Chapter 814: Call Me Meng Hao!
At the same moment in which such words were spoken, Meng Hao fell back. Simultaneously, a cold snort could be heard echoing out from some distance away.
“Last night I could see the clues,” said Song Luodan. “However, despite your fakery, the apparition behind you was real. Now… I will cut you down, and show you that nobody makes a fool of me!”
Song Luodan was the Song Clan cultivator with the scar that ran from his forehead down to his neck. Flaming magical symbols burst out around him, and the flame crow on his shoulder stared coldly at Meng Hao. When Song Luodan stepped forward, the energy of peak Dao Seeking erupted out. However, this was not the ordinary power of peak Dao Seeking, but rather, something that exceeded that.
He was even more powerful than the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief who Meng Hao had fought. He had Immortal will swirling around him. Shockingly, despite still being in Dao Seeking, he cultivated a battle prowess comparable to a false Immortal.
Behind him was an emaciated old man who appeared to be nothing more than skin and bones. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were icy cold. He gave off a terrifying feeling that made him seem like a powerful Immortal that could suppress Meng Hao in a single move.
His body seemed to have numerous open meridians, but clearly they had been sealed and could not be used. Now, he was only able to wield the power of a false Immortal.
Actually, false Immortals were the highest level of cultivation that Meng Hao’s father had permitted into South Heaven.
In the moment that Song Luodan stepped forward, Meng Hao spun in midair and looked at him and the old man, killing intent flickering in his eyes.
The vicious needle thrown out by the Song Clan just now had been incredibly sinister.
“I’m gonna kill you!” said Meng Hao, transforming into a huge roc that sped toward Song Luodan. Shocking rumbling filled the air as the roc and Song Luodon exchanged more than a hundred moves in the blink of an eye.
Fire rippled everywhere, and a sea of flames roiled off of Song Luodan. It transformed into the shape of a flame crow that attacked Meng Hao.
Their attacks were shocking, and caused everything to tremble. Although they were fighting in midair, Meng Hao didn’t want to get too far away from the temple’s main gate. As for other locations along the wall where it seemed possible to go in, he ignored those. He remembered from his initial premonition that if someone tried to enter in that fashion, they would be struck dead.
Booms echoed out; Zhao Yifan and the others stopped in place to watch the fighting, as did everyone else.
“That guy is incredible. He was at a bit of a disadvantage earlier when he was up against Fan Dong’er and the others, but now that he’s fighting Song Luodan alone… it’s hard to say who’s going to win!”
“It’s got to be Song Luodan! He was able to fight with Zhao Yifan from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto. Supposedly he lost, but he’s also very smart, which is his strong point!”
Everything shook, and brilliant lights flashed about. Within his sea of flames, Song Luodan looked like a flame Immortal, calm yet threatening. At one point, he flew into the air, lifted his right foot and violently kicked down toward Meng Hao.
“DIE!”
The kick gave rise to a flame sea, which then transformed into another flame crow that seemed capable of ripping the air apart. Flames spread out in all directions, and seemed to be on the verge of sealing Meng Hao.
At the same time, the old Dao Protector at his side laughed coldly and waved his hand. Another decaying needle appeared, which shot toward Meng Hao. Immediately, Meng Hao’s eyes flickered with killing intent.
He snorted coldly, raising his right hand into the air and pointing at Song Luodan. Immediately, the Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared, and a rumbling vortex formed around Song Luodan. Like a dragon gulping down water, it sucked in the flame sea and left Song Luodan completely revealed out in the open.
Song Luodan’s face flickered with astonishment. His right foot began to wither, and he let out a roar. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he fell back at full speed. Somehow… in this moment of grave crisis, he actually managed to escape the Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex. He retreated, face pale, looking at Meng Hao with an expression of both shock and the cold desire to kill.
All of the observers were shaken. Amongst the crowd, Zhixiang’s eyes were wide, and she was panting. The divine ability vortex she had just seen reminded her of a legendary Daoist magic she had read about in the ancient records of her sect, something that had long since been lost to the passage of time.
Zhao Yifan from the Sublime Flow Sword Grotto was looking on with shining eyes, the flames of battle flickered in his pupils. Li Ling’er from the Li Clan of Planet North Reed was also panting. Her expression was one of extreme concentration as she stared at Meng Hao.
The four who had attacked just now did not do so with all their strength. Therefore, the fact that Meng Hao was able to evade those attacks merely left them thinking that there was more to him than met the eye. Nothing had happened that in any way left them thinking that he was worth paying attention to.
Karma swirled around Ji Yin, and although it was impossible to see his expression clearly, he was surely surprised.
As for Fan Dong’er, a strange light shone in her eyes, but her expression was placid. She radiated a sense of pureness and holiness, and at the same time, seemed cold and distant. However, her incredible beauty made it so that anyone who looked at her couldn’t help but be instantly attracted to her, and would want to embrace her as a wife.
The person who Meng Hao resented was not Song Luodan, but rather, the old man next to him. Twice so far, he had used sinister needles to attack Meng Hao. Meng Hao suddenly stretched his hand out in a claw-like motion which seemed similar to that used by the people he had seen plucking stars. Immediately, his hand seemed to become enormous, and he grabbed the needle out of the air.
Meng Hao had only gained a smattering of enlightenment about the Star Plucking Magic. If he completely came to understand it, and also had a sufficient cultivation base, he would actually be able to reach up and pluck heavenly bodies out of the starry sky!
As soon as he grabbed the deadly needle, Meng Hao’s body flickered, and he shot toward the old man. The old man laughed coldly. Instead of retreating, he began to move toward Meng Hao.
“Don’t know the difference between life and death? Allow me to educate you!”
“Old codger!” growled Meng Hao, summoning the roc. In response, the old man waved his hand, causing a gray aura to spread out that contained Immortal qi.
“Suppress!” said the old man.
“I’ll be doing the suppressing!” replied Meng Hao. His cultivation base rumbled, and his Immortal qi roared as it filled his body. Immediately, everyone in the area was completely shocked.
The Immortal qi caused a huge rumbling roar to fill the air, and the old man’s face flickered with astonishment.
“What sect or clan are you from?!”
Meng Hao didn’t respond. As the Immortal qi swirled, he performed an incantation gesture and then pushed his hand out in front of him. The Ninth Mountain rumbled out, crushing down toward the old man.
“Not gonna tell me?” snorted the old man. “Well, don’t blame me for eradicating you!” Suddenly, a Dharma Idol appeared behind him, the image of some powerful deity, a middle-aged man with an incredible bearing. Immediately, everything around him was thrown into chaos.
As Meng Hao and the old man closed in on each other in midair, Meng Hao let out a shout, and his own Dharma Idol appeared. The power that came from being half a step into true Immortality erupted out, transforming into an incredible pressure that weighed down on the old man. His face fell, and he shot backward using a magical technique. The killing intent in Meng Hao’s eyes flickered, and he waved his right hand, causing eight black-colored medicinal pills to fly out. As soon as they hit the old man, they exploded.
Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his face fell. He had been seriously injured, and was just about to flee, when Meng Hao, moving at incredible speed, descended upon him. His right hand unleashed the Star Plucking Magic, and the old man let out a furious howl. He raised his right hand, and what appeared to be the sun, moon, and other heavenly bodies could be seen in the palm that he sent surging toward Meng Hao
The man let out a miserable howl; at the same time, Meng Hao coughed up blood and staggered backward. The lightning cauldron appeared in his hand, lightning danced, and he vanished as he switched places with Fan Dong’er, who had been attempting to sneak into the temple during the chaos of the fighting.
When he reappeared, Meng Hao stood tall and straight in front of the main gate of the temple, blood oozing out of his mouth. He seemed to be in command of everything, and when he stamped his foot onto the ground, everything trembled. At this point, he stretched out his right hand and made a claw-like gesture.
Three claw images appeared; it almost looked as if some ancient beast were awakening. The claws shot up into the air along with his Dharma Idol.
The huge attack surged toward Li Ling’er and Fang Donghan of the Fang Clan, who had just been preparing to charge toward him.
Amidst the rumbling booms, Song Luodan’s Dao Protector up in midair suddenly let out a miserable shriek. He had just noticed that, shockingly, a needle was sticking out of his hand! It was the same needle he had just tried to use to kill Meng Hao!
The decaying power of the needle was just as effective on the old man!
“NOO!!” he shrieked, terrified. The flesh on his face was already starting to decay and fall off into bits of ash. Terror filled him. He was well aware of how quickly the vicious poison on the needle worked. In the blink of an eye, the poison contaminated all of his aura.
As his screams echoed out, the crowds gasped. The old man’s body collapsed. All of his flesh and blood turned into nothing but drifting ash….
Instantly, complete silence fell.
This old man was no ordinary person. He was a Dao Protector of the Song Clan, a powerful expert with an Immortal Realm cultivation base. He had opened dozens of meridians, and yet now… he died in this place… at the hands of a Spirit Realm cultivator.
It was only an accident, only a chance occurrence, had only occurred because his cultivation base was sealed. But regardless of those things… he was dead!
Dead at the hands of Meng Hao!
“Song Luodan’s Dao Protector… just died!?”
“He… he actually killed a Dao Protector!”
“Who is this guy? He can’t be some random person, and he’s definitely not from the lands of South Heaven. He must be a Chosen from some outside sect!”
“But he doesn’t look familiar. I’ve never seen him before….”
Even as the buzz of conversation rose up, Zhixiang looked on with wide eyes, astonished. Her cultivation base had originally been in the Immortal Realm, but after acquiring the Demon Immortal Body, she had pushed herself down into the Spirit Realm to reestablish her cultivation and gain a chance at even more power in the future. As such, she was far more powerful than she had been last time she was in the Spirit Realm. Even still, there was no way she could attack and kill a false Immortal.
“Who are you!?” Zhao Yifan suddenly asked.
Ji Yin looked at Meng Hao, as did Li Ling’er, as well as Wang Mu, who still hadn’t made a move yet. All of the Chosen from the various sects and clans, including Taiyang Zi, were all staring over at Meng Hao.
As for Song Luodan, he was panting in shock. His Dao Protector had just been shockingly killed, causing Song Luodan’s killing intent to grow even stronger.
Fan Dong’er hovered in midair, now in the position that Meng Hao had occupied moments before. Fury burned in her heart, but her face was placid as she calmly said, “Daoist Brother, who exactly are you? Would you mind telling us?”
Meng Hao looked out at the Chosen. He had to admit that these people were strong. However, he still felt like fighting, and in fact, was looking forward to something in particular.
He was looking forward to when he left the lands of South Heaven and entered the world of the Chosen outside. He couldn’t wait to see what kind of waves he would stir up then.
He looked calmly at the chosen of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, well aware that after this decisive battle, his name would surely spread rapidly until everyone knew who he was.
“Call me Meng Hao!”
Chapter 814: Call Me Meng Hao!