Chapter 1341: The Dao Sovereign Escapes!
Meng Hao was battering the land mass that was the 1st Heaven. Massive cracks and fissures were spreading out, and it was hard to tell how much longer the 1st Heaven would be able to hold together. Meanwhile, down in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, rumbling sounds echoed out from the region of the 33 Hells.
Then, the starry sky seemed to shatter as a huge rift opened up. A bedraggled figure trudged out, a figure who radiated both madness and venomous hatred.
He immediately coughed up a massive mouthful of blood, after which flames of insanity ignited within his eyes. Then he threw his head back and let out a piercing howl.
“Meng Hao, I hereby swear to wipe out your entire clan!!”
It was none other than the golden-armored Outsider Long Linzi who Meng Hao had lured into the 33 Hells, one of the Outsiders’ two Dao Sovereigns!
Currently, not a scrap of golden armor could be seen on him. He was in very sore straits, and was clearly fatigued. However, his energy level was no less than before, and in fact, he was slightly stronger. It was impossible to tell what torments he had endured within the 33 Hells, nor how he had managed to escape. However, the price he had paid was clearly unimaginable.
Were that not the case, he wouldn't be so consumed with resentment.
As soon as he appeared, his divine sense spread out, whereupon a tremor ran through him. He heard the shouts and cries coming from the cultivators of the Eighth Mountain and Sea, as well as his fellow Outsiders, and looked up into the sky. Then, he saw his home, the land mass that was the 1st Heaven, beginning to crumble.
What filled him with more fury than ever was that he could clearly sense the aura of Meng Hao, whom he hated with a passion and couldn’t wait to tear apart with his teeth.
“Meng Hao!” he growled, throwing his head back letting out a mindbogglingly powerful roar that filled the entire Eighth Mountain and Sea. All cultivators and Outsiders felt their minds trembling as Long Linzi transformed into a beam of bright light that shot up into the air.
Paragon Eegoo was still in the middle of battling Paragon Sea Dream. He hadn’t been very anxious earlier, but was now considering paying any price, no matter how severe, to break away from the fight. However, as soon as he sensed Long Linzi’s aura, his eyes began to shine with a strange light. The Imperial Lord who was fighting Ksitigarbha had the same reaction. The Dao Sovereign incarnations breathed sighs of relief. Then all 3 of these Outsiders let loose powerful streams of divine will, which sent ripples out into the void.
“Kill Meng Hao! Stop him!!”
“Regardless of the price, he must be cut down!!”
The shocking level of their divine will spread throughout the entire Mountain and Sea Realm, causing all cultivators to sense it. Those cultivators’ faces instantly flickered, and anxiety sprang up in their hearts. Meng Hao had become the symbol of their spirit, the spark that fueled the flames in their eyes.
If the 1st Heaven truly fell, then that spark would grow into an inferno which could inundate Heaven and Earth. But... if the 1st Heaven didn't fall, and if Meng Hao died, then those flames would not do a lick of damage to anyone except themselves.
Countless numbers of cultivators watched anxiously as everything shook. As for Long Linzi, he knew exactly what his mission was. The safety of his homeland, and his enmity toward Meng Hao, became one, filling him with an explosive madness that caused him to disregard even his own safety.
“Meng Hao!” Long Linzi let out a mighty roar as he shot with incredible speed toward the 1st Heaven. As he neared, the land mass up above continued to break apart. There were even some places along the borders that were falling. Scattered fragments of stone were falling down through the starry sky, which were then set aflame by the friction of entering the region of the Mountain and Sea Realm. Soon, the starry sky was like a sea of flames.
Everyone watching was filled with complete and utter shock. Long Linzi even began to burn his own life force, causing flames to burst out around him as he shot toward the 1st Heaven.
In the same moment that he was about to set foot into the 1st Heaven, Meng Hao was hovering there in midair, looking at the mass of flames around him. Miserable shrieks rang out in his ears as the lands cracked and crumbled. Cities fell in ruin, and numerous buildings collapsed. Mountains became plains, and plains became rifts and valleys.
He could sense the power of expulsion coming from the world, as well as the bitterness of the world's will as it howled in grief. Inwardly, Meng Hao sighed, then suddenly looked off into the distance.
A moment later, his eyes came to rest on Long Linzi, who had just burst into the 1st Heaven like a lightning bolt. This was his home, where he had grown up and practiced cultivation. He had many wonderful memories of this place, and everywhere he looked he could see places where he had spent time.
But now, looking around caused him to tremble, and his vision to turn red as if with blood. He wanted to say something, to shout out, but no sound would come. He began to pant, and the feeling of fury and madness within him was completely overwhelming.
“Y-you... you maniac!! I can’t believe you're willing to destroy my people, my tribe, all the cities... the entire world! We might be at war, but how could you go so far!?!?” Long Linzi’s maddened eyes were completely bloodshot, and were even shedding tears of blood. His heart felt as if it were being stabbed. In all directions, he only saw destroyed cities, and countless numbers of his people dead or dying.
He smelled the blood of his fellow tribesmen, and could see piles of corpses and ruins....
“Meng Hao!!” he roared. Filled with hatred and madness, he transformed into a beam of light that shot toward Meng Hao, causing everything to shake.
“So you do understand that there are limits to the wars of cultivators. Mortals should be left alone.” Meng Hao looked scornfully at Long Linzi. Voice cool, he said, “I'm not sure about all of the other cultivators in the Mountains and Seas,” he continued, “But I live by the motto... an eye for an eye, blood for blood!
“Today, the extermination of the 1st Heaven is only the beginning!” Meng Hao’s voice was as cold as ice as it echoed out. At the same time, he clenched his right hand into a fist and then punched out toward Long Linzi.
He was 5,000 kilometers away, but he still unleashed the Life-Extermination Fist!
A will of extermination exploded out, sucking in all of the life force in the area, the life of the 1st Heaven. That fist strike shook lands, rocked mountains, and caused colors to flash in the air as it rumbled forth.
Long Linzi’s eyes widened. Although he was completely enraged, he was still in command of his senses. As soon as Meng Hao attacked, his heart began to thump. Even though the power of the fist strike came purely from Meng Hao’s fleshly body, it still filled him with a sensation of intense danger.
Without any hesitation, he performed a double-handed incantation gesture and then pointed toward Meng Hao. Instantly, Essence power exploded out, becoming a six-colored vortex that slammed into Meng Hao’s fist strike.
RUMBLE!
Heaven and Earth were trembling, as was Long Linzi as he staggered backward, blood spraying out of his mouth. Meng Hao also fell back, and although every step he took was upon the air itself, the ground below quaked in response, and after a few steps, it exploded.
The ground collapsed for 3,000 meters in all directions as a huge hole appeared in the earth. Rocks and rubble fell down toward the Mountain and Sea Realm as a crater was opened up that pierced through the entire 1st Heaven.
In fact, if you looked down into that breach, you would be able to see the Mountain and Sea Realm down below.
That was how Meng Hao fought: borrowing the force of an attack against him to unleash his own bombardment.
Long Linzi roared, and his hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, causing six Essences to erupt out. They instantly transformed into six ferocious lizards, which radiated fearsome wills of extermination as they charged Meng Hao.
Meng Hao’s eyes flickered, and he laughed coldly. His right hand flashed with an incantation gesture, and then he waved it out, summoning the Paragon Bridge. When the Paragon Bridge descended onto the six Essence lizards, a massive rumbling boom echoed out as everything was destroyed.
Long Linzi looked at the shattered lands that were his home, and screamed. Then, laughing bitterly, he began to burn his life force to explosively increase the power of his cultivation base. In the blink of an eye, he pierced through the air to appear in front of Meng Hao. His hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, and flames leapt out to form a gigantic mouth which lunged toward Meng Hao.
Meng Hao had no time to dodge. He simply watched as the black mouth of flames bit down onto him.
Black flames raged as everything was ripped open: the sky, the land, and the air. But then, rumbling sounds could be heard as the black flames collapsed, and Meng Hao walked out, holding the Battle Weapon.
He didn’t pause for even a moment before charging Long Linzi. The Battle Weapon was incredibly powerful, but was also quite draining. Although Meng Hao was careful with how he drew upon his cultivation base, when the time came to attack, he never hesitated. And now, the Battle Weapon was slashing down toward Long Linzi.
In that instant, however, a tremor ran through Long Linzi, and he suddenly threw his head back and howled. Blood sprayed out of his mouth as his body unexpectedly split apart like a cicada shedding its carapace. Shockingly, only one of those bodies was hit by the Battle Weapon!
The other body fell back in full retreat, black light flickering around him. Although his aura had diminished, he was completely uninjured.
“How many times can you attack like that?!” Long Linzi roared, a windstorm kicking up around him.
Meng Hao frowned, performed an incantation gesture with his left hand, and then pointed toward Long Linzi. It was the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex, and yet, as soon as the Hexing magic was unleashed, Long Linzi threw his head back and roared.
“Mother of lizards, will of the 1st Heaven, safeguard me!” as Long Linzi roared, a shocking will arose from within the crumbling 1st Heaven. It instantly descended upon Long Linzi, fighting back against the Hexing magic, completely negating it in shocking fashion!
Meng Hao’s eyes narrowed, but he didn't hesitate. He put the Battle Weapon away and then clenched his fist to unleash the Bedevilment Fist.