Chapter 697: Hundred Thousand Mountains!
The black mist spell formation was broken!
Meng Hao was enveloped by killing intent as he emerged. He violently twisted his right hand, instantly crushing the life out of the Black Sieve Sect First Severing Patriarch. Bones shattered, and then Meng Hao loosened his grip, sending the old man’s body tumbling down to the ground.
Meng Hao didn’t even think about the man’s bag of holding.
Behind him, the Resurrection Lily swayed about, emanating its vicious aura, making it seem as if Meng Hao were silhouetted against a terrifying, pitch-black backdrop. The Resurrection Lily had actually been ready for use as soon as he completed his Second Severing.
Furthermore, the life force inside of him came from Da Nu, a seven-colored Resurrection Lily. Because of that, although he had long been long locked in a life-or-death entanglement with the Resurrection Lily, after erasing its will, it was now fundamentally amiable.
Such amiability made it so that there was an unbreakable connection between the two of them.
Such a connection superseded that of the Spirit Severing Treasures created by most cultivators.
As of this moment, there was no one else in Meng Hao’s world except for the figure inside the incense burner. The instant he emerged from the spell formation, he transformed into a green smoke that shot directly up toward the First Mountain.
Looks of shock could bee seen on the faces of the two Spirit Severing cultivators next to the incense burner. The Second Severing Patriarch flew up into the air and shouted, “Stop him!”
At the same time, all of the Black Sieve Sect disciples down below flew up to form a huge spell formation. The power of Heaven and Earth descended, and the Hundred Thousand Mountains emitted spiritual energy. The spell formation surged with power.
The Third Severing Patriarch didn’t fly up, but rose to his feet and put his hand onto the incense burner. His eyes flickered as his cultivation base rotated. He was using only the intense power of his cultivation base to perform the refining!
“This man is not weak,” he thought. “The fact that he made it this far leaves me uncertain of whether or not I can defeat him. Therefore, I will disturb his emotions. Considering Zhou Tie’s cultivation base, and the spell formation formed by the other disciples, if his heart is in chaos, then there is a high likelihood that he can be defeated.”
As soon as Meng Hao emerged, he met the resistance of the Second Severing Patriarch. Dense killing intent filled Meng Hao’s eyes, especially when he saw the Third Severing Patriarch next to the incense burner attempting to hasten the refining process. Meng Hao’s eyes turned completely red.
“SCREW OFF!” he roared, waving his sleeve. Instantly, the Second Severing Patriarch was sent tumbling back, blood pouring from his mouth. Astonished as he was, his attempt to block Meng Hao’s path had actually slowed him down a bit.
Simultaneously, the hundreds of thousands of cultivators down below were rapidly unleashing the power of the spell formation. Bright light shot up into the air and then completely enveloped the area. Shockingly, glowing figures shot up into the air, one after another. They resembled shining souls, and represented all of the countless Black Sieve Sect disciples down below.
They quickly shot in tight formation toward Meng Hao in an attempt to block his path.
“Let’s see how you break through that!” said the Second Severing Patriarch malevolently. As his voice echoed out, the spell formation rotated, causing the colors in the sky and on land to fade. Wind spun, and spiritual energy from the Hundred Thousand Mountains surged out.
“Are you people looking to die?” said Meng Hao, his killing intent surging. He shot forward and lifted up the flag of three streamers. In addition, Blood Immortal divine abilities appeared, instantly wreaking death and destruction.
Miserable screams echoed out constantly. The incredible power of Meng Hao’s cultivation base made these enemies like nothing more than bugs. However, the sheer number of Black Sieve Sect disciples was such that it was impossible to kill all of them in a short period of time.
The Second Severing Patriarch ambled over to cautiously make sneak attacks when possible. Whenever he and Meng Hao exchanged blows, incredible booming sounds echoed out. Each time, the Second Severing Patriarch would cough up blood, and his heart would fill with astonishment.
Outside of the spell formation, the Black Sieve Sect’s Third Severing Patriarch pushed the refining process even faster. Then Xu Qing’s plaintive cry rang out from within the incense burner, filled with resigned weakness, and Meng Hao went crazy.
“All of you, DIE!” He suddenly jerked his hands up, then pushed them down toward the ground. When that happened, the land below began to quake. Meng Hao’s hair flew about wildly, and blue veins bulged out on his forehead. He seemed to be slipping into a hitherto unseen type of insanity.
“Mountain Consuming Incantation! Hundred Thousand Mountains, RISE UP!” Meng Hao tilted his head back and let out a violent roar. Down below, the ground churned like liquid, and the Black Sieve Sect’s Hundred Thousand Mountains began to shake.
They seemed on the verge of breaking away from their foundations, as if some indescribably powerful force had transformed into a hundred thousand hands that were now trying to rip the mountains up from the earth.
This… was the Mountain Consuming Incantation!
The Mountain Consuming Incantation, powered by Meng Hao’s Second Spirit Severing Eternal stratum!
When the incantation was unleashed, it was shocking to the Heavens and could cause the Earth to tremble!
“RISE UP!!” roared Meng Hao. The Hundred Thousand Mountains trembled again, and this time 10,000 mountains were violently torn away from their bases. Rocks and stone showered down as the mountains rose up into the air.
At their jagged bottoms, plants and roots were snapped and hung down, some only a few meters longs, some dozens.
This sight left everyone in the Black Sieve Sect completely and utterly flabbergasted. That included ordinary disciples, Nascent Soul Elders, and even the two Spirit Severing Patriarchs. Their astonishment had reached the complete, ultimate pinnacle.
“Who is this?! How come he looks so familiar…?”
“He looks familiar to me too! What exactly is he doing!?”
“Dammit! What divine ability is that?!”
Rumbling sounds filled the air, and everyone was dumbstruck. The Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Black Sieve Sect were being uprooted. By now, quite a few people realized that Meng Hao looked familiar, as if they had seen him somewhere before. However, considering how quickly everything was happening, they couldn’t recall exactly when they had seen such a fearsome expert.
“Stop him!!” bellowed the Third Severing Patriarch. The Hundred Thousand Mountains were the foundation of the entire Black Sieve Sect, what it relied on to ensure long-term growth. In addition, the protective spell formations in the sect required their spiritual energy to operate.
As such… if the Hundred Thousand Mountains really were ripped out of the ground… even though the sect couldn’t be considered completely destroyed… essentially, it would be!
By this point, the matter of refining Xu Qing was relatively insignificant. The Third Severing Patriarch immediately strode forward and shot toward Meng Hao. Any other Black Sieve Sect disciples who hadn’t done so already also disregarded all danger to charge at Meng Hao.
Meng Hao was now surrounded by the flag of three streamers, the vicious Resurrection Lily, as well as 10,000 magical symbols which had just flown out from inside his bag of holding. The spirits of the magical symbols formed together into a tempest that swept out in all directions.
RUMBLE!!
Thousands of mountains among the Hundred Thousand Mountains were severed from their bases. They floated up to hover in mid-air, their auras shocking, leaking spiritual energy chaotically in all directions.
“Tell me, you people, do you know fear now?” He lifted his head up and laughed maniacally. His eyes were red, and his killing intent monstrous. Gritting his teeth, he once again roared: “Mountain Consuming Incantation! RISE UP!!”
RUMBLE!!
Another 10,000 mountains were ripped up to and began to float in mid-air. By now, more than 20,000 mountains were floating there. The remaining 80,000 mountains trembled violently and let out ceaseless, deafening rumbles. Occasionally, the very peaks of some of the mountains would break off and fly up.
Meng Hao was surrounded by divine abilities as the Black Sieve Sect disciples, including the Second and Third Severing Patriarchs, nearly went mad in their attempts to get to him. Blood sprayed from Meng Hao’s mouth, but then, the power of his Eternal stratum erupted, leaving everyone else in shocked disbelief.
Meng Hao’s wounds all healed up immediately!
He possessed the Eternal stratum, and a virtually undying soul!
With an undying soul, as long as a sliver of the soul remains, then death can be overcome, and one can come back to life!
With the Eternal stratum, as long as only a drop of blood remains undestroyed, one can live again!
“Still haven’t risen up yet?!” Meng Hao roared. Rumbling filled the air as the bases of another 30,000 mountains crumbled, and they rose up into the air. Currently, more than 50,000 now floated in mid-air.
More than half of the mountain range was now afloat. Without their pressure to suppress the veins of spiritual energy that ran through the earth, the spiritual energy in the area was now in complete chaos. Spiritual energy pulsed out, smashing vegetation and trees, causing the entire land to look as if it had been scraped clean!
By now, the violent developments had attracted the attention of the whole Southern Domain.
In the Violet Fate Sect, Pill Demon was in the midst of meditation when suddenly his face flickered. He rose to his feet and jerked his head up. What he saw was a drop of blood hovering in the air above the Violet Fate Sect.
The drop of blood was bright red, and as soon as it appeared, it spread out to form a blood shield that covered over the entire Violet Fate Sect.
“Patriarch Blood Demon, what are you doing?!” cried Pill Demon, flying up into the air. Simultaneously, countless other cultivators flew up from inside the Violet Fate Sect.
Pill Demon waved his sleeve, and the world shook. A massive power shot toward the blood shield, causing an enormous boom. The blood shield trembled, but remained in place.
An ancient man wearing a red robe appeared outside of the shield. He looked down at the Violet Fate Sect. “Fellow Daoist Pill Demon, this blood is from the ancient Demon Immortal Sect. Do you really think you can break through the blood of a Demon King?”
This old man was none other than the Patriarch of the Southern Domain’s Blood Demon Sect! [1. If you're interested in reviewing chapters linking the Blood Demon Sect and Meng Hao, check out chapter 34, 93, 94, 95, 582-583, 676]
According to legends, deep within the Blood Demon Sect lurked a greater Demon of Heaven and Earth. It had been asleep for many years, and only occasionally awoke. That greater Demon was the Dao Reserve of the Blood Demon Sect!
Normally speaking, what people saw outside of the sect was this Patriarch Blood Demon.
“I bear you no ill will,” continued the old man. “I have utilized this blood, a special treasure, for the purpose of restraining you for seven days.
“After the seven days are up, the shield will fade away. As for the drop of blood… you can keep it as a form of apology.”
“You!” said Pill Demon, his face turning grim. Outside the blood shield, the red-robed old man turned and disappeared off into the distance.
Similar scenes played out at the same time in the Golden Frost Sect, the Solitary Sword Sect, the Li Clan, and the Song Clan. In total, five drops of blood appeared across the Southern Domain to cover over the headquarters of all the superpowers.
The drops of blood became seals, preventing anyone from emerging from the sects, and even preventing their Dao Reserves from awakening!
“Just what is the Blood Demon Sect up to?!”
That was what everyone was wondering. However, what shocked them even more was that the sky… suddenly turned completely red!
Moments ago, 100,000 Blood Demon Sect disciples had appeared in the air above the Southern Domain. Each and every one of the disciples cut open their arms, causing blood to spurt out. Li Shiqi, who floated in their exact center, lifted up an austere magical bottle up into the air. Within this bottle was a drop of golden blood that flew out and soaked up all the fresh red blood. The golden blood then turned bright red, after which all of the drops began to spread out, forming a huge glowing red shield that covered the entire Southern Domain.
The Southern Domain was sealed!
Such a huge seal could not be preserved for very long. At the most… seven days!
In the moment that the sealing occurred, Meng Hao was in the Black Sieve Sect, having just ripped up 50,000 enormous mountains. The spiritual energy was now in chaos, and spreading out through all of the Southern Domain.
The blood-colored shield prevented the ripples from escaping out. None of the super sects or clans of the Southern Domain would find out… nor any of the powerful experts.
Meanwhile, in the depths of the Blood Demon Sect, there existed a blood-colored pond.
Within the pond, a man sat cross-legged in meditation. He was extremely withered, and looked almost like a corpse. Suddenly, his eyes opened, and they were filled with boundless ancientness.
“I’ve been waiting for such a long time. Finally… the day has come!”