I Shall Seal The Heavens

by Srtyi

What I want, the Heavens shall not lack! What I don’t want, had better not exist in the Heavens!” This is a story which originates between the Eighth and Ninth Mountains, the world in which the strong prey upon the weak. “My Name is Meng Hao! The Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, I shall seal the Heavens! “

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Chapter 151: I'll Do It Myself

The dark red vines seemed to have been infected by Meng Hao's fury. They whipped about wildly, creating a buzzing noise. Dust rose from the ground like a fog, obscuring Meng Hao's figure.

His black scholar's robe now looked a bit faded. Long hair whipped around him, and killing intent, fueled by his intense anger, rose to the heavens. This killing aura was poles apart from Meng Hao's usual disposition.

Veins of blood filled his eyes. He saw Xu Qing's helplessness, her bitterness, her pale beauty, and then the simple smile that broke out on her face. That smile became Meng Hao's everything.

Meng Hao loved her. It was the youthful love that comes from looking at a pretty girl. A simple love. After the dissolution of the Reliance Sect, they had been separated by an entire world. Now that they could see each other again, the years that had passed didn't seem very long after all, almost like a dream.

Seven or eight years ago, you were a cold, a young girl who stood beneath the moon and accepted the Cosmetic Cultivation Pill. Now, seven or eight years later, here you are, your face pale, but smiling.

Seven or eight years ago I was a scholar standing on Mount Daqing who threw a gourd bottle down the mountain. You will never know the promise I placed in that gourd bottle.

Seven or eight years later, here I stand, my killing intent billowing to the Heavens. The road behind me doesn't stretch very far, but it is filled with the bones of Cultivators.

Seven or eight years….

For mortals, many things can change in seven or eight years. For Cultivators, seven or eight years is not a long time; but then again, Cultivators all begin life as mortals. Meng Hao was no longer the scholar he had been seven or eight years ago, but the memories from that time still remained. He would never forget those years.

He gazed at Xu Qing and smiled. His smile contained warmth, and the happiness of seeing someone again for the first time in a long while. It lasted until he looked upon the trembling man surnamed Zhao who stood there pale-faced, his robe hanging loose on his body.

Zhao Shanhe felt as if Meng Hao's eyes were two sharp swords stabbing into his own eyes. The gaze entered his head, causing his mind to tremble. It pierced his blood and flesh, grinding against his bones and stabbing into his Qi passageways. It stabbed all the way to his Dao Pillar.

His Dao Pillar was filled with cracks; he obviously had a Fractured Foundation. The Dao Pillar shook violently, as if Meng Hao's gaze would cause it to crumble to pieces. Zhao Shanhe was frightened out of his mind.

"Fellow… Fellow Daoist, senior, I'm Zhao Shanhe, a Conclave disciple of the Black Sieve Sect. Fellow Daoist…." His tongue quivered as he spoke. He might be a rich kid, but he wasn't stupid. The pink shield from just now was a treasure that could only be broken by the late Foundation Establishment stage. And yet Meng Hao, who seemed to be at the early Foundation Establishment stage, had crushed it.

He also saw Meng Hao's frigid killing aura. It was powerfully intense, something that he had never actually seen before in his entire life.

"You're surnamed Zhao?" Meng Hao said coolly, beginning to a step forward. "I just killed another guy surnamed Zhao. His name was Zhao Binwu." Meng Hao had acquired Zhao Binwu's name from the identification medallion in his bag of holding.

As he took his first step, it felt to Zhao Shanhe as if Meng Hao was stepping directly onto his heart. His heart pounded, filling with a difficult to describe pain, deep inside.

It was then that Meng Hao's words from just now registered in Zhao Shanhe's mind. A thunder-like roaring filled him, and his body shivered. He unconsciously took a step backward. Meng Hao's gaze swept over him, filled with an incredible pressure. Zhao Shanhe's mind reeled again, and his trembling body lost the ability to move. Facing Meng Hao, his Cultivation base seemed completely incapable of producing even the smallest amount of power.

This was crushing pressure!

Meng Hao released the full power of his Perfect Dao Pillar, creating a pressure that could crush down upon any Foundation Establishment Dao Pillar!

This was an innate ability of a Perfect Foundation. Because the Perfect Foundation struggles with the Heavens over spiritual energy, it has the ability to emit crushing pressure on all other Foundation Establishment Cultivation bases!

Amidst his trembling, Zhao Shanhe's expression flickered. Meng Hao took a second step, and as the step descended, Zhao Shanhe's face grew deathly pale. Blood oozed out of his mouth, and an intense dread crept into his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist… if… if you want to talk…." His entire body shook, but even as he tried to speak, Meng Hao took a third step. He stomped down; Zhao Shanhe's spirit shook and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The Dao Pillar within him was unable to withstand the pressure exuded by Meng Hao. A large fissure sliced all the way through it!

More fissures grew, spreading out to fill the entire Dao Pillar. The blood drained completely from Zhao Shanhe's face, and his eyes filled with anguish. Trembling, he was just about to use all the power he could muster to fight back, when Meng Hao, face blank, took his fourth step, which was filled with powerful killing intent.

The instant the fourth step descended, the roaring within Zhao Shanhe rose to the Heavens. His heart suddenly stopped beating for a moment. All of his organs seemed to slow as the cracks spread throughout his Dao Pillar until suddenly… it disintegrated!!

The Dao Pillar disintegrated!

When that happened, Zhao Shanhe let out a bloodcurdling shriek that was unlike anything that had emerged from his mouth before. He coughed up seven or eight mouthfuls of blood, and then began to wither and shrink. Cold sweat poured out of him, and his face was ashen. His body could suddenly move again, but all that he was able to do was retreat backward.

Before he could move backward very far, Meng Hao took a fifth step, and now he was standing in front of Zhao Shanhe. His knee flew up, not toward Zhao Shanhe's neck, but directly between his legs!

Pop pop!

The intense pain caused Zhao Shanhe to double over, screaming. Even as he screamed, Meng Hao's right hand shot up and clamped onto his neck. The scream now existed only within Zhao Shanhe's throat, with no way to emerge out.

He could only whimper as his face began to turn a dark purple color. Unable to speak, unable to scream, the pain seemed to grow ten times worse.

His eyes bulged, filled with insanity, and his body twitched. He suddenly wanted to fight back.

But… he couldn't resist. He was powerless to even struggle, unable to even utter threats. His body shook, filled with pain. He was like a mortal, his Dao Pillar destroyed, his Cultivation base in ruins.

"Stop!" cried a trembling voice. It was Xue Yuncui, who was still next to Xu Qing. Her body shook and her face was pale. But she still held the sword at Xu Qing's neck, seemingly ready to stab it in at any moment.

To her, Meng Hao appeared to be some sort of devilish fiend, cruel and ruthless. It caused the blood to drain from her face, and she didn't dare to even look him in the eye. Regret welled up from within her heart, but it was too late. She could only beg for him to let her go.

"You're Meng Hao, right? I've heard Xu Qing talk about you and the Reliance Sect…. This is all just a misunderstanding. I just want to leave…." Her voice trembled as she looked toward Meng Hao. Even though she held a sword, she was actually the frightened one.

"I used to be a scholar," he said coolly. He continued to hold Zhao Shanhe up by the neck, but turned to look at Xue Yuncui. His voice was soft as he continued, "Once I read an ancient text that was said to be from the Great Tang in the Eastern Lands. It described thousands of bizarre execution methods. There was one that, after I read about it, caused me to have nightmares for days." Eyes filled with loathing, he reached up with his left hand and grabbed one of Zhao Shanhe's fingers. One by one, he crushed the bones of the fingers of both hands. Then his arms. Then his shoulders. Then the rest of his body.

Zhao Shanhe wanted to pass out from the intense pain, but couldn't, not with Meng Hao there. Time passed for as long as it takes an incense stick to burn. Finally, Meng Hao twisted his right hand. A popping sound rang out as Zhao Shanhe's neck was snapped.

The entire time, he was unable to utter a single cry. Such was his death….

Meng Hao dropped Zhao Shanhe's body and then looked at Xue Yuncui. "How do you want to die? I'll let you decide."

Her face was completely pale, like a corpse's. Her body trembled, as did the sword she held in her hand. She looked at Meng Hao, and dread welled up within her. This was like the worst nightmare she had ever experienced.

"You… Don't you force me!!" she cried. Even as the words left her mouth, the ground beneath her feet exploded up. A dark red vine snaked out, wrapping around her body and sending the sword spinning into the air. Meng Hao flicked a sleeve to knock it twenty-five or so meters away. The vines circulated around Xue Yuncui, their mouths wide and seemingly dripping with saliva, just waiting for Meng Hao's command, whereupon they would consume her.

"Don't kill her…" said Xu Qing quietly, struggling to her feet. She looked at Meng Hao. "I want to do it myself. I've been wanting to cut her tongue out for years." Gritting her teeth, she retrieved Xue Yuncui's sword. The vines lowered Xue Yuncui toward her.

"Junior Sister Xu… I…." She faced Xu Qing, trembling, an imploring look on her face.

Xu Qing, her face cold, lifted the sword and stabbed it slowly into her mouth. Xue Yuncui's screams echoed out.

Xu Qing leaned forward and whispered into her ear: "You can't fight back, so just close your eyes and enjoy it. I've always wanted to tell you, you are the slut!" She twisted the sword in her hand. After the space of about ten breaths, Xue Yuncui stopped struggling. Xu Qing stabbed the sword in even deeper.

—–

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Chapter 152: Words Under the Moon With An Old Companion

Xu Qing looked at Xue Yuncui as she stabbed the sword all the way through her head. Then she stepped back, pale faced. Xue Yuncui slipped into death, and Xu Qing stood there silently.

Meng Hao looked at her and then walked up next to her. Together, they sat down. The vines dragged Xue Yuncui's body down into the ground and began to devour it.

The moon hung high in the sky, and everything was quiet. No one had noticed the ripples of battle magic; after all, this Blessed Land was a very large place.

"First time?" asked Meng Hao. Their shadows overlapped in the moonlight.

She was quiet for a while before nodding.

"The first time I killed someone, my heart was troubled for quite a while," he said softly. As he looked at her, images from the Reliance Sect floated into his mind.

A breeze passed by, cleaning away the stench of blood. Xu Qing's hair curled up, brushing against Meng Hao's face. It was hard to tell whether it wrapped around his face, or his heart.

"Was it after the Sect disbanded?" asked Xu Qing, turning her head to look at him. Her face was pale, but to Meng Hao, it was beautiful.

He remembered the night years ago when he had escorted her back to the East Mountain. As he'd watched her walking away from him, he'd thought to himself that he wouldn't mind marrying her 1.

It was a memory from years ago, such a long time ago. It was hard to determine whether or not it was simply the idling of youth.

"Actually, it was inside the Sect," said Meng Hao with a smile. He felt relaxed. This Blessed Land was a dangerous place, but for some reason he felt at ease, as if he were back in the Reliance Sect, on top of the East Mountain, standing beneath the moon.

"Oh?" said Xu Qing, looking shocked. She stared at Meng Hao, temporarily forgetting to cover her face with coldness.

To Meng Hao, her blank look was filled with beauty. It was very different from the Elder Sister Xu from his memories. Coldness was unapproachable; but her numb look now made her seem very dear.

Meng Hao laughed.

"I suddenly have the feeling I never understood the real you, Elder Sister," he said with a smile, looking at her. He was no longer the scholar he once had been. He had experienced many things, and had grown through the years. In terms of both experience and wisdom, he had matured a lot. He was now able to tell that the coldness exhibited by Xu Qing was intentional.

He looked over her, catching sight of the milky white skin beneath the rips in her clothing. This was not the first time he'd seen a woman in such a position, but for some reason, when he'd looked at Chu Yuyan, he could remain calm. Seeing Xu Qing now, though, a different look filled his eyes.

Xu Qing's gaze met Meng Hao's for a moment, and then she looked away, her heart pounding. A flush appeared on her face, and she gripped her garment tightly in her fists. She was clearly nervous.

Meng Hao coughed lightly, and then slapped his bag of the Cosmos, producing a set of clothes which he began to place around her shoulders.

She said nothing, allowing him to cover her up. She lifted her beautiful face to look at the moon. As the moonlight shone onto her, Meng Hao looked at her hair and her lovely features. They were so delicate it seemed as if the wind might cause them to break.

"You killed someone in the Sect? Who?" Xu Qing tried to pretend she didn't notice Meng Hao looking at her, but her flush had deepened.

"An Outer Sect disciple surnamed Zhao," said Meng Hao, recalling Elder Brother Zhao's horrific death by the copper mirror. "He wanted to take the Immortal's Cave you gave me."

"You've really got guts," she said, turning her head and shifting her gaze from the moon to Meng Hao. "You actually killed someone inside the Sect." Her words were spoken in earnest, and with the earnestness came her usual coldness. However, Meng Hao could see the uncomplicated simplicity beneath the coldness.

"Well… actually I didn't just kill one person," he said with a light cough.

"Oh?" Elder Sister Xu stared mutely again for a long moment. It was as if she were meeting him for the first time. She looked him over carefully, thinking for a while. "So you got used to it?" She hastily added: "What I mean is, after killing so much, did you stop feeling uneasy at heart?"

"Let's talk about something else," said Meng Hao. He could tell that she was very curious about the matter. But for a man and a woman to sit under the moon talking about killing people didn't quite seem appropriate.

"Oh," she said, nodding, looking at him. Her coldness concealed her true personality, but at the moment, she suddenly didn't know what to say.

"I want to show you something." Meng Hao tapped his bag of the Cosmos, and the Cosmetic Cultivation Pill appeared in his hand. With a smile, he handed it out to Elder Sister Xu.

When she saw the pill, she stared in shock. Her eyes were fixed on the pill as she slowly raised her hand and took it from him. Then she closed her eyes.

It was impossible to tell what she was thinking inside. After a moment, she opened her eyes and looked at Meng Hao for a long, long time.

This was the third time Meng Hao had given her a Cosmetic Cultivation Pill.

She put it away quietly, then softly said, "A few years ago I heard that the State of Zhao… disappeared."

Meng Hao sighed. Then, he proceeded to explain to her about Patriarch Reliance. She sat there underneath the moon, listening intently. When he told her that Patriarch Reliance was actually a gargantuan, vicious turtle, her mouth dropped open and a look of disbelief covered her face. To Meng Hao, she was truly beautiful. He suddenly stopped talking.

This in turn caused Xu Qing to look into his eyes. When their eyes met, she suddenly turned and stared off into the distance, her heart racing. She was experiencing a strange feeling, and a strange nervousness. She felt an emotion she wasn't familiar with. In all honesty, she didn't mind; actually she liked it a bit.

"I've seen Elder Brother Chen a few times…" she suddenly said, not sure what to talk about. "This place is an ancient Blessed Land…. Oh, right, how can your Cultivation base possibly be at the Foundation Establishment stage…?"

Meng Hao looked at her, a warm smile growing on his face.

"What was the situation with Zhao Shanhe?" he asked lightly.

"He was a Conclave disciple of the Black Sieve Sect," she replied, a look of disgust appearing in her eyes. "His Clan has deep roots in the Sect. He was shameless and disgusting. Over the past few years, he used Foundation Establishment Pills as bait to force himself on numerous female disciples…."

"Foundation Establishment Pills…." He looked at her for a moment. He could tell that she had completed the circle of nine Qi Condensation levels. With a Foundation Establishment Pill, she could definitely go into secluded meditation and reach Foundation Establishment.

"That type of pill is very valuable," she said, a dismal look on her face. "It's even hard for Inner Sect disciples to get one. You can only acquire one with the support of someone of the senior generation, or if you perform some special service for the Sect. Or possibly if you have amazing latent talent.

"After Patriarch Zhen brought me to the Black Sieve Sect, she completely ignored me. However, my personality was similar to a Core Formation Cultivator of the senior generation, so she took me in as a disciple. She promised to give me a Foundation Establishment Pill, but she left for the sect a few years ago and has never returned. According to the rumors, she's dead…."

Meng Hao slapped his bag of the Cosmos. Instantly, three Foundation Establishment Pills appeared in his hand. He held them out to her.

"I have some Foundation Establishment Pills," he said.

Xu Qing stared wordlessly at the three pills. She was shocked, never having imagined that Meng Hao would have a Foundation Establishment Pill, let alone three. These three pills would cause a riot if they appeared within the Black Sieve Sect.

"Those…" Xu Qing breathed even harder when she saw the symbol etched into the side of the pills. Her eyes widened. "Those were concocted by Grandmaster Pill Demon."

"I only have three. But if it's not enough, then I can get some more for you when we get out of here." He smiled, placing the pills into Xu Qing's hand. To anyone else, these pills would be incredibly valuable.

"It's enough, really. One… maybe two is probably enough." She was about to say more when Meng Hao closed her hand over the pills.

"I don't need them. You take them. If you need, I can stand guard for you when you use them."

"Unless you've been at the ninth level of Qi Condensation for dozens of years, are completely prepared, and have refined your body to the extreme, then you would need several months at the least. This place isn't appropriate. I'll wait till I get back to the Sect and find an appropriate place to break through." She gave him a deep look. "You can't stay here for too long, Meng Hao. You need to be careful. The Black Sieve Sect has known about the existence of this place for a long time, but hasn't been able to enter. Recently, though, they came across an ancient map.

"With the map, they were able to open the entrance. Originally, this was an ancient Blessed Land, but over the years it has changed, and is now a land of death."

Meng Hao's eyes glistened as he listened to her explanation.

"Supposedly, it has something to do with an ancient, violent Spirit. I'm not really sure what it is, and there are lots of rumours in the Sect about it. Although, I can tell you that the reason they've gathered so many rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators is not to acquire treasures, but to create a Hundred Spirits Tower!

"It's not a big secret to the Inner Sect disciples, and even some in the Outer Sect know about it, but they don't care about rogue Cultivators. Actually, there are even a few amongst the rogue Cultivators who know about it.

"The Hundred Spirits Tower is actually quite simple to describe. Basically, by using a variety of magical Cultivation techniques, one hundred Dao Pillars are refined together to create the Hundred Spirits Tower.

"The purpose of creating the tower is top secret. I don't think even the Inner Sect disciples know about it. Amongst the Conclave disciples, only two or three even know a little bit." This was everything Xu Qing knew regarding the activities in the Blessed Land.

Suddenly, a massive roaring could be heard from somewhere off in the distance.

The instant the sound echoed out, the ground in the Blessed Land suddenly began to quake violently. At the same time, a mysterious gravitational force came into being. Meng Hao's eyes flickered. He felt the Dao Pillars within him trembling, as if something were trying to pull them out of him.

1. If you want to review Meng Hao's musings about marrying Xu Qing, re-read Chapter 13: Manly Cao Yang

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Chapter 153: Barring the Way

Meng Hao's expression changed in a flash. His Cultivation base rotated, and intense power from his Perfect Dao Pillars expanded out to resist the gravitational force.

Xu Qing didn't react whatsoever at first. But when she saw the expression on Meng Hao's face, she suddenly started to look anxious and worried.

The roaring sound echoed across the land, affecting not just Meng Hao, but all of the rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators within the Blessed Land. Each and every one of them, regardless of what they were doing at the moment, immediately sat down cross-legged to meditate.

However, in rapid succession, the bodies of multiple rogue Cultivators exploded, sending flesh and blood showering in all directions. Only their Dao Pillars were left intact. They flew through the air, dragged toward the location of the gravitational force.

The Dao Pillars flew toward what turned out to be a mountain range. Some powerful force had worn down a section of the mountains, so that it was sunken in. In the sunken area was a black tower.

From the looks of it, it wasn't completely finished being constructed. There were currently three levels. From all directions, multiple Dao Pillars flew toward it and began to form the fourth layer!

When the fourth layer was completed, the gravitational power grew weaker and then disappeared. Over thirty rogue Cultivators had died just now in the Blessed Land.

This shocking event instantly struck fear into the hearts of all the other rogue Cultivators. However, they were stuck inside. No matter where or how they searched, they would not be able to find any exits.

The area where the gravitational force originated from was surrounded by nearly one thousand Black Sieve Sect disciples, sitting cross-legged, chanting bizarre scriptural texts. The Black Sieve Sect disciples who had entered the Blessed Land in random places were all rushing toward this area.

Meng Hao opened his eyes, and they gleamed with a mysterious light. He glanced toward the area where the roar and the gravitational force had come from. His Dao Pillars were now stable. They were Perfect Dao Pillars, so even though the gravitational force was not small, it was far from being dangerous to him.

Seeing Meng Hao's pale face, Xu Qing quickly said, "That is the gathering place for the Black Sieve Sect disciples. All disciples were informed before entering to go to that place as quickly as possible. When we get there, we have to chant some scripture, although I don't know why.

"I know of an exit. Including last time, I've been here twice now. I can take you there and you can leave this place. You can't stay here."

Meng Hao didn't say anything. He stood, looking off toward where the gravitational force had originated. After a long moment, he shook his head.

"The gravitational force doesn't affect me very much. And I have a way to leave here. As for you, though…" He looked back at her. "If that gravitational force hadn't appeared, it would be fine. But now, the rogue Cultivators will know something strange is going on. They'll be looking for Black Sieve Sect disciples to explain what's going on. Who knows what methods they will use to force out the information. Furthermore, if you know about that exit, then others will too. The people from the Black Sieve Sect wouldn't be so careless." He looked at Xu Qing, who had existed in his memories for so long as Elder Sister.

"We haven't seen each other for such a long time, I'd hoped we could spend some more time alone together," he said quietly. "But now is not the time. I'll escort you to the Black Sieve Sect rendezvous point. You will be much safer there."

"You really have a way to get out of here?" Xu Qing asked, her tone serious.

"Really," replied Meng Hao just as seriously.

Xu Qing looked quietly at him for a moment, and it seemed as if she wanted to say something. Before she could, Meng Hao stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her supple waist, then flew up into the sky.

Gale force winds blew about, but they were blocked by Meng Hao's Cultivation base. All Xu Qing could feel was Meng Hao holding her. Her face reddened again.

Her black hair drifted next to his face, filled with a delicate, unforgettable fragrance. Xu Qing didn't say anything as they sped along. In the past, she had been his Elder Sister. But he no longer exhibited any of the weakness he had as her Junior Brother. He was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. The way he had slaughtered Zhao Shanhe was evidence of the incredible changes he had experienced throughout the years.

As Meng Hao breathed in her delicate fragrance, she also could smell him. It made her feel safe, like she was home.

She suddenly thought back to Mount Daqing, and the young scholar Meng Hao. She had carried him away to the Reliance Sect in much the same fashion as he was holding her now, pressed up against him.

A smile appeared in her eyes as she thought of this. She looked up at Meng Hao's profile and time seemed to slow down.

She didn't understand what she was feeling, but she knew that right now, everything was peaceful. Suddenly she had the feeling that Meng Hao really was like her younger brother.

"You grew up," she said suddenly. She wasn't quite sure why she said it, but she did.

Hearing this, Meng Hao suddenly stopped flying for a moment and smiled wryly. Her face was covered with a cold look of seeming indifference, but it was obviously an act.

"I think you're a few years older than me…." he said, clearing his throat.

"Five years older!" she said seriously. "I'm your Elder Sister!"

"That's no big deal." Seeing her wide-eyed look, he laughed and added, "Okay, okay, I never said you're not my Elder Sister."

Time passed, enough for an incense stick to burn. Suddenly, eight beams of light appeared in front of them. Before the two of them could pass, the people caught sight of them.

"Qi Condensation…. That woman is a Black Sieve Sect disciple!"

"Yeah, she must be. She's just what we've been looking for!" All of them were Cultivators of the early Foundation Establishment stage. Their eyes glittered viciously as their gazes shifted from Xu Qing to Meng Hao.

A blue-robed, middle-aged man amongst them looked coldly at Meng Hao and said, "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to tell us what this woman told you. We want her, now!" It seemed that if Meng Hao didn't comply, the man would attack.

Every person in their midst had hostile looks in their eyes. The gravitational power that had appeared had scared them witless, so they had decided to search for lone Black Sieve Sect disciples to extract information from.

Now that they had found one, they wouldn't give her up easily.

Xu Qing started to pant with nervousness, unconsciously tightening her grip on Meng Hao's robes. To her, these eight Foundation Establishment Cultivators had incredibly high Cultivation bases. Considering hers, she wouldn't be able to resist even one of them.

"Screw off!" said Meng Hao coolly. He didn't stop flying for even a second but continued to shoot directly toward them. Xu Qing was getting even more nervous. She had seen him dispatch Zhao Shanhe, but at the moment, they were facing eight people. She couldn't help but be worried.

When he heard Meng Hao's words, the blue-robed man laughed. Killing intent sprang up in his eyes. Meng Hao's Cultivation base was at the early Foundation Establishment stage, just like he himself, and he had seven others backing him up. Considering Meng Hao was a single person, there shouldn't even be a need to begin fighting. And yet, Meng Hao had unexpectedly dared to rave wildly.

Cold smiles broke out on the faces of the seven other Cultivators. In their minds, Meng Hao was simply talking big.

However, even as the blue-robed man lifted his hand to begin an incantation gesture and the seven others began to take out various magical items, Meng Hao opened his mouth. The lightning mist exploded out, and before any of the eight of them could react, it had enveloped them. The earth below showered up as a dozen dark red vines shot upward. They screamed up savagely, directly into the midst of the lightning mist.

Miserable, ear-piercing screams echoed out from within. They sounded like the cries emitted just before death. Meng Hao's expression was the same as ever as, holding Xu Qing in his arms, he continued on flying. The lightning mist wrapped up the bags of holding and delivered them to Meng Hao, who tucked them away. The vines burrowed back into the ground. As for the eight Cultivators, they were nowhere to be seen.

The quick and efficient dispatching of the eight Cultivators didn't phase Meng Hao at all. But Xu Qing sucked in a breath. Meng Hao had grown up to an astonishing degree.

He continued to fly along at high speed. They were getting closer to the origin of the gravitational force. Along the way, they ran into single Cultivators, or occasionally groups of three to five. In total, they ran into ten early Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators. None of them was able to obstruct Meng Hao's progress in the least bit.

Soon, they were very close to the Black Sieve Sect rendezvous point. Behind Meng Hao appeared two beams of light which emanated the power of the mid Foundation Establishment stage. If that were the extent of it, it wouldn't be a big deal. But at the same time, ahead of Meng Hao appeared another beam. Inside was an old man. This was the same old man with whom Meng Hao had entered the Black Sieve Sect. He was of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

He stopped several hundred meters in front of Meng Hao. The man's cold gaze fell upon Xu Qing.

"Fellow Daoist, I have been waiting here for quite some time waiting to see a Black Sieve Sect disciple. Hand the woman over to me."

The two mid Foundation Establishment Cultivators came to a stop behind Meng Hao and Xu Qing, who were now completely surrounded.

The two mid Foundation Establishment Cultivators were middle-aged. Their eyes were dour, and they radiated a cold aura along with significant killing intent. They were clearly vicious and cruel.

"What do you want to know?" said Meng Hao coolly. "I can tell you." Xu Qing's face was wan as she rested in his embrace. Without him there, she would definitely have been captured and interrogated by rogue Cultivators. Along the way, she had seen several Black Sieve Sect disciples who had been captured and questioned using various methods.

But rogue Cultivators were rogue Cultivators. They wouldn't easily give up information when asked. After all, that information could be life-saving to them; by telling others, it could reduce their own chances and deliver both parties to death.

"I'm not used to listening to what others have to say," said the old man calmly. "I only trust the results of my own handiwork." The power of the late Foundation Establishment Cultivation base emanated out, sending massive pressure down onto Meng Hao.

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Chapter 154: To Each His Own Path

Meng Hao didn't respond. He looked down at Xu Qing and gave her a little smile. He retreated backward with her, causing the late Foundation Establishment old man to snort and then fly forward toward Meng Hao like a nightingale.

His speed was incredible, and he displayed the full power of his late Foundation Establishment Cultivation base, causing eight ripples to spread out in the air. He obviously had eight Dao Pillars within his body.

By this point, Meng Hao had already reached the two mid Foundation Establishment stage middle-aged Cultivators. They laughed, and one of them flashed incantation gestures. A hundred Ice Blades magically appeared and began to spin, forming a giant whirlwind. The whirlwind shot toward Meng Hao, each blade within filled with the power of the early Foundation Establishment stage.

The other man slapped his bag of holding to produce five black, buzzing, head-sized wasps with long, red stingers.

"You overestimate yourself!" said the man who had created the Ice Blades. The Ice Blade whirlwind screamed toward Meng Hao. Holding Xu Qing with his right arm, he waved his left hand. Instantly, an enormous Flame Dragon appeared, along with a Wind Blade. Shockingly,the Flame Dragon was not pure red, but streaked with gold! Because of the Sublime Spirit Scripture, the dragon had become a Golden Dragon.

The Wind Blade fused with the dragon, causing it to expand to three hundred meters in length. Furthermore, two bulges appeared on the left and right side of the Flame Dragon. As soon as the Wind Blade touched the dragon, they exploded out into two enormous wings. It unfurled the wings; this was a Flying Rain-Dragon.

Meng Hao had been enlightened regarding this technique when the roc had awakened the Flying Rain-Dragon Legacy within him.

The next thing to appear with the Dragon was a Flame Sea. This Flame Sea was birthed from the power of the Perfect Dao Pillar. Mid Foundation Establishment Cultivators simply had no way to resist it.

Boom!

The Ice Blade whirlwind broke apart in an instant, transforming into a mist which was consumed by the Flame Sea. The flaming Flying Rain-Dragon roared. The two mid Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators retreated, looks of shock on their face. In the blink of an eye, the Flying Rain-Dragon shot forward and consumed one of them in a single bite.

A miserable scream echoed out as his body was transformed into ash.

All of this happened in the time it takes a spark to rise off of a piece of flint. Neither the old man of the late Foundation Establishment stage nor the man with the five wasps had time to react before it was over.

Face expressionless, Meng Hao turned and strode directly toward the five ferocious buzzing wasps.

They shot toward him, but as they neared, their bodies suddenly began to tremble violently. It seemed as if they had sensed something frightening and didn't dare to get any closer. They retreated instantly, something their master had never experienced before.

Even as shock covered his face, laughing-crying demon faces appeared in Meng Hao's eyes. One was clear, the other was blurry, and they instantly caused Meng Hao to emit a bizarre aura. The five wasps emitted sharp cries, and their bodies trembled even harder, as if they might lose their ability to fly. Suddenly, they turned and savagely attacked each other.

As this bizarre scene played out, Meng Hao strode through the midst of the wasps, raising his left hand and slicing his own finger, covering it with blood. Suddenly, the entire area was covered with a bloody aura. When it disappeared, Meng Hao was standing directly in front of the middle-aged man. He lifted up his index finger and pushed between the man's eyebrows.

The man's body shook, and his eyes bulged. His body rapidly began to wither, and by the time Meng Hao removed his finger, his entire body had transformed into blood, which drained down onto the ground.

Meng Hao turned and looked at the shocked late Foundation Establishment old man. Only the space of a few breaths had passed since Meng Hao took action, and yet he had already completely exterminated two powerful mid Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

His methods were vicious, his techniques bizarre. A coldness suddenly appeared in the old man's body, growing rapidly.

Now he understood why Xie Jie of the Black Sieve Sect had been watching Meng Hao that day on the Feng Shui compass, and had even tried to bait him into doing something that would reveal his abilities. Clearly, Xie Jie had heard something about Meng Hao.

"Want to keep going?" Meng Hao asked calmly. His index finger still glowed with a bloody light, casting a bloody light over his body.

The old man didn't respond. Considering the level of his Cultivation base, he too could have easily killed the two mid Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators. But he couldn't have done it in such a leisurely fashion. He felt fear in his heart, especially when he saw Meng Hao's complete lack thereof. Clasping hands in salute, he moved backward several paces, giving way for Meng Hao to pass.

"I am Xu Youdao 1. As for the matter today, I offer my apologies. I believe we will be meeting again soon." He said the last in a very meaningful tone.

Meng Hao thought for a moment, then nodded. The blood glow was beginning to fade as he shot off into the distance. In his arms, Xu Qing was completely shocked by the battle power of his Cultivation base.

She hesitated for a moment and then blurted, "What… what level is your Cultivation base, really?"

"I'm at the peak of early Foundation Establishment," he said with a little smile. He now appeared to be a completely different person than the one who had just been fighting. He really had changed because of all his experiences through the years. However, this change was in the way he dealt with enemies. His disposition toward his friends was as scholarly as ever, and hadn't changed in the least bit.

Actually, his ruthless killing had a lot to do with the poison within him. Someone infected with the three-colored Resurrection Lily would become increasingly cruel and ferocious until the day they transformed into an actual Resurrection Lily.

"How can you kill people of the mid Foundation Establishment stage…?" asked Xu Qing, her brow furrowed.

"Oh, there are many reasons," he said simply. "I may be at the early Foundation Establishment stage, but I can hold my own against the late Foundation Establishment stage."

Not much time passed before they reached a mountain. From the mountain peak, Meng Hao could see the large man-made area and the big black tower that was being erected.

He could just make out the nearly one thousand Black Sieve Sect disciples sitting cross-legged around the tall tower, along with the faint sound of scriptures being chanted. He couldn't make out the details of the scriptures, however.

"I can't get any closer," he said. His gaze shifted from the scene below, to Xu Qing. "There shouldn't be any rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators in this area, you should be able to proceed on your own without being in danger. Take this, it's an invisibility item. You'll be able to use it after you reach Foundation Establishment." He handed her the invisibility talisman.

She accepted it. She still had Meng Hao's robes draped over her. They were a bit large, but she still was beautiful. She looked at Meng Hao and was about to open her mouth as if to say something. Instead, she leaned forward and embraced him lightly. Her head pressed against his chest, and she could hear his heart beating.

This was not an embrace of passion, but the embrace of a sister to a brother, of family.

The sky was growing light, and the darkness was fading away. Meng Hao looked down at Xu Qing's beautiful hair. It seemed as if her hair knew he was looking at it; or perhaps it was the wind. It floated up gently to caress his face.

A long time passed, and then Xu Qing stepped back and looked him deep in the eyes.

"You need to be careful," she said. "Get out of this place as soon as you can." Then she turned, stepped onto a flying sword and shot down the mountain. She glided up and down a few times, eventually entering a small forest at the bottom of the mountain. When she emerged from the other side of the forest, Meng Hao's clothes were gone and she was dressed in a fresh Black Sieve Sect robe.

Meng Hao stood there the whole time, watching her disappear into the distance. A sense of departure filled him, and for a moment, he felt like he was back in the Reliance Sect when it was being disbanded.

Now, though, he was no longer a Qi Condensation Cultivator. He was of Foundation Establishment, with a Perfect Foundation. He was no longer a child, but a young man. Wisdom birthed from maturity helped him to understand that it didn't matter whether you are a man or woman; every person has the right to make their own choices.

His path could only be tread by he himself. Perhaps his path would cross the paths of others, and that was well and good. But for the moment, he needed to walk alone. Unless… he could be powerful enough to forge his own road. Change everything. The alternative was to live a life full of sighing.

He watched Xu Qing until she reached the Black Sieve Sect rendezvous point. Determination filled his eyes. He lifted his head, looking into the sky. There, the rising sun and the moon were almost on top of each other.

Meng Hao's eyes began to glow.

"Since I'm here, I might as well go check things out. If the Classic of Time is real, then using the copper mirror and Spring and Autumn trees, I can forge that so-called treasure of Time! And then there's my Thunderclap leaf. Lu Tao is in this place too, I might be able to get some more information." He turned and shot up into the air, using the position of the sun and moon to guide his path.

He proceeded on for a while. Suddenly, a booming sound filled the air, and the gravitational force appeared again. This time, Meng Hao saw with his own eyes an early Foundation Establishment Cultivator who couldn't fight against it. His body exploded, and an intangible Dao Pillar flew out from the remains.

"The gravitational force is getting stronger. I'm worried that eventually, I won't be able to resist it." He frowned, suppressing the trembling of his Dao Pillars and flying forward as quickly as possible. Soon, the sun and the moon would not be overlapping any more. But now that Meng Hao knew which direction to go, he realized that he was getting closer and closer to his destination.

—–

This chapter was sponsored by Andy Zheng, Yu-Chiang Hsu, Nghia Nguyen, Manh Tran and Matthew Rishton

1. Xu Youdao's name in Chinese is 徐有道 Xúyǒudào – Xu is a common family name. You means "have." Dao is the same Dao as "The Dao," which also means "way" or "path"

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Chapter 155: The Last Person

Time passed slowly, about four hours. The gravitational power appeared again once, during which time Meng Hao continued to fly past mountain after mountain.

This place was very strange. The sun blazed brightly up above in the sky. If you looked closely, however, you could also see the vague shape of a moon within it. It seemed that within another two hours, they would split apart.

After about another hour's travel, a vast plain appeared up ahead.

The plain was filled with tall grass, half the height of a person. It swayed in the wind, making the plain look almost like a sea. The only sound present was the whispering of the wind. Within the plain was one area devoid of grass. Three people sat there cross-legged.

Two were women and one was a man. The man was middle-aged and dressed in a gray robe. His face was expressionless, and his eyes were closed in meditation. An icy air drifted off of his body. He was of the late Foundation Establishment stage. He was one of the three late Foundation Establishment Cultivators that traveled to this place on the violet Feng Shui compass.

Of the two women, one was middle-aged and a bit overweight. Her features were ordinary, almost like those of a farm-girl. She was another from that group of three powerful late Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

An impatient expression filled her face as she looked at the last woman. This woman wore a veil which covered half of her face and obscured her features in a mysterious blur.

"Fellow Daoist, do you invite me here so that I can sit around waiting? I somehow don't believe that our destination is really as dangerous as a dragon's lair or a tiger's den. Are Fellow Daoist Sima and myself really not enough?" She laughed coldly. The cold, middle-aged man opened his eyes from meditation. They glowed as he looked at the woman in the veil.

"Fellow Daoist Li, please wait just a bit longer," said the veiled woman, her voice light. "I have invited five people in total. If they do not arrive, then we might as well not proceed. With just the three of us, our chances of success will be small."

The Li woman snorted and seemed to be about to say more. In the end she didn't.

"Be patient for just a bit longer," said the veiled woman. "The sun and moon will cease to overlap in about two hours. If they haven't arrived by then, then we might have no other choice than to make an attempt ourselves."

An hour passed, at which point a beam of colorful light appeared. Within it was a streak of violet. Whoever was approaching wore a violet robe.

This person approached at top speed, arriving in the space of a few breaths. It was a young man with handsome features and a slight smile on his face. From his violet gown, it was obvious that he was no ordinary person. After landing, his eyes swept over the three others. He smiled at them and then cupped hands in greeting.

"I'm late," said Xie Jie 1. "Please forgive me, Fellow Daoists. Sorry to keep you waiting, Junior Sister Han." This was none other than Conclave disciple Xie Jie of the Black Sieve Sect. He looked at the veiled woman with a smirk as he revealed her identity.

His appearance caused the Li woman to frown slightly. She stood and returned his salute. The cold man, however, did little more than give him a slight nod.

The veiled woman frowned as the two others looked at her.

She laughed lightly, removing her veil. Her face was incredibly beautiful and delicate, her skin as lustrous as jade. Everything seemed to grow brighter because of her beauty.

"Han Bei 2 extends greetings to all you Fellow Daoists," she said. "Originally I didn't want to reveal my identity for personal reasons. However, it seems Elder Brother Xie took issue with that, so I will be more open with my identity for the sake of everyone's comfort." This woman was none other than Han Bei. Her enchanting features coupled with the beautiful smile on her face right now made it impossible to be irritated with her.

Xie Jie smiled. "I wasn't aware that Junior Sister Han had matters she wished to keep to herself. I spoke hastily, please don't take offense."

"It doesn't matter," she replied with a smile. "Considering the Sect activity in this place, Junior Sister was worried that revealing her identity would cause a misunderstanding. But with Elder Brother Xie here, I have nothing to worry about. Our chances of success are now much greater." The Li woman looked on pensively, and the gray-robed Cultivator frowned.

Her words were like a cotton ball with a needle inside. Xie Jie was just about to say something, but then stopped and turned his head. Everyone did the same, except for the gray-robed man.

A colorful beam of light approached, accompanied by a roaring wind that sent the grass whipping about. It transformed into an old man; this was none other than Xu Youdao.

He strode up to the group, his eyes flashing. He looked around for a moment, and then focused his gaze onto Han Bei.

"So, it turns out the invitation was from Fellow Daoist Han. I think you owe an explanation regarding what the Black Sieve Sect is doing in this place."

Han Bei smiled. "With you and your special technique, Fellow Daoist Xu, our mission will be much easier to accomplish. As for an explanation, you can rest at ease, sir. I will provide a full explanation soon."

Seeing Xu Youdao, the Li woman quickly greeted him with clasped hands. Xie Jie smiled and did the same. The gray-robed man simply nodded to him. So far, he had paid almost no heed to anyone.

"Is everyone here?" asked Xie Jie with a smile.

"I heard there's one more," said the Li woman, smiling ingratiatingly at Xie Jie.

"Oh?" said Xie Jie, his eyes narrowing. These three were late Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators, and as far as he could remember there hadn't been any others amongst the rogue Cultivators. "Could it be that Han Bei invited some other Black Sieve Sect disciple?" he thought. "Who might it be…?" He eyed Han Bei. "Who is this last person we're waiting for?" he asked with a smile. "Would Junior Sister Han mind explaining?"

"That's right," chimed in the Li woman. "I'm very interested as to who this final Fellow Daoist could possibly be. If he's important, I'll be sure to make friends. If he's not important, then I must ask, why are we sitting around waiting?"

The gray-robed Cultivator closed his eyes, ignoring them. Xu Youdao stood there thoughtfully, his eyes flickering.

Han Bei was silent for a moment and then said, "I don't know who it is either, much the same as how I didn't know any of your identities at first. My guess is that while he isn't an important figure now, if we don't have him in our group, we may very well wind up empty-handed in our endeavor today. With this person, our chances of success will be increased by thirty percent." Her words were spoken calmly, but with iron-like resoluteness.

"Oh?" said Xie Jie. His interest was now piqued. "And why does Junior Sister Han attach such importance to this person?"

The Li woman laughed coldly, her face filled with disdain, clearly feeling that Han Bei was exaggerating. She didn't believe that a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could possibly be so useful. A Core Formation stage Cultivator would have been a different matter, but it was fundamentally impossible for such a person to join them.

"Could this person be a Pseudo Core Cultivator?" asked the Li woman with a sneer. "Fellow Daoist Han, you should really be careful. There are many people in the world who fish for fame and compliments." It wasn't that she specifically didn't like Han Bei; actually, she hated all beautiful women."

"I'm truly not sure if this person is at the Pseudo Core stage or not," Han Bei replied calmly, giving the Li woman a level look. "In any case, his is definitely extraordinary. Of that, you can be certain."

The Li woman said nothing more. Suddenly, Xie Jie lifted his head and looked toward the horizon, as did Xu Youdao. Soon everyone's eyes were fixed on the beam of light which shot toward them.

This was Meng Hao, of course. He whistled through the air, his eyes sweeping the land. Soon, he spotted the blank area on the plain, upon which the overlapping sun and moon shined, as well as the five people there.

He looked them over as he landed onto the ground. His expression was the same as usual as he walked over.

When he saw Meng Hao, Xu Youdao expression flickered. A bright glow appeared in Han Bei's eyes, and her lips spread into a smile. As for Xie Jie, a cold look covered his face as he looked Meng Hao over.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoists," he said coolly. "I was delayed on the way, and am a bit late." He glanced over the group, his gaze lingering for a moment on Han Bei.

"Early Foundation Establishment stage?" said the Li woman, frowning. A haughty look of disdain appeared on her face. She couldn't wait to rudely say, "This is the person Fellow Daoist Han claims is essential? She thinks a trifling early Foundation Establishment is so important? Laughable. Or could it be that this junior generation infant just happened to accidentally stumble upon this area?"

Meng Hao looked at her without a word.

"I'm also very curious about this," said Xie Jie with a smile. An almost imperceptible flicker appeared in his eyes.

Hearing Xie Jie's words caused the Li Woman's arrogance to grow even greater. "For an early Foundation Establishment Cultivator to be in our midst is demeaning. Han Bei may have recommended him, but I, Li, shall test him out myself and see what skills he has." She began to walk toward Meng Hao. "Produce every scrap of power from your Cultivation base," she said. "If you can live through one strike from me, then I'll agree that you're qualified to join us. If you're not qualified, then you'll be killed by the Black Sieve Sect any way. It seems death will end all your troubles!"

By the time she finished speaking, she had reached Meng Hao. She lifted her right hand and a blinding orange light appeared, which transformed into a pink colored whip. It flipped about, emitting cracking sounds.

1. Xie Jie appeared in Chapter 145: An Ancient Mountain Path, as well as Chapter 146

2. Han Bei appeared previously in:

Chapter 141: The Cosmetic Cultivation Pill Appears Again

Chapter 143: Ghost in the Night

Chapter 146: This is Ultimate Vexation!

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Chapter 156: Fear of Meng Hao

Meng Hao's expression was tranquil. No one moved to interfere with the woman. The man in the gray robed sat meditating with his eyes closed. Xu Youdao was aware of Meng Hao's extraordinariness, so naturally he did nothing.

As for Han Bei, she had speculations regarding Meng Hao's incredible power, but wasn't certain. She just knew a bit of secret information, which had fueled her conjectures. For her, this situation would be a good chance to observe Meng Hao's battle prowess.

She still wished to offer some words of caution, but would the Li woman really listen? The woman's Cultivation base was at the late Foundation Establishment stage, but in terms of thinking ability, she was one of the weakest present. The only way she had reached late Foundation Establishment was good fortune accumulated by her ancestors that had been passed down to her.

Regarding Xie Jie, he had intentionally manipulated the whole thing, so obviously did nothing to stop it from happening. He watched Meng Hao from off to the side, a smile on his lips. He was very curious as to why the Elders of the Sect had instructed him to keep an eye on Meng Hao. After arriving at the Blessed Land, he hadn't paid too close attention, but having run into Meng Hao again, he wanted to feel him out.

Everyone had their own plans and schemes. Meng Hao glanced them over, and although he wasn't able to fully grasp their various motivations, he had a pretty good idea. He watched the Li woman approaching, her pink whip whistling through the air. His face was expressionless, and he didn't take even a single step backward. In fact, in the midst of her approach, he took three steps forward.

As he did, he lifted his right hand and struck out.

As his palm struck out a fierce wind sprang up, causing the surrounding grass to whip about in a frenzy. Without pausing, Meng Hao struck out a second time, then a third, a fourth and a fifth time!

These five strikes were the Nineteen Clear Sky strikes that Meng Hao had acquired from the violet-robed young man, by means of the rattan vines. The manual was incomplete, but the first five strikes were whole.

Each of these five strikes were filled with the complete power of Meng Hao's Perfect Dao pillars. After striking out five times, an enormous magical palm the size of a person appeared in front of him. Wind whipped about in all directions as the palm shot forward.

When the five Clear Sky strikes appeared, Han Bei and Xie Jie's expressions changed. They instantly recognized the enormous palm. This was a magical technique from the Black Sieve Sect; there was no way for outsiders to know it. Yet, here was Meng Hao, using it right in front of their eyes. There was no denying it, and this caused their hearts to tremble.

The Li woman was of the late Foundation Establishment stage, but she only had seven Dao Pillars. Furthermore, they were not even Cracked, but Fractured. Disdain covered her face as her illusory whip slammed into Meng Hao's enormous palm. She knew in her heart what was going to happen. The palm would collapse into pieces as her whip sliced through it like a hot knife through butter. After it disintegrated, her whip would fall upon her opponent's body, severing tendons and crushing bones.

Boom!

An explosion reverberated out. There was a collapse. But it wasn't Meng Hao's palm. A soon as the middle-aged woman's magical whip made contact with the giant palm, it shook, and then broke apart into pieces. The Li woman's face fell when she saw this unexpected turn of events. A look of disbelief covered her face.

How could she possibly have imagined that this would happen? She had used a magical whip powered by late Foundation Establishment. Her opponent's palm exceeded her wildest imagination; dread seeped into her eyes.

Meng Hao's giant palm instantly destroyed the whip. It shot forward with shocking power, accompanied by gale force winds. The Li woman no longer scorned Meng Hao; instead, as the area began to shake, a sense of imminent danger rose up inside her. She retreated immediately, raising her right hand, into which a small shield appeared. She bit down on her tongue and then spit up some blood from her Cultivation base. When it landed on the little shield, it began to spin, expanding outward and meeting Meng Hao's giant palm.

Another explosion rippled out. The shield shook, and was tossed backward several meters, just barely able to resist the palm. Meng Hao continued to stride forward. His Spiritual Sense, which far outmatched any late Foundation Establishment Cultivator, exploded out, crushing down onto the Li woman.

She screamed under the pressure. It felt like a sharp sword was stabbing through her brain, as if her own Spiritual Sense were about to shatter. She coughed up blood and staggered backward. By this time, Meng Hao had reached the small shield. He waved his hand, causing the massive illusory palm to wrap around the shield and drag it back to him. Using his Spiritual Sense, he erased the branding mark on the shield and then put it into his bag of holding. He looked at the woman surnamed Li.

The woman was in shock, her Spiritual Sense suppressed, her treasure un-branded and taken by Meng Hao. She retreated backward at top speed, coughing up blood, her face pale, her head buzzing. After she had moved backward a dozen or so meters, she finally came to a stop. She looked up at Meng Hao, astonished.

"You…." Her scalp was numb. It was clear that Meng Hao's Cultivation base must not be at the early Foundation Establishment stage. She had never seen an early Foundation Establishment Cultivator display such incredible battle power. Nor had she ever experienced such terrifying Spiritual Sense.

Not even a Flawless Foundation could be like this, as far as she was concerned.

"This art contains a total of nineteen strikes," Meng Hao said coolly, his expression the same as always. He didn't even mention anything about the treasure he'd snatched from her.

Hearing his words, the Li woman sucked in a breath, and her face went a few shades more pale. Her body began to tremble. The attack just now had rattled her Dao Pillars, caused her to cough up blood, and had forced her to utilize a treasured item. If more than five strikes had been used, she wasn't sure if her treasure could have resisted it. In that case, her Dao Pillars would surely have been damaged.

"Fellow Daoist, your Cultivation base is unfathomable," she said in a strained voice. "I was crude and rash, please don't take offense. Please keep my Cloud Peak shield as a token of my apology." She clasped hands and bowed deeply to Meng Hao, her eyes filled with dread.

It wasn't just her. Xu Youdao's gaze was fixed on Meng Hao. He was now completely reassured that he had made the right decision not to attack Meng Hao earlier. Meng Hao could not be an early Foundation Establishment Cultivator. If he really was… then that was exponentially more frightening.

The gray-robed man's eyes flickered open and came to rest on Meng Hao. He nodded.

Han Bei looked at Meng Hao thoughtfully, a light smile appearing on her face.

"Fellow Daoist Meng, you're not late. The hour has arrived. Our chances of acquiring the Classic of Time has now increased thirty percent."

Xie Jie laughed and said nothing. He didn't bring up the Nineteen Clear Sky strikes. Fear of Meng Hao now existed in his heart, and he now knew that Meng Hao was not a person to be provoked lightly. After all, he had only seen Meng Hao's colossal Spiritual Sense, and had no inkling what magical techniques or items he might have.

Whenever he dealt with people he didn't understand, he would be careful not to provoke them. Only after coming to understand them completely would he strike like lightning.

"Forget about the Classic of Time for a moment," said Meng Hao calmly. He looked at Han Bei, his expression the same as ever. "I came to this Blessed Land at the request of Fellow Daoist Han. However, your Sect controls this place. I'm very curious. If I help you to acquire the Classic of Time, will my Dao Pillars be ripped out afterward?"

Han Bei and Xie Jie's eyes flashed. Before they could respond, Xu Youdao laughed grimly and said, "Fellow Daoist Meng doesn't beat around the bush. I'm also very curious about this matter. Would the two Fellow Daoists care to provide an explanation to dispel our doubts?"

"I, too, would like to know the answer to this question," said the gray-robed man. His eyes flashed with a cold light as he looked at Han Bei and Xie Jie.

It seemed the Li woman was also concerned with her safety. She said nothing, but moved back a few paces, effectively closing a circle around Han Bei and Xie Jie.

Han Bei smiled. "Fellow Daoists, I must request that you do not press us regarding Sect matters. I really can't speak about it. Even if I did, you most likely wouldn't believe me. In any case, it's a Sect secret. Even though I'm a Conclave disciple, I don't know a lot about it. However, as for the place we're going to, I will of course take responsibility for your safety." She waved her hand and four jade slips flew out toward Meng Hao and the others.

Han Bei continued, "Within this jade slip is a detailed explanation of how to exit this place. Use the method described therein, and you can leave without a hitch. There are several exits to this ancient Blessed Land. If you don't believe me, read the jade slip and then check to see where the exits are. Then you'll understand why I selected this location as our rendezvous point." She smiled, looking as earnest as always.

Meng Hao's Spiritual Sense swept over the jade slip, and he looked around the area he stood. According to the jade slip, there were three exits. One of them… was the area they were standing on top of.

Meng Hao's hands flashed the incantation method recorded within the jade slip and he immediately felt a teleportation power rising up from beneath his feet. However, now was not the time to test it out, so he did not continue to bind the incantation.

"Here are four Spirit Seal insects," said Han Bei. "If you wish to conduct further inspection, you can. Send some Spiritual Sense into them and then send them out of the exit. Then you can be assured that my words are not false." She waved her right hand. Four white, thumb-sized insects flew out toward Meng Hao and the others.

Xu Youdao grabbed one. After examining it for a moment, he nodded. Branding it with Spiritual Sense, he used the technique described in the jade slip to send the insect down into the earth. It disappeared.

The Li woman did the same. The gray-robed Cultivator completely ignored Han Bei's insects, instead slapping his bag of holding to produce a scorpion.

"Of course I believe you, Fellow Daoist Han," said Meng Hao. He glanced at the insects and then selected one. He continued with his incantation, sending the insect through the exit using the method from the jade slip. However, in addition to the bug, he sent one of the rattan vines that were hidden deep in the earth. From the insect, he caught the indistinct impression of another location. It was definitely somewhere else, somewhere far, far away.

However, at the same time, he suddenly caught a sense of intense danger from the vine. Meng Hao's eyes narrowed.

Almost immediately the vine died. As it did, it transmitted a final image to Meng Hao. It appeared clearly in his mind, an enormous bronze cauldron. It was incredibly imposing, appearing to be tens of thousands of meters tall.

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Chapter 157: A Cauldron with a Square Exterior!

The image disappeared. Meng Hao's expression was as normal, revealing nothing. He looked at Xu Youdao and the others. Their expressions had not changed. It seemed all of them, including Xu Youdao and the gray-robed Cultivator, approved of what Han Bei had said.

"Could it be that they didn't notice the bronze cauldron?" thought Meng Hao. After being branded by his blood, the vines had begun to emit a faint Demonic aura.

Han Bei smiled. "Fellow Daoists, now that you can rest your hearts at ease, please accompany me to the location of the Classic of Time. No matter what happens today, if we acquire the Classic, then everyone will get a copy." She bowed toward the group, and then shot into the air and flew out across the plain.

Xie Jie was the second to fly up, followed by Xu Youdao and the Li woman. Meng Hao and the gray-robed Cultivator were the last of the six to turn into beams of colourful light that shot through the sky.

No one spoke as they traveled. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Meng Hao's face was expressionless, but his thoughts were filled with the image of the huge bronze cauldron. At the moment, he was about seventy to eighty percent certain that the area he had seen was no exit, but rather Han Bei's handiwork.

He wasn't sure if Han Bei could dupe the others, but he had his good luck charm, and thus felt reassured in his current position. The location of the Classic of Time was surely bizarre and astonishing; if it weren't, Han Bei wouldn't have spent so much time and resources to go there.

"I wonder how Han Bei learned of this Classic of Time…" he thought to himself, looking up ahead at Han Bei's lithe figure as she shot through the air.

Suddenly, Xu Youdao spoke up, giving voice to what Meng Hao had just been considering. "Fellow Daoist Han, you still haven't explained how you learned of the Classic of time, nor how you acquired the first volume."

Han Bei looked back with a smile.

"If Fellow Daoist Xu is anxious for an answer, then I will give it as soon as we arrive." It was at this time that they reached the edge of the vast plain. Suddenly, the roaring sound once again appeared. It was very far away, but it still caused everyone except for Han Bei and Xie Jie to feel shaken.

Those of the late Foundation Establishment stage rotated their Cultivation bases until the roaring and gravitational force died down. Then everything went back to normal, except that their faces were a bit paler.

An apologetic look appeared on Han Bei's face, but she said nothing. She raised her hand and pushed her hand down toward the ground. A strong wind suddenly sprang into being, sweeping across the land. Han Bei took a deep breath and then smacked her bag of holding. A jade bottle appeared in her hand.

It was blue-green in color, and as soon as it appeared, her expression became somewhat somber. She tossed it out, and everyone watched as it descended downward.

When it landed onto the ground, cracks appeared on its surface that spread out rapidly. A blue liquid appeared within the cracks which emanated a faintly bitter aura. As the aura spread out, the eyes of the gray-robed Cultivator narrowed.

"That's… Blue Heaven Elixir!"

Even as his words rang out, the blue bottle split into pieces. The blue liquid within expanded out to form a mist that enveloped the surrounding three hundred meter area. Suddenly, all of the grass disappeared, as if it had been a mere illusion. The earth surrounding them was pitch black, as if it were suffering from some sort of curse, some ancient spell which had existed for millennia.

"Fellow Daoist Sima, you are certainly experienced and knowledgeable. You are correct, this is Blue Heaven Elixir. To acquire even one drop required countless hardships. It's capable of piercing a variety of illusions." She smiled at the gray-robed man, then glanced at Meng Hao and the others.

"Fellow Daoists, I know that you have many questions. We are currently standing above an ancient portal which leads to a sealed zone within the Blessed Land. In actuality, the Black Sieve Sect learned about this Blessed Land hundreds of years ago. However, the person who actually discovered it was not a disciple of the Black Sieve Sect, but an ancestor of my Clan.

"Because of the Blessed Land, the Black Sieve Sect made my ancestor join the Sect, which is how the Han bloodline came to exist there. In fact, the map used to enter this place was created after years of research on the part of one of my Clan uncles. He used a mysterious magical technique to refine and congeal his own blood into the map. Because…." She was silent for the space of a few breaths, then continued, "Because this Blessed Land was once ruled by a lord who was also a patriarch of the Han Clan. However, he eventually became one with the Dao, and dissipated. Despite that, a connection to this place will occasionally appear within his descendants.

"I'm not sure what the Black Sieve Sect is plotting. But before he transformed into the map, my Clan uncle told me that because of his bloodline connection to this place, he knew that a secret technique of the Han Clan existed within. The three volume Time magic. This magic can produce a Time-Ruining treasure. Wielding the treasure can enable you to suck away the lifespans of others. That is why it requires a Spring and Autumn tree or similar item as its base.

"Even in ancient times," she said, her voice gentle and clear, "this Time-Ruining treasure was astonishing and rarely seen. Nowadays, it could be considered lost. If it still exists, then it's only in this place! Regarding the first volume of the Classic of Time, well… that is an item that has been passed down through generations in my Clan.

"I shall combine the three volumes and refine the Time-Ruining treasure. It is my personal affair, and I don't want other Han Clan members to know about it. I also wish to avoid the prying eyes of the Black Sieve Sect. That is why I invited you all here today. As for Elder Brother Xie, he is here because of a previous agreement between the two of us."

Everyone obviously had their own opinion about how much of what she had just said was true and how much was false. The methods she had used on the outside to gather their group together gave some clues. Meng Hao's eyes flashed over the group, and inside, he laughed.

"It seems like everybody is thinking something different. But other than me, it looks like nobody is even listening to Han Bei's explanation. And she knows it. There does seem to be something wrong with what she said just now.

"However… the Classic of Time is most likely real. Right now, I don't really have very many powerful magical items other than the wooden swords. I do have the Spring and Autumn tree which is easy to duplicate with the copper mirror. If I can learn the technique from the Classic of Time, then my problem will be solved.

"I still need to be cautious, though. If anything goes wrong, I'll use the good luck charm to leave this place immediately." Even as he made his mind up, Han Bei flashed an incantation gesture to open the ancient portal beneath them.

An ancient and archaic roar sounded out from within, as if some sleeping beast was awakening. Suddenly, a glittering light appeared. It did not spread out far; it only enveloped the surrounding three hundred meters.

When the light appeared, Han Bei looked up to the sky as if she were calculating something. Then, her body flashed and she shot down into the portal. With a slight smile, Xie Jie entered as well, followed by Xu Youdao and the others.

Meng Hao swept the area with Spiritual Sense to confirm that it was nothing more than a teleportation portal. After seeing everyone else enter and begin to turn blurry, he followed. The glowing light flickered and then faded. Everyone disappeared.

When they re-appeared, the sky above was the same sky as in the Blessed Land. However, the earth was covered with cracks. Far off in the distance, an object was visible. When Meng Hao's eyes fell upon it, they shone brightly for a moment and then returned to normal.

Up ahead was an enormous bronze cauldron!

The cauldron was several tens of thousands of meters tall, rising up so tall that it seemed to be supporting the sky. It looked both ancient and primitive, as if it had existed for countless years. A boundless might radiated out from the cauldron, causing everyone to feel an intense fear, even Han Bei.

A variety of thoughts ran through the minds of everyone present.

"Cauldrons are the utensils of nations. They can only be forged by people with incredible destiny. It turns out… such a fear-inspiring cauldron exists in this place!"

"What a true treasure! Who could possibly be so bold as to forge such a heavenly cauldron?!"

"It's archaic design seems to be matchless. It must have been here for countless tens of thousands of years. Could it have been forged by some ancient almighty being…?"

They all panted as they gazed upon the cauldron. Even the cold man in the gray robe gasped when he saw it. A strange light flickered in his eyes.

Xie Jie's eyes narrowed, and it took some time before he regained his composure.

Meng Hao instantly recognized it; this was the same cauldron he had seen in the transmission from the vine before it had died in the so-called exit. As he looked around, he could tell that… everything around looked exactly the same as what he had seen in the supposed exit.

He laughed coldly in his heart, but his expression didn't change at all. He furtively retrieved the good luck charm and checked to make sure that it was still working. Inwardly, he was incapable of holding back some admiration for Patriarch Reliance. He wasn't sure how treasured of an item this good luck charm was, but he did know that it still worked in this place.

Feeling a bit reassured, he looked back up at the massive cauldron. He couldn't help but feel awed. Even though this wasn't the first time he'd seen it, to stand in front of it like this made him feel like an insect.

"The cauldron is cracked…" said Xu Youdao with a sigh.

Everyone could see that the massive, awe-inspiring bronze cauldron had a huge crack running down through it. The crack seemed as if it wished to split the cauldron in two, yet wasn't quite able to.

Everyone else guessed in their hearts that the crack must have been caused by some other shocking magical item. But when Meng Hao saw it, he got a different feeling. The crack was not something that was caused by a magical item. He looked up into the sky and thought back to how it had felt to be struck by Tribulation Lightning. That was the same type of feeling he got when he looked at the crack; it must have been caused by Tribulation Lightning!

"Anyone who could take possession of this massive cauldron and use it as a magical item would definitely be able to shake the Cultivation World." Xie Jie's words were soft, but filled with passion.

—–

This chapter was sponsored by Hein Haugeberg

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Chapter 158: Coexist with Ji?!

Han Bei took a deep breath, and a look of excitement flashed across her face. She lifted her right hand, and an ancient, crescent-shaped piece of jade flew out. It was a deep green color, almost black, and had a completely extraordinary appearance. It was not an object that a person would normally hold in their hand, but rather something that seemed as if it should be buried deep in an ancient tomb, never to see the light of day. Its color seemed to be the result of absorbing far too much sinister death aura.

The crescent jade flew out and then shockingly emitted a bright glow which covered everything around. The glow rippled as it shot forward toward the crack on the surface of the massive cauldron, and then entered it.

"This is where the final two volumes of the Classic of Time are!" said Han Bei. She flew forward, followed by Xie Jie, the Li woman, Xu Youdao and the man in the gray robe.

Meng Hao proceeded along as well. Six beams of flashing light shot ahead, growing closer and closer to the enormous cauldron. As they grew near, they felt an enormous pressure spreading out from the cauldron, which continued to grow stronger and stronger.

Soon, they were nearing the gigantic crack, which looked like an enormous canyon on the surface of the cauldron. They came to a stop in front of the crack. A mist floated around within, thin, but all-encompassing. Inside was nothing but blackness.

Upon nearing the crack, Xie Jie slapped his bag of holding. A green light appeared that solidified into a furry green beast. Its body flashed as it shot directly toward the crack. The instant it touched the mist, however, it let out a miserable cry, and its body was torn to pieces.

Caution filled the hearts of the onlookers.

"Only someone with incredible Spiritual Sense can lift the mist and mend this crack," said Han Bei. "Then we can enter." She looked up at the sky again as if she were calculating something. Then she turned and looked at Meng Hao.

It wasn't just her. Xu Youdao's gaze fell onto him as well. Meng Hao's battle with the Li woman, and the intense power of his Spiritual Sense, had left a deep impression on the man.

"Fellow Daoist Han, you must be joking," said Meng Hao, somewhat impolitely. "This cauldron must have been cast innumerable years ago. It's aura is beyond ordinary. I don't think I can even touch that crack."

"Fellow Daoist Meng, you misunderstand," she said hastily. "Of course I'm aware that this cauldron is not something people with Cultivation bases like ours can touch. I have a family heirloom treasure that can eradicate the crack. However, it must be guided by Spiritual Sense. Doing so will cause the crack to be healed." As she spoke, she slapped her bag of holding to produce a small fan the size of a palm. It only had three feathers, each of which was covered with magical symbols.

"Only one person can use the treasure, and your Spiritual Sense is the most powerful among our group. I truly hope to gain your assistance. Once we enter, there will be other areas where you will not be required to do anything. This item is a fan. When its spirit is pushed with Spiritual Sense, it will release a power that far supersedes our Cultivation bases. It is a treasure that the Han Clan specifically forged just for this location."

Meng Hao looked calmly at the fan for a moment, and then lifted his hand. The fan flew toward him. He examined it for a moment but didn't touch it at first.

Eventually, he gave a slight nod.

Seeing him agree, Han Bei let out a sigh of relief. She then moved off to the side, away from Meng Hao, in order to prevent any sort of misunderstanding.

His face was blank as he released his Spiritual Sense. As it emanated out, Han Bei and the others concentrated, sensing the immense power and comparing it to their own. All of them grew even more cautious.

Meng Hao sent his Spiritual Sense into the fan to examine it. Sure enough, it was branded, linking it to Han Bei. Meng Hao lifted his head up to look at the crack in the enormous cauldron.

A moment later he lifted his hand and thrust it forward. The fan suddenly erupted into flame. The three feathers began to wriggle in a bizarre fashion. A whirlwind sprung into being around Meng Hao.

As his hand moved forward, the whirlwind shot toward the mist. A boom echoed out as it slammed into it. The mist immediately began to roil and seethe. At first it seemed as if the two would cancel each other out. However, the whirlwind wasn't strong enough, and began to fade away.

"The crack can be erased, but it's somewhat draining." Meng Hao watched the mist within the crack restoring itself, as if it were being reborn. He thought for a moment, and then lifted his right hand and released even more Spiritual Sense. This time, he used more than before, causing the flames on the fan to rise up even more awe-inspiringly. Now, the flames were filled with two colors!

The onlookers' pupils constricted as they felt the power of Meng Hao's Spiritual Sense, which seemed to be over double their own. This shocked them to the core, especially Han Bei, whose eyes filled with fear as she watched him.

It seemed as if the fan were sucking in Meng Hao's Spiritual Sense as fast as possible. He proceeded with caution; if any signs appeared to indicate that he was losing control, he would instantly sever its connection to his Spiritual Sense.

The whirlwind appeared again, even more powerful than last time. Within an instant, Meng Hao's figure was almost impossible to see within its screaming winds. The onlookers could just barely make out the image of him waving his hand forward.

As he did, the fan's first feather instantly transformed into burning ash and the second feather began to fall apart. The wind grew stronger, roaring with power. It slammed into the mist, and as it did, the third feather of the fan disappeared into flaming ashes.

The entire fan now fell apart, causing Han Bei's heart to melt a bit. Then her gaze hardened; success or failure would occur at this juncture.

Boom!

A massive explosion ripped out as the enormous whirlwind collided with the mist. They ate at each other, and suddenly a gap appeared within the mist.

At the same time, a sinister coldness erupted out from within the cauldron, shooting out through the mist and blasting across the group of Cultivators.

It was as if a door had just opened which had been closed for ages. An aura that had been sealed up for countless years burst out, flowing across Meng Hao and the others. If that was all, it would not be a big deal. However, within the coldness of Time existed memories that swept across the six people. Suddenly, images appeared in front of them from countless ages ago.

Within the vision could be seen an enormous, shocking bronze cauldron. It floated above the earth, underneath a red sky. Astonishing bolts of lightning descended onto its surface, slashing it constantly, as if they desired to crush it into nothing.

However, the cauldron would not give in, and it rose up amidst the roar of the lightning. Up above in the red sky, a vortex appeared, beyond which could barely be made out the image of another world. The cauldron wished to defy the Heavens and pass through the vortex into the vague world beyond.

Below on the ground were hundreds of thousands of figures. They prostrated themselves on the ground, chanting scriptures at the same time. The sounds of their voices merged together and echoed out. When the sound reached his ears, it made Meng Hao think of the the Black Sieve Sect disciples sitting cross-legged, chanting scriptures. It sounded… similar, even though he couldn't make out the details of what they were chanting.

Suddenly a voice boomed out from within the cauldron. "It is thy wish for the vault of Heavens to replace the stars, to cover my eyes with the dome of the Heavens, to impede the World Tree, to shatter the stars. My master may be sleeping, but can he still exist under the same sky as Ji?!" Lighting fell down constantly from the Heavens, seeking to obliterate the cauldron. Suddenly, the vision passed from the eyes of everyone except for Meng Hao. They exchanged shaken looks with each other.

Meng Hao was a bit closer to the cauldron, however, and was the first to meet the blast of Time wind. His vision continued on a bit longer.

He saw the massive bronze cauldron continuing to rise up. The lightning falling from the red sky began to merge together. It was impossible to tell how many lightning bolts congregated to form a gigantic spear. It looked like a tooth surrounded by fields of lightning that shot down toward the cauldron.

A boom echoed out and the giant bronze cauldron trembled. A massive crack split down through it. It rose no more, and instead fell down. It slammed into the ground, and then another voice sounded out. It seemed to sigh.

"You are unwilling to let me take this cauldron from this place. Then… I will lay in rest here forever, waiting for the day on which you fall."

It was at this point that the vision faded from Meng Hao's eyes. He took a deep breath and then lifted his head to look at the cauldron. As of now, the mist and the crack caused by it, were disappearing.

An anxious expression appeared on Han Bei's face. Not hesitating in the slightest, she shot forward, flying toward the crack. Without a word, the rest of the group followed, their eyes flickering.

Meng Hao flew along with them as they headed at top speed toward the crack. As soon as he entered the cauldron, Meng Hao felt the copper mirror in his bag of the Cosmos growing hot.

Now was not the time to examine it, though. Meng Hao entered the cauldron to find himself in a world of lightning and thunder.

The inside of the cauldron was a space of several tens of thousands of meters in size. It was completely filled with crashing lightning, almost like a river. The light created by so much lightning was as blinding as sunlight.

However, there was no time for the group to gaze at the world within the cauldron. From within their midst, a blood-curdling scream rose up.

The Li woman was the last to enter. The instant she did, a bolt of lightning descended with incredible speed. It slammed into her. She screamed as her body was transformed into flying ash. Even her bag of holding was incinerated into nothingness.

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Chapter 159: Square Without, Round Within; a Trend of the Heavens

It happened so quickly that Xu Youdao's face flickered. Next to him, the eyes of the gray-robed Cultivator narrowed and he slapped his bag of holding to produce a wooden slip.

It emitted a bluish light that seemed to indicate it could repel lightning. The bluish light circled around the gray-robed Cultivator and he took several steps away, as if he didn't want to stand close to any of the others.

Xie Jie's face also flickered. About the same time that the bluish light flickered up around the gray-robed Cultivator, a wooden statue appeared in Xie Jie's hand. The statue had three heads and six arms. As it appeared, it transformed into a soft, glowing light that circulated around Xie Jie.

Han Bei reacted even faster, sooner in fact, than even Xie Jie or the gray-robed man. A three-colored lotus throne appeared in front of her; obviously this was also some sort of lightning-repelling treasure.

Only Xu Youdao and Meng Hao seemed to be without such objects. Xu Youdao let out a cold harumph as he unwrapped a blue treasure shaped like a medicinal pill. The pill emitted a bluish-green shield which surrounded his body.

Seeing all of this, Meng Hao laughed grimly. The other three had obviously colluded; otherwise, why would they possibly have all come equipped with lightning-repelling treasures? Only he and the Li woman had come unprepared.

"Nice move, Fellow Daoist Han," said Meng Hao coolly, his eyes sweeping across the four of them.

"I never anticipated there would be so much lighting," said Han Bei lightly, "so I'm not sure what you're talking about. Fellow Daoist Meng, if you don't have a lighting-repelling item, then you're welcome to use this Anti-Lightning Leaf. It's only moderately effective, but it's better than nothing." A translucent leaf appeared in her hand, and she looked at Meng Hao. Actually, she had been eyeing him this entire time, especially the moment when he'd entered the cauldron. When that happened, her eyes had flickered.

Xie Jie and the other two men were all looking at Meng Hao, although it was impossible to tell what they were thinking. Their eyes seemed to be filled with an unanswered question.

Lightning crackled about above them, and booms of thunder filled the air. It was powerful and astonishing. Each bolt of lightning seemed to be incredibly fierce, strong enough to strike down even the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning slammed down in the midst of them. An explosion rattled out as the lightning dissipated into countless arcs of electricity.

"I have no lightning-repelling item, but I do have a lightning-attracting technique," said Meng Hao calmly. The lightning mist appeared around him, which then congealed into the lightning flag.

Electricity swirled around it, which included strands that contained the Heavenly Tribulation Meng Hao had collected. It was clearly an extraordinary item. The nearby lightning seemed to twist, as if it were being pulled down.

If all the lightning in the area were really called forth, then it wouldn't matter if the others had lightning-repelling magic. They would all be transformed into dust just as quickly as the Li woman.

Almost as soon as the lightning flag appeared and the lightning around them began to ripple, Meng Hao sucked the flag back into his mouth. The converging lightning dispersed. However, it was now obvious that if the flag remained in the area for any amount of time, then it would call the lightning down, and they would all die.

Xie Jie's expression flickered, the gray-robed man's eyes narrowed, and Xu Youdao gasped and took a few steps back. Fear of Meng Hao filled their eyes.

The sensation of danger filled their heads, and their hearts began to pound. Unsightly expressions instantly filled their faces.

Xie Jie's voice was also grim as he said, "Fellow Daoist, you're really being a bit too excessive." His heart was filled with vigilance as he spoke, his attention focused solely on Meng Hao.

Xu Youdao had already been affected by Meng Hao's ferocity twice. Now, he stared at him with a complicated look, saying nothing. Yet again, he sighed inwardly. In his eyes, Meng Hao was no weaker than some Core Formation eccentrics.

He didn't need a lightning-repelling item. With a lightning-attracting item, he had suddenly turned the tables and put everyone else at a disadvantage.

"Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this?" said the gray-robed man, staring at Meng Hao.

"Oh nothing," said Meng Hao. "I just want to remind you, Fellow Daoists, that Meng Hao can call down lightning at any time." He spoke calmly and slowly as he stood there. He seemed ready to pull out his lightning treasure if even one bolt of lightning headed his way.

Han Bei said nothing for the space of a few breaths before a genial smile appeared on her face.

"I was joking with you just now, Fellow Daoist Meng. Of course I have a way for you repel the lightning." She waved her hand, and a leaf fell off of the lotus throne. She was just about to hand it to him, when he laughed and approached her.

Her face fell; her heart was filled with fear of his methods, and when she saw him nearing her, she involuntarily took a step backward.

But he had already arrived at her side. "There's no need to go to the trouble, Fellow Daoist Han," he said coolly. Lightning crackled above them. "Let's just use your lotus throne together. Wouldn't that be easier? Or are you unwilling to do so?"

A twisted look appeared on her face, but before she could say anything, the gray-robed Cultivator nodded.

"That would be the best," he said.

"I agree," said Xu Youdao, breathing a sigh of relief inwardly.

Xie Jie's eyes sparkled, and he did nothing to indicate he disagreed.

Han Bei hesitated a moment, then gave Meng Hao a bitter smile.

"If that's your requirement, Fellow Daoist Meng, then how could I disagree?" She gritted her teeth as she opened the lotus throne shield and allowed Meng Hao to enter.

Now that Meng Hao stood next to Han Bei within the shield, the other three men felt somewhat more at ease. Meng Hao's threat moments ago had been beyond anything they could have anticipated. Even thinking back to it caused the hair on their necks to stand on end. Meng Hao was truly vicious.

Han Bei looked deeply at Meng Hao for a moment with a forced smile. Then she gave him a slight bow and began to move forward. Meng Hao went along, his face calm. Xie Jie and the others followed.

Five people gradually proceeded through the torrents of lightning. Roaring filled the air. Lightning fell, crashing into the ground and sending sparks rippling out in all directions.

Clearly, the lightning-repelling items were extraordinary; the party appeared to be completely safe. Meng Hao's eyes swept over them, and inside he laughed coldly. These magical items were clearly not things that Foundation Establishment Cultivators should have in their possession. Each of these Cultivators must have the backing someone extremely powerful, who provided the impetus for them to enter this place.

"Xie Jie only has the Black Sieve Sect," he thought. "As for the gray-robed man and Xu Youdao, they're obviously not ordinary rogue Cultivators. They must have some powerful connections." As the group proceeded on, the lightning grew more intense and frightening. The roaring never seemed to end. Meng Hao had seen Tribulation Lightning before, but the lightning here seemed even more formidable.

"This is not a place for Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Just one bolt could completely eradicate any of us. Yet, none of these people seem even slightly concerned. Obviously they knew ahead of time what they would be facing.

"I was targeted by Tribulation Lightning because of my Perfect Dao Pillar, which is not permitted to exist. As for this cauldron… the spirit of the Heavens must be furious, filled with intense desire to obliterate it, even more so than me." Meng Hao looked up ahead. This amount of lightning was unpleasant to the eyes, and made it impossible to examine the surroundings. The only option was to continue forward.

No one spoke as they traveled onward. About an hour passed, and they were much further in. Even though they were still surrounded by lightning, the intensity had lessened, and now they were able to see a bit more clearly. What they saw ahead of them caused them all to begin to breathe heavily.

Xu Youdao gasped. "That's…" His face was covered with shock.

Xie Jie eyes glittered, and he panted. Next to him, the gray-robed Cultivator's eyes shone as he stared dead ahead.

Han Bei's eyes also grew brighter.

Far up ahead, in the center of the giant cauldron, were nine enormous statues. Each statue depicted a middle-aged man. The clothing they wore was not like like the clothing of modern times; it was much simpler. And yet, they were clearly long robes.

Amongst the nine people depicted, three had crowns on their heads. Two had long hair, which draped over their shoulders. One was even completely bald. They exuded an imposing power that was difficult to describe. It seemed as if each statue represented some powerful Dao that demonstrated a path of heaven and earth.

Anyone who caught sight of these statues would be stunned, and filled with a sensation of ancient glory. The statues were not standing upright; rather all of them were were kneeling down on one knee, with both arms stretched upward, heads bowed.

Objects could be seen within their upstretched hands!

There was some sort of wheel-shaped treasure, something that was clearly an extraordinary sword, as well as a glowing jade bottle. Each statue had a different treasure. The flickering glow created by the treasures created multiple glowing afterimages. Meng Hao and the others couldn't help but gasp.

In the hands up one of the statues could be seen two ancient scrolls! The features of this statue strongly resembled Han Bei!

On the back of the statue was a gigantic crack, which had obviously been rent by lightning from Heaven. It was impossible to say how many years has passed since that had happened.

If this was all there was to it, it wouldn't be a bit deal. But there was more. Meng Hao was shocked, and everyone else was panting. In the center of the nine incredible statues was the object to which they were all bowing… a bronze, circular cauldron!

A voice sounded out in Meng Hao's mind: "Square without, circular within; a trend of the Heavens!"

—–

As a quick reference, here are the two types of Chinese "ding cauldrons" that are being talked about. Square cauldron. Round cauldron. The character for cauldron "ding" is pretty cool. Looks just like a cauldron! 鼎

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Chapter 160: No Meng in the Nine Families

The outside was an enormous square cauldron, whereas inside there was a Heavenly circular cauldron. This circular cauldron was truly a Heavenly trend!

Meng Hao's mind buzzed as he saw this. Having experienced the world of the enormous cauldron, he felt as if it contained something cosmic.

"Nine kneeling figures, nine pinnacles of the Heavens," muttered the gray-robed man, beginning to tremble. "These kneeling figures are not people, they obviously are referring to the will of the Heavens!

"No, no. How could the cauldron be reversed? It shouldn't be like this. The heavens are circular and the earth is square. That's a generally acknowledged truth from ancient times. It's a law that was established tens and tens of thousands of year ago, a principle of heaven and earth.

"The cauldron should be circular on the outside and square on the inside. That would be correct. In that case, it would be as they say, the Heavens on the outside, above, the earth on the inside, beneath…." The man's body trembled even harder as he continued to mumble to himself. It seemed as if he just couldn't comprehend the world of this cauldron which was square on the outside and circular on the inside.

Xu Youdao stared blankly at the circular cauldron, his eyes radiating astonishment. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Xie Jie's eyes narrowed. Despite his shock, he immediately produced a jade slip, within which he inscribed all of this.

Han Bei seemed to be in shock as well. She looked at the massive fissure on the back of the statue, and then a brilliant glow appeared in her eyes that was obviously veneration for her ancestors.

"I understand," said the gray-robed man, his voice quavering. "The heavens are circular, the earth is square. A circular cauldron on the outside becomes the Heavens, the square cauldron on the inside becomes the earth. That would be in accord with the will of the Heavens, but this… This embodies evil! This represents the earth covering the Heavens. This is the same as burying the Heavens!!

"This way, the circular cauldron is the Heavens, the square cauldron is the earth. This place…. is a tomb!!" Sharp astonishment filled his voice as he spoke. He slowly took three steps backward. He coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face was pale and his eyes shone brightly with astonishment. His hands flickered as if he were calculating something, and his voice began to grow louder.

"These nine worshippers are definitely pinnacles of the Heavens! They've just been embodied into these statues, which obviously represent the legendary Nine Mystical Stars. The Nine Mystical Stars are worshipping the cauldron. The Heavenly trend is solidified here. A bronze square cauldron, within which is buried the heart of the Heavens!

"How daring! How grand! A tomb in which the Heavens are buried inside the earth!! Just whose tomb is this? Willing to face death to steal good fortune from the Heavens! This is a coffin, and the Blessed Land outside is the tomb!

"Put it all together, and this place is no Blessed Land. It's a Cursed Land! It's a tomb of defiance against the Heavens!"

His words entered the ears of the others, and turned cold. Xie Jie's and Xu Youdao's expressions changed. Meng Hao took in a deep breath to settle his shaking nerves. The gray-robed man's words resonated inside of him, creating a sense of familiarity. Perhaps this place… really was a tomb.

He thought back to the vision he had experienced outside of the cauldron, and of the man's voice he had heard when the lightning struck it.

"You are unwilling to let me take this cauldron from here. Then… I will lay in rest here forever, waiting for the day on which you fall."

Meng Hao took a deep breath and thought back to the other archaic voice he had heard from within the cauldron.

"It is thy wish for the vault of Heavens to replace the stars, to cover my eyes with the dome of the Heavens, the World Tree would not capitulate, shattered under the stars. My master may be slumbering, but can he still exist under the same sky as Ji?!"

The voice seemed to echo in Meng Hao's mind. His heart beat rapidly, and he thought back to the legend of the Spring and Autumn tree 1, and how the World Tree had voluntary collapsed rather than acquiesce to the Heavens. He also thought of the destruction of the Ancient Doom Clan 2, as well as the flag of three streamers 3, which was currently inside the Blood Immortal mask. That flag had the character Ji written on it!

He also thought back to the requirement of the Blood Immortal to refine the bloodline of Ji!

"Fellow Daoists," said Han Bei, "there's no need to be alarmed." Her clear, bell-like voice echoed out. Although it couldn't outmatch the sound of the thunder, everyone could hear her clearly. "I don't know whether or not this place is a tomb, but as you all can see, the person holding those ancient scrolls is my ancestor. The statue has been cracked open by Heavenly Thunder. That was how the first volume of the Classic of Time came out of this place, and was eventually acquired by later generations." She turned to look at Meng Hao and the others. "In fact, of all the treasures here, only these scriptures can be taken away. All the other statues are perfect and unharmed.

"I've attended quite a few secret meetings; the fact that you all saw my message shows that you are destined to be here. You all have your own reasons for coming here, and are surely backed by powerful forces. Naturally, I am aware of that, and really don't care who you represent." She continued in a soft voice, "I only hope that for the sake of the Nine Mystical Stars, you will all keep your promises. Right now, we can only look, but when we draw near to the statues, I have a way to acquire the two scriptures. Then we can make copies for everyone.

"Actually, my only real purpose in coming here is to pay my respects in front of the statue of my ancestor." Her voice seemed to contain some strange power that made everyone calmer. The gray-robed man's complexion slowly returned to normal. Now that Meng Hao thought about it, he began to wonder if the man had purposefully said such crazy things.

He was also a bit skeptical of Han Bei's words "for the sake of the Nine Mystical Stars."

"It's not far now," continued Han Bei. "However, next I must ask for help from Fellow Daoists Xu and Sima. There will be more lightning after this point, and the going will be more difficult. Originally, we should never have had the chance we do. But the year that the first volume of the classic flew out, it carved out a path. Inside the path, we will be much safer. More importantly, the power of the lightning will not be as strong.

"Furthermore, it will have intermittent periods of weakness. Those times will be short, only about one hour. However, it should be plenty of time to get through safely. I picked the starting time of our mission to coincide with the lightning's weak period!" Her gaze swept across them, and then she looked up, as if she were waiting for something.

After about ten breaths, the lightning in the area began to grow dimmer. It was still dense, but the pressure that bore down on them from it was significantly less. It was definitely not as fearsome as before.

"The lightning will be weak for one hour. Fellow Daoist Xu, Fellow Daoist Sima, hurry!" Her eyes shined as she lifted her right hand. A dark piece of ancient jade flew out and floated above them, seeming to point in a certain direction.

Muttering to himself, Xu Youdao flew forward. The gray-robed Cultivator seemed to have completely returned to normal. He accompanied Xu Youdao. The power of late Foundation Establishment roiled out from them. One of them was clearly emanating Wood-type Qi. But then the gray-robed Cultivator began to emit a Dust-type Qi, which completely eclipsed the Wood-type Qi. As they walked forward, a yellowish brown glow rippled out.

Both of them produced magical items, and Han Bei took in a deep breath. She waved her hand, and her ancient Time jade emitted a brilliant glow. Everyone proceeded cautiously.

Because of the temporary reduction in lightning, they were able to fly forward relatively quickly.

However, the closer they got to the statues, the more dense the lightning grew. Rumbling booms filled the sky. Lightning crashed down, some of it slamming into the ground very close to the group of five. Their hearts trembled as they proceeded.

Xu Youdao and the gray-robed Cultivator proceeded together with seeming difficulty. Soon, cracks appeared on their treasured items. Without hesitation, they pulled out even more lightning-repelling items. Meng Hao's expression was the same as ever, and he said nothing. He made no indication whatsoever that he would offer assistance. He had already accomplished his task, and from here on out, they would not likely be asking him to do anything.

This place was dangerous, but all of the others had chosen to come here and were well-equipped.

Within Meng Hao's hand was the good luck charm. That was the trick he had up his sleeve.

Time passed slowly, and gradually the group grew closer and closer to the statues. The faces of Xu Youdao and the gray-robed Cultivator grew ashen. They were reaching their limit. As the statues got closer and closer, the lightning grew more and more dense. They had already gone through multiple magical items, and were coughing up blood. They couldn't proceed.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt began to descend, heading directly toward their group. Seeing this, the faces of Xu Youdao and the others flickered. The ancient Time jade that Han Bei wielded suddenly emitted a bright shield. When the lightning bolt slammed into the shield, a massive explosion rippled out. Han Bei coughed up a mouthful of blood, as did all of the others. The glow of electricity surrounded them, and their faces drained of blood. This was especially true of Xu Youdao and the gray-robed man, whose bodies trembled.

The lightning dissipated into curving sparks of electricity, and everyone heaved sighs of relief. They looked about, their faces filled with even more caution than before.

"Fellow Daoist Han," said Xu Youdao, turning to stare at Han Bei. "Didn't you say that the lightning would become weaker? Why was that bolt now so powerful?!"

Meng Hao wiped the blood from his mouth, but his eyes were shining. The fragments of lightning within his body were being sucked in by the lightning flag. It seemed to be changing again.

Actually, though he looked injured, after coughing up the blood, he was fine. However, he continued to force his face to look pale.

Wiping the blood from her mouth, Han Bei coldly replied, "You all chose to come here. There is no way you were unaware that this place is not suitable for Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Were it not for my understanding of this place, were it not for this ancient Time jade, were it not for some other things that we all know about, then we wouldn't be walking through this place. We would not even have been able to enter the cauldron.

"As far as the lightning, it is weakened at the moment. However, there still exists the possibility that bolts will fall that have not been weakened." She turned to Xie Jie. "Elder Brother Xie, having come this far, we've now reached the point where you must act. This location also holds what the Black Sieve Sect seeks, which they plan to fish out with the Hundred Spirits Tower. They seem to be ignoring our activities in here, but undoubtedly they are keeping guard outside.

"We both know that they don't dare to enter this place. Other than descendants of the Nine Great Families, anyone who enters here will die. The Nine Great Families have experienced decline in the Southern Domain, to the extent that they can't measure up to the current generation of Clans, and are mostly comprised of mortals. Ones who can practice Cultivation are usually herded up by various Sects. We have the appearance of elegance, but in fact we are little more than livestock. You and I are simply curious tools to the Black Sieve Sect."

Xie Jie was quiet for a moment, an then smiled. "Actually, what makes me the most curious is that the Nine Great Families do not include Meng. Furthermore, not one of these nine statues resembles Fellow Daoist Meng at all. So, how was he able to enter this place?" He gave Meng Hao a deeply meaningful look.

—–

This chapter was sponsored by Hein Haugeberg

1. If you want to a refresher on the legend of the Spring and Autumn tree, check out Chapter 109: The Legend of Doom

2. If you want to review the Doom Clan info, check out chapter 19 (link above) and Chapter 128: Li Daoyi's Sixth Matrix

3. If you forgot about the flag of three streamers, and the Ji information, check out Chapter 137: 10th Patriarch of the Wang Clan

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

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Read I Shall Seal the Heavens - Chapter 161 online free - Novel Full

Chapter 161: Ultimate Vexation Appears!

It wasn't just Xie Jie whose attention turned to Meng Hao. Xu Youdao and the gray-robed Cultivator also gave him deep, meaningful looks.

His expression was calm, but inwardly, his mind flashed with understanding. Now he knew why everyone had looked at him so strangely when they had entered the large Cauldron.

The Nine Great Names didn't include Meng, so once he entered, they must all have reached the conclusion that he was using an assumed name.

Even he was a bit uncertain regarding this revelation. He looked through the sheets of lightning toward the nine massive statues. Sure enough, amongst them could be found faces similar to Xu Youdao, the gray-robed Cultivator, and even Xie Jie.

These statues depicted their ancestors. They had surnames which could be traced back to ancient times, Clans which some people called the Nine Great Families.

"Am I of the Nine Great Families…?" Meng Hao asked himself. Moments later, a smile appeared on his face, although it was a bit cold. He was sure that he was not of the Nine Great Families.

He had remembered how upon entering the enormous cauldron, the copper mirror had grown hot within the bag of the Cosmos. If that was all, it wouldn't be enough evidence to prove anything. But Meng Hao had also suddenly recalled how the mirror had grown hot during the secret meeting, when Han Bei had produced the information regarding the first volume of the Classic of Time.

"Han Bei must have prepared for this day for a long time," he thought, "and it wasn't just one secret meeting she attended. The information she sent out was not restricted just to late Foundation Stage Cultivators, but more importantly, to only bloodline members of the Nine Great Families." With all this scattered information, he came to the conclusion that it must have something to do with the copper mirror.

"Just what is this mirror exactly? It can agitate the auras of wild beasts to explode, it has an astonishing power of duplication, and apparently has helped me achieve my goals by using underhanded means. Even though I'm not of the Nine Great Families, I was still able to enter this place. All these various thoughts flashed through Meng Hao's mind in quick succession. Only a moment or two passed between Xie Jie's question and Meng Hao's response.

"Whether or not the Nine Great Families include Meng, I don't really know," he said coolly. "But the fact that I entered the cauldron and made it to this point raises a very important issue." The look on his face made it very clear what he was thinking.

Xie Jie's eyes flickered, and he furrowed his brow. Meng Hao's words left him speechless. The words were a defense in themselves, even though he neither admitted nor denied anything; or perhaps he had done both. Xie Jie looked at him for a long moment.

The response had been clear; Meng Hao didn't know. But maybe the reason he was here was because he was indeed of the Nine Great Families.

"Fellow Daoist Meng provided you with his answer," said Han Bei calmly. "Elder Brother Xie, I know that you have some Green Cloaking Pills on your person that the Sect Leader gave you specifically for use in this place. I know this already, there's no need for you to confirm or deny it."

Xie Jie was quiet for a moment. He looked around at the lightning, his face somber. Then he slapped the top of his head and spit out a small green pill the size of a fingernail. As soon as it flew out, it exploded, sending large amounts of green Qi out in all directions. As it did, the lightning began to grow slightly transparent, as if they were being cloaked.

The five of them continued onward several hundreds of meters, with Xu Youdao and the gray-robed Cultivator taking the lead.

A hundred meters later, Xie Jie, his face grim, said, "I only have three Green Cloaking Pills!" He spat out another pill, and they raced forward amidst the indistinct lightning.

With the power of the two Green Cloaking Pills, they were able to reach the location of the nine statues. The statues were awe-inspiring, as was the cauldron in their center, which seemed as if it could contain the Heavens.

An ancient aura circled about the area, brushing against their faces and making them feel as if they had traveled back to a primordial time. It was like they could feel the boundlessness of that era.

Han Bei was incapable of concealing the excitement within her eyes. She panted as she looked up at the statue of her ancestor. Next to her, Xu Youdao, the gray-cloaked man, and even Xie Jie stood by silently, all of them gazing at the statues of their respective ancestors.

Meng Hao had no way to comprehend what was going through their minds. His face was the calmest of the bunch as he looked at the statues one by one. Finally his gaze fell upon the circular cauldron that represented the heavens.

Even as he looked at the cauldron, something in his peripheral vision caught his attention. Something was moving on one of the statues. Meng Hao's eyes immediately darted over, and then opened wide.

There, upon the shoulder of the statue that resembled the gray-cloaked Cultivator, some dust had fallen away to reveal something. It was square, and looked gelatinous and somewhat elastic, like a slab of meat jelly.

It was pure and white, and after looking upon it, the first reaction of most people would be to try to eat it. The object sat on the statue's shoulder, wriggling a bit, causing more dust to fall down. Meng Hao stared, eyes wide, mouth agape. The thing seemed to be alive! Suddenly, it flew off of the statue's shoulder and onto its head. Then it leaped up into the air. A crack appeared on the surface of the meat jelly, which opened up into an enormous mouth. Instantly, the lightning in the sky crackled. Ten lightning bolts fell down directly onto the meat jelly.

It chewed for a bit, then stopped, as if it were digesting the lightning. Meng Hao gaped in astonishment as it dropped to the ground and then hop, hop, hopped over to land on the circular cauldron. It remained there motionless.

It wasn't just Meng Hao who saw this happen. The noise caused by the lightning and the meat jelly was incredible, causing Han Bei and the others to all look over. Han Bei's eyes narrowed, whereas Xie Jie's opened wider. He gasped, and the two of them exchanged a shocked, knowing glance.

"That's…"

The gray-robed Cultivator suddenly said, "That must be what the Black Sieve Sect needs the Hundred Spirits Tower for. They want to drag out Ultimate Vexation." A mysterious look appeared in his eyes. Within his pupils appeared magical symbols as he attempted to gain information. This had nothing to do with his Cultivation base, but something specific to his eyes.

Before Han Bei and Xie Jie could say anything, the meat jelly suddenly jumped up. The face of an old man, his eyes closed, magically appeared on its surface. His nose twitched, and his eyes opened. They appeared to be filled with frustration. The meat jelly suddenly flew up and shot toward the exit of the square cauldron. But then it stopped in mid-air, as if it were hesitating. It floated there for a moment and consumed more lightning.

Seeing this, the eyes of the five Cultivators gleamed.

"Why is this thing called Ultimate Vexation?" Meng Hao suddenly asked of the gray-robed Cultivator.

"Even I don't know," was the reply. "I haven't been able uncover any information about its origin. The Black Sieve Sect has likely spent much more time researching it. The little I do know is that as long as it has existed, it has been called Ultimate Vexation."

"I couldn't care less what that thing is called," said Xu Youdao. "Half an hour has already passed. If Fellow Daoist Han can't retrieve the rest of the Classic of Time soon, then our whole trip here will have been a waste!"

Without a word, Han Bei sat down cross-legged beneath the statue of her ancestor. Her hands made incantation gestures, and her ancient jade began to emit a greenish glow as it rotated around her. Meng Hao's eyes glittered and he stepped a bit closer to her.

Everything around them was relatively quiet. Only the claps of thunder roared out. Time passed, the space of roughly one hundred breaths. Han Bei's eyes suddenly opened, and the sound of incantation words floated from her mouth. Xu Youdao, the gray-robed Cultivator, and Xie Jie all stood around, as vigilant as ever.

Suddenly, the sound of Han Bei's incantation ceased, and she spat out a mouthful of blood onto the ancient jade. It emitted a blinding green light and flew toward the hands of the statue.

It didn't move incredibly fast, and actually wobbled back and forth a bit in the air as it moved. The blood drained from Han Bei's face, as if she were having trouble controlling it. As the jade neared the statue, the two scripture scrolls in the statue's hands began to glow brightly. Cracks appeared on their surfaces, and a boom echoed out. Suddenly, two pieces of jade exploded out from within the two scrolls.

Everyone clearly saw this happen, and though they might have their suspicions as to what was happening, it was obvious that two pieces of jade were flying away from the exploded scripture scrolls. Whistling sounds echoed out from them as they shot out.

The two jade pieces flew out, seemingly completely out of control, not controlled by anything or anyone. They seemed to be shooting out in an attempt to leave the square cauldron.

Before they could go very far, though, they were grabbed by the greenish glow emanated from Han Bei's ancient jade. It was as if they were all connected somehow. The two escaping pieces of jade suddenly stopped in mid air; they began to shake, as if they were struggling. A loud buzzing sound emanated out from them.

Han Bei coughed up some blood, and immediately seemed to grow listless. Exhaustion covered her face, and suddenly, her ancient piece of jade slipped out of her control and fell toward the ground.

In that instant, the other two pieces of jade suddenly began to fly off into the distance. It was very sudden, and there was no time for anyone to think. Xu Youdao's eyes flickered, and his body shot up into the air as he flew toward one of the jade pieces. The gray-robed man's eyes narrowed, but he too stepped up and shot forward, a green beam of light that shot toward the second jade piece. As for Xie Jie, he flew up and toward the original jade piece, a look of suspicion on his face.

"No fighting, Fellow Daoists," cried Han Bei. "Great tribulation will come on anyone not of my bloodline who touches those items! I have a method to bring together the three ancient pieces of jade." She coughed up some more blood.

—–

I found a lot of different articles about various varieties of meat jelly. Here is one relatively general article. From what I understand, most meat jellies in China are made from pork. In any case, the ingredients of meat jellies are not very important to the story. Check out the picture to get an idea of what it's supposed to look like.

—–

At the end of this chapter, Er Gen challenges the audience to guess the meaning of the name "Ultimate Vexation"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

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Chapter 162: Crafty Schemes

Her words were essentially meaningless. Xu Youdao increased his speed.

Three people, three different directions. They sped forward, their lightning-repelling items glittering. They flew forward in the twinkling of an eye. Meng Hao also took action; however, he didn't rush in pursuit of the jades. Instead, he headed toward Han Bei, who seemingly had lost control over her own ancient jade.

At the same time Xu Youdao reached the jade he had been pursuing. He flicked his sleeve, collecting it into his bag of holding. Throughout the process, he avoided any dangers whatsoever.

"Hahaha! Fellow Daoist Han, I've retrieved the item for you. I'll keep it with me for now and give you a copy later." At the same time as his laughter rang out, Xie Jie's eyes suddenly glittered brightly. Anyone looking at him would see the same suspicions that existed moments before on his face. However, Han Bei was not faking; the anxiety and enmity on her face after all the coughing up of blood were real. And yet, Xu Youdao had succeeded; Xie Jie seemed to no longer suspect anything. He increased his speed.

As he shot forward, a lightning bolt descended toward him. He spat a third Green Cloaking Pill out of his mouth. A boom sounded out as the pill activated, completely concealing Xie Jie from any lightning. He bit his tongue, spitting out some blood that turned into a blood mist. As he passed through it, his speed increased dramatically. In an instant, he was upon the piece of jade. With the flick of a sleeve, he collected it into his bag of holding.

Xie Jie's eyes burned as he glanced toward the gray-robed Cultivator. He was rocketing forward, seemingly focused on pursuing the jade piece, but doing so with caution. Having seen Xu Youdao and Xie Jie's successes, he increased his speed, and within a moment was almost in the position to acquire the last piece of jade.

All eyes were focused on him. Meng Hao watched him flick his sleeve to gather up the piece of jade. Suddenly, for some inexplicable reason, the lightning in the area began to accumulate. In the blink of an eye, ten bolts of lightning shot down.

The gray-robed Cultivator's lightning-repelling treasure was simply incapable of resisting, and shattered. His face fell, and he was just about to do everything in his power to evade, when a shocking thunderclap sounded out. Everyone watched as the man's body was transformed into bits of floating ash. Even his bag of holding was destroyed.

Only the ancient jade remained, floating beneath the lightning, undamaged. Bits of ash and bone, the remnants of the gray-robed Cultivator, slowly drifted down to the ground.

Han Bei coughed up some more blood. Her face was pale, but she gritted her teeth and raised her trembling hands toward the drifting piece of jade.

It shook, then changed directions, shooting back toward Han Bei and Meng Hao. Based on its trajectory, it seemed it was actually heading toward Meng Hao.

"Fellow Daoist Meng, be careful!" shouted Han Bei shrilly.

Everything was happening too quickly. Seeing the death of the gray-robed Cultivator caused Xie Jie's expression to change. A horrified look appeared on Xu Youdao's face. However, at the moment, both of them were looking at the piece of jade the was descending toward Meng Hao and Han Bei. The death of the gray-robed Cultivator seemed to have been an accident that had nothing to do with the ancient jade.

The two of them flew forward simultaneously. From the look of it, if Meng Hao attempted to interfere, they would join forces to destroy him. However, their speed was a bit slower than his. Even moving as fast as possible, it seemed that they would arrive a moment too late.

Meng Hao, eyes glittering, shot forward, a barely perceptible mocking smile forming on the corner of his mouth. The three of them closed in on the piece of jade.

It was at this moment that the closed eyes of the meat jelly floating in the mid-air suddenly opened. It caught sight of the three people flying toward the jade, and suddenly it shot forward with indescribable speed. In a flash, it landed on Xu Youdao's head.

Xu Youdao's body shook, and a look of astonishment appeared on his head. "Fellow Daoist Xie, help me…"

Before Xie Jie could even react to his words, the meat jelly opened its mouth. Suddenly, massive amounts of lightning bore down. It seemed as if they were entering the mouth of the meat jelly. But by the time they disappeared, Xu Youdao's body was nothing more than ash in the wind.

He didn't even have time to scream.

Xie Jie gasped, and his face flickered. He suddenly stopped moving, his heart pounding. He stared in astonishment at the floating meat jelly; his scalp began to go numb.

Without Xu Youdao and Xie Jie pursuing the ancient piece of jade, it quickly arrived at Meng Hao. He chuckled, shooting forward, and then actually moving out of the path of the piece of jade. Now, it was heading directly toward Han Bei. She gaped in shock, as did Xie Jie, who was still reeling from the actions of the meat jelly moments ago.

Meng Hao laughed, looking back and forth between Han Bei and Xie Jie. "Your act could fool gray-robes, but did you really think you could fool me?" A look of ridicule appeared in his eyes. He spit out the lightning flag. The surrounding lightning was instantly thrown into chaos.

Hearing Meng Hao's words, Han Bei frowned and Xie Jie's eyes flashed. They said nothing.

"The appearance of that meat jelly was not something you anticipated, and therefore Xu Youdao lost his life. That was an accident, not part of your scheming. In any case," he continued coldly, "with Xu Youdao gone, your three person plan cannot be completed. I think now you should consider allowing me to take his place, assuming I wish to." He smiled.

The lightning flag next to him sent out ripples, causing the surrounding lightning to roil even more violently. Not wanting to attract the attention of the meat jelly, he pulled the lightning flag close to him and suppressed the rippling.

An unsightly expression covered Xie Jie's face. Meng Hao's craftiness left him awestruck. During their entire journey, he had barely interacted at all with Han Bei and Xu Youdao. He'd assumed no one could possibly connect the three of them together. And yet Meng Hao had.

"It was Xu Youdao's final words that made it clear to you," said Han Bei with a little smile. "Fellow Daoist Meng, you are very perceptive. I can't help but admire you in this." There didn't seemed to be any anxiety on her face whatsoever. "It's true. There can only be three people in the end. I'll be honest with you, Fellow Daoist. I've betrayed the Black Sieve Sect because of this place. Originally Xie Jie and I received authorization from the Sect to come here. Unfortunately, we never imagined that the object the Sect sought, Ultimate Vexation, would be here. And we never predicted that Xu Youdao would fall." She straightened her hair and smiled. Despite her beauty, he had been careful of her machinations from the beginning. She was clever, but Xie Jie couldn't compare at all.

As she spoke, Han Bei lifted her hand and made a grasping motion. A blue streak of light shot toward her from the position where Xu Youdao had been killed. Moments later, a gray streak appeared from where the gray-robed Cultivator had died. They circled around in the air. As they did, Han Bei opened her mouth and spit out a yellow strand. The three strands intertwined and began to emit a bright light.

The yellow strand was obviously from the Li woman, which Han Bei had somehow retrieved after her death.

"In this place of treasures of the Nine Great Families, only the Han Clan treasure can be retrieved. The rest of the statues have not been damaged, and are therefore still sealed. We originally needed strands from three bloodlines, and power from three people, to be able to open the true location of the Time refining treasure of the Han Clan. Now, we have no choice other than to use Xu Youdao's strand. Brother Meng," she said earnestly, "let's not bring up everything from before. I hope we can agree on that. If you agree, then you can have your copy of the Time refining treasure. I'm willing to swear an oath on the name of my illustrious Ancestors!" She slapped her bag of holding to produce a Feng Shui compass. She quickly erased the branding inside of it.

"This object," she said, "can serve as an expression of my apology. Actually, the exit I spoke of earlier is not really an exit. That place will only return you here. This Feng Shui compass is a Sect treasure. You can use it to get out of this place. However, it won't take you out of the Blessed Land, It will merely take you out of the square cauldron." The Feng Shui compass floated over to Meng Hao.

He eyed it expressionlessly, casting his Spiritual Sense into it for a moment. Then he exchanged a glance with Han Bei. Their eyes glittered simultaneously. Xie Jie looked at them, his face grim. He let out a cold snort.

Meng Hao took the Feng Shui compass, his expression the same as usual. He examined it further with Spiritual Sense. After confirming that it was a teleportation device, he nodded.

Han Bei's smile grew even more beautiful. She gave Meng Hao a slight bow, then looked over at Xie Jie, who was glaring at Meng Hao. He made no attempt to hide his displeasure. He and Han Bei had been a couple for some time. Once their mission here was completed, they were to return to the Sect and be officially united as beloved.

Han Bei took a deep breath and then waved her beautiful hand. The three colored strands interlocked and flew out. They grew longer, creating a complex pattern which then shot toward the statue of the Han ancestor and into the crack on its back. At the same time, Han Bei bit her tongue and then spit out some blood. The three strands turned bright red, and continued to stream into the crack.

Next, the strands separated. Han Bei grabbed one, and the other two shot toward Meng Hao and Xie Jie respectively.

Meng Hao's eyes glittered as he grabbed the strand. As soon as he touched it, he felt the copper mirror growing hot within the bag of the Cosmos.

"The objects held aloft by the nine statues are not real. They are mere illusions. The true treasures are inside the circular cauldron. No one can take them, not even someone of one of the nine Bloodlines. However, the body of the Han ancestor was struck with Tribulation Lightning, and was cracked. Therefore, the Time refining treasure within the cauldron is the only of the nine that can be acquired!

"The only way to get it, is to break open the circular cauldron. With our Cultivation bases, that would be impossible. Brother Meng! Xie, dear! Please bolster the power of my bloodline. We will use the power of the ancestor statue to retrieve the item!" Her eyes glowed mysteriously as she looked at Meng Hao and Xie Jie, a sweet smile on her face.

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Chapter 163: Tender Killing

A roaring sound filled the world within the cauldron. The lightning in the region danced about, and the meat jelly seemed to have been frightened. Its attention now appeared to be fixed upon Meng Hao and the others.

Han Bei's voice rang out. "I shall now employ my bloodline magic. Brother Meng and Xie, dear, please assist me with all your power." She bit her tongue, spitting more blood out onto the strands that wound into the crack on the statue. It began to emit a red glow.

A droning roar sounded out, and the entire statue began to tremble. Vast quantities of dust poured off of it. Meng Hao suddenly felt as if the strand in his hand was pulling at his Cultivation base, as well as his Spiritual Sense.

His eyes flickered, but his face remained still. Next to him, Xie Jie's eyes glittered brightly as he poured power from his Cultivation base, as well as Spiritual Sense, into the strand he held. He looked at Meng Hao, killing intent flickering within his eyes. Then his gaze shifted to Han Bei, and his gaze grew warm. It could be said that the two of them were a 'green plum and a bamboo horse,' childhood sweethearts. When they were young, there had been some conflict between them, but as of now, it seemed that Han Bei really had worked her way into his heart.

Suddenly, the roaring grew in intensity. Han Bei's face grew pale. She was in control of the three threads; Xie Jie and Meng Hao were simply providing the assisting power with their Cultivation bases and Spiritual Sense. They had no way to do anything to cause the statue to do anything. They poured their power in, while Han Bei employed the power of her bloodline.

Using her bloodline to touch the spirit of the ancestor statue was magic that only she could perform. If anyone else tried to touch the statue's spirit, their Cultivation base would wither up. It was something that neither Meng Hao nor Xie Jie could do.

About ten breaths worth of time passed. Booming sounds filled the sky. Suddenly the kneeling statue emitted a roar as… its eyes suddenly began to shine, as if it were alive. Its body… slowly began quiver, as if it were preparing to stand.

Han Bei's face grew paler, her eyes brighter. She spat out more blood, causing her Blood Qi to enter into the statue. The whole statue trembled violently, as if an earthquake were shaking it. Then, the massive statue… stood up!

Its eyes emitted a dull glow, and a mysterious pressure filled the entire area. It slowly lowered its hands. As Meng Hao watched, the images were burned indelibly into his memory.

He took a deep breath, continuing to provide Cultivation base power and Spiritual Sense. Han Bei's body shook. This was real trembling, not an act; her face was as pale as a corpse's. But determination radiated out of her eyes, and she spat out more blood.

Boom!

The statue slowly outstretched its right hand, pointing with its index finger. The finger seemed to be filled with an indescribable power; it descended toward the circular cauldron situated in the middle of the nine statues.

Meng Hao's eyes narrowed and gleamed mysteriously.

"I need more power!" said Han Bei, her voice urgent. Without hesitation, Xie Jie poured more power into the strand he held.

Meng Hao's eyes shined as he did the same. Some of the color returned to Han Bei's face, but moments later she spat out more blood, filling the statue with more power. Its finger continued to approach the cauldron; it seemed the cauldron would open at any moment.

At this exact time, however, the descending finger suddenly changed directions. It no longer headed toward the circular cauldron, but toward Xie Jie. It moved with incredible speed, causing a look of complete shock to cover his face.

"Han Bei, what are you doing?!" cried Xie Jie, throwing the strand away from himself. His eyes filled with intense terror, and he shot backward. Meng Hao's eyes flickered. He opened his mouth, and the lightning mist flew out, preventing Xie Jie from moving backward. His body stopped moving. His words were still echoing out by the time the massive finger reached him.

The finger barely touched him, and his entire body exploded with a bang, even his Dao Pillar. In an instant, everything disintegrated; his life was completely gone.

He didn't let out a blood-curling scream, only a furious roar that lingered on after his death. An orange strand curled up where his body used to be, which then entered the statue's finger.

His bag of holding rose up and flew over to Han Bei. She grabbed it and immediately produced a small black vial. She crushed it, and a phantom figure floated up that looked in every way exactly like Han Bei. She absorbed it in through her ears, mouth and nose.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in space of only a few breaths. Meng Hao watched everything with the same expression as always, as if he had been expecting it to happen. He was completely expressionless, although his eyes flickered.

"Many thanks for your assistance, Fellow Daoist Meng," said Han Bei with a sweet smile. She bowed slightly toward him.

"Fellow Daoist Han, it was a clever move to exterminate your dear Xie," he said coolly. He was not surprised, because the violet Feng Shui compass she had given him now was not just unbranded, it also contained a message.

In the message, she had directly told him that she planned to kill Xie Jie, and when it happened, he shouldn't be alarmed.

"When the Black Sieve Sect captured me and my clansmen, it seemed as if they would treat us well. But in actuality, we were nothing more than animals in a cage. Xie Jie was the worst; he treated me horribly since childhood. After we grew up, he had further desires…. It's only natural for me to slay him. If I hadn't, then everything we acquired today would belong to the Black Sieve Sect. Now, we can share everything between the two of us."

She smiled at him and said, "Brother Meng is surpassingly astute, I don't dare to attempt to deceive you. That is why I left the message on the Feng Shui compass. I always accomplish what I set out to do. Today, the Time refinement technique will become ours. From now on, you don't need to do anything more."

Her expression was sincere, although she sighed inwardly. Of the six people who had begun the mission, all had their own thoughts and plans. Only Meng Hao had seen through everything and come through it all.

People had fallen around him, but he remained unscathed. This caused fear to grow in Han Bei's heart, as well as admiration. Had any mistakes been made along the way, Meng Hao would have been dead.

Because of this, she was subconsciously afraid of provoking him. Therefore, her words were actually true, and revealed her true intentions.

Meng Hao's expression was the same as ever. He said nothing, just simply nodded. However, the lightning mist surrounded him. If Han Bei did anything threatening, he would call down the lightning; death would be assured.

Han Bei took a deep breath and looked at him. She abandoned any last bit of scheming. The journey here had been difficult, and she had used up all her tricks. She really did not want to meet any more mishaps. Her hand flickered an incantation, and the massive statue shook, then began to reach back toward the circular cauldron.

When it touched it, the entire world within the square cauldron shook. The lid of the circular cauldron slowly tilted up, and a violet Qi began to pour out of it. Inside, Meng Hao caught a glimpse of three jade pages floating up. Their appearance seemed to coincide with that of the violet Qi, and they hadn't completely emerged from the cauldron, as if they might sink back in at any time.

Han Bei's eyes filled with a bright glow, and she gasped. Her right hand slapped her bag of holding, and a small clay jar appeared, about the size of a person's head.

It flew up into the air, transforming into a beam of light that shot toward the circular cauldron. As it neared, cracks spread out across its surface and it exploded, sending the ash that had been inside shooting forward.

Within the ash were what appeared to be ten phantom images. There were men and women, and their ages varied, but they all resembled each other; these must be Clan members of the same bloodline.

This was not just random ash; it was ash collected upon the cremation of various Han Clan members, and contained life force. The figures spread out, and then bowed respectfully toward the circular cauldron.

"Bloodline of Patriarch Han, according to the ancient agreement, the bloodline remains, Patriarch, please return…." As the phantoms spoke, they entered the violet Qi.

At the same time, the statue of the Han Clan Patriarch stretched out its palm and pressed it against the cauldron.

The instant the figures entered the violet Qi and the statue pressed on the cauldron, it vibrated, emitting a droning sound that shook everything. Amidst the roaring, the phantom figures began to burn. As for the statue, it trembled violently. Starting at its feet, cracks spread across its entire body. Suddenly, it began to collapse into pieces.

From this day forward, there would no longer be nine statues in this place, but eight!

Han Bei shook as if some invisible power were rocking her. She took a few steps back and then spit up some blood. At the same time, a violet glow flew out from the crumbling statue. Meng Hao could clearly see the excitement which appeared in her eyes. Within the violet glow appeared to be a small, sleeping person. It suddenly shot toward Han Bei, hitting her between the eyebrows and merging into her.

"That's what she came for!" thought Meng Hao, his eyes narrowing.

At the same time, because of the sacrifice of the ten Han Clan phantoms, the three jade pages within the violet Qi freed themselves from the circular cauldron and flew out. As they did, a sound like a sigh could be heard from the circular cauldron.

As the sigh sounded out, one of the flying jade pages suddenly stopped and then spun backward toward the cauldron. The other two continued to fly forward.

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Chapter 164: That Bird's Aura…

The spot between Han Bei's eyebrows glowed with a violet light. Panting, she shot into the air after one of the pages. Meng Hao also leaped into the air, moving with as much speed as he could muster after the other page.

They flew up simultaneously and in different directions, dodging in and out of the lightning in pursuit of the jade pages. Just as each person was about to lay hands on their respective pages, the meat jelly, which had been observing them this whole time, suddenly sprang into action.

It's movement caused Meng Hao's expression to flicker and Han Bei's face to fall. Both of them were filled with fear.

The object itself wasn't dangerous, but it seemed to enjoy jumping onto peoples' heads, and then consuming lightning. In other words, its arrival heralded the onslaught of a sea of lightning!

"Dammit!" said Meng Hao, his eyes narrowing when he saw the meat jelly heading toward him. Han Bei, who was moving in a different direction, breathed a sigh of relief.

Keeping his eye on the meat jelly, Meng Hao grabbed the jade page and then shot backward as fast as possible. He caused the lightning mist to withdraw; it might be an effective tool to threaten others in this place, but would only serve to attract the meat jelly, and thus, more lightning. Unfortunately, it seemed he had acted too slowly.

He shot backward as fast as possible, but the meat jelly was clearly very persistent. In a flash, it was in front of Meng Hao. It shot downward, and appeared to be just about to land on Meng Hao's head.

Before it did, and before Meng Hao could even do anything, the meat jelly suddenly trembled. The face of the old man appeared on its surface once again. His eyes were wide open, and his expression was one of both disbelief and disgust. Suddenly, it opened its mouth and spoke.

"Dammit! Dammit! How come you have that damn bird's aura on you?!" It hopped backward through the air as if it was completely disgusted with Meng Hao and wouldn't even come near him. It flew back up and then suddenly vomited, as if it had just seen something so disgusting it was painful.

If that were all, then it wouldn't be a big deal. But then a flash of light could be seen as the meat jelly suddenly appeared in front of Han Bei. She watched in shock as it gulped down the jade paper in a single bite.

It started to chew, and when she saw this, Han Bei's scalp grew numb. She could do nothing but move backward.

"Gross, gross, gross…." said the face on the meat jelly, its expression twisted as it looked over at Meng Hao. It looked as if it was scared to even get close to him.

Meng Hao had a strange expression on his face as he looked at the retreating meat jelly. He glanced at horrified Han Bei.

She was silent for a moment, and then said, "Congratulations on acquiring the Time refining technique of the Han Clan, Fellow Daoist Meng. There are three jade pieces in total, but each page has a technique that can be used by itself." A complicated look appeared in her eye. Suddenly, the lightning in the area began to roar.

It rapidly increased in intensity, each and every bolt brimming with the fierce intensity it had at the beginning. The hour time period had passed. As of now, a lack of lightning-repelling objects equated to certain death and transformation into flying ash.

The sheets of lightning made Meng Hao's expression fall. Han Bei also looked shocked.

"You acquired the object, so it's yours, Brother Meng," said Han Bei hurriedly. "I will lay no claim to it. But I must ask you to take care for it well. Please do not lose it. Next time we meet, you must give me a copy. That was our agreement." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she slapped her bag of holding. A violet Feng Shui compass appeared in her hands. It flashed, and then her body disappeared as she was teleported away. In that same instant, however, the meat jelly shot forward, borrowing some of the teleportation power to also leave the world of the cauldron.

Meng Hao looked around at the vast fields of lightning, and then immediately pulled out the violet Feng Shui compass, which he had examined closely earlier. He poured Spiritual Sense into it, activating its teleportation power. In an instant, he was teleported away from the world of lightning.

When he reappeared, the sky above was dark, and the earth was trembling. Booms echoed out everywhere, and his Dao Pillars were instantly unstable. He immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered forward a few paces. He looked around.

He was in the wide plain, not far from the place where he had met up with Han Bei initially. He took a deep breath. Han Bei hadn't been lying; the Feng Shui compass did what she said it would.

He lifted his hand, within which was the good luck charm. He was just about to pour some Spiritual Sense into it and leave this bizarre Blessed Land, when suddenly a massive tower began to rise up from the earth off in the distance. Everything shook, and roaring filled the air.

He could see that this pillar was like a tower, and it emanated an aura. The aura was not that of Core Formation or the Nascent Soul stage, but of Foundation Establishment!

This was the the Hundred Spirits Tower, constructed with the Dao Pillars of over two hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators!

Meng Hao sucked in a deep breath when he saw the Hundred Spirits Tower. Surrounding the tower were phantom figures of hundreds of Cultivators. They emitted shrill howls which merged together into a powerful sound of grievance. The sound rose up into the heavens, causing everything to be dark.

From various directions, ten or so freshly acquired Dao Pillars flew through the air toward the tower and melded into it. The power spreading from the tower grew even more intense.

"I suppose the rest of the rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivators who came here are all dead…." He was silent, struck by the extent of the Black Sieve Sect's plotting. His Dao Pillars trembled inside of him. Were they not Perfect Dao Pillars, he wouldn't be able to keep them under control.

"I can't stay here any longer…." he thought. However, it was at this time that he cocked his head and stared off into the distance. His eyes glittered slightly, and he decided not to leave. Instead, he flew up and off into the distance.

He flew for the space of about ten breaths before stopping. There below him in the plain, he saw a group of four Cultivators sitting cross-legged in meditation. Around them circled a protective spell which seemed to be resisting the power of the Hundred Spirits Tower.

One of them, was none other than Lu Tao!

Meng Hao watched on as one of the four people coughed up some blood. His body suddenly exploded, and an illusory Dao Pillar flew out of him off into the sky.

After that, another Cultivator began to tremble. His eyes snapped open and he stared at Lu Tao. He laughed bitterly. "You despicable…." Before he could finish, his body was torn to pieces as his Dao Pillar flew out. The third person's face grew pale as his body also was torn to shreds. His Dao Pillar flew off into the distance.

However, the death of these three people made the protective spell many times stronger than it had been just now. Lu Tao sat inside pale-face, gritting his teeth with dogged will. The power of this spell was the only thing resisting the gravitational force outside.

Meng Hao looked down. He could see clearly that the three Cultivators had been under Lu Tao's control. In reality, their Dao Pillars had been blood sacrifices to protect Lu Tao. Their deaths had simply bolstered his spell.

Meng Hao, his face placid, descended toward Lu Tao. He landed next to the spell, looked down at Lu Tao, and gave a dry cough.

Lu Tao began to tremble. When he opened his eyes and gaze upon Meng Hao, a look of shock covered his face.

"So, it's… Fellow Daoist Meng…." His face was pale, his voice anxious as he looked at Meng Hao."

"Nice spell," said Meng Hao coolly. He spoke neither quickly nor slowly, but his words caused Lu Tao to feel extremely alarmed. From his perspective, it seemed that Meng Hao wasn't being affected at all by the gravitational force.

"Fellow Daoist Meng, what… what do you want?" His heart was filled with deep anxiety. If Meng Hao interfered with the spell, then it would be broken. He could imagine what the gravitational force would do to him after that; his body would shatter and his Dao Pillars would fly into the sky to join all the others in the enormous tower.

"Tell me what the Thunderclap Leaf really does," he said calmly, looking at Lu Tao within the spell.

"I already told you, Fellow Daoist Meng," he blurted, growing even more nervous. "The Thunderclap Leaf…." Before he could continue, Meng Hao reached out and pushed down on the spell circulating around Lu Tao.

As he did, the spell trembled, and a small crack appeared on its surface. Terror flashed onto Lu Tao's face.

"Stop, Fellow Daoist Meng, please… I'm not deceiving you. The Thunderclap Leaf really can…"

Meng Hao gave a cold snort and then pushed down again. A boom sounded out, and seven or eight more cracks appeared within the spell. Lu Tao could suddenly feel even more of the gravitational force that existed in the outside world seeping inside. His Dao Pillar trembled unstably. His scalp went numb; he was currently scared out of his wits.

"Thunderclap Leaves are rare in the Southern Domain," he gushed, talking as fast as he possibly could. "Special techniques exist which can imbue them into magical items to increase their lightning power! Fellow Daoist Meng, listen to me, I have a jade slip here as evidence. Just read the technique in the jade slip and you'll receive enlightenment!!" He produced a jade slip which he showed to Meng Hao. His entire body trembled, and a look of entreaty appeared on his face. His words sounded sincere, as if he weren't concealing anything.

"Still trying to fool me?" A cold light gleamed in Meng Hao's eye. His right index finger stabbed into the spell. A boom rippled out as more cracks filled the spell. There was even a wide hole in one place. The gravitational force poured in. Lu Tao's face twisted and he coughed up some blood. It looked as if his body would explode at any moment.

—–

This chapter was sponsored by William Porter

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Chapter 165: Sieve Net Thunder Tree!

"STOP!!!" shrieked Lu Tao, terror-stricken. His face completely drained of blood, and he felt as if the shadow of death were looming over him.

He clearly remembered the scene when he had entered this Blessed Land, how so many Cultivators had exploded, their Dao Pillars sucked away. He was from the Black Lands, and knew a secret method that he had been able to utilize to stay safe. But with Meng Hao here, he felt an incredible pressure weighing down upon him that he had never felt before.

Furthermore, it seemed that no matter what he said, Meng Hao wouldn't believe him. Meng Hao completely had the upper hand. Faced with such life-or-death danger, Lu Tao's schemes disappeared like ash into the wind.

"I'm telling the truth," said Lu Tao pleadingly. "Thunderclap Leaves can be absorbed into magical treasures to imbue them with the power of lightning. Why don't you believe me!?" His voice was hoarse, and from the look on his face, he had been pushed to the limit and had nothing more he could say. His eyes suddenly seemed to flash with understanding. He gave a hoarse laugh, and his eyes filled with boldness born of desperation. "I get it. It's not that you don't believe me, it's that you want to kill me!

"Fine! Just shatter my spell, then. I, Lu, have already explained the Thunderclap Leaf's usage. If you're going to kill me, then just kill me. But you can forget about getting the information from my jade slip!" Gritting his teeth, Lu Tao pushed down hard on the jade slip. If Meng Hao was really going to destroy the spell, then he would crush it to make sure the fish died and the net was torn; everyone would lose.

Meng Hao looked calmly at Lu Tao. Some time passed, and then he sighed. He lifted his hand and pushed down again. A boom sounded out. What was destroyed, however, was not the spell, but rather the jade slip in Lu Tao's hand.

Meng Hao destroyed it, transforming it into pieces of ash.

This caused Lu Tao's face to fall and his heart to grow cold. Obviously, this action on the part of Meng Hao indicated that… he didn't believe him!

"Tell me, or don't tell me. I'm out of patience," he said coolly. It's not that he didn't believe what Lu Tao said about the Thunderclap Leaves being able to imbue magical treasures with the power of lightning. But Lu Tao spoke his words too easily. They might be true, but Meng Hao couldn't imagine that the Thunderclap Leaves collected by Patriarch Reliance would be so simple.

A bitter smile appeared on Lu Tao's face, as if he had nothing left to say. Meng Hao nodded slightly, then began to press down onto the spell. This time, he would completely destroy it.

"I'LL TELL!!" Lu Tao's body was trembling, and his heart nearly collapsed into pieces. The shaking of his Dao Pillar turned into a look of resolve in his eyes, and a bitter smile on his lips.

"I'll tell you," he said, quivering. "But you have to swear that after I tell you, you won't do anything to damage my spell." He smiled a painful smile. Everything he had said before was filled with half-truths, and yet, none of it even touched on the real truth, the most important part. Facing up against death the way he was now, however, he had no choice but to be honest.

"Speak," said Meng Hao, his expression the same as ever, but his eyes shining mysteriously.

Lu Tao took a deep breath, and was silent for just a moment. Then, with a pained look, he slowly began to speak. "Thunderclap Leaves come from the Thunderclap Tree. But the Thunderclap Tree's real name is Sieve Net Thunder, or Mulberry Thunder Tree."

Meng Hao's expression was placid, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. He looked coolly at Lu Tao. This in turn caused indescribable terror to fill Lu Tao's heart. His anguished expression grew stronger, and the coldness within him completely encompassed his heart and filled his body. He began to tremble with fear.

"There's a legend about the Mulberry Thunder Tree. According to this legend, in ancient times there was an almighty being who achieved enlightenment while sitting underneath a Sieve Net Thunder Tree. Heavenly Tribulation descended, desiring to wipe out this new Dao. The will of the lightning infected the tree. As for the almighty being, it split apart the Tribulation Lightning and then stepped into the stars.

"Though the almighty being departed, the Sieve Net Thunder Tree absorbed some of its Dao in addition to the power of the Tribulation Lightning. It was destroyed, and yet, a thousand years later, a sprout appeared within the dead trunk!

"Thus was born a tree that was mulberry, but not mulberry. Thunder, but not thunder. A Sieve Net Mulberry Thunder Tree!"

Meng Hao's eyes glittered as he listened to Lu Tao, but he said nothing.

"In regards to the almighty being which achieved enlightenment underneath the Sieve Net Mulberry Thunder Tree, what he said that day beneath the tree was that if he could not achieve ultimate supremacy, he would rather his body be shattered, and stay underneath the tree for all eternity!" Lu Tao lowered his head as he spoke, hiding the stubborness which shone in his eyes.

A strange expression appeared on Meng Hao's face as he listened to the story. It seemed to him unlikely that Lu Tao was making this story up as he went.

"Countless ages have passed since the Sieve Net Mulberry Thunder Tree appeared. Eventually, it became part of the heart of the earth, which then caused more trees to sprout. Yet, they contained the experiences from events in ancient times. Because the will of the Heavens evolved, this tree was eventually able to cast off that which withered it. Today, it is as precious as phoenix feathers and qilin horns."

Lu Tao was silent for a moment before continuing. "Most Cultivators will use the tree to meld it with magical items, or even absorb it into their Dao Pillars, acquiring the invincible thunder which exists within the Sieve Net Mulberry Thunder Leaf.

"However, in the Black Lands, there is a type of larva called Frigid Snow, which exists in the snowstorms of mid-winter. Of all the remarkable bugs in the world, it is ranked number ninety-seven. It's a remarkable larva; it doesn't produce silk, but rather, intense coldness. It is quite prized by Cultivators, and if it can be acquired, is viewed as a precious treasure. It can be refined into a Frigid Spirit, embodied into a Frigid treasure.

"This larva is not common, but not exceedingly rare, and occasionally appears." At this point, Lu Tao paused for a moment and looked at Meng Hao.

Meng Hao looked back at him, and their gazes locked for a moment. Lu Tao sighed inwardly, and then continued.

"What only a few people know, however, is that there is an unusual relationship between the larva and the Sieve Net Thunder Mulberry Tree. If the larva consumes the leaves of the tree, it is possible for it to become the number four ranked remarkable bug… the Eyeless Larva!

"The Eyeless Larva turns into a chrysalis, and will produce a thread of silk. That thread cannot be broken, nor can the body be destroyed. The body cannot be destroyed, and the thread cannot be broken. It creates an unstoppable cycle. The thread becomes an invincible precious treasure.

"The Eyeless Larva has only appeared twice throughout history, and each time, the thread it produced caused a sensation in the Cultivation world. There was even conflict in the Eastern Lands. To this very day, no one knows what caused the death of the Eyeless Larvae that appeared twice before." Lu Tao sighed inwardly. Having finished speaking, he looked deeply at Meng Hao, then closed his eyes.

Meng Hao muttered to himself as he looked at closed-eyed Lu Tao. Finally, he laughed. Turning, his body transformed into a prismatic beam which shot off into the distance.

After Meng Hao left, Lu Tao opened his eyes. He looked blankly up at the sky, then let out a long sigh. Soon, his eyes filled with a cold glow.

"Everything I said now was ninety percent true and ten percent false. That guy might by smart, but he'll have a hard time telling which is which. He'll definitely go looking for the Frigid Snow Larva. If he really does feed it the Sieve Net Thunder Mulberry Leaf, then he's dead!

"All I have to do now is endure this pain a bit longer until the Black Sieve Sect finishes. Then I'll be able to find some clues in this place to find what I'm looking for." A grim look on his face, he took a deep breath, and then closed his eyes to begin repairing his spell.

Meng Hao was lost in thought as he flew through the air. Of course he wouldn't believe everything that Lu Tao told him. However, he was fairly certain that at least some of what he'd said was true. It would have been too difficult to simply make up such a story on the spot. Perhaps half was true and half were lies.

"With desire, comes incompleteness. If I have no desire, then the storms will not touch me." Meng Hao smiled as he continued onward. Everything he passed was completely barren; he didn't see even one rogue Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Up ahead, the Hundred Spirits Tower emitted a bright glow which surrounded everything.

From such a distance, Meng Hao was unable to spot Xu Qing amongst the crowd. He silently took out the good luck charm and poured some spiritual energy into it. Immediately, he felt the teleportation power.

However, he couldn't teleport immediately. It would require some time before the power could be activated. Meng Hao took a deep breath and then shot toward the peak of a nearby mountain. He sat down cross-legged. Ignoring what was happening around him, he continued to pour spiritual energy into the good luck charm, feeling the teleportation power growing in intensity.

"I need to wait for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn…" This was his first time using the good luck charm, so it was also his first time encountering its downside.

His current location wasn't exactly safe, but there were no people around, only the glow emanating from the Hundred Spirits Tower. However, his Perfect Foundation was still capable of resisting it. If too much time passed, though, it would become more difficult to fight back. Therefore, he concentrated fully on the good luck charm.

"I wonder where I'll be teleported to…." His eyes flickered as he felt the teleportation power surging. He placed his right hand on the ground. The dirt began to churn, and tentacles burst up out of the soil. They transformed into a violet-golden fruit the size of a palm. Meng Hao closed his fingers over it and then placed it into his bag of the Cosmos.

It was at this moment that suddenly, something flickered in the air near the Hundred Spirits Tower. It wasn't large, but Meng Hao immediately recognized it. It was none other than what he and Han Bei had encountered before teleporting out of the square cauldron… the meat jelly!

It floated in mid-air, its archaic features gazing curiously at the Hundred Spirits Tower.

Suddenly, it emitted a piercing howl which filled heaven and earth. The wind and clouds surged, and the ground shook. Even the Hundred Spirits Tower trembled as if it might collapse. The hundreds of phantoms which circled around all began to shriek. Lightning began to build up on their bodies.

Surrounding the tower at its base were nearly one thousand Black Sieve Sect disciples, all sitting cross legged. In the forefront were eight Core Formation Cultivators. As soon as the meat jelly appeared and the clouds whipped into a frenzy, their eyes opened, and they looked up into the sky.

"It's appeared!!"

"That thing is Ultimate Vexation?"

Their eyes filled with excitement, and their hearts pounded as their hands flickered incantations. Immediately, the ground in front of them began to glow, and suddenly Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful middle-aged woman appeared. Nascent Soul Cultivators!

"So, it was fished out!!"

"I shall acquire this item today!" cried Patriarch Violet Sieve. His eyes were fixed on the meat jelly and they shined with intense expectation.

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Chapter 166: Ultimate Vexation Bonds a Master!

"According to the ancient records, this is Ultimate Vexation," said Patriarch Violet Sieve. "It will never bond a master, it loves thunder, and consumes lightning. However, what excites it more than anything is not lightning, but the electricity within the human body!

"The electricity contained within the Dao Pillars of hundreds of Cultivators, as well as the power of their Cultivation bases, has been combined into the Hundred Spirits Tower. This thing has never encountered such immense, intangible aura as that which emanates from this tower!" He stared at the meat jelly, which was currently backing away slowly.

Next to Patriarch Violet Sieve, the beautiful middle-aged woman was also staring at the meat jelly. Both of them rotated their Cultivation bases. They seemed ready to spring into action at any moment.

Panting, Patriarch Violet Sieve used Divine Sense to communicate with the beautiful woman: "Wait just a bit longer. This thing is fast, and if it wishes to flee, even a Sect Patriarch wouldn't be able to capture it alive. It has an incredible aura, and if captured, may detonate itself and wait to be reincarnated. If that happens, who knows how many thousands of years will pass before it reappears….

"We must wait for it to consume the Hundred Spirits Tower. Inside is a seal, which, combined with magic cast by the three Patriarchs on the outside, will strip it of its power of self-detonation. Then, the two of us will be be able to capture it alive!!"

Meng Hao's brow furrowed as he looked at the meat jelly. In his estimation it was a very inauspicious item. Inside the cauldron, it had caused the death of several people. In the end, it had even spoken, which left Meng Hao with a very strange feeling. He really disliked the thing.

"So, that thing is what the Black Sieve Sect came into this place for." He was lost in thought for the space of about ten breaths. The good luck charm was almost activated and would be usable at any moment. Meng Hao's expression was calm as he observed the proceedings. In his heart, he was ready to leave at a moment's notice.

Up above, the meat jelly suddenly let out another menacing howl. The Hundred Spirits Tower trembled as if it were about to collapse. Arcs of electricity sparked off of it, as did a fatally enticing aura that Cultivators couldn't sense, but the meat jelly could. Its nose twitched and its eyes grew wide. Patriarch Violet Sieve watched excitedly as it shot forward, approaching the Hundred Spirits Tower. Its mouth opened wide and it took a giant bite.

As it took more bites, the magical face on the meat jelly looked more and more happy. It even began to emit contented humming sounds. It swallowed bite after bite, and soon the Hundred Spirits Tower was more than half consumed. Suddenly, what remained of the tower exploded!

A boom resonated out as the tower collapsed in upon itself and then shot toward the meat jelly. The meat jelly was clearly frightened half to death. The crumbling tower transformed into an enormous chain that moved with incredible speed as it encircled the meat jelly.

The meat jelly let out a frightened screech. It quickly tried to hop backward through the air, but couldn't, as if it were being held down. At this very moment, outside the Blessed Land, next to the black door, the statue that had been carried to this place by the Black Sieve Sect began to emanate a mysterious glow. Within the dark glow were three figures sitting cross-legged in meditation atop the ragged hide, controlling it.

Within the Blessed Land, ear-splitting shrieks filled the air. Meng Hao looked at the meat jelly floating in mid-air, bound by the chain. The magical face looked panic stricken. It wanted to flee, but was held tight by the chain. As it tried to jump away, the chain stretched back behind it like a long tail.

At the same time, Patriarch Violet Sieve's eyes flashed. He took a step forward, and then his body disappeared. He reappeared next to the meat jelly. He lifted up his hand to grab it.

Simultaneously, the beautiful women also moved, appearing on the other side of the meat jelly.

The fear on the meat jelly's magical face grew more intense, and it let out a miserable cry. Its body suddenly began to shake, and lightning crackled off of it in waves. Heaven and earth shook, and Patriarch Violet Sieve's face flickered. He retreated a pace. The beautiful woman's eyes narrowed, and she too retreated, not daring to touch the lightning.

As the two retreated, the chained meat jelly rushed forward, its face filled with helplessness and despair. With the chain restricting it, it couldn't move very fast. Behind it, Patriarch Violet Sieve's eyes gleamed, and he let out a cold harrumph.

"You can't escape," he said, his voice filling the air. "Today, the Black Sieve Sect has come for you!" He took a step forward, reaching his hand out. The beautiful woman gave a cold snort and lifted her hand up as well. In the blink of an eye, her body seemed to be surrounded by stars, which then transformed into a multicoloured beam that shot up to surround the meat jelly on all sides.

The meat jelly quivered, and flew forward. The magical face spoke, its voice archaic, like that of an old man's: "You people can't do this…."

When they heard the words, shock filled the faces of the surrounding thousand Black Sieve Sect Disciples. They had never imagined that this object would be able to speak with the voice of a human.

"So, you truly are Ultimate Vexation," said Patriarch Violet Sieve, laughing. He shot forward along with the beautiful woman. Their eyes glowed mysteriously as their bodies transformed into beams of light as which surrounded the meat jelly.

If that were all to it, it wouldn't be a big deal. But next, the eight Core Formation Cultivators among the Black Sieve Sect disciples all let out a shout. The rest of the disciples began to chant a scripture.

At the same time as scripture droned out from the mouths of the thousand disciples, far way in the Southern Domain, tens of thousands of Black Sieve Sect Cultivators sat cross-legged, also chanting a scripture. Above the Ten Thousand Mountains of the Black Sieve Sect, an enormous vortex circulated in the air. It sucked in the scriptures chanted by the tens of thousands of Cultivators and transmitted them into the Blessed Land via the mouths of the thousand Cultivators there. The power of the scripture caused everything to shake and tremble.

A concerned look appeared on the meat jelly's magical face. "You people are immoral. You should be converting that bird, you shouldn't be trying to convert me…." Its voice sounded frightened, and it let out another shriek. Suddenly, a huge bluish aura began to emanate off of it.

Screaming miserably, the meat jelly shot forward, its expression desperate. It wanted to flee. At this moment, a massive roaring sound filled the sky. Up above, an enormous cage appeared in mid-air.

It was composed of pitch black iron bars which were inscribed with countless magical sealing symbols. It emanated a shocking pressure which caused large amounts of fissures to split the earth blow.

The cage glittered as it shot toward the meat jelly, preparing to capture it alive and lock it tight. A black aura emanated out from the cage's bars, within which could be seen countless faces whose features were filled with excited avarice.

All of this takes a long time to describe, but actually happened in an instant. Meng Hao was not very close, yet was still shaken to the core. The good luck charm was almost ready to activate. Although everything that was happening was shocking, he didn't really care too much about it, and was mostly focused on getting away.

But… suddenly, he leaped up and began to retreat backward.

"That damned meat jelly, why is it coming toward me?" He retreated unhesitatingly, eyeing the meat jelly as it changed direction and for no apparent reason shot toward him.

Meng Hao couldn't make himself believe that the meat jelly would pass him by. Having seen the destruction left in its wake within the cauldron, he was certain that the thing was coming directly toward him.

Meng Hao's scalp went numb. He thought about the two Nascent Soul eccentrics, about the bizarre sound of the scripture being chanted, and about the massive cage descending from above. His annoyance with the meat jelly grew more and more intense.

But he was merely a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. No matter how fast he moved, there was no way he could evade an item which was currently being chased by two Nascent Soul eccentrics and, in fact, the entire Black Sieve Sect. The meat jelly was chained, but its speed was still impossible to describe. One breath, it was off in the distance, and the next breath, it was directly in front of Meng Hao. It slowly descended onto his head.

A look of shock covered Meng Hao's face. He reached up, grabbed it, and threw it away as far as possible.

The instant it was thrown away, it hopped back toward Meng Hao, opened its mouth and then bit his arm.

"If I can't escape," it wailed, "then neither can you, you immoral fellow…."

Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful woman approached in pursuit, and when they saw what was happening, their eyes went wide with intense rage.

"Doth thou dare!" raged the violet-robed Patriarch. His roar reached to the Heavens, and the entire land began to quake. His speed was incredible, and within moments, was in front of Meng Hao, a look of indescribable rage on his face. His palm descended toward Meng Hao.

Boom!

As the boom echoed out, a twinkling shield appeared around Meng Hao. It wasn't being emitted by Meng Hao, but rather the meat jelly. Furthermore, as Meng Hao retreated, it wasn't under his own power, but rather because the meat jelly was pulling him along by the arm.

It had his arm firmly gripped in its mouth, which caused blood to seep out. Its body trembled, and was no longer translucent. Now it looked somewhat muddy.

"So disgusting, so disgusting, so disgusting…. gross, gross, gross…." it cried. Patriarch Violet Sieve and the beautiful woman stood by, their expressions mixtures of rage and disbelief.

"Bonding… it… it's bonding a master?"

"I've bonded a master," cried the meat jelly, hopping up onto Meng Hao's head and transforming into the shape of a hat. "I bond this guy as my master. Useless! It's useless to capture me now. You immoral people, I've already bonded a master! I have no more powers of flight and no more shield. I'm crippled, I'm going to die! You bunch of foolish fools, you're too evil! I, I, I, I…." It suddenly turned its shocked attention to Meng Hao. "Hey, why haven't you teleported away yet?"

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Chapter 167: You Know, That's Immoral…

"Are you an idiot? Ohh, I like idiots. Idiots are good. Idiots are great. Eee? 1 How come you haven't teleported away yet? Wait, are you actually an idiot? Why did that bird pick an idiot?" The meat jelly continued to chatter without stopping.

Patriarch Violet Sieve raised his head up to the sky and howled. He shot closer, lifting his hand. All the light in the area seemed to grow dim, and ripples spread out everywhere, which then began to collapse in toward Meng Hao.

Meng Hao's face went pale. With a bitter smile, he looked at the glittering shield in front of him that was protecting him from Patriarch Violet Sieve. It was rapidly collapsing. Up ahead, the faces within the black aura emitted by the cage roared with rage. There was no time for Meng Hao to think. He pinched the good luck charm, and a roar sounded out. Pain filled his body. To everyone watching, it looked as if the moment before the protective shield broke, a black hole appeared next to Meng Hao. It swallowed him up, along with the meat jelly.

Meng Hao disappeared, along with echo of the meat jelly's voice:

"Although it actually makes me like you more, are you really an idiot? No way. There's really no way. That bird is the root of all immorality, and yet the person he selected turns out to be an idiot… idiot… idiot…."

The voice echoed out into silence. It was the only sound to be heard. Patriarch Violet Sieve stood there, his face unsightly, rage surging from his eyes. The chain fell to the ground in front of him. The meat jelly had bonded Meng Hao as its master, and had cast off the chain.

"Bonded…." panted the Patriarch. "It actually bonded a master. According the ancient records, it can't bond a master! It has never bonded a master!" He lifted his head up and roared.

The beautiful, middle-aged woman took a deep breath. After a moment, her eyes glittered. The cage disintegrated and the chain broke up into countless pieces and drifted away. The figures within the black aura began to fade, and the aura itself dissipated. As it did, Patriarch Violet Sieve's heart trembled.

"A good luck charm from the Milky Way Luck Sect…. So, that person was able to leave because of that object. I will find him. I will pay any cost necessary to find him. But his Sect can't find out. Ultimate Vexation has bonded a master. That's excellent. A new variable. Perhaps Longevity Qi cannot be produced, but Longevity Pills can!!"

Meanwhile, in the Southern Domain.

Near the sphere of influence of the Blood Demon Sect was a lake. The lake was as smooth as a mirror, and emitted spiritual energy, causing the entire area to be covered with mist throughout the year. It had a very otherworldly look.

But, that was only from the perspective of mortals. Although the spiritual energy in the area wasn't bad, it was far from being close to what is was within the five great Sects. Even some smaller Sects had greater accumulations of spiritual energy.

Although this area was within the sphere of influence of the Blood Demon Sect, it was on the very edge, on the area bordering the Solitary Sword Sect's territory. Occasionally, Cultivators from the Blood Demon Sect would fly by this area. In actuality, it was a relatively dangerous place.

That was because the Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect had a blood feud, which was common knowledge amongst Southern Domain Cultivators. Although no major conflicts had broken out, small fights would occasionally occur.

Many areas surrounding the lake were actually battlefields for the Solitary Sword Sect and the Blood Demon Sect.

Next to the lake was a mountain village, which was inhabited by a Clan by the name of Xiao. The most powerful member of the Clan was of the mid Foundation Establishment stage. Seven or eight Clan members were at the Qi Condensation stage, and the rest didn't have any latent talent whatsoever. Years ago, the Clan Lord had been a disciple of the Blood Demon Sect. However, he was growing old, and had been injured. His Cultivation base could make no further progress, and his longevity was running out.

In most cases, disciples like this are asked to leave the Blood Demon Sect and found Clans in the surrounding areas. Their heirs will then have the chance to enter the Blood Demon Sect.

Generally speaking, even if the Solitary Sword Sect came into the region, they would ignore such people. As a result, the Xiao Clan's territory had been relatively peaceful in recent years.

However, that peace was mostly because no large Sect had made any attempt to bully them; often there would be friction with surrounding Cultivator Clans.

This was especially true because of the position they occupied next to the Spirit lake. Many surrounding Cultivator Clans coveted the lake, and glared at it like a tiger eyeing its prey. Were it not for the Cultivation base of the Xiao Clan Lord, their clan would definitely have been carved up like a melon.

Unfortunately, Xiao Clan Lord Xiao Chang'en's 2 longevity was reaching its end, and his body was beginning to deteriorate. A crisis was forming. Today, members of the Xu Clan had arrived with ill intentions. They strolled through the Xiao Clan, cold smiles covering their faces.

"Fellow Daoist Chang'en," said the Xu Clan Lord Xu Luodi 3 with a false smile and a sinister voice, "you should carefully consider my proposal. If we form a marriage alliance, then we can share this lake. That will ensure that the names of Xu and Xiao will exist forever. The day when our Clans can re-enter the Blood Demon Sect will be just around the corner." Behind him trailed ten or more Clan members with Cultivation bases at the Qi Condensation stage. The most conspicuous among them was at the eighth level of Qi Condensation. He was currently casting smiles toward one of the members of the Xiao Clan, was a tall, slim young woman with a scowl on her face.

The girl wore a long green robe. Wind from the lake lifted her silky hair. She had beautiful features and skin like jade. Her intelligent eyes were like those of a red phoenix, tilted upward gently. She was truly a rare beauty.

Xiao Chang'en stood next to her, looking somewhat sickly. The flame of his life force was growing dim. Behind him were the seven or eight Qi Condensation Clan members. He glanced at the people from the Xu Clan, and opened his mouth to speak, but then trembled and began to cough. The young woman reached out to support him, a worried look on her face.

Xiao Chang'en took a deep breath and then said, "Xu Luodi, you can have the lake, but as for a marriage alliance, that's impossible." He patted the hand of the woman who stood next to him, and then glanced at the people from the Xu Clan. He was clearly weak, but his look could chop nails and slice iron.

"The Xu Clan wants this lake," said Xu Luodi. "As for the Xiao Clan's talisman expert girl, we want her too. If you agree, excellent. But if you disagree…." A smile covered his face, and yet his eyes glowed with killing intent. He took a step forward.

As his foot descended, a wave of mid Foundation Establishment pressure emanated out, filling the area. The faces of the Xiao Clan Qi Condensation Cultivators went pale and filled with nervousness and uncertainty. Ripples spread out across the surface of the lake.

At this exact same time, however, the sky above, which had previously been filled with blazing sunlight, suddenly seemed to grow dark.

It went back to normal in an instant. It happened so fast that if you blinked, you might not even notice.

However, the faces of both the Xu and Xiao Clan flashed, and they all gasped. A look of disbelief appeared on Xu Luodi's face, and as for Xiao Chang'en his heart was currently filled with the flames of fury, and yet all he could do was gape in astonishment. All of the Clan members present were currently staring toward the lake.

A gigantic black hole had appeared above the lake, sending the lake waters roiling. A person appeared from within the black hole, emerging along with massive amounts of black aura. He coughed up a mouthful of blood. A noisy voice could suddenly be heard.

"I'm not finished. Are you really an idiot… idiot… idiot?"

Face pale, Meng Hao emerged and glanced around. His gaze landed upon the Cultivators from the Xu and Xiao Clans. As the black hole disappeared behind him, Xiao Chang'en stopped panting and collected himself. A strange light gleamed in his eye. The woman next to him was about to open her mouth, but Xiao Chang'en lightly covered it with his hand.

He did this because he was the owner of the lake. Xu Luodi wasn't the only person who had come here recently with ill intentions and a desire to take a superior position. The current situation caused Xiao Chang'en's heart to be filled with anxiety. His eyes immediately began to shine with a stern aura. A cold smile appeared on his face.

At first, he had been nervous, but after checking Meng Hao's Cultivation base, he let out a light sigh. He was still a bit suspicious, though, considering the strange nature of Meng Hao's arrival.

"Fellow Daoist, who are you, and why have you intruded upon this Spirit lake land?" These words were uttered not by Xiao Chang'en, but by Xu Luodi. From what he could see, Meng Hao was at early Foundation Establishment. Considering how tenuous the situation the moment, he couldn't be certain that this person wasn't here to assist Xiao Chang'en.

As he spoke, the seven or eight members of the younger generation of his clan started to get nervous and stare at Meng Hao.

"Senior, some problems occurred with my teleportation and I inadvertently appeared here." Meng Hao's body flickered, and he landed on the shore of the lake. When he did, Xiao Chang'en pulled the woman back with him a few steps, away from Xu Luodi. His fellow Clansmen followed suit. He said nothing, but an enthusiastic look had suddenly appeared in his eyes.

When Xu Luodi saw this, he frowned. As Meng Hao stepped foot onto the shore, Xu Luodi suddenly strode forward, the power of his mid Foundation Establishment Cultivation base flaring into power. A hypocritical smile filled his face as the pressure radiated out.

The hat on Meng Hao's head suddenly began speaking to him.

"You know, that's wrong. That's very immoral. You shouldn't tell lies. You obviously came here because you were fleeing for your life. You did have a reason to come here. You came here on purpose!"

Meng Hao's face grew dark and Xu Luodi stared in shock. Xiao Chang'en's eyes narrowed, although his expression went back to normal in an instant. The woman next to him looked in wide-eyed astonishment at the hat on Meng Hao's head.

Meng Hao frowned, then took the hat off his head, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it away as hard as he could.

"Fellow Daoist," he said, ignoring the hat, "where am I? What is the nearest Sect?" He glanced at Xu Luodi's rippling Cultivation base and vigilant expression, and then looked at Xiao Chang'en.

"Fellow Daoist there's no need to ask when you already know the answer. Why did you…." Xiao Chang'en was starting to get a strange feeling about the situation. But before he could finish speaking, he suddenly noticed that the hat which had just been crumpled and thrown away, suddenly restored its shape, and was back on Meng Hao's head.

—–

This chapter was sponsored by Eric Layne, Calvin Yee, Sergio, Max Baraniak and TwistedShells

1. A quick word about "Eee?" This is a sound made in Chinese to express surprise or amazement. I hear it all the time, and it literally sounds like you are saying the letter E in a questioning tone. I could have translated it as "oh" or "ah" or something, but I think this transliteration more accurately captures the feeling of this uniquely Chinese sound. In Chinese it's 咦 yí.

2. Xiao Chang'en's name in Chinese is 肖长恩 xiào cháng ēn – Xiao is a family name. Chang means "long." En means "favor" or "kindness"

3. Xu Luodi's name in Chinese is 徐洛堤 xú luò dī – Xu is a common family name. Luo has no particular meaning. Di means "dyke" or "embankment"

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Chapter 168: The Xiao Clan Gifts the Lake

"You know, that's wrong. That's immoral. You can't just throw things onto the ground. What if you hit a little kid? That would be a sin. Even if you didn't hit a little kid, you might hit one of the fish in the lake, or maybe some shrimp. That would also be wrong. Listen. You should carefully take me off. You should…." The hat continued to talk non-stop with its preaching.

Meng Hao frowned, and Xu Luodi stared in amazement. His surrounding Clansmen looked at Meng Hao's hat in disbelief. After a moment, Xu Luodi's face grew grim. He was getting the feeling that this early Foundation Establishment Cultivator was doing this on purpose.

"Enough!" said Xu Luodi. "This isn't a place where you can just come and go as you please. If you won't tell the truth, then I'll just grab you and force the truth out of you." He couldn't figure out whether or not this guy was here to help the Xiao Clan or not, but at the moment, Meng Hao was being very annoying. More importantly, Meng Hao's Cultivation base was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage. He would be able to determine his purpose in coming here after capturing him.

Before he even finished speaking, Xu Luodi walked forward. He lifted his right hand, and a dark red glow appeared, which coalesced into a red whip. The whip emitted cracking sounds as it screamed through the air and flicked back and forth. At the very end of the whip, a ferocious, fork-tongued snake head appeared. It shot directly toward Meng Hao.

As Xu Luodi made his move, the members of the Xu Clan behind him all looked incredibly excited. Whenever the Clan Lord attacked, he achieved victory; that was what they had seen in their experience. They couldn't wait to see their Clan Lord mop the floor with an early Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Meng Hao gave Xu Luodi a cool look. During his time protecting Xu Qing in the Black Sieve Sect's Blessed Land, he had encountered many such Cultivators. He lifted his hand, which was holding a dark reddish fruit. He threw it toward the ground.

As soon as the fruit hit the ground, it burrowed down. Instantly, the ground began to shake. Even as the dark red whip neared Meng Hao, a boom filled the air. The ground in front of Meng Hao erupted as a mass of dark red vines shot out. They rose a dozen or more meters into the air, emanating rippling power that matched that of the mid Foundation Establishment stage. The instant they appeared, they shot toward the whip.

An explosion resonated out. The whip couldn't withstand even one blow, and it collapsed into pieces. The ferocious vines opened their wide mouths and shot toward Xu Luodi.

His face fell, and the Clan members behind him looked on in disbelief, even more astonished than him. He cried out in alarm as he saw the more than ten vines approaching. His eyes narrowed, and he suddenly pressed down on the pit of his stomach. He spat up a large mouthful of blood, which then transformed into a mist. The mist coalesced into a blood-colored head, which then slammed into the vines.

An explosion echoed out, and the blood drained from Xu Luodi's face. He staggered back several paces into his pale-faced Clansmen, who all coughed up mouthfuls of blood.

"A Shaman Cultivator!" gasped Xu Luodi, retreating backward again.

He wasn't the only one to have such a reaction. Xiao Chang'en's eyes suddenly went wide. The faces of the surrounded Xiao Clan members flickered. The young woman next to Xiao Chang'en began to breathe rapidly.

"Even if you're a Shaman Cultivator, your Spirit minion is only at the mid Foundation Establishment stage…." His eyes filled with killing intent. He was deeply aware that when dealing with Shaman Cultivators, the most important thing was their Spirit minion. Such Cultivators had weak bodies, and they feared decapitation. However, before he was able to complete his sentence, he stopped speaking, as if something had clamped down on his jaw.

Up ahead of him, more earth showered up as another vine appeared. This vine was violet-colored, and twice as thick as the other vines. The instant it appeared, it emanated the power of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

The vine wasn't originally like this; however, because Meng Hao had branded it with his blood, it had mutated, and now had a trunk which had the strength of late Foundation Establishment.

"Screw off!" said Meng Hao coolly. His expression didn't change, and in fact, he wasn't worried inwardly either. He had just escaped from the hands of Nascent Soul Cultivators in the Blessed land, so as far as he was concerned, even late Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators were too trivial to mention.

Hearing his words, Xiao Chang'en's face flickered, and he felt anxiety. He had been about to speak, but seeing Meng Hao's smirk made him temporarily speechless.

Xu Luodi's expression flickered, and then he spun around. With the flick of a sleeve, he shot off into the distance with his Clansmen. His eyes were filled with venomous hatred. The object of his resentment, however, was not really Meng Hao, but the Xiao Clan. He was now convinced that Meng Hao had been called by the Xiao Clan to provide assistance.

Meng Hao watched with the same expression as ever as Xu Luodi left. He didn't call back the vines, either. He looked at Xiao Chang'en with the same smirk as before.

"Fellow Daoist," said Xiao Chang'en, "many thanks for your assistance. I, Xiao, was also pushed into a corner. Please accept my apology for causing you any trouble…." He clasped hands and bowed deeply to Meng Hao.

Honest people don't need to speak with hidden words. Xiao Chang'en spoke very directly, causing a smile to break out on Meng Hao's face. Even though he wasn't sure of all the details of the situation he had stepped into, he had picked up on some clues, especially the excitement that had appeared earlier on Xiao Chang'en's face. Meng Hao could see clearly that he had been used to put some pressure on the Xu Clan.

That was why he hadn't killed anyone, but rather let Xu Luodi escape. This caused Xiao Chang'en to hesitate. Xu Luodi had left in a rage, angry not at Meng Hao, but at the Xiao Clan.

Even though he was being used, he helped. He fixed the problem for the moment, but sooner or later, the Xu Clan would return. If Meng Hao was gone at that time, then Xiao Chang'en would have to pay the price. That price wouldn't merely be a daughter and a lake.

Xiao Chang'en laughed bitterly, and then bowed again to Meng Hao. Next to him, the young woman was silent, then seemed to come to a realization. She joined Xiao Chang'en in bowing toward Meng Hao.

"Many thanks, benefactor," she said, her voice crisp and melodious.

At the moment, everything was quiet, except for the voice of the hat on Meng Hao's head. "…. and then you should lightly pick me up. You mustn't trample me underfoot." Actually, the voice hadn't stopped speaking this entire time. The word poured out in a steady flow.

Meng Hao frowned.

"Fellow Daoist, please forgive me," said Xiao Chang'en. "I don't care if the Xu Clan covets my Spirit lake, or even if they bully me because of my declining longevity. But they want to swallow up my entire Clan. Ai…." A bitter look appeared on his face. Suddenly he began to cough violently. The young woman stepped forward, her face covered with anxiety.

Meng Hao looked at Xiao Chang'en, and the thick death aura which emanated from him.

"What is this place?" he asked coolly.

"Sir," said the young woman, "we are on the border between the Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect." Her voice was light, but her expression filled with nervousness as she looked at Meng Hao.

Having heard this, Meng Hao slapped his bag of holding and retrieved a jade slip. He examined it for a moment, confirming his position with a frown. Xiao Chang'en continued to eye him and the ferocious vines that surrounded him. He gritted his teeth.

"Fellow Daoist," he said, "I would like to give you this Spirit lake as a gift!" All of the Xiao Clan members, except for the young woman, stared in shock.

Meng Hao lifted his head and looked at Xiao Chang'en. He didn't express any opinion whatsoever, nor did he speak.

"I myself used to be a disciple of the Blood Demon Sect," said Xiao Chang'en. "But I was injured, barely escaping with my life. My Cultivation base is incapable of advancement, and my longevity cannot be increased. I'm afraid I only have a few years of life left.

"This Spirit lake was passed down to me from a member of the senior generation before he died. It's become the only way to grow the Xiao Clan. However, more and more people have been casting eyes upon it lately. I'm not sure how to keep it within the Clan. The Spiritual energy in the lake might not seem very abundant, but it's actually very beneficial for Spirit minions. Doing breathing exercises in this area is very good for them.

"Fellow Daoist, please accept the lake." His words were sincere. Although his heart was filled with bitterness, he couldn't think of any other option than this. His relationship with the Blood Demon Sect had been severed, and he couldn't participate in any of the struggles and fighting that went on amongst the Clans founded by former Blood Demon Sect disciples.

His only option was this early Foundation Establishment Cultivator in front of him, who happened to have a Spirit minion at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

"Furthermore," continued Xiao Chang'en, "there has been friction lately between the Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect. Occasionally great battles erupt, but this place isn't a battlefield, and with the exception of occasional disturbances from other local Clans, no one pays much attention to it…." He chose his words carefully as he tried to persuade Meng Hao to stay. Meng Hao smiled, and his eyes glittered.

Although it wasn't really what he had wanted, he ended up with the object the Black Sieve Sect had been seeking in the Blessed Land. He had no doubt aroused the ire of the Sect, and though they wouldn't announce it publicly, they would no doubt be searching for him.

"I wonder if Elder Sister Xu will be implicated…" he thought to himself. "I don't think that's very likely." Right now, his highest priority was to improve his Cultivation base. He needed to form his fourth Dao Pillar. That, coupled with his Perfect Foundation, would enable to him to stand toe-to-toe with Dao Children from the five Sects and three Clans.

At that time, he would be above any Chosen, and would actually be in the top ten most powerful people in the Foundation Establishment stage in the Southern Domain. After he formed six Dao Pillars, he was confident that he could destroy any of the so-called Dao Children.

"Unfortunately, now that I have a Perfect Foundation, I have no way to absorb the spiritual power of heaven and earth. Even if I could find a way to force the absorption process, it would still be just too difficult…. The only thing I can do is use medicinal pills. But that won't work for long." Meng Hao sighed inwardly. A Perfect Foundation was strong, but had its setbacks. That having been said, if he had to make his choice again, he would still chose the Perfect Foundation.

"What if I can reach late Foundation Establishment…" he thought, his eyes shining with a barely detectable glow. He looked at Xiao Chang'en for a long moment, and then nodded.

"We can talk about the lake later," said Meng Hao coolly. "I'll stay here for a few days in secluded meditation. Please don't disturb me. Furthermore, please bring me all of the Spirit Stones you have in your clan.

Xiao Chang'en spirits seemed to lift at first, and then a bitter smile covered his face. He gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.

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Chapter 169: Heavens, You Really Don't Know?

Meanwhile, outside the Xiao Clan mountain village, Xu Luodi flew along grim faced, surrounded by his fellow Clan Members. He glanced back, his eyes filled with venomous anger.

"Xiao Chang'en, if you can recruit help from outside, then so can I! Trifling Shaman Cultivator. If you take his powerful Spirit minion out of the equation then I could slaughter him easily. With those type of Cultivators, the only main thing to worry about is their Spirit minion. I'll behead him in an instant!" He let out a cold snort, and then eyed his fellow Clansmen. "You head back without me. This matter isn't finished!"

The Xu Clansmen dispersed. Xu Luodi flicked his sleeve, transforming into a colorful beam that shot off into the distance.

"The only thing I can do is to go ask help from Mr. Sang Luo. He's at the late Foundation Establishment stage, with seven Dao Pillars. He can easily take care of the Shaman Cultivator. The only problem is that he has a very eccentric personality, and might not agree to help…. But considering the price paid for that matter a few years ago, he'll surely agree. It will all be worth it if I can get that Spirit lake!" His mind made up, Xu Luodi sped up.

He flew for about a day before arriving at the foot of a lonely mountain. A few vultures circled about overhead. Up ahead was a pile of wood about six meters tall. On top was a corpse.

The corpse had clearly been rotting there for several months. The sight of it was quite horrifying. A few vultures were perched on top of the wood pile, picking at it. They glanced at Xu Luodi, their eyes shining mysteriously. They clearly weren't afraid of the living.

"Xu Luodi requests an audience with Mr. Sang Luo," he said, eying the corpse, his heart thumping. The corpse was clearly completely lifeless. However, he recognized the remains as belonging to a local Clan Lord whose Cultivation base had been at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

His words rang out into the lonely mountain. After some time passed, a raspy voice drifted out.

"This fellow looked down on me a few months ago, so I grabbed him and brought him here. I tied him up as punishment, but never imagined he would be so weak. He died after only two months. You, what matter brought you here today!?"

Xu Luodi took a long breath as he gave a deep bow toward the lonely mountain.

"Senior, I've encountered some trouble. I would like to ask for Mr. Sang Luo's assistance to kill someone." He spoke directly, knowing that Mr. Sang Luo didn't like long-winded explanations.

"Kill someone…. Wahahahahaha!" A peal of ear-piercing laughter rang out. "Because of the friendship we developed that year, I can help you. But there are some requirements. A lot of requirements, actually."

"I understand," said Xu Luodi, lifting up a bag of holding. He tossed it out, and before it could hit the ground, it spun off into the distance, snatched up by some invisible force.

"Wait for me a few days," said the raspy voice. "After I finish refining this guy's bones, then I'll go with you." Suddenly, the vultures picked up the corpse and flew off with it into the lonely mountain.

Xu Luodi took another deep breath, his eyes glowing brightly.

"Xiao Chang'en, let's see how you fight back this time!" His eyes filled with killing intent, Xu Luodi sat down cross-legged to meditate.

Meanwhile, back in the Xiao Clan mountain village, Meng Hao also sat cross-legged, in a small room near the lake. A soft glow surrounded him that allowed him to see out of the room, but prevented anyone on the outside from seeing inside.

The glow was being cast by nine paper talismans. The talismans had been painted by the young Xiao Clan woman and then personally delivered to Meng Hao. After setting up the talismans, she had departed with a respectful bow.

After she left, Meng Hao spat out the lightning mist, which spread out to cover the area. Finally, he could open his bag of holding without anxiety. He pulled out the Sieve Earth Pill he'd acquired from the Black Sieve Sect, and examined it closely.

As he looked over the pill, the meat jelly hat on his head began to talk. "Hey, where did I leave off just now? Right, let's continue the matter from yesterday. You can't do that. It's immoral! You can't just throw me down onto the ground. That's too excessive!"

Meng Hao didn't respond. The meat jelly hadn't stopped talking at all. It seemed it could speak on a single subject for an entire day. It would be one thing if it didn't repeat itself, but it did, and never seemed to get bored, either.

"What would happen if you hit a little kid….?"

"It's also bad for the grass and plants…."

"The little fish and other creatures are all innocent…."

It felt like a buzz in Meng Hao's ears. He tried to ignore it, but the meat jelly hat's voice seemed to be growing louder. Eventually, it was shouting, its voice so loud that it drifted past the lightning mist shield to the outside. When they heard the voice, the Xiao Clan members all exchanged glances.

"SHUT UP!!" Grinding his teeth, Meng Hao grabbed the hat and threw it onto the ground.

"Eee? I wasn't finished. Where did I leave off? Oh well, let me change topics. You can't do that. It's immoral…." Meng Hao lifted his head up toward the sky, his expression more and more unsightly. After a moment, he stood up and began to trample on the hat.

The old man's pedantic face suddenly appeared. Even though Meng Hao was fiercely trampling it, it didn't let out any miserable cries. Instead, it seemed to speak even more earnestly. "You can't do that, it's too cruel! It's too immoral!"

"What do you want?" said Meng Hao, taking a few steps back and clenching his jaw. "You escaped, why are you following me? Go away. Go!"

"Eee? I've bonded you as my master. Bonding a master means bonding for life. I would never, ever be so immoral as to leave. I would never do something so lacking in principle, so lacking in…." Meng Hao slowly lifted his head up and stared blankly into the air. Enough time passed for two incense sticks to burn, and he finally looked back at the hat.

"…so lacking in character. I just told you seven hundred and forty-five things that I lack. Do you see how civilized I am? How sincere? In a word, I would never leave you."

Meng Hao didn't say anything. He suddenly lifted his hand and summoned a Flame Dragon, which slammed into the hat. This time, a miserable cry rang out, only to be quickly replaced by endless chatter. The hat was undamaged. As Meng Hao stared at it, veins popped out on his forehead. He had always thought of himself as good-tempered, but as of now his temper was exploding. He jumped up and down a few more times on the hat, trampling it.

But… a few moments later he stopped. Continuing to gush words, the hat returned to Meng Hao's head. This time, however, it changed colors. Now it was green, and its appearance was a bit more exaggerated than before 1.

Meng Hao's face turned dark.

"Look, child, don't struggle. I'm a good person. I'm trying to help you. You're on the path of wickedness, but I'm willing to use my own power to help you. Child, perhaps you are unaware of how many young people take a wrong step in life, and then regret it for an eternity. I'll help you cast off the bitterness. I'll help you free yourself from that damned bird. I failed in my last life, and the life before that, and the life before that, too. That damned, despicable bird is the only bird I've never converted!" The hat seemed to be grinding its teeth now. "In this life, I will convert it!"

"Who is this bird you keep talking about?!" said Meng Hao, his face grim. A strange feeling had risen up inside of him. This hat couldn't be killed and couldn't be thrown away. It really was extremely annoying.

"You don't know?" asked the hat, suddenly flying off of Meng Hao's head. It's shape suddenly rippled back into the meat jelly. The archaic face appeared, and it looked disbelieving as it gazed at Meng Hao. "Heavens, you really don't know who that damned, mass-murdering, shameless…." The meat jelly began to quiver as it let off streams of curses. Meng Hao let out a long sigh and looked up into the air. After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he finally looked back at the meat jelly.

The meat jelly was finally concluding its description: "…should be thrown into a cesspool, damned bird? You really don't know who it is?"

Meng Hao glared at the meat jelly for a long moment before slowly saying, "I don't know."

"You really don't know?" asked the meat jelly, shocked. "You really, really don't now? Impossible! You really, really, really don't know?"

"I. Don't. Know!" Meng Hao clenched his teeth. It was really frustrating trying to communicate with this meat jelly.

"Heavens! You have its aura on your body, but you don't know. How is this possible? How can you not know? Heavens, heavens. You really, really, really don't know?" Its eyes widened and filled with a look of complete disbelief.

Meng Hao didn't know what to say. He closed his eyes and sat down to meditate. With a bang, the meat jelly transformed back into a bright green hat and flew back onto Meng Hao's head.

Considering that Meng Hao was wearing scholars' robes, the hat was extremely conspicuous. Anyone who caught sight of it would surely do a double take.

Enough time passed for an incense stick to burn.

"But, how can you not know?"

Two incense sticks.

"… Inconceivable! You actually don't know…."

Two hours.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Oh, I understand. You're ashamed. Look, it's okay. I'm a good person. I will do everything I can to bring you back from the path of wickedness. I…."

Meng Hao's face grew more and more unsightly. He really had reached his breaking point. His temper exploded. He roared, grabbing the hat and throwing it outside. He slapped his bag of holding, and nearly a hundred flying swords appeared and shot toward the hat. Meng Hao's hand flickered with incantations, and the Flame Dragon and Wind Blade appeared.

A boom rattled out in all directions, striking fear into the hearts of all the Xiao clan members. Xiao Chang'en's eyes went wide. Even though he couldn't see what was happening, the explosion itself was astonishing.

The young woman looked dazed, and then a strange expression appeared on her face.

Meng Hao ground his teeth, stalking forward, slashing his finger and covering it with blood. In a twinkling, the Blood Finger had appeared. His other hand flashed with the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex.

Massive explosions filled heaven and earth. A moment later, the ripples died down. Meng Hao's entire body exuded bitterness as he stared at the meat jelly, which skipping and hopping about energetically.

"It's so strange. You really don't know. How is it possible? You really don't know!"

1. If you're unfamiliar with what green hats mean in Chinese culture, check out this article

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Chapter 170: Lonely Sang Luo

Meng Hao was filled with regret. He should never have asked that question. He'd had no clue the meat jelly would talk on and on at such length. He took a deep breath, but before he could speak, the meat jelly's expression brightened.

"Oh, I know. You haven't reached Core Formation, so it can't come out. Hahaha! It can't come out…."

Meng Hao lowered his head, filled with helplessness. He looked at the meat jelly with a bitter smile.

He ground his teeth for a long moment before saying, "If you don't shut up, I'm going to take you back to the Black Sieve Sect!" He really just wanted to give voice to the frustration caused by the constant droning in his ears.

"That's okay. In any case, I've bonded a master, so it would be useless. Refining me would require refining you. Eee?" A dumbfounded look filled the meat jelly's face. It thought for a moment. "That's a good idea! I wonder what it would feel like if we got refined together. Let me think." A look of anticipation covered its face, causing Meng Hao too seem even more hopeless.

"How exactly can I get you to leave?" he said with a bitter laugh. His voice was softer this time.

Hearing this, the meat jelly instantly looked much more serious that before. Its voice solemn, it began to speak. Meng Hao ignored it, looking up into the air for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

"… in short, I will definitely never leave you! I need to convert that bird. Until I convert it, I'll never leave!"

Meng Hao had always thought of himself as very focused. Once he set his mind to something, he couldn't be distracted. But now, he realized, that was before he had met the meat jelly.

Be it he himself, or some other consummate expert, anyone who met this garrulous, long-winded thing would surely be driven crazy…. Meng Hao took a deep breath. He now had a much better understanding of the thing's personality. It must not be given a conversation topic! He lowered his head, and after about an hour had reached a state in which he could somewhat ignore the chattering in his ear. Despite the meat jelly's constant talking, Meng Hao took out the Sieve Earth Pill and began to examine it.

An earnest expression filled his face, but it was very hard to ignore the endless rambling. That was especially true when the meat jelly flew off of his head and landed in front of him. It seemed that it felt humiliated to be ignored.

"You can't do that. It's immoral!!" it cried, launching into another tirade.

Soon, night approached, and Meng Hao's face was covered with exhaustion. Buzzing filled his ears, and his eyes were bloodshot as he completely ignored the meat jelly. It was with despair that he had discovered that even if it wasn't given a conversation topic, the meat jelly would still continue to talk.

Until dawn. Until the next night. The moon hung brightly in the sky.

And then, finally, it seemed as the meat jelly had run out of things to talk about it. Meng Hao let out a sigh, and as he did, the meat jelly flew out to the lake shore and… began to talk to the fish within the lake….

Meng Hao let out another sigh of relief. He pulled out the copper mirror and the Spirit Stones given to him by the Xiao clan. He placed the Sieve Earth Pill onto the mirror and duplicated a single one. He thought for a moment, and then produced a jade slip. He branded it with Spiritual Sense, then flicked it out the window. Moments later, the young Xiao Clan woman approached nervously, leading a Spirit monkey with her.

The monkey screeched as it approached. The young woman looked off toward the lake shore for a moment, at the meat jelly hat, which was currently shouting out toward the lake.

"Xiao Caifeng 1 greets the elder generation," she said, pulling her gaze from the meat jelly back to Meng Hao and the lightning mist which surrounded him. She bowed in greeting, and then proffered the leash which bound the Spirit monkey. Meng Hao's eyes opened. Without a word, he sent an Earth Sieve Pill flying toward the monkey. The monkey consumed it instantly.

It let out a few screeches, and its eyes rolled about. Meng Hao's eyes glittered as he observed, probing the monkey with his Spiritual Sense. Suddenly, the moonlight in the sky seemed to form threads which the monkey began to absorb. A contended look slowly filled the monkey's eyes.

About four hours passed in which Meng Hao observed the monkey, and Xiao Caifeng stood patiently off to the side.

Finally, Meng Hao nodded.

"Very good," he said coolly. Xiao Caifeng let out a sigh of relief. Clasping hands and bowing to Meng Hao, she led the monkey away. It was obviously much more powerful than it had been before.

Meng Hao lowered his head thoughtfully. Using the Spirit Stones provided by the Xiao Clan, he began to duplicate the pill. The pill's full name was Moon Sieve Mother Earth Pill, and could only be consumed at night. It used the moonlight as nourishment, and provided excellent results.

The cost to duplicate the pill was considerable, and the Xiao Clan was by no means a great Clan. They had not been able to provide many Spirit Stones, and soon, Meng Hao had already used half of them. The result was six duplicated Sieve Earth Pills.

"I wasted one pill, but caution required that." Dawn broke, and Meng Hao looked down at the six Sieve Earth Pills. He closed his eyes in thought, wondering how many of these pills it would take to develop his fourth Dao Pillar. Now that he had completed the circle of three Dao Pillars, it shouldn't be long before his fourth Perfect Dao Pillar started to become visible.

Time passed by slowly, and soon it was afternoon. The meat jelly was still at the lake shore, chatting with the lake waters. With his Spiritual Sense, Meng Hao was able to determine that all the fish had retreated to the bottom of the lake to hide. There was only one left, which was slamming its head against the shore, seemingly unable to take any more torment.

Fear lingering in his heart, Meng Hao collected up the remaining Spirit Stones. He was very much afraid of attracting the attention of the meat jelly and its excited ramblings. The last thing he needed was for it to come up with a new topic to talk to him about.

He retracted his Spiritual Sense, and then suddenly, his expression flickered. He looked past the lightning mist at the world outside.

At this moment, two colorful beams of light appeared in the sky above the Xiao Clan mountain village, then shot down screaming toward the village. In the lead was a Cultivator wearing a black robe. He was very short, a midget in fact. His long robe covered his face and trailed behind him through the air. At first glance, you wouldn't notice that there was a midget inside; you would only see a black robe flying through the air.

Behind the midget was grim-faced Xu Luodi, whose eyes radiated killing intent. Of course, the midget was none other than Mr. Sang Luo, from whom Xu Luodi had requested help.

The two of them were moving incredibly fast, and within moments had landed in the the Xiao Clan mountain village. The midget spoke with a cruel, piercing voice that rolled out like thunder, covering the Xiao Clan. Xiao Caifeng's face went pale, and Xiao Chang'en's pupils constricted, and his eyes filled with fear.

Before anyone could emerge, a roaring boom filled the air, and the Xiao Clan shook as its protective shield was smashed to pieces. The Xiao Clan main gate, just outside of the lake, immediately crumbled into dust. A gale force wind swept across the entire area.

The Xiao Clan's manor houses shook, and some collapsed. The Xiao Clan members who couldn't practice Cultivation trembled when they heard the voice. Pale faced, Xiao Chang'en quickly led a group of people out. Xiao Chang'en's face filled with astonishment when he saw the collapsed main gate, and the midget striding forward, his black robe trailing behind him. Xiao Chang'en staggered backward.

"So, it's this savage… Could it be that doomsday has arrived for the Xiao Clan…." Because of the midget's presence, he wasn't able to summon even the least bit of fighting spirit.

Mr. Sang Luo 2 was quite famous in the region. Although he didn't dare to rile the Blood Demon Sect, there was no one among the surrounding Cultivator Clans who dared to provoke him.

His Cultivation base was extremely high, at the late Foundation Establishment stage, in fact. It wouldn't be long before he could step into the Nascent Core stage. He was savage and cruel, and if even one word was spoken to him in the wrong way, he would attack with vicious cruelty. He really had earned a fearful reputation.

Based on that alone, he might not necessarily be in such a good position. After all, the Cultivator Clans in this area were all filled with people who had connections to the Blood Demon Sect.

However… this Sang Luo had once been a disciple of the current generation of the Blood Demon Sect. However, he had broken some Sect Rules, and was thus expelled. His Cultivation base had been left intact, and he had not been prevented from causing trouble outside. Xiao Chang'den had even heard that he had an older brother who wasn't a midget, and had extraordinary latent talent. Apparently, he was a Chosen of the Blood Demon Sect.

"I, Xiao Chang'en, extend greetings to Mr. Sang Luo," said Xiao Chang'en, his face pale white as he watched Mr. Sang Luo approach, Xu Luodi at his side, radiating murder. Xu Luodi had a pleased expression in his eyes, causing Xiao Chang'en to sigh inwardly. He didn't place much hope in Meng Hao now. Meng Hao's Spirit minion was powerful, but his Cultivation base was simply too weak.

Sang Luo let out a piercing snort as he approached the Xiao Clan with Xu Luodi. His eyes gazed about from within the robe.

"Xiao Chang'en," said Xu Luodi, "Call out that Shaman Cultivator you invited!" He laughed coldly. "Are you scared to show your face, Shaman boy? Get the hell out here!" His voice thundered out, causing Xiao Chang'en to stand there bitterly, not daring to say even a word. Behind him, his Clansmen trembled. Only Xiao Caifeng stood there motionless, face pale but eyes filled with fury.

Sang Luo stood there, enjoying the looks of fear in the eyes of the Xiao Clan members. He also reveled in Xu Luodi's words. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. To him, life was as desolate as snow. It was lonely at the top, and in his heart was the desire to find someone who could defeat him.

What he didn't know was that as soon as Xu Luodi's voice passed through the lightning mist, Meng Hao stood up.

Meng Hao also heard the meat jelly, and it seemed as if it was preparing to conclude its speech. In his estimation, it wouldn't be long before it returned to pester him.

"I really need to find someone to help free me from this torment," he thought. "I'm really in agony!" Gritting his teeth, he strode out.

The air around the lake rippled as a mist of thunder rolled out. Meng Hao looked somewhat bitter as he walked forward. Beneath him, the ground heaved as the vines shot up to sway back and forth and emit piercing shrieks.

Meng Hao's eyes were bloodshot, thanks to the torment of the meat jelly. He looked at Xu Luodi, and then the midget. He decided to target the late Foundation Establishment stage, in the hopes that the battle might last a bit longer.

"Trifling early Foundation Establishment stage," said Sang Luo coolly as he eyed Meng Hao approaching. "Xu Luodi, you're equally as hopeless." His eyes peered out of his robe, filled with pride and aloofness. Again, his heart filled with the powerful loneliness of snow.

"Mr. Sang Luo, senior, you really can't blame me," said Xu Luodi hurriedly. "Just help me get rid of the Spirit minion. With that out of the way, I can easily smash this guy to pieces." He glared ruthlessly at Meng Hao.

What Xu Luodi didn't know was that true cruelty would not come to bear upon Meng Hao, but rather Sang Luo, lonely as snow. Something would happen that Sang Luo would never forget for the rest of his life. It would give him nightmares for the rest of his days, and leave a shadow on his soul… and it would happen shortly.

Perhaps afterwards, he would no longer feel as lonely as snow….

—–

This chapter was sponsored by Dehua, David White, Jose Lluberes, LN Lurker, Randall Bezant, Yu-Chiang Hsu, Maggie Lee, and David Phan

1. Xiao Caifeng's name in Chinese is 肖彩凤 xiào cǎi fèng – Xiao is a family name. Cai means "colorful." Feng means "phoenix."

2. Sang Luo's name in Chinese is 丧罗 sàng luō – This is not a realistic name. Sang means "funeral" or "mourning." Luo means "catch" or "net"

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Read I Shall Seal the Heavens - Chapter 171 online free - Novel Full

Chapter 171: Blood Demon Dao Child

Sang Luo gave an arrogant snort that was apparently a response to Xu Luodi. Xu Luodi seemed to glow with vitality as he gazed upon approaching Meng Hao. His eyes were thick with cruelty.

"Today, Xu Luodi will help you to understand that when you help someone you shouldn't, you will incur my wrath!" he said, his voice filled with crazed fervor. "And I will also help you to understand what Shaman Cultivators fear the most!"

The various Xiao Clan members were all pale-faced. Xiao Change'en laughed a bitter laugh, well aware that he had no way to undo what had already been done. He took a deep breath, and strode forward, power from his Cultivation base suddenly exploding out. It was the power of the mid Foundation Establishment stage, but it seemed somewhat weak. He was reaching the end of his longevity, so his Qi passageways had long since begun to wither. With effort, he could display the power of the mid Foundation Establishment stage, but in doing so, would actually harm his life force.

"The matter today has to do with the Xiao Clan, not any outsider," he said, his entire body seeming to grow taller. "This person wasn't invited here by the Xiao Clan, he's only passing through. If the disappearance of the Xiao Clan is the will of the Heavens, then take this Spirit lake! But if you intend to take any of my Clan members, then you must treat them well. Otherwise I'll make you pay, even if I have to die in the process!" His words echoed out with great power, causing Xu Luodi's brow to furrow.

As for Sang Luo the midget, he emitted a shrieking laugh.

Meng Hao looked over at Xiao Chang'en, and suddenly his feelings toward the man changed. He nodded, and then coolly said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, didn't you give this lake to me as a gift? In that case, it belongs to me. Does anyone here dare to attempt to take it away!?" The vines in front of him shot toward Sang Luo and Xu Luodi.

Sang Luo let out an ear-piercing laugh which was filled with contempt and disdain. He flipped his sleeve grandly, and from within a black sealing stone flew out. It expanded as it shot forward, emitting a strong pressure that caused all of the vines to stop in their tracks. Only the main trunk vine continued onward, howling.

Sang Luo's piercing laughter accompanied him as he took a step forward. He lifted his right arm to reveal a hand much smaller than an average person's. He waved it toward the approaching main trunk vine; a black wind sprang up and whistled toward the vine.

At the same time, Xu Luodi's laughter filled the air. His body flashed as he made a beeline toward Meng Hao, his eyes shining with fierce killing intent. The instant he took to motion, however, Xiao Chang'en suddenly leaped to obstruct his path. A look of disdain covering his face, Xu Luodi flicked his wide sleeve. A roaring sound filled the air, and Xiao Chang'en was pushed back.

"I'm not going to kill you for now," he laughed. "We'll be relatives by marriage soon, and still have wedding wine to drink." He shot toward Meng Hao. "And now I'll help you to understand that what Shaman Cultivators fear most is being beheaded!" He laughed arrogantly.

Meng Hao's face, on the other hand, was the same as ever. It hadn't changed even the slightest bit as he allowed Xu Luodi to approach.

When Xu Luodi was roughly nine meters away, Meng Hao's eyes suddenly shone with a cold light. He didn't retreat, but instead flickered, and suddenly appeared directly in the path of Xu Luodi. He lifted his hand, and a billowing Flame Sea appeared along with a roaring, three hundred meter long Flame Dragon.

When the Flame Dragon appeared, Xu Luodi's expression suddenly changed to one of complete disbelief.

"That… that…." It was almost as if he didn't dare to believe what he was seeing. But he felt the intense pressure exuded by the Flame Dragon, which far exceeded that of the late Foundation Establishment stage.

A sense of life-or-death danger filled his entire body, inundating his head with a booming drone. It was as if his body had been struck with countless lightning bolts. His face continued to be filled with disbelief.

"Late Foundation Establishment!!" His body began to tremble, and intense dread shone from his eyes. How could he ever have imagined that the young man of the early Foundation Establishment stage could possibly erupt with the power of late Foundation Establishment? As for his so-called beheading, the person he thought he could so easily defeat had suddenly transformed into a violent beast who could slaughter him hundreds of thousands of times over!

It wasn't just him who was shocked. Xiao Chang'en gasped and stared, dumbstruck. He was literally incapable of reacting to what he was seeing. His mind filled with buzzing. And then, his eyes filled with wild joy.

When the Flame Dragon appeared, the vines that had been suppressed by Sang Luo the midget suddenly shook and lifted up. Within the black robe, two eyes emanated shock.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in an instant. Even as Xu Luodi's voice could be heard, it was replaced by a blood-curdling scream which sounded out throughout the whole area. The three hundred meter long Flame Dragon slammed into him, instantly transforming his body into bits of ash which floated in the air. Only his scream remained behind, echoing through the air.

His bag of holding flew into Meng Hao's hand.

As the scene played out in front of everyone, Xiao Chang'en's expression grew excited. Next to him, Xiao Caifeng gazed at Meng Hao, her eyes filled with a strange glow.

There is no need to even mention the rest of the Xiao Clansmen, who stared at Meng Hao with excited inspiration.

Sang Luo's expression was unsightly. Having witnessed Xu Luodi's death, his heart now was now thumping. He was a cautious person by nature, so he immediately retreated. He was of the late Foundation Establishment stage, but he wasn't the type to risk himself. His body flashed as he attempted to flee. In his mind, his opponent would most likely have some apprehensions, and wouldn't pursue.

If his opponent didn't pursue, it would be evidence that he viewed himself as inferior. In that case, Sang Luo could make a sudden reverse attack to kill him. This was a tactic that he had frequently employed, and had practiced until the proverbial furnace flames burned blue. However, as soon as he began to fly off, Meng Hao gave off a cold harrumph and then leaped into the air, transforming into a prismatic beam that shot after Sang Luo.

Seeing this, Sang Luo's face immediately fell.

"The fact that he's chasing me proves that he thinks he can kill me. This can't be right!" His heart trembled as he raced forward. He waved his right hand, causing the black sealing stone to emit a buzzing sound as it shot toward Meng Hao.

Meng Hao could fight with late Foundation Establishment Cultivators who had nine Dao Pillars, although he couldn't do so lightly. Sang Luo, however, only had a mere seven Dao Pillars. Meng Hao had the luxury of being able to look down on him. His right hand flickered with an incantation gesture and the two wooden swords appeared. One shot toward the black seal, the other became a colorful beam that shot in pursuit of Sang Luo.

A boom filled the air as the black sealing stone was shattered into pieces. Sang Luo let out an angry howl. He eyed the approaching wooden sword, and his body trembled. He quickly snapped a jade slip between his fingers, and then made an incantation gesture with both hands, after which he waved the index of his right finger in the air in front of him.

As he did, everything around him seemed to grow dark, as if his finger were sucking in some strange power from around him. His body began to emanate an annoying, prickly aura that caused Meng Hao to frown.

The first time he had sensed a aura similar to this was back in the Black Sieve Sect 1. This aura, however, was much weaker, like a firefly compared to a full moon. Actually, now that he thought about it, he had experienced a similar reaction when he was in the cave in the mountain valley.

A booming sound once again filled the air as the wooden sword came screeching to a stop in mid-air. A rushing wind blew back the midget's robes, revealing an ugly, scarred face and two strange eyes filled with fear. Beads of sweat dripped down his face.

"Fellow Daoist, let's talk things through," said Sang Luo nervously. He could tell that whereas he was using all the power he could muster, his opponent was acting casually.

The differences between masters are usually instantly obvious!

Meng Hao took a moment to sense the aura emanating off of the midget. His heart thumped. He had his speculations regarding this aura, and now that he had seen it once again, he lifted his hand and extended a finger.

"Demon Sealing, Eighth Hex!"

As his finger descended, everything grew dark. Sang Luo suddenly began to tremble, and his eyes shone with astonishment. He immediately sensed the Qi of heaven and earth changing. Suddenly, his Cultivation base was suppressed. A whizzing sound could be heard as the wooden sword in front of him shot forward; in the blink of an eye, it would plunge into his neck.

His eyes filled with despair. However, at this exact moment, Meng Hao flicked his sleeve. The wooden sword, instead of ripping his head off, spun down and then carried Sang Luo with it back toward Meng Hao. Meng Hao reached out and grabbed Sang Luo by the neck.

At this moment, Sang Luo's Cultivation base was restored and he could move his body again. His face was pale, though, his eyes filled with terror. He didn't dare to move even an inch. The hand which clamped down on his neck emanated a feeling of death that caused his heart to tremble. In fact, being this close to Meng Hao caused his entire person to shake.

The feeling caused by the aura that emanated from Meng Hao caused his heart to seize with terror.

His face was pale as he stammered, "You're… you're…"

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world, there was a mountain range that was covered in black clouds year round. Within a valley in this mountain range were two young people. They sat upright, gazing at the Go board which lay between them, seemingly lost in thought.

One of the young people wore white clothing along with an indifferent expression. This youth's features were beautiful to the extreme, almost otherworldly. The fan in his hand slowly waved back and forth.

The other person wore a blue garment. He looked to be about thirty years of age. He held a Go piece in his hands as he stared down thoughtfully at the board. Hanging from his face was a jade pendant. Suddenly, a popping sound could be heard, and a crack appeared on its surface.

When the crack appeared, the blue-robed young man frowned. He looked at the jade piece, and then back at the Go board.

"Is something wrong?" asked the white-robed youth in a light, tender voice.

"Nothing," replied the blue-robed young man respectfully. "It's just my good-for-nothing brother. He must have offended someone who he's not a match for. He wants me to save him."

"That would be Sang Luo, correct…?" The white-robed youth smiled. "Go ahead and check out the situation. I don't have anything else to do, I'll tag along."

The blue-robed youth immediately stood up. "Your highness, your status as a Dao Child is so lofty, I don't dare…."

"There's no harm." This white-robed youth was none other than a Dao Child of the Blood Demon Sect!

1. If you want to review the part where he sensed the aura in the Black Sieve Sect, check out Chapter 143: Ghost in the Night

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

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Chapter 172: Charging into mid Foundation Establishment!

Within the Xiao Clan mountain village, Xiao Chang'en's face was filled with enthusiasm as he gazed at Meng Hao. His fellow clansmen stared with similar fanaticism. Meng Hao nodded toward them, but said nothing. He entered his shielded room next to the lake, holding Sang Luo by the neck. The lightning mist appeared.

He sat down cross-legged and loosened his grip on Sang Luo. He didn't fight back, but instead stood there pale-faced in front of Meng Hao, a look of respect shining in his eyes. Inside, however, he was nervously waiting for his older brother to arrive and save him. His tiny eyes darted around, eventually falling upon the hat, which still stood next to the lake. He heard the hat's garrulous voice, but didn't dare to stare. He suddenly got the feeling that this place was incredibly bizarre, even more ghastly than his own remote, lonely mountain.

Meng Hao looked at Sang Luo for a moment, trying to decide what to do with him. Finally, he lifted his hand into the air and made a grasping motion. The aura emanating from Sang Luo's body condensed into Meng Hao's palm. It seemed invisible, but to Meng Hao, it was very prickly and irritating in nature.

He frowned, looking closer at the aura. His eyes flickered.

"Could this be Demonic Qi….?" he murmured to himself. He let the aura disperse, and then looked closely over Sang Luo. Sang Luo felt goosebumps underneath Meng Hao's gaze.

"Fellow Daoist…." he said, but was interrupted by Meng Hao.

"There's an evildoing Cultivator here who needs to be converted…." he said and then coughed lightly. Hearing this, Sang Luo gaped in astonishment. Suddenly, the meat jelly, which had been talking to the fish in the lake just now, leaped up and seemed to stare fixedly at Sang Luo.

"Who? Who is it?" said the meat jelly excitedly, rushing over. "You? My poor evildoer, you can't do that! It's immoral. In the name of Justice, allow me to convert you…." Before Sang Luo could even react, Meng Hao flicked his sleeve, pushing him backward and snatching his bag of holding. At the same time, the black net shot out and wrapped up Sang Luo tightly.

Then Meng Hao shot backward, putting some space between himself and Sang Luo, who watched stupefied as all of this happened. At that instant, the meat jelly hat landed onto Sang Luo's head.

It sighed. "Child, there's no need to fear. Just behave, and allow the mighty embodiment of Justice to lead you back from the path of wickedness…." It seemed to be fairly leaping with excitement. "What a well-behaved little child. There's no need to resist, no need fight back, no need to feel perplexed. I will help you. Listen, the first thing you need to do is…." As the meat jelly prattled on, Sang Luou's body began to tremble. However, he didn't dare to fight back.

Meng Hao felt a bit sorry for Sang Luo. He erased the branding within Sang Luo's bag of holding. When he opened it, his eyes shined brightly. There was quite an accumulation of Spirit Stones inside, many times more than that which had been given to him by the Xiao Clan.

"This should be just about the amount I need for duplication purposes. Plus, I have a handful of bags of holding that I acquired in the Black Sieve Sect's Blessed Land. There are a few Sieve Earth Pills in those. Not many, but a few." He waved his hand, causing the lightning mist to condense so that no one in the area could see inside. Then, he pulled out the copper mirror and began to duplicate.

Time passed, and soon dusk fell. From outside the lightning mist, enraged shouting could be heard coming out of Sang Luo's mouth. It seemed to be filled with an indescribable torment and misery.

"Be quiet! Let me go! Aaahhhhhh! You damned hat! Shut up!!"

"Ai, don't be like that, child. You know… you interrupted me. I forgot where I left off. Oh well, I'll just start over. Listen well, okay? The path of evil is filled with thistles and thorns. But don't worry, child, I'm here. I definitely will not allow the thistles and thorns to stab into your tender buttocks…."

Meng Hao glanced outside, feeling a bit sympathetic for Sang Luo. Then he looked down at the several dozen or so Sieve Earth Pills in front of him. He took a deep breath, and then picked one up and placed it into his mouth.

It dissolved as soon as it entered, turning into a wave of spiritual power that Meng Hao had not felt enter his body in a long time. His body was like a parched desert suddenly inundated with nourishing water; his face lit up, and he closed his eyes to begin doing breathing exercises.

Slowly, he filtered out the sounds of the outside world and sank into Cultivation. One pill. Two pills. Three pills…. As he swallowed the pills, beams of moonlight in the night sky began to twist and turn. The descended down toward the earth, and onto Meng Hao.

From a distance, it had the appearance of a massive sheet of silk descending upon the Xiao Clan.

The Sieve Earth Pill really did deserve to be called a divine pill of the Black Sieve Sect, and one of the five most effective pills in the Southern Domain for the Foundation Establishment Stage. It was powerfully effective, much more so than Meng Hao had imagined. When he put the seventeenth pill into his mouth, his body instantly began to shake. The indistinct image of a rapidly congealing fourth Dao Pillar was suddenly visible inside him. When it was complete, Meng Hao's Cultivation base would have broken through to the mid Foundation Establishment stage!

He took a deep breath, frowning as he looked up at the shining waterfall of moonlight above him in the sky.

"It's really a bit too conspicuous. This is an amazing pill, but it's definitely going to attract a lot of attention…." There was nothing to do about it, however. The only thing he could do was try to break through as quickly as possible, form the fourth Dao Pillar and reach mid Foundation Establishment. He took a deep breath and picked up the eighteenth Sieve Earth Pill. When he placed it into his mouth, his three Perfect Dao Pillars trembled, sucking in boundless spiritual power. The fourth Dao Pillar was rapidly becoming solid.

Outside, in the darkness of the night, the sheets of moonlight had indeed attracted attention within the Xiao Clan. Xiao Chang'en might be nearing the end of his longevity, but his eyesight was sharp. His eyes narrowed, and he immediately moved over to the shielded area within which Meng Hao was practicing Cultivation. He sat down cross-legged to keep guard.

Meng Hao had showed great kindness to the Xiao Clan. Xiao Chang'en knew that after his own death, the only chance for his clan to survive had to do with Meng Hao. Therefore, he had resolved that no matter what, he would not allow Meng Hao's Cultivation to be disturbed.

Meanwhile, outside the Xiao Clan, the sheets of moonlight had caused quite a stir in the various Cultivation Clans in the area. More than a few people flew up into the air to investigate the area where the moonlight was cascading onto.

This was especially true of Sang Luo's older brother, the blue-robed young man. He flew along together with the white-robed youth. They flew through the air unhurriedly. It seemed as if they weren't going very fast, but in fact, they shot forward several hundred meters with each burst of flight.

When they saw the falling sheets of moonlight, the white-robed youth's eyes narrowed. The blue-robed young man frowned.

"That appears to be the same place where Sang Luo is…."

"Interesting. Someone in Blood Demon Sect territory is consuming a Sieve Earth Pill from the Black Sieve Sect. And from the look of it, more than one pill…"

At this exact moment, deep in a forested region some distance from the Xiao Clan, was an enormous tree. Within the tree was a group of ten Cultivators sitting closed-eyed in meditation. Each member of this group had a sword strapped to his back, and they all wore identical clothing. It was very quiet; not a crow or sparrow could be heard. But when the sheets of moonlight appeared, the ten people opened their eyes to look at it.

Chen Fan was among the group. He looked off into the distance, frowning. Hushed discussion immediately broke out among these Cultivators, all of whom were all disciples of the Solitary Sword Sect.

"That area is near the border of the Blood Demon Sect. What is that phenomenon…?"

"That's the sign of someone consuming a Sieve Earth Pill from the Black Sieve Sect. It can't be covered up. Someone in that area must be consuming medicinal pills."

"Just how many pills did that person consume? That amount of moonlight is shocking…."

Within the Xiao Clan manor, Clan members all began to grow nervous, as if they were about to face up against a powerful foe. The past days had been a mixture of both pleasant surprises and horrifying dread. Once and again, they had faced extermination as a clan, and repeatedly had been saved. As of this moment, their hearts pounded. This was especially true when they saw the conspicuous cascading moonlight. It only served to cause them more anxiety and nervousness.

Xiao Caifeng was pale faced. She had a talent for talismans, but was hindered by her Cultivation base, and couldn't fully employ their power. She could only stand off to the side, silently watching Xiao Chang'en sitting cross-legged as he guarded over Meng Hao.

Not much time passed before beams of multi-colored light filled the night sky, screaming toward the Xiao Clan from all directions. From the look of it, there were at least ten figures. They floated there in the sky, eyes glittering as their gazes fell onto the Xiao Clan, and Meng Hao's secluded meditation area, upon which poured sheets of moonlight.

An old man of the early Foundation Establishment stage approached, laughing loudly. "Interesting. I think I'll just have to see who exactly is in secluded meditation, causing such a scene." From his expression, it was clear he did not have good intentions. Greed flickered in his eyes. Obviously, he intended to disturb the meditation and snatch away the luck of whoever sat within.

It seemed everyone in the area had similar plans; the Xiao Clan was by no means weak. However, the Xu Clan was not the only one in the area who had coveted the lake. Many of the surrounding clans had eyed it like a tiger eyeing its prey.

The newly arrived Cultivators watched the old man as Xiao Chang'en looked up at him. The power of Xiao Chang'en's Cultivation base suddenly exploded out. He took a deep breath and shot up into the sky.

A boom rang out, and the old man spun backward out of control, coughing up some blood along the way. Xiao Chang'en's face looked deathly pale as he hovered in the air, glaring around.

"I, Xiao Chang'en, already have one foot in the coffin," he said coolly. "Life and death mean little to me. Anyone who wishes to tread the path of death with me, please, step forward." His Cultivation base was not incredibly high, but his words contained a powerful threat.

Underneath the shield, the growth of Meng Hao's Cultivation base had reached a critical juncture. As he continued to consume the Sieve Earth Pills, his fourth Dao Pillar was more than half solidified. It wouldn't be long before it was complete. When that happened, Meng Hao would not be infinitely more powerful than before, but he would be able to sweep effortlessly across the Foundation Establishment stage!

That was the power of a Perfect Foundation!

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Chapter 173: Rejected by the Heavens? Plunder!

Meng Hao was focused on breaking through to form his fourth Dao Pillar. However, regarding what was happening on the outside, it was no surprise to him. He had anticipated that such circumstances would come about. The cascading moonlight had focused attention on his increase in level. Although it hadn't attracted universal attention, it had certainly caused quite a disturbance.

Meng Hao was well aware that as more time passed, the situation would grow more volatile. The best method to bring matters to a conclusion was to finish breaking through as quickly as possible.

However…. a Perfect Foundation could not absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. He was only able to rely on the Sieve Earth Pills, and despite their extraordinariness, the process was becoming more difficult. He could clearly sense that they were losing their efficacy.

Based on his current momentum, it didn't seem they would be enough to complete the fourth Dao Pillar.

As Meng Hao silently continued to Cultivate, outside, Xiao Chang'en's words echoed out amidst the moonlight. Everything was silent for a moment afterward, and then cold laughter rang out. Three figures shot forward.

Their features were indistinct within the darkness of night, but their Cultivation bases rippled, making it clear that one of their numbers was of the mid Foundation Establishment stage.

In the surrounding Cultivation Clans, even the mid Foundation Establishment stage was considered quite powerful. Were it not so, the Xiao Clan would not have been able to occupy the Spirit Lake for so long. It was only now that Xiao Chang'en was reaching the end of his longevity that the current situation had come to be.

The three figures whistled through the air toward Xiao Chang'en. A boom exploded out as the four people collided in battle. Xiao Chang'en coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face was pale as he flew backward like a kite with a broken string. The mid Foundation Establishment Cultivator laughed coldly and proceeded forward.

The other two shot toward Meng Hao's shield, laughing.

It seemed to be a moment of crisis. Xiao Chang'en was torn; he knew that Meng Hao must be at a critical juncture; unfortunately, he was currently powerless to intervene. Even burning some of his life force to gain extra power would be useless.

The two early Foundation Establishment Cultivators reached the shield; as soon as they touched it, a rumbling sound emerged. Within the space of two breaths, the shield collapsed.

The shield had been created by Xiao Caifeng, who was only at the Qi Condensation stage; for it to hold up against the early Foundation Establishment stage for the space of three breaths testified to the outstanding latent talent of the one who had created the talisman.

Booming echoed out as the shield was destroyed. As the two early Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators slammed into the lightning mist, miserable screams echoed out. In an instant, their bodies were surrounding by lightning; cracking sounds could be heard as they were thrown backward, blood spewing from their mouths. Expressions of shock covered their faces as their Dao Pillars trembled on the verge of collapse.

The lightning mist roiled; its protection extended about thirty meters out from Meng Hao in all directions, creating a no-man's land which no one could enter.

Xiao Chang'en heaved a sigh of relief. The mid Foundation Establishment Cultivator with whom he had been battling paused, looking over his shoulder at the lightning mist, astonishment filling his eyes.

Within the lightning mist, Meng Hao opened his eyes. They glowed brightly as he frowned and looked down at his last three Sieve Earth Pills. As for his fourth Dao Pillar, it was about ninety percent complete. These pills would be insufficient to complete the last ten percent.

"These Sieve Earth Pills are only so effective…. Perhaps I won't be able to reach the mid Foundation Establishment stage after all…." A stubborn look shone within his eyes. He knew that his path of Cultivation was different from that of others; he had acquired incredible battle prowess, but the Cultivation he practiced was much more challenging. Even as he thought of these things, a racket could be heard coming from the outside.

"Fellow Daoists, this person's Cultivation has stirred up such power, I'm afraid that once he emerges, all of our Cultivation Clans will be at his mercy. Let's take advantage of this opportunity to destroy him now to prevent future troubles."

"Correct. The Xiao Clan is weak. Their existence is meaningless. The extermination of such Clans is the natural order, it can't be changed!"

"Let's attack together. This lightning mist can't hold up against all of us!"

The ten or more Foundation Establishment Cultivators outside began attacking the lightning mist in unison.

All of these people were from local Cultivator Clans; as they attacked, booming sounds lifted up to fill the sky. The lightning mist seethed violently.

"An evil heart, is a useless life." Meng Hao's eyes sparkled icily as he looked out through the lightning mist. He quickly gathered up the remaining three pills and popped them into his mouth.

They immediately dissolved, and the cascading moonlight grew stronger, as if a river were pouring down into Meng Hao's body. Although their effectiveness was waning, his fourth Dao Pillar was now just a hair away from being complete.

Just as the Dao Pillar was about to appear in full, Meng Hao's suddenly sensed an inexplicable roaring within his body. His expression flickered as he realized that his body was starting to wither, as if his flesh and blood and life force, even his Cultivation base, were being sucked into the fourth Dao Pillar.

He had just unlocked another of the secrets of the Perfect Foundation. It was with unbridled power that the fourth Dao Pillar began of its own will to suck in everything into it.

It seemed that the fourth Dao Pillar would form at any cost, even if it caused the death of Meng Hao!

His face flickered at this sudden turn of events. He had never imagined that something like this would happen. It was at this exact moment that the lightning mist finally collapsed under the attack of the ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators. They rushed in.

Meng Hao eyed them approaching, his face grim. His body was withering, and his life force was trickling away. The hair on his head had already begun turning white. His Cultivation base was still there, though. Suddenly, an early Foundation Establishment Cultivator appeared in front of him. Before the man could react, Meng Hao's hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat. He squeezed, and the Cultivator's eyes filled with disbelief. The man's neck shattered.

Even as he died, Meng Hao's body trembled, and his eyes filled with a strange light. The man's corpse suddenly began to shrink and wither. Within the blink of an eye, it was a mere skeleton. The man's Cultivation base rushed in through Meng Hao's hand and entered the fourth Dao Pillar.

"So that's how it is!" Meng Hao's eyes grew brighter. "I have a perfect Foundation, but when my first three Dao Pillars formed within the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament, there was more than enough spiritual energy to absorb, so I couldn't even sense the potency of the Dao Pillars. But now, things are clear. After reaching a certain point, the fourth Dao Pillar reaches a phase in which only death can stop its progress. When this happens, it will even consume my own life force. The reason is because it can't absorb spiritual energy from the outside world, only from my flesh and blood!

"Perfection. Perfection is so potent! But such potency is also a weapon. I've been rejected by the Heavens. Therefore, I must plunder from the living! The bodies of Cultivators are filled with spiritual energy that does not belong to heaven and earth! Therefore, it can be pillaged away! Now I understand. It seems that in the future, it will be like this every time I form a new Dao Pillar!

"Today… my fourth Dao Pillar will appear!"

These thoughts ran through Meng Hao's head in an instant. He loosened his grip, then looked around at the surrounding Cultivators, his eyes radiating icy cold. His body flashed as he shot toward them.

Miserable screams rang out. All of these people had Cultivation bases at the mid Foundation Establishment level at the highest; most were at the early Foundation Establishment stage. Could they possibly match up against Meng Hao? As Meng Hao passed each person, his hand would snake out, and with no effort on his part, the fourth Dao Pillar would feed, thirstily sucking in energy.

Body after body turned into bones. Before the death of each Cultivator, their Cultivation base would be sucked rapidly into Meng Hao, consumed by his Dao Pillar. Soon, Meng Hao was no longer withered, and his flesh and blood began to rebuild.

As Xiao Chang'en observed this happening, dread appeared on his face. The Cultivators who had moments ago been charging forward, suddenly began to retreat at high speed.

In their eyes, Meng Hao was no Cultivator; he had transformed into some type of evil demon. Wherever he passed, blood-curdling screams could be heard, and he left behind only ragged corpses. Their minds reeled, and expressions of unbridled horror appeared on their faces.

"What magic is this!?!?"

"What is he doing!?!?"

"This guy… he's sucking up the life and Cultivation bases of all those dead Fellow Daoists!?!?"

The remaining twenty or so Cultivators were scared witless and retreated in chaos. Meng Hao caught up with one of them. As he placed his hand on the crown of the man's head, a blood-curdling scream echoed out. His body began to shrivel, and then he died.

Meng Hao's face was no longer pale and bloodless; it was now ruddy and filled with life. He took a deep breath, and in his mind he suddenly recalled the scene in Patriarch Reliance's Immortal's cave, when Patriarch Reliance had absorbed the Core Formation Cultivators 1.

"The Great Art of Demonic Life?" thought Meng Hao, his eyes flickering. It seemed that what he was doing now was very similar indeed to the Great Art of Demonic Life that Patriarch Reliance had used. "Or perhaps this is some type of enlightenment that comes from being in a kill or be killed situation. The Great Art of Demonic Life. Demonic Life…." Meng Hao sighed inwardly as he suppressed his deeply-ingrained Confucian way of thinking. His body flickered with the power of the fourth Dao Pillar. He sighed as his hand clasped around the throat of another Cultivator. The fourth Dao Pillar sucked in the man's Cultivation base. Soon, the fourth Dao Pillar would complete its circle and be complete.

"The path of my Perfect Foundation will be strewn with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. I… understand." He sighed again, and yet continued forward without hesitation. His heart did not grow soft. Confucianism would always exist within him, and he would never be truly merciless. However, when the circumstances required, he could act without mercy.

1. To revisit the scene of Patriarch Reliance using the Great Art of Demonic Life, check out Chapter 82: The Great Art of Demonic Life

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.

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Chapter 174: Perfect Mid Foundation Establishment!

Moonlight shone over the savage scene. It wasn't just Xiao Chang'en whose heart was filled with icy dread; the rest of the Xiao Clan members looked at Meng Hao, terrified.

The other surrounding Cultivators retreated as quickly as possible, knowing that the slightest hesitation could result in a horrifying death. However, Meng Hao was faster. He looked like a specter, his hair floating around his head as he pursued his quarry. He sucked in a Cultivation base and life force, then loosened his grip, dropping the shrivelled, trembling skeletal body to the ground.

It wasn't as if none of the Cultivators tried to fight back; unfortunately, their resistance was futile. To Meng Hao, they were like nothing. Even before the emergence of his fourth Dao Pillar, Meng Hao could easily battle the late Foundation Establishment stage. Now that his fourth Dao Pillar was almost complete, he was on the very threshold of the mid Foundation Establishment stage.

What could these outcasts from the Blood Demon Sect possibly do to resist him?!

It was their doom to be here today, a deadly choice on their part. They had chosen to destroy the lightning mist, and in doing so, had unleashed the spirit of death!

Meng Hao was more than half recovered now. His hair was no longer white, nor was his skin withered. Everything that his Dao Pillar had sucked away from him was now restored.

His fourth Dao Pillar emanated a demonic aura, as if it desired to plunder and consume all spiritual power!

I am cut off from heaven and earth, so I will take it upon myself to plunder! This potency is Perfection!

Boom!

Meng Hao closed in on two early Foundation Establishment Cultivators. They turned around, roaring as they unleashed the full power of the might of their Cultivation bases. They used magical arts, they used magical treasures, going all out against Meng Hao.

A booming echoed out, and then Meng Hao was standing directly in front of one of them. His palm pushed lightly against the man's face. A dessicated corpse dropped to the ground.

His body flickered; another miserable cry echoed out. Everyone who remained alive trembled as they watched a middle-aged man grow old. His hair became white and then fell out. His flesh and blood wilted away. His eyes clouded over as he took one last breath and then passed into death.

Meng Hao sighed. He had no deep grudge against these people. However, they had appeared here and had attacked him with the intention of wiping him out and preventing him from making a breakthrough in his Cultivation. Although they were targeting him because of the Xiao Clan, the fact was: they were here. To suddenly be facing Meng Hao, was simply their fate.

Meng Hao understood; his eyes flashed with enlightenment, and he continued to attack without hesitation.

He sucked away the life force and Cultivation base of an old man of the mid Foundation Establishment stage, whereupon a loud roaring filled his body. It emanated out, filling the air, causing everyone to look on in shock.

The fleeing Cultivators trembled in dread. Everything that was happening was like a horrible dream, a nightmare which they would never be able to forget for the rest of their lives.

The image of Meng Hao had been branded indelibly onto their very souls, and would stay with them until their deaths.

As the boom rang out, a tremor ran through Meng Hao's body. He suddenly began to emit a golden light. It spread out, causing Meng Hao to appear as if he were covered with golden armor!

At the same time, the fourth Dao Pillar appeared in full; the roaring was coming from the Dao Pillar itself. Up above in the sky, dark clouds began to congeal. It seemed as if within them, an invisible pair of eyes was staring down onto Meng Hao.

A feeling like that of Tribulation Lightning suddenly appeared. It disappeared almost immediately, as if it were simply observing, waiting until Core Formation to unleash its destructive punishment!

Though there was no wind, Meng Hao's hair whipped about his head wildly. With the appearance of his fourth Dao Pillar, he had now broken through to the mid level of Foundation Establishment!

With the power of the Perfect Foundation, Meng Hao was now the most powerful person of the Foundation Establishment stage among the five Sects and three Clans of the Southern Domain!

The moment he broke through, the blood drained from the faces of the surrounding Cultivators, and their bodies trembled. The Dao Pillars within their bodies suddenly began to quiver. In fact, cracks appeared on the Dao Pillars of some of the Cultivators, causing them to cough up blood, faces filled with astonishment.

It seemed like their Dao Pillars were ashamed to be in the presence of Meng Hao's Perfect Dao Pillars. With his Perfect Foundation, he was a sovereign among the Foundation Establishment stage. His incredible might and power caused the hearts of all other Foundation Cultivators to tremble, and their Dao Pillars to become unstable.

In fact, because of the influence of Meng Hao's Dao Pillars, the trembling Cultivators began to prostrate themselves toward him. This was not their idea; it was veneration toward their sovereign from the Dao Pillars themselves!

Their bodies were not even under their own control as they lowered their heads. Their minds were filled with roaring emptiness.

This was true crushing pressure; this was a power that had reached such a level that it created a relationship like that between heaven and earth.

In the Cultivation world, a crushing pressure is a power that exists because of the vast difference between different Cultivation levels. However, this crushing pressure emanating from Meng Hao came from the Dao Pillar itself!

Perfect Dao Pillars can exhibit crushing pressure onto all other Dao Pillars. If a Cultivator who had completed the circle of Foundation Establishment had merely Fractured Dao Pillars, he could do nothing but tremble in front of Meng Hao.

This… this was the power of four Perfect Dao Pillars. It would be hard to imagine the power Meng Hao could wield after he created his fifth, sixth, and even ninth Dao Pillars! What crushing pressure would he then be able to employ?!

At that time, it wouldn't matter if he faced a Cracked Foundation or even a Flawless Foundation; they would all be as weak as ants to Meng Hao. After completing nine Perfect Dao Pillars, then perhaps Meng Hao would be able to pass into Core Formation!

Meng Hao had no way to predict what that would be like, but his heart filled with increasingly powerful anticipation nonetheless.

It was at this time that just outside of the Xiao Clan, two beams of prismatic light shot through the air. One flickered with blue light, the other white as they flew forward and caught sight of Meng Hao.

"So it turns out to be a Chosen!" said the white-robed youth. The Blood Demon Sect's current Dao Child looked down, eyes glowing. They were filled with battle, seemingly kindled into burning. They flashed like lightning as they examined Meng Hao.

To the side was the blue-robed young man, the brother of Sang Luo. As he gazed upon Meng Hao, his eyes narrowed and his heart filled with an indescribable sense of danger!

At this same moment, in a location not too far away, but not too near, existed an enormous basin in the earth. There were actually ten such basins, each one filled with richly ornamented buildings and pagodas. Each basin also contained a lake.

From a distance this place looked… mysterious and dark. This land… was none other than one of the five great Sects of the Southern Domain… the Blood Demon Sect!

Within the center of the ten basins was a tree. One half of the tree was wilted and dry, the other half was lush and flourishing. It was a very bizarre sight, and clearly something beyond ordinary. This tree was a precious treasure of the Blood Demon Sect!

Underneath the tree, an indistinct figure sat cross-legged. Suddenly, the figure raised its head. Its vision pierced through everything until it reached the Xiao Clan, and Meng Hao.

A smile appeared on its face, and an indistinct murmuring could be heard.

"So, it was not in vain that I helped you those three times," the indistinct figure said, its voice husky. "This kid has certainly grown up…. It seems Yu'er is there too. Perhaps this is the tribulation that violet-robed Cultivator spoke of the day she was born?" Thunder rumbled above in the sky.

"The Dao of the Heavens is not dead, I shall not enter the yellow springs of the underworld!" The figure looked up into the sky, and its face suddenly emitted two beams of ferocious, red light. This was none other than… The blood-red figure who had appeared that year at the Reliance Sect!

This was the blood-red Demon Lord who had flashed through the sky to save Meng Hao from obliteration at the hands of Lord Revelation. 1

In the air above the Xiao Clan, a golden light glittered. The surrounding Cultivators trembled in fear. Meng Hao turned his head, his gaze sweeping to fall upon the white-robed Cultivator.

He could only be described as beautiful. His body was covered with a voluminous white robe, and he emanated a demonic aura. However, in addition to the demonic aura, there was a refined and cultivated air. He floated there, and though he was accompanied by another Cultivator, all eyes were on him. Even if there were countless thousands upon thousands of people present, he would be the center of attention.

His beauty, coupled with his demonic air, made it such that even most women would have trouble surpassing him. Were he wearing women's clothing, he would be a beauty unmatched in his generation.

As Meng Hao's looked upon the white-robed youth, their gazes locked. Instantly, Meng Hao could sense the desire for battle within those eyes. Next to the beautiful Blood Demon Dao Child was a blue-robed Cultivator. His gaze immediately fell upon Sang Luo, who laid entangled in the black net on the ground not too far of. He was just about to spring into action when the white-robed youth held out a hand to stop him.

"You're not his match." The white-robed youth smiled. "I find this person… very interesting." His smile was warm and calm. Were this person to be wearing women's clothing, this consummately elegant smile would make flowers grow dim!

After smiling, the white-robed youth took a step forward. This step landed on air, but as it did, Meng Hao's eyes narrowed. It felt as if the step had landed directly on his heart. His entire condition changed, as if he were suddenly under great pressure.

A wave of power rippled out from the white-robed youth, clearly caused by a completed circle of late Foundation Establishment.

"These are my Seven Demonic Lotus Steps. Each step is unbreakable. Take care, Fellow Daoist." With a smile, the white-robed youth began to take a second step. His power suddenly surged to immense heights, as if the power itself contained his will. It spread out in all directions.

Meng Hao's eyes gleamed. As the white-robed youth approached, a strange aura seemed to be building up in the area. It circled around, emanating a mysterious aroma. It smelled pleasant; however, it could cause bewilderment which could lead to total loss of oneself.

As the second step descended, Meng Hao began to shake, and the gleam in his eye grew sharper. Smiling, the white-robed youth began to take a third step. As it fell, the power in the area grew exponentially stronger. His body seemed to transform into something invincible. It was only the third step, but in Meng Hao's perception, time itself seemed to suddenly whiz by. It was as if the entire world were being replaced by something else.

1. If you want to review the two previous appearances of the Demon Lord, check out Chapter 34: Fame from 1,000 Years Ago! and Chapter 94: You Really Want Me To Come Out?

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Chapter 175: Li Shiqi

A strong feeling filled Meng Hao. It was as if the area surrounding him was cut off from everything else. It felt like his Cultivation base was about to degrade and he would soon fall back to the early Foundation Establishment stage.

At the same time, an incredibly realistic vision appeared in his mind. He returned to Mount Daqing, to Yunjie County, to the window of his room, underneath the moonlight. He saw himself sitting there reading.

Meng Hao had never experienced a magical technique such as this. This was his first time. His eyes narrowed.

The white-robed youth's fourth step was just beginning!

As it did, Meng Hao's mind reeled, and more visions appeared. He suddenly realized that the state caused by his opponent would be impossible to break once the seventh step was reached. That was the pinnacle, and when that last step descended, his opponent would be able to employ a pressure so intense that he wouldn't need to attack.

That pressure contained a power that could sweep away the Foundation Establishment stage!

"If the art is unbreakable, then I must break the situation!"

Meng Hao's eyes glittered, and his head tilted up. He lifted his right hand and pointed down toward the ground. The earth seemed to shake, and yet, what was shaking was not the earth, but Meng Hao. Ghost images appeared everywhere; the only thing that didn't have a ghost image, was Meng Hao!

"This is the Eighth Hex, Body-sealing Finger," said Meng Hao coolly. "Take care, Fellow Daoist." He lifted his hand and pointed forward.

Suddenly, Meng Hao's body stopped vibrating. The ghost images all overlapped and descended toward the white-robed youth. They merged into his body, and suddenly, a conspicuous ghost image of the young man himself appeared. The fifth step that he had been about to take could no longer be completed.

The white-robed youth's mind trembled; he looked at Meng Hao with eyes glowing, his expression dignified.

Meng Hao didn't attack. This battle was more of an exchange of techniques, not a battle to the death. Meng Hao stood there indifferently, calmly looking at the young man.

After the space of a single breath, the white-robed youth recovered. However, the power caused by the overlapping momentum of his steps had dissipated, nullified by Meng Hao.

The Seven Demonic Lotus Steps was an art that utilized the power of momentum. Once unleashed, even high-level Cultivation bases would have difficulty breaking it. From the time he had emerged as a figure in the Cultivation world until now, the white-robed youth had never encountered someone of the Foundation Establishment stage who could break the Seven Demonic Lotus Steps; not even Dao Children of the other Sects or Clans were able to.

But today, in this place, he had witnessed an unprecedented occurrence. His eyes shined with a strange light as he gazed at Meng Hao. His face filled with respect; this was an esteem that only powerful experts of the same generation would feel for each other.

"To receive without giving is not a principle by which I live," said Meng Hao coolly. "I also have an attack to share. Please prepare." He lifted his left hand, using the nail of his thumb to slice his middle finger. Blood flowed out, causing his middle finger to become crimson. His hand moved in a casual motion, but his eyes were filled with ferocity.

As he attacked, observers could not see anything special happening. However, the white-robed youth's pupils instantly constricted. From his perspective, everything had suddenly turned to the color of blood. His expression flickered slightly, and a sense of imminent, fatal danger welled up in him. His right hand shot up to slap his bag of holding. A branch appeared in his hand upon which grew three withered leaves and three luxuriant leaves. He waved it in front of him.

No sound could be heard, but faint ripples circled out. Meng Hao gave a bored snort and retreated backward a three paces. As he did, his power began to decline, so he stopped and took a step forward.

The step descended, seeming to trample directly on the heart of the white-robed youth, whose mind shook. His body swayed, as if a massive, invisible force were pushing down on it. He retreated backward a few paces, the blood draining from his face despite the aid of his magical item. As the color slowly returned to his face, he gave Meng Hao a deep look.

"Senior, I am Li Shiqi." It seemed this white-robed youth actually had a girl's name 1. He stared at Meng Hao as he asked in a soft voice, "Fellow Daoist, would it be possible for me to enquire as to your illustrious name?"

Meng Hao got an odd feeling when looking at the white-robed youth. There was something strange about him. He thought for a moment, then replied, "Meng Hao."

"Brother Meng, the person you have in your custody is actually a blood relative of my Junior Brother. I hope you can release him. If he did anything to offend you, I offer my sincere apologies."

Meng Hao looked at blue-robed youth who stood by Li Shiqi. He was currently looking at Sang Luo off in the distance. Meng Hao raised his right hand, and the black net loosened. Sang Luo, face pale, shot away with all the power he could muster. Meng Hao's hat pursued him at top speed.

"Eee? Don't run away. Meng Hao, how could you do such a thing?" The meat jelly roared angrily as it shot after Sang Luo. "You can't do that, it's immoral! You can't just let him go. I haven't rescued him from the path of evil yet…."

Sang Luo's body trembled as he raced to the side of the blue-robed Cultivator. His face was covered with terror as he clutched at his older brother's clothes and stared in horror at the approaching hat.

Li Shiqi stared in shock at the hat.

The meat jelly's voice suddenly sounded surprised. "Eee? What are you looking at? You're a female? Heavens, you look like a guy, but you're actually a girl. Strange, very strange. No rod, no rod!" It returned to Meng Hao, plopping down onto his head and once again changing color to bright green.

Li Shiqi's face suddenly looked extremely unsightly as she glared at the hat, and then Meng Hao. All the good feelings from moments before suddenly evaporated.

Meng Hao made a wry smile. The meat jelly had suddenly made everything very clear. Meng Hao suddenly had an acute understanding of why people called the meat jelly Ultimate Vexation.

Ignoring the looks on the faces of Meng Hao and Li Shiqi, it started to prattle on, apparently preparing to talk for at least three days and three nights without stopping. "Strange, so strange. You're actually a female… huh?" In the midst of its excitement, the meat jelly seemed to have found something else interesting. It looked off into the distance.

It was at this exact moment that off in the Blood Demon Sect, sitting cross-legged underneath the strange tree, the Demon Lord's body suddenly quivered. He immediately retracted his vision, cutting off all connection to the outside world.

"Dammit," said the indistinct image of the Demon Lord, panting. "How could that abominable thing have appeared. Didn't his excellency suppress it? And yet, there it is, attached to the body of a disciple of the Demon Sealing Sect!!

"I cannot get entangled with it. According to the legends, there were many powerful experts in ancient times who were driven insane by it…. It looks weak though, it must not have been able to sense me…."

Back in the Xiao Clan mountain village, the meat jelly hat gazed off into the distance. It seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, after which its body flickered, and it looked back at Li Shiqi.

Li Shiqi gave a cold snort and then glared angrily at Meng Hao. Without another word, she spun and flew off. The blue-robed Cultivator gave a dry cough, then picked up Sang Luo and transformed into a colorful beam that shot off into the distance.

"Eee? You're leaving, little girl? Don't leave! I haven't finished talking…."

Meng Hao's face once again filled with a dark expression. The surrounding Cultivators wanted to leave. Unfortunately, their Dao Pillars trembled, and they were incapable of even moving. They stared nervously at Meng Hao.

"From this day forward, none of you are permitted to step a foot into the Xiao Clan," said Meng Hao coolly. He flicked his sleeve, unbinding the Cultivators. They immediately gave deep bows to Meng Hao, and pledged to follow his instructions. After that, they fled at top speed.

When they were gone, pale-faced Xiao Chang'en approached. Clasping hands, he bowed deeply to Meng Hao.

"Many thanks, benefactor!!"

All of the Xiao Clan members approached and began kowtowing to Meng Hao. Xiao Caifeng stared at him blankly for a moment, and then nodded.

Meng Hao looked around at the Xiao Clan. "I can't stay here," he said gently. "I must leave in a few days. The only help I can provide is what I've already done."

"It's enough," said Xiao Chang'en, bowing deeply. "Fear of benefactor will keep the Xiao Clan safe for dozens of years to come. Once the Xiao Clan produces another Foundation Establishment Cultivator, then our position will be secured permanently." The death aura which emanated from his body had grown stronger. Most likely, he would reach the end of his life within a year.

Meng Hao said nothing. After a long moment, he nodded, then returned into the lightning mist.

Three days later, Meng Hao chose to leave. Before departing, he severed two vines and left them in the Spirit lake. He helped Xiao Caifeng to brand them to herself; in the future, they would belong to the Xiao Clan. Xiao Caifeng watched with a smile as Meng Hao left.

Her eyes followed him as he disappeared into the distance. Who knew how long his shadow would rest on her heart? Her gaze rested on the spot where he had disappeared; she knew inside that there was no possibility of anything happening between the two of them.

Xiao Chang'en looked at Xiao Caifeng and sighed. His body seemed even weaker in the early morning sun. He was only growing older and older.

Several days later, Meng Hao sped through the sky, flying along the border territory between the Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect. A frown covered his face because of the incessant yammering of the meat jelly hat. It hadn't stopped talking at all during the previous days.

"A female. Wahaha! It turned out she was a girl. Meng Hao, don't you think it's strange? Hey, why aren't you saying anything? You can't do that, it's immoral. It turns out you fought with a girl! Heavens…. You know, I'm an elder of the senior generation, with ever-changing forms. How can you treat me this way? Acting like this is very wrong, very immoral…."

Veins of blood filled Meng Hao's eyes, along with a look of despair. He really couldn't deal with this type of torment. The hat's endless chattering was enough to drive a person crazy. Meng Hao could feel his temper growing worse and worse.

But attacking the meat jelly was useless. Cursing it did nothing. It couldn't be thrown away. It was stuck to him like dog skin plaster, seemingly attached to him for life. Meng Hao couldn't think of any other alternative than to simply go insane.

He proceeded forward wearily. Suddenly, his eyes flickered as he caught sight of eight bright beams shooting toward him. They were all Cultivators of the Foundation Establishment stage. The beams of light were all the color of blood. Several of the Cultivators were maintaining a spell, within which was the indistinct image of some sort of enormous blood-colored beast. It floated above them as they proceeded forward.

Seeing these eight Cultivators, Meng Hao's eyes flashed, and he suddenly spoke to the meat jelly. "You say you have ever-changing forms? I don't believe you."

"You don't believe me!?" cried the meat jelly furiously. It seemed incapable of accepting this. Its dignity and honor had been trampled upon!

—–

This Chapter was sponsored by David Phan, Eric Archer, Robert Kunzi and Gary Cosby

1. Li Shiqi's name in Chinese is 李诗琪 lǐ shī qí – Li is a common family name. Shi means "poem." Qi means "fine jade"

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Chapter 176: Believe Your Granny

Originally Meng Hao had planned to speak placatingly, but then opted to sound scornful and disbelieving. "If you can transform into a shiny bag of holding that obviously contains a precious treasure, then I'll believe you," he said. He worked hard to make himself sound as antagonistic as possible.

In a rage, the meat jelly instantly transformed into a shining, golden bag of holding. It was transparent, and within could be seen a square cauldron as well as four circulating demonic swords. The four swords revolved around the cauldron, and at a single glance, it was obvious that it was a precious treasure.

Even more realistic was how the cauldron and four swords seemed to be trying to push their way out of the bag of holding, as if they wanted to escape.

"Well, what do you think…?" The voice of the meat jelly emanated out from the bag of holding.

Inside, he was surprised, but on the outside, a look of disdain covered his face. "There's no glow!"

There was a rustling sound, and even as the words left his mouth, the bag of holding began to emit a blinding glow which shot up into the sky. The golden light shined up, instantly catching the attention of the eight Cultivators. Immediately, they flew in Meng Hao's direction.

"Do you believe me n….?" came the voice of the meat jelly from within the bag of holding. Before it could finish speaking, Meng Hao grabbed the bag of holding and threw it toward the approaching Cultivators.

"Believe your granny!!" Meng Hao had been raised not to curse, but in this case he couldn't help it. He shot away from the meat jelly as quickly as possible.

He had thrown the glowing, golden bag of holding away from himself with all the power he could muster from his Cultivation base. As it neared the approaching eight Cultivators, they stared open-mouthed. They all had slightly different expressions. Some were suspicious, some were cautious, some even looked pleasantly surprised. However, each and every one reached out with outstretched arms to snatch the bag of holding.

"You tricked me! That pisses me off!" sounded out the voice of the meat jelly. Just when it was about to be grabbed by one of the Cultivators, it vanished. Then it reappeared off in the distance, directly on Meng Hao's head. It once again transformed into a green hat.

As if that didn't satisfy it, popping sounds rang out as one hat after another piled up on his head, over and over again, high up into the air….

Soon, the stack of hats was taller than Meng Hao's entire person. The eight Cultivators looked on, completely dumbfounded. They had never seen something like this in their entire lives.

Meng Hao's face grew even more unsightly. He felt like he was about to go nuts. If the meat jelly took this shape, then he would be the center of attention no matter where he went….

"Fellow Daoist with the green hats," said one of the Cultivators coldly, a middle-aged man with a frown. "This is Blood Demon Sect territory. Outsiders are not welcome. Even less welcome are people who come here to make fools of us. Take your green hat and get the hell out of here!"

Meng Hao had just been about to leave when the words reached his ears. He suddenly stopped, turning to look at the eight Cultivators. His eyes shone fiercely. At the moment, he was in a horrific mood, and these words did not please him whatsoever.

"You still dare to turn your head back?" said the middle-aged Cultivator with a cold laugh. "In that case, why don't you leave your eyes with me after you leave. With those green hats, you'll be a laughingstock anyway." With that, he and his companions shot toward Meng Hao.

"Screw off!" said Meng Hao, suddenly lifting his hand and waving his sleeve toward them. The power of his Cultivation base exploded out. A massive wind screamed out and then slammed into them.

A booming filled the air, and blood sprayed from the mouths of the eight patrolling Blood Demon Sect disciples. Their bodies trembled. A look of disbelief covered the face of the man who had taunted Meng Hao, and his pupils constricted. From what he could see, Meng Hao was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, but his attack just now had been filled with the might like that of the late Foundation Establishment stage. Blood oozed out of his mouth as he skidded backward in retreat. When he saw the cold look in Meng Hao's eyes, his heart shook.

Realizing he had been rash, the middle-aged Cultivator said, "Fellow Daoist, this…." Even as he began to speak, however, Meng Hao's eyes shone with even more ferocious iciness.

The man's face fell. He and his companions turned into beams of prismatic light that shot away into the distance. When they were far away from Meng Hao, they finally came to a stop and exchanged glances.

"That guy is just too aggressive. Where did he come from? Elder Brother, let's report him to Master. Master will surely dispatch some people to apprehend him!"

"Correct. Elder Brother, this is Blood Demon Sect territory. Can we really allow that guy to just run amok?"

"Shut the hell up!" growled the middle-aged man, his face dark and unreadable. "He's young, and with just a single sweep of his hand, look at what he did to us. Do you really think he's just some random person? He's obviously not a Cultivator of the Solitary Sword Sect. With war brewing between our Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect, we can't afford to provoke the wrath of additional Sects! He's obviously just passing through and doesn't want to make enemies, that's why he went easy on us. All of you, shut your mouths. Forget about what happened here. There will always be friction among Cultivators like us. There's no need to report some trifling incident like this to the Sect." Having made his decision, he continued on into the distance, his fellow Cultivators in tow.

After they were some ways away, the vines on the ground beneath them that they hadn't noticed this entire time, burrowed into the earth and disappeared.

Back in Meng Hao's location, Meng Hao stamped his foot onto the ground. The soil seethed as the dark red vines emerged to sway back and forth in front of him. Moments later, they transformed into a small, dark red fruit, which he placed into his bag of holding. Finally, he turned his attention to the hat on his head.

"You can't do that! It's wrong. If you let them go, you should trust them completely. You can't secretly dispatch something to follow them. That's wrong. That's immoral. Eee? I just remembered something. You cussed at me just now!!

"Cussing is wrong. It's immoral. My granny never did anything to offend you. Why did you have to bring her up? It's very strange. What relationship do you have with her? Unless…" Suddenly, the meat jelly's pedantic voice filled with a strange tone. "Unless the two of you…."

Meng Hao ignored it. He slapped his bag of holding to produce a set of clothing. He ripped off some strips of fabric and stuffed them into his ears. Immediately, the meat jelly's voice became quieter. But then, the meat jelly gave a dry cough. It started to talk, and this time, its voice could be heard directly inside of Meng Hao's head.

Meng Hao's expression was somewhat haggard. He stared off into nothing for a while, then finally sighed and tossed the strips of cloth away.

"Now I know why people call you Ultimate Vexation," he said. Immediately, the meat jelly began to tremble with excitement.

"Why? Why?! This name was given to me a very, very, very long time ago by an old friend. I asked him about it many times, but he would never tell me what it means." The meat jelly's full and undivided attention was now focused on Meng Hao.

Meng Hao didn't say anything. Instead, he pondered why the person who named the meat jelly wouldn't explain the meaning of the name. Then he thought of the meat jelly's long-windedness, and he shivered. He understood. By providing an answer regarding the name, it would give the meat jelly a conversation topic that would certainly last for months.

The thought of that made his scalp go numb. Anyone who had no experience dealing with the meat jelly couldn't comprehend the nature of the torment it brought. He decided to change the topic.

"With you looking like this, we really can't proceed onward," said Meng Hao. "Is there any way you can take some form other than a pile of hats?" He was careful in his wording, fearful of agitating the thing. He could only imagine what it would look like if it decided to become a mountain of green hats perched on top of his head. What would happen then?

His tone was non-argumentative, but inside, his heart was filled with helplessness. He thought of the Blood Mastiff, and suddenly missed it terribly. Unfortunately, it was sleeping now.

Actually, Meng Hao's words seemed to excite the meat jelly. "Eee? If I'm not a hat, then what shape should I take?" Meng Hao was used to this, so he didn't say anything at first. He sat cross-legged within the mountain forest and retrieved the Time-refining jade page. He cast his Spiritual Sense into it and began to study the contents.

Some time passed, and then Meng Hao's eyes glittered. He began to mutter to himself. "Time of Spring and Autumn requires a Spring tree and the frost of Autumn. The fire of mid-Winter, the spirit of Summer. Refine the four seasons, fuse with the Cultivation base. Refine the four seasons again to produce a small sword.

"This sword must be carefully nurtured. With enlightenment of Time, the veins of a hundred years can fill the sword. After the hundred years, a thousand years will pass, and it will take shape. In ten thousand years, it will appear to shake heaven and earth, the first Sword of Time." Meng Hao frowned as he gazed at the jade page. The sword contained no small might, but the time involved in its creation seemed too vast.

"Han Bei is really focused on this sword, so it can't really take that much time, can it…? There must be other methods that can be used to speed up the appearance of the sword." Lost in thought, Meng Hao thought to the third jade page that the meat jelly had swallowed, as well as the first jade page, which had been sucked back into the circular cauldron.

"The answer must be on the third page. Too bad this damned meat jelly ate it." Meng Hao lifted his head and looked at the meat jelly. About an hour had passed since he began studying the Time refining information. Of course, the meat jelly had been talking the entire time.

"What do I change into? What do I change into? What do I change into?" It had flown off of Meng Hao's head and was now hopping back and forth in front of him. It looked very excited.

"Can you change into that jade page you swallowed?" Meng Hao said suddenly.

"Huh? Ok…" It agreed, and then immediately changed its mind. "Eee? Wait a second. What are you trying to pull? No way! It's mine. You're not getting your hands on it."

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Chapter 177: Using its Strength

Meng Hao's eyes narrowed when he heard the words.

"Could it be that the things it swallows don't get digested, but are just collected?"

"Trying to fool me? Quit dreaming. Hmph." The meat jelly's tone became sagely, "Child, you've walked too far down the path of evil. Repent and be saved."

"Change into whatever it was that left the most profound impression on you," Meng Hao said blithely. He was still thinking about what the meat jelly had said just now, and what it meant. He had to figure out a way to trick the meat jelly into coughing up the jade page.

"The most profound impression? There's no need to even think about it. The thing which had the most profound effect on me in my entire life is this!!" The meat jelly seemed to be gnashing its teeth. There was a popping sound, and suddenly it transformed into….

A brightly colored parrot! It was about half the size of his arm, glistening as if it were covered with rainwater. It was somewhat emaciated, with a curved beak and triangular eyes. It had a somewhat perverted demeanor, and seemed to be filled with an immoral air.

It stood there in front of Meng Hao, looking at him with its perverted, triangular eyes. It lowered its head and pecked a few times at its body.

Meng Hao gaped at the parrot. In his entire life, he had never seen such a perverted looking bird. Its triangular eyes and the brightly colored feathers which covered its body were especially strange.

The parrot coughed dryly, looking at Meng Hao out of the corner of its eye.

"This is what left the most profound impression on me: that damned bird. In my last life, I just wasn't able to get it to give in and convert. In this life, I will definitely convert it! That immoral, perverted creature who likes things with fur and feathers!!" The meat jelly sounded like it was gnashing its teeth. Its appearance and words just now instantly made this form seem even more lifelike.

Seeing the parrot and hearing the words caused Meng Hao to take a deep breath. He thought back to the day he had almost put on the blood-colored mask, and had heard a bird cry come from the copper mirror.

He thought about how fervently the copper mirror would attack furred creatures. His mind spun with various images. He didn't really understand. Just what was this bird that the meat jelly kept talking about…?

Meng Hao hesitated for a moment before retrieving the copper mirror from his bag of the Cosmos. "You're talking about this?" he asked. The instant it appeared, the meat jelly parrot let out a squawk. Wings fluttering, it shot forward and grabbed the copper mirror in its claws and began to viciously peck at it.

"Dammit! Yes, this is it. I can sense its aura inside. I'll peck you to death, you damned mass-murdering bird! Peck you! Peck you…!" The meat jelly parrot seemed to have gone crazy. Its feathers stood on end as it squawked and pecked at the copper mirror.

Meng Hao watched on in a daze. He recalled the time he had acquired the mirror, and then when he had discovered its ability. From the very beginning, he had always wondered about its fantastical nature, but had never discovered any clues.

Meng Hao felt like he was going to be quickly driven insane by the meat jelly parrot. It was squawking madly and radiated a look of hatred. Meng Hao himself felt like venting a bit. He suddenly had an intense desire to meet the parrot that resided within the copper mirror.

"The parrot must be incredibly extraordinary to be able to make the meat jelly so angry. Maybe when it comes out, it can take care of the meat jelly for me." Meng Hao's eyes glittered as he suddenly reached an understanding. "Didn't the meat jelly say earlier that when I reach Core Formation, the parrot can come out? Perhaps… it's like the mastiff, a type of Weapon Spirit!"

"Why don't you fight back? Hmm?" The meat jelly parrot blustered as it pecked at the mirror. "I won't let you off this time, I'm going to convert you! Hahaha! You can't come out. You can't come out! I can piss you off as much as I want and you can't come out." The meat jelly quivered with excitement. However, it was at this point that the mirror suddenly flickered, and the meat jelly let out a cry. It released its claws and flew away. The copper mirror flew after it, repeatedly sending out invisible attack rays.

Meng Hao watched on contentedly, doing nothing to stop the copper mirror. However, it quickly became apparent that the meat jelly wasn't being hurt at all. He flicked his sleeve, returning the copper mirror to the bag of the Cosmos.

The meat jelly parrot flapped its wings as it flew back over and landed on Meng Hao's shoulder. It began to chatter into his ear like usual.

At least this form looked better than a stack of hats. Meng Hao's desire to reach Core Formation was now even more intense. He took a deep breath. Ignoring the prattle of the meat jelly, he flew into the air and shot off toward the horizon.

"The poison within me is a big problem," he thought. "I really need to figure a way to infiltrate the Violet Fate Sect and see if I can find a way to become Grandmaster Pill Demon's disciple. Then I can get rid of the poison once and for all." His eyes glittered as he proceeded onward. He had considered this the last time he was in a city controlled by the Violet Fate Sect. The Spring and Autumn tree could only alleviate the symptoms of the poison and buy him some time.

The only way to truly dispel the poison was to get into the Violet Fate Sect.

"Besides, if I want to form a Perfect Gold Core, I first need to have a Violet Core. To form a Violet Core requires a suitable technique. That technique is none other than the Violet Fate Sect's Violet Qi from the East!" Meng Hao frowned. It was a good idea, but he couldn't think of any way to infiltrate the Violet Fate Sect. He had offended too many people there. There was Wu Dingqiu and Chu Yuyan, as well as the disciples he had met in the State of Zhao, who were surely members of the Inner Sect by now.

"I need to switch identities. I need a way to become someone else." He sighed. Obviously it was all a flight of fancy that should just be forgotten. Suddenly, his expression changed. He looked at the bag of the Cosmos, and his eyes shined with intelligence.

"The mask…. If I had an appearance-changing mask, then I could do it. As for a mask…I do have one! But who knows if the mask has that power? Furthermore, my Cultivation base needs to be at Core Formation before I can use it. Also, what if the mask just doesn't work that way…." He slowly turned his head to look at the chattering parrot on his shoulder. His eyes glittered.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" said the meat jelly parrot with surprise, staring at him.

Meng Hao ignored it. He flew down to the ground and sat cross-legged. He smacked the bag of the Cosmos and retrieved the blood-colored mask.

As soon as the meat jelly saw the mask, its eyes went wide and it flapped its wings violently, flying around Meng Hao in a circle and letting out raucous squawks.

"What's that? What's that? Heavens! What is that evil thing? Child, you've trodden too far down the path of wickedness. Fear not, I can pull you back. I will convert you. Eeeeee? What's that inside? Why am I seeing an old man? Waaah! This old man looks so miserable. Child, you can't do this. It's wrong. It's immoral. Eee? This old guy has performed possession! Old man, that's immoral. That's wrong…."

Meng Hao poured Spiritual Sense into the mask and was immediately able to see the blood-red form of the mastiff. It lay there sleeping, its aura majestic and boundless and growing even stronger. Meng Hao looked at it, and his expression grew soft.

"Hurry up and awaken…" he said with Spiritual Sense. The mastiff's body twitched, and warmth emanated from it, a reply of sorts. Meng Hao's smile grew warmer, and he thought back to everything that had happened during the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament.

"I'm waiting for you to wake up," said Meng Hao softly. His eyes flashed as they fell upon the flag with three streamers. He was fully aware that his Cultivation base was not high enough to use the flag. He could only pour some Spiritual Sense into it and brand it to himself.

"Core Formation…. If I can become a Core Formation expert, then I should be able to use this flag…."

Last, Meng Hao touched the Li Clan Patriarch with his Spiritual Sense. He sat recoiled in the corner, his body illusory and transparent, and his face wan and sallow. It seemed as if at any moment he might dissipate into nothing.

As Meng Hao looked at him, he raised his head and glared back. His gaze was as fierce as ever, sinister to the extreme.

"There's a question I can't stop thinking about," said Meng Hao calmly. "Why did you help Li Daoyi? The first time I saw you was in the sixth matrix, and you were a statue. The second time I saw you, you had become Li Daoyi's Blood Divinity. Why?"

The Li Clan Patriarch laughed coldly, refusing to respond.

"It turns out you possessed the Blood Divinity. That makes me curious. Before possessing the Blood Divinity… who were you!?" His voice was as calm as ever. However, when the Li Clan Patriarch heard his words, his heart shook. His identity was his biggest secret, and no one had any clue about it. Even Meng Hao could only speculate about his relationship to Li Daoyi. Any details would be difficult to ascertain.

The Li Clan Patriarch laughed disdainfully. "You want to know? Beg me for a year, then maybe I'll think about it." He didn't care about anything, not even death. After facing the loneliness of the Blood Immortal Legacy zone for four thousand years, he had incredible strength of will. Even Meng Hao's previous threatening methods couldn't really affect him now.

Meng Hao's expression was the same as ever. He glanced one last time at the weak form of the Li Clan Patriarch, and then narrowed his eyes and retracted his Spiritual Sense. He gazed at the surface of the blood-colored mask, and then looked at the meat jelly.

"You like to convert people, right?" asked Meng Hao.

"No," the meat jelly responded solemnly, "I don't like to convert people, I like to persuade them. Understand? Persuade."

Meng Hao sighed. "The old man in this mask lived a life of extreme wickedness. He's performed the most evil of acts and is completely corrupted by immorality. He loves to bully the weak, and is extremely vile in all ways. I captured him and put him in here out of mercy, because I wanted to admonish him. However, his magic is just too powerful. I just can't influence him…" Before he could even finish talking, the meat jelly parrot's eyes grew wide and it began to fume.

"Do you dare!? This type of person should only be converted by me! I hate nothing more than evildoers! I must convert him!" It suddenly looked extremely excited at the prospect of converting a bad guy such as this. Without waiting for a response from Meng Hao, its body flashed and it entered the blood-colored mask.

—–

This chapter was sponsored by Robert Kunzi, Felix Furmbach, Sandro Žurkin, Joseph Apor, Mikel Alfredo Velázquez Pérez, Tjandra Johannes and Sameer Abdulrabuh

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Chapter 178: An Old Friend

As soon as it entered the mask, the meat jelly cried out in alarm.

"Th-th-that's … a Yellow Springs Nine Burials Flag!! It already has three streamers! Evil! Profound evil!" Looking very stern, the meat jelly approached the gaping Li Patriarch. "Old man, it turns out you are evil incarnate! In the name of Justice, I shall convert you! You can't be like this, it's immoral. You won't meet a good end this way…."

Meng Hao coughed lightly and then put the mask away. He let out a deep sigh, and his eyes glittered sharply.

"Yellow Springs Nine Burials Flag?" Lost in thought, Meng Hao was just about to fly out of the concealment of the forest, when he stopped. He hid his Cultivation base and narrowed his eyes.

His Cultivation base was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, which meant that he could contend with Dao Children. However, he had no reason to do so. This area was the border region between the Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect. He must be very cautious, and not get carried away. He resolved to not forget this.

After the space of about ten breaths had passed, several colorful beams of light appeared in the sky overhead. Ten Cultivators appeared, each and every one standing on a flying sword. They all wore identical outfits, and looked very impressive and dignified. Their passage sent a roaring sound into the air.

Of the ten people, the three in the front were the most conspicuous. They wore robes of interlocking black and white. Sheathed swords were strapped to their backs, and the sword auras beneath their feet shined brightly, seemingly capable of slicing effortlessly through anything.

One of the three was a stately looking man of about forty years of age. He was at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and as he flew, his black hair whipped around him, interspersed with occasional strands of white hair.

Behind him was a young man of about thirty years of age with thin lips and a harsh expression. He had curved eyes like a red phoenix that radiated coldness. He was incredibly good looking, but seemed cold-blooded in nature. The sword under his feet issued a frigid pressure. He was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, and seemed to be the picture of imposing power.

The last person appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. His features were ordinary, but he radiated an air of righteousness. He was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, but his eyes glowed brightly. He seemed to be filled with a powerful aura.

When Meng Hao caught sight of him, his mind flooded with memories. This man filled with righteousness was none other than… Meng Hao's Elder Brother from the Reliance Sect, who had been taken away by the Solitary Sword Sect.

Years had passed. Yet here, right in front of him, was Chen Fan. He thought back to the day they had parted, and it seemed like a very, very long time ago. The Reliance Sect was no more, and the State of Zhao was gone. Meng Hao wondered if Chen Fan was still the same person he had been before. 1

He was silent as he observed the group of people. They were all disciples of the number one Sect in the Southern Domain, the Solitary Sword Sect. It wasn't anything remarkable for the Solitary Sword Sect to appear here. After all, this area was a region of contention between the Blood Demon Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect.

Meng Hao knew about the constant friction between the two great Sects, as well as the occasional skirmishes that occurred.

Just as the group of people was about to disappear in the distance, Meng Hao's expression flickered, and he looked back up into the sky.

Soon, he caught sight of ten beams of blood-red light whistling through the air. They were moving at top speed, kicking up a wind that buffeted the mountain forest below. Above the group of ten people were a handful of enormous creatures, flying along with them.

These ten Cultivators had grim expressions, filled with death. Killing intent circled around them and up to the beasts above them, who seemed to be feeding on it. The beasts roared and howled.

These, of course, were disciples of the Blood Demon Sect. Their speed was incredible as they passed over Meng Hao. From the direction they were heading, it seemed they were pursuing the Solitary Sword Sect Cultivators.

As they disappeared over the horizon, Meng Hao emerged from the forest. Muttering to himself, he looked at the direction the Cultivators from the two Sects had gone. Instead of flying after them, he stayed down into the cover of the trees to follow.

Meng Hao sped through the trees for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn. It was then that he heard the sounds of explosions ringing out. He increased his speed, and before long, caught sight of the Solitary Sword Sect and the Blood Demon Sect Cultivators locked in fierce magical combat. Booms echoed out, and ripples of magic spread out through the air.

To the Solitary Sword Sect people, a single sword was an instrument of death, incomparably sharp. As for the Blood Demon Sect people, their magic was ever-changing. Surprisingly, it wasn't dominated by the color of blood; rather, they used an endless stream of techniques. The phantom beasts they controlled possessed extraordinary strength. There were only three of them, but they charged about violently, making them impossible to approach.

There were no Core Formation experts in the two groups of people. The strongest among them was of the Pseudo Core stage. The rest were all of Foundation Establishment. They fought back and forth wildly, surrounded by a bloody glow. Meng Hao watched as a few among them perished. At the moment, the Blood Demon Sect seemed to have the upper hand. Suddenly, though, the eyes of the Pseudo Core Cultivator from the Solitary Sword Sect flickered with a cold light.

"Solitary Sword Spell!" he shouted. The Solitary Sword Sect disciples, including Chen Fan, flew toward him. Their swords glittered shockingly. In the blink of an eye, the sword merged together to form a single enormous sword, three hundred meters in length. The massive sword shot toward the three phantom beasts.

An explosion rang out in all directions. The phantom beasts trembled and roared, and then one by one, disintegrated into nothing. The massive sword then transformed into hundreds of glowing sword beams, which shot toward the remaining Blood Demon Sect disciples, as well as… toward the ground, where Meng Hao stood.

Meng Hao frowned, and then leaped up into the air. He waved his right hand, causing a gale force wind to spring up. The approaching sword beams instantly broke apart into pieces.

Meng Hao's appearance, and his quick dispatching of the sword beams, immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding Solitary Sword Cultivators. This was especially so of the harsh-looking young man of the mid Foundation Establishment stage, whose eyes radiated iciness. The sword beams that had shot toward Meng Hao just now had been under his control.

"This Blood Demon Sect villain harbors evil designs," said the young man coolly. "Junior Brothers, hear my command. Snuff him out!" He seemed disinclined to even verify Meng Hao's identity. His appearance here was enough for the young man to pass judgement on him.

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, the forty-year-old late Foundation Establishment Cultivator frowned. However, he didn't intervene. The eyes of the surrounding Cultivators flickered with coldness as they charged toward Meng Hao.

At this moment, however, Chen Fan caught sight of Meng Hao. After a moment passed, his eyes filled with joy.

"Stop!" he cried, rushing forward with all the speed of the early Foundation Establishment stage. He passed the others, flying directly up to Meng Hao. "This is my Junior Brother!" he cried excitedly. "Everyone stop!"

His expression was one of intense happiness, almost trance-like, as he gazed at Meng Hao and recalled the past.

Meng Hao looked at Chen Fan and smiled. Chen Fan's expression and words were filled with sincerity, and now Meng Hao was certain… he hadn't changed. He was the same person he had been seven or eight years ago.

Meng Hao took a deep breath and then said, "Greetings, Elder Brother." He clasped hands and bowed deeply.

Chen Fan laughed. He looked a bit different than he had seven or eight years ago, but his personality was the same. He stepped forward and embraced Meng Hao.

"Junior Brother Chen," said the harsh-looking young man with a hypocritical smile. "How come I've never seen this Junior Brother of yours? I didn't know the Solitary Sword Sect had a disciple such as this." His voice was filled with sinister accusation.

Chen Fan frowned, standing protectively in front of Meng Hao. "Elder Brother Zhou, he's not a Solitary Sword Sect disciple. He's my Junior Brother from when I was in the Reliance Sect."

Meng Hao didn't say anything, and his expression was the same as ever. He wanted to see how Chen Fan would handle the situation.

"So he's a disciple from a tiny, backwater Sect," said Zhou, his voice sinister and yet leisurely. "He would normally be inconsequential. Yet here he is spying on us. He must take responsibility!"

The surrounding Solitary Sword Sect disciples exchanged glances, then moved backward silently. It seems this was not the first time they had seen conflict erupt between Zhou and Chen Fan.

The middle-aged Pseudo Core Cultivator sighed, looking at the two of them with an annoyed expression, and then glancing down at Meng Hao.

"Take responsibility?" said Chen Fan coolly. His eyes were cold as he stood there in front of Meng Hao. "Zhou Shanyue 2 , I would very much like to know exactly how you expect my Junior Brother to take responsibility? With me here, which one of you dares to cause problems for him!?" He slapped his bag of holding, and a small black blade appeared, about the size of a hand. It flew up to circle around his head.

Meng Hao's expression changed to one of shock the instant he saw the blade appear. So did the faces of the surrounding Cultivators. The Pseudo Core stage man gasped.

Zhou Shanyue's face immediately grew extremely unsightly. A look of jealousy filled his eyes as he glared at Chen Fan. His heart, however, filled with dread.

The blade emanated the fearsome power of Core Formation!

"Zhou Shanyue, I'm waiting for your response," said Chen Fan calmly.

1. There were a handful of chapters in which Chen Fan appeared. Perhaps the most relevant is Chapter 34: Fame from 1,000 Years Ago, in which he befriends Meng Hao

2. Zhou Shanyue's name in Chinese is 周山岳 zhōu shān yuè – Zhou is a common family name. Shan means "mountain." Yue also means "mountain"

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Chapter 179: Sect Brothers

"That's my father's flying dagger!" said Zhou Shanyue with a cold snort, staring at the black blade hovering around Chen Fan's head.

"It's a gift from my Master," replied Chen Fan, his expression cold. Immediately, Zhou Shanyue's expression darkened. He flicked his sleeve and began to move toward Chen Fan.

"To take responsibility is simple," he said as he strode forward. "I want both of his eyes. Let's see if you dare to try to kill me. If you do, you have my respect. But how will you explain that to your Master, my father?!"

Meng Hao's expression was the same as always. He watched calmly as the scene unfolded. In front of him, Chen Fan gazed coldly at the approaching Zhou Shanyue. He lifted his right hand, and the flying dagger immediately began to glow.

Everything seemed ready to dissolve into chaos. Zhou Shanyue proceeded forward, a savage expression covering his face.

"I can't believe that you would dare to attack me over an outsider!"

"To you, he's an outsider, but to me, he's a Junior Brother." Chen Fan waved his hand, and the flying dagger shot toward Zhou Shanyue.

Zhou Shanyue's hair stood on end, and he suddenly stopped moving. The black dagger had come to a stop right in front of his face.

"Don't push me, Zhou Shanyue," Chen Fan said softly.

Meng Hao was just about to take a step forward when the Pseudo Core stage Cultivator suddenly said, "Just what do you two think you're doing?! Zhou Shanyue, stand down! Chen Fan, if this is your Junior Brother from your former Sect, then you'll need to vouch for him. You will be responsible for all his future mistakes." The words obviously contained a threat. While it seemed on the surface that he was trying to smooth over the situation, he was actually making a small matter into a bigger one.

Meng Hao was quite experienced, so obviously he understood what was being said. He laughed coldly.

"My affairs have nothing to do with my Elder Brother," he said. "If you don't take your words back voluntarily, your excellency, then I'll be forced to make you take them back." His voice was ice cold. When the middle-aged man heard them, his eyes grew icy and he stared back at Meng Hao.

Chen Fan, of course, had never imagined that Meng Hao would dare to speak. Without another word, he flashed an incantation sign, and the flying dagger re-appeared at his side.

"Chen Fan, it's not that I didn't try to give you some face. Your Junior Brother here needs to be taught a lesson." With a grim smile, the middle-aged man flicked his sleeve and began to move toward Meng Hao.

Meng Hao's expression was the same as ever. His Cultivation base had four Dao Pillars. He could contend with the late Foundation Establishment stage and could even stand up to Dao Children with Flawless Foundations. There was no need to even mention this middle-aged man who clearly had a Cracked Foundation at best.

Meng Hao could slay him with ease.

Granted, the man was a fellow Disciple of Elder Brother Chen. However, Meng Hao couldn't allow people to level threats against him that could affect Elder Brother Chen later. That was why he had tried to separate himself from Chen Fan.

The surrounding Solitary Sword Sect disciples watched on with cold smiles, eyeing Meng Hao with looks of disdain. They obviously thought Meng Hao was being arrogant and conceited to think he could stand up to someone who had completed the great circle of Foundation Establishment.

Various thoughts ran through the minds of the surrounding disciples.

"I never imagined Elder Brother Chen would make friends with someone who so easily overestimates himself."

"He's relying on Elder Brother Chen's presence, like a fox exploiting the might of a tiger." 1

"He's looking to die!"

A sinister smile appeared on Zhou Shanyue's face. He moved backward a few paces, contentedly watching the commotion.

Meng Hao looked as calm as ever as the middle-aged man raced forward. A slight smile appeared on his face, and he was about to step forward, when Chen Fan held his arm in front of him.

"Elder Brother Li, my Junior Brother is young and insensible. Please give me some more face, and don't take offense. Let's just drop the matter." Having said this, he clasped Meng Hao's shoulder and gazed at him warmly. "Listen to Elder Brother," he said. When the four words entered Meng Hao's ears, they were filled with a gentle warmth that he hadn't experienced in a very long time. He looked into Chen Fan's eyes and then nodded.

The man named Li stopped in his tracks, glaring coldly at Meng Hao for a moment, and then looking back at Chen Fan. Slowly, his face relaxed. A long moment passed, and then he said, "You need to help your Junior Brother learn not stop overestimating himself. If he doesn't, he'll end up a mutilated corpse sooner or later." He flicked his sleeve and began to leave. Zhou Shanyue smiled mockingly and followed, along with the other Solitary Sword Disciples.

"We'll wait for you up ahead," came the voice of Li. "You have the time it takes an incense stick to burn to catch up with your Junior Brother."

As they disappeared into the distance, Meng Hao looked hesitantly at Chen Fan.

"Elder Brother, I…."

"You don't need to say anything," said Chen Fan, his face covered with a wide smile. He embraced him warmly again.

Laughing happily, Chen Fan looked Meng Hao over, eyes filled with excitement because of their reunion. "You've grown up big and strong, I see! Haha! You're not the little scholar you used to be."

In a voice as earnest as it had always been, he grabbed Meng Hao's arm and said, "Can you believe it? Here we are, fellow Brothers who've run into each other yet again in in the Southern Domain. We have to celebrate! Come come, tell your Elder Brother what you've been up to these past years. A while back, I heard that the State of Zhao disappeared! Ai…." He didn't even give Meng Hao a chance to respond.

His personality had always been like this. He talked and talked, and before long, enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn. The entire time, Meng Hao didn't have a chance to even say a single sentence. It was just like it had been back in the Reliance Sect.

Chen Fan was definitely long-winded, but even were he more so, Meng Hao wouldn't mind. Meng Hao's heart filled with warmth as he realized that everything Chen Fan was saying was out of concern for him. He was considerate, excited, and happy.

"That fatty Li Fugui, do you remember him? He used to follow you around all the time. Well, he's a pretty important person in the Golden Frost Sect now. Last time I went with Master to pay a visit to the Golden Frost Sect, I saw him swaggering around. He's definitely a darling of the Sect. If anyone dared to mess with him, a crowd of Golden Frost Sect disciples would instantly rush to help him….

"Junior Sister Xu is in sore straits, though. The only thing I could do was ask some people I know in the Black Sieve Sect to watch out for her. She's been stuck at the ninth level of Qi Condensation for years now. She needs a Foundation Establishment Pill. In the past years, I've performed some meritorious services for the Sect. I think it won't be long before I can get a Foundation Establishment Pill from Master to send to her.

"Oh, and then there's Wang Tengfei…. You'd best not provoke him again, he has an impressive amount of power backing him. Oh, right. You wouldn't believe the latest gossip. Rumor has it that his fiancee, Chu Yuyan from the Violet Fate Sect, is intimately involved with some stranger.

"The news is out, and all the Sects have heard about it. There was an eyewitness who saw Chu Yuyan wearing the clothing of some other man. There was obviously something shady going on…. Who do you think that guy could be? Whoever he is, I sure admire him. He was able to steal Chu Yuyan right from under Wang Tengfei's nose…." Meng Hao wasn't able to get a word in edgewise. When the topic of Chu Yuyan came up, a strange expression suddenly appeared on his face.

"So," he thought, "that Zhou Daya fellow did exactly as I predicted and immediately began to spread rumors…." He gave a dry cough, not admitting to anything. Instead, he said, "Wow, that guy really is amazing. I hope I have a chance to meet him some day and maybe be friends." His face was covered with an expression of admiration similar to Chen Fan's.

About this time, the clear sound of a sword could be heard ringing out in the air. Meng Hao looked up to see a Solitary Sword Sect disciple off in the distance, clearly urging them to hurry up.

Taking advantage in the break in Chen Fan's dialogue, Meng Hao scratched his head and said, "Elder Brother, maybe you should…." Before he could finish, he was submerged by more words from Chen Fan.

"Little Junior Brother, have you found a suitable beloved yet?" he said suddenly.

"Uh…." Meng Hao stared in shock. Chen Fan's question seemed to have come completely out of the blue. Before he could respond, Chen Fan nodded.

"Oh, I understand. You're still hung up on Elder Sister Xu. Junior Brother, listen to me carefully. There are a lot of female Cultivators in the Southern Domain, but there are four who are considered to be the most dazzling.

"Chu Yuyan is one of them, but you might as well forget about her. She belongs to Wang Tengfei and that other mysterious guy. However, the other three are really a match for your good looks and Cultivation base." Chen Fan's eyes shined brightly as he looked at Meng Hao. He sounded almost like a match-maker.

This topic completely exceeded Meng Hao's powers of prediction. He stared blankly at Elder Brother Chen. How could he have imagined that after all these years, Elder Brother Chen would suddenly have taken up this new interest? Meng Hao cleared his throat a few times. "Elder Brother, I…."

"Don't be so shy! Look, your Elder Brother has a lot of experience. There may be some things you don't understand about this kind of thing, but don't worry. I'll take care of everything. There's still plenty of time, plenty of time."

"Er… plenty of time, plenty of time…." Beads of sweat broke out on Meng Hao's forehead.

"Alright, you come with me to the Solitary Sword Sect. When we get there, the two of us can have a proper reunion." Not even giving Meng Hao a chance to refuse, Chen Fan grabbed him and made to leave.

"Elder Brother, this…."

"Listen to your Elder Brother, okay? Besides, pretty soon one of the three great Clans, the Song Clan, is going to have a big get-together. They've invited Chosen and Dao Children from all over the Southern Domain. I'm going, so why don't you come along? It will be a good chance to meet some of the current generation of Chosen from the Southern Domain. You just stick with me, and I'll arrange everything.

"The State of Zhao is gone, and the Reliance Sect is no more. Throughout all these years, what I've worried about most is you! A few years ago, I sent someone with a message to find you, but by that time the State of Zhao had disappeared, and I feared that you had been killed.

"Let's not bring that up. Little Junior Brother, even now, what concerns me most is still you." He looked at Meng Hao earnestly. "You're on your own, without a Sect! That won't do. You listen to your Elder Brother, okay?"

Meng Hao's heart filled with warmth that spread out throughout his whole body. Unable to make himself refuse Chen Fan, he slowly nodded his head.

1. The idiom of the fox and the tiger is a very common Chinese expression which means to bully others by flaunting ones powerful connections

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Chapter 180: Shan Ling

Chen Fan looked at Meng Hao and laughed heartily. Hearts filled with happiness, he and Meng Hao transformed into beams of prismatic light that shot off toward the other Solitary Sword Sect disciples.

When the man named Li saw Meng Hao approaching with Chen Fan, he frowned.

"My Junior Brother is acquainted with my Master and wishes to visit him," said Chen Fan coolly in explanation. "He will accompany us back to the Sect."

The man named Li said nothing. He simply turned and transformed into a colorful beam that shot up into the sky.

"Little Junior Brother, after we get to the Sect, I'll go implore Master to take you as a disciple. Then we can be fellow Brothers of the Solitary Sword Sect. It shouldn't be a very big deal. I've never asked anything of Master, so there's an eighty to ninety percent chance he'll agree. Of course, I expect he'll only accept you as a novitiate. However, his Cultivation Base is at the Nascent Soul stage, so being one of his novitiates is still a high position within the Solitary Sword Sect." It seemed Chen Fan already had Meng Hao's future planned out meticulously.

Meng Hao hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Elder Brother, for the moment, I don't think that's necessary. I actually have some matters I need to take care of."

"Little Junior Brother!" said Chen Fan, his expression suddenly very solemn. "I understand that you don't want to join another Sect. I felt the same way back then. I only wanted to be a member of a single Sect for my entire life. However… we are Cultivators. Our Sect is the foundation of everything, especially in the Southern Domain. Anyone who is not a member of a Sect is a rogue Cultivator. Regardless of Cultivation base level, rogue Cultivators make progress only with great difficulty. Years can be wasted, and the results can be in vain.

"You need to listen to me in this matter. The Solitary Sword Sect is the number one Sect in the Southern Domain. It's Dao Reserves are incredibly profound. It's a place where both of us can grow up."

Meng Hao didn't respond.

As they traveled, Chen Fan continued to give him advice, all the way until afternoon of the next day. Eventually, the Solitary Sword Sect's main gate appeared up ahead. Finally, Meng Hao nodded.

Chen Fan's smile grew wider as he gazed at Meng Hao with the kind warmth of a member of the elder generation looking at a junior. Although he wasn't very much older than Meng Hao, in his eyes, Meng Hao was still that young scholar who had just joined the Sect.

The Solitary Sword Sect was comprised of an enormous mountain, visible from far off in the distance. This mountain was the number one mountain in the entire Southern Domain, a hundred times larger than any other mountain.

The name of this mountain was… Solitary Dao Mountain!

Floating above it in the sky was another mountain that seemed to be a mirror image of it. From a distance, they made an outline like that of an hourglass. Anyone who caught sight of it for the first time would surely be shocked.

The name of the second mountain was… Solitary Sword Mountain!

The mountains were so large that it was almost impossible to look from one end to the other in a single glance. Meng Hao had never seen mountains as large as this in his entire life. He couldn't help but tremble inwardly at the sight of them.

If it were only these two mountains, then it wouldn't be a very big deal. But… in the center the two mountains was a massive sword, piercing through them into the ground!

The hilt of the sword protruded above the mountains and stretched up into the sky.

Boundless rays of morning sunlight filled the area, giving it a truly celestial feeling.

Meng Hao took a deep breath. Having laid eyes on the Black Sieve Sect and the Solitary Sword Sect, he had now seen two of the great Sects of the Southern Domain. The Black Sieve Sect was undeniably influential. The dread caused by their power would cause anyone to bow before them.

However, the Solitary Sword Sect's sheer, raw might didn't cause others to bow before them, but to fear them!

"I wonder what the other great Sects look like…" thought Meng Hao to himself as he gazed at the Solitary Sword Sect.

The group of people flew along quickly. As they approached Solitary Dao Mountain, they reached an area that was protected by a beautiful field of colorful light. Up ahead, the man named Li looked back coldly at Meng Hao and then gave a cold snort. With that, his disappeared into the light.

Meng Hao watched coolly as he left. In his estimation, the man was someone who couldn't really see to the heart of things. If Chen Fan hadn't stopped him earlier, the man would either have been injured or killed. It all would have depended on Meng Hao's mood.

"Don't worry," said Chen Fan, clearly worried for Meng Hao. "Once Master accepts you as a novitiate, then Elder Brother Li won't dare to bother you." He gave a comforting smile, and then pulled Meng Hao in through the colorful field of light. He pulled out a glowing jade slip. The light swirled up around the two of them. It flickered, and then they disappeared.

When they reappeared, they were at the foot of Solitary Dao Mountain. The air was filled with the scent of blooming flowers and the sounds of birds singing. Gurgling streams could be seen. There were quite a few Solitary Sword Sect disciples going to and fro. When they saw Chen Fan, each and every one gave him respectful salutes.

Chen Fan led Meng Hao to the courtyard of a house. "Little Junior Brother," he said, "you wait for me here. I'm going to go pay my respects to the Elders. After that, I'll go look for Master. I probably won't return until after nightfall. You rest a bit here, or go walk around if you'd like. Don't go too far, though. When I get back, we can stay up all night chatting." He clasped Meng Hao's shoulder, and then turned and flew off in a beam of colorful light.

Meng Hao watched him depart, then looked around at his surroundings. He opened the gate of the courtyard and entered the house. It was decorated tastefully, although not extravagantly. Everything emanated refinement. This was especially true of the vast collection of scrolls. Meng Hao selected one of the ancient texts and sat down cross-legged to examine it.

After some time passed, he put the ancient scroll down, and a thoughtful look gleamed in his eyes.

"Maybe I should join the Solitary Sword Sect…" he thought, his brow furrowed. It wasn't his first choice. However, the Black Sieve Sect surely wouldn't just let go the matter of the meat jelly. Entering the Solitary Sword Sect might not be a bad choice.

His eyes glittered stubbornly at the thought of the Violet Fate Sect. Dispelling his poison wasn't the only reason he wished to do so. "I'm still inclined toward the Violet Fate Sect," he thought. "I really want to learn Violet Qi from the East…" With that technique, he could form a Violet Core, which was the pinnacle of Core Formation.

"Furthermore, I need to study alchemy. I can't rely on others to do it for me every time I need a pill concocted. That's especially true of the Perfect Core Pill…." Meng Hao sat there for some time lost in thought. Soon, evening began to fall. Sunlight streamed in from outside. Meng Hao took a deep breath and, seeing that Chen Fan hadn't returned, decided to step outside of the house for a bit to look at Solitary Dao Mountain.

The setting sun shone onto the mountain, giving it a somewhat hazy appearance. Mist began to rise up around the mountain, and as Meng Hao looked closer, his eyes narrowed.

He suddenly caught sight of a woman wearing a blue-green garment, floating down a path on Solitary Dao Mountain.

The appearance of this woman made the haziness of the surroundings suddenly seem clear. The sound of people dropping to their knees and prostrating themselves to her could be heard.

"It's Elder Sister Shan Ling." 1

"It's really Elder Sister Shan Ling. I've heard that on the ninth day of every month, at dusk, she descends the mountain to collect dewdrops…"

"Greetings, Elder Sister Shan Ling."

The sound of voices drifted down to Meng Hao. He watched as the woman slowly floated down the mountain, and his heart trembled as suddenly, the voice of the Demon Sealing Jade sounded out in his head.

"A stone of the Ninth Mountain descended and became a new mountain (山.) The mountain (山) has a spirit (灵,) and the spirit (灵) is demonic. Its will is not of this world. If you encounter it… allow it to transform magically if it is good. Seal and exterminate it if it is violent. Make your choice after careful consideration."

The sound echoed out in Meng Hao's mind. He stood there silently for a moment recovering his composure. He was used to the bizarreness of the Demon Sealing Jade. He looked at the woman, and his eyes shone with a strange light.

Quite a large group of Cultivators had flown over and were bowing to the woman and offering respectful words. One of them was none other than the middle-aged man named Li, who bowed toward her politely.

The moment that Meng Hao's gaze fell upon the woman, she looked down at him and seemed to pause in mid-air. A sharp look filled her eyes as she looked at him.

Their gazes locked for the space of a few breaths. The woman's brow furrowed slightly, and then she looked away and continued off into the distance. She left, but the man named Li seemed to have taken notice of the look that had passed between the two of them.

He had also noticed Shan Ling's furrowed brow. He gave a cold harrumph, and then his body flashed, and he shot down toward Meng Hao.

This aroused the attention of the surrounding Solitary Sword Sect disciples. In the blink of an eye, the man named Li arrived to float above the courtyard where Meng Hao stood. He looked down, a cold gleam in his eyes.

"You again!" he said coldly. "First you overestimate your strength, and then you dare to be disrespectful to the Solitary Sword Sect's Elder Sister Shan Ling! Just what is your purpose in coming here?!" This caused many of the surrounding disciples to look at Meng Hao.

"Who is this guy?"

"He looks a bit familiar, but I don't think I've seen him before…."

"I remember him. That's the guest who Elder Brother Chen brought with him earlier this afternoon. I wonder what Elder Brother Li wants with him?"

Meng Hao's expression was the same as ever as he looked up at the haughty Li character.

"What exactly do you mean, your excellency?" said Meng Hao coolly.

"Whatever your purpose here, you're in the Solitary Sword Sect. Considering your actions here, I think I need to take your Elder Brother's place in teaching you a lesson." He obviously wasn't interested in providing any sort of education to Meng Hao. Meng Hao had left him with a bad impression originally, and when combined with the Shan Ling's frown, caused him to be filled with ill feelings. He lifted his right hand, whereupon the power of the great circle of Foundation Establishment exploded out.

"Ridiculous," said Meng Hao coolly. The Li man's hand descended, and the illusory image of a large sword appeared. It descended toward Meng Hao, bursting with the power of the great circle of Foundation Establishment.

Meng Hao's eyes flashed coldly, and he lifted his own hand. He didn't have any good feelings toward this person, after all. However, before he could actually do anything, a small black dagger shot toward them and slammed into the Li man's phantom sword.

A boom rattled out, and the phantom sword disintegrated. The Li man's face flashed as Chen Fan shot toward them in a beam of colorful light.

"Elder Brother Li, you continue to harass my Junior Brother. With a Cultivation base at the Pseudo Core stage, must you really cause me to lose so much face? I'm one of the Seven Solitary Sword Sons. Just who the hell do you think you are?"

1. Shan Ling's name in Chinese is 山灵 shān líng. Shan means "mountain." Ling means "spirit"

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