Chapter 1463: Seal the Heavens Hex!
At the same time that the crowds in the Ninth Sect were in an excited uproar, clouds began to gather in the sky up above. Soon, everything was covered over by the thick, black clouds.
Because of the brilliant light being cast out by the eight Heavens, it was initially difficult to spot them. However, the most powerful experts among the cultivators could sense an intense pressure building up in Heaven and Earth.
Soon, that sensation grew more obvious, and people began to look up. That was when their expressions began to flicker.
“That’s… Lightning Tribulation!”
“What kind of Tribulation is that? It’s so huge….”
“It makes me think of the Immortal Tribulation Elder Brother Fang Mu went through back then. I wonder if this Tribulation Lightning… is here for him?” Shocked cries could be heard as the black cloud layers rapidly grew thicker and larger. In the blink of an eye, they had covered the entire Ninth Sect, and were growing larger by the moment.
Yan’er hadn’t been there to watch her Master’s Immortal Tribulation, but she was shaken nonetheless. Not only could she overhear the conversations of the people around her, she could also sense that the clouds contained a terrifying aura of some sort.
The Dao Realm experts, the Dao Lords, Dao Sovereigns, and even the 7-Essences Paragon, all looked on with very serious expressions. If the current situation had begun to play out before the appearance of the Eighth Heaven, they wouldn’t have paid it much heed. Fang Mu’s life or death would have been up to fate.
But now, with the Eighth Heaven there shining brightly, Fang Mu’s status and importance far exceeded what they had before. He was no longer just an Inner Sect disciple of one of the subdivisions. He had the potential to become the Legacy disciple of the entire Ninth Sect. He was on the verge of establishing an unheard-of legend within the Vast Expanse School, and was also about to send the Ninth Sect rocketing to fame.
The Dao Realm experts, the Dao Lords and Dao Sovereigns, and even the reclusive 7-Essences Paragon, would not be willing to allow Tribulation Lightning to interfere with a disciple like that.
The 7-Essences Paragon snorted and shot forward, followed by the Dao Sovereigns. The Dao Lords and other Dao Realm experts also flew out. This rather large group of powerful experts all unleashed their cultivation base power; shockingly, they were attempting to help Meng Hao disperse the Tribulation Lightning.
Black clouds seethed, and lightning bolts began to fall. Even as they shot toward the Vast Expanse Shrine, the 7-Essences Paragon waved his sleeve to disperse them.
The Tribulation seemed enraged, and in the blink of an eye, hundreds of bolts of lightning began to descend. Then thousands. They were like a lake of lightning spreading out in all directions.
Meanwhile, back in the Vast Expanse Shrine, Meng Hao was speeding along into the ninth level. As soon as he entered, he looked around to find himself surrounded by countless stone steles of varying sizes. All of them were inscribed with lines of text and magical symbols.
On the first stone stele he examined closely, he found a complete magical technique. Upon further inspection of the level, he found that the stone steles here were covered with numerous types of magic, over a million in total. Furthermore, there in front of Meng Hao was one particular stone stele which was completely blank.
There was no need to spend time in thought. Meng Hao instantly understood what this ninth level tested. It tested… creativity!
The requirement was to create a divine ability or magical technique, and inscribe it onto the blank stone stele. Based on the power of that magic, one would be assigned a rank in the ninth level.
As Meng Hao’s divine sense spread out, the Immortal Soul Lamps began to ignite inside of him. Both in terms of the number of lamps, and the process with which they appeared, they were completely different than the Soul Lamps his true self had possessed.
As that occurred, his cultivation base rose. Taking a deep breath, Meng Hao sent his divine sense into the surrounding stone steles, examining them and seeking enlightenment. After a moment, his heart trembled.
“Creating a divine ability wouldn’t be difficult at all for me. However, nothing I created would be very useful. It would be better to use this place to perfect… the Seal the Heavens Hex!” His eyes glittered as he sat down cross-legged. After closing his eyes, he once again sent his divine sense out into the surrounding stone steles to seek enlightenment of the various techniques therein, and using bits of what he learned to add to the Seal the Heavens Hex.
As that happened, the Seal the Heavens Hex trembled and grew clearer, and at the same time, became more complicated and resplendent. As he continued to seek enlightenment and perform augury calculations, the Seal the Heavens Hex reached greater heights of perfection.
Gradually, an intense aura began to emanate out from him, a powerful aura that could shake Heaven and Earth. It was aggressive, so much so that it seemed capable of sealing the Heavens!
Incomparably domineering!
Despite being wrapped up in seeking enlightenment, he was somewhat able to detect the lightning outside of the Vast Expanse Shrine. Shockingly, there were now tens of thousands of bolts of Tribulation Lighting exploding out to rock Heaven and Earth, and yet, they were summarily blasted away by the 7-Essences Paragon and the others.
Something like a bellow of rage could be heard from within the black clouds as more than a hundred million lightning bolts shot down. It was like an explosion of lightning that caused the faces of the onlookers to flicker with shock.
Within the Vast Expanse Shrine, Meng Hao shuddered slightly. As his enlightenment progressed, the Seal the Heavens Hex grew more complete. It was now more complex than before, and at the same time, more perfect.
It was at this point that Meng Hao suddenly realized that although his original attempt at the Ninth Hex has been interfered with by Allheaven, the truth was that what he had thought to be the perfect version of the Hex at that time was actually not so perfect.
Now, with the constant additions and adjustments he was making, a perfect version of the Seal the Heavens Hex was taking shape that was completely different from the previous one.
It was impossible to say how much time passed, but soon, rumbling sounds filled Meng Hao as the sealing mark of the Seal the Heavens Hex finally reached a state of perfection. However, it was only an outline, not complete. Just when Meng Hao assumed that this would be enough, he suddenly saw lines spreading out within the outline. Unexpectedly… something else was forming inside of him… a second version of the Seal the Heavens Hex!
This sudden development left Meng Hao shaken. He once again sought enlightenment, focusing fully on the Seal the Heavens Hex. By drawing upon the more than one million perfect techniques around him, he was quickly able to identify the full shape of the sealing mark of the second Seal the Heavens Hex.
Although the shape seemed the same as before, there were certain tiny details that were different. Apparently… one sealing mark was not enough to complete the perfect version. Two were required! But then he realized that two was actually not enough, as… a third appeared!
Next was a fourth, a fifth, a sixth…. Meng Hao’s mind was reeling, and excitement flooded him as he watched the Seal the Heavens Hex continuously transforming and rising to a higher level!
When the seventh version appeared, Meng Hao assumed it would be enough. But then came the eighth, and finally the ninth. Meng Hao’s mind was spinning, and he was panting as he looked at the nine outlines of sealing marks.
Those nine sealing marks were the Seal the Heavens Hex!
Meng Hao’s eyes snapped open, and he took a deep breath. He looked at the blank stone stele, eyes glittering, then raised his hand and placed the first sealing mark down upon it.
The stone stele trembled, and radiant light erupted out. From the feeling it gave off, it seemed like the absolute pinnacle.
Meng Hao stared in shock. He had only placed one of the nine sealing marks onto the stone stele, and yet the ninth level… had seemingly reached the pinnacle.
Meng Hao suddenly sensed a Paragon aura, and gasped.
“Paragon magic….” he murmured. “These sealing marks are a Paragon magic!”
After a moment of thought, he performed a double-handed incantation gesture. Without a moment of hesitation, he used divine will to send the second sealing mark onto the stone stele, which caused it to tremble violently.
Within that trembling, Meng Hao could clearly see that the two sealing marks were fusing together, and that the will of a Paragon was growing more intense. A boom echoed out as an incredibly powerful aura erupted out from the stone stele.
It felt like divine ability that was even more like a Paragon magic than before!
As the divine ability appeared, there was a huge crash as the million surrounding stone steles began to crack. Then, to Meng Hao’s wide-eyed shock, all of them exploded!
It was as if they had destroyed themselves.
Apparently… in the face of such a matchless divine ability, all of the other divine abilities and magical techniques initiated self-destruction rather than remain in its presence!
Furthermore… that was only the fusion of two of the sealing marks. Looking excitedly at the stone stele, Meng Hao sent more divine will into the palm of his hand, then reached out and placed the third sealing mark onto the stone stele.
In that instant, it fused with the others, whereupon a terrifying aura exploded out that would strike fear into the heart of anyone who felt it.
That aura contained a sensation of deadly crisis, an indescribably terrifying power that the stone stele simply couldn’t handle. A boom could be heard as the only remaining stone stele… cracked, and then exploded!
It couldn’t withstand the power of a mere three fused sealing marks!
One sealing mark made a Paragon magic!
Two sealing marks destroyed millions of stone steles!
Three sealing marks were so majestic that the testing stone steles of the ninth level couldn’t handle it and exploded!
Meng Hao shot to his feet, trembling, his eyes flickering with excitement. Then he threw his head back and laughed uproariously.
“I can’t fully unleash it now, and can only make imprints with divine will, even still… when I combine those nine sealing marks into one, then the Ninth Hex will appear, and I will be able to fully utilize it!” He finally had his direction, and knew what to do. He had to fill in the outlines of all nine sealing marks.
As of this moment, his foray into the Vast Expanse Shrine had resulted in unprecedented gains.
At the same time that he rose to his feet, the ninth level of the Vast Expanse Shrine erupted with dazzling light that was instantly visible on the outside. Everyone could see that above the Eighth Heaven was… the Ninth Heaven!!
Nine Heavens astonished and shocked everything in the world!
A bell began to toll which was profoundly more ancient and sonorous than anything from before. At the same time, in the Eighth Sect on the eighth continent, another shocking toll could be heard!
The cultivators there were still reeling from the events involving Meng Hao shortly before, and when they heard the sound of the bells, their jaws dropped.
Simultaneously, in the Seventh, Sixth, Fifth, Fourth, Third, Second… and First Sects, in all of the nine sects of the Vast Expanse School, the sound of ancient tolling bells could be heard. Nine bells rang out, filling the Vast Expanse School, and also Planet Vast Expanse!
The hearts of countless cultivators were shaken, and numerous powerful experts were astonished. Everyone was wondering what exactly was happening.
Soon, that shocking bell toll swept out to fill even the most remote corners of the Vast Expanse School….