed large amounts of spiritual energy. So of course he liked Meng Hao's Immortal's Cave. However, he still feared Elder Sister Xu, so he came up with the idea of keeping him as a servant. After some time, Senior Sister Xu would certainly forget about the nobodies beneath her, and he could simply kill Meng Hao. Or if he didn't kill him, he could cripple him and force him to keep reciting poetry to show how elegant Zhao Wugang was.

"The Immortal's Cave belongs to me on loan from Elder Sister Xu. How could I act as its owner? Elder Brother Zhao, please don't make things so difficult for me." Behind his back, strands of spiritual energy gathered in Meng Hao's right hand. He knew that it was easy for him to kill Zhao Wugang, but he couldn't use his flaming serpent on a living being and wanted to see what Zhao Wugang's reaction would be like dying in the flames. There was no way he could kill an idiot of Zhao Wugang's level so easily. Therefore, with a heart full of pleasure and sadism, he used Senior Sister Xu's name with feigned fear.

"I give you face and you ignore it," Zhao Wugang said with a snort. "You're just looking for trouble. I will definitely teach you what it means to prefer death to life!" With an impatient expression on his face, he rushed towards Meng Hao, his outstretched hands twisting like claws. Meng Hao looked completely shocked and scared, which Zhao Wugang liked. He liked to see this expression on the faces of people weaker than him.

He could imagine Meng Hao falling to the ground in front of him, shaking. Just when he was feeling most proud of himself, just before he reached Meng Hao, Meng Hao's horrified expression disappeared, being replaced by a smile of pleasure. He extended his right hand from behind his back and a flaming Flame Serpent the length of a boa constrictor shot towards Zhao Wugang.

Antony's heart beat anxiously. He knew that the Flame Serpent art was strong enough to kill his opponent, but he still hoped that it would at least not turn him to ashes right away. He couldn't bear to miss such a good scene, much less use his all on Zhao Wugang. He would pull his hair out in anger like he did when he first arrived in the world, still in the servant quarters like Meng Hao.

When Zhao Wugang saw the flame approaching with ferocity, an ancient fear took him but there was no time to react, the flaming serpent took him full in the face and like a cruel parasite, entered Zhao Wugang's body and inside it began to destroy little by little. Meng Hao took the bag of holding from Zhao Wugang with ease, the man screaming in horror and fear and with the pain destroying his sanity, he did not notice Meng Hao's theft.

"Rrrraaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr" He screamed cleanly at first but as time passed, his voice became hoarse and bubbling blood came out of the orifices and his belly in the dantian region swelled, exploded and a broth of blood and organs came out like a fountain. Zhao Wugang died shortly before the explosion and his body fell backwards to the ground from the shock of the explosion. From the waist up, Zhao Wugang was scorched and the closer he got to his head, the more the bones of his body were visible and black and brittle under the touch of the serene wind. The expression on Zhao Wugang's skull was an open jaw with the echo of a scream coming out ghostly.

Meng Hao sighed in contempt and left for his immortal's cave, as he entered and sat down he checked Zhao Wugang's spoils. Meng Hao sat in the cave, breathed, replenished his spiritual energy, and meditated on the attack he had delivered on Zhao Wugang and how quickly he had died. There was not even 20% use of his spiritual energy in that attack and Zhao Wugang died in an extremely quick but cruel manner, it seemed that unlike the real Meng Hao who sought to destroy everything with his attack quickly and painlessly, Antony wanted to see Zhao Wugang suffer before dying and the spell fulfilled his request. This was a major problem because in a battle, opponents seeking suffering rather than obliteration leave many openings for a well-aimed counterattack. Meng Hao sighed and opened Zhao Wugang's bag of holding which contained: 1 nearly half-steel sword ordinary if not for the spells inscribed on it, 8 spiritual stones and 7 spiritual condensation pills. There was also the bone with a transformation technique but this made little impression on Meng Hao and he just tossed it into his bag of holding, intending to sell it later.

Antony then escaped into his mind while meditating, Antony had many memories of the Fang clan and his knowledge of the current world was good enough until the end of the first book. Literally every word was easily accessible in his mind and the last words were: end of book 1. Antony sighed and cultivated, cultivating became almost a relaxing mental exercise for Antony and by cultivating he could think better. He knew that the knowledge of book 1 was a warning from the lustful God who put him here to follow the original script and only him. He remembers the God saying he loved the author ErGen but as he was a God, he wanted more and got him, Antony Monte Fenez, a retired police officer to release a fantasy book. In the first few months he wondered why he entered his favorite stories from when he was a boy as the protagonist after his death and even tried to hurt himself on purpose and almost severely in search of waking up from this dream but nothing worked.

Almost a year has passed and Antony has accepted his destiny, as the protagonist and toy of a hedonistic God. And ironically, he enjoyed his afterlife.