Myths Begin From Boys' Gong

Another year of fine snow.

At the foot of Xiaohan Mountain, in Xiaohan Village.

A massive building overlooking the countryside sits atop a thick layer of concrete, extending halfway across dozens of acres and encompassing the homesteads and land of dozens of households in the original Xiaohan Village.

Red bricks and green tiles, flying pavilions and painted beams, carved beams and painted rafters, magnificent and grand, yet exuding an aura of dominance over the region.

Within the vast mansion, there are small bridges and flowing water, clusters of gardens, and winding corridors. Countless martial arts masters are hidden within, protecting the safety of the mansion.

On the north side of the mansion, where the open land borders Xiaohan Mountain, a plaza with smooth stone walls has been built. Inside, there are various sandbags, wooden stakes, and all kinds of weapons, including swords, spears, halberds, and a small pharmacy.

Every day, dozens to hundreds of strong young men come to this square to practice. Their martial arts skills are not particularly impressive, but in a small county town or even a small mountain village, they are far above average.

At this moment, in a study in the center of the mansion, Meng Zhao stood with his hands behind his back, carefully examining two items on the table.

At this moment, Meng Zhao was tall and broad-shouldered, with sword-like eyebrows and deep, starry eyes. He possessed a mysterious and captivating charm, as well as a masculine and domineering aura, making him completely different from the naive boy he once was.

Five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

That year, Meng Zhao obtained the last fragment of the mechanism diagram in Longxiang County. After piecing the diagram together, he took Duan Hong and Yan Congke to the treasure palace that Hong Minghui had pointed out, and opened the huge treasure left by Kou Laoxi.

It was only then that Meng Zhao finally understood that Kou Laoxi's treasure had two meanings.

Firstly, it was naturally the enormous wealth that Kou Laoxi had plundered during his rampage across Hebei. Gold and silver were piled up like mountains, and jade, agate, pearls, and ivory were all available. It's unknown how many wealthy families he robbed to accumulate such a fortune.

Besides wealth of clearly defined value, there are also numerous martial arts manuals, weapons and armor, elixirs and secret formulas, etc., which are of immeasurable value.

Secondly, there was a Golden Sand River in the underground palace where such a great treasure was hidden. The Golden Sand River contained countless amounts of gold, and with just a little refining and smelting, it could be transformed into a nearly inexhaustible gold mine, a gold mountain.

The two together constitute the true treasure of Kou Laoxi, which explains why this guy values ​​his treasure so much.

With this treasure, Meng Zhao has truly made his first fortune. While he may not be able to raise an army of 100,000 in an instant, he can certainly support an army of 30,000 for three years without any problem.

Moreover, this only refers to the wealth plundered by Kou Laoxi, and does not include the enormous wealth that can be extracted from the Jinsha River.

Meng Zhao acted discreetly, not immediately moving the enormous wealth out, but instead using the obtained diagrams to reactivate the mechanisms, completely sealing the place and creating natural protection.

Afterwards, Meng Zhao took Duan Hong and Yan Congke back to Kaiyan County and lived in seclusion in Xiaohan Village.

Several things happened during this period.

The year after Meng Zhao returned to Xiaohan Village, Hong Minghui left her daughter in Zhou Zhihan's care and left alone, her whereabouts unknown.

In the third year, Ren Tianxing launched a surprise attack, causing great unrest within the Hongmen, and Cao Quan'an ultimately failed to enjoy his later years in peace.

Because Cao Baoyu was once again captured by Ren Tianxing's scheme, Cao Quan'an was completely outmaneuvered, unable to turn the tide, and ultimately met his demise.

Even Ning Baihe suffered a bloody reprisal. Not only was the business he founded swallowed up by Ren Tianxing, but his entire family was also wiped out.

However, in the fourth year, Hong Minghui suddenly appeared and killed Ren Tianxing with her superb martial arts skills. She returned to the Hongmen, defeated Jin Laosi, killed Shi Qi, and firmly established herself as the leader of the Hongmen. In the same year, she took her daughter back.

At the same time, Hong Minghui left a message saying that if Meng Zhao had any requests in the future, he should just send someone to give the order, and she would do anything to help him.

This can be seen as a positive response to Meng Zhao's protection of her and her daughter.

Although she used Kou Laoxi's treasure to exchange for protection for her and her daughter, the exchange itself was unequal, and Hong Minghui took advantage of Zhou Zhihan's feelings for her.

However, now that her status is different, she handles things very well, and Meng Zhao can't find any fault with her.

Furthermore, this woman's methods are quite formidable.

He was hunted down so fiercely back then, yet now he's the one who has the last laugh. It's all about timing and fate.

Meng Zhao's side, on the other hand, had a smooth journey.

He had children with Qi Fang, Zhou Zhihan, Cui Ying, and other women, and his life had entered the next stage.

In terms of martial arts, he made rapid progress without ever encountering any bottlenecks. Five years later, he had almost mastered the Three-Part Returning to Origin Qi technique.

At the beginning, he only had Duan Hong and Yan Congke as his subordinates, but now he has dozens of experts secretly working for him, and he openly has no less than two hundred martial artists. He is a ruthless character that even the Fang family in Kaiyan County is wary of.

These martial artists were all captured by Meng Zhao over the past five years, either through enticement or coercion, when he was away.

Since Meng Zhao had two ambitions, he naturally had to make plans for them.

The dragon in the mountains is an extraordinary beast, not to be compared with ordinary people. The manpower and strength required to hunt it are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Therefore, Meng Zhao carefully selected these dozens of elites, and over the years, he has spread them out, forming a huge network that has infiltrated Hebei Province, making him the leader of a mysterious organization unknown to most.

The two items in front of him were Meng Zhao's recent acquisitions.

A god-slaying spear and an eight-desolate lock are both divine weapons of their time, and both can greatly restrain the dragons in the mountains.

Back then, Zhou Zhihan had revealed information about these two items to Meng Zhao.

Originally, it was a protective artifact that the higher-ups of the Star Palace wanted to borrow to slay the dragon in the mountain.

However, with Zhou Zhihan as an internal traitor, Meng Zhao often gets ahead of others and has a significant influence on the people within the Star Palace.

Ultimately, they managed to collect these two divine artifacts before Xinggong could.

The acquisition of these two items also foreshadows that Meng Zhao's time to slay the dragon is approaching.

Meng Zhao had collected the God-Slaying Spear quite early and already knew it very well, so we'll skip over that.

This Eight Desolations Lock was indeed recently acquired.

This item was crafted by renowned artisans from across the land at the behest of the Tianyuan Kingdom's emperor; it is extremely exquisite and powerful.

At first glance, it was a golden metal chain no more than three feet long, nothing special.

However, through a special mechanism, this three-foot-eight-foot-long lock can be instantly expanded to a maximum length of thirteen feet, as fine as silver threads, yet it can lift a mountain without being damaged, truly deserving of the name of a divine weapon.

Most importantly, the Eight Desolations Lock contains a special metal material that exerts a tremendous suppressive force on flesh and blood.

Especially for mythical beasts, there may be special powers within them that are particularly suppressed and restrained by this metallic material.

After all, the Eight Desolations Lock was specially crafted by the Tianyuan Emperor of that era to keep a strange beast as a pet. With the Eight Desolations Lock restricting its movement and the God-Slaying Spear as the main attacker, if the coordination is good, there should be a considerable chance of slaughtering the dragon in the mountains.

Of course, the strength of the dragon in the mountain cannot be too outrageous. If it is like the true dragon of the land of China, no, it is like the flood dragon. They would have a hard time dealing with it. It is not even in the same league.

At this moment, Meng Zhao was admiring the two divine weapons while pondering who would be the best helper.

This Eight Desolations Lock is made of special materials and belongs to the category of exotic weapons; ordinary people cannot use it.

His first choice was naturally Duan Hong.

In five years, Duan Hong had settled down and even married a lady from a prestigious family under Meng Zhao's arrangement. He became completely inseparable from Meng Zhao and became his top fighter.

The Jade-Severing Technique truly lives up to its reputation as the world's top internal energy cultivation method. In five years, Duan Hong's growth has been nothing short of phenomenal. Especially with Meng Zhao as his opponent and reference, the Jade-Severing Technique's ability to become stronger when facing stronger opponents has been fully unleashed, and he may even surpass the head of the Duan family.

It is actually quite appropriate for Duan Hong to wield the Eight Desolations Lock, especially since Duan Hong's internal strength is profound and of extraordinary quality. He can definitely maximize the power of the Eight Desolations Lock and will not fail to exert its maximum effect due to insufficient internal strength or poor martial arts skills.

As for the God-Slaying Spear, Meng Zhao really couldn't find a particularly skilled person to wield it; on the contrary, he himself was the most suitable candidate.

In addition, Meng Zhao also took out a piece of Broken Gang Iron from the treasure of that old Kou Laoxi. Using the special texture of this material, he refined eighteen Life-Breaking Nails, which can also be used as divine weapons to restrict and kill the dragons in the mountains.

Meng Zhao put a lot of effort into creating these divine weapons. He not only spent a lot of money to find the most famous master craftsman in the Tianyuan Kingdom to forge them, but also mixed in some meteorite iron from outer space, so that each of these life-piercing nails has the function of piercing armor.

It is especially effective against masters of external martial arts; even the scales of mountain dragons, which are impervious to swords and spears, may not be able to withstand these life-piercing nails.

While Meng Zhao was deep in thought, Duan Hong and Yan Congke came into his study.

Several years have passed, and Duan Hong has long since lost his former disheveled and depressed state. He is now exceptionally calm and rational, and the occasional glint in his eyes is so intense that it is difficult to look directly at him.

Yan Congke looked much older. He was already quite old, and after five years, he was nowhere near as youthful as he had been back then.

However, after being subdued by Meng Zhao, this lone wolf enjoyed a few years of peaceful life.

With a woman and a son, his swordsmanship gradually reached its limit, and his martial arts skills improved significantly.

Over the years, the one who actually did the most work under Meng Zhao was Yan Congke, and it is no exaggeration to say that he made great contributions.

Upon seeing the two arrive, Meng Zhao did not turn around, but pointed to the God-Slaying Spear and the Eight Desolations Lock, and said,

"Back then, I learned from Zhihan that the Star Palace had the intention to slay the dragon in the mountain and wanted to use the two divine weapons, the God-Slaying Spear and the Eight Desolations Lock."

Over the years, my ambition has never changed, so I took the lead over the Star Palace and got my hands on these two divine weapons.

"Duan Hong, I deem it appropriate for you to use the Eight Desolations Lock to bind and restrict the main force of the dragon in the mountain. Are you willing?"

Duan Hong smiled slightly and said,
“Of course, if I were afraid, I wouldn’t have come to Xiaohan Village in Kaiyan County with you when I learned of your ambitions back then.”

Yan Congke seemed somewhat disappointed and sighed.

"It's a pity I don't know how to use a gun, otherwise I would like to try out this God-Slaying Spear and see if I can use it to slay a dragon. Just thinking about it is exciting."

"Although the God-Slaying Spear cannot be used, you can use all eighteen Life-Breaking Nails to work with Duan Hong."

Yan Congke and Duan Hong were taken aback upon hearing this. Yan Congke was both surprised and delighted, thinking that he had no chance of slaying the dragon, but unexpectedly, things took an unexpected turn for the better.

He quickly asked
"Wasn't the plan to select eighteen experts, each wielding a Life-Breaking Nail, to form the Arhat Formation? Why the change of heart?"

This was Meng Zhao's original idea.

The three divine weapons each have their own duties and abilities.

The God-Slaying Spear and the Eight Desolations Lock are only usable by top-tier masters like Meng Zhao and Duan Hong, whose inner strength is profound and unfathomable; otherwise, they cannot unleash their full power.

However, the Life-Breaking Nail is different. Although it is called a weapon, it is actually more like a hidden weapon. Unless you are a top expert like Xie Feng, it is difficult to use it effectively.

However, if eighteen people are used and trained to achieve the same level of coordination as the Arhat Formation, it might have a remarkable effect.

However, this was just an idea Meng Zhao had before.

"I've thought about it. The dragon in the mountain is no ordinary creature. Can eighteen people really perfectly execute the Arhat Formation they've trained for so long when facing such a ferocious beast? Can these life-breaking nails really be driven into the dragon's body as expected?"
I'm afraid that's not necessarily true.

So after much deliberation, I've decided that you should be the one to use the eighteen Fate-Breaking Nails.

"Old Yan, over the years, your swordsmanship has approached its peak. Once you master one technique, you understand all techniques. You've also witnessed Xie Feng's hidden weapon techniques back then. Compared to the eighteen people previously selected, you are far more trustworthy."

These were also Meng Zhao's true feelings.

Those eighteen men, when they trained, were certainly quite skilled, very methodical, and at first glance, they were quite intimidating.

However, how it will perform in actual combat remains an unknown.

Yan Congke is different. He has been through countless battles and has a fierce aura. He is also a top expert. Although he is not as good as him and Duan Hong, he is still second only to the two of them.

If we were to say that those eighteen people encountered the dragon in the mountain, there was an 80% chance they would be terrified, a 90% chance they would be unable to effectively use the Arhat Formation, and a 100% chance they would collapse at the first touch.

There is at least a 60-70% chance that Yan Congke, in cooperation with him and Duan Hong, will successfully nail the eighteen life-breaking nails onto the dragon in the mountain.

There are different kinds of experts.

Meng Zhao cannot treat slaying a dragon lightly; he must act with utmost caution and cannot be careless in the slightest.

Choosing between eighteen untested individuals and Yan Congke, who had excellent teamwork skills and was a seasoned veteran, was not a choice, but an inevitability.

The reason we didn't think that way at the time was mainly because Yan Congke was proficient in swordsmanship, but rarely used his skills in hidden weapons.

Now that Yan Congke's swordsmanship is nearing its peak, he can fully integrate swordsmanship into his hidden weapon techniques.

Duan Hong nodded.
"I agree. To deal with such a vicious creature, it's not about having as many people as possible, but about having as many reliable people as possible."

More people would only increase the dangers and accidents; the three of us are enough.

Yan Congke readily agreed with a smile.

If he misses such a grand event as slaying the dragon, he'll regret it for the rest of his life.

Now I can finally relax completely. (End of Chapter)