I Shall Seal the Heavens

(我欲封天)

by 

Er Gen

(耳根)

Synopsis

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, a world in which “My fate is to seal the Heavens like a demon!”

Copyright by Lisa Hayes

All rights reserved. 

English Translation by Deathblade @ Wuxiaworld

ePub conversion by Lisa Hayes @ Hasseno Blog

This is a free eBook. You are free to give it away (in unmodified form) to whomever you wish.

No part of this eBook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. 

Book 10 - I Watch Blue Seas Become Lush Fields 

Chapter 1558: Peace And Calm

Meng Hao extended his right hand, and the majestic Mountain and Sea Realm began to shrink down until it was the size of his palm, where it sat, radiating brightness and glory.

“Demon Sovereign!” It was hard to say who it was who first cried out and began to kowtow, but soon the entire army of cultivators from the Vast Expanse School dropped to their knees, completely shaken by personally having witnessed Meng Hao create such a precious treasure.

“Demon Sovereign!!”

“Demon Sovereign!!!”

They weren’t the only ones. The cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm all began to cry out in excitement, until the words ‘Demon Sovereign’ echoed out without cease.

As all of the countless cultivators offered fanatical worship, Meng Hao turned toward the Mountain and Sea Butterfly and looked warmly at his parents and Xu Qing. Then he took a step forward in their direction.

Closer and closer he came, until he was upon the Mountain and Sea Butterfly. The first thing he did was kowtow to his father and mother.

“Dad, mom, I’m back!” he said, tears welling up in his eyes. Fang Xiufeng stood there trembling, and Meng Li rushed forward to lift Meng Hao to his feet. Meng Hao was about to say something when his father grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him in front of Xu Qing. Meng Li immediately glared at her husband.

“The boy’s had it a lot rougher than us….” Fang Xiufeng said softly.

Xu Qing smiled, a warm, caring smile that contained… profound emotion.

They looked at each other for a long moment before Meng Hao stepped forward and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Trembling, she returned his embrace, tears of joy seeping down her cheeks.

“I’m back….” he said softly, holding tightly to that which was the greatest blessing in his life. For thousands of years, his heart had been unstable, but now it settled down. It was something that Chu Yuyan could not do for him. Other than his father and mother, the only person in his life who could make him feel this way was Xu Qing. He felt… at peace.

The other cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm had followed Meng Hao back into the world of the Mountain and Sea Butterfly. Up above, there were no more 33 Heavens. There was only the sea of flames, burning constantly, filled with the screaming souls of the Outsiders.

As for the army from the Vast Expanse School, they set up camp outside, where they would stand guard. Without orders from Meng Hao, they would not leave, nor would they follow him into the Mountain and Sea Butterfly.

The entire starry sky was now peaceful and quiet.

It was the calmest moment Meng Hao had experienced for centuries, and also the most joyous. He was finally able to just spend time with his parents, and with Xu Qing. They returned to the Holy Mountain of the Mountain and Sea butterfly, where Xu Qing recounted everything which had occurred while he was gone. Time passed, and Meng Hao was happy.

He didn’t force the Mountain and Sea cultivators and the Vast Expanse School to go after the Immortal God Continent and the Devil Realm. He knew that those two powerful forces would be coming for him. Therefore, he decided that he might as well just wait for them to arrive.

He remained on the Holy Mountain, turning away all visitors, choosing simply to enjoy the sunrises and the sunsets. His parents were very content to see him this way.

As for all of the various cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm, they spent their time preparing to move. After all, Meng Hao had created a new home for all of them.

It wasn’t just the cultivators who would be moving. There were mortals too, as well as other life forms and legacies which needed to be prepared to enter the new Mountain and Sea Realm.

After a few days passed, Meng Hao took Xu Qing traveling in the Mountain and Sea Butterfly. Their first stop was to see his Grandpa Meng, and the rest of the Meng Clan.

Because of Grandpa Meng, the Meng Clan was famous and illustrious within the world of the Mountain and Sea Butterfly. They, along with the Fang Clan, occupied the highest of positions.

The clan members who Meng Hao had personally instructed and guided when he was in the Eighth Mountain and Sea were now the pillars of the clan.

When the clan came to find out that Meng Hao and Xu Qing were coming, it caused a huge stir. A grand celebration was prepared, and the entire clan appeared to formally receive Meng Hao.

Almost as soon as he could be seen on the horizon, all members of the clan bowed and joined their voices together in a thunderous call.

“We offer respectful greetings, Demon Sovereign and Demon Queen!” As their voices echoed out, Grandpa Meng stood there in the crowd, a glowing smile on his face. Meng Hao hurried forward along with Xu Qing. Completely disregarding his status as the Demon Sovereign, he unhesitatingly dropped to his knees to kowtow.

“Grandfather….” he said softly. Xu Qing also dropped to her knees to kowtow, her heart thumping. The reason for that was not because of the fact that everyone else was bowing to them, but because they were calling her the Demon Queen, and also because this was her first time joining Meng Hao to kowtow to any of his relatives other than his parents.

She was like a new bride, nervously paying respects to her in-laws for the first time.

Grandpa Meng laughed heartily and quickly helped them to their feet. After looking over at Xu Qing, he clapped Meng Hao on the shoulder.

“You take care of this girl,” he said quietly. “She’s been waiting for you for thousands of years!” Meng Hao nodded and slipped his hand around Xu Qing’s. She blushed.

Meng Hao and Xu Qing stayed in the Meng Clan for several days, after which they said their goodbyes. At that time, Grandpa Meng seemed like he wanted to say something, but ended up holding his tongue. Meng Hao saw this and sighed.

“Grandfather,” he said. “The revenge is not complete. The Immortal God Continent and the Devil Realm will be here soon. Then, vengeance will be had in one fell swoop.”

Next, Meng Hao took Xu Qing to Ksitigarbha’s sect, a sinister, underworldly location. As soon as Meng Hao arrived, all of the cultivators there were thrown into a commotion.

Of course, Ksitigarbha was Xu Qing’s Master, so in some ways, this sect was like her traditional bridal home. When she saw her husband strolling along with her Master, her heart overflowed with a feeling of happiness.

“How soon will they be here?” Ksitigarbha asked grimly, clearly referring to the Immortal God Continent and the Devil Realm. “Exalted Demon Sovereign, these foes must not be underestimated.”

“Soon,” Meng Hao replied calmly. He looked up into the sky. “However, I have some speculations regarding those two continents. The only way to confirm whether or not I’m right will be to see them with my own eyes.”

Ksitigarbha nodded, and then looked back at Xu Qing, his gaze warm. Turning once again to Meng Hao, he chuckled. Although he didn’t say anything, it was clear from his expression that he wished them happiness.

They didn’t stay for long with Ksitigarbha. They soon left to find Ke Jiusi in the Demon Immortal sect, where they were received with the same fanfare as the other places they had visited. Zhixiang was there, and when she looked at Meng Hao and Xu Qing, it was with sighing and mixed emotions.

This was not the first time she regretted the past. She regretted the fact that when she met Meng Hao for the first time all those years ago, she had done nothing about the spark of romance which had flickered. Back then, she had been completely devoted to her plans regarding the Demon Immortal Sect, and had never allowed anything to develop between herself and Meng Hao.

Instead, she had chosen to part from him, and sever any connection they had.

Years later, she always experienced complicated feelings whenever she saw Meng Hao. That had been especially true when she witnessed him fighting to protect the Mountain and Sea Butterfly, something that left her heart trembling with deep feeling.

Chapter 1559: Reunions

Now that Meng Hao had returned in the most spectacular of fashions as the Demon Sovereign, there was nothing Zhixiang could do but sigh and bury her bitterness deep within her heart.

“You should have grabbed him when you had the chance,” she murmured to herself. “Instead you lost him… lost him for all eternity.” With that, she bowed her head and offered greetings to Meng Hao and Xu Qing.

Meng Hao apparently didn’t notice the look in her eye. Considering they were old friends, he prevented her from offering extended formal greetings. Of course, he couldn’t help but sigh when he noticed how much older she looked. Xu Qing, on the other hand, could sense what Zhixiang was thinking. After looking at her deeply for a moment, Xu Qing smiled.

Zhixiang was an old friend, but there was someone else in the Demon Immortal Sect who was even more important to Meng Hao. He absolutely had to go pay his respects to his older brother Ke Jiusi.

Meng Hao went alone up the mountain to Ke Jiusi’s secluded meditation chamber, while Xu Qing and Zhixiang waited together at the foot of the mountain. As Ke Jiusi emerged to talk with Meng Hao, Zhixiang suddenly said, “Congratulations….”

Xu Qing looked over at her, blinked, and then smiled.

Up at the top of the mountain, Ke Jiusi tossed an alcohol flagon over to Meng Hao, then chuckled. Meng Hao looked at Ke Jiusi, smiled, then closed his eyes and took a long swig of alcohol.

After a moment passed, he opened his eyes and quietly said, “I saw foster father outside the Vast Expanse.”

Ke Jiusi stood there for a moment before patting his hand onto the boulder he was sitting on, an invitation for Meng Hao to sit down next to him. Meng Hao sat.

“Tell me about it,” Ke Jiusi said.

Meng Hao slowly recounted the story of the time he had spent in the world outside the Vast Expanse, which had existed in another time. Ke Jiusi listened quietly, occasionally drinking from his flagon. By the time Meng Hao finished, a touch of the effects of the alcohol could be seen in Ke Jiusi’s eyes, although for the most part, there was only reminiscence.

“Back then, I was a silkpants,” he said. “Of course, you know that…. Father was always disappointed in me, and yet he still did everything he could to prepare a way for me to remain in the world, undying. That was just how he was. He treated me and you the same, because in his heart, both of us were his sons.” Ke Jiusi closed his eyes to cover up the tears which were welling up. He missed his father, and he missed the past.

Meng Hao took a long drink and then looked off into the distance. He almost felt as if he could see his foster father. He had attempted to resurrect him before, but even with the supposed omnipotence of Transcendence, it was still a very difficult thing to resurrect the soul of someone who had died so many years ago.

Meng Hao and Ke Jiusi drank together on the mountain top for seven days. When it finally came time for Meng Hao and Xu Qing to leave, Ke Jiusi stood there watching them leave. Then he took another long drink.

The final Paragon in the Mountain and Sea Butterfly was the Paragon Puppet, who had once been Paragon Eegoo of the 33 Heavens. Meng Hao could see the puppet from some distance away; it was sitting cross-legged in its appointed area, completely motionless. Its mission had been to defend the world of the Mountain and Sea Butterfly, a mission that he had left to it upon his own departure years ago.

Meng Hao walked up to the Paragon, stood there, and then quietly said, “When did you come back?”

The Paragon puppet shivered, then slowly looked down. After a long moment passed, it spoke, although its voice was hoarse as if from disuse.

“500 years ago….”

It was a puppet, and its mind had been erased. 500 years ago, though, it began to remember things. From that day on, although it was still a puppet, it had been aware of who it was. However, it was unable to part from the Mountain and Sea Realm. It saw how much the Mountain and Sea cultivators respected it, a respect that was genuine even though it was only a puppet.

It had even watched many cultivators be born into the world of the butterfly, and grow up. It was filled with strange emotions, and in the end, chose not to return to the 33 Heavens. It also chose not to betray the Mountain and Sea cultivators, and even tried to forget about the memories which had been awakened.

“You’re free now,” Meng Hao said. He patted Eegoo, releasing the bonds which restrained him. Then he and Xu Qing turned to leave.

Paragon Eegoo shivered. After a moment passed, he rose to his feet, a blank look in his eyes. However, that blankness quickly disappeared, and his gaze turned hard. Then, he sat back down cross-legged, to continue standing guard.

Off in the distance, Xu Qing hesitated for a moment and then asked, “He…?”

“He has paid for his sins and atoned for his errors. I underestimated Eegoo back then. He’s a wise person.” Meng Hao squeezed Xu Qing’s hand, and then smiled.

The world of the Mountain and Sea Butterfly was abuzz with activity as everyone prepared to move. As the preparations were carried out, Meng Hao and Xu Qing appeared in one location after another to visit people they knew.

Xu Qing was very happy. As long as Meng Hao was there with her, the world was a bright place. She didn’t demand much of him. After all, her personality was simple and uncomplicated.

The two of them visited friends and enjoyed traveling. It was as if they would never tire of speaking to each other, as if there would always be more places for them to visit.

When Xu Qing looked at Meng Hao, it was with warmth and deep passion that would last for one lifetime and all lifetimes.

“I can’t stand this,” Fatty said, sighing. “Can’t stand it, I tell you!” After Meng Hao and Xu Qing arrived at his clan, he looked over at Meng Hao with a look of pity.

“Meng Hao, look at you. You have such a high cultivation base, and yet you only have one wife? That’s wrong! That’s unreasonable. Look at me! I have a few thousand wives again, and also lots of children….” Suddenly, everything seemed to grow very cold. Fatty shivered and looked over to find Xu Qing staring at him with narrowed eyes. Realizing that she was the source of the coldness, he cleared his throat a few times.

Meng Hao smiled and looked around at all of Fatty’s progeny. Soon they were talking about past times, whereupon Wang Youcai arrived. He had a jar of alcohol slung over his shoulder, which he set down in front of Meng Hao, Xu Qing, and Fatty.

“Dong Hu’s on the way,” he said. “He should be here any moment.”

“You two worked things out?” Meng Hao asked. The conflict between Wang Youcai and Dong Hu had been severe, but it was a matter between the two of them, and Meng Hao didn’t want to press for too many details.

Wang Youcai didn’t respond at first. After a moment, he sighed and said, “It’s all in the past….”

He looked very old in that moment. Suddenly, a bright beam of light appeared up above, within which was a middle-aged man. It was none other than Dong Hu.

A complicated expression could be seen on his face as he walked over quietly and sat down next to Fatty. When he looked over at Meng Hao, he was smiling emotionally.

Feeling the tension rising, Fatty suddenly looked around and said, “Remember Mount Daqing?”

In response, Wang Youcai tilted his head up, and Dong Hu’s eyes flickered with memories. Meng Hao thought back to everything that had happened in the past. Xu Qing did the same, and she smiled.

Chapter 1560: Recalling Past Times

They all exchanged glances, and then started laughing.

“Now that I think about it,” Fatty continued, starting to laugh, “it’s pretty funny. All four of us were there on Mount Daqing that year. Me, Little Tiger, and Wang Youcai. We all got kidnapped by Elder Sister Xu….” By this point he was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face. Finally, he collected himself and went on. “Elder Sister Xu, you were too cruel back then. You just grabbed us and took us all away. You know, my dad had arranged for me to get married, but before I could even consummate it, you took me away. I never got to see what she looked like!” Fatty lifted the alcohol flagon to his lips and took a drink.

Cheeks a bit flushed, Xu Qing glared at him like an Elder Sister should and said, “Did you forget about how you peed your pants when I grabbed you?”

Fatty’s eyes went wide, then he smiled wryly and raised his hands in surrender.

Meng Hao burst out laughing, and Xu Qing looked a bit embarrassed. Looking back at what had occurred that year on Mount Daqing, everything seemed to be connected somehow. Here they were, the same group, thousands of years later, all sitting together drinking.

Xu Qing felt a bit dazed by it all. Who could ever have imagined that her casual trip out of the sect on a mission to grab four youngsters would have resulted in all four of them becoming such illustrious figures.

Of course, there was the final person among those four…. She would never forget the image of that little scholar bent over the edge of the cliff, his rear end sticking up into the air as he lowered a vine rope down to the others, simultaneously making fun of them for talking about Immortals.

If someone had told her back then that she would end up marrying that little scholar, she would never have believed them.

A strange look could be seen on Dong Hu’s face, and he was just about to say something when Xu Qing glared at him.

“Dong Hu, as I recall, you came with me willingly. All I had to do was offer you a piece of candy.” A geyser of alcohol sprayed out of Fatty’s mouth. As for Dong Hu, he looked a bit embarrassed. All he could do was smile wryly and capitulate as Fatty had.

By now, even grim-faced Wang Youcai’s expression had softened. Raising his alcohol flagon, he turned to Meng Hao and said, “Meng Hao, do you know why I’ve always considered you to be my brother all these years?

“It’s because when I was finally able to go home to visit my father, he said that you went to see him once. You told him that I was out practicing cultivation…. The old man wasn’t so worried after that, assured that I wasn’t dead.” Wang Youcai took a drink, and then turned to Xu Qing. Although he was blind, the eyes within his heart caused his feelings to be plainly written on his face. “Elder Sister Xu, there’s no need for you to tell the story. Allow me. Back then, I saw you flying through the air and yelled out that I wanted to become your apprentice. That was how you ended up taking me away!”

With that, Wang Youcai cleared his throat.

After hearing his three friends’ stories, Meng Hao laughed until his sides hurt. It was actually his first time hearing such tales. In the past, of course, none of them would have revealed the truth so freely.

Then he thought back to how they had been calling for help from within the cave on the cliff, and how he had dropped that vine down to help them. He smiled.

“You should all be grateful I was willing to try to rescue you….” he said.

Fatty chuckled. “You know what? You were actually the smartest of us all. You went to rescue us and then got yourself thrown in as well…. I remember Elder Sister Xu saying something back then, heh heh. What was it? Something about latent talent, and that you had found your own good fortune.” Fatty even imitated Xu Qing’s tone of voice from back then, and everyone immediately started laughing again.

“The craziest of all was how, after you joined the Reliance Sect, you somehow finagled your way into getting into the Inner Sect. You didn’t shy from using even the most devious methods, and even pulled a fast one on Wang Tengfei. Then there was how you sold medicinal pills in the fighting arena. And the general store you started! However, most underhanded of all was that you… you actually managed to snag Elder Sister Xu!” Fatty’s brazen expose caused Xu Qing to glare at him once again. But a moment later she started laughing again. She laughed so hard that soon she was leaning up against Meng Hao. It was the hardest she had laughed in centuries.

Meng Hao glared at his friends and gave a sarcastic chuckle. They continued to tell stories, and Xu Qing’s face reddened. And yet, the smile never left her face, and she seemed very content.

Time passed. They laughed and drank, recalling old times, and soon Xu Qing was getting a bit tipsy. Finally, under the cajoling of Fatty, Wang Youcai, and Dong Hu, Xu Qing looked over at Meng Hao with fluttering eyelashes.

Meng Hao cleared his throat, and then gave into the pressure. Wrapping his arms around her, he gave her a passionate kiss.

Dong Hu laughed uproariously, and the normally taciturn Wang Youcai couldn’t hold back from chuckling. Slapping his thigh, Fatty raucously said, “Too bad Elder Brother Chen Fan isn’t here….”

Meng Hao froze for a moment, but didn’t say anything. He chose not to explain what had really occurred with Chen Fan. The Chen Fan that existed in the hearts and memories of his friends was by far the better version.

They laughed and chatted through the night, and it was as if the pressure which had weighed down on them all throughout the centuries slowly vanished. Around the third watch, late in the night, Fatty lit up a bonfire. Then, to the shock of Fatty’s wives and offspring, the entire group began to dance and sing.

It had been a very, very long time since Meng Hao had indulged himself. He told stories about promissory notes, about Planet South Heaven, and about all the things which had occurred when he was young.

By the time day broke, all of them were completely drunk.

Fatty wrapped his arms around Meng Hao’s leg and wept as he talked about all of his dead wives. He talked about how much he had missed Meng Hao, and about his parents, who had long since passed away. And in the end, he congratulated Meng Hao once again on being able to reunite with Elder Sister Xu.

Dong Hu and Wang Youcai sat across from each other solemnly and took turns exchanging blows. One punch after another was landed until both wept and embraced each other.

“Big Bro Youcai,” Dong Hu wept, “I… I made a mistake back then….”

Xu Qing held Meng Hao’s arm tightly, worried that if she released it, he would vanish. Her face was flush and her eyes a bit glazed as she stared at him, her beautiful treasure.

She suddenly giggled. “I love you, Meng Hao….”

He patted her back gently until she closed her eyes and fell asleep in his arms. Then he looked at his friends and smiled.

It was impossible for cultivators to get drunk unless they wished to. But at certain times it was necessary to relax. It didn’t matter how powerful they were in terms of magic, they were still just people….

A few days passed, and Dong Hu left, as did Wang Youcai. Fatty saw them off, and then Meng Hao and Xu Qing also took their leave. As they traveled through the lands, they were like a celestial couple, perfectly matched. Their next destination was Li Ling’er.

Li Ling’er, the successor of Paragon Sea Dream, offered formal greetings to Meng Hao. There was no strange expression on her face, only a warm smile. However, as she watched him leave, she couldn’t help but think… about their past marriage agreement.

“I truly wish you… lifetimes of happiness, and eternal blessing.” Meng Hao and Xu Qing slowly disappeared off into the distance. 

Chapter 1561: Mountain Among Mountains!

Meng Hao and Xu Qing traveled throughout the world of the Mountain and Sea Butterfly to visit many old friends and acquaintances. They wept, and they sighed. In most cases, it was impossible to maintain the friendships of the past. After all, Meng Hao’s status was now completely different from before, and led to a feeling of distance.

Eventually, they came to visit Fang Yu and Sun Hai. When Meng Hao saw the proud look on Sun Hai’s face, he cleared his throat and said, “Hello, Li’l Hai.”

Those words immediately caused Sun Hai’s pompous, proud posture to wilt, and a fawning smile to cover his face.

One couldn’t blame Sun Hai for that. Meng Hao’s ferocity and fame from years past had influenced Sun Hai in a profound way. That was clear from the fact that he had no hair on his head. After all… when the two of them first met, Meng Hao had dragged him around by the hair. No matter how many years had passed, Sun Hai couldn’t recall that scene without shivering in fear.

Sun Hai very much wanted to look proud and complacent in front of his brother-in-law, and yet he couldn’t shake his fear.

Before he could recover his composure, Fang Yu glared at him and then hit him with a glancing blow that sent him tumbling out of the house. Sun Hai had long since gotten used to being beaten in such a manner, and in fact, their children were also used to the arrangement.

A bruise quickly rose up on Sun Hai’s cheek, and yet, he was laughing loudly. It was as if the proud person from moments ago wasn’t really him. This was the real him. He began to chat and joke with Meng Hao, and yet Meng Hao simply couldn’t hold back from once again saying, “Li’l Hai….”

Sun Hai shivered, and yet, the one to receive the beating this time wasn’t him, but Meng Hao. Fang Yu directly unleashed a fist strike, and of course, Meng Hao didn’t dare to evade it. Suppressing his cultivation base, he allowed the blows to land.

When Meng Hao and Xu Qing left, Sun Hai saw them off, his face covered with numerous purple bruises. Meng Hao looked exactly the same. When facing the explosive wrath of his sister, he could only sigh. Xu Qing, on the other hand, received much different treatment. Fang Yu held her by the hand and went into great detail explaining the benefits of being violent, which left Meng Hao trembling in fear.

Finally, he clapped Sun Hai on the shoulder.

“I really sympathize with you, brother-in-law….” he sighed.

Sun Hai smiled wryly, but seemed very happy.

“You don’t understand,” he said. “I love it. The stronger my woman is, the better. The more explosive, the better!” Sun Hai sighed and looked over at his wife, eyes burning with passion.

A strange look could be seen on Meng Hao’s face as he grabbed Xu Qing, said his goodbyes, and then flew up into the air. When he saw the thoughtful look in Xu Qing’s eyes, he started to get nervous. After noticing his expression, she rolled her eyes, covered her mouth, and laughed.

Happy times always pass quickly. A month later, Meng Hao and Xu Qing had visited most of their old friends. On the way back, they happened to be flying over one particular sea when Meng Hao suddenly stopped.

“There’s an old friend here I want to see,” Meng Hao said, chuckling. Xu Qing wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Looking out over the sea, he said, “Patriarch, I’ve come to say hello.”

There was no immediate response. The surface of the sea remained as calm as ever. Meng Hao waited for a moment, then let out a cold harrumph.

The sound entered the water, which then began to seethe as a huge turtle appeared, carrying an entire country on its back. Patriarch Reliance’s voice echoed out, sounding very annoyed.

“Meng Hao, you little bastard, what do you think you’re doing? Come to bully your Patriarch with that cultivation base of yours? Damnation! This is the student bullying the master! Y-y-you, you just think about how well the Patriarch treated you back then. Very well, right? I even handed over a lot of my treasures to you!” Patriarch Reliance glared at Meng Hao, blinking, which was the sign that he was about to attempt to pull a fast one.

Meng Hao looked at Patriarch Reliance for a moment, and was just about to say something when, for no apparent reason, the land mass atop Patriarch Reliance suddenly moved, revealing a few words on his shell.

It was a partial line of text which read, “… Hao’s turtle.”

A strange expression appeared on Meng Hao’s face. He couldn’t help but muse that Patriarch Reliance definitely had his moments of brilliance. At the moment, he was clearly very pleased with himself, and yet his face was still a mask of fury.

Meng Hao started chuckling.

Clasping hands and bowing deeply, he said, “Disciple Meng Hao has come to pay respects, Patriarch.”

The gesture caused Patriarch Reliance to suddenly soften up a bit. Eyes shining with bright light, he reveled in the wonderful experience, and even shivered a bit. Inwardly, he said, “Heavens, Heavens! He’s Transcended, and yet he’s paying respects to me, the Patriarch. Hahaha! The Patriarch is once again the smartest. Hmph! The little bastard might have a Transcendent cultivation base, but in terms of intellect, he’s vastly below me.”

Inwardly, he was feeling wonderful, but outwardly he simply snorted coldly. Continuing to put on an expression of wizened experience, he said, “What matter has brought you here to offer respects to the Patriarch?”

“Patriarch, the new Mountain and Sea Realm has no Xuanwu turtles,” Meng Hao said with a smile. “Junior would like to request that the Patriarch take the lead in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Please assume the mantle of the realm’s only Xuanwu turtle, eternally responsible for the qi flow of the Mountains and Seas. No other turtle can do such a thing. Only the Patriarch is capable of this task.”

Patriarch Reliance’s jaw dropped. After a moment of thought, he asked, “You want me to be the qi flow turtle of the Mountain and Sea Realm? To put me permanently in command for all eternity? Me, the Patriarch, the only turtle? I… can cultivate the qi flow magic of the Mountain and Sea Realm, and gain enlightenment of the Demon Sealing Hexing magics of the Nine Mountains and Seas?”

Patriarch Reliance’s heart surged with excitement. What was happening was like a dream come true, something which would be so beneficial to him it was virtually impossible to describe.

If he became the sole Xuanwu turtle of the entire Mountain and Sea Realm, he would benefit from the convergence of the qi flow of the entire realm, and would have an incredibly prominent position.

“Yes. Patriarch, you are the only one up to the task. The Mountain and Sea Realm has the League of Demon Sealers as its soul, the Hexing magic as its bones, and the Mountains and Seas as its flesh. Patriarch, you and I are the only members of the League of Demon Sealers within the Mountain and Sea Realm. I’m afraid no one else would do.” Meng Hao looked at Patriarch Reliance, smiling. His words had been spoken quite calmly, and he had even thrown in some flattering words.

He didn’t have to do things in this way, but since Patriarch Reliance was his old friend, he didn’t mind resorting to such methods to bring him some happiness.

“But I’m not part of the League of Demon Sealers, am I?!” Patriarch Reliance blurted. However, he immediately regretted those words, and quickly changed his tone of voice. “Er, fine, fine!” he roared. “To give you some face, I agree.”

Meng Hao smiled. Voice soft, he said, “Patriarch, you are my Dao Protector, so naturally, you’re part of the League of Demon Sealers. I thank you for everything.”

With that, he extended his right hand, and the Mountain and Sea Realm appeared. He quickly performed an incantation gesture and pointed out at Patriarch Reliance.

“I call upon the power of my name to perform Righteous Bestowal on Patriarch Reliance. He shall become the sole Xuanwu turtle of the Mountain and Sea Realm, and take up residence on the Ninth Mountain!

“The Mountain and Sea Realm has Nine Mountains and Nine Seas. This Xuanwu turtle bears Mount Daqing upon his back, my Dao Corroboration Mountain. Let that mountain become the Mountain among Mountains!”

Chapter 1562: She Does Not Wish To Awaken

“Spirit automaton of the Mountains and Seas! You dissipated in the past, and the time has come for you to form anew. Merge with a strand of my divine sense and be born again!” As soon as Meng Hao’s words echoed out, a tremor ran through Patriarch Reliance. The seals which had been placed on him in the past vanished, and a surge of power erupted up. Gradually, a shocking qi flow appeared on him.

That qi flow connected to the Mountain and Sea Realm, forming a resonance. At the same time, the excited Patriarch Reliance shrank, transforming into a beam of light that shot into the Mountain and Sea Realm. As of this moment, he became the sole Xuanwu turtle of the Mountain and Sea Realm, protector of its qi flow.

The State of Zhao held something unique and special, the Mountain among Mountains. It was now a seed of the Mountains and Seas; should the realm ever meet destruction again, as long as that Mountain among Mountains existed, the Mountain and Sea Realm would be able to continue on.

Having accomplished these things, Meng Hao put the Mountain and Sea Realm away. Along with Xu Qing, he continued along through the world of the Mountain and Sea Butterfly. He looked for Choumen Tai, but was unable to find him. After sending some divine sense out, he confirmed that Choumen Tai was not within the Mountain and Sea Butterfly. However… he would soon be appearing in Meng Hao’s presence.

“Qing’er, there’s somewhere else I need to go….” Meng Hao said softly, his voice melancholy and tinged with reminiscence. Xu Qing looked at him thoughtfully.

A few days passed. In another location in the world of the Mountain and Sea Butterfly was a mountain range, outside of which Meng Hao hovered. He looked at the mountains with a disconsolate expression for a moment before entering.

This particular mountain range was famous within the Mountain and Sea Butterfly. It was the location of the ancient Kunlun Society, and was now an autonomous state within the Mountain and Sea Butterfly world.

Meng Hao’s arrival was not detected by anyone in the Kunlun Society. It was almost as if he existed in a different space that allowed him and Xu Qing to pass by all the cultivators without their knowledge. Soon, they were deep within the Kunlun Society mountains, standing at the foot of a towering mountain.

This mountain did not have a sharp peak, but rather, a basin filled with swirling mist, and the ripples of powerful spell formations. An old man sat cross-legged at the top of the mountain, completely unmoving.

A powerful medicinal aroma emanated out from him to fill the area.

It was none other than… Pill Demon!

He was Meng Hao’s Master, as well as Chu Yuyan’s.

As Meng Hao stood there silently at the bottom of the mountain, his heart was filled with bitterness. He began to walk slowly up to the top, followed closely by Xu Qing. When they reached the top, they saw Pill Demon sitting there in front of a coffin, surrounded by spell formations which had been in place for many, many years.

Inside of the coffin was a beautiful woman, laying there peacefully, as if she were sleeping.

The instant Meng Hao laid eyes on the coffin, his sadness deepened, and various memories flitted through his mind. After a long moment passed, Meng Hao clasped hands and bowed deeply to Pill Demon.

“Master,” he said softly.

Pill Demon shivered. Turning, he saw that it was Meng Hao standing there behind him, and a profound gleam appeared in his eyes as he rose to his feet. After a moment passed, he sighed and walked over to Meng Hao, then clasped his shoulder. Looking over at Xu Qing, he nodded, then turned and left.

Meng Hao stood there quietly, looking at the coffin, thinking about how Yan’er had crushed Chu Yuyan’s soul right in front of him.

Xu Qing walked forward to stand next to Meng Hao. As she looked down into the coffin, her gaze softened. “Meng Hao,” she said quietly, “do you want to tell me what that happened while we were apart?”

Meng Hao stood there quietly for a long moment. Then he began to recount the story of what had happened on Planet Vast Expanse. He talked about Han Bei, and about taking in an apprentice named Yan’er.

He talked about the Ninth Hex, and about the nine incarnations. He talked about Little Treasure. He took his time explaining everything….

“After Little Treasure closed his eyes and vanished, Yan’er destroyed the memories of her previous life. I thought she had entered the cycle of reincarnation, but when I went to look for her, she wasn’t there. That was when I realized that she never did enter reincarnation. She actually returned to her original body.

“It was almost like she had been living in a dream, and in the end… she wasn’t willing to awaken.” By the end, his words were spoken in a hoarse murmur as he looked down at Chu Yuyan’s body inside the coffin.

Xu Qing listened patiently. She could almost visualize everything that had happened with Meng Hao, Little Treasure, and Yan’er. Meng Hao simply wasn’t capable of understanding the deeper meaning of everything involved, but as for Xu Qing, it gave her a profound understanding of Chu Yuyan.

“She does not wish to awaken because she would rather be alone in a world of her own making,” she said softly. “She wants to forget you, Meng Hao, because she loves you. She is lost.”

She looked over at him, a smile on her face, a simple smile of determination and focus. “If she still remembers you when she wakes up, then… why don’t we all practice cultivation together?”

Meng Hao reached out and clasped her hand tightly. He didn’t say anything. Xu Qing looked down at Chu Yuyan laying there in the coffin, and felt both compassion and gratefulness.

Meng Hao didn’t say anything more about the matter. Eventually, he and Xu Qing left.

About half a month later, everyone in the Mountain and Sea Butterfly was ready to depart. Meng Hao produced the Mountain and Sea Realm, which rapidly grew larger, sending powerful ripples out in all directions.

Gradually, nine huge vortexes appeared outside of the Mountain and Sea Realm, one for each of the Nine Mountains and Seas.

The people of the Mountain and Sea Realm were given their choice as to which vortex to enter.

Boundless light shone into the air as the excited cultivators vanished one by one. When they reappeared, they were inside of the Mountain and Sea Realm, back in their home.

Soon, everyone was inside, including Fatty and all of Meng Hao’s other friends, as well as Ksitigarbha and the Paragons. Once everyone was safely inside, Meng Hao waved his finger, causing the Mountain and Sea Butterfly to shrink down until it transformed into two people. They were none other than his parents, who smiled at him before entering the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Xu Qing was the last person to remain outside.

“I’ll be waiting for you,” she said. She was well aware that Meng Hao still had revenge to seek. Giving him a profound look, she turned and entered the ninth vortex.

As Meng Hao hovered there alone, the Mountain and Sea Realm shrank down into the palm of his hand. After looking at it warmly for a moment, he put it away, then looked down… at the green bronze coffin.

After a moment, he clasped hands and bowed deeply.

“Many thanks!” he said.

The coffin emanated a pulse of gentle power, seemingly in response. Then, everything went quiet again. Slowly, a vortex once again rose up around the coffin, covering it over until it was no longer visible. Meng Hao looked away, turning his attention to the sea of flames up above, and the rest of the starry sky.

Chapter 1563: The Wind Stirs

Nearest to Meng Hao at the moment was the Immortal God Continent, which was covered by an endless mist as it shot through the starry sky at incredible speed.

Normally, it was a trip that should have taken hundreds of years, but in this case, only a few short months had passed. Rumbling sounds echoed out as it got closer and closer.

Meng Hao looked away from the starry sky. Down below, the green coffin was no longer visible. He took a step forward, placing him directly in front of the sea of flames. He extended his right hand, and the fire shrank down until it was the size of his palm, after which he put it away.

The huge army from the Vast Expanse School all looked over at Meng Hao, their cultivation base power surging. However, none of them said a single word. As Meng Hao approached them, their energy rose higher and higher.

They knew that the true war had yet to begin. All of them were fully aware that Meng Hao’s true enemies were the Immortal God Continent and the Devil Realm Continent. The 33 Heavens had been little more than a stepping stone.

Meng Hao took his place atop the old lizard, where he sat down cross-legged and then spoke in a voice that echoed like thunder.

“Three days. In three days’ time, the Immortal God Continent will arrive.” Immediately, the surrounding cultivators’ eyes flickered with the desire to kill.

“They shall die!” roared the Vast Expanse School troops, their cultivation bases surging, their expressions gleaming with madness. There were even some who licked their lips.

To these cultivators, it didn’t really matter that they never got a chance to slaughter all 33 Heavens. They were here to fight for Meng Hao, to fight for a Transcendent cultivator. As such, the truly worthy opponents were the Immortal God Continent and the Devil Realm Continent.

They knew that the Immortal God Continent was considered a top power within the starry sky of the Vast Expanse, but that only made them more excited.

They knew that their opponents… were not invincible, now that Meng Hao had Transcended!

Meng Hao was even more clear on that point. In fact, he was aware that if he wished to, it would be a simple matter for him to single-handedly wipe out the Immortal God Continent and the Devil Realm Continent. However, he didn’t do that, the reason being… that his ultimate opponent was the will of the starry sky of the Vast Expanse.

That will would most certainly take advantage of the situation to try to fight him. Therefore, he needed to stay at his peak state, and could not allow any distractions to influence him.

If he focused too much on trying to destroy the Immortal God Continent and the Devil Realm personally, then it could leave an opening for the will of the starry sky to make a move. In fact, that will was hoping for just such a thing to occur. As long as Meng Hao could be distracted in some way, it would be worth it.

Meng Hao’s eyes glittered as his aura slowly grew still and calm. He looked out coldly into the stars, waiting for the final battle to begin.

Three days flew by. Suddenly, the stars off in the distance began to ripple and distort. Thunderous rumbling sounds echoed out, and a bizarre pressure filled the area. An enormous, majestic continent suddenly appeared.

The pressure instantly grew more intense as the vague shape of a hand suddenly appeared and then shot toward the Vast Expanse School army.

The Sect Leader snorted coldly. The golden-robed Jin Yunshan, Sha Jiudong, and Bai Wuchen all unleashed the power of their cultivation bases, sending a massive force flying out to defend against the hand. Everything shook wildly.

The Immortal God Continent ripped through the starry sky. It was an enormous land mass, so huge that by the time only half of it was visible, it seemed to stretch out infinitely in all directions. Numerous peak 9-Essences auras erupted out, along with ordinary 9-Essences, 8-Essences, and 7-Essences auras.

Countless figures flew out from the Immortal God Continent in beams of brilliant light.

Behind them were hosts of cultivators, all of whom radiated bleak, ferocious auras. In the blink of an eye, their numbers swelled past the 1,000,000 mark, and rapidly reached 10,000,000.

Behind that group, even more cultivators flew out; it almost seemed like they would keep coming without end, for all eternity.

The army from the Vast Expanse School didn’t speak, nor did they hesitate for even a moment. They… instantly began to power up their cultivation bases to fight!

Intense killing intent rose up from them, and yet they didn’t immediately begin to fly. Instead, they looked over at Meng Hao.

Meng Hao pointed out at the Immortal God Continent, and then his eyes glittered as he said, “Exterminate all of the cultivators from this land mass!”

It was as if an explosive wave had been unleashed as the cultivators of the Vast Expanse School surged into action. Their howls shook the starry sky as they began to fly forward in attack.

In the blink of an eye, the two groups of cultivators clashed. The sound of fierce, shocking fighting rang out. The Sect Leader and other peak 9-Essences cultivators were like a sharp sword that slashed deeply into the enemy forces.

Behind them were the other 9, 8, and 7-Essences experts, the Dao Sovereigns, and countless others. It only took a moment for the fighting to reach a fever pitch.

“DIE!”

“DIE!!”

“DIE!!!”

The roars of the fighting cultivators caused the Heavens to suddenly go dim. The stars shook, and even suns and moons seemed to cower in fear.

The war… had truly begun!

The Sect Leader took the lead in the charge. Following him, the army of the Vast Expanse School cut through the enemy like a hot knife through butter. Every advancement they made caused the front line of the Immortal God Continent forces crumbled a little bit more.

Soon, the reek of blood filled the sky, and countless casualties had been inflicted.

Meng Hao stood atop the old lizard, looking coldly at the Immortal God Continent. His vision pierced through the entire continent until it came to rest on a huge statue. That statue depicted the Immortal God Continent’s Transcendor, who had lived many years in the past. When Meng Hao’s gaze came to rest on the statue, he could sense a boundless dignity and might. However, it was in that moment that the mists around the statue swirled, and the statue distorted slightly. Suddenly it looked slightly different than before.

“Something’s different,” Meng Hao murmured.

Chapter 1564: Immortal God Opening Salvo!

“Or perhaps it’s always been different, and my cultivation base was just never high enough that I would notice.” He looked thoughtfully around at the fighting, and all of a sudden, noticed one particular woman.

It was the same woman who had tried to kill him in years past, whom he had bitten, tearing a chunk of flesh off of her face. Right now, she was fighting with one of the Vast Expanse School’s 9-Essences Paragons.

In the two thousand years which had passed, the woman was still in the early 9-Essences level. Her cultivation base had made virtually no progress. When Meng Hao realized that, his eyes narrowed. He had his speculations about what was going on with the Immortal God Continent, and although he was very confident that he was right, he had been unable to prove anything.

The woman cried out shrilly as she waved her hand in an attack, causing everything around her to fill with rumbling sounds. The 9-Essences Paragon she was fighting was no less focused, and their battle caused booms like that of thunder to echo out.

Back when Meng Hao had fought this woman years ago, he had paid a very heavy price. And yet now, she was like an ant. After looking at her for only a moment, he was already disinterested.

His single glance caused her to tremble. Regardless of whether she wanted to or not, she had to admit… that the familiar figure standing on the enormous lizard, just outside the battlefield, was causing an unprecedented level of pressure to crush down onto her.

Years ago, she had looked down on him with contempt, but now he had turned into something that could cause the entire starry sky to shake violently, and could destroy her as easily as flipping over his hand.

Meng Hao’s casual glance caused her to start shaking. Apparently, his gaze contained a bizarre power that could disregard natural law and shake Essences. Blood sprayed out of the woman’s mouth, and she fell back.

“How could he have gotten so powerful!?!?

“This is impossible! The last time I saw him, he was nothing more than a stray dog, but now…. I can’t believe that I’m unable to stand up to a single glance from him. Plus, he’s surrounded by countless other terrifying beings!” The woman fell back again, filled with bitterness. Booms rang out as the fighting continued.

It was almost as if nothing amazing existed in the world unless Meng Hao looked at it. Or as if his gaze was the source of all splendor.

It was at this point that a powerful shockwave suddenly blasted out from the Immortal God Continent. The shockwave shook the starry sky as an old man flew out, wearing a gray robe. He had three greatswords strapped to his back, and radiated dazzling energy has he strode through the starry sky. The emanations of his cultivation base were such that ordinary 9-Essences cultivators would be crushed by him. He was… a peak 9-Essences expert.

Although Meng Hao had never seen this old man before, he knew who he was. Back when the Mountain and Sea Realm was destroyed, Meng Hao had attempted to attack the Immortal God Continent itself. This old man had sighed, which was his form of attack, something that dissolved the attack power of the exploded Mountain and Sea Realm, and which had left Meng Hao seriously injured.

This time, the old man was clearly not acting as casually as he had been back then. He showed an unprecedented level of graveness as he made his appearance and then flicked his sleeve. Instantly, gray smoke roiled up into the sky. Massive rumbling sounds echoed out as lighting exploded out through the entire area.

“Meng Hao!” The old man’s cultivation base power instantly transformed into a powerful force of expulsion that shoved all Vast Expanse School cultivators away from him. Blood sprayed out of their mouths as they were sent tumbling away. 7 and 8-Essences Paragons gasped in response to the pressure radiating off of the old man, and even 9-Essences Paragons were shocked.

Considering the level of this old man’s peak 9-Essences cultivation base, he could be considered to be at the most powerful level beneath Transcendence, comparable to the other eccentric experts Meng Hao had in his service.

The only people who qualified to fight him were the Sect Leader, Jin Yunshan, Sha Jiudong and Immortal Bai Wuchen, and yet even they could not quite match up.

The gray-robed old man let out a howl that shook the stars, and caused blood to ooze out of the eyes, ears, noses, and mouths of countless cultivators. The old man turned into a streak of gray light that shot from his original position toward Meng Hao.

The Sect Leader snorted coldly, and instantly prepared to intercept him. In the Sect Leader’s mind, the old man was seeking death, so he might as well accommodate him.

However, Meng Hao’s expression didn’t change at all as the old man shot toward him. Next to him, the termite’s eyes glittered with cold light as it transformed into a bolt of white lightning. At the same time, swarms of smaller termites erupted out from inside of it, becoming a cloud of vicious little beasts that charged voraciously toward the old man. Simultaneously, the giant queen termite began to emanate powerful ripples which distorted the starry sky and turned into a huge vortex around the old man.

The old man’s eyes went wide. This termite was not something he could afford to underestimate. He quickly sent cultivation base power out to fight against the swarm of termites, leaving him incapable of trying to fight with Meng Hao. He was locked in place five kilometers away from Meng Hao, surrounded by booms and ripples that caused Heaven and Earth to darken.

Further off on the battlefield, the Sect Leader and the others were now on the offensive. The Immortal God Continent was suffering one defeat after another, and their casualties vastly outnumbered that of the Vast Expanse School.

It was virtually impossible for the experts of the Immortal God Continent to avoid deadly attacks, and one after another perished.

Meng Hao’s expression remained the same the entire time. He refused to believe that this was the extent of the power of the Immortal God Continent. Considering the resources they had at their disposal, he was of the opinion that the fighting had just begun.

He wasn’t in a rush. There were many ways to get revenge. Just like the 33 Heavens, he would completely and utterly destroy these enemies. Furthermore, those cultivators from the Vast Expanse School who died in battle could easily be brought back by the power of his Transcendent cultivation base.

The sound of fierce fighting echoed out with increasing intensity. The Immortal God Continent army was pushed back over and over again. At this point, a blast of energy surged out from the Immortal God Continent. It was a middle-aged man, face expressionless, a horsetail whisk in his hand. The whisk had 3,000 strands, each of which contained a great Dao. As soon as he appeared, he unleashed destruction upon the ranks of the Vast Expanse School, whose army suddenly lurched to a halt.

Voice cool, the man said, “I will exterminate the entire clan of any who dare to offend the Immortal God Continent!” He waved his sleeve, causing an explosive wind to sweep out in all directions. Jin Yunshan let out a piercing cry, and at the same time, Sha Jiudong transformed into a sandstorm. One was like the light, and the other the darkness. Instantly, they shot forward to intercept the man with the horsetail whisk.

Chapter 1565: Less Real Than It Seems

The middle-aged man frowned. Having no other alternative, he waved his hand, causing the 3,000 strands to transform into 3,000 beams of light. Those beams of light then turned into 3,000 white-armored wooden puppets with shockingly powerful cultivation bases. They immediately charged into the army of Vast Expanse School cultivators, slowing their advance.

At the same time, the Immortal God Continent emitted rumbling sounds, and shook visibly as numerous huge objects appeared. Shockingly, it was a group of pitch black war chariots!

Each one of them was fully 30,000-meters long, and they blotted out the sky as they rumbled forth. The chariots were being pulled by countless vicious spirits, who howled as they advanced, spreading pitch-black light everywhere they went, a light that contained power which could destroy the Heavens and extinguish the Earth.

There seemed to be no end to the chariots, which if anyone took the time to count, would number in the hundreds of thousands. Furthermore, black beams light spread out in all directions, like hundreds of thousands of black arrows that stabbed toward the army from the Vast Expanse School.

The incredible scene was almost impossible to describe. Black light and black arrows shot out in spectacular fashion, like the shadow of death bearing down on the army of the Vast Expanse School!

The rain of deadly arrows sped through the starry sky, causing everything to rumble. It took only a moment for them to pierce through the void and appear directly in front of the cultivators from the Vast Expanse School.

Their murderous auras were like ice, leaving the cultivators in the army feeling like they were about to be frozen. There were even some with low cultivation bases who were so shocked they couldn’t move.

It was as if they were all about to die!

In that moment of crisis, the Sect Leader threw his head back and roared, stretching his hands out in both directions. Instantly, a huge wind kicked up, rising high up above him as suddenly, a turtle shell appeared in his hands!

It was the precious treasure of the Vast Expanse School!

Shockingly, he had brought the precious treasure with him, and now he was unleashing it in battle. As the wind screamed, the turtle shell expanded rapidly, covering all of the Vast Expanse School cultivators.

The pitch-black murderous will slammed into the turtle shell, and was completely blocked. A massive boom echoed out, shaking everything, causing minds to reel, and laws both natural and magical to be destroyed.

The turtle shell vibrated, but held strong. Countless magical symbols appeared on its surface, and it radiated an ancient and profound aura, an aura full of mystery.

Although everything seemed to happen relatively quickly, to the people involved, it was as if time were moving very slowly. Eventually, the turtle shell vanished, and the Sect Leader was left with an ashen face. Some of the other 9-Essences experts who had lent him power also coughed up blood. Killing intent flickered within the Sect Leader’s eyes.

“We can’t give them time to unleash another wave of those war chariots!” he cried. Instantly, Bai Wuchen and the other 9-Essences experts flew out and began to fight their way toward the Immortal God Continent itself.

Meng Hao hadn’t moved the entire time. However, the incident with the war chariots gave him a much better understanding of the resources at the disposal of the Immortal God Continent.

Even as the Sect Leader and the others began their charge, three beams of light shot out from the land mass. In the lead position was an old woman with silver hair. A vicious gleam could be seen in her eyes, and her cultivation base exploded with power as she began to fight the Sect Leader and the others.

At the same time, the black light of the war chariots once again began to converge. As that happened, Meng Hao could visibly detect that the Immortal God Continent itself had withered a bit.

Turning to the huge head hovering nearby, Meng Hao coolly said, “Your turn!”

Instantly, the head vanished. When it reappeared, it was right above the Immortal God Continent, where it immediately let out boundless pressure. The natural laws of the Immortal God Continent responded with a force of expulsion that rose up from all corners of the land mass.

“Trifling land mass, you’re not worthy to try to banish me!” A vicious expression appeared on the head’s face as it suddenly let out a powerful roar. The resulting sound wave rolled over the entire world, causing the lands to shake. Mountain peaks were blasted into ash, and huge crevices opened up on the plains.

The war chariots began to vibrate, and then cracks spread out over their surfaces.

“How dare thee!!” roared a voice that echoed out across the entire Immortal God Continent. A stream of sword qi rocketed up toward the head.

The head smiled viciously and, before the sword qi could reach it, opened its mouth and blew out a blast of gray fire that set the entire land mass ablaze.

The fire engulfed the war chariots, which then began to collapse into charred rubble.

This fire was no ordinary fire. It was fire unleashed by a powerful expert at the great circle of the peak of 9-Essences. It was soul fire, fueled by his very life force….

It was in this moment that the statue of the ancestor in the middle of the continent, the statue which depicted the ancient Transcendor, suddenly began to glow. A field of light began to spread out, covering the entire Immortal God Continent, both extinguishing the flames spit out by the head and also increasing the power of expulsion exponentially.

The gigantic head was sent spinning away, forced completely out of the Immortal God Continent.

Shockingly, the head looked afraid. Even in the moment in which it was expelled, and before it could react, the sword qi shot out and stabbed toward its forehead.

Cracking sounds emanated out as the head’s forehead began to split open. At the same time, a man appeared down below, radiating a murderous aura as he flew along atop a bronze sword.

The sword moved at incredible speed, bearing down on the huge head in spectacular fashion. Just when it seemed to be on the verge of stabbing through the head, the head’s bloodshot eyes flickered with profound light. The area around it then distorted, sending ripples out in all directions. The Essence of Time appeared, and the sword qi was crushed as if by an enormous grinding stone, instantly transformed into countless sparks which spilled out in all directions.

The man on the flying sword looked over with coldly glittering eyes. Performing an incantation gesture, he immediately began to battle with the enormous head.

Massive booms filled the area around the Immortal God Continent. The entire world seemed to be hovering on the brink of collapse.

Chapter 1566: The Resources!

In addition to the fighting between the 9-Essences experts, there were other battles between the 7 and 8-Essences Paragons. The shocking nature of the fighting caused the entire starry sky to shake violently.

There were also Imperial Lords, Dao Sovereigns, and Dao Lords. The sheer numbers involved ensured that the fighting on the battlefield was intense to the extreme. Of course, the bulk of the fighting was taking place between the Ancient Realm and Immortal Realm cultivators, of whom there were vast numbers. The vast sea of battling cultivators constantly crushed those on the front lines into a bloody pulp!

Blood rained down as the death toll rose rapidly!

The cultivators of the Immortal God Continent had no reason to hold back from fighting, and the thought of retreat didn’t even exist in their minds. It was almost as if there were something inside of them urging them to forget everything else and focus only on fighting.

As for the cultivators from the Vast Expanse School, they were fighting for a Transcendent cultivator. Dying in battle would be the ultimate of honors, and besides, even if they did die, they had faith that their Transcendent leader would be able to bring them back from the dead.

And that was in fact the case.

Meng Hao stood there looking out at the Immortal God Continent and all its cultivators, and his eyes glowed with coldness.

He hated the 33 Heavens.

But he hated the Immortal God Continent and the Devil Realm Continent even more!

This was a battle for vengeance!

As he stared coldly at the battle, his brow slowly furrowed. In the past, the cultivators from the Immortal God Continent had seemed particularly sharp and quick-witted. But now, they somehow seemed slower, although physically they were the same as before.

“My speculations are most likely correct,” Meng Hao thought. As far as he was concerned, he was now almost completely convinced that he was right about the Immortal God Continent and the Devil Realm. Beneath him, the old lizard looked around with killing intent flickering in its eyes. However, without Meng Hao’s express orders, it wouldn’t take action. Instead, it just watched the carnage unfolding. Soon, the fighting had reached an incredible climax. Screams echoed out constantly, until finally, Meng Hao’s eyes flickered. Even as he looked over at the Immortal God Continent, booming sounds rang out as over a hundred volcanoes began to erupt simultaneously.

Pillars of flame rose up into the sky, causing everything else to grow dark. At the same time, numerous seven-colored puppets appeared within the fire.

The puppets began to form together into phalanx formations, over a hundred of them. They emanated spectacular energy, and an ancient air that seemed to stretch back through countless years of time.

The appearance of the seven-colored puppets instantly lifted the spirits of the Immortal God Continent cultivators. It was as if they were now gazing upon the key to victory.

This was one of the Immortal God Continent’s reserve powers, seven-colored puppets concealed within the volcanoes for countless years, puppets that seemed to have their own unique natural law. That natural law could influence space, and was filled with power that could alter Heaven and Earth and lead to assured victory.

Soon, the more than one hundred phalanxes of seven-colored puppets were slaughtering their way into the forces of the Vast Expanse School.

Meng Hao stood calmly atop the head of the old lizard. After looking at the seven-colored puppets for a while, his gaze shifted to the statue of the Immortal God Continent’s Transcendor.

Things had not yet reached the point where he needed to intervene. The Vast Expanse School was a powerful force, and even though they were away from the sect on a campaign, unable to bring many of their most powerful reserve weapons, they were still not a force to be underestimated.

Almost as soon as the seven-colored puppets took action, the Vast Expanse School’s 9-Essences Paragons joined their voices together to shout, “Vast Expanse Blood Formation!”

Instantly, the forehead of each and every one of the countless Vast Expanse cultivators opened up, and a drop of blood flew out. The drops then merged together into a vast sea of blood, from within which emerged numerous blood-colored giants. The giants threw their heads back and let out enraged roars as they jumped forward to fight the seven-colored puppets.

The intense fighting caused the entire starry sky to shake!

The Vast Expanse Blood Formation slammed into the seven-colored puppets, sending a shockwave blasting out in all directions. Almost immediately, the seven-colored puppets were shoved backward, and the light shining off of them dimmed.

Although the Immortal God Continent was strong, the Vast Expanse School was a powerful force which had given birth to a Transcendent cultivator. A battle between the two was not the type in which victory could be easily determined.

As Meng Hao watched the seven-colored puppets being forced back across the battlefield, his eyes flickered with a strange light. He looked more closely at the Immortal God Continent, and the cultivators from there, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. But then, rumbling sounds suddenly filled the air.

The entire Immortal God Continent appeared to be shaking. Mountain peaks began to sway back and forth, and then cracking sounds rang out as they rose up into the air. Various sects covered those mountain peaks, of which there were fully 1,000,000. The sight of them all rising up into the air was completely shocking.

Next, it was as if a seal had been undone. The peakless mountains had apparently been opened up, as countless shocking roars echoed out from inside of them. Shockingly, dragons appeared from the 1,000,000 mountains, immediately flying high up into the air.

The enormous dragons emanated pressure that could strike fear deep into anyone’s soul, and their roars caused wild colors to flash in the air. Wind screamed up into a tempest as the dragons charged toward the army from the Vast Expanse School.

“Very impressive, Immortal God Continent,” Meng Hao murmured, eyes glittering brightly. He waved his hand, and the old lizard let out a howl and charged toward the fighting at top speed. Almost immediately, it appeared above the Immortal God Continent, where it suddenly changed form, transforming into something like a river of stars that stretched out overhead in dazzling fashion.

A huge roar became a sound wave filled with killing intent, and the enormous dragons began to tremble. As they fought back, the old lizard was blocked, and yet at the same time, the dragons were also held in check.

Shockingly, the old lizard was single-handedly preventing all of the huge dragons from doing a single thing.

Heaven and Earth shook wildly, and the starry sky filled with rumbling sounds. The fighting had reached an incredible level of intensity. The Immortal God Continent cultivators were being pushed back by the Vast Expanse School, until they were almost on the continent itself.

Because the old lizard was keeping the huge dragons in check, the Immortal God Continent was now in a moment of grave crisis.

“The Immortal God Continent must have more resources at their disposal than this,” Meng Hao murmured. His expression was the same as ever as he hovered there in the starry sky.

Chapter 1567: Not Willing!

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Meng Hao’s pupils constricted as he sensed a very unique aura rising up from within the Immortal God Continent.

It was like a will, or perhaps a stream of divine sense, something all-powerful and supremely domineering.

A red glow rose up from deep within the Immortal God Continent, a color like that of blood. It was something domineering, aggressive, and filled with madness. It was a light… which could exterminate all life!

Almost as soon as the red light appeared, the vast hosts of cultivators from the Immortal God Continent looked extremely excited.

“Ji Realm Ancestral Light!!”

The Ji Realm is something which comes from very early in Renegade Immortal. It has nothing to do with the Ji Clan in this story, the Chinese characters are different

“We’re not defeated yet! How could we lose!?” Roaring, they began to fight back against the Vast Expanse School with full power. At the same time, Meng Hao heard the words they were shouting.

“Ji Realm Ancestral Light!” Meng Hao looked at the red light as it spilled out rapidly toward the cultivators of the Vast Expanse School.

Meng Hao could sense the terrifying nature of that power, and was sure that it was something that the cultivators of the Vast Expanse School could not defend against. If it managed to spread out over the army, more than half of the force would be killed.

Meng Hao suddenly laughed and took a step forward, looking completely unruffled. Shockingly, when he reappeared, he was directly in front of the red light. Then he extended his right hand and pushed it straight out in front of him.

The red light which had exploded out from the deepest parts of the Immortal God Continent immediately reacted to Meng Hao. It began to shine even more dazzlingly than before, spreading out rapidly, then converging together in a beam that shot straight toward Meng Hao.

The speed at which it moved defied imagination. In the blink of an eye, it became something like red lightning which flashed through the air toward Meng Hao’s outstretched hand.

Everything around Meng Hao was shaking violently. The starry sky was collapsing as countless red sparks of electricity raged around him. His hair whipped about his head, and his clothes flapped violently as the red light surrounded him.

By now, all of the cultivators present, both those from the Vast Expanse School and the Immortal God Continent, were all looking over in shock.

Time seemed to slow down as the red light around Meng Hao slowly began to fade away. He looked up, and then snapped his fingers.

Instantly, a sound like a thunderclap filled the world.

The red lightning bolt shattered, becoming nothing more than motes of red light that floated out to vanish into the starry sky.

“The Ji Realm Ancestral Light,” he murmured softly. “Not bad. Enough to exterminate all things which have not Transcended.” With that, he swished his sleeve as calmly as before, hovering there in the starry sky, looking down at the entire Immortal God Continent.

His gaze was something filled with seemingly endless dignity. At that point, all living things on the land mass suddenly trembled and then simultaneously shouted,

“Anyone who assaults the Immortal God Continent shall DIIIIEEEEEEEEE!” As their roar spread out, the Immortal God Continent began to crack and crumble. Mountains were rent apart, and rivers were destroyed. It was as though two huge hands were ripping the lands apart, from within which a huge figure appeared.

It was a giant!

These were resources which had apparently been buried beneath the ground. The giant’s eyes opened, and nine glittering stars appeared on his forehead. He raised his right hand, slamming it down onto the lands to launch himself up into the Heavens.

“God Tribe!” he roared. As he flew up into the air, he began to rapidly expand, reaching a size that might even rival a planet, the sight of which caused all onlookers to be shaken with fear.

If that were all there were to it, it might not be a big deal. But then, more rifts opened up on the Immortal God Continent, and dozens of figures were revealed beneath.

Numerous giants all opened their eyes and roared as they flew up. The starry sky was shaken by the intense, ancient energy that radiated out.

One by one, the true resources of the Immortal God Continent were being revealed. However, as everything was playing out, it only served to confirm Meng Hao’s speculations regarding what was truly going on.

“All of this probably isn’t real,” he thought, looking at the charging God Tribe giants. With that, he lifted his right hand and pushed it out casually in front of him.

The air in front of him distorted as the power of time emanated out soundlessly in all directions. Natural laws were twisted, and magical laws were bent. Everyone watched in shock as the incredibly powerful God Tribe giants trembled, and then began to physically wither. By the time they reached the expressionless Meng Hao, they were so weak that they crumbled into ash.

The final 9-Star giant threw his head back and let out a roar of fear and rage. It was as if his mission was to defend the Immortal God Continent, to pay any price, even die in battle for it!

The giant roared, clenching his hand into a fist which he punched out toward Meng Hao. Despite the fact that his body was crumbling, he still managed to unleash the powerful fist strike.

Power seemed to flow from ancient times, transforming into a tempest that rumbling out in shocking fashion, exceeding the 9-Essences level and reaching that of Transcendence.

It was the power of a Transcendent fleshly body, something which could ignore natural and magical laws. Even the old lizard was shocked by the sight of it, and was left trembling. By now, everyone understood the shocking nature of the reserves at the disposal of the Immortal God Continent.

The last of the God Tribe giants poured all of his life force into the ultimate fist strike to try to take out Meng Hao, and yet, before it could touch him, the giant crumbled into ash.

Meng Hao had not Transcended merely in body, but also in cultivation base and soul. He was his own Essence, and was already half a step into the Ancestor Realm.

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust….” Meng Hao said softly. “I have to say that I respect you. And yet… attacking like this was probably not what you wished to do. Allow me to sever your puppet strings for you.” With that, he took a step forward toward the Immortal God Continent.

By now, he had seen through to the true nature of the place, and the only way to erase the final uncertainties was to go inspect the place personally.

Chapter 1568: Puppets!

However, just when Meng Hao was about to actually step onto the Immortal God Continent, a powerful force of expulsion exploded out to stop him.

That power was emanating out of each and every cultivator from the Immortal God Continent, from each blade of grass and each tree limb, from every mountain and river. It was the will of the entire Immortal God Continent itself.

Meng Hao was not welcome or permitted.

His eyes flickered with bright light, and he was just about to force his way through, when suddenly, an extremely uneasy feeling gripped his heart, and he stopped in place. He looked up, and it was at this point that he noticed that the mountains and lands of the continent were all trembling as the land mass itself began to turn pitch black.

As the blackness spread, sounds like muttering voices echoed out from all of the various mountains peaks. It was like the chanting of scriptures, or the whispering of all living things.

At the same time, within the darkness off in the distance, Meng Hao could see a point of light. Closer examination revealed that it was actually a sun!

There were nine of them, rising up into the air. The power they emanated seemed capable of ripping apart the black of night, and as that power spread, Meng Hao could feel it starting to tear away at him.

The nine suns have been talked about in ISSTH quite a few times. It wasn’t until recently that I discovered that there are nine high-level characters in Renegade Immortal who are described as having/being suns. Presumably these are those same characters

Considering that Meng Hao had already Transcended, he felt only a slight sense of danger, and yet that was still enough to cause his pupils to constrict.

“This is some sort of divine ability….” he thought, eyes narrowing. As the nine suns rose up into the air, and their light spread in all directions, he could feel the ripping power battering at his body.

“This isn’t something that an ordinary person could create. This magical technique must have been created by the Immortal God Continent’s Transcendent cultivator!” Meng Hao’s eyes suddenly shone with a strange light.

It was almost as if he were able to pass through the ages of time, reach into the past and actually fight with that Transcendor of ancient times!

Meng Hao snorted coldly, lifted his right foot up, and then stamped it down. A huge boom echoed out, accompanied by a black mist that boiled out from inside of him and spread out through all Heaven and Earth.

“Nine suns sunder the night,” Meng Hao said coolly. “But my night is the night of the Demon. It can defile anything and everything, and cannot be destroyed!” More and more black mist roiled out, covering everything, making the darkness of night darker, making it impossible for the light of the nine suns to tear it apart.

The nine suns suddenly flickered, and the nine figures inside of them vanished. Then the area around Meng Hao began to distort, and nine black-robed figures appeared. Their cultivation bases immediately rumbled with power as they formed a deadly spell formation that could seriously injure even someone half a step into Transcendence. As for a peak 9-Essences cultivator, a person like that would be wiped out of existence.

But this was Meng Hao they were facing.

“So, you finally show your faces?” he said coolly. He didn’t seem to care at all that the nine suns were attacking in unison. He even let their divine abilities and magical techniques slam into him.

He was like a vast ocean, and the divine abilities of the nine suns were like stone oxen that disappeared without a trace as soon as they touched the surface of the water. Nothing happened at all. It was almost as if Meng Hao had consumed the divine abilities. Dazzling light flickered around him as the divine abilities then rebounded, shooting back at the nine suns with hundreds, no, thousands of times their original power.

There was literally no way to compare the two. One was like the light of a firefly, and the other was the light of the full moon.

RUMBLE!

Nine divine abilities shot back toward the nine suns. The suns groaned, and before they could even do anything, were completely overwhelmed by power thousands of times that which they had unleashed.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Eight of the surrounding nine suns were transformed into ash, destroyed in body and soul.

Only one wasn’t killed, an old man who Meng Hao reached out and grabbed by the neck.

Meng Hao’s expression was the same as ever as he held the only survivor among the nine suns up in front of him. The old man glared back, and was just about to self-detonate when Meng Hao’s divine sense crushed down onto him, quenching the power of detonation. Then, the divine sense stabbed into the man’s mind as a Soulsearch began.

What he discovered, however, was emptiness.

The old man began to shake, to twist and distort, and finally, he died under the power of the Soulsearch. Meng Hao didn’t acquire even a single memory. It was as if… the old man actually had no memories, as if the only thing he knew how to do was kill.

“A puppet,” Meng Hao murmured. “Yet another puppet.” Based on his thousands of years of experience, on his Transcendent cultivation base, and his dealings with the starry sky of the Vast Expanse and with the will of Allheaven, he had long since come to a theory regarding the Immortal God Continent and the Devil Realm Continent.

His theory was that these two land masses actually contained no living people!

If these were the living descendents of the two ancient Transcendors, then none of what was happening would make sense. After all, the two Transcendors were the enemies of Allheaven!

This was a conclusion he had reached after his experience touching the three destroyed pillars outside the Vast Expanse.

“These two continents were most likely destroyed many years ago by Allheaven, just like he destroyed the land masses belonging to Patriarch Vast Expanse.” Meng Hao frowned. That was the conclusion he had reached, the only hitch being that all of the cultivators around him actually possessed flesh and blood bodies.

“The only explanation is that they’re puppets,” he thought. “And yet there is something at play that makes them not puppets.” He began to walk forward. Hordes of cultivators threw themselves at him, but not a one could get close. The wave of a hand destroyed them instantly.

He was followed by the Vast Expanse School army, which unleashed destruction onto the Immortal God Continent that caused the entire starry sky to shake.

Meng Hao had only moved forward about a hundred paces when suddenly one of the twisting rivers on the land mass suddenly began to flicker with light. Unexpectedly… the entire river rose up into the air.

Closer inspection revealed that the river was actually formed into the shape of a bow!

Almost as soon as the river-like bow rose up into the air, a young man appeared. As soon as Meng Hao laid eyes on him, he looked familiar. He is appearance was very similar to Slaughter, and also like the statue in the middle of the Immortal God Continent.

“A descendent of this place’s ancient Transcendor….”

Chapter 1569: Rot!

The young man’s eyes flickered with killing intent. As he flew through the air, he reached out toward the river-bow, which rapidly shrank down until he grabbed it. Then he began to pull back the bowstring and take aim at Meng Hao.

Meng Hao looked on coldly as the young man let out a bellow of rage. As he pulled the bowstring, strands of qi flowed from all over the Immortal God Continent to make the shape of an arrow.

Then, rumbling sounds filled the air as the young man loosed that arrow, which shot like lightning toward Meng Hao.

Meng Hao could clearly sense the terrifying power it contained. Were it wielded by an actual Transcendent cultivator, it would have been a powerful threat to him. But right now, it wasn’t. All he had to do was reach out and tap it, and the entire arrow quivered, then collapsed into pieces.

Blood sprayed out of the young man’s mouth as he fell back.

In that same moment, the Patriarch statue in the middle of the land mass began to emanate a glowing light that prevented anyone foreign to the Immortal God Continent from entering its perimeter.

The old lizard and the other eccentric experts were sent tumbling backward. The Sect Leader and the others were similarly affected. All of the cultivators of the Immortal God Continent fell back until they were inside the light, where they glared ferociously at the army from the Vast Expanse School.

The light could stop all of those people, but it could not stop Meng Hao.

He looked thoughtfully at the statue, and then took a step forward.

That step took him through the air to stand directly in front of the border of the light. Then he pierced through it, causing the light to fracture and crack.

The old lizard roared, then blurred into action, appearing once again on the battlefield. As its cultivation base spread out, everything around it was destroyed like kindling wood.

Meng Hao ignored the fierce fighting as he approached the middle of the land mass, where the statue was located. Even as he did, more arrows of light shot toward him from off in the distance.

It was the same young man from before, who was anxiously unleashing one arrow after another. Meng Hao simply swished his sleeve, destroying all of them.

The young man looked on in despair as Meng Hao approached the statue. Suddenly, a sigh rang out to fill the entire Immortal God Continent. A figure appeared along with it, an old man wearing a long, ceremonial robe. He seemed profoundly ancient as he flew up into the air and looked over at Meng Hao. Then, his right hand shot out, and he pointed up into the sky.

Instantly, the area around Meng Hao filled with soundless fluctuations, like ripples on the surface of a lake. At the same time, a well suddenly materialized in front of the old man.

The well also emanated powerful ripples, and upon closer examination, an image could be seen within the ripples. It was like a reflection depicting Meng Hao and the area around him.

The old man’s eyes glinted with fierce light as he reached out to grab the reflection of Meng Hao within the ripples of the well water. As his hand entered the water, even more ripples spread out.

The ripples in Meng Hao’s area were thrown into chaos, and something like a huge hand appeared, reaching out as if to crush him!

A strange light shone in Meng Hao’s eyes. This was the second time he could directly sense how powerful that ancient Transcendor had been, and how, just like Meng Hao, he had made preparations to care for his people.

“Unfortunately, the will of the Vast Expanse is doing all of this. It was not the original intent of that Transcendor.” Meng Hao looked at the old man working his magic off in the distance, and then simply kept moving forward. Every step he took caused the ripples to be destroyed, and forced the gigantic to struggle just to maintain its form.

The old man began to tremble, as if even all the power he had at his disposal wasn’t enough to sustain the magic. Cracks spread out across the surface of the well, and it began to collapse. The old man let out a howl of fury. His body began to wither up as his blood and muscles were sucked away. Soon, he looked like nothing more than skin and bones. Because he was overdrawing on his cultivation base, something was revealed that had been hidden before, a slight aura of rot.

That aura was something that not even a peak 9-Essences expert would notice. But Meng Hao could feel it. His eyes flickered over to look at the old man, who roared as the aura of rot grew stronger, as if he had been decaying for years and years. Suddenly, he reached out and made a vicious grasping motion.

The air around Meng Hao began to rumble as the huge hand began to crush down toward him. Shockingly, the aura of Transcendence could be detected upon it.

Even as the hand closed in, Meng Hao let out a cold harrumph, and his own Transcendent aura erupted with full force.

BOOOOOOOOOMMM!

Fleshly body Transcendence. Cultivation base Transcendence!

The energy caused Heaven and Earth to tremble and shatter. Before the hand could get close, it shattered into countless fragments. At the same time, the air around Meng Hao transformed into a black hole.

The well couldn’t hold on any longer, and shattered, sending a blast of rubble out in all directions. The old man trembled, then coughed up a huge mouthful of decaying black blood. The aura of rot around him grew even more prominent. Just when the old man was about to retreat, Meng Hao’s eyes flickered with cold light, and he took a step forward, bringing him directly in front of the old man. Instantly, his hand reached out and grabbed the top of the man’s head.

The magic of Soulsearching was unleashed.

Almost instantly, though, Meng Hao frowned. This old man was just like the nine suns; he had no memories, or if he did, they were in complete chaos, as if they had been forced into his head by someone else. They were completely impossible to analyze.

After a moment passed, Meng Hao’s eyes flickered, and he suddenly began to reel in his cultivation base. He suppressed his power until it was at the 9-Essences level. As he did, the aura of rot on the old man faded away, and his physical appearance looked more and more normal. He wiped the blood from his mouth, and it no longer contained an aura of rot. At the same time, the hatred in his eyes grew more intense.

It was at this point that roaring could be heard from the mouths of all of the cultivators of the Immortal God Continent, even from far off in the distance.

“Meng Hao, you shall die!” Rumbling could be heard as the entire world suddenly seemed to be complete. As Meng Hao’s cultivation base dropped, the surrounding cultivators seemed to grow more alert.

Chapter 1570: Seeing Clearly!

“So that’s how it is,” Meng Hao said, his voice cool. He waved his right hand, and a boom echoed out as the old man exploded, killed in body and soul.

Meng Hao stood there, looking at the statue not too far off in the distance. Keeping himself at the 9-Essences level, and dissipating all traces of Transcendence, he looked around at the cultivators and the statue.

There were no more mists, and the face of the statue was now completely filled with dignity and splendor.

“My cultivation base has exceeded the Daosource, and is now half a step into the Ancestor Realm…. Another bit of progress would allow me to see the truth, not just the clues.” After some thought, he waved his hand, wiping out an entire wave of attacking Immortal God Continent cultivators. Then, he powered his cultivation base up from the 9-Essences level back into the Daosource. Then his aura of Transcendence erupted out with unprecedented power, causing the entire Immortal God Continent to tremble as if in shock.

That power was not only that of fleshly body Transcendence and cultivation base Transcendence; as of this moment, the will of Meng Hao’s Transcendent soul erupted out. Boundless power surged, power that exceeded the Daosource, power… which was half a step into the Ancestor Realm!

In that very instant, Meng Hao could suddenly sense that the voices of the Immortal God Continent cultivators were growing quieter. Eventually… they faded into nothing.

They now seemed to completely lack intelligence whatsoever. As for the statue of the Transcendent cultivator, his face was distorted, making him look very different than moments ago. Furthermore, the entire Immortal God Continent was covered with mist….

Meng Hao stood there looking at the statue, and after a moment, he waved his hand, causing one of the Immortal God Continent’s 8-Essences Paragons to suddenly vanish. He appeared in front of Meng Hao a moment later, who reached out and casually crushed his neck. Meng Hao studied him for a long moment, until he was able to detect an aura emanating out of him that wouldn’t be noticeable without intense concentration. After seeping out of the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth of the 8-Essences Paragon, it began flowing toward a statue off in the distance.

There were actually nine such statues located throughout the land mass, eight on the periphery, and one larger one in the very middle.

“If I really want to see what’s going on… it shouldn’t be that difficult.” He extended his right hand, and the copper mirror flew out and began to melt. It transformed into countless black threads which instantly covered Meng Hao, forming a suit of black armor.

By borrowing the power of the parrot, he was able to push his cultivation base past that half a step… all the way into the Ancestor Realm!!

RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!

His hair whipped about as a tempest of wind screamed around him. The Vast Expanse was shaken by this peak level of power. At the same time, the parrot flew out, letting out a squawk as it shot into Meng Hao’s forehead, merging with his closed third eye, the Dao eye, which began to emanate a violet glow.

With that, he closed his two eyes and opened his Dao eye. Violet light erupted out to fill the entire world, and at the same time… Meng Hao’s view of the world completely changed!

He saw that the cultivators of the Immortal God Continent were actually formed from clumps of qi and blood. They were mere outlines, filled with black mist that gave them a very shocking appearance.

Regardless of whether they were men or women, old or young, and regardless of the level of their cultivation bases, to Meng Hao, they were all just clumps of qi and blood.

Whenever one of them died, they would be absorbed by the nearest statue. The black mists inside of them were apparently their souls, their true forms.

Furthermore, within that black mist, Meng Hao was able to detect… fluctuations of the will of Allheaven, and even soul strands which bore the same aura!

Meng Hao sent his divine sense out to fill the entire Immortal God Continent, and found that virtually all the cultivators were the same, with very few exceptions.

One of the exceptions was actually an entire clan. That clan was not participating in the warfare. Instead, they all sat there cross-legged, mixed emotions on their faces. Many of those faces were familiar to Meng Hao.

It was none other than… the Wang Clan.

Meng Hao even saw Wang Tengfei, with the blood of the God Tribe pumping through his veins.

The Wang Clan cultivators were all sitting cross-legged in meditation, surrounded by an enormous spell formation that continuously prevented the black mist from entering the clan.

It only took a moment for Meng Hao to realize that the spell formation was actually a teleportation portal, and a complicated one at that. It couldn’t be activated very quickly, and even more shocking… was that it seemed to lead outside the starry sky of the Vast Expanse!

Meng Hao turned his attention to another of the living beings, someone who wasn’t in the Wang Clan. As soon as Meng Hao focused his attention on that person, he recognized who it was. It was none other than the former Echelon cultivator from the First Mountain and Sea, Dao-Heaven.

He looked old, but Meng Hao could still tell who he was. Unfortunately, Dao-Heaven was laced with black mist, which was eating away at his fleshly body, something he couldn’t even detect.

After a moment, Meng Hao sent his divine sense sweeping out over the land mass once again, whereupon he detected more people who were different. There were eight of them in total, all located in different locations around the Immortal God Continent.

They were made of qi and blood like everyone else, but they had no traces of the black mist within them that was the will of Allheaven, and none of the strange soul strands.

Almost in the same moment that Meng Hao realized these eight individuals were different, they seemed to sense his presence, and turned their attention in his direction. He could immediately sense that they were filled with complicated emotions.

Eventually, Meng Hao closed his Dao eye. Then his two eyes opened, and he swished his sleeve. The black armor vanished, returning to the shape of the copper mirror, which he put away. The booming sounds of combat still echoed out around him. The Vast Expanse School truly deserved its reputation as the number one power in the starry sky of the Vast Expanse. The entire sect had been mobilized, and when you added in the superior power of the Ninth Sect, plus the old lizard and the other eccentric beings, the Immortal God Continent simply wasn’t capable of fighting back. The land mass was shaking as the Vast Expanse School cultivators battled their way in deeper and deeper.

Meng Hao ignored the fighting. Just as he was about to take action, the entire land mass trembled. Countless cultivators dropped to their knees and prostrated themselves to the Heavens. All of them were crying out the same thing.

“Patriarch, come to us!”

“Patriarch, come to us!!”

“Patriarch, come to us!!!”

Their voices joined together into a sound wave which rocked Heaven and Earth. The land mass shook, and a strange aura suddenly began to descend.

Everything began to grow icy cold, and yet, Meng Hao could sense that this will was not intelligent. It was almost as if someone had imprinted it onto a jade slip and was now forcibly unleashing it.

Chapter 1571: The Man In The Palace!

Another possibility was that this was not something from a jade slip, but from the memories of the starry sky of the Vast Expanse.

As the will descended onto the Immortal God Continent, it converged upon the body of the young man with the bow, who still stood some distance off. A tremor ran through him, and he let out a piercing howl as his body began to transform. His hair turned white, and his eyes became cold. With that will upon him, it was as if he were a completely different person.

He hovered there in midair, emanating an aura which surpassed the 9-Essences level. His eyes were bright red as he looked over at Meng Hao. Meng Hao looked back at him.

As their gazes met, the young man suddenly pointed his finger at Meng Hao and spoke in a hoarse voice: “Call the Wind!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a black wind sprang up around Meng Hao, which rapidly converged into the shape of nine black dragons. When the dragons roared, black wind spewed from their mouths, wind that tore at Heaven and Earth.

“Summon the Rain!” he said. His body trembled, as though the will’s act of unleashing magic using this body was resulting in serious injuries.

As soon as the words left his mouth, drops of black rainwater appeared within the destructive wind. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into a downpour which descended upon Meng Hao.

“Magic Pod Soldiers!” growled the young man. As the raindrops fell, plopping sounds rang out, and they transformed into tiny vicious figures. Apparently, these were all people who had fallen in death to this magical technique countless years in the past.

“Mountains Crumble!”

“Lands Collapse!”

Things weren’t over yet. The young man coughed up a mouthful of blood as the force of the will caused his body to wither rapidly. However, he didn’t hesitate to unleash even more divine abilities.

Everything shook and shattered as he used the shocking magical technique of Mountains Crumble, Lands Collapse.

“And finally… Dark Moon, Clear Skies!” The young man threw his head back and let out a piercing cry. His body instantly withered even more dramatically, until an intense aura of rot emanated out from him. The will inside of him erupted out with full force, merging with the magic, causing the image of a dark moon to appear on Meng Hao’s forehead.

“Exterminate!” the young man roared.

BOOOOOOOOOMMM!

Meng Hao stood there, allowing the black wind and rain to batter him. Vicious figures pounced on him. The lands beneath his feet collapsed, and the surrounding mountains crumbled. The dark moon mark on his forehead seemed to be on the verge of ripping him to shreds.

After a long moment passed, and Meng Hao was able to fully experience the nature of all of the divine abilities and magical techniques, he took a deep breath and slowly looked up. His gaze fell upon the distant figure of the trembling young man, and his eyes shone with anticipation.

“First the light of the suns dispelled the darkness, then that old man manipulated the reflections in the well. And now this six-faceted divine ability…. All of this leaves me with nothing but respect for the ancient Transcendor from the Immortal God Continent!” With that, Meng Hao waved his sleeve. The young man laughed bitterly as his body was destroyed. However, to Meng Hao, he was nothing more than a clump of qi and blood. He might have died, but that was nothing but a scattering of raw qi and blood.

By this point, Meng Hao had his answer regarding the mysteries of this place. What he needed now was to investigate the eight soul strands that were different from the others.

He looked around at the various buildings and cities which made up the Immortal God Continent, and then took a step forward.

The architecture here was different than in the Mountain and Sea Realm. Somehow, it was more refined and graceful.

Soon, Meng Hao appeared in the air above the Wang Clan. He looked down at the spell formation, and could tell that it was almost completely activated. It wouldn’t be long before all of the members of the Wang Clan were able to leave this place.

As he examined the various members of the Wang Clan, his gaze eventually came to rest on someone off to the side.

It was a skinny old man, sitting there cross-legged. Almost as soon as Meng Hao saw him, the man shivered and looked up into the sky.

The man had a somewhat lecherous look to him, and at the same time, Meng Hao could tell that he was very ancient.

The man’s face flickered, and after a moment, he looked back down. Meng Hao could tell that he was nervous.

Eventually, Meng Hao shifted his gaze to Wang Tengfei. Then, he turned to leave. When that happened, the skinny old man breathed a sigh of relief. Even now, he had a hard time believing that Meng Hao could have reached such a terrifying and unbelievable level.

After leaving the Wang Clan, Meng Hao went to find Dao-Heaven. Although Paragon Sea Dream had successfully implemented her plan from all those years ago, the final result was failure.

Dao-Heaven had become something like a rock thrown into a sea, which made little more than a splash upon entering. Paragon Sea Dream had taken the Immortal God Continent to be a real place, an actual world. Of course, it was anything but that. Because of this discrepancy, Dao-Heaven, even with his incredible latent talent, was a completely different type of person than everyone else.

He was different from everyone, and yet no one ever told him that.

Even so, he had made a great sacrifice for the Mountain and Sea Realm, and Meng Hao respected him for that. It took only a moment for him to be standing directly in front of Dao-Heaven, whereupon he reached out and touched his forehead.

Dao-Heaven blinked subconsciously, and when he saw Meng Hao standing in front of him, his jaw dropped. He began to shiver, and then clenched his teeth as Meng Hao’s divine sense poured into him. The black mist was driven out, and his body withered rapidly. Afterward, he struggled to his feet, and although he was very weak, his eyes shone with bright light.

“You came…. I knew that you would.

“I’ve been here for two thousand years, and during that time, I learned of a secret. The Immortal God Continent is a very bizarre place. Everyone here… seems to be living under a unique set of natural laws.

“I suspect… that they’re all Outsiders, and not cultivators!” The effort it took Dao-Heaven to explain his suspicions resulted in him coughing up a mouthful of blood. Then he collapsed into unconsciousness.

Meng Hao looked at him. It was hard to even imagine the trials Dao-Heaven had experienced over the past centuries. Meng Hao clasped hands and bowed to him, then waved his sleeve, sending him directly into the Mountain and Sea Realm.

“You’re right, this is a very bizarre place,” he murmured. “And you’re right, the people here… really are Outsiders, not cultivators.” With that, he turned and vanished. Upon reappearing, he was in one of the eight unique locations he had noticed earlier.

There, he saw eight people who, despite being formed of mere qi and blood, were devoid of black mist. It was a very strange situation, and Meng Hao had his speculations about what was going on. The first place he went to was a palace in the capital city of one of the mortal worlds.

Everything was quiet there. A burly man lounged on the stairs leading up into the palace. He wore fine garments, and looked like a prince. He was currently sipping alcohol from a flagon, which he put down next to him when he saw Meng Hao approaching.

The man looked directly at Meng Hao and smiled. “I bet you think it’s pretty strange that I don’t have any of those damned soul strands from the will of the Vast Expanse in me?”

Chapter 1572: The Devil Cometh!

The Immortal God Continent continued to shake under the barrage of the Vast Expanse School cultivators. The sky was aflame, and the lands were crumbling. Crevices snaked out across the lands, as though dragons were burrowing through the ground. Mountains crumbled and fell.

It was like the end of days.

And yet, the people of the Immortal God Continent didn’t seem to care. Although they were fighting back, they seemed numb to what was happening, as if they didn’t even have emotions.

If Meng Hao dropped his cultivation base back down to the 9-Essences level, he would be seeing something very different. The cultivators who right now seemed to be numb and emotionless would instead seem to be wracked with emotion and pain.

Meng Hao retracted his divine sense and looked at the burly man in the princely robes, sitting there in the kingdom of mortals. He walked up and sat down in front of him.

Nodding, he said, “You’re right, it is pretty strange.”

The burly man smiled and took a long drink of alcohol. His eyes seemed to be flickering with memories of the past. “This land mass had a different name in the past. It was called… the Immortal-Astral Continent. 1

“Considering the level of your cultivation base, you’ve probably already picked up on the clues. The reason that I have none of those damned soul strands from the will of the Vast Expanse is… because that will can’t find any traces of my existence.

“Because of that, it doesn’t matter that it has disturbed the flow of time, creating something from nothing to bring back all these cultivators from the depths of its memory. It still can’t do anything to me. I and the others like me chose to leave some divine sense behind because we just couldn’t bear to part with this place.” He tossed the flagon of alcohol off to the side and rose to his feet. As he did, a powerful energy began to rise up within him.

It transformed into a tempest which swept out in all directions. Of course, even though Meng Hao was standing right in front of the man, that tempest didn’t so much as lift a single hair on his head.

At the same time, seven other tempests rose up in different locations on the land mass. Colors flashed in the sky above, and everything trembled.

Meng Hao’s divine sense swept out to observe the other tempests. Including the burly man in front of him, there were eight in total. Some were men, others were women. All of them began to rise up into the air, wistful expressions on their faces. Clearly, they didn’t wish to part with this place that they loved.

“This land mass was destroyed once in the past. Many people died…. Those who survived left this starry sky of the Vast Expanse. What remained behind… was not real.

“As for us, we’ve been waiting for someone to come along and wipe this place clean. To erase that which is holding our memories here.

“Thank you. I have the feeling that we might have a chance to meet again one day. Before leaving, allow me to offer you a little gift. Perhaps it can lead to a bit less slaughter, and a bit less death.” The burly man looked deeply at Meng Hao for a moment, then turned and rose up into the sky, to be joined by the seven other figures. The eight of them flew up to the highest height of the sky, where their bodies began to twist and distort, transforming into a vortex. At the same time, the spell formation surrounding the members of the Wang Clan was completely activated. The Wang Clan vanished into the vortex. Apparently, those eight people were taking the Wang Clan with them to wherever they were going.

As the vortex faded, the qi and blood which had made up the bodies of the eight individuals spread out, transforming into a huge sea. That sea of blood then began to fall down onto the land mass below.

As the rain of blood splashed down, the cultivators of the Immortal God Continent began to scream as their bodies melted. At the same time, the buildings which filled the lands suddenly began to rot, as if they were visibly aging.

All lives were melted by the rain of blood, which flowed about, filling the Immortal God Continent. It only took a few breaths’ worth of time before everything was silent.

It all happened completely without warning. The cultivators in the Vast Expanse School army were in the middle of fighting when suddenly their enemies all melted into blood which flowed out into the lands below.

Meng Hao stood there watching it all happen. He watched as boundless amounts of black mist emerged from the dead and poured into the nine statues that dotted the landscape.

Soon, the statues were all pitch black, and emitted cracking noises. Then they began to crumble. As each one fell to pieces, the remaining statues grew even more deeply black in color.

Eventually, eight of the statues had crumbled into rubble, and the central statue, the most shocking of them all, was completely pitch black. A moment later, black mist exploded out, completely filling the starry sky.

A shocking will also emerged from within the statue.

The statue changed. It no longer looked fierce, and its features were no longer easily distinguishable. It was not the Transcendor from ancient times. It was merely an embodiment sent by the will of Allheaven.

It was in that exact same moment that the statue’s eyes opened. Everything began to shake, and the black mists roiled as a shocking aura erupted out.

Suddenly, countless vicious heads appeared within the mists, which smiled evilly as they began to charge toward the cultivators from the Vast Expanse School. Meng Hao instantly took a step forward, placing him directly in front of the huge statue. There, he extended his right hand and then waved his sleeve, sending a burst of Transcendent power out. That changed natural law, becoming a power of extermination that instantly dispersed the vicious heads, which vanished, screaming the entire time.

At this point, the starry sky off in the distance began to distort and ripple as a huge, majestic land mass appeared. It was none other than… the Devil Realm Continent.

“I’ll handle things here,” Meng Hao said coolly. The Sect Leader took a deep breath as he looked out over the carnage on the surrounding land mass. Eyeing the black mist and the statue, he nodded and then backed up.

Soon, the army of the Vast Expanse School was advancing toward the countless cultivators of the Devil Realm Continent.

The slaughter wasn’t over yet. The opponent had changed, but the fighting went on like before, just on a different battlefield.

Back on the Immortal God Continent, Meng Hao stood in front of the statue, which stared down at him, eyes glowing with blackness. Suddenly, the statue took a step forward. Its hand, which had been clasped behind its back, suddenly shot out, its finger extended.

Instantly, the surrounding black mist began to surge toward the finger.

Chapter 1573: Testing

The statue’s finger apparently possessed an astonishing gravitational force, which transformed into a black hole. All of the surrounding mist was affected. It became like a funnel which was sucked into the tip of the finger. The finger then shot toward Meng Hao with incredible speed.

All of this takes quite a bit of time to describe, but from the moment the statue lifted its hand until it absorbed the mist, only an instant passed.

The lands quaked, and buildings collapsed. Crevices spread out across the entire land mass. That statue’s one finger was converging all of the power of the Immortal God Continent into a single attack aimed at Meng Hao.

Meng Hao’s expression was the same as ever as he looked at the finger, which rapidly filled his entire field of view. At the same time, he reached out with his own finger.

“Allheaven, you’ve tested me in the past, and now here you are doing the same thing again, huh?” Even as his voice echoed out, his finger made contact with the statue’s finger.

They seemed impossible to even compare. When it came to size, Meng Hao was like an ant compared to the statue. And yet, when their fingers collided, the only thing that happened to Meng Hao was that his hair lifted up a bit, and his clothes rustled. The statue, on the other hand, began to shake. The finger exploded, transforming into nothing more than drifting ash.

The effect spread, engulfing the hand, then the arm. Rumbling sounds echoed out as the torso was destroyed, then the head, then the other arm. The entire statue was completely eradicated!

Shocking booms rang out that caused everything to shake. Meng Hao’s single finger had transformed the entire powerful statue into ash!

“This is the third time you’ve tested me out,” he said. “You want to see how I fight, and use that to try to come up with a way to kill me. You want to analyze… my Seal the Heavens Hex. Don’t you?” Even as the ash from the statue drifted out, Meng Hao turned, clenched his hand into a fist, and punched down toward the ground in front of him.

Almost as soon as the fist began to descend, the ground rippled. Some areas rose up, others dropped down. Shockingly, the image of a face was revealed.

The face opened its mouth and roared, and yet that didn’t stop Meng Hao’s fist from slamming into it.

A huge boom echoed out as the face was completely destroyed. At the same time, cracking sounds could be heard from other locations on the Immortal God Continent. The ground collapsed, but then began to form back together. Unexpectedly, the entire land mass reformed into the shape of a giant.

The ground became the head, arms and legs, with the mountain ranges as the blood vessels. The rivers became the blood, while the sun and moon turned into eyes. The oceans were the mouth. The indescribably large giant looked over at Meng Hao and then let out a terrifying roar.

That roar became a tempest that could shake Heaven and Earth, causing Meng Hao’s hair to whip wildly, and his clothes to flap. There was no sky and no land anymore; there was only the starry sky.

Gasps arose from the cultivators of the Vast Expanse School, who were just now engaging the forces of the Devil Realm Continent. Even the Sect Leader and the others, as well as the old lizard, were all completely astonished at the sight of the Immortal God Continent transforming into a giant.

Meng Hao was so small compared to that giant that he was like nothing more than a speck of dust.

The giant hovered there in the starry sky, looking down at Meng Hao with shining eyes. Meng Hao frowned.

“Still testing me out, huh? Fine. Go ahead and test away!” With that, he made a grasping gesture, which immediately caused the starry sky around him to shatter and transform into a majestic stream. Apparently, this stream didn’t exist; it was as if Meng Hao had extracted it from ancient times and pulled it into the present.

Not even a 9-Essences expert could do such a thing. But to Meng Hao, all it took was a mere motion of his hand. To Transcendent cultivators, Time, Heaven, Earth, and even the starry sky were all objects that could be manipulated at will.

The starry river became a whip, like a dragon which he used to lash at the giant. The giant roared, throwing his hands out and unleashing the power of the starry sky.

The river collapsed, but the giant was forced back. Cracking sounds emanated out from it, and countless crevices were torn open across the surface of its skin. Eyes glowing, the giant extended his right hand and performed an incantation gesture, causing the void around Meng Hao to begin to crumble.

A sea of flames erupted out, a black wind surged, seawater raged, and an enormous, shocking tree appeared.

Meng Hao’s expression was the same as ever as he looked around at the destructive power surrounding him. He lifted his right hand into the air and made a clutching motion, instantly causing a vortex to spring up. All of the destructive power around him then began to twist and distort as it shot toward his hand, where it formed together into a bright, scintillating sphere.

Meng Hao then clenched his hand into a fist, and the sphere shattered, sending motes of light floating out in all directions.

“Those are the only divine abilities you have?” he asked, looking up. Then, he transformed into a colorful beam of light that shot toward the giant’s face, where he reached out to touch its forehead.

“Break!” he said coolly. A single word.

Instantly, the giant that was the Immortal God Continent began to tremble. Cracks spread out all over it, becoming more and more dense until the giant collapsed into rubble.

As the rubble rained down, a cold snort echoed out through the starry sky, causing the rubble to form together into the shape of a vicious dragon, matchlessly large, which opened its mouth wide as if to swallow Meng Hao.

Meng Hao waved his sleeve and then extended his left hand toward the lunging dragon, palm spread wide.

“Seal!” he said. Again, a single word. Instantly, the vicious dragon stopped in place, trembling. A moment later, it turned completely gray. In the blink of an eye, its life force was destroyed, and it transformed into nothing more than a statue of a dragon.

It looked just as vicious as before, and it hovered there in front of Meng Hao, completely unmoving, like a corpse.

Chapter 1574: Qualified To Explore The Universe!

When the cultivator army from the Vast Expanse School saw what was happening, they gasped, and excitement grew. The old lizard’s eyes went wide from the thought of how Meng Hao’s power seemed to be completely limitless.

“This is Transcendence? It’s… omnipotence!” The Sect Leader’s eyes burned with hope. Jin Yunshan was panting.

Meng Hao looked down at the vicious dragon, and his eyes glimmered with profound light. Then he turned toward the Devil Realm Continent.

The cultivators from that continent were already fighting with the forces from the Vast Expanse School. To Meng Hao, it looked almost exactly the same as what had occurred with the Immortal God Continent.

He sent his divine sense out, and soon noticed one particular clan. It was… the Li Clan, the remnants of those who weren’t able to self-detonate in the Mountain and Sea War.

Like the Wang Clan, they were not participating in the fighting. They had sealed themselves away, and all of their cultivators sat there silently. One of the people present there wasn’t a member of the Li Clan. It was Yuwen Jian, Echelon cultivator from the Seventh Mountain and Sea, who had been sent to infiltrate one of the two great powers, just like Dao-Heaven had.

The Devil Realm Continent had no statues, only an enormous coffin. Furthermore, there were no cultivators present who lacked the soul strands of the will of the Vast Expanse.

Although the entire land mass seemed to be a flourishing place, that was only a façade to mask the decay and rot which was its true nature.

Just when Meng Hao was about to retract his divine sense, his eyes went wide as he noticed someone in particular who was sitting cross-legged next to the huge coffin.

Meng Hao recognized the man.

“Choumen Tai,” he said softly. He took a step forward, vanishing, to reappear next to the coffin in front of Choumen Tai.

Choumen Tai looked much, much older than he had before, and he didn’t seem to be surprised to see Meng Hao. In fact, when he looked up, his eyes focused, and a smile broke out on his face. “You came….”

Meng Hao looked at Choumen Tai, eyes flickering with various memories. Finally, he nodded. “The person you are waiting for, your Master, was the Transcendor from the Devil Realm Continent?”

“Actually, around the time the Mountain and Sea Realm was destroyed, the spell formation fully activated. My Master returned at that time. The person I’ve been waiting for since then is you.” Smiling, Choumen Tai rose to his feet and reached out to touch the coffin.

Rumbling sounds could be heard, and the coffin began to vibrate. In front of Meng Hao’s very eyes, it gradually withered up and transformed into ash. Soon, the spot previously occupied by the coffin was nothing more than an empty space.

The ash spread out, filling the entire land mass, and then slowly settling down onto the continent.

Everywhere, the land began to change, transforming into the color of blood. However, it wasn’t the crimson red of fresh blood, but the dark purple of decaying rot. What was happening, of course, was that the true color of the lands was now being revealed.

Without the power that had previously been disguising it, mountains became nothing but barren mounds. Plants became withered stumps, and numerous buildings became crumbled ruins.

Rivers turned into dusty gulches. The seas became empty basins, and countless life forms melted into blackened blood. The rot and decay which were the true base of everything in the continent was now revealed.

The Devil Realm Continent seemed to pass through time. It was as if a veil had been ripped away, revealing something from countless years in the past.

Choumen Tai looked back at Meng Hao. “The reason I stayed behind was to pass a message on to you from my Master. There are two things I need to tell you.

“The first thing,” he said softly, “is that the destruction of the Mountain and Sea Realm had nothing to do with the real Devil Realm or Immortal God Continent!

“Both of them suffered calamity long, long ago. Most of the cultivators died at that time, and those who survived escaped with my Master. They left the starry sky of the Vast Expanse and traveled far away into the Universe.

“Everything you see here is the will of the starry sky of the Vast Expanse. It was all created from nothing. The corpses were animated and filled with memories extracted from within the stream of Time.

“Anyone born inside of this starry sky will be remembered by the will of the Vast Expanse, and their memories can be used to re-create a new version of that person.

“In fact, everyone here on this land mass is unaware of what they really are. They think that they exist, but the truth is that they are either corpses, or the manifestations of memories.

“In fact, I used to be one of them myself. That was why I never gave up on trying to resurrect my Master. It wasn’t until the Mountain and Sea Realm was destroyed that I finally understood everything.”

None of this was a surprise to Meng Hao. In fact, from the moment he laid eyes on the five pillars outside the Vast Expanse, he had begun to speculate regarding the truth.

That was why the Devil and the God had destroyed two of Allheaven’s fingers, then left the Vast Expanse behind to go explore the Universe they had come to behold upon Transcending.

That Universe was filled with unending seeds, each one of which was a world unto itself, with its own starry sky.

Choumen Tai took a deep breath and said, “Therefore, if you wish to prevent the Mountain and Sea Realm from being destroyed again, you have to eradicate Allheaven!

“This is the second part of the message.

“The true Allheaven exists outside the Vast Expanse. You will only have one chance to destroy him, if that is what you wish! The Ghost tried. My Master tried. And later, the God tried. However, none of them were a match for Allheaven. The most they were able to do was destroy one of his fingers, after which they were forced to leave.

“First was the Ghost, then the Devil, then the God. With each encounter, Allheaven grew weaker. However, despite being weakened to such an extent, he was still too powerful to be destroyed by a Transcendent cultivator. The only way to destroy him… was to weaken him to the absolute level, and then send another Transcendor against him!

“You are the last hope there is to destroy Allheaven!

“When Allheaven is at his weakest, you will have one chance to eradicate him. If you fail, then you will become like my Master, or the other two Transcendors. Your true self will no longer qualify to remain within this starry sky, and you will be expelled. You might be able to leave a clone behind, but that clone would never be able to eradicate Allheaven. It wouldn’t qualify.”

“Who sets those qualifications?” Meng Hao asked, eyes glittering.

“The ultimate magical law, which exists above the Ancestor Realm. The natural law of the Universe itself!”

“Do you know how Allheaven came to be?” The longer they conversed, the brighter Meng Hao’s eyes glowed, until they were like burning suns that left even Choumen Tai trembling. “If so, please explain.”

With that, he clasped hands and bowed to Choumen Tai.

Chapter 1575: Battling The Devil Continent!

“It’s hard to say for sure,” Choumen Tai said softly, his eyes flickering with reminiscence. “There is an eighty percent chance that he’s from somewhere else in the Universe, from some world that even I have never heard of….

“Actually, my Master speculates that the will of our starry sky wasn’t originally that of Allheaven!

“My master, along with the God and the Ghost, are now unable to remain inside the starry sky of the Vast Expanse with their true forms. In fact, their connections to this place have been almost completely severed. Now they roam the eternally boundless Universe, where they walk the path of that which exists beyond Transcendence.

“As for you… you are also destined to walk that path. They… are waiting for you out in the Universe.”

Choumen Tai’s body gradually began to fade, transforming into a huge, rumbling vortex that sucked the Li Clan into it before vanishing.

The starry sky rumbled as a huge rift was torn open into it. Then the Devil Realm Continent went silent. The only things that remained behind were the faint echoes of Choumen Tai’s parting words.

In the silence that reigned after Choumen Tai’s departure, the forces from the Vast Expanse School looked around in shock at the decay around them. They had their various speculations about what exactly was happening, but they did nothing. One by one, they began to look over at Meng Hao.

Meng Hao closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. They were profound and deep, to the extent that no one would ever be able to tell what he was thinking. He looked around at the ruins of the Devil Realm, then sighed.

“It’s over,” he said softly. “My hatred for the Immortal God and Devil Realm Continents has come to an end. The hatred which festered for countless years is now resolved.” As of this moment, Meng Hao realized that his hatred for the Immortal God Continent and the Devil Realm wasn’t even as intense as his hatred toward the 33 Heavens.

He had walked a path of slaughter and confusion, and as of this moment, despite having Transcended, his heart was exhausted.

“My enmity with the Immortal God and the Devil Realm has come to an end, but the true battle has yet to be fought!” His eyes flickered as he looked up at the starry sky. Within his divine sense, he had long since come to detect that out there in the starry sky, there were countless figures speeding in his direction.

Those were countless living beings of all sorts, heading in his direction under the control of the will of the Vast Expanse.

He knew full well that he and the will of the Vast Expanse had reached a point where only one would come out alive. The other would die.

Even as he looked out into the starry sky, the Devil Realm Continent began to shake. Just like the Immortal God Continent, it began to transform into a huge giant that radiated the aura of the will of the Vast Expanse.

Everything here had been defiled. This land mass was not the true Devil Realm; it was merely a doppelgänger made from the will of the Vast Expanse.

Intense rumbling shook Heaven and Earth as the Devil Realm Continent transformed into a giant. The mountain peaks became spikes that protruded from its skin. The mountain ranges became blood vessels, as did the rivers and the seas. Lands shook, and mountains were rocked.

Intense rumbling could be heard as a face appeared. Two of the land mass’s seas sank down into pitch black holes that were like eyes.

Then, those eyes opened.

A huge arm appeared, and its hand clenched into a fist which rumbled toward Meng Hao.

If that were all there were to it, it might not much to be concerned about, but it was at this point that, off in the distance, countless beams of light appeared. They came from all directions, seemingly endless, charging forward in a murderous attack.

The entities within those beams of light were all very bizarre. The only similarity between all of them was that they were life forms from the starry sky of the Vast Expanse. They had been born here, and thus, had no choice but to heed the commands of the will of the Vast Expanse.

If the starry sky of the Vast Expanse wanted them to attack and exterminate Meng Hao and everything around him, then they wouldn’t hesitate at all to accomplish that mission.

Rumbling could be heard as they got closer and closer. The old lizard roared as it went on the offensive. Behind the gigantic lizard was the head, then the cultivators of the Vast Expanse School. After all the fighting they had just gone through, their killing intent was no less, and they didn’t hesitate to charge towards the host of entities. Instantly, fierce battles broke out.

Meng Hao looked around at everything, at the host of living beings, and the giant’s fist, and he began to laugh.

“The Vast Expanse and I cannot exist together. Therefore, I will… topple the Vast Expanse!

“Without destruction, there cannot be creation. Allheaven, if you can become the will of the starry sky, then you can also be replaced. Neither the Ghost, the Devil nor the God succeeded in that. But this time… I will!” Meng Hao’s eyes were glowing as brightly as suns. The incoming horde of living creatures was completely shocked by the sight of it, and yet there was a voice in their minds urging them on, telling them to pay any price to unleash slaughter.

The entire starry sky was soon shaking. Meng Hao turned, clenching his hand into a fist to meet the incoming fist of the Devil Realm giant.

He was like a bug compared to the giant, completely insignificant. When their fists met, a massive boom echoed out. Meng Hao’s hair rose up a bit, and he shivered slightly. However, the Devil Realm Continent giant immediately began to shake, and then began to fall apart.

Before it could retreat, Meng Hao took a step forward, placing himself at the giant’s abdomen, where he stamped his foot down. Cracks spread out like a spiderweb, whereupon he took a second step, right above the giant’s dantian. Another massive boom echoed out. Then Meng Hao took a third step, a fourth step, and a fifth step….

With every step he took, he stamped his foot down onto the giant’s body. By the time he reached the giant’s chest, he was on his fifth step. The giant was shaking visibly, swaying back and forth, seemingly incapable of holding itself together. It was at that point that Meng Hao took his sixth step.

That step placed him onto the giant’s forehead!

Cracking sounds echoed out, and more rifts snaked out, spreading from the forehead out across the giant’s entire body. The giant roared as if it were about to fight back, but then Meng Hao snorted coldly and took his final step… the seventh step.

That step put him on the crown of the giant’s head!

One final step crushed anything and everything!

Chapter 1576: All Beings Acknowledge Allegiance!

Seven God Steps.

It was a magical technique that could build up explosive power, and actually originated in the Devil Realm Continent. Now, Meng Hao was fueling it with the power of Transcendence, causing it to reach a terrifying and virtually indescribable level.

In this case, describing it as something which could crush and destroy Heaven and Earth was no exaggeration. As of this moment, that was literally what Meng Hao was doing!

BOOOOOOOOOMMM!

As that seventh step landed, the giant that was the Devil Realm Continent, the doppelgänger of the will of Allheaven, shuddered violently. Then its head shattered, transforming into countless chunks of rubble that burst out in all directions.

Next was its neck, its torso, its arms, and its legs…. Massive rumbling echoed out as this giant, which could cause even 9-Essences experts to tremble, exploded, sending a shockwave blasting out into the starry sky.

“Come out and fight, Allheaven!” Meng Hao said, swishing his sleeve and causing a huge tempest to rise up.

His words weren’t spoken very loudly, and yet they contained a majestic natural law, transforming them into a shockwave that swept out with incredible power. All of the attacking life forms who were swept over by that shockwave instantly coughed up blood and then were shredded away into nothing.

The entire starry sky shook, and countless heavenly bodies trembled. Land masses were shattered, and asteroids became dust. Arcane Pocket Realms, vortexes, and worlds all trembled beneath the sound of Meng Hao’s voice.

As of that moment, Meng Hao was truly the most powerful entity within the starry sky of the Vast Expanse, and he was issuing a challenge to the will of that starry sky. To… Allheaven!

However, the will of the starry sky didn’t seem inclined to respond to Meng Hao at all. The response to his words came from the surrounding living beings, within whose mind a cold voice suddenly spoke.

Kill! Kill them all! Spare no cost!

Stain the starry sky red with blood! Even if nothing living remains, you must kill!

To Allheaven, none of the living creatures within the starry sky of the Vast Expanse were important. The only important thing was the threat that Meng Hao posed. Allheaven had no choice but to respond, and had no choice but to feel incredible fear and terror. Before the face-to-face battle occurred, if the deaths of the living creatures in the Vast Expanse could expose a flaw in Meng Hao, then it would all be worth it. Allheaven wanted to observe Meng Hao’s Essence, wanted to understand Meng Hao’s Dao, wanted to memorize his magics. Allheaven wanted to understand Meng Hao, and thus, be more confident in being able to fight him directly!

The sounds of intense fighting instantly rose up as the countless incoming living beings attacked with red-eyed madness. The cultivators from the Vast Expanse School couldn’t possibly hold their own against such an overwhelming force, and were slowly being pushed back. The enemy forces… were simply too numerous.

There were so many that it was virtually impossible to describe. It was as if all life forms in the starry sky of the Vast Expanse were on the warpath.

There were numerous Paragons. 9-Essences experts could be seen. All of them were fighting like mad, ignoring any injury to themselves, even resorting to self-detonation.

Meng Hao looked at what was happening and then closed his eyes. However, that only lasted for one short breath of time. Then his eyes opened again, and they shone with merciless coldness. He took a step forward, and suddenly appeared on the western side of the battlefield. All of the living beings there who saw him descending began to tremble from within the depths of their hearts.

“I call upon the power of my name to seal the life forces of all beings in this area!” With that, he extended his right hand and then pushed it down. Something like infinite howling could be heard. Natural laws were forcibly altered, and magical laws were stripped away. All of the living beings began to tremble as their cultivation bases and life forces were altered by the changes to the natural and magical laws. Their cultivation bases began to crumble, and their life forces went dim. In the blink of an eye, countless beings were transformed into corpses.

Innumerable bodies floated in the starry sky, with Meng Hao being the only living person. As he hovered there, mixed emotions could be seen on his face, and yet there was no regret visible as he looked coldly at the groups of living beings in the other three directions.

Gasps rang out, but the will of the Vast Expanse urged them on with even more intensity than before. However, considering they were facing Meng Hao, an entity of unimaginable, inconceivable power, they almost couldn’t muster the energy to move, and their minds were overwhelmed with dread.

“Only those who kowtow to me and call upon my name, those who acknowledge allegiance to me, will be able to continue existing within this starry sky.

“Those who resist will die along with Allheaven.” The sight of him hovering there surrounded by countless corpses caused his words to seem even more thunderous than before.

Even as the feeling of awe filled the living beings, the will of Allheaven crushed down on them with even more intense power. It was like a howling roar that caused all of the living beings to tremble. Their eyes were bloodshot as they once again began to fight. At the same time, more creatures appeared off in the distance.

Frowning, Meng Hao let out a cold harrumph. His eyes flickered with killing intent as he took another step forward. At the same time, he spoke, his voice as cold as ice.

“I hereby deprive you of your right to practice cultivation, and also extinguish the flame of your life forces.” As soon as the words left his mouth, the void trembled and began to collapse. Blood sprayed out of the mouths of the surrounding Outsiders as the properties within their blood that allowed them to practice cultivation suddenly melted.

The flames of their life force were also extinguished. More blood sprayed about in all directions, and soon, nothing was left behind but swathes of corpses.

Meng Hao hovered there, looking around at the living creatures of the Vast Expanse. He said nothing, choosing only to raise his right hand. From the look of it, all he had to do was lower that hand, and all of the surrounding beings would be wiped out of existence.

That was the incredible level of power that was Transcendence. All of the various beings present collapsed mentally. They were shaking, petrified, and despite the lashings of the will of Allheaven, they couldn’t forget the terrifying things they had just witnessed. That in itself caused the will of Allheaven to begin to crumble.

It was impossible to say who did it first, but one by one, the various living beings of the Vast Expanse dropped to their knees, their minds blank, their hearts in complete chaos.

“I acknowledge allegiance….”

“I acknowledge allegiance!”

“We acknowledge allegiance….” Countless voices echoed out from near and far, even from those beings far off in the distance.

All beings were acknowledging allegiance!

Meng Hao hovered there in the starry sky, looking off into the distance, his eyes radiating killing intent.

“Allheaven, show your damned face right now!” he roared.

Chapter 1577: Severing The Root Of The Bloodline!

All beings acknowledged allegiance. All life forms in the starry sky of the Vast Expanse were kowtowing to Meng Hao, bearing witness to the fact that he was truly in a position to challenge the will of Allheaven to battle.

The cultivators of the Vast Expanse School were also kowtowing, their hearts filled with intense emotions regarding Meng Hao. The Sect Leader and the others had the same feeling.

“The Heavens… are going to change….” The Sect Leader thought, gasping, his eyes shining with brilliant light.

As of this point, a cold snort suddenly echoed out to fill the starry sky of the Vast Expanse. It seemed to come from everywhere, from every living thing, from every planet, from every land mass, from every vortex, from every particle of dust.

In concert with the voice, the natural and magical laws of the starry sky twisted and distorted. In the blink of an eye, light began to swirl from all directions, and began to form together in front of Meng Hao into the shape of a person!

It was enormous. It was as if the starry sky itself were its body, the planets its eyes, the worlds its bones. It was a vague image at first, but the mere sight of it was shocking to the extreme, and caused incredible pressure to crush down onto all cultivators.

However, the figure then began to shrink down rapidly, and at the same time, the pressure increased. Every cultivator coughed up blood, and shook visibly. Meng Hao’s hair was whipping around his head, and his clothes were flapping. Soon the figure in front of him was only 30,000 meters tall, and then only 30 meters. As it continued to shrink, its features grew clearer.

It was… a young man!

He wore a long robe decorated with a starry sky. He had long hair which floated around him, and sharply angled eyebrows. He was handsome to an extreme degree, and from the aura which emanated out from him, he seemed to be the lord of all existence.

Under his gaze, all living things would prostrate themselves, and not dare to even lift their heads.

And yet, when Meng Hao looked at this young man, he could detect a very faint… aura of death!

This person was none other than Allheaven!

Of course, he was not Allheaven’s true form, he was a clone. Allheaven’s true form was incapable of actually entering the Vast Expanse. He existed outside the Vast Expanse. And yet, this clone of Allheaven was very close to his true form in terms of power. This was perhaps his most powerful manifestation, something which could never be completely separated from his true form.

He had never intended to appear in such a way so soon. He had tried all the methods at his disposal, and yet had been unable to do anything about Meng Hao. Thus, he appeared personally. The time had come for him to begin the ultimate battle with Meng Hao.

The best outcome would be to win this fight. However, even if he lost… the information learned would be of extreme benefit to his true form. Even if his true form ended up weakening further later on, it still might give him what he needed to eke out a victory.

“You should never have reached this state,” said Allheaven’s clone, his expression cold and filled with something extremely ancient.

Meng Hao looked at the young man, his eyes shining with a profound light as he said, “I never came after you looking for a fight. You plotted and schemed against me constantly. Now, I have Transcended. There’s no need to push this into a battle of life or death. I might be able to ignore your true form outside the Vast Expanse, Allheaven. However, inside the Vast Expanse, I don’t need any other Heavens above my head!”

“The only reason you exist is so that I can live,” the clone said, shaking his head. “Even if you didn’t come looking for me, I would have come looking for you. What has happened between the two of us was foreordained…. And only one of us can survive. Either you replace me, or I consume you!”

Allheaven’s eyes glittered with killing intent, and yet deeper inside was a profound loneliness that seemed to contain countless memories. “Things shouldn’t have turned out this way. You should never have reached this state. You… were supposed to be nothing more than fuel to drive my rebirth.” With a sigh, he lifted his right hand and pointed at Meng Hao.

“But since you insisted on climbing to this height, then I shall now bring order to all of this chaos!

“All true Demons who appear in this world cultivate based on my bloodline. Blood of Allheaven, inflict your punishment!” As soon as the words left the mouth of Allheaven’s clone, a tremor ran through Meng Hao, and all of the blood within his body began to boil out of control.

His veins, his bones, his flesh, all of it came from an Allheaven Clan. He was from an Allheaven bloodline, and was an Allheaven Immortal. Because of all of that, the simple wave of a finger caused all of those things to explode.

Countless drops of blood oozed out from his pores, instantly staining his clothing red. And yet, he continued to hover in place, completely unmoving.

“If you trace my bloodline back, it really does originate with you. But in the moment I reached Transcendence, what Transcended was not just my fleshly body, but also my soul, and… my blood.” By this point, the boiling of his blood had reached a fever pitch. At the same time, an enormous figure appeared behind him. It started out vague, but rapidly became clear, and soon it was obvious that it was an enormous image of Meng Hao.

He looked like a divine spirit hovering there in the starry sky. His body was covered with chains and shackles of all sorts, and yet in the same instant that he appeared, all of those bonds began to shudder, as if on the verge of shattering.

As the chains and shackles were destroyed, it was obvious that they were somehow connected to the clone of Allheaven.

“When my blood Transcended, I could tell that there was still a faint connection in there. I was waiting this whole time to face you in person, and then completely sever anything connecting me to you!”

Meng Hao’s eyes flashed with light as he lifted his right hand and then chopped it down in front of him.

That chopping motion caused the starry sky to become a sharp blade, glittering with the brilliant light of the Heavens as is it slashed down at the space between Meng Hao and Allheaven’s clone.

In that moment, the chains binding the enormous figure behind him began to tremble. Massive rumbling sounds echoed out as they began to shatter into fragments.

The figure behind Meng Hao stretched his arms out wide. Cracking sounds emanated out in all directions as the chains and shackles were destroyed. Then, the enormous figure began to grow larger than before, as if it had freed itself from some unknown restraints. This was true freedom!

Freedom and independence were the Dao of Meng Hao. As of this moment, he had now severed himself from any and all connections to Allheaven. As of this moment, his Dao was rising to the highest heights.

From this moment on, he was his own man; the origin of his blood was severed, buying him true freedom!

Chapter 1578: Allheaven Transformation!

In that moment of severing, Meng Hao’s cultivation base advanced. Although he was still half a step into the Ancestor Realm, he made significant progress.

His hair whipped about, and his energy surged. He took a deep breath, and the entire starry sky of the Vast Expanse shook. The eyes of Allheaven’s clone went wide as he glared at Meng Hao.

“I am the will of the starry sky,” he said. “I am its soul. My words are natural law, and my thoughts are magical law!

“On this day, I lay down a new law. Wherever I stand, there shall be no safe place for this cultivator!”

As soon as the words left the clone’s mouth, the starry sky began to tremble. Rumbling like thunder could be heard, and rifts opened up above. Cracking sounds could be heard as the rifts spread out and joined together. Heaven-rending Earth-crushing power radiated out as… a new natural law appeared.

At the same time, the void around Meng Hao began to collapse, transforming into a huge black hole. It was as if this new natural law caused all existence to be unwilling to get near Meng Hao. According to this natural law, there was no safe place for Meng Hao in this starry sky!

The black hole was not a true black hole, but rather a manifestation of how the starry sky and the void itself would not permit Meng Hao to safely remain within them. As they retreated, a hole was left behind, something infinitely dark that connected to the area outside the Vast Expanse, to the Universe. If Meng Hao fell inside of it, he would eventually be driven completely away.

The battle had advanced beyond the use of divine abilities, and into the realm of fighting with natural law. It was a terrifying level of combat that exceeded the imaginations of most cultivators. It was a type of combat only for Transcendent cultivators.

At his current level Meng Hao could not create brand new natural laws with a single word. However, he could change them.

Eyes glittering brightly, he said, “My Dao is that of freedom and independence, of being unrestrained and unfettered. I do not wish to have Heavens looming over me that belong to someone else. My Dao is my Essence. Wherever I stand, I can call upon the Essence of my Dao to dispel and shatter natural and magical laws. Nobody can expel me from this place!” He flicked his sleeve, causing the power of his Dao Essence to rumble out, changing the natural and magical laws, which twisted and shattered.

Beneath him, the black hole vanished, causing everything to return to normal. Of course, only Allheaven was aware that in this battle of natural laws, the danger involved vastly exceeded anything that ordinary cultivators could comprehend.

Allheaven’s eyes flickered as he said, “I strip you of your control of the five elements, and create a new magical law!”

Meng Hao waved his sleeve. “The five elements exist within the Essence of my Dao. Wherever the light of my Dao shines, the five elements cannot be dispersed!”

Allheaven voice boomed like thunder as he said, “The light of the starry sky shall never shine upon you! I strip away your ability to see light!”

Suddenly, Meng Hao was surrounded by pitch black darkness. It was as if he couldn’t detect any light at all, as if he were fusing into the darkness, becoming a part of it.

Meng Hao snorted coldly. “I am a Transcendent cultivator, half a step into the Ancestor Realm. The light of the starry sky doesn’t deserve to touch me. You don’t need to strip it away, I hereby tell it to screw off!”

Moments ago, he had been physically fading away, but now he was as clear as day. Not only had he dispelled the light, he had dispelled and cast away the darkness too.

Allheaven’s face twisted with rage. Although he had the advantage in this battle of natural laws, and also had the initiative, he felt a sense of helplessness when facing Meng Hao. “Your soul is your flame, your Mountains and Seas your land. Henceforth, the Mountains and Seas are not permitted to exist, and your soul is not permitted to burn with life!”

“If I cease to exist, then the entire starry skies will go with me!” A look of disdain could be seen on Meng Hao as he faced these natural laws of Allheaven. At the same time, a domineering aura was radiating out from him.

“My words caused all living things to exist in this world. Now, my words will cause you to be killed in body and soul. How could you possibly survive?!” Allheaven began to walk forward, and every step he took caused the starry sky to tremble.

Meng Hao also started walking forward, and his steps likewise caused everything to shake. “You can destroy my body and disperse my cultivation base. But my soul and my Dao Essence will remain. If you, the will of this starry sky, are like a boundless sea, then I am like a mountain crag which stands eternally within those waters. No matter how your waves batter me, I will always remain!”

He fought back relentlessly against the invisible power of Allheaven. No matter how powerful the new natural laws were, he didn’t flinch from them, and in fact, crushed them underfoot.

Allheaven would create them, and Meng Hao would destroy them. Although Meng Hao actually wasn’t a full match for Allheaven, destroying natural laws was much easier than creating them.

The surrounding creatures of the Vast Expanse were falling back at top speed. The fight between Meng Hao and Allheaven was something they couldn’t participate in. They simply retreated, their minds reeling.

As for the Paragons, and the 9-Essences beings, they were completely and utterly shaken. They were trembling, and their eyes were wide as they tried their best to learn something from the battle of natural laws which was unfolding in front of their very eyes.

All of those people were a step away from Transcendence. And yet, that step was an enormous one to take successfully. But now, thanks to this battle which they were able to witness, they were receiving unheard-of benefits.

“Transcendence…. This is Transcendence!”

“In the Daosource Realm, you can actually create natural laws, and also destroy them!” The Sect Leader and the others couldn’t help but gasp as they paid rapt attention to what was happening.

Meng Hao had just severed his own bloodline to acquire true freedom and independence. Not even the natural laws being thrown against him did any good. The eyes of Allheaven’s clone glittered with cold light as he took another step, whereupon his energy surged to even higher levels.

A tempest sprang up which swept across the starry sky, causing everything to rumble. The clone’s eyes flickered with killing intent.

“Allheaven, First Transformation!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he began to increase in size. Eight blobs of flesh sprouted from his shoulders, which began to split apart. Shockingly, they transformed into… eight heads.

Including the head he originally had, he now had a total of nine!

His body also began to change shape. It was no longer humanoid, but rather that of a snake, fully 3,000,000 meters long. His appearance could shake Heaven and Earth, and was indescribably ferocious.

All nine heads looked over at Meng Hao, and then roared, unleashing an incredible sound wave which even shifted the locations of the heavenly bodies it passed by, and shoved the nearby cultivators back.

It was a power that was second to none!

Chapter 1579: Emperor Dragon Transformation!

Among those nine heads were men and women, old and young, people and beasts. Their roar caused Meng Hao’s pupils to constrict. For some reason, something seemed very wrong about Allheaven as of this moment.

Shockingly, faces could be seen on all of the scales of his snake body, making him seem utterly and thoroughly terrifying.

The blast of wind caused by the roar of the nine heads was something that only 9-Essences experts could endure without being knocked unconscious. This nine-headed serpent was an entity that virtually no one recognized, and yet it filled them all with terror.

In contrast to everyone else… old lizard let out a cry of disbelief at the sight of those nine heads. All of the scales on its body stood on end.

“The Nine-Head Tribe!” cried the lizard. “It’s from the Nine-Head Tribe!!

“They were destroyed years ago in a previous epoch. According to the legends, they were one of the most powerful of the beast tribes back when the starry sky of the Vast Expanse had just been created!!

“The Nine-Head Tribe was invincibly domineering for ten full epochs….” It was entirely possible that the old lizard was the only individual present who knew anything about the existence of the Nine-Head Tribe, mostly because it actually possessed a bit of that tribe’s bloodline within it.

This Nine-Head Tribe appears to be a reference to a race of beings from Beseech the Devil. In fact, I was doing a bit of research and noticed that there is a “huge lizard” which appears in the early parts of that same story. I’m not sure if that’s the same lizard as the old lizard mentioned here, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Another interesting thing is that “ten epochs” of time passed in the final chapters of Beseech the Devil

Even as the old lizard was shrieking, Meng Hao’s eyes flickered. When he looked at the nine-headed serpent, he couldn’t help but think back to the Immortal God Continent and the Devil Realm Continent.

“Everything which has ever existed in this starry sky will be remembered, and is imprinted upon the will of the starry sky itself. Allheaven can create something from nothing based on anything in his memory….”

Even as Meng Hao pondered these things, Allheaven looked at Meng Hao with eighteen eyes, eyes that glowed with brutal madness. Suddenly, he blurred into motion, leaving behind afterimages and kicking up a wild tempest. Rumbling sounds echoed out as he appeared directly in front of Meng Hao, his tail sweeping out in a vicious attack.

The starry sky crumbled under the power of the tail, which exceeded the 9-Essences level. Heavenly bodies collapsed, and Meng Hao’s eyes glittered with an icy light as he clenched his right hand into a fist and punched straight out.

As the fist made contact with the tail, the void shattered, massive rumbling sounds echoed out, and the serpent that was Allheaven shuddered. Meng Hao trembled as he tumbled backward, and yet even as he fell back, the nine-headed serpents’ eyes all closed.

A tear emerged from each closed eye, a total of eighteen. As the tears appeared, a shocking aura of resentment exploded out. Then the tears glistened, transforming into eighteen beams of light that shot toward Meng Hao.

“Nine-Head Tears! Nine-Head Tears!!” the old lizard howled. “Watch out, Meng Hao! That’s the killing move of the Nine-Head Tribe. All the resentment in his body is converged into a magic of ultimate destruction!!”

As the eighteen glistening tears bore down on Meng Hao, his eyes flickered, but he did nothing to evade. Hovering in place, he lifted his right hand and pushed it out toward the tears.

“Beginning!” he said. Immediately, a Demon Sealing Hexing magic was unleashed. Considering that his Hexing magics were absolutely complete, and backed by the power of Transcendence, their power was enough to shake the entire Vast Expanse.

In response to the single word he had spoken, the eight teardrops stopped in place, looking as though they would dissolve at any moment. As soon as Meng Hao spoke the word “beginning” from the Beginning-Ending Hex, all things returned to their basic Essence.

Seeing that the killing move had been negated, the nine-headed serpent’s eighteen eyes opened, and it roared. Shockingly, its body began to split apart!

Numerous figures burst out from inside, and if one looked closely, one would see that they were all nine-headed serpents of various sizes and shapes. There were more than ten thousand in total, all of them radiating resentment and madness as they shot toward Meng Hao.

“The Tribal Deathblow. I can’t believe… it’s the Tribal Deathblow of the Nine-Heads Tribe!!

“Supposedly, members of the Nine-Head Tribe can unleash this move in the moments before being killed. By making a self-sacrifice of mutual destruction, they can unleash the full power of their tribe to destroy any enemy!” The old lizard was trembling at the sight of what was happening.

The countless nine-headed serpents emitted shrill shrieks as they spun through the air like a huge wave, closing in on Meng Hao with raging killing intent.

“The Nine-Head Tribe might have been powerful, but they never produced a Transcendor,” murmured Meng Hao. “Even if one of them reached fleshly body Transcendence, that’s still not good enough.

“This version of the tribe was created by the first Allheaven Transformation, and didn’t come about naturally. It’s nothing more than a flight of fancy.” With that, Meng Hao clenched his right hand into a fist.

“Ending!” he barked

Rumbling could be heard as the Beginning-Ending Hex was fully unleashed. Boundless power erupted from Meng Hao’s Dao Essence, forming into his hand, which he slowly opened up into a palm. It was as if the starry sky existed within his hand, and that anything inside of his palm could be destroyed by simply closing his fingers!

RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!

The eighteen tears were destroyed, and the rest of the nine-headed serpents all exploded, becoming nothing more than ash drifting about in front of Meng Hao.

“I can see what you’re doing, Allheaven…. You just want to study my Demon Sealing Hexing magic, don’t you? Well then, I’ll go ahead and show you!” Killing intent flickered in Meng Hao’s eyes as he took a step forward, waving his hand to unleash the Second Hex! He was not the type to wait for others to take the initiative!

“Real!” he said, and the starry sky trembled.

At the same time, even as the nine-headed serpents were fading away, Allheaven formed anew in the void up ahead, glaring at Meng Hao with the eighteen eyes of his Nine-Head form. At the same time that the Second Demon Sealing Hex was unleashed, so was… the second Allheaven Transformation!

“Second Transformation, Nine-Heads becomes a dragon, Emperor Dragon Transformation!”

Allheaven threw his head back and howled. His body then began to grow, and it no longer looked like a serpent. Horns grew out of his head, and he sprouted nine claws. Eight of his heads began to wither down, eventually becoming a crown that rested upon the only remaining head!

Allheaven’s clone now hovered there in the starry sky, having taken the shocking form of an Emperor Dragon!

Chapter 1580: Third Transformation!

Emperor Dragons primarily ate serpents. They only existed for a short time within the starry sky of the Vast Expanse, less than a thousand years. After that, the entire race vanished.

Because of that, none of the living beings that currently existed would even recognize what an Emperor Dragon was. Not even the old lizard had ever seen one.

People had seen dragons before, but not a dragon like this, with the crown of an Emperor, nine claws, and pitch-black scales. It was ferocious to the extreme.

However, the meaning of the character in the Dragon’s name actually wasn’t emperor. It was leech!

A Leech Dragon!

It had the normal whiskers of a dragon, but when it opened its mouth, what emerged was a razor-sharp, blood-sucking mouthpiece like that of a mosquito. Its entire appearance was shocking to the extreme.

Virtually no one was even aware that such creatures had ever existed. They were extinct. In fact, the only person in the starry sky who knew about them… was Allheaven. By creating something out of nothing, he was able to use the Leech Dragon as his second transformation!

Almost as soon as the Emperor Dragon appeared, its energy redoubled several times, reaching a completely shocking level that caused even Meng Hao to frown.

He knew that Allheaven was powerful, and that defeating him in battle would be no easy task. Now that he could see these Allheaven Transformations for himself, especially the Emperor Dragon, he was left with an uneasy feeling of impending doom.

“This Emperor Dragon is not just Transcendent in terms of fleshly body, but also cultivation base,” thought Meng Hao. “As for its soul… that appears to be its only limitation. However, from the look of it, all it would need would be some time to make that breakthrough! In fact, I’ve never encountered something that could actually break through to full Transcendence so easily!

“Allheaven created something from nothing, and managed to make up for some of the deficiencies of the soul. This thing… is actually the same type of living being as the nine-headed serpent, but in terms of overall level, that serpent couldn’t even compare.” Meng Hao’s eyes glittered as the Second Demon Sealing Hex was unleashed, Real-Unreal Hexing. Instantly, the surrounding void filled with numerous bizarre fluctuations that rapidly coalesced into the form of a mirror. Unexpectedly, visible within that mirror was another Emperor Dragon, which looked exactly like the first!

Even as the newly created Emperor Dragon roared, Meng Hao waved his hand, sending it flying toward Allheaven’s Emperor Dragon.

The sudden appearance of these two dragons was a shock to everyone present. Even as their cold gazes locked onto each other, an intense murderous aura exploded out from each dragon, which collided into the other. Both of them began to wither rapidly.

This was the trump card of Emperor Dragons, the Emperor Dragon Cosmic Corrosion!

Piercing howls echoed out as the two Emperor Dragons withered up. However, after only a moment passed, blood suddenly spurted out all over Allheaven’s Emperor Dragon. In the blink of an eye, it was stained completely blood-red. Exuding an air of domineering madness, it then flew through the void toward Meng Hao like a shooting star.

It closed in with spectacular speed, shattering the starry sky, seemingly bent on crushing anything that dared to get in its path.

This was the ultimate divine ability of Emperor Dragons, Blood Tyranny.

Rumbling sounds echoed out as the Emperor Dragon’s energy and power rose to heights that could ignore all natural laws. As it closed in, Meng Hao snorted coldly, then waved his sleeve, causing his own Emperor Dragon to utilize the exact same divine ability.

The two Emperor Dragons slammed into each other, and a huge boom echoed out. Meng Hao frowned as his own Emperor Dragon was shredded to pieces, completely incapable of harming Allheaven’s dragon, which continued on with its deadly charge.

It seemed as if all living beings, all types of power, all Transcendent cultivators, would be crushed by this attack. It was a simple attack, but an attack filled with infinitely destructive power.

The simpler and madder the attack, the more powerful it was!

RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE! The Emperor Dragon got closer and closer. 3,000 meters. 300 meters. 30 meters. The blood covering its body burned, and it looked like nothing in the starry sky could do anything to stop it. It was as if this attack was strong enough to break out into the Universe itself. It seemed invincible, unblockable, capable of turning anything it struck into ash.

The sense of deadly crisis within Meng Hao grew more intense.

“A Transcendent Emperor Dragon, making its ultimate attack…” His eyes flickered with the desire to do battle. This was the first true fight he had experienced since Transcending. The first Allheaven Transformation didn’t leave him with much of a desire to fight, but now, that feeling was burning hot within him.

“What a pity,” he said, shaking his head. Instead of fighting back, he simply reached up and pushed out with his hand.

“Unreal!”

With that single word, he completed the unleashing the Second Demon Sealing Hex, the Real-Unreal Hexing. By using the “real” aspect of the Hex, he created a projection of the dragon. But by using the “unreal” aspect, he could transform what was real into something illusory.

If I say you really exist, then even if you die, you shall still exist!

If I say you are not real, then you shall vanish into unreality!

The ripples in the area suddenly faded away into shapelessness. A shocking energy blasted into the Emperor Dragon, which then lurched a halt a mere three meters in front of Meng Hao’s hand, where it trembled, a look of disbelief shining in its eyes.

“Disperse,” he said, waving his hand gently to the left. Instantly, the Emperor Dragon’s energy, all of its domineering power, all of its invincibility, was crushed away. The dragon’s body shattered, and it dispersed.

The Real-Unreal Hexing could make things both real and unreal!

“That’s the best you’ve got, Allheaven? If so, I’m afraid you’re not going to get a chance to see all of my Demon Sealing Hexing magic.” Meng Hao’s eyes glittered as coldly as a sharp blade as he looked off into the void, where Allheaven was materializing back into another clone.

His young face was ashen; although Meng Hao’s strength was not anything unexpected to him, he was still left with a feeling of lingering fear. However, he couldn’t bring himself to admit that it was true strength on the part of Meng Hao; in his mind, it was merely weakness on his part after having existed for so long within the stream of time.

“I won’t stop fighting until one of us is dead!” growled Allheaven’s clone. Even as the words left his mouth… ghost fire sprang up all over him!

It was the third Allheaven Transformation!

Chapter 1581: You Think You Can Ruin Me?!

Allheaven created something out of nothing, using the mark of the first Transcendor from the starry sky of the Vast Expanse to create what he saw as the perfect body.

It was none other than… the Ghost Transformation!

Ghost fire flickered in the eyes of Allheaven’s clone as he transformed. Soon, the clone had become a spectral figure wreathed with Ghost qi. Although his facial features weren’t clearly visible, the sinister aura which emanated off of him filled the entire area.

It was almost as if he were no longer Allheaven, but instead, another version of Patriarch Vast Expanse.

Meng Hao’s pupils constricted. This version of Allheaven was even more powerful than before, and the threatening pressure he exuded was even more intense. However, Meng Hao didn’t hesitate to take the initiative. He flickered as he vanished, reappearing right next to the image of the Ghost, whereupon he lifted his right hand up and then chopped it down.

The Ghost let out a sinister chuckle, and his body suddenly distorted and began to spin around Meng Hao. Ghost qi erupted out, and within the blink of an eye, the two of them had exchanged over a thousand blows.

The starry sky trembled as they fought with blinding speed. Strangely, when Meng Hao’s attacks landed on the Ghost, they passed right through him. It was almost as if they were completely ineffective. Similarly, the Ghost’s magical techniques were not able to fully affect Meng Hao. With Meng Hao’s Dao as an Essence, he could affect natural laws, making him as powerful as a mountain.

At first, it seemed like neither would be able to do much to the other, but then the Ghost’s eyes flickered as he performed an incantation gesture. Then he began to speak in bizarre susurrations, deathly utterances that couldn’t possibly come from the mouth of a living being.

Instantly, the starry sky in the area began to fill with more ghostly figures. In the blink of an eye, there were far too many to even count.

Voices could be heard speaking: “Millions upon millions of vicious ghosts can consume body and soul!”

The ghosts’ eyes glowed with bizarre light, and their words seemed distorted and twisted, filled with sinister malice. Then the countless ghosts howled shrilly as they began to speed in Meng Hao’s direction.

Meng Hao’s eyes widened as the sensation of deadly crisis grew even more intense. Backing up, he let loose his cultivation base power, performing an incantation gesture with his right hand and waving his finger out in front of him.

“Third Demon Sealing Hex!”

It was… Present-Ancient Hexing!

This Hex could manipulate the transformations of Time, making countless eras pass by in the blink of an eye. In a single breath of time, the sky could grow ancient and the lands could become primordial. As the effects of the Hex spread out, the starry sky withered. Before any of the ghosts could reach Meng Hao, they faded away into nothing.

With the exception of Transcendors, all living beings would have a very difficult time staving off the ravages of the passage of Time. Of course, the Ghost had Transcended, but as for all of the ghosts that had been summoned, they had no such qualifications.

As the ghosts were transformed into ash and smoke, the Ghost version of Allheaven looked on with flashing eyes. This outcome was something he had predicted would happen, and in fact, a closer look would reveal that he was actually smiling.

Even as that smile appeared, he began to speak in a bizarre voice.

“Millions upon millions of ghosts entomb the mind and transform it in my image! Go, invade the hearts of all! Shadowheart Tribulation!”

Even as the words left his mouth, his body began to distort and shrink, transforming into a shadow that couldn’t be affected at all by Meng Hao’s magical manipulation of Time. He was like a blur as he shot toward Meng Hao.

The drifting ash and dust that was all that remained of the ghosts from moments ago suddenly seemed to become sustenance for this shadow. As it neared, its power level rose to a level so high that apparently, the Ghost didn’t even need to get close to Meng Hao to hurt him. The shadow seemed to merge with the void, casting everything around Meng Hao into darkness.

Allheaven’s voice then began to echo out in all directions. “Meng Hao, I will now ruin your Demon Sealing Hexing magic, your so-called Third Hex!”

The boundless shadows swirled around Meng Hao at high speed, emanating shocking coldness. As for Meng Hao, his eyes flickered icily as he performed an incantation gesture. However, the Present-Ancient Hexing did nothing.

“Well done, Ghost….” he murmured. It was a critical juncture, and yet his expression was placid. Instead of continuing to try to force a result out of the Third Hex, he chuckled coldly and allowed the shadows to surge into his body.

Soon, they had completely merged into him, fusing with him, becoming a part of him.

This Ghost version of Allheaven might not be able to kill Meng Hao, but the truth was that he didn’t intend to. He wanted to find a weakness within Meng Hao’s Hexing magic, and then use that weakness to infect and even ruin that magic!

Only by doing such a thing could he have a chance to cut Meng Hao down in their final battle. The truth was, what terrified Allheaven the most was what had led Meng Hao all the way to Transcendence in the first place… his Demon Sealing Hexing magic!

“You think you can ruin my Demon Sealing Hexing magic?!” Meng Hao let out a cold harrumph. Although spectators wouldn’t be able to tell, he knew that the power of Present and Ancient was completely beyond the ordinary.

If it couldn’t be defended against outside the body, then how much more powerful would it be inside the body, especially when backed by the power of the Daosource? The true question was, would the ghosts inside of Meng Hao ruin the Hexing magic, or would the Hexing magic destroy the ghosts?

Rumbling could be heard as Meng Hao lifted his right hand up and touched his index finger to his forehead. In that instant, the Present-Ancient power of Time erupted out inside of him.

The boundless power of Time flowed through Meng Hao, seemingly soft, but as powerful as an ocean which, with enough time, could wear away even the most majestic of reefs.

An explosion of Time occurred inside of Meng Hao, and as that happened, the ghosts inside of him went mad. They began to weaken, until Meng Hao flicked his sleeve. It took only a single breath of time for 100,000,000 years passed by.

Ten breaths of time later, all of the ghosts inside of him were completely destroyed by the passage of Time.

He reached out his hand, and the Present-Ancient Hexing spun within his palm, filling up with countless figures, becoming a shining sphere. Finally, he clenched his hand into a fist, and a cracking sound could be heard as the sphere was smashed.

Not too far away in the starry sky, Allheaven’s clone coughed up a mouthful of blood, and within the vicious expression on his face could be seen just a touch of shock.

“Time to finish things,” Meng Hao said, his eyes flickering with killing intent. His murderous aura then transformed into a corporeal blade which slashed toward Allheaven!

Chapter 1582: Heavenly God Transformation!

The Fourth Hex, Self Hexing!

Meng Hao was a blur as he shot toward Allheaven. In the time it took to blink, innumerable afterimages appeared. There were men and women, old and young, all of whom looked different from Meng Hao, and yet were fundamentally the same.

That was because they were all clones produced by Meng Hao’s Self Hex!

The Self Hex could produce countless numbers of clones, entire worlds of life. It could transform Heaven and Earth, and could make the true form become an entire country!

A hundred clones appeared. Then thousands. Then tens of thousands.

Rumbling could be heard as all the different versions of Meng Hao closed in on Allheaven’s clone. Meng Hao waved his hand, and all of his clones waved their hands. The joint attack was like a tempest, shattering the starry sky, powerful enough to wipe out all living beings.

Allheaven’s clone hovered there, hair whipping wildly around his head. He was aware that he wasn’t a match for Meng Hao’s Self Hex in this state. After all, this was a clone, not his true self. Not even this clone could handle Meng Hao, who was half a step into the Ancestor Realm.

A boom rang out, and Allheaven fell back, coughing up blood. However, his eyes shone with cold light, and his expression was ferocious as he stared at Meng Hao’s clones, all of whom possessed the same Essences as he did. All of a sudden, a look of focus appeared in Allheaven’s eyes.

“Fourth Allheaven Transformation!” he roared. “Devil Soul Transformation!”

Even as the words left his mouth, his expression distorted, becoming more ferocious than ever. Cracking sounds rang out as razor-sharp bone spurs pierced out through his flesh all over his body. His head also changed, as two long horns grew out.

Scales rippled out to cover his flesh, and at the same time, Devil fire burst out, black flames that scorched everything around him.

Allheaven’s clone had completely changed, and was now wreathed in raging black flames. He was merely 300 meters tall at this point, but as he hovered there, the Devil qi which swirled around him seemed capable of covering the entire starry sky. The sea of flames which surrounded him raged as he pushed one hand up above him, as if to support the Heavens above, and the other hand down, as though to brace against all the Earth below. Then, he began to take seven steps forward.

It was as if in all Heaven and Earth, he was the most supreme of all beings!

He was the Devil!

Within Allheaven’s starry sky of the Vast Expanse, the Devil was the second person to ever Transcend. He was the basis of the fourth transformation, the Devil Soul Battle Form!

Allheaven looked up, his face expressionless, and the sea of flames churned. His eyes were crimson, his expression merciless, as if he were willing to consume anything and everything. He apparently lost command of all faculties of reason, and instantly descended into madness.

“DIIIIEEEEEEEEE!” he howled, turning into a blur and appearing directly in front of Meng Hao. There, he clenched his hand into a fist and punched out.

That fist carried with it the sea of flames, a destructive blast of fire backed by the starry sky itself. It was as if the entire world were packed into that fist, and the sheer power caused Meng Hao’s pupils to constrict. He could sense that this fourth Allheaven Transformation was explosively more powerful than the others.

It was also incredibly fast. Meng Hao waved his sleeve out in front of him, which was mimicked by all of his countless clones. A blast surged out which then converged onto the image of the Devil.

BOOM!

This stretch of the starry sky had long since turned into a shattered battleground as the void was repeatedly shredded and destroyed by the fighting.

Meng Hao and Allheaven fought back and forth like mad, wreaking such havoc on their surroundings that it seemed as if the starry sky might not be able to handle it for much longer.

The full power of Meng Hao’s Self Hex unleashed countless clones that put him on almost equal footing with Allheaven. Allheaven, the Devil embodied, threw his head back and howled, a howl filled with madness that could pierce through everything. “Unbridled Devil Will!”

At the same time, a divine sense erupted out that could shake Heaven and Earth. It smashed down toward Meng Hao, filled with madness, murder, and blood. When it slammed into him, his face flickered; even with his Transcendent soul, it was actually difficult to withstand the power of the divine sense.

Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth as he backed up. This was his first time sustaining an injury during this battle with Allheaven.

In that same moment, the eyes of the Allheaven Devil turned an even deeper red. Howling, he charged once more in attack.

“Underworld Possession!” As the words echoed out, the Allheaven Devil transformed into countless black strands which sped through the air. Before Meng Hao could react, they bored into his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, as if to possess him.

Meng Hao took a deep breath, then stretched his arms out wide.

“Self Hex! All creation becomes me!” Instantly, countless versions of Meng Hao appeared around him, different from him, and yet containing his Essence. There were so many that they were impossible to count, stretching in all directions.

“Starry sky, thou shalt become my body!” The destroyed starry sky in the area twisted, becoming almost like a mirror that cast countless reflections, making it seem as if the starry sky itself were made up of clones of Meng Hao.

“Where I stand, there doth exist my kingdom!” His eyes snapped open, and they shone like the sun. He lifted his right foot into the air, and stamped it down violently!

Instantly, the starry sky teetered.

“Children of the kingdom, unite to protect mine soul!” He took a deep breath, and as he did, the entire void around him was affected, as everything collapsed into ruin.

It was as if a giant had sucked in a breath, except there was no giant, only Meng Hao. That single breath caused everything in the area to be completely destroyed.

Along with the destruction, Meng Hao’s Essence clones transformed into beams of light that shot inside of him. The shattered starry sky, his kingdom, everything else that came from the Self Hex, all fused back into him.

Golden light exploded out from within him, until he looked like he was made of gold. Suddenly, he seemed as invincible as a fortress. His soul was now under the protection of countless Self Hex clones, ensuring that the Devil’s possession attempt was doomed to failure.

“Begone from me!” Meng Hao roared. The countless black threads which had bored into him were violently forced out. His body was like a battleground, within which the Devil was completely vanquished and removed.

However, even as the black Devil threads were blasted away, a voice echoed out like that belonging to a divine being. It was as powerful as thunder, like the voice of a deity that could cause all living things to tremble.

“Fifth Allheaven Transformation. Heavenly God Transformation!”

Chapter 1583: None Can Match My Strength!

As Allheaven’s words echoed out, the Devil souls transformed into a deep golden color. It was an ancient, upright color, filled with explosive strength.

Then came a Heaven-rending Earth-crushing roar as a giant appeared in front of Meng Hao, so large it seemed capable of propping up the Heavens.

He was tens of thousands of meters tall, and that didn’t even seem to be the limit of how big he could be. The collapse of the starry sky seemed to expand, as if this giant could supercede the starry sky itself.

He roared, causing all of the distant observing cultivators to cough up blood. However shaken they had been before, they were even moreso now.

This was a battle that not even 9-Essences experts could participate in. They could do little more than watch from a distance. The Sect Leader and the others were completely numb, and as for all of the other living beings from the starry sky of the Vast Expanse, they were retreating at top speed and didn’t dare to pause for a moment.

“Meng Hao!” the giant roared. As it turned to look at him, it revealed upon its forehead… ten stars!!

Not nine stars, but ten!

Quasi-spoiler information about Renegade Immortal to follow. To some extent, nine is the limit of the number of stars that could appear on the forehead of a cultivator in RI. In some ways that is not the case. You will understand what I mean eventually if you read RI. In any case, the point here is that having ten stars appear is unprecedented, and indicates that this cultivator is at an extremely high level of power

The ten stars radiated golden light, making this giant seem like a Heavenly God. In fact, it would be correct to say that this was the God of the Heavens!

This was the fifth transformation, the Heavenly God Transformation!

Golden light emanated from the giant’s eyes, causing everything it looked at to be bathed in gold. Meng Hao’s expression flickered as he backed up. Even as he did, everything around him began to melt.

There was nothing around him except for the starry sky and the void, and yet it all melted, transforming into black liquid that emanated a stench of rot. Then, that liquid formed together into numerous enormous spheres with countless tentacles, almost like gigantic sea urchins.

“None can match my strength!” the giant roared, its gaze locking onto Meng Hao as its right hand clenched into a fist and punched out.

That fist seemed capable of wreaking ultimate destruction. It was like the pinnacle of the starry sky, and as soon as it appeared, it seemed impossible for it to miss its target.

Meng Hao’s eyes gleamed with the desire to fight. His fleshly body had already reached the ultimate peak, Transcendence, so he unleashed his God-Slaying Fist, which slammed into the giant’s incoming fist strike.

The resulting deafening boom sounded like the vague howl of some primordial beast. Meng Hao was shaken. It felt like a wild wind of Time was blasting into him, causing blood to spray out of his mouth as he was thrown backward like a kite with its string cut. However, the giant’s fist was also left trembling.

That didn’t stop the giant, though. Roaring, it took a step forward and unleashed another fist strike. Rumbling echoed out as Meng Hao defended. Simultaneously, the giant opened his mouth and let loose a powerful roar.

That roar shredded the void and destroyed natural laws. It was like a tempest that slammed into Meng Hao, causing blood to spray out of his mouth once more. Yet again, he fell back.

The power being wielded by this Heavenly God was shocking, and yet, it only caused Meng Hao to want to fight even more.

“Who cares about Heavenly Gods?!” he said, waving his sleeve. Then, his right hand flashed with an incantation gesture as he unleashed Demon Sealing Hexing magic.

In that instant, the Heavenly God giant’s eyes shone with bright, flickering light, and the desire to kill. He took a step toward Meng Hao, and his right hand began to move. However, he was doing something different than before.

Even as his roar continued to echo out, his body suddenly began to wither. It was as if all of his flesh and blood were being sucked into his right arm.

It was a shocking scene to behold as the Heavenly God giant’s entire right arm began to get larger and stronger.

Soon, it had broken through to a shocking level of power, whereupon it formed a fist that began to rumble toward Meng Hao.

The level of danger Meng Hao sensed upon that fist was the most intense he had ever felt. He had never felt power like this since Transcending. This was… a peak level power within the starry sky!

In fact, it even went beyond the natural laws of the starry sky, exceeding all limitations. This was a level of power on par with the Universe itself. This was not just simply the power of Transcendence, it went to a realm beyond that, the Ancestor Realm!

“DIE!” bellowed the Heavenly God giant. As its fist bore down, Meng Hao’s pupils constricted into tiny dots. If he couldn’t somehow handle this fist strike, he would definitely be defeated.

“Fifth Hex. Inside-Outside Hex!” Meng Hao’s eyes shone brightly as he reached out with his right hand and unleashed the Inside-Outside Hex. A vortex suddenly popped up in front of his extended palm, within which pulsed the powers of both positive and negative.

Even as the fist closed in, the power of the Inside-Outside Hex pushed back toward it.

The entire starry sky went still. A power of expulsion appeared from within Meng Hao’s palm, the core of which came from Meng Hao’s Dao Essence. As it exploded out, the Heavenly God giant’s fist slowed down, eventually coming to a stop only a few centimeters in front of his palm.

Meng Hao’s eyes were completely bloodshot. The power of the Inside-Outside Hex spread out, filling the area around him with endless contradictory power.

A deadlock appeared to have formed. Madness grew within the eyes of the Heavenly God giant, and then suddenly, one of the stars on its forehead began to shatter. As it did, the giant’s power began to rocket up.

Things weren’t over yet though. A second star exploded, then a third and a fourth. The explosions continued, and more power built up within the Heavenly God giant’s fist, which edged closer and closer to Meng Hao.

“Still not enough!” howled the giant. “DETONATE!” A fifth star exploded, then the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and finally, the tenth. In that moment, indescribably explosive energy surged through the body of the Heavenly God giant.

The fist, backed by the power of the self-detonation of ten stars, slammed into Meng Hao’s palm. Meng Hao’s hand shattered, and blood sprayed out of his mouth as he was thrown backward.

Cracking sounds emanated out as his bones were shattered, and his flesh and blood were shredded. This was the most serious injury he had suffered during the entire fight with Allheaven.

“DIE!”

Chapter 1584: Six Hexes Combined!

“Sixth Allheaven Transformation. I am the Immortal!” The ten stars on the forehead of the Heavenly God giant exploded, seriously injuring Meng Hao. However, the result was that the giant’s body was completely withered up. As Allheaven gave up on that body, he shrank down rapidly, and at the same time, an intense Immortal qi exploded out from his chest!

As the Immortal qi erupted out, two hands suddenly burst out from inside the giant’s chest, sending chunks of flesh and blood flying in all directions.

A ripping sound could be heard as the giant’s chest was torn open, allowing even more Immortal qi to pour out.

The incredible nature of the Immortal qi spread out, creating something from nothing as numerous amounts of Immortal jade suddenly appeared in the destroyed starry sky.

The Immortal jade glittered with radiant light, and despite the intense level of the fighting, the sight of it provoked a look of shock from Meng Hao. Then he subconsciously licked his lips.

“What a brazen strategy!” he thought. “And effective.” It took supreme effort, but he managed to restore his composure after seeing the mounds of Immortal jade.

At the same time, a figure emerged from within the giant’s chest. Surrounded by vast quantities of Immortal qi, it was a middle-aged man. He had no hair on his head or anywhere else on his body, and his expression was completely placid. After appearing, he waved his hand behind him, causing the Heavenly God giant to tremble and then collapse. However, instead of turning into ash, it transformed into a leather cloak!

It was leather formed from the skin of the Heavenly God, and as it settled down onto the middle-aged man with the Immortal qi, it made him seem completely cold and ruthless.

“I am the Immortal!” the man said softly, his eyes shining with brilliant light as he looked at Meng Hao.

“The fact that you’ve forced Allheaven to summon me means that you are an incredible foe….” Even as his voice echoed out, the man vanished and then reappeared behind Meng Hao. Before Meng Hao could even turn around, the man had placed his hand onto Meng Hao’s back.

A boom rang out, and blood sprayed out of Meng Hao’s mouth. And yet, his eyes flickered with a vicious light, and his left hand shot up to grab the man’s wrist.

“You’re not the Immortal!” Meng Hao growled. A surprised frown appeared on the man’s face as Meng Hao jerked his hand out, sending the man tumbling through the air. At the same time, Meng Hao began to fly toward him. His right hand flashed with an incantation gesture, and without any hesitation or pause, he pushed his hand down onto the man.

“Sixth Hex, Life-Death Hexing. This Hex doesn’t affect your freedom, it merely decides whether you live or die!”

Rumbling sounds could be heard as the Immortal qi surrounding the man suddenly vanished. When he reappeared, he was off in another direction. At the same time, Meng Hao’s Sixth Hex appeared to have done nothing.

“One Hexing magic isn’t enough,” said the man. “Why don’t you use your Seventh Hex….?” His eyes shone with a strange light; he was clearly using augury to analyze the situation. The truth was that Allheaven really did want to fully analyze all of Meng Hao’s Hexing magic. Although he had witnessed them in the past, he had never personally experienced them.

Only by doing so could his true form fully prepare to crush Meng Hao in battle.

“If you want to see what my Hexing magics look like now that I’ve Transcended, you’ll have to show me some more of your transformations.” Meng Hao’s eyes flickered. Actually, his plans for this battle were similar to Allheaven’s. Allheaven wanted to observe his Hexing magic, but he wanted to test out all of the various Allheaven Transformations.

“I refuse to believe that your Allheaven Transformations can be augmented limitlessly,” Meng Hao said coldly. “After all, this is your clone, not your true form. There are probably some high level transformations that you can’t even use here.”

The man with the Immortal qi gave a cold harrumph. The Immortal qi swirling around him began to grow more powerful, and his eyes grew sharper than ever. “Fine. You want to see? I’ll show you. I’ll show you… exactly what the Immortal really is!

“The Immortal is a man and a mountain!” This Immortal version of Allheaven raised both hands up over his head so that they formed the shape of a mountain peak.

It’s been awhile since this explanation of the character Immortal came up. As a quick refresher, Immortal is 仙. The character for man or person is 人 and mountain is 山. If you squeeze the 人 off to side, it looks like this: 亻， which you can combine with mountain 山 to make Immortal 仙

“Mountain!” he roared. Instantly, the starry sky of the Vast Expanse began to tremble as a power began to descend from outside of the Vast Expanse. Everything trembled; planets, land masses, and worlds all creaked under the pressure.

Meng Hao could sense the power pushing him down, as though countless worlds were crushing down onto him.

At the same time, the outline of a mountain appeared noiselessly above the head of Allheaven’s clone. It was merely an outline, but it was filled with boundless pressure that seemed to lend an air of perfection to Allheaven.

The Immortal was a man and a mountain!

“Immortal magic is actually not a divine ability or a magical technique. Instead, it comes from Essence. It is… crushing pressure!

“From ancient times until now, the appearance of the Immortal signifies pressure that can crush anything not Immortal!

“Meng Hao, you said you want to see my transformations. Well, I’ll demonstrate by crushing you!” This Immortal form of Allheaven looked at Meng Hao with flickering eyes. Then, he pushed his hands out, causing the mountain to fly toward Meng Hao at top speed, emanating intense pressure.

It was a dazzling energy that could crush anything and everything!

The Immortal version of Allheaven flickered, suddenly appearing on top of the peak of the mountain as it rumbled down toward Meng Hao.

Meng Hao looked up at the descending mountain, and could sense the terrifying pressure coming from it, something that vastly exceeded the power of the Heavenly God. The Heavenly God could injure Meng Hao, and even crush his bones. However, it couldn’t harm his deepest foundation. On the other hand, the power crushing down on him from this Immortal mountain caused even his Dao Essence to tremble.

“A man, and a mountain. That’s the Immortal…

“Fine. Since you’re revealing the Immortal, then the time has come for me to show you my Hexing magic combination!” Eyes filled with ultimate determination, Meng Hao waved his sleeve, performing an incantation gesture which caused his cultivation base to erupt with power. Then, Hexing magic towered up.

First Hex!

Second Hex!

Third Hex!

Fourth Hex!

Fifth Hex!

Sixth Hex!

Six Hexes all combined!

The combined power of the Hexing magics unleashed a paramount power, the power of the League of Demon Sealers, the power to seal Heaven and Earth, the power to seal everything which existed. Six Hexing magics combined into one, transforming into a gigantic hand.

That hand only had four fingers, but burst with unheard-of, shocking power. Without the slightest pause, the hand rose up to meet the man and the mountain, to kill the Immortal!

Chapter 1585: Consuming Allheaven!

The enormous hand rose up toward the man and the mountain.

The person and the mountain made the Immortal. As for Meng Hao, he used the power of Transcendence to combine six Hexes into one. What resulted was a power that could shock all living things. It became a hand that seemed capable of ripping apart the entire starry sky.

All of this happened in the time it takes a lightning bolt to strike. In fact, other than Meng Hao himself, no one could clearly see what had happened as Allheaven’s clone transformed into the Immortal.

All they could see was a huge hand slamming into a mountain. In that instant, everything cracked and crumbled, the starry sky was thrown into chaos, and the void shattered. Cracking sounds filled the starry sky, and rifts snaked out from the spot where the hand met the mountain, gaping chasms that were like vicious dragons, roaring as they spread out in all directions.

The starry sky of the Vast Expanse was like a mirror, which was now cracking into so many pieces that it seemed as if it might shatter at any moment.

All cultivators felt blood oozing out of their eyes, ears, noses and mouths. They began to back up, trembling with more astonishment and fear than they could ever have imagined.

When the Demon Sealing Hexing magic met the Immortal, it was one of the most powerful interchanges which had ever occurred within the starry sky of the Vast Expanse. A boom rang out that burst countless eardrums. The enormous hand formed from the combined six Hexes shattered into fragments. However, before they could disperse, Meng Hao waved his hand, and they began to sweep back in his direction, becoming a raging tempest.

Within that tempest, Meng Hao’s hair whipped about his head, and his eyes shone with strange light as he stared coldly at the mountain and the man!

Currently, the mountain was shaking violently, as a spider-web of cracks expanded out over its surface. Rumbling sounds echoed out. This was an Immortal mountain, and yet it couldn’t hold on any longer. It began to collapse, and as it did, the Immortal version of Allheaven’s clone coughed up a massive mouthful of blood. His expression was one of madness as he backed up eight paces.

“Meng Hao, things aren’t finished yet!” he shrieked. Then his hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, causing the rubble of the destroyed Immortal mountain to swirl toward him. In the blink of an eye, it surrounded him and began to fuse with him!

It was impossible to say whether the mountain was absorbing the man, or the man was absorbing the mountain. They fused together, and an unprecedentedly powerful burst of Immortal qi emanated out in all directions. Now, what was standing in front of Meng Hao was completely different from before. He was a man, and bore the shape of a man, and yet he was actually a mountain.

He was the fusion between a man and a mountain. He was the true… Immortal!

“Crushing pressure!” he roared. This man-mountain combination began to spin as it shot toward Meng Hao, emanating intense, crushing pressure. This time, the energy was even more intense than before. This time, the momentum was even more astonishing!

As he closed in, Meng Hao’s eyes flickered with cold light. He licked his lips, and then waved his hand, causing the tempest around him to spin with even more speed than before. Then, it began to form together in front of him in the shape of… a blade!

Six Hexing magics were combined into… the Saber of the Demon Sealers!

It was matchlessly sharp, and as soon as it took form, it caused all other magical and divine weapons in the starry sky of the Vast Expanse to tremble. Some magical items even cracked and began to crumble. This saber was clearly the type of weapon that all other weapons would prostrate in worship to.

“Want to die? I can accommodate you!” Eyes flickering with shocking killing intent, Meng Hao blurred into motion, snatching the saber and slashing it viciously toward Allheaven’s clone!

It was a blow that could shake the vault of existence, that could shock the starry sky. It was filled with completely unprecedented, dazzling power.

BOOOOOOOOOMMM!

It was the most powerful blow Meng Hao had ever struck. His cultivation base erupted with power, and Transcendent fleshly body and soul combined with the Essence of his Dao. He was half a step into the Ancestor Realm, and he was holding back nothing in this attack.

The blade descended, and Allheaven’s clone howled in fury as he fought back with all of the power he could muster. Immortal qi surged, and yet, despite having the Immortal body of this sixth transformation, he was still incapable of defending against the Transcendent Meng Hao’s six combined Demon Sealing Hexing magics.

As the blade slashed down, dazzling light flickered, and Meng Hao and Allheaven’s spun away from each other. When Meng Hao turned back, his eyes shone with cold light, whereas Allheaven’s clone looked completely shocked. He looked down at his body to see a gaping wound slashed across his torso. Before he could even say anything, his upper half toppled over as he was split in two.

One half of him crumbled into the rocks which had formed the Immortal mountain, while the other half of him remained the man portion of the Immortal. However, that portion was incredibly weak, and even emanated the feeling of decay. When he looked back at Meng Hao, his expression was one of dread, and he began to back up. Unexpectedly, he was attempting to flee.

He had no other choice. He had already unleashed all of the transformations he could: six was the limit that this clone could safely utilize. Only his true form could fight with more transformations than that.

As he backed up, the crumbling rocks which had formed the Immortal mountain began to swirl back up toward him, as if to flee with him.

Meng Hao’s expression was the same as ever, although the truth was that this battle had been very taxing. And yet, after all the incredible fighting, how could he possibly let his opponent simply flee?

“Since you’ve sent this clone to me, I think I’ll just keep him!” he said. With that he reached out and waved his hand, causing bright red light to erupt out of him. Shockingly, he was unleashing… the Blood Demon Grand Magic!

For the Blood Demon Grand Magic to be unleashed by a Transcendent cultivator was something completely terrifying. In fact, it was something that not even the Blood Demon himself could have comprehended. Meng Hao instantly transformed into a crimson sea which soared out to pursue Allheaven’s clone, first covering over the crumbled Immortal mountain.

Instantly, the chunks of the Immortal mountain began to be absorbed. In a shocking turn of events… Meng Hao completely consumed them!

These chunks of the Immortal mountain had been part of the Immortal, and could in fact be considered to be part of Allheaven’s clone!

They were part of his quintessence, and now they were being absorbed by Meng Hao’s Blood Demon Grand Magic! As a result, Meng Hao’s cultivation base began to rise dramatically!

Chapter 1586: I Am The Heavens!

As his cultivation base rose, Meng Hao’s divine sense also experienced terrifying growth. It doubled. Tripled. Quadrupled… and kept going.

His fleshly body had already reached a pinnacle in the past, but now that he was absorbing the quintessence of Allheaven, it broke through and became even stronger.

It was the same with his soul, which was undergoing unprecedented enhancement.

Meng Hao threw his head back and roared. His eyes were bright red, and his breath came in ragged pants as he felt himself growing through his consumption of Allheaven. Slowly but surely, he was advancing toward the complete Ancestor Realm.

He was consuming Allheaven, the lord of the starry sky of the Vast Expanse!

The killing intent in Meng Hao’s eyes burned as the sea of blood expanded, sucking in more fragments of the Immortal mountain.

In sharp contrast to what was happening with Meng Hao, Allheaven’s clone was screaming shrilly because of the feeling of being absorbed. It was something he had never felt before, and it left him trembling. He knew with absolute certainty that there was no way for him to escape, not while he was inside of the Vast Expanse. With his true form being outside of the Vast Expanse, there was nowhere inside that he could flee to.

Before this battle began, he had been able to theorize about how powerful Meng Hao was, but had never been able to imagine being defeated by him. It was all thanks to the fatal blow delivered by the combined six Hexes.

Allheaven’s clone knew that he was in grave danger. As he watched Meng Hao rapidly devouring the rubble of the Immortal mountain, he threw his head back and howled, “I’m Allheaven! I’m the lord of the starry sky!”

In that moment, he ceased any attempts to flee. Eyes bright red, he stabbed his hands into his chest and began to rip it open.

As his chest was torn asunder, endless Vast Expanse mist began to pour out, churning and seething with indescribable power. Shockingly, within that mist… were Nine Mountains and Nine Seas!

“Seventh Allheaven Transformation! Mountains and Seas become the Demon!!” As the shrill cry of Allheaven’s clone echoed out, his body began to vanish. His life force, his will, and his thoughts all formed together. Something was created from nothing as all of those things poured into the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Rumbling echoed out as Allheaven transformed into the Mountain and Sea Realm, which then hovered there in the starry sky.

Because the Mountain and Sea Realm still existed, the fact that Allheaven had transformed into it meant that he was connected to the real version. If he were harmed, it could affect the real Mountain and Sea Realm.

By this point, Meng Hao in blood sea form had absorbed the last bit of rubble from the Immortal mountain, and his cultivation base had finished rising. The sea of blood then shrank down until it was a crimson, humanoid mass. Eventually, Meng Hao’s facial features became clear.

He hovered there, causing the starry sky around him to tremble as he sent out his will to replace that of Allheaven. Now Meng Hao was the lord of this part of the starry sky.

“Seventh transformation. Mountain and Sea Transformation….” Meng Hao’s eyes glinted with a glow like that of blood as he contemplated the previous four transformations. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth transformations had been that of the Ghost, the Devil, the God, and the Immortal. Therefore, it was no surprise that the seventh transformation would be that of the Demon.

However, that transformation was actually incomplete!

Rumbling sounds echoed out as the Allheaven version of the Mountain and Sea Realm, complete with nine boundless seas and nine towering mountains, radiated intense power as it shot toward Meng Hao.

The Nine Seas joined forces to crush Meng Hao. The Nine Mountains united to smash him. Meng Hao faced the Nine Mountains and Nine Seas, then waved his hand out in front of him and coolly said, “Demon Sealing Hex. Seventh Hex! Karmic Hexing!”

Even as the words left his mouth, countless Karma Threads appeared upon the Allheaven version of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

There were so many of them that any person who could actually see them would be thoroughly shocked.

Meng Hao, on the other hand, didn’t seem surprised at all. Eyes glittering, he performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, then pointed out at the incoming mountains.

“Seal the Karma of the Mountains!” he said, his words filled with the power of magic.

His cultivation base erupted, causing an enormous, invisible blade to appear, a blade which could sever Karma. That blade shot toward the Nine Mountains, not to slash into the mountains themselves, but rather… to sever the Karma which connected them to the real Mountain and Sea Realm!

BOOOOOOOOOMMM!

The blade flashed, and the Karma was severed!

The Nine Mountains trembled, then began to collapse into fragments. Allheaven screamed in defiance, but was completely and utterly incapable of doing anything!

“Seal the Karma of the Seas!” Meng Hao’s hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, and then he waved his finger again, this time at the Nine Seas. The Nine Seas began to tremble, and yet no matter how they wanted to fight back, not even a single wave could be seen on their surfaces. They had been suppressed to the ultimate degree.

Their connection to the true Mountain and Sea Realm was completely severed away!

“NO!!” Allheaven’s cry rang out into the starry sky, filling the hearts of all living beings. He wanted to fight back, to struggle, to resist. He simply couldn’t believe that his seventh transformation could be defeated so easily.

That seventh transformation might not be complete, and might only have been unleashed by his clone, but it was still incredibly powerful. How could he ever have imagined that Meng Hao could defeat the seventh transformation as easily as flipping over a hand?!

His bitter cry rang out as the Mountains and Seas collapsed. His humanoid shape once again appeared, which was the very moment Meng Hao had been waiting for.

“Seal all Karma connecting you to the starry sky of the Vast Expanse!” he said, his eyes glittering with light as cold as the deepest winter night. “Henceforth, your true form may exist outside of the Vast Expanse, but you may not step even half a pace inside. Neither your body nor your soul may enter. As of this moment, my will has replaced yours!”

Meng Hao performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, drawing upon the ultimate power of Karmic Hexing, and then shoved his hand out.

That movement caused the Mountains and Seas to shatter. At the same time, an invisible blade slashed into Allheaven’s clone form. His body was destroyed, and his connection to the starry sky of the Vast Expanse completely severed.

A huge boom echoed out, causing the starry sky to tremble. When Allheaven’s connection was severed, Meng Hao’s will exploded out, replacing Allheaven’s, taking complete control of the starry sky within the Vast Expanse.

In that moment, all life forms could sense that… the Heavens were about to be altered!

“The clone of Allheaven has been cut down. Henceforth, within the Vast Expanse, I am the Heavens!” He waved his sleeve, causing a burst of power to spread out. It was power, not from Meng Hao, but from the actual starry sky of the Vast Expanse.

Power like that was different from the power of Meng Hao’s Transcendence. However, considering the look of terror on Allheaven’s face, it was obvious that such power was still incredible.

It was at this point that the trembling and crumbling clone of Allheaven suddenly looked over at Meng Hao, then threw his head back and laughed uproariously.

Chapter 1587: Starry Sky Of The Mountains And Seas!

“Back when I was in my prime, I laced the starry sky of the Vast Expanse with a curse. The Ghost could not see it. The Devil was not qualified to activate it. Even the God didn’t trigger it. But today, you will see it, Meng Hao. You will see it….

“It is a curse fueled by the power of my true form, unleashed by the last scrap of my will within the starry sky of the Vast Expanse. It is my curse, created countless years ago….”

In response to Allheaven’s words, Meng Hao’s pupils constricted, and his heart began to pound. Clearly, Allheaven was not simply trying to sound mysterious and impressive. He had no reason to do such a thing.

His words revealed a very disturbing truth: if this so-called curse had been created during Allheaven’s prime, then considering the current level of Meng Hao’s cultivation base, it would most likely be impossible for him to break it.

In his prime, Allheaven had commanded terrifying, unimaginable power. In fact, he was so powerful that neither the Ghost, the Devil, nor the God had been able to do anything more than destroy one of his fingers!

Meng Hao’s eyes began to widen. Allheaven’s connection to the starry sky of the Vast Expanse was utterly and thoroughly severed. Even still, though, Meng Hao could not prevent a sense of dread from seeping into his heart.

He was not disheartened, though. Although he wasn’t sure about the exact nature of the curse, he was sure it had something to do with Karma. Therefore, as long as he was willing to pay the price, he should be able to fight back against it. Even Allheaven at his prime would not be able to kill him with just a curse.

Meng Hao’s face was very grim as the crumbling, vanishing Allheaven spoke in a voice that seemed to contain bizarre and mysterious power: “Any person who kills me….”

Unexpectedly, his words began to resonate with the entire starry sky!

Shockingly, despite the fact that Meng Hao had completely severed Allheaven’s connection to the starry sky of the Vast Expanse, he was still able to form a resonance with it. That caused Meng Hao’s expression to become even grimmer than before.

“… shall find that his people, his bloodlines, everyone connected to him by Karma, everything connected to the Karma of those people, and anyone connected to that greater web of Karma, will be cursed!

“It will spread from this one point outwards, and it will spread yet again from those it spreads to, on and on until it has nowhere left to spread!

“Everyone within that range, everything within that scope, all lives… shall be cursed by Allheaven!

“My curse upon them is thus: in their lives, time is limited!

“No type of cultivation magic, no type of bloodline power, no type of precious material, no type of reincarnation, will be even slightly effective in breaking the curse!

“Because the curse does not affect Transcendent cultivators, it can exist for all eternity!”

As Allheaven’s words rang out, it was clear that he was speaking them in the present, and yet somehow, it seemed as if they were being spoken countless years in the past. In fact, if one listened closely, it almost seemed like two different voices, one in the past, one in the present, joining together, melding, causing everything to shake!

Furthermore, it seemed as if the resonance with the starry sky wasn’t being formed by Allheaven’s current power, but rather, by the Allheaven of the past, when he was in his prime. He had created this curse countless years ago, then buried it, where it had remained hidden until this day.

After the words were spoken, Allheaven looked at the shock on Meng Hao’s face, and laughed mockingly. Then his body exploded.

Allheaven’s clone, the former lord of the entire starry sky of the Vast Expanse, was dead in body and soul!

From this moment on, Allheaven’s true form could exist only in the void outside of the Vast Expanse. It would be impossible for him to come inside the Vast Expanse, regardless of what power he unleashed. Meng Hao had become the Heavens, and because of that, there would be only one voice inside the Vast Expanse, one will. And that was… the will of Meng Hao!

Meng Hao looked grimly at the spot where Allheaven had exploded. Countless motes of light could be seen there, and instead of fading away, they began to shoot toward Meng Hao. He was now the ultimate lord of the starry sky, so as the motes fused into him, rumbling sounds echoed out, and his soul experienced incredible growth. In the blink of an eye, his soul, his fleshly body, and his cultivation base all reached an unprecedented level of power.

Most importantly, his Dao Essence, the Essence of the world which he had created inside of him, also experienced exponential growth. After fully absorbing the clone of Allheaven, that world inside of him lit up with dazzling light, and life began to flourish there.

As of this moment, he was no longer half a step into the Ancestor Realm. He had taken that final step, and was… fully within the Ancestor Realm!

In the Ancestor Realm, one’s body became a world, with its own starry sky!

Meng Hao’s will spread out, filling the starry sky of the Vast Expanse. He saw all the living creatures, and looked at them silently as he contemplated the curse of Allheaven. After a long moment, he spoke.

“I am the Demon Sovereign!”

In that moment, all cultivators within the starry sky of the Vast Expanse felt their minds trembling as a voice that contained the weight of the Heavens spoke to them.

Countless individuals dropped down to their knees to kowtow. The people of innumerable planets, land masses, and worlds all offered worship, as did the countless beings who had been involved in the war.

“From this moment on, the starry sky of the Vast Expanse will no longer contain any mist!” As soon as the words left Meng Hao’s mouth, the entire starry sky cleared of mist. Everything trembled as it simply vanished. Within the space of a few breaths of time, not a single bit could be seen anywhere within the Vast Expanse!

Brilliantly lit planets suddenly became visible, as well as a boundless, majestic starry sky….

All living beings were profoundly shaken.

“From this moment on, the starry sky of the Vast Expanse will have a new name. It will be called… the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas!” With that, he waved his sleeve, and boundless life force spread out. Suddenly, the river of Time appeared, along with the giant crocodilian creature, who immediately prostrated in worship. Countless motes of light began to fly out from the river, as everyone from the Vast Expanse School army who had died in the fighting was resurrected!

Having accomplished this, Meng Hao turned and headed off into the distance.

Behind him, the voices of the Vast Expanse School’s army joined together in a powerful cry.

“Our respect, Demon Sovereign!”

“Our respect, Demon Sovereign!!”

As the Vast Expanse School cultivators cried out, the other living beings from the other parts of the starry sky all prostrated to the Heavens.

“Our respect, Demon Sovereign!!!”

The sound echoed out in astonishing fashion…. For a cultivator to have reached this level was like reaching the ultimate peak.

And yet Meng Hao felt no joy. His heart only continued to sink as he contemplated the curse of Allheaven. He slowly strolled through the starry sky until he found the location where the Mountain and Sea Realm had once stood.

Chapter 1588: Resurrecting Old Friends!

In the same moment that Meng Hao became the lord of the starry sky of the Vast Expanse, and then changed its name to the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas, in the boundless ruins outside, an eye appeared.

As the eye opened, countless surrounding ruins outside the Vast Expanse collapsed, creating a world of dust.

Only the eye remained, unmoving, bloodshot, looking off into the distance.

That eye seemed to contain an unmatched fury, and yet, deep within that fury was terror….

That eye was none other than Allheaven’s true form!

In the past, Allheaven’s flesh and blood had vanished, leaving behind only five fingers. Of those five fingers, three had been destroyed. The final two remained intact. However, because of the rise of Meng Hao, the finger which represented the Demon had experienced dramatic withering.

A similar fate had befallen the finger representing the Immortal.

As for this eye, it was clearly much, much weaker than it had been before Meng Hao had Transcended.

After a moment, a weak voice spoke, seemingly dragged and stretched out, distorted and filled with hatred. “Meng… Hao!”

If events had played out according to Allheaven’s plan, things would not have turned out this way. Meng Hao would not have Transcended, but instead, would have become the ninety-ninth Demon seed. Allheaven would have absorbed him, and the power of Nirvanic rebirth within the Allheaven bloodline, along with the multifarious magic of the Demon, would have enabled Allheaven to craft a new body for himself.

At that time, he would have been able to free himself from his ruined and withered body. He would have been able to appear once again within the starry sky, with an even longer lifespan than before. Instead, one thing after another went wrong.

Now that his clone had been destroyed, severed away from him, he was unable to enter the Vast Expanse. He could only wait outside. Wait for Meng Hao.

The enormous eye was now so bloodshot it was bright red, and the hate which festered inside of it became icy cold killing intent.

“There is still a chance… to succeed!”

After a very long moment passed, the eye slowly closed, vanishing.

Back within the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas, Meng Hao continued to contemplate the curse of Allheaven with furrowed brow. He sent his will out, performed auguries, and yet was unable to detect any clues.

“The curse of Allheaven, from when he was at his prime….” Meng Hao sighed. By this point, he had reached the former location of the Mountain and Sea Realm, a huge vortex which had previously teemed with life, but was now empty and gray.

Meng Hao looked at the spot fondly for a moment before waving his right hand. Instantly, dots of light appeared within the vortex, light that teemed with the power of life, like countless burning stars. Soon, all areas within the vortex teemed with life, and the entire vortex was shining with dazzling, brilliant colors.

This was where the Mountain and Sea Realm had existed in the past, and now, it would exist there again!

Meng Hao reached out and stretched open his palm. Scintillating light flickered as his newly created Transcendence Treasure appeared, the brand new Mountain and Sea Realm. It slowly floated down to hover just above the vortex. Inside the Mountain and Sea Realm, all of the cultivators were bursting with excitement.

Some even flew out to observe the vortex personally, whereupon tears welled up in their eyes.

“This is the Mountain and Sea Realm’s spot within the starry sky. This is our true home….”

“I was born in the Mountain and Sea Realm, and this was where the Mountain and Sea Realm was born….”

“Home!”

“We’re back! The people of the Mountains and Seas are back!” Ksitigarbha gazed at the vortex, and simply couldn’t suppress his excitement. Grandpa Meng, Fang Yu, Fatty, Wang Youcai, as well as all of Meng Hao’s other friends and relatives had similar reactions.

As everyone looked on in excitement, Meng Hao took a deep breath, then extended his right hand and pushed it down.

That motion affected only the vortex, not Meng Hao or the others in the Mountain and Sea Realm. Everyone watched as time began to flow backward, and the vortex slowly reverted to its previous gray color.

Then, centuries passed. Meng Hao and everyone watching could eventually see the Mountain and Sea Butterfly.

Countless scenes played out. Hearts began to pound as the events of the war could be seen. By now, people were starting to guess at what Meng Hao was about to do.

“This is where the Mountain and Sea Realm first appeared,” he said softly, looking at the images, “and now we’ve returned.

“Everything that was lost, everything that faded away into time, everything that was parted from us, will now return….

“By the power of my name, I reach out to everyone who died here, to everyone who lost their lives defending the Mountain and Sea Realm… and call them back!” With that, he waved his sleeve, causing the stars to tremble. The power of the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas filled the area, transforming into numerous Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering hands, which reached out into the images of the past. One by one, everyone who had died in the past was then pulled out!

Rumbling sounds echoed out as the first person emerged. It was none other than… Shui Dongliu!

In the moment before he exploded, he was rescued. After being pulled out of the vortex, he hovered there in the starry sky, shocked, a blank look on his face. It was as if what was occurring completely exceeded his imagination. Even the half of him that was the Mourning-Death soul seemed hard-pressed to believe what was happening.

More and more people appeared, more and more familiar faces. One by one, they were extracted from vortex of the past, to appear there floating in the starry sky, where they looked around in shocked silence.

The Mountain and Sea Lords, the Nine Seas God Worlds, the Sublime Flow Sword Grottos, the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rites, and countless other sects. There was the Imperial Li Clan from Planet South Heaven. There were many, many other individuals.

Meng Hao waved his finger, and a powerful but gentle force grabbed ahold of Paragon Sea Dream, pulling her out to join the crowd.

All the Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators were panting, their eyes as wide as saucers as they watched the events unfold. As soon as Li Ling’er caught sight of Paragon Sea Dream, tears began to stream down her face. Fatty saw his Master, who had died in the fighting, and began to tremble. Wang Youcai, Zhixiang… everyone was equally excited.

“They’re being resurrected!!”

“Master!!”

“Dad, mom! You’re alive again!”

“My sect. All my fellow disciples. You’re all… back!!”

People were weeping and laughing. All cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm who were capable of flight immediately flew over to their resurrected family and friends, calling out in joy and excitement.

The resurrected ones were panting, looking around in complete incredulity. And yet, it was no dream!

Paragon Sea Dream looked at Li Ling’er, and then slowly turned her head. When she saw Meng Hao hovering there like a deity, a smile broke out on her face.

After a moment of silence, Shui Dongliu shook his head, then began to laugh at the top of his lungs.

Chapter 1589: Time Is Limited!

Glittering lights filled the vortex that was the home of the Mountain and Sea Realm as more and more familiar faces were resurrected. Cheering could be heard everywhere as countless people who had fought in the war were now returned to life.

An old man appeared who was none other than Grandpa Fang. As soon as Meng Hao caught sight of him, a tremor ran through him, and he immediately rushed forward and kowtowed respectfully, tears streaming down his face.

Grandpa Fang looked around in confusion, but then saw Meng Hao, and a smile broke out on his face. The truth was that years ago, he had accomplished the final mission given to him by Shui Dongliu, which had been to infiltrate the 33 Heavens and cause their land masses to collide against each other. That was when he had truly died. Laughing, he helped his beloved grandson to his feet.

It was in that exact same moment that someone else emerged from within the vortex. As soon as she appeared, many people recognized her. She had once been the Divine Daughter of the Nine Seas God World… Fan Dong’er!

Actually, she hadn’t died in the war. The white-robed corpse which accompanied her had dragged her down into the very depths of the void. Now she emerged, trembling, looking over at Meng Hao, and then all the other people she knew, and all the people who were being resurrected. Tears streamed down her face.

As more people were brought back to life, the other excited cultivators explained everything which had happened in the past centuries. Eventually, after everyone had been resurrected, Meng Hao waved his hand again, and the vortex began to spin.

Soon it was whizzing at top speed, and Meng Hao’s eyes were glowing with powerful light. Back when he had only been half a step into the Ancestor Realm, there had been a certain person he had wished to resurrect but could not, a person who had come to be part of his heart long ago.

But now, he had consumed Allheaven’s clone, and stepped fully into the Ancestor Realm. Although he was not yet fully familiar with all of his powers, he was definitely far, far more powerful than he had been in the past.

Considering the current level of his cultivation base, it was even possible for him to resurrect people from ancient times!

“Foster father….” he said softly, gesturing at the vortex. Time flowed backward within the vortex, causing images to flit by until the Ancient Demon Immortal Sect appeared.

No one was more moved by the sight than Ke Jiusi, who trembled visibly as he looked at the vortex. The sight of the Ancient Demon Immortal Sect caused great waves of emotion to batter his heart. They were emotions that could not be understood by anyone who hadn’t experienced the loss of a father.

“Dad….” he said, his voice filled with emotion. Meng Hao performed an incantation gesture, then gestured once more with his finger. The vortex grew still as an ancient figure appeared. Gradually, his features became clear. It was… Ke Yunhai.

Slowly, Ke Yunhai was pulled out from the vortex to join everyone else.

Meng Hao had reached back countless years into the past to resurrect Ke Yunhai!

As Ke Yunhai hovered there, a blank look on his face, Ke Jiusi rushed forward, tears streaming down his face. He immediately dropped to his knees in front of his father.

“Dad!”

Meng Hao also hurried forward. Taking a deep breath, he fell to his knees in front of Ke Yunhai.

“Foster father!”

Ke Yunhai looked blankly at Ke Jiusi, and then closed his eyes. After a moment passed, they opened again, and he seemed to understand. A warm smile appeared on his face. Then he looked over at Meng Hao, and began to laugh.

It was an unbelievable event within the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas. Everyone who had died in the war came back to life. By the time he was finished, Meng Hao, despite his incredible power, was very tired.

But when he looked at the excited, happy cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm, he felt joy in his heart.

He placed the new Mountain and Sea Realm back into the place where the old one had existed. The newly resurrected individuals were taken by their family and friends back into the Mountain and Sea Realm, where they continued to learn about the events which had occurred in the centuries after their demise.

Time passed. Meng Hao didn’t travel around through the starry sky, but instead stayed in the Mountain and Sea Realm, with Xu Qing, with his father and mother, and with Ke Yunhai.

The new Mountain and Sea Realm continued to grow and develop. Within the Nine Mountains and Seas, the Mountain and Sea cultivators made new homes for themselves, and cultivated the magic of Meng Hao’s League of Demon Sealers.

The starry sky was quiet. The cultivators of the Vast Expanse School returned to Planet Vast Expanse, and as for all of the other living creatures, they also returned to their respective homes. All cultivators knew that the place where they lived was no longer called the Vast Expanse, it was the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas.

The will of the starry sky was not Allheaven, it was Meng Hao.

Meng Hao was the lord of the starry sky.

Because of that, the Mountain and Sea Realm became the ultimate power within the starry sky, and was like a Holy Land.

Days passed. Years passed. Few people ever saw Meng Hao. He stayed in the Mountain and Sea Realm, on the Ninth Mountain, where he lived quietly. Five hundred years went by in a flash.

During those five hundred years, Meng Hao seemed calm, but the truth was that he was constantly thinking about the curse which had been pronounced by Allheaven. There was one part which made him especially anxious, which had left a deep impression on him, and that was when Allheaven said, “time is limited.”

Meng Hao wanted to change things. He wanted to break the curse created by Allheaven when he was in his prime!

But no matter what methods he attempted during those five hundred years, he could do nothing of the sort. Despite being in the Ancestor Realm, he was a far cry from Allheaven in his prime.

Because of that gap, the curse… could not be broken.

During the five hundred years which passed, generation after generation of Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators were born. As time passed, Meng Hao intentionally began to erase the evidence of his existence. He forbade people from talking about him or spreading stories, hoping that such a tactic would reduce the number of people who were connected to him by Karma.

However, that was a difficult task to accomplish. After all, the most vile aspect of the curse was that it didn’t just affect people who were connected to Meng Hao by Karma, but people connected by two degrees and on.

The effects spread far and wide, and could not be negated.

During the five hundred years, the Mountain and Sea Realm continued to thrive, and yet there were also strange things which occurred, things which could not be ignored. For example… generally speaking, Nascent Soul cultivators were supposed to be able to live for four or five hundred years, but now, that number had decreased to around two hundred.

Furthermore, some cultivators who should clearly have been able to live for much longer, gradually weakened. Their longevity wasted away, and eventually… people began to die.

However, the general growth and expansion of the realm ensured that such things went unnoticed. Except by Meng Hao. He noticed.

Whenever a person died in such a fashion, he would appear by their corpse. Every single one of the corpses whose longevity had been severed had traces of the curse on them.

“Time… is limited,” he thought bitterly. Eventually, the day came when people he actually knew began to show the withering signs of age. By now, Meng Hao was getting very anxious.

He did everything he could think of. He used magical techniques. He created countless new natural laws. He did everything possible to weaken the power of the curse, and yet, he was unable to break it.

Because of what was happening, he even went outside the Vast Expanse. After all, since the curse had been cast by Allheaven, then Allheaven was the one who could break it. However, even after utilizing all of the power of his divine sense, he was unable to find Allheaven’s true form.

Apparently he was hiding, unwilling to fight the final battle with Meng Hao. Even though Allheaven’s true form was also weakening because of that, he still didn’t appear.

Chapter 1590: The End Of A Generation

Meng Hao searched the area outside the Vast Expanse for a very, very long time. In the end, he could only chuckle bitterly, well aware that the reason Allheaven hadn’t appeared was because he wanted to see the limitations of time be inflicted on everyone Meng Hao was close to.

Meng Hao returned to the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas, and the Ninth Mountain. There, he went mad trying to create new natural laws that could break the curse. When Xu Qing saw him like this, her heart filled with pain, but there was nothing she could do to help. She could only accompany him silently.

“Time is limited….” he murmured. “Because of that, there is no reincarnation. One life is the end….” He had already come to realize that anyone who ever had anything to do with him would not be reincarnated after dying.

Time flowed by. Another five hundred years passed. It had already been a thousand years since Meng Hao had become the Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm. During those thousand years, concerted effort resulted in fewer and fewer people knowing about him.

It was in the thousandth year that Paragon Sea Dream passed away again. Her death was a huge blow to Meng Hao’s heart. He stood quietly, looking at her corpse, and the flickering soul fire in his palm which was all that remained of her.

He quickly took that soul fire and sealed it, turning into a fist-sized block of ice. It was a soul seed… Paragon Sea Dream’s soul, which he had extracted in the last moment before she had died.

Over the course of the past thousand years, this was the only method he had been able to devise. He transformed the dead into soul seeds, which he hoped to send back into the cycle of reincarnation after breaking the curse.

Li Ling’er was heartbroken by the departure of Sea Dream. After the thousand years which had passed, she was now older than ever.

The sight of Paragon Sea Dream’s corpse caused Meng Hao to sigh bitterly. Years ago, he had brought everyone back to life, but now, there was nothing he could do other than watch the effects of the curse spread.

After Paragon Sea Dream died, Meng Hao returned to the Ninth Mountain. There, he had erected a special mountain of ice in which to store the soul seeds. At the moment, it was possible to see tens of thousands of them, and it was easy to imagine how many more would come to fill it in the future. Eventually, more and more people would die, and he would be the only one remaining alive.

The mere thought left his heart quivering in fear. He held Xu Qing quietly in his arms, looking off into the distance. It didn’t matter that he was in the Ancestor Realm, he was still powerless to do anything.

More years passed, and Meng Hao went outside the Vast Expanse for a second time. He searched relentlessly, examining everything in detail, in ways that surpassed his previous efforts exponentially. In the end, though, he never found Allheaven.

Eventually, he came to hover in the starry sky outside the Vast Expanse. It was almost as if he could hear Allheaven laughing, a cold laughter filled with venom and hatred.

He remained there for some time before returning to the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas. However, he didn’t go to the Ninth Mountain. He had sensed something within his will, someone calling out to him from Planet Vast Expanse.

He vanished, and when he reappeared, he was there above Planet Vast Expanse. Down below was a sprawling desert, within which was an oasis, where a woman was looking up at him. She seemed dazzled, but quickly dropped to her knees to kowtow.

“Greetings, Demon Sovereign.”

Meng Hao floated down and landed in front of her. She was old now, and even the fact that she was a 9-Essences Paragon couldn’t hide the aura of decay which existed upon her. She was Immortal Bai Wuchen.

Back then, she had requested of Meng Hao that he take her outside the Vast Expanse, to her home.

Now, she was calling upon him, bowing to him, once again making her plea….

“Outside the Vast Expanse, there is nothing but ruins,” Meng Hao said quietly. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to accommodate her. Unfortunately, what existed within Bai Wuchen’s memories was an illusion.

Immortal Bai Wuchen was quiet for a moment, then gritted her teeth and looked up. “Ruins or not, I want to go!”

Meng Hao closed his eyes for a moment, then sighed. Opening his eyes, he waved his hand, and a vortex appeared next to Bai Wuchen. Immediately, she disappeared into it, on her way to the area outside the Vast Expanse.

“See for yourself,” he said. “If you want to come back, just call upon my name.” He stood there in the oasis for a moment, looking at the spot where Immortal Bai Wuchen had disappeared. Then he looked over at the ninth continent, and the Ninth Sect. As of this very moment, there was a young woman there who was the center of all attention, standing at the very peak of the tallest tower. Bells were tolling throughout the sect.

That young woman was Perfect.

When Meng Hao looked at her, it was with warmth and love. Perfect knew about her past. Meng Hao had visited her a thousand years ago to explain everything.

He had given her a choice: remain in the Ninth Sect, or return with him to the Mountain and Sea Realm.

She had chosen to remain where she was.

Although he had never personally returned to Planet Vast Expanse during the thousand years which had passed, he had often sent his will to watch over Perfect.

Every time he saw her, he would think about a woman sleeping in a coffin in the Violet Fate Sect on Planet South Heaven.

As he looked over at his daughter standing there at the peak of the world, he looked especially bleak. Then he saw her smiling, and he also smiled. It was a lonely smile that lasted for a long moment. Eventually, he turned and left.

Time passed. Another thousand years.

By now, over two thousand years had passed since Meng Hao had founded the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas. After all the time which had passed few people remembered who he was. A situation arose which was very similar to the situation when Meng Hao had made his rise in the world of cultivation. Few people knew that the will of the starry sky actually had a name. Meng Hao.

During those thousand years, the power of the curse grew especially potent. One by one, all of the cultivators he had resurrected from the past began to die…. Although it appeared on the surface that it was simply a matter of their longevity coming to an end, leading them to a natural death, Meng Hao knew that they should have been able to live longer. And although they should not have been able to live forever, they should at least have been able to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

But now, they only had one life to live.

Meng Hao often wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t resurrected all of them. But in the end, he realized that even if he hadn’t resurrected them, they still wouldn’t have been able to enter reincarnation.

The power of this curse enabled Meng Hao to finally comprehend how strong Allheaven had been in his prime.

Thankfully, he did resurrect them. Thankfully, he was able to spend some time with them before they died. Thankfully, he was able to take their soul seeds and place them in the ice mountain. Every time he looked at the growing collection of soul seeds, he felt a wave of bitterness wash through him….

One year, Li Ling’er closed her eyes and never opened them.

One year, Zhixiang, her hair as white as frost, ran out of longevity….

When Li Ling’er closed her eyes, Meng Hao and Xu Qing were there with her. She was the only surviving member of the Li Clan. The rest had all left with Choumen Tai. Even back during the war, she had always chosen to remain with the Mountain and Sea Realm. It was her home.

She had never taken a Daoist partner. She died alone.

Xu Qing cried. Her hair was now graying, and her skin was wrinkled. She held Li Ling’er’s hand, and her tears fell, splashing like rose petals onto their skin.

Chapter 1591: Shui Dongliu’s Jade Slip

Zhixiang was beautiful. She had been beautiful when she was young, and even in her old age, her hair white, her face full of wrinkles, she was still beautiful.

During those thousand years, one person after another passed away.

Every time someone familiar to him closed their eyes for the final time, Meng Hao’s pain grew. Sometimes he laughed bitterly. He could seal the Heavens, but when it came to this curse, he was helpless.

The curse of Allheaven was a torment. It was a torment to whoever had killed him. That person would remain alone for all time, watching time pass, watching the blue seas turn into lush fields.

It was a tactic, a scheme. When Allheaven grew incredibly weak, he could use that scheming tactic to cause his enemy’s heart to rot.

It was only by such means that Allheaven would have a chance at victory!

Meng Hao was well aware of this fact. However, he couldn’t simply turn off his feelings. He couldn’t disregard what was happening. When his foster father Ke Yunhai eventually grew weak and approached death, he wept. He knelt in front of Ke Yunhai’s bed like a child, tears flowing.

“Why are you crying…?” Ke Yunhai said, his voice soft with love. “I’ve been able to live for thousands of years. I’ve been able to spend time with you, and with Jiusi. I’m content with that….” He reached out and patted Meng Hao’s head, and then the light in his eyes slowly faded away.

Throughout those thousand years, many people died. Overall, though, the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm grew strong. Many powerful experts appeared. As for the members of the older generation, as they became aware of the situation with the curse, they also withdrew from the public. Soon, there really was a brand new Mountain and Sea Realm.

Wars began, wars fought between the Mountains and Seas. Because of the natural laws of the realm, though, such wars were limited in scope.

Years passed. Another thousand. One by one, the older cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm passed away. Ksitigarbha was among them.

Before his time came, he went to see Meng Hao and Xu Qing. His face was old, and filled with a warmth and kindness that he rarely let others see.

The very night he came to see them, he slipped away quietly into death.

Next was Grandpa Meng, and after him, Grandpa Fang. Then Fan Dong’er. One by one, Meng Hao’s fellow clan members died, as did his friends. Each death was like a knife that stabbed him in the heart.

By this time, Xu Qing’s hair was white. And yet, she didn’t die. Meng Hao fed her with his own blood, which was rich with life force.

But that didn’t stop her from withering with age. Eventually, it reached the point where she could do little more than lay in bed. Despite that, her tender feelings for Meng Hao never left her eyes. It was as if looking at him for an entire lifetime wasn’t enough for her.

And yet, she didn’t seem resentful. Instead, she was content to have been able to spend the past thousands of years with him. The only thing she regretted was that she had not borne him any children. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to. Rather, she chose not to.

She didn’t want her own children to suffer under the ravages of the curse….

Time turned into a river that flowed by ever-so-slowly. Another thousand years passed. By now, the number of people who had passed away was unthinkable. Countless cultivators of the older generation had returned to the dust. Only a handful of people who had fought in the ancient Mountain and Sea War remained.

Shui Dongliu managed to hold on for thousands of years. But eventually, he too was forced to close his eyes in death. Before passing away, he smiled, and pressed a jade slip into Meng Hao’s palm. Then he looked at Meng Hao, wise and farsighted light flickering in his eyes.

“Don’t forget…. After you look at that jade slip, commit its contents to heart, and then destroy it. They are my deductions regarding… the method to lift the curse!”

After taking the jade slip, Meng Hao collected Shui Dongliu’s soul seed and took it to the ice mountain. He examined the jade slip, then destroyed it. The gleam of obsession could be seen deep in his eyes.

More time passed. The few people who had managed to hold on for this long were finally succumbing to their longevity. Eventually, Patriarch Reliance chose to enter a state of deep slumber, which would extend his life to an almost unlimited degree.

A few hundred years later, one of Meng Hao’s immediate family members left him.

It was Fang Yu, his older sister. She and Sun Hai had held on for many years, enduring the pain of watching entire generations of their children die one after another.

When the last of their beloved offspring passed away, they closed their eyes, held hands, and died together as husband and wife.

After collecting their soul strands, Meng Hao stood there quietly for a long time, thinking about past times. He thought about how his sister had always protected him. He didn’t realize it, but tears welled up in his eyes until they spilled down his cheeks. Off to the side were his parents, overwhelmed with grief, weeping.

Deep in his heart, Meng Hao said, “I swear that I will start the cycle of reincarnation again… for all of you!”

After Fang Yu and Sun Hai died, six hundred years passed. By that time, there were only a few people in the Mountain and Sea Realm who remained from that early group. Other than Xu Qing, Meng Hao, and Meng Hao’s parents, there was Wang Youcai, Fatty, Dong Hu, and Pill Demon. There was also Chu Yuyan, although she was still unwilling to awaken.

Everyone else had returned to the dust, their soul seeds taken away by Meng Hao.

Because of Meng Hao’s blood, Xu Qing barely held on. Meng Hao’s parents were sustained because of having fused with the Mountain and Sea Butterfly. Dong Hu managed to hang on because of the miraculous pearl. As for Pill Demon, he was the incarnation of a medicinal pill, and was thus able to endure longer than most.

The first to give out was Wang Youcai. When his longevity ran out, he died laughing. Meng Hao felt stabs of pain in his heart. He placed Wang Youcai’s soul seed in the ice cave, and once again he wept.

However, even more painful than the death of Wang Youcai was… Fatty.

He and Fatty had been brothers for life. They began to walk the path of cultivation together, all the way down to this day. On the eve of Fatty’s death, he was no longer fat. His body had wasted away until he was little more than skin and bones. He had watched all of his wives pass away, and all of his sons and daughters.

As he lay there quietly looking at Meng Hao, he wanted to laugh, but couldn’t find the energy.

“Fudge…. Meng Hao, you have to take out Allheaven for me…. You have to win. When you finally manage to break the curse and send me into reincarnation, make sure I remember my previous life….” Fatty took his last breath, and used it to let out a powerful shout. Having expended his last bit of energy, he closed his eyes.

That year, many wrinkles appeared on Meng Hao’s face.

Compared to the Mountain and Sea Realm, far fewer deaths occurred on Planet Vast Expanse. Although they did occur, because the Karmic connections there were not as deep, it did not affect a significant number of people. As for the few whose Karmic connections to Meng Hao were strong, they too would have a limited lifespan. However, since they had such strong cultivation bases, their lifespans had not come to an end as of yet.

Furthermore, if they could reach Transcendence, then the curse would not affect them.

Chapter 1592: Same Scenery, Filled With Strangers

Gone…. Everyone had gone.

Meng Hao suddenly aged visibly. He returned silently to the Ninth Mountain, to Xu Qing’s bedside, who looked very, very old. He looked at her

“Why don’t you just… let me go…?” she said softly, her voice hoarse.

Meng Hao shivered, but didn’t respond. He continued to feed her his blood, which was the only thing keeping her alive.

Xu Qing went back to sleep. Meng Hao stood there looking at her, his eyes bloodshot. After a long moment passed, he turned and walked out of the room. Gazing up in the sky, his eyes flickered with the light of augury as he once again tried to come up with a way to keep his loved ones alive for longer, something other than the soul seeds.

Three hundred years passed, and Pill Demon died….

In that moment, he transformed into a decayed medicinal pill, which was his soul seed. The sight of it left Meng Hao weeping as he thought back to everything which had occurred in the past.

He carefully placed the medicinal pill into the ice mountain, checked in on Xu Qing, and continued to make augury calculations to try to come up with a solution.

Two hundred years later, Dong Hu’s time came….

In the moments before death, he gave a pearl to Meng Hao and explained that he had been feeding it for his entire life. He had been preparing it for someone else, and that someone was Meng Hao.

As the pearl floated in front of Meng Hao, the parrot flew out. Neither the parrot nor the meat jelly had appeared during the past several thousand years. When they looked at Meng Hao in his grief, they felt that same grief rising up within their own hearts. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do to help.

The parrot took the pearl and placed it into a certain spot on the copper mirror, and the two fused together. Radiant light glittered, and yet, Meng Hao didn’t pay it any attention.

“Gone,” he murmured. “They’re all gone….” He went back to his augury.

Time passed. Another thousand years. By this point, it had been seven thousand years since Meng Hao had become the lord of the starry sky. During those seven thousand years, he had never made any public appearances. Most people had forgotten his name, and those who did remember had begun to speculate that Meng Hao… had left the starry sky.

For the most part, people weren’t aware of how certain individuals were dying in an unusual fashion. However, there were a few people, like Jin Yunshan and the others on Planet Vast Expanse, who did notice.

They weren’t completely sure though, and didn’t dare to state their speculations out loud. Ambitions rose up in their hearts, but they suppressed them and continued to wait.

In the Mountain and Sea Realm, on the Ninth Mountain, Xu Qing hovered on the brink of death. Even with Meng Hao’s blood, she wouldn’t be able to hang on for much longer. The truth was that she should have died long ago.

It was at this point that Meng Hao thought about how Patriarch Reliance had intentionally gone into a state of slumber, and suddenly came up with a new idea. He took a trip outside of the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas, and upon returning, stood there by Xu Qing’s side for a long moment, his eyes closed. A long moment passed, and he opened his eyes.

“Qing’er,” he said quietly. “Close your eyes and sleep…. I’ll wake you up soon.” With that, he reached out and pushed his hand down onto her forehead.

She smiled and closed her eyes. She wasn’t dead. She continued to breathe as Meng Hao drew upon his personal Essence to pour power into her. She gradually reverted from her ancient appearance back to her youthful self. It only took a moment for her to be radiantly beautiful once again.

At the same time, an icy coldness passed from Meng Hao’s hand into her body. Cracking sounds could be heard as layers of ice formed. Gradually, ice came to cover her completely, forming the shape of a coffin.

There Xu Qing lay, inside the coffin, sleeping, sealed with ice.

This was the final method Meng Hao had devised, something different from the soul seeds which could be sent back into reincarnation. After thousands of years of augury calculations, this was the best method he could come up with, something very taxing to himself, something that used numerous natural laws combined with Heaven-Sealing magic.

He had… separated her from the curse!

He used ice to create a tiny world the size of a coffin. Whoever slept inside that coffin would be free from the effects of the curse.

This method also had something to do with his observations of his own Dao Essence, and the world which existed inside of him. He had thought of taking people into that world inside of him to separate them from the curse, but was unable. He was in the Ancestor Realm, and yet, that world inside of him was incomplete.

He gazed at Xu Qing there within the ice coffin, then went to another location on the Ninth Mountain, where his parents lived.

His parents were the only loved ones he had left in the world.

After explaining his plan regarding the ice seal, Meng Hao’s parents sat there silently. A long time passed before they exchanged a glance, then looked back at Meng Hao and shook their heads.

They did not wish to continue living in such a manner. They would rather reach the end of their lives together. After all the years which had passed, and everything they had been through, they were content for things to end.

Having watched as Meng Hao climbed to the absolute pinnacle, they had no regrets.

Meng Hao continued to try to persuade them until his father’s temper sparked. Meng Hao lapsed into silence. He could tell that his parents’ decision was final. In the following years, he spent as much time as he could with them there in the Mountain and Sea Realm. Another thousand years passed.

Finally, Meng Hao watched through tear-filled eyes as his parents transformed into the Mountain and Sea Butterfly, and then gradually began to fade away. However, in the moment before it disappeared, Meng Hao’s eyes flashed with determination. His right hand flashed in an incantation gesture, and the power of his Dao Essence erupted out. Coldness filled the area, and cracking sounds could be heard. In the blink of an eye, the area was completely sealed in ice.

The frozen Mountain and Sea Butterfly began to shrink down until it was a coffin, which Meng Hao carefully picked up.

He knew that the real reason his parents had refused was that they didn’t want him to waste any of his Essence power. They were worried that he would harm himself in order to help them.

They were willing to sacrifice anything for their son. That was the reason for their decision.

But Meng Hao was willing to do the same for his parents. They were the two most important people in his life, and thus, he made his own decision.

He placed the Mountain and Sea Butterfly’s ice coffin next to Xu Qing’s. Those two coffins contained the people in his life that he simply couldn’t part with.

Grief, pain, and loneliness rose up like the tide, completely engulfing him. He sat down quietly, and let time pass, just like it always had.

He sat there for a thousand years. By now, he had been the lord of the starry sky for ten thousand years. Finally, he placed protective seals on the soul seeds and the coffins, then walked out and looked at the Mountain and Sea Realm. Everything looked unfamiliar to him now.

“I watch the blue seas become lush fields,” he murmured. “Same scenery, but filled with strangers….”

Chapter 1593: Loneliness

Years had passed. A thousand. Two thousand. Three thousand.

Five thousand years had gone by in a flash.

After ten thousand years in which Meng Hao never appeared in public, his name had largely been forgotten by the successive generations of cultivators.

All of the older generation in the Mountain and Sea Realm had returned to the dust, and virtually no one now living had ever even heard of Meng Hao.

During the ten thousand years, it wasn’t just people in the Mountain and Sea Realm who died. Cultivators passed away in other parts of the starry sky, such as in the Vast Expanse School, although the effects in those other places weren’t as pronounced.

In the current starry sky of the Mountains and Seas, few people were aware that the starry sky even had a will of its own. People even stopped telling stories about the battle ten thousand years before, between Meng Hao and Allheaven.

There was a very, very small group of people who remembered, but most of them were Paragons. Because the Karma connecting them to Meng Hao wasn’t very profound, and because of their incredible cultivation bases, the power of the curse didn’t affect them in a significant way.

After several thousand years, Perfect’s longevity eventually ran out. Meng Hao collected her soul seed and sealed it in the ice mountain. That ice mountain contained all of the memories of Meng Hao’s entire life. Everyone he cared about, all of the good things, were there. That ice cave was also his weak spot.

He spent most of his time sitting at the foot of the ice mountain, with only his memories to accompany him.

Occasionally he would go out into the Mountain and Sea Realm. However, every time he did, things seemed unfamiliar. He almost felt as if he wasn’t even a part of the world any more.

Although he wasn’t aware of it, there was something building up within him, something that could only be described by a single word. Loneliness. And it was growing stronger.

He was the most powerful entity within the starry sky, but the feeling of loneliness only continued to grow. He never aged, and yet he felt more and more tired.

His body was not growing older, but his heart was. And he could do nothing to change that.

Years marched along within the starry sky, faster and faster. Meng Hao felt as if those years were passing him by. All he could do was sit and watch them go. He looked at the living creatures that existed within the starry sky. He watched generations come and go. He saw gifted and talented individuals rise to glory. He saw people that others would call inhuman. He saw new powerful experts make names for themselves.

The Mountain and Sea Realm continued to prosper. Few people bore the mark of the curse any more. As people forgot Meng Hao, the Karma connecting them to him grew faint. Although many of them still had slightly limited longevity, their speed of cultivation was greatly enhanced because of living in the precious treasure that was the Mountain and Sea Realm.

In the Nine Mountains and Seas, the natural laws were based on the nine great Hexing magics of the League of Demon Sealers. Because of that, it was much easier to reach the Dao Realm. In fact, throughout the ten thousand years which had passed, numerous outstanding cultivators had risen up. They created cultivation techniques unique to their generation, and also invented many, many new divine abilities.

Throughout the millennia, the cultivators from the Mountain and Sea Realm were always considered to be one of the most powerful forces within the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas. Eventually, wild ambitions began to grow within the hearts of many cultivators. It was hard to say when exactly it began, but eventually they began to expand, and to subjugate one group of life forms after another within the starry sky.

Meng Hao watched it happen. He watched the wars being fought. He even strolled through battlefields sometimes, watching the Mountain and Sea cultivators die, watching the other living beings die. He watched the blood flow, and smelled the stench of gore.

He watched it all, but did nothing. He didn’t help either side, and certainly didn’t fight.

This was the path the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm had chosen, and he wouldn’t interfere. As for exactly how it would all turn out, he wasn’t sure.

As the Mountain and Sea Realm waged war, its people grew stronger. They encountered many critical situations.

To Meng Hao, none of that was very important. The people he cared about were all gone, leaving him alone within Heaven and Earth.

One year, when he went out into the Mountain and Sea Realm, he seemed like an old man. No one could detect his passage, not even the newly arisen Paragons of the realm.

His destination was Planet South Heaven, and the Violet Fate Sect. There were only a few things within the starry sky that Meng Hao cared about any more. One was the gradually weakening Patriarch Reliance. The other was in the Violet Fate Sect, where a woman rested in slumber, ever resistant to the idea of awakening.

Whenever Meng Hao thought about Chu Yuyan, his expression grew grimmer than usual.

Dark clouds filled the sky above Planet South Heaven. Snow began to fall, and as the snowflakes accumulated on the various mortal kingdoms down below, the world turned white.

Down below on one of the public highways, a horse-drawn carriage sped along through the night. Within the carriage was a scholar, reading a book by the light of an oil lamp.

Meng Hao hovered up above, watching the snow fall, and watching the carriage speed along across the highway. He looked at the scholar, and couldn’t help but think of that time he had traveled through a snowy night in the State of Zhao.

This is a reference to chapter 58, in which he traveled on a snowy night and met a scholar in a horse-drawn carriage

He sighed, and then continued along his way to the Violet Fate Sect.

The Violet Fate Sect was the most illustrious and famous sect on Planet South Heaven, filled with countless disciples. Within that sect was a mountain that had once been called a Holy Land.

That mountain had no peak, only a basin. It was a place that, throughout all the countless years which had passed, had come to be a restricted area. Not a single person from the Violet Fate Sect had ever set foot inside. The primary rule of the sect was that no one was allowed to go there. Many disciples of the Violet Fate Sect had speculated what was inside, and countless rumors existed about the subject.

Some of the stories were beautiful, and some were vile. Because of all the rumors, that mountain had become the most mysterious of places. For generation after generation, cultivators had stood guard around that mountain, although none of them knew exactly what they were guarding.

They only knew that no one was allowed to climb to the top. If anyone tried to do so, they would reach a certain point halfway up where progress was impossible. Likewise, anyone who looked at the mountain from up above would only see rippling distortions.

Years ago, one of the most powerful Paragons of the Mountain and Sea Realm had come to the conclusion that an ancient precious treasure was buried there. He even gathered an army to go to the mountain and take away the treasure.

However, not even that Paragon was able to get more than half way up the mountain.

Because of that, the mountain came to be known, not as a Holy Land, but as a restricted area. It was also the most mysterious location in all of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Meng Hao appeared at the bottom of the mountain, and looked up toward the top. This was not his first time coming here. After Xu Qing left, and after everyone else he knew had died, he had come to visit.

This was actually his third time coming. He quietly took a step forward as he began to climb the mountain. No one saw him, and no one could detect his presence. He walked slowly, taking one step at a time as he headed toward the top.

Chapter 1594: Buried Within Time

The top of the mountain looked the same as it always had. It was separate from the world, as beautiful as a painting.

As soon as Meng Hao reached the top, he could see a coffin off in the distance, a coffin that was… empty!

It was not his first time looking at the empty coffin. He had come here after Xu Qing slipped into her final slumber, which was when he had discovered that no one occupied the coffin anymore.

Chu Yuyan had vanished.

As for where she had gone to, no one knew, not even Meng Hao. Back when he first made the shocking discovery, he had stood there looking at it, his heart equally empty.

Chu Yuyan could not have simply left on her own. Considering the level of Meng Hao’s cultivation base, and given the fact that he was the lord of the starry sky, he should have been able to detect her presence.

But she was nowhere to be found.

The only explanation was that she had somehow left when he was making the ice coffins with his Dao Essence. Because all of his energy and concentration had been focused on the task at hand, he hadn’t been paying attention to anything else. Something unexpected must have occurred with Chu Yuyan during that time.

Even still, it didn’t make sense that he wouldn’t have noticed. Unless… Chu Yuyan didn’t leave on her own. Unless… someone came and took her away.

Whoever it was couldn’t be Allheaven, because he couldn’t enter this starry sky. It must have been someone else.

That person’s cultivation base… would either have to be at the same level as Meng Hao’s, or at least very close.

There were some clues left behind. Although they were faint to the extreme, Meng Hao was the lord of the starry sky, a powerful expert in the Ancestor Realm. If he wanted to know something, then only someone with a cultivation base higher than his would be able to conceal it from him and leave behind no clues.

But there were clues, and from them, Meng Hao was able to determine that whoever had taken away Chu Yuyan had no ill intentions.

Based on the auguries he had performed, he had come to be convinced that Chu Yuyan being taken away was unprecedented good fortune for her. He even had the feeling that he might run into her again in the future.

Because of that, he had chosen not to interfere. Instead, he allowed the place to simply remained sealed away like it had been before.

After climbing the mountain, he walked up to the coffin and looked down into its emptiness. Memories flickered within his eyes, and eventually he sighed. It was almost as if he could hear the gentle voice of a young woman speaking to him.

“Master, promise me that you’ll tell me the second half of the story one day.”

Meng Hao felt emptier than ever. When Xu Qing fell into slumber, she took away his heart. As he stood there thinking about Chu Yuyan, it was as if his will had also been taken away.

Time passed, and Meng Hao looked older than ever. He looked up into the sky, completely engulfed by loneliness.

Eventually, he left. He strolled through the Mountain and Sea Realm, visiting the Mountains, going to the Seas. Eventually, he reached the Ninth Sea. There he stopped and looked down.

The Ninth Sea was more than half dried up. Guyiding Tri-Rain was connected to Meng Hao by Karma, and was thus subject to the effects of the curse. Just like Patriarch Reliance, she had chosen to enter a state of sleep, allowing her to prolong her life.

When he looked at the Ninth Sea, he could still sense faint fluctuations coming from Guyiding Tri-Rain. Gradually, his heart began to grow calm. He proceeded along, returning to the Ninth Mountain, and the ice cave where all his memories lay. He sat down cross-legged next to the ice coffins which contained his parents and Xu Qing, and his eyes flickered with focus and obsession.

After all the time that had passed, he still hadn’t given up on the idea of breaking the curse of Allheaven.

Recently, a new idea had occurred to him, an idea that seemed like madness.

“After the Nine Demon Sealing Hexes, I wonder if there… is actually a Tenth Hex!”

Time continued to pass. A thousand years. Two thousand. Three thousand….

By now, twenty thousand years had passed since Meng Hao’s battle with Allheaven. During that time, many of the people he had known in the Vast Expanse School died.

It would be easier to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn than to find people within the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas who remembered Meng Hao. Any who did exist were ancient, eccentric beings.

During the second ten-thousand-year-period, the Mountain and Sea Realm continued to expand. It grew more powerful, but at the same time, more corrupt. The Nine Mountains became nine separate factions who schemed and fought amongst each other.

It reached the point where they even wanted to part ways from each other. Were it not for the fact that the Nine Mountains and Seas were fundamentally incapable of being separated, they definitely would have split apart. Of course, the schisms were not physical, but within the hearts of the people in the realm.

Shields were erected between the Nine Mountains and Seas. In the past, they all had dealings with each other, but now they became separate worlds. The only way to pass from one to another was by fighting and killing.

The expansion outside of the Mountain and Sea Realm was similarly divided.

As more and more living beings were subjugated, the Mountain and Sea Realm eventually reached a peak state similar to when it had ruled the 3,000 Lower Realms in the past. In fact, they even surpassed that state, and came to rule tens of thousands of other types of life forms.

There was another power within the starry sky. During the first ten thousand years, it had remained relatively subdued. But in the second, it experienced explosive expansion. It was… the Vast Expanse School!

The Vast Expanse School had been the number one power in years past, and during the second period of ten thousand years, it began to expand again. It swept across the starry sky, becoming just as illustrious as the Mountain and Sea Realm. Eventually, the starry sky was split in two.

As would be expected, friction arose. Smaller conflicts grew more intense, until eventually the two powers came to be as incompatible as fire and water.

More and more powerful experts arose. The Mountain and Sea Realm had full access to all of the powers provided by the precious treasure that was the realm itself. However, even though the older generation had all died, the new experts still were affected by Karma, and had significantly shorter longevity. Because of that, although their powerful experts were numerous, there was still a limit to their overall number.

The Vast Expanse School was in a similar situation. The most powerful experts of the older generation were either dead or in secluded meditation. They had no precious treasure like the Mountain and Sea Realm, but their powerful experts could live longer. In the end, neither side had a clear advantage, and they were relatively evenly matched.

However, the number of Paragons who rose up during that twenty thousand years vastly exceeded the number from previous times. Not counting their secret reserve forces, each of the two powers had over two hundred 9-Essences Paragons.

Because of that, the fighting grew more intense, until eventually, full-scale war erupted.

Meng Hao didn’t pay attention to any of that. He sat in secluded meditation, forgotten by the world.

By now, the very few people who actually remembered him all assumed that he had long since left this starry sky.

After all, it had been many, many years since he made any public appearances. His stories, his legend, was a thing from ancient times, buried within the depths of the past.

Chapter 1595: Someone Transcends!

The war between the Mountain and Sea Realm and the Vast Expanse School went on for a thousand years, and yet neither side could wipe the other out. In the end, they called a truce. The number of cultivators who died was beyond calculation.

The only reason the truce had been called was because of the innumerable casualties. The enmity between the two forces was like an ocean of blood, a Gordian knot that could never be unravelled.

Time passed. Another five thousand years went by, and Meng Hao never came out of seclusion. He almost seemed to be sleeping, but the truth was that he was sitting there cross-legged, constantly analyzing the problem of the curse. At the same time, he was solidifying his place within the Ancestor Realm.

He gave up on any attempts to look for Allheaven outside the Vast Expanse. Years ago, he had been very anxious to fight, but now he realized that only one who needed to be anxious was Allheaven, not himself.

“You want to hide? Hide then. I’ll give you plenty of time. Grief will continue to waste away at my heart, but at the same time, you will continue to weaken.” Meng Hao didn’t even open his eyes. He remained there on the Ninth Mountain, allowing time to pass.

Another five thousand years went by. By now, thirty thousand years had passed since the battle between Meng Hao and Allheaven. After spending a thousand years recovering and rebuilding, the Mountain and Sea Realm and the Vast Expanse School began to fight their second full-scale war.

This war was even more intense than the first one. In the first war, the two forces had been relatively evenly matched, but now the situation had changed. The tide of battle had shifted in favor of the Vast Expanse School, the reason being that one of their Patriarchs had joined the fighting!

That Patriarch had lived for many, many years, for so long, in fact, that many people had completely forgotten about him. To most, he was a person of the past, a person who existed only in legend.

His name was Sha Jiudong!

He had not died during his thirty thousand years of meditation. He finally emerged, his cultivation base having reached a shocking level. He was now very, very old, so much so that he emanated an aura of rot and death. Despite that, he single-handedly slaughtered numerous 9-Essences Paragons from the Mountain and Sea Realm.

He alone changed the entire course of the war. His seeming invincibility struck despair into the hearts of his enemies.

His ancient body seemed to contain limitless power, but when he looked at the Mountain and Sea cultivators, it was always with mixed emotions. He seemed to be thinking about the past, as if some terrifying and horrific entity existed deep within his gaze.

When Sha Jiudong joined the fighting, the Mountain and Sea cultivators instantly suffered a huge defeat. They were beaten back over and over by the army of the Vast Expanse School, until they were just outside their home. Slaughter ensued outside of the Nine Mountains and Nine Seas.

It was at this point, when the Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators were in complete despair, that Sha Jiudong gritted his teeth and prepared to lead the charge into the realm. However, as soon as he actually entered the borders, the Nine Mountains and Nine Seas began to tremble, and power rose up that caused all cultivators to shake. That power came from the Nine Mountains and Nine Seas themselves.

It was something that could shake Heaven and Earth, and caused the entire starry sky to fill with rumbling sounds. The Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators were instantly enlivened.

“That’s… the power of our ancestor?”

“I heard a story once that the Mountain and Sea Realm is actually a precious treasure, created by some ancestor in ancient times!”

While the Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators reveled in their excitement, Sha Jiudong let out an anguished cry. The explosive power he felt from the Mountain and Sea Realm left him trembling. He immediately fell back at top speed.

“My mistake. My mistake! Please, spare me, for old times’ sake!” Sha Jiudong was overwhelmed by fear and terror, and immediately began to beg for his life. The same fear from thirty thousand years ago still existed within his heart.

However, almost as soon as the words left his mouth, he sensed that this power did not come from Meng Hao, but from the Mountain and Sea Realm itself. He suddenly began to laugh bitterly.

“So, it’s not even you that’s trying to kill me. You’re not even here anymore. What’s trying to kill me is simply the power of the precious treasure you left behind. I, Sha Jiudong, have a cultivation base that borders on Transcendence. And yet I can’t even fight back against the precious treasure you left behind to–”

Before he could even retreat any further, all of the cultivators, both from the Mountains and Seas and the Vast Expanse School, watched as this seemingly invincible eccentric was enveloped by the pursuing power of the Nine Mountains and Nine Seas. That power transformed into the image of a mountain and a sea, which then crushed down onto Sha Jiudong.

A boom echoed out in all directions, shaking everyone. When the image of the mountain and the sea faded away, the only thing that remained of Sha Jiudong was a bloody paste.

He had been killed in body and soul!

Despite his incredible level of power, he had been cut down by a single attack.

His death caused the entire battlefield to go completely silent. The cultivators from the Vast Expanse School started trembling, and then shouting out in alarm. They knew they had been completely routed, and when they looked at the Nine Mountains and Nine Seas, it was with utter dread.

In direct contrast, the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm were overjoyed. They almost couldn’t believe what they had just seen, and suddenly realized that there were things about their own home that they didn’t fully comprehend.

That was even more so considering that many people had heard the words Sha Jiudong spoke in the moments before he died. They could tell that he was terrified, and yet, no one was sure who it was that he had been talking to.

Apparently it was someone from long ago, someone who had intentionally disappeared. Apparently, it was a supremely glorious figure who no one remembered.

And thus ended the war. As for Meng Hao, he remained in seclusion. He opened his eyes, and when he looked out at the starry sky, his gaze seemed profoundly ancient. After a moment passed, he closed his eyes and went back to meditating.

Sha Jiudong’s dying words seemed to open up a new world for the Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators. In the following several thousand years, many people began to research the history of their home, to search for how it all began. They gave up on expansion, and gave up on any attempts to wage war with the Vast Expanse School. Instead, they focused on tracing their history back to its roots.

Time passed. A fourth period of ten thousand years went by.

The Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators remained introspective, but the Vast Expanse School was the opposite. They swept through the starry sky, taking over more territory, although they always hesitated about whether to do something about the Mountain and Sea Realm.

That hesitation lasted for ten thousand years. But then, another of the Vast Expanse School’s Patriarchs underwent a shocking transformation.

The person who emerged from seclusion was ancient, and wore a golden robe. Everyone referred to him as Patriarch Goldrobes. It was none other than Jin Yunshan.

The starry sky was completely shaken. Countless living beings trembled, and all cultivators could feel the aura of Transcendence emanating out from the Vast Expanse School.

Tens of thousands of years had passed, and Jin Yunshan was one of the few people still alive who remembered the events of the past. He had experienced the baptism of the Transcendence Dais, and had followed Meng Hao into war. He had seen Meng Hao fighting, and had been profoundly influenced by him.

In the end, after tens of thousands of years had passed, just when his longevity was about to run out, his fleshly body reached Transcendence. He reached a state similar to Nine Seals all those years ago. He had taken his first step along the path of Transcendence. Soon after, he even managed to make a cultivation base breakthrough.

The only thing he lacked was a Transcendent soul. However, the soul was the most difficult step to take. Although his terrifying power hadn’t reached the absolute peak, with a Transcendent fleshly body and cultivation base, he was already more than half a step to completion. He could truly be listed among those who had Transcended.

Chapter 1596: Goldrobes Covets The Mountains And Seas!

After reaching that incredibly high level and emerging from secluded meditation, Jin Yunshan rocked the entire Vast Expanse School, and even the starry sky as a whole. The first thing he did after emerging was begin to challenge all of the peak 9-Essences experts to battle.

It didn’t matter if they were people from the past, or people who had risen up in recent millennia, he challenged all of them. Shockingly, the first person on his list was the former Sect Leader of the Vast Expanse School.

However, upon reaching the Sect Leader’s secluded meditation facilities, he stood there silently. After sensing the fluctuations of death from inside, he realized that the Sect Leader had long since returned to the dust.

Much to the excitement of all the cultivators of the Vast Expanse School, he left Planet Vast Expanse and found the old lizard, then the enormous head, and finally the termite queen.

He gained victory three times, as easily as turning over his hand. Then he began to make his way through the rest of the starry sky. Everywhere he went, the powerful experts acknowledged allegiance, and bowed their heads. Considering that he could easily defeat all of the peak 9-Essences experts, he quickly came to be known as the number one most powerful expert in the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas. After everyone acknowledged him as having Transcended, Jin Yunshan’s ambition reached incredible heights.

Countless living beings offered him worship, and countless cultivators revered him as the ultimate existence. Anywhere he went, countless voices would cry out in adoration and worship.

“Greetings, Patriarch Goldrobes!”

“Greetings, Patriarch Goldrobes!!”

Such cries rang out near and far. Countless eyes gazed upon him with fear and fanaticism. The feeling of having Transcended caused him to think about Meng Hao, and the glory and status Meng Hao had once commanded.

“I might not be as strong as Meng Hao was back then, but the gap can’t be very wide….” Jin Yunshan waved his hand, causing the natural laws in the area to flux and change. It was an intoxicating feeling that filled him with excitement, and caused his laughter to echo out through the entire starry sky.

Eventually, his gaze came to fall upon the Mountain and Sea Realm.

He refused to believe that after the tens of thousands of years which had passed, Meng Hao was still present. He was convinced that Meng Hao had almost certainly departed. Either that, or he had picked another fight with Allheaven and been either killed or seriously wounded.

Despite that, he held back. The terror of Meng Hao which existed in his heart caused him to hesitate. Whenever he thought of Meng Hao, fear filled him; therefore, he turned his gaze away from the Mountain and Sea Realm, and he waited.

Time passed. Another ten thousand years passed. Because of Jin Yunshan, the Vast Expanse School eventually came to occupy the entire starry sky, with the exception of the Mountain and Sea Realm. Jin Yunshan never invaded it. Instead, he observed and waited, not yet daring to take any action.

After those ten thousand years passed, Jin Yunshan’s patience gradually ran out. After countless augury calculations, he finally became fully focused on the Mountain and Sea Realm.

However, he managed to hold back from simply invading. Instead, he began to form numerous clones, which he sent to infiltrate the Mountain and Sea Realm. Those clones observed, tested, and waited for another ten thousand years. Finally, he made his decision!

“Transcendors always create a precious treasure. Within this starry sky, the Mountain and Sea Realm is that very Transcendence Treasure!

“Meng Hao, considering that you’ve departed, this precious treasure should belong to me!” Jin Yunshan’s eyes glittered as he began to make his way toward the Mountain and Sea Realm.

“I actually hope that you haven’t left, Meng Hao,” he murmured. “I hope that you fought again with Allheaven, and ended up being seriously injured. That way, I can consume you the same way you consumed Allheaven, and thus Transcend in soul.” His eyes glinted with profound ambition.

It only took him a few strides through the starry sky to reach the Mountain and Sea Realm. As he hovered outside, he studied the place, and his eyes flickered with praise. Years ago, he had been unable to truly comprehend how incredible the Mountain and Sea Realm was, but with his current cultivation base, he could now see all of the various dazzling aspects to the realm.

“The embodiment of nine profound natural laws. The nine Hexes of the League of Demon Sealers. Meng Hao, you left your legacy behind, sealed within this precious treasure. Unfortunately… after all these tens of thousands of years, not a single person in the Mountain and Sea Realm has been able to combine all of your Hexing magic Essences. Neither has anyone Transcended.

“Leaving this treasure here would be a big waste. I’ll take it. Perhaps it can even help me to Transcend in soul!” Jin Yunshan took a deep breath, which caused the entire starry sky to shake. Rumbling like thunder could be heard, breaking through the barriers of the Mountain and Sea Realm to fill the Heaven and Earth which existed inside.

Countless cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm were profoundly shaken, and coughed up mouthfuls of blood. Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering power erupted from Jin Yunshan, pouring into the Mountain and Sea Realm to crush down onto its innumerable cultivators.

Before any of the cultivators could react or struggle, they were slammed into the ground. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they were howling inwardly. And yet, they could do nothing but look up at the Heavens and trembled. Jin Yunshan slowly descended into the Mountain and Sea Realm, tearing apart the Heavens there, causing golden light to spread out without cease.

The protective barrier surrounding the Mountain and Sea Realm was torn open.

Behind the golden-robed Jin Yunshan, vortexes sprang up, out of which emerged countless cultivators from the Vast Expanse School. After they dropped to their knees to bow in greeting, Jin Yunshan waved his golden sleeve, sending them pouring into the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Few of the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm could even struggle against the pressure. However, there were a few Paragons among them who managed to fly up into the air. One after another they tried to fight back, but all Jin Yunshan had to do was wave his sleeve, and they were shoved back down. Blood sprayed out of the mouths of the Mountain and Sea Realm Paragons as they were slammed back down into the ground.

Over the past millennia, numerous Mountain and Sea cultivators had done extensive research into their history. Although none of them knew the full truth, they had managed to piece together various clues, and now began to call out for help from the precious treasure that was the Mountain and Sea Realm.

“The cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm are protected by the realm itself! No outside force can destroy us!”

“Precious treasure of the Mountains and Seas, please protect us from the invading cultivators!”

“Oh precious treasure of our ancestor, please do something!”

Even as their voices rose up, the Nine Mountains and Nine Seas began to tremble. Light sprang up, which instantly shot toward Jin Yunshan. That light was the exact same light which had crushed Sha Jiudong so many years ago.

However, even as that light neared Jin Yunshan….

“I hereby declare,” he said coolly, “that the natural laws of this world are now different.” He extended his right hand, and the power of his Transcendent fleshly body and cultivation base converged on his finger.

The light from the Mountains and Seas trembled for a moment, and then shattered, sending countless sparks flying about in all directions.

When the Mountain and Sea cultivators saw that, they were completely shaken, and could do nothing but stare in shock.

Chapter 1597: Long Time No See

“I hereby declare that all cultivators of this world must acknowledge allegiance to me,” Jin Yunshan said, his voice cool and clear. He took a step forward, and the Mountain and Sea Realm shook. The power of the Nine Mountains and Nine Seas had been crushed. All Mountain and Sea cultivators were trembling in body and soul under the pressure radiating down from Jin Yunshan. As of this moment, it seemed that they had no choice but to surrender.

“I hereby declare that from this day forth, I am the lord of this realm!” A strange light gleamed in Jin Yunshan’s eyes as he took another step forward. Heaven and Earth cracked and crumbled. The Nine Mountains shook violently, and the Nine Seas churned.

All living beings bowed their heads. Under the gaze of Jin Yunshan, they had no choice but to capitulate. Behind Jin Yunshan, the boundless horde of cultivators from the Vast Expanse School were cheering excitedly.

“Goldrobes!”

“Goldrobes!!”

“Goldrobes!!!”

The sound wave created by their cries filled the starry sky of the Mountain and Sea Realm, becoming the only sound that anyone could hear. Jin Yunshan hovered there, reveling in the unprecedented feeling of glory.

In his mind, he was finally able to experience what it must have been like to be Meng Hao, to look down indifferently at everything in the starry sky.

“Meng Hao, the world has forgotten you, but I won’t. Today… I will wipe you completely out of existence. I will take your place as the new lord of the starry sky!” He flicked his sleeve, and the Nine Mountains and Nine Seas trembled. But then, the fluctuations of the First Demon Sealing Hex arose from within the First Mountain and Sea.

As the ripples closed in on Jin Yunshan, his eyes narrowed, and his hand flashed in an incantation gesture. The wave of his finger caused the void to collapse as he fought back against the First Hex.

It was at that point that the Second Hex erupted from the Second Mountain and Sea. Then came the Third Hex, and the Fourth. In the blink of an eye, the power of eight Hexing magics were shooting toward Jin Yunshan.

It was a dazzling display that seemed capable of killing any and all living things. Time distorted, space rippled. Death was descending!

Jin Yunshan threw his head back and laughed uproariously.

“Meng Hao, if you came out in person to fight me, I might be worried. But this paltry Mountain and Sea Realm isn’t enough to kill me. BREAK!” Even as his laughter rang out, he shoved his right hand out. Golden light exploded from his palm, spreading out in all directions, causing the entire starry sky to turn golden.

Everything above and below shone like gold. The entire world was turning golden, even the Nine Mountains and Nine Seas, and it seemed like something which could never be changed.

As the eight incoming Hexing magics bore down on Jin Yunshan, they suddenly ground to a halt, and then shattered. At the same time, Jin Yunshan waved his sleeve, unleashing his divine sense and cultivation base. The power of Transcendence erupted out. He held nothing back, causing golden light to spread out in all directions. The First Mountain and Sea was stained completely golden, and the effects spread rapidly. Next was the Second Mountain and Sea. After that, the Third and Fourth Mountains and Seas became gold. The will of golden-robed Jin Yunshan forced its way into the Mountain and Sea Realm, occupying it, transforming it into his own precious treasure.

The cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm were in complete despair. They were suppressed, their eyes bloodshot, completely incapable of fighting back.

Rumbling could be heard as the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Mountains and Seas all turned golden. Jin Yunshan’s laughter filled the entire realm.

It was at this point that, with no warning whatsoever, a powerful blast of energy surged out. It came from that which Meng Hao had founded the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea upon… the Seal the Heavens Hex!

As the Hex erupted, it became an enormous blade which, in the space of a single breath, bore down on Jin Yunshan. His face fell, and a tremor ran through him. Without the slightest hesitation, he swished his sleeve. Instantly, all of the cultivators from the Vast Expanse School suddenly vanished. To their shock, they reappeared in front of Jin Yunshan, a sea of people that he was attempting to use to block the blade that was the Seal the Heavens Hex.

Instantly, bloodcurdling screams began to ring out as the cultivators in front of Jin Yunshan were slashed by the blade. They were shredded into pieces, sending blood and gore flying out in all directions, to then rain down onto the Mountain and Sea Realm.

The blade continued to scream along toward the golden-robed Jin Yunshan.

His scalp was completely numb; this was the first time since Transcending that he had experienced such a sensation of critical danger.

“Impossible! I refuse to believe that I can’t fight this magical item of yours, Meng Hao!” Roaring with rage, Jin Yunshan performed an incantation gesture and then waved his finger. Rumbling sounds erupted as a huge turtle shell appeared in front of him. It was none other than the precious treasure of the Vast Expanse School, which was now being used to intercept the blade.

BOOOOOOOOOMMM!

The Vast Expanse School’s precious treasure, the turtle shell, exploded into bits. At the same time, though, the incoming blade seemed to grow blurry.

After all… the blade was not being unleashed by Meng Hao personally; it was merely the power of the magical item itself, and obviously had limitations!

Jin Yunshan’s eyes glowed with excitement, and even a flicker of viciousness. He fell back, waving his sleeve to summon numerous worlds, land masses, and planets, all to intercept the blade and defend himself.

Heaven and Earth trembled. The starry sky shook. Worlds were destroyed, planets were shattered, and land masses burst into flames. However, the blade was slowly fading until it almost wasn’t visible.

Finally, Jin Yunshan’s cultivation base erupted with the power of Transcendence. Howling, he stopped moving backward, and jumped forward to meet the blade.

As the two met, the blade faded away, becoming countless vanishing fragments. However, it still passed through Jin Yunshan. Even his Transcendent fleshly body couldn’t block it.

Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and one of his arms was completely severed. Next, his body trembled, and then collapsed into pieces.

The only thing which remained was his head. And yet, he was laughing uproariously. Unexpectedly, his body formed back together, and was whole once more.

He seemed very weak, his face drastically pale. He had been immeasurably close to death moments ago. Had the blade not dissipated when it did, he would definitely have been destroyed in body and soul.

Now, having believed himself to have defeated the precious treasure that was the Mountain and Sea Realm, he laughed and waved his sleeve, causing golden light to spill out toward the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Moments later, it seemed as if the Ninth Mountain and Sea were about to be completely transformed into the color of gold. The Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators were in a state of complete hopelessness, their world shattered.

Jin Yunshan’s eyes glowed with longing, with madness, with covetousness. At the same time, he continued to laugh uproariously.

“Meng Hao, at long last the time has come in which I completely replace you!”

In that very moment, even as the words left his mouth, a voice spoke out from behind him, a calm and very familiar voice that struck his heart like a bolt of lightning.

“Long time no see.”

Chapter 1598: You’re Still Here?!

“Long time no see.”

The voice was calm and completely lacking any sort of emotion. And yet as soon as Jin Yunshan heard it, his heart shook as violently as if it had been struck with lightning bolts. Waves of shock battered his mind, and he couldn’t prevent himself from trembling physically.

He somehow managed to turn around, and what he saw was a very, very familiar face.

It was a face from tens of thousands of years in the past, a face that hadn’t changed at all, except for the fact that it seemed vastly more ancient.

As soon as Jin Yunshan laid eyes on it, his heart felt as if it would literally explode, and his mind began to reel. Despite the current level of his cultivation base, he was unable to perceive how powerful Meng Hao was, who almost seemed to be fused with the starry sky itself.

He was completely unfathomable, and as a result, infinitely mysterious. That led to a suffocating pressure which caused Jin Yunshan to think of the Meng Hao of yesteryear, and how it had felt to stand in his presence.

Jin Yunshan shivered, then began to speak haltingly. “Y-you… you’re actually… you’re still here… I….”

He was the only one who could actually see Meng Hao. The Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators could not. They only saw Jin Yunshan turning around with a face as ashen as death.

“I’m not dead,” Meng Hao said coolly. “Nor did I have another battle with Allheaven. And I most certainly didn’t leave this starry sky.” Although his gaze was placid, to Jin Yunshan, it felt like a barrage of lightning, smashing his mind, battering his Transcendent fleshly body and shattering his Transcendent cultivation base.

Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and he began to back up, chuckling bitterly. A look of madness sprang up in his eyes, and he threw his head back and roared.

“Impossible! How could you still be here? How is this possible? Tens of thousands of years have passed! Everyone else is dead? It’s impossible that you could still be here!

“Why haven’t you left? Why haven’t you gone? This starry sky is so small! The Universe is so big! Why haven’t you gone?!

“I should be the lord of this starry sky! I’ve Transcended! Why are you still here?!?!” Jin Yunshan was going mad. It was impossible for him not to. He had paid an unimaginable price to continue his cultivation down to this day, and was now more than half a step into Transcendence. How could he ever have imagined that Meng Hao would suddenly pop up, like a horrific nightmare? “Well since you’re here, I challenge you to a fight!”

Roaring in fury, hair in complete disarray, his mental faculties shattered, he drew upon the complete power of his Transcendent fleshly body and cultivation base, transforming into a bright beam of light that shot directly toward Meng Hao.

Jin Yunshan’s eyes were bright red; he was going all out with this attack. It was the type of attack where he would either succeed and come out alive, or die trying. The level of energy he was unleashing was completely unprecedented, and it even caused his soul to climb to a higher level. It was with shocking battle prowess that he closed in rapidly on Meng Hao.

The entire time, Meng Hao’s face was completely calm. He lifted his right hand and extended a finger. Instantly, everything in front of him went completely calm. Even Jin Yunshan went still.

To Meng Hao, Jin Yunshan was like a baby waving a butter knife.

“Calm down,” he said, lowering his hand.

As he did, everything returned to normal. Jin Yunshan was left trembling and coughing up blood. Shock and disbelief filled him as he looked bitterly at Meng Hao.

He had no choice but to admit that Meng Hao’s strength exceeded even his own powers of imagination. In fact, he was sure that even if he Transcended in soul, thus fully stepping into Transcendence, that he would still be defeated with a single blow if he tried to fight Meng Hao.

“W-what… what realm… are you in?” he stammered.

“Even I’m not sure,” replied Meng Hao, shaking his head. That was no lie. As of this point, he was unsure of his own level of power. All he knew was that after the tens of thousands of years of augury, after the countless years of secluded meditation… he had reached a level of almost complete omnipotence. All he had to do was think, and he could transform anything into ash.

“Congratulations on beginning to walk the path of Transcendence. Your soul is still lacking, and at the moment, it’s a deficiency you cannot surpass. Leave. You already possess the power to depart from this starry sky. Go out into the Universe and search for the good fortune you need. Perhaps one day you will truly Transcend.” When Meng Hao looked at Jin Yunshan, he felt no malice or enmity.

Everyone he knew had already passed away, and he felt little connection to the current starry sky. The only reason he had appeared to begin with was because the Mountain and Sea Realm was his legacy.

Trembling, Jin Yunshan gritted his teeth and said, “I’m not going anywhere!”

“You refuse to leave, huh….” Meng Hao looked far off into the distance. After some time passed, he looked back at Jin Yunshan, his expression calm.

“That’s fine. But know this: whatever progress you make, you will never be able to replace these Heavens. You must learn what it means to yield.” Meng Hao waved his sleeve, and blood sprayed out of Jin Yunshan’s mouth. Rumbling could be heard as he was thrown backward like a kite with its string cut. He spun and spun, flying all the way back to Planet Vast Expanse.

When he finally came to a stop, he heard Meng Hao’s voice speaking coolly in his ear: “Don’t show your face for the next 100,000 years.”

A tremor ran through Jin Yunshan, and all the bravado which had filled him moments ago drained away. He could reject Meng Hao’s suggestion to leave this starry sky, but he could not refuse the punishment of 100,000 years of confinement.

“Why? I’m almost completely Transcended. I should be the lord of this starry sky. And yet… it’s like I’m still stuck in the past.” Feeling bitter and resentful, Jin Yunshan gritted his teeth and went back into secluded meditation.

The crisis facing the Mountain and Sea Realm was resolved. It quickly reverted back to its normal color. Everything had happened so quickly that the Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators were left gaping in shock. They weren’t sure exactly what had occurred, but they did see the supremely powerful Jin Yunshan driven away like a stray dog by some invisible power.

Many speculations and many stories began to spread.

Meng Hao looked around at the Mountain and Sea Realm, and then looked outside of it. His gaze pierced through the starry sky until it came to rest in the region outside the Vast Expanse. It was a sharp gaze, deep, profound, and filled with obsession.

He was like a divine being which had finally awoken from slumber.

“Allheaven,” he murmured, “the time has come for our final battle. You’ve been hiding from me for tens of thousands of years, and I’ve also been hiding away. It’s time to sort things out once and for all.” His eyes flickered with icy killing intent as he took a step forward. That single step took him through the void until he was outside of the starry sky!

The final battle was about to begin!

Chapter 1599: Eighth Allheaven Transformation!

Outside the Vast Expanse, everything looked the same way it had for the past tens of thousands of years. Endless ruins stretched out in all directions, the remnants of former glory. However, there was one location among all the ruins that was like an oasis within a desert.

It wasn’t very large, only the size of a single mountain. It was clear that the place had once been a sect, and had been restored from its state of ruin. It was blanketed in complete and utter silence.

Beautifully decorated buildings could be seen on the mountain, but they were empty. However, there was one wooden structure in which a corpse could be seen. It was the corpse of a woman who had long since passed away into meditation.

Meng Hao materialized inside of the wooden structure, in front of the corpse. It was Immortal Bai Wuchen.

Even after Meng Hao told her the truth about what was outside the Vast Expanse, she had still begged to be sent there. She was obsessed with her illusory memories, and thus, Meng Hao sent her here, with the promise that if she ever wanted to return, she merely had to call upon his name.

In the tens of thousands of years that followed, she never called out to him. After seeing the emptiness outside the Vast Expanse, and the dust, she recalled the home that existed in her memories, and found her way back to that very sect. She cleaned it and restored it to the way she remembered, and then lived there quietly, alone.

Eventually, she passed away into meditation.

Meng Hao stood there looking at Bai Wuchen’s corpse for a long, long time. Then he turned and left. She had made her decision. Perhaps in the end she was simply happy to be able to die in the place she remembered.

After leaving the mountain, Meng Hao traversed the starry sky outside of the Vast Expanse until he was hovering near the towering columns. There, his eyes shone with a bright light as he contemplated killing Allheaven!

He knew that he would only have one chance to succeed. If he managed to slay Allheaven, then he would be able to continue to search for a way to break the curse. If he failed, then just like the Ghost, the Devil, and the God, he would no longer be qualified to remain.

“Come out,” he said quietly. “We’ve been putting this battle off for long enough.” Although he didn’t speak very loudly, his voice filled the entire starry sky outside of the Vast Expanse. Ripples spread out, a tempest that shook the starry sky as if it were mere water.

After a long moment passed, a light sigh could be heard from some distance off. A woman strolled out, wearing a smile, and a diaphanous violet garment.

Meng Hao didn’t seem surprised at all when he saw who it was.

“Brother Meng, didn’t I say that we would meet again?” Although she didn’t seem to be moving very quickly, it only took her a few steps to appear directly in front of Meng Hao. There she stood, a radiant smile on her face. It was none other than… Han Bei!

“I am the Daughter of Allheaven, and you are his Son,” she said softly. “We are destined to be together. We are destined to give birth to the lord of this starry sky, to give birth to… the most powerful and ultimate version of Allheaven!

“Why do you refuse to comply?” Her gaze was tender, like a ripple on a pond.

Meng Hao looked back at her and chuckled. “Which Allheaven Transformation are you?”

Han Bei frowned. When she didn’t respond, he waved his sleeve, and his energy surged in a completely domineering fashion.

“Allheaven,” he said, his voice as cold as ice, “I respect your power. However, respect must be mutual. Where is your respect for me!?” His voice was like thunder, echoing out with such power that the starry sky trembled on the verge of collapse.

Han Bei’s eyes flashed. Any tenderness which had been present faded away, replaced by an icy glow.

“I’m the eighth transformation,” she said. With that, she reached out and waved her finger. Instantly, the void between her and Meng Hao distorted. At the same time, Meng Hao vanished, reappearing a moment later directly in front of Han Bei. He also reached out and waved his finger.

Their fingers touched, and a boom echoed out that could end the Heavens and crush the Earth. Meng Hao’s expression never changed, but Han Bei’s face flickered, and she involuntarily fell back. Booms began to echo out as different parts of her body began to explode. Blood and gore blasted out in all directions, until she was completely soaked in crimson. Her appearance was shocking, ferocious, and ghastly.

“Meng Hao!!” she screamed, transforming into a blood-colored beam of light that shot toward Meng Hao. As she approached, she reached out as if to grab him.

Rumbling sounds could be heard as the void around Meng Hao shattered. And yet, he didn’t seem to be affected at all. He looked coldly at Han Bei, then extended his hand, causing a tempest to spring up and slam into her.

Han Bei’s eyes widened in shock. The astonishing level of power that Meng Hao was utilizing left her in complete disbelief.

Before she could even react, Meng Hao took a step forward, clenched his hand into a fist, and punched her in the pit of her stomach.

She screamed miserably as her body exploded. A moment later, she re-formed, and yet before she could do anything, Meng Hao was upon her again, unleashing another fist strike.

She exploded again, and the process was repeated. Every time she re-formed, he punched again. Ten times. Dozens. A hundred.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOOOOOOMMM!

“Show me your real power, Allheaven. If this is all you’re capable of, I’ll definitely be disappointed.” Meng Hao’s cultivation base surged. His next fist strike became a sea of flames, filled with infinite destructive power, power that could wither all life force. It became a flood of decay, filled with all of the power of the five elements, a fist strike of ultimate destruction.

A huge boom could be heard as Han Bei exploded into countless chunks of blood and gore that splashed about in all directions. Because of the power of the five elements that filled the chunks of her body, it made it very difficult for her to form back together.

Meng Hao’s words were still lingering in the air when another voice spoke out from the gore that remained of Han Bei. However, the voice was not Han Bei’s. It was vague, even faint, and yet it filled the entire starry sky.

“Meng… Hao….

“The eighth… Allheaven Transformation is… the Primeval Transformation….

“Countless years ago in primeval times, the first Transcendor within my starry sky was he who I dubbed the Ghost…. Come forth!”

RUMBLE!

Chapter 1600: I Am The Ghost!

(click here for the soundtrack)

Even as Allheaven’s voice echoed out, the chunks of gore and drops of blood transformed into ash, vanishing completely.

A blue-violet beam of light appeared off in the distance, moving at incredible speed. By the time Meng Hao turned to face it, it was right in front of him. A single finger became visible, racing toward his chest. Just before it touched him, Meng Hao’s Dao eye opened, emitting a blast of light that slammed into the finger.

A boom echoed out, and Meng Hao staggered backward, his entire body vibrating, his face flushed bright red. When he looked back up, his eyes shone with piercingly bright light, and the desire to do battle.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” he said slowly. “Don’t hold anything back. This fight will be to the death!” A figure appeared in front of him, someone very familiar to him. It was a middle-aged man with long gray hair. He wore a gray-colored robe, and seemed to radiate disdain as he hovered there looking at Meng Hao.

He had an aura of Transcendence, and closer examination revealed that it was something beyond ordinary. It was actually half a step into the Ancestor Realm, just like Meng Hao’s aura from years past. In fact, this aura was even more mysterious.

This person was none other than… the same person Meng Hao had first laid eyes upon in the necropolis of the Vast Expanse School… Patriarch Vast Expanse!

He was the first person to ever Transcend in this starry sky, the person who Allheaven had come to call the Ghost.

His expression was cold, but there didn’t appear to be any intelligence in his eyes whatsoever. The pressure that radiated off of him seemed capable of cowing the entire starry sky, and behind him was an enormous, illusory figure, matchlessly vicious, overflowing with a ghostly aura. It possessed a boundless dignity, as if it were the emperor of all ghosts!

Allheaven’s eighth transformation, the Primeval Transformation, was a grand magic that only Allheaven’s true self could utilize. It was a Dao the likes of which a mere clone could not unleash. It allowed him to duplicate the most powerful experts of the starry sky that existed within his memories.

The first duplicate had been Han Bei, who wasn’t necessarily very powerful, but had a strong connection to Meng Hao. Now, after having borne witness to Meng Hao’s terrifying power, Allheaven didn’t hesitate for even a moment to use the full power of his eighth transformation to duplicate… the Ghost!

The first Transcendor of this starry sky looked coldly at Meng for a moment before suddenly taking a step forward. It was with incredible speed that his right index finger shot out toward Meng Hao’s forehead, where his Dao eye was located.

Meng Hao had no time to evade, so he didn’t even attempt to do so. Even as the finger stabbed into his Dao eye, sending intense pain shooting through him, his right hand flashed with an incantation gesture as he unleashed the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex. A sealing mark fell upon the Ghost, and at the same time, blood oozed down Meng Hao’s face. The Ghost lurched to a halt as his body and spirit were locked into place by the Hexing magic. Considering the current level of Meng Hao’s cultivation base, the Eighth Hex was something that few people in existence could remain unaffected by.

As the Ghost was locked in place, Meng Hao moved forward in a blur, body slamming him and simultaneously striking out with first his finger, then his fist, three blows in fast succession.

Blood sprayed out of the Ghost’s mouth as his chest caved in. The finger and two fists were all aimed at his forehead, which shattered immediately. However, the scorn in his eyes remained exactly the same as before, causing Meng Hao’s heart to begin to thump. It was at this point that the enormous, 30,000-meter-tall Ghost Emperor suddenly became completely corporeal. Looking completely and utterly vicious, it lunged toward Meng Hao as if to consume him.

A sensation of deadly crisis filled Meng Hao’s mind. He could tell that if this Ghost Emperor actually managed to lay its teeth on him, although he might not be killed, he would definitely lose the battle.

And if he lost the battle, he would lose his qualifications to be able to fight Allheaven ever again!

Of course, Allheaven was doing this on purpose, trying to force him to use as many of his Hexing magics as possible. In fact, he wanted to force Meng Hao to use his most terrifying Hex, the Seal the Heavens Hex. If he did, then Allheaven could duplicate it, and thus never fear it again.

“I have other tricks up my sleeve besides the Seal the Heavens Hex!” Meng Hao’s eyes gleamed with a strange light as the void behind him suddenly distorted. A piercing cry echoed out as a figure just as large as the Ghost Emperor appeared.

It had green skin, and a solitary, wicked horn. It had explosive Demonic qi, and Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering energy. This was Meng Hao’s life essence form, the foundation of his cultivation base, the Demon Sovereign!

When the Demon Sovereign appeared, it immediately began to fight the Ghost Emperor. The Ghost Emperor latched its jaws onto the Demon Sovereign, who stabbed back into the Ghost Emperor’s body with hands like blades.

RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE….

The fighting was shaking everything in existence. Countless ruins in the area were transformed into ash. As the gigantic figures fought up above, Meng Hao and the Ghost brawled down below.

After exchanging over a thousand blows, blood sprayed out of Meng Hao’s mouth, and the Ghost was drenched with gore. The two appeared to be very well matched.

“This Ghost is from the memories of Allheaven, a version of him from the past when he was at the peak of his power. From this alone I can see that the Ghost was no ordinary Transcendor!” Meng Hao wiped the blood from his mouth, then waved his right hand to unleash the Mountain Consuming Incantation. Numerous mountains began to descend, forming a chain that swept across the battlefield.

The Ghost snorted coldly, then became a blur as he unleashed countless clones, which then shot toward the descending mountains and shattered them.

Meng Hao’s right hand flashed with an incantation gesture, causing the rubble of the mountains to transform into an enormous stone fist. As the fist smashed toward the Ghost, Meng Hao sped forward like a shooting star, merging with the fist, lending it even more explosive power.

“Gate of the Ghost Realm!” the Ghost said, eyes shining with mysterious light. He raised both hands overhead, and the stars shook as a huge rift opened up above, revealing an enormous, pitch black gate.

As the gate descended, it slowly opened, revealing a gigantic scaled hand. The hand stretched out, and Meng Hao could sense incredible pressure, making it seem as if this hand could look down on all creation. The hand immediately grabbed hold of the enormous stone fist, then squeezed down.

A boom could be heard as the stone hand shattered. Meng Hao appeared, but quickly vanished, reappearing some distance off, his eyes flashing.

“Eighth Demon Sealing Hex, Body-Mind Hexing!

“Lock down the void, the starry sky, and natural laws. Lock down everything I desire to lock down!”

Chapter 1601: You Can Call Me… Su Ming!

(click here for soundtrack)

The Eighth Demon Sealing Hex was the first of the Hexing magics that he had mastered, and the one he had used the most often. It was also the first Hexing magic that gave birth to an Essence for him.

The power of the Essence of space, once fully unleashed, was terrifying to the extreme. And of course, considering the current level of Meng Hao’s cultivation base, he could utilize the Eighth Hex to the ultimate degree.

Anything which he saw could be rendered as a painting. Thus, anything Meng Hao could see could be sealed, if he wished it to be!

Rumbling echoed out as the Eighth Hex was unleashed. To Meng Hao, the entire starry sky became a canvas painting, even the Gate of the Ghost Realm, and even the ghostly hand stretching out from within it.

When the Hexing magic was unleashed, the starry sky shook and trembled.

“Break!” he said, his eyes flickering with killing intent. The canvas shattered, and the black, ghostly hand exploded. The enormous Gate of the Ghost Realm also shattered, shredded to pieces along with the canvas.

The Ghost was trembling on the verge of collapse, his face twisted and distorted as he threw his head back and howled. The vicious Ghost Emperor behind him was about to fight back when Meng Hao called up the full power of his cultivation base to fuel the Eighth Hex.

“I still haven’t used my Seal the Heavens Hex, but neither have I used my Battle Weapon. If I can’t beat the duplicate of a Transcendor from Allheaven’s memories, then how could I possibly qualify to stand on an equal footing with the real Ghost!?

“BREAK!” His eyes shone with cold light as he made a violent ripping motion with his hands. The Ghost couldn’t hold out any longer, and the Ghost Emperor was starting to collapse. However, the sensation of deadly crisis within Meng Hao continued to grow with wild speed.

Without any hesitation, he lurched to the side. At the same time, a black beam of light stabbed through his right shoulder. His right arm was completely vaporized, and blood shot out of the stump like a geyser. Then he vanished, to reappear further off in the distance.

At the same time, a frigid aura of death rose up, and a finger appeared, which stabbed directly toward Meng Hao.

His eyes shone with brilliant light, and he let out a powerful shout, causing the void and the starry sky around him to collapse, transforming into a wild tempest. Behind him, the image of the Demon Sovereign let out a roar of rage as it barrelled toward the incoming finger.

In that very same moment, a cold snort echoed out as another equally large figure materialized out of thin air. It was pitch black, and looked very similar to a demon, and yet lacked any sort of multifariousness. It was ancient, rife with death. it was… a Devil Specter!

Rumbling could be heard as the Demon Sovereign and the Devil Specter clashed, and a shockwave blasted out. Meng Hao fell back again, blood spraying out of his mouth. Having slipped out of the trap which had been set, he looked up, and his arm rapidly re-formed. He was now staring, not at the Devil Specter, with its majestic devilish qi, but the young man in the black robe hovering beneath it.

His features were ordinary, but he had strange black markings on his face, and he emanated a wild and barbaric air.

“The Devil!” Meng Hao said. He had never laid eyes on this young man before, but recognized him instantly. This was the second person to Transcend in the starry sky of the Vast Expanse, Choumen Tai’s Master from the Devil Realm Continent!

In the moment when Meng Hao had been about to destroy the Ghost Emperor, this young man had made his move, injuring Meng Hao.

Without Meng Hao controlling it, his Eighth Hex collapsed, and the sealing mark on the Ghost began to fade away. It wouldn’t be long before he was free of his bonds.

When that happened, Meng Hao would be up against both the Ghost and the Devil at the same time.

“I don’t like being called the Devil,” said the black-robed young man. “You can call me… Su Ming!” His eyes shone with a bizarre light, and the black markings on his face suddenly writhed as they grew and expanded.

Even as the words left his mouth, he extended his right hand, and rumbling sounds echoed out as he began to change shape, transforming into an enormous tree with countless rustling branches. The tree began to fly toward Meng Hao, whose eyes shone with a profound desire to fight. As he watched what was happening, he suddenly laughed.

“Many thanks to you, Allheaven, for giving me the chance to fight the most powerful people from the past. I’m very interested to find out if they are stronger than me, or weaker!” He transformed into a blur, which shot toward the black-robed man. As he closed in, his hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, causing a sea of flames to rise up around him. In the space of a single breath of time, it turned violet as the Demon Sovereign once again appeared.

The Demon Sovereign and the Devil Specter clashed, and Meng Hao began to fight with Su Ming. Both of them were equally fast. They didn’t make contact with each other, but fought with magical techniques and divine abilities.

The starry sky shattered, and the void collapsed. Seemingly endless varieties of divine abilities were unleashed in a very short time. Then, Su Ming suddenly took a step forward, whereupon his energy began to rise higher. Then he took a second step, a third, and a fourth.

Laughing loudly, Meng Hao also began to walk. One step, two steps, three steps, four….

They closed in on each other rapidly, and by the time they both took their seventh steps, their energy had reached an unimaginable level. The void in front of Su Ming shattered as a huge foot descended toward Meng Hao. However, Meng Hao’s seventh step resulted in exactly the same thing.

BOOOOOOOOOMMM!

An earsplitting boom echoed out. Blood sprayed out of the mouths of both Su Ming and Meng Hao as they were sent tumbling away from each other. And yet, just a moment later, they were flying back toward each other to fight.

Apparently, they were completely evenly matched!

Unfortunately, Meng Hao had the feeling that both the Ghost and the Devil had trump cards that they had yet to play, similar to his own Seal the Heavens Hex. Although, perhaps the truth was that Allheaven’s memory didn’t contain perfect copies of them. After all… Allheaven was currently weaker than he had ever been.

Meng Hao’s eyes glittered as he once again unleashed the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex. As expected, his opponent was locked down, allowing Meng Hao an opening to attack. Their battle was causing the starry sky to shake, and transforming nearby ruins into nothing more than rubble.

It was in this very moment that the Ghost howled and ripped apart the Spatial Sealing. Then, he slowly turned to look at Meng Hao.

Without any hesitation, he joined the battle. His first move was a fist strike which caused seemingly infinite ghost images to spring up, which then converged back into his fist.

In the blink of an eye, the Ghost’s single fist strike became infinitely more powerful!

Chapter 1602: The God Descends!

(click here for soundtrack)

This fist strike of innumerable ghost images did not rely on raw power, but rather, speed. It was caused by tens of thousands of punches that moved so quickly that countless afterimages sprang up, and yet created an illusion of being only a single punch.

Meng Hao was shocked. He could defend against this fist strike, but to do so while simultaneously dealing with Su Ming meant that he would be facing both the Ghost and the Devil, placing him in incredible danger.

As the fist closed in, Meng Hao howled, drawing upon all of the power of his cultivation base to defend himself. A boom echoed out, and blood sprayed out of his mouth. Even as he was sent flying, Su Ming closed in and cast a divine ability.

Meng Hao’s expression was extremely unsightly as he coughed up more blood. He had lost the initiative, and at the moment there was no opportunity to get it back. The Ghost was currently bearing down with another fist strike.

Meng Hao was being beaten back relentlessly by the combined efforts of the Ghost and the Devil. His hair was in disarray, and he looked to be in very bad condition. He fell back again and again, and it truly seemed as if he were about to meet utter defeat.

Clearly, Allheaven didn’t just want to win. He wanted to consume Meng Hao, to use him to complete himself. He still hadn’t given up on his plan to use Meng Hao for his Nirvanic Rebirth.

Rumbling sounds echoed out as the Ghost Emperor and the Devil Specter knocked down Meng Hao’s Demon Sovereign. Even as they prepared to destroy it completely, a cold snort echoed out. The Ghost’s eyes flickered with killing intent. Raising both hands up above him, he once again summoned the Gate of the Ghost Realm. The black hand appeared again, reaching for Meng Hao with desolate madness.

At the same time, Su Ming’s eyes flickered with killing intent, and the black marks seemed to almost completely overtake his face. He also raised his hands into the air, and shockingly, a mountain appeared behind him. It had five peaks that looked like fingers, and at its base was a tribal stockade. Furthermore, hovering in the air above the mountain was a blood-colored moon!

An aura erupted from the illusory image, an aura that could shake Heaven and Earth, an aura with the power to destroy everything! It was as if that entire world were crushing down onto Meng Hao, and as it neared, it merged with the Gate of the Ghost Realm. The starry sky in the vicinity was transformed in all aspects.

Meng Hao had long since imagined how difficult the final battle with Allheaven would be, but he could never have guessed that things would turn out this way. Furthermore, Allheaven hadn’t truly appeared yet. This was only his eighth transformation.

At the same time, Meng Hao had to remain constantly on the alert for someone who had yet to make an appearance… the God!

Suddenly, Meng Hao looked around to find that he was in a different place. Shockingly, Heaven and Earth had become a barbaric and savage place.

It was as if he had been transported back into ancient times. Far off in the distance was a mountain that resembled a hand, beneath which was a tribal stockade. A blood-colored moon hung in the sky, and there was also a huge gate visible, out of which poured countless ghosts.

The ghosts formed into the shape of a huge black hand that stretched out toward him. Suddenly, the blood moon exploded, transforming into innumerable blood-colored bats which also sped toward Meng Hao, squealing in high-pitched shrieks.

However, things weren’t over yet. Everything around him distorted, as if the world itself were his enemy. Everything began to shrink down, apparently intent on grinding him into dust.

At the same time, people were pouring out of the tribal stockade and charging toward him. Everything in this entire world, from the blades of grass to the trees, were all becoming weapons of murder, attempting to kill him!

Meng Hao looked around quietly, his eyes glowing red. Then, he began to laugh uproariously. It was a demonic laughter, and it matched his facial expression, which flickered between something domineering, something fierce, something righteous, and something evil.

Then he waved his right hand and yelled, “Parrot!”

Instantly, a high-pitched squawk rang out as the parrot appeared. Next came the copper mirror, which now had a pearl on it.

It was none other than the pearl Dong Hu had given to Meng Hao before dying. After fusing into the copper mirror, it made the mirror vastly more powerful than it already was.

The parrot and the copper mirror instantly melted, covering his arm and then spreading out over his entire body as a suit of armor. A pitch-black Battle Weapon appeared, vicious to the extreme, nine meters long and utterly shocking.

A red cape billowed out behind Meng Hao as his cultivation base power was bolstered by the power of the copper mirror.

“Ghost and Devil? So what!?” he said, slowly floating up into the air. He raised the Battle Weapon above his head with his right hand, and laughed, his expression flickering with multifarious transformations, his eyes glowing bright red.

“You shall be severed!” he roared. Gripping the hilt of the Battle Weapon with both his left and right hands, he looked out at the world around him… and viciously slashed down with the blade!

A huge rift was torn open in the land, which spread out to fill the entire world. The ghostly hand was destroyed, and the blood-colored sky was shattered. The blood-colored bats were ripped to shreds, and the charging tribe members were eradicated. The five-peaked mountain was torn apart. All Heaven and Earth were completely sundered.

BOOOOOOOOOMMM!

The whole world was completely and utterly split in two, then collapsed into fragments. Meng Hao could again see the destroyed area that was the outside of the Vast Expanse. The ruins in the area were now nothing more than dust and ash. The Ghost and the Devil were both coughing up blood as they were forced backward by Meng Hao’s blast of energy.

As of this moment, Meng Hao’s surging energy was sending brightly-colored light flashing throughout all creation, filling Allheaven’s heart with dread.

He hovered there, clad in vicious-looking armor, the Battle Weapon vibrating slightly. He was panting slightly, and every inhalation seemed to make the starry sky shrink.

Hefting the Battle Weapon, eyes gleaming as if he were prepared to toss caution to the wind, he spoke out in a hoarse voice, “The God is the final part of the eighth transformation. When will you be showing your face?!”

Almost instantly, a cold snort echoed out, and a figure descended from above with lightning speed.

Stars swirled on his forehead, and he wore a long white robe. His hair was also white, and his expression was completely merciless. The most murderous of auras overflowed from within him.

Meng Hao had seen this face before. It was the same face as the statue on the Immortal God Continent, and was also exactly the same as Slaughter’s face!

The only difference was that, as Meng Hao well knew, the God, the Devil, and the Ghost whom he faced were not the true versions of those beings. These were simply puppets created by Allheaven, based on his memories.

Meng Hao looked at the God, then threw his head back and laughed uproariously. His desire to fight only continued to grow.

Chapter 1603: Peak Battle!

(click here for soundtrack)

As soon as the God appeared with his towering murderous aura, a huge vortex sprang up behind him. He was the only one among the group who had no gigantic humanoid image behind him.

He descended with incredible speed, simultaneously waving his right hand. A razor-sharp wind spike shot out which contained boundless destructive power. In the blink of an eye, it was directly in front of Meng Hao.

Meng Hao’s eyes glittered brightly as he prepared to utilize the Eighth Hex to stop it. However, in the very moment that the spike appeared, a cold snort echoed out through the starry sky.

“Immobilize!”

A tremor ran through Meng Hao as he suddenly lost all ability to fight. His pupils constricted as the wind spike smashed into the Battle Armor. Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and he fell back. The God closed in on him, waving his hand to summon a pitch-black wind, which was none other than the magic of Call the Wind.

This version of the magic was vastly more powerful than the version Meng Hao had faced all those years ago when he had fought the Immortal God Continent.

It was a destructive wind that could extinguish any and all forms of life. However, even as the wind screamed, Meng Hao lifted the Battle Weapon above his head and slashed it down viciously, cutting the wind in half!

Despite being cut in half, the wind didn’t vanish. Instead, it transformed into countless black raindrops, and then moments later, numerous fierce imps. Next came power that could crumble mountains and collapse lands. The entire starry sky around Meng Hao was being destroyed.

The image of a moon appeared on Meng Hao, and the God let out a cold harrumph. A boom echoed out as large sections of Meng Hao’s Battle Armor exploded. Even as blood sprayed out of his mouth, the Ghost bore down on him with incredible speed, summoning the Ghost Specter, which reached out to grab him.

Meng Hao was knocked backward again, coughing up more blood. Su Ming, the Devil, also appeared, unleashing a completely different divine ability than before, striking Meng Hao’s chest with a bizarre power that seemed capable of consuming his Essences.

A boom echoed out as Meng Hao fell back yet again. Next came the God, with a fist strike that distorted reality and could destroy all things. Meng Hao was yet again injured severely.

He almost seemed incapable of fighting back. The word “immobilize” reverberated yet again, once again rendering him incapable of movement. The Ghost, the Devil and the God continued to batter him non-stop.

Meng Hao wasn’t even aware of how much blood had sprayed out of his mouth. His bones were shattered, and he was in a state of constant retreat, having been beaten from one corner of the starry sky to the other.

He could easily handle any one of these opponents alone, and could have held his own against two. But to face three at the same time was impossible, not without using the Seal the Heavens Hex.

In his current weakened state, Allheaven might not be able to duplicate their most powerful trump cards, but these three were the most powerful experts of their respective generations.

When they joined forces, even Allheaven in his prime would be left trembling. They might be people from the past, but they were still capable of unleashing power that could shake Heaven and Earth.

But Meng Hao wasn’t ready to give up yet. He continued to fight. He used the True Self Dao, the Mountain Consuming Incantation, the Nine Heavens Destruction, the Seven God Steps, as well as magical techniques of his own creation and divine abilities from Shui Dongliu’s legacy. He used everything, even natural laws. The fight with these three figures of legend was shaking everything.

No such battle like this had ever taken place within this starry sky.

The bitter intensity of the combat was something that would leave anyone shocked. Meng Hao was seriously injured, but he had a Transcendent fleshly body, and could recover rapidly. Of course, it was the same with his three opponents.

That only served to make the battle more intense.

The God was especially incisive in his attacks. Eventually, he waved his right hand, causing the entire starry sky to turn pitch black. Shockingly, a sun appeared, something so bright that it seemed capable of destroying all of the darkness of night.

Things weren’t over yet. The stars on the God’s forehead began to spin. However, no image appeared. Instead, he began to rapidly grow larger, transforming himself into a God, who punched out with power to destroy the stars.

In his entire life, Meng Hao had never fought a battle as difficult as this one. Any other person in his position would have been in despair by now, would have been sapped of the desire to fight back, and would have been destroyed. But not Meng Hao.

He held on. He had long since come to the realization that this eighth transformation wasn’t without limits. At the same time, Allheaven was also being weakened severely. Allheaven was trying to force him to use the Seal the Heavens Hex, and Meng Hao wanted to use this chance to try to force the already-weakened Allheaven to exhaust more of his remaining power.

Seemingly endless booms rang out. The combined attacks of his three opponents had left Meng Hao’s Battle Armor in ruins. Many portions were completely ripped apart. His Battle Weapon was also severely damaged.

But he held on. Roaring, he summoned the Demon Sovereign, which took on the Ghost Emperor and the Devil Specter. Fists flew. Somehow, Meng Hao extricated himself from all of the deadly situations. As he retreated, he laughed. He was soaked in blood, and yet felt no despair. In fact, his laughter continued to grow more sonorous.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good fight,” he said. “Tens of thousands of years in fact….” His Battle Armor was in tatters, and his hair was in wild disarray. But he hefted his Battle Weapon, and looked more than ever like he wanted to do battle.

It was at this point that the Ghost took a deep breath and waved his right hand. His entire body began to turn transparent, and his ghost qi skyrocketed.

“Unorthodox magic: Ghost Dao!” he said softly. He instantly vanished, becoming a ghostly specter that shot toward Meng Hao with the most deadly level of power he had used in the battle so far.

However, Meng Hao could see that the Daoist magic being utilized by the Ghost was incomplete, flawed. It had nothing to do with the Ghost himself, but rather, the fact that this was an incomplete duplicate created by Allheaven, and that this Daoist magic was being forcibly unleashed.

The Devil closed his eyes, then opened them again. His entire body was now covered with complex black marks. He let out a soft breath, and a hellish aura exploded out from him. It transformed into a special type of possession magic, which bored down threateningly on Meng Hao.

“Possession!”

This was also an incomplete magic!

Last was the God, who waved his sleeve and coolly said, “The Dao of the God, warrior among all cultivators! The magic of the Demon, a flame to ignite the Heavens! The tribulation of the Devil, a calamity of death!”

It was yet again, an incomplete magic!

As soon as the words left the God’s mouth, Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering energy erupted out from all three of the group. The starry sky seemed to vanish, leaving behind only them and their incomplete… trump cards!

Chapter 1604: Destroying Allheaven’s Finger!

(click here for the soundtrack)

Even though they were incomplete Daoist magics, considering they were being powered by these three individuals, they were powerful to a degree that was difficult to describe even with words. The entire starry sky outside the Vast Expanse was shaking violently. In fact, even the inner starry sky seemed on the verge of collapse.

Meng Hao’s pupils constricted. He knew that Allheaven was getting very anxious in his attempt to force the usage of his Seal the Heavens Hex, and was obviously willing to pay the highest of prices to do so. However, as of this moment, Meng Hao knew that if he didn’t use that Hex, he would definitely… die!

Even Transcendors could be killed.

“You want to see it? Fine. I’ll show you…. my Ninth Hex. The Seal the Heavens Hex!” His eyes shone with radiant light, like that of the sun and moon. He took a deep breath, and the starry sky around him began to shake.

He stretched his arms out, and everything around him shattered. At the same time, a statue appeared in front of him, as well as a sword!

The statue shone with dazzling light that filled the starry sky. It slowly lifted the sword, a sword both ancient and bizarre, something filled with power that didn’t seem appropriate within the starry sky. That was because… its power exceeded the entire starry sky’s capacity to contain it.

The statue and the sword were causing everything outside the Vast Expanse to shake violently. At the same time, Meng Hao’s three opponents seemed to fade slightly.

Light spilled out from within the statue and, with Meng Hao at the center, surged out in all directions. In the blink of an eye, it filled everything in existence.

Rumbling sounds echoed out as the darkness was driven away. Outside the Vast Expanse, everything was shining brightly. The light was so bright that it even pierced the barriers to shine inside the Vast Expanse.

An indescribably domineering will was rising up from the statue, and from Meng Hao.

It was a domineering air that said, What I want, the Heavens shall NOT lack! What I don’t want, had BETTER not exist in the Heavens!

It was a madness that said, My words are reality!

The light almost seemed to be peeling off a layer of skin that existed within the starry sky. The three powerful figures from Allheaven’s memories were rapidly fading away, and their divine abilities seemed to be on the verge of vanishing.

The entire starry sky was filled with explosive rumbling sounds. This was Meng Hao’s Seal the Heavens Hex, his most powerful Daoist magic, his trump card!

As the boundless light shone out, Meng Hao dropped his left hand and pushed up with his right, stretching it high into the starry sky. Everything shook, and all of the boundless light began to converge on his hand. In the blink of an eye, a character came to be visible there.

It was the character “seal!” 封

Instantly, an indescribably powerful gravitational force appeared, causing all natural and magical laws, all entities, all wills, to be uncontrollably sucked in.

The starry sky was in complete chaos, and Meng Hao’s three powerful opponents were starting to shake. Strange light could be seen in their eyes, as, without any hesitation, they continued to propel their divine abilities toward Meng Hao.

Ghost talons brimmed with energy. A Devilish death aura shook everything. The God Dao sent boundless magical flames surging out. The power almost instantly threatened to overwhelm Meng Hao.

But then, Meng Hao’s eyes glittered, and he quietly said, “Seal the Heavens Hex!”

Instantly, the “seal” character began to expand, shining with scintillating light, causing intense rumbling sounds to fill the starry sky. The character grew larger and larger, until it was so large that it seemed big enough to seal all the Heavens.

Then, it slammed into the Daoist magics of the three Transcendors!

Ear-splitting crashing could be heard as the Ghost’s divine ability was crushed and transformed into ash, which was then sucked into the “seal” character. The exact same thing happened to the Devil’s possession power, and the God’s powerful magic.

These incomplete Daoist magics could not stand up at all to the Seal the Heavens Hex!

The eyes of all three Transcendors seemed to fill with madness as they transformed into three beams of Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering light. All of them called upon the power of their own Essences to fly at top speed toward the “seal” character.

In the blink of an eye, they all collided, and the starry sky was shaken so violently it seemed as if it might explode. The three Transcendors’ bodies twisted and distorted as though they were being blasted by a wind of destruction that was wiping them out of existence. At the same time, the intense power of their attack caused cracks to appear on the constantly expanding “seal” character.

Even still, the three Transcendors were shoved backward; no matter how Allheaven struggled to force them into action, the power of the Seal the Heavens Hex could not be resisted.

It became a wild wind that swept over everything. Meng Hao’s eyes were bloodshot, and a powerful roar erupted from his mouth as he sealed everything present. The three Transcendors were not their true selves, but rather, duplicates created by Allheaven. They had incomplete Daoist magics, and were themselves incomplete. Because of that, blood sprayed out of their mouths, and they trembled on the verge of being destroyed.

A moment later, something like a roar of fury echoed out as the three Transcendors exploded!

The eighth Allheaven Transformation had been completely broken by the Seal the Heavens Hex!

The three Transcendors became black threads that, despite the power of the Seal the Heavens Hex, converged together into the vague shape of an eye.

It was the eye of the Allheaven, glaring furiously at Meng Hao, completely bloodshot.

“Meng… Hao!”

Even as the muffled voice filled the starry sky, Meng Hao’s eyes flickered with killing intent, and he waved his hand.

The sword which had appeared moments ago slashed down, and the starry sky was rent asunder. A gargantuan, boundless gash ripped open, snaking out at top speed toward the eye of Allheaven.

When it slammed into the eye, the eye was slashed in half. The power of the sword was boundlessly domineering, shockingly sharp, capable of piercing through anything. It sailed through the starry sky, its true target being one of the two pillars that seemed to prop up all existence, the pillar representing the Demon!

RUMBLE!

It didn’t pause for even a moment before directly slashing into the pillar!

Within the starry sky of the Vast Expanse, it had been countless years ago that the Ghost destroyed one of the pillars. Later, the Devil destroyed a second pillar, and the God, a third. Now Meng Hao was using the Seal the Heavens Hex…

To destroy the fourth pillar!

BOOOOOOOOOMMM!

Chapter 1605: Final Allheaven Transformation!

(click here for soundtrack)

Meng Hao had previously used a lesser version of the Seal the Heavens Hex on the Demon pillar, leaving a huge crack on it. Now that the complete Seal the Heavens Hex was exploding out with incredible power, that crack grew larger, sending even more cracks out, filling the entire pillar.

Rumbling sounds echoed out as the Demon pillar then shattered into pieces, into countless chunks of rubble which began to shower down like rain.

At the same time, a roar of fury echoed out through the starry sky. Then, within the brilliant light cast by the Seal the Heavens Hex, something like an enormous hand appeared, which began to tear open a rift in the starry sky. A boundlessly ancient aura erupted out, as well as dense Vast Expanse mist. Simultaneously, an enormous eye emerged from within the rift.

Meng Hao was instantly able to tell that the eye was not illusory. It was… Allheaven’s true form!

Its ancient aura was not something that could be falsified, nor could the incredible sensation of weakness that it radiated. Most importantly, Meng Hao could sense the aura of the starry sky upon it.

He was Allheaven, the former lord of the starry sky, the reason why all living beings could practice cultivation. It was because of him that people could even Transcend, and he had offered intelligence and civilization to the beings in the starry sky, countless years in the past.

Long ago, everything had been happy and harmonious. But then he had weakened, and as he neared death, he went mad….

Meng Hao watched the eye of Allheaven, his archenemy, fly out from the rift. As soon as Meng Hao sensed how weak he was, he sighed.

“You finally reveal yourself,” he said.

Allheaven stared back at him with hatred and other mixed emotions, but mostly coldness.

“I came from afar, and when I arrived, this place was nothing but chaos. The beings here had no intelligence, and lived on base instinct alone….

“It was me! I was the one who changed everything. Why must you resist me!?

“I provided the path of cultivation for all beings! You should be thanking me!

“I was also the one who protected this entire starry sky, allowing it to grow and prosper within the Universe. Why can’t you be content with that!?

“I was the one who created the natural laws here. I replaced the mindless will that existed here. I became the lord of this starry sky!” The voice of Allheaven seemed melancholy, and yet it boomed like thunder.

“I created all of you! I created everything! Therefore, when I am in need, you should repay me! That is the natural law of the Universe. Why must you struggle?!

“You should never have reached this state! I need the power of your Nirvanic Rebirth. I need you as fuel. I need you… to die!” As Allheaven’s words of fury echoed out, an indescribable pressure exploded out, causing the starry sky to tremble. The light from Meng Hao’s Seal the Heavens Hex was instantly crushed, and began to dissipate.

If Meng Hao had never used the Seal the Heavens Hex before, such a thing wouldn’t have happened. Allheaven would never have been able to crush the Hex without having first seen it in use. But having been able to observe it earlier, he could remember it, duplicate it, and destroy it.

That was why he was now revealing himself. He was weak, on the verge of dying completely, and thus had acted with extreme caution before. But now, he was completely confident regarding the Seal the Heavens Hex.

Meng Hao sighed quietly. It was hard for him to come to terms with exactly how he felt about Allheaven. However, there was one thing that could never change. Allheaven had plotted against him for his entire life. He had been responsible for destroying the Mountain and Sea Realm. To Meng Hao, the feeling of being manipulated and controlled went against his Dao.

His Dao was that of freedom and independence. He desired to be unrestrained and unfettered, for all eternity.

“We have different Daos,” he said, eyes shining with a strange, cold light. With that, he extended his right hand, causing the aura of the Seal the Heavens Hex to explode out, sending boundless light out in all directions.

“We have different Daos….” Deep within Allheaven’s eye was a profound arrogance, and an even stronger killing intent. The way for him to change everything was to consume Meng Hao.

By consuming Meng Hao, he could live again!

But now he was weak. He had reached the point where he could only make a single attack. If that attack didn’t kill Meng Hao, then he himself would have no other choice than to die.

“One attack will be enough!” he said, his voice echoing out into the starry sky as something pitch black appeared within his gaze.

“Ninth transformation!

“Allheaven Transformation!” In response to Allheaven’s voice, the starry sky outside the Vast Expanse collapsed. Everything withered up as vast quantities of energy began to converge upon the eye.

Instantly, Allheaven’s energy began to rise, and the pressure he exuded grew vastly more intense.

It was as if the starry sky itself were transforming into an ocean of fury, and Meng Hao was a little boat floating on the waves, battered by the rain, in danger of sinking down into the depths.

He could sense a level of madness that far exceeded what he had sensed from the three Transcendors. He was left shaking, and felt almost like he was a mere mortal facing the power of all Heaven and Earth.

The starry sky collapsed and withered, and power poured into the eye of Allheaven. As the eye stared furiously at Meng Hao, veins began to spread out from it, forming what looked like the overall shape of a human body. Soon, the outline of a person began to take shape in front of Meng Hao.

The outline was not unfamiliar. Meng Hao had seen this very thing years ago when he looked inside the Demon pillar.

The enormous shape was now forming in front of him, complete with the ninety-eight shocking fruits. Those fruits then collapsed, spreading out to cover the outline of blood vessels. A scream of fury echoed out as, unexpectedly… another eye appeared.

A face could now be seen, complete with facial features. There were also four limbs!

The change happened rapidly. As the starry sky collapsed and withered, life force and power converged onto the ninth transformation, feeding and fueling it.

This was the ninth transformation, the true Allheaven Transformation.

Most accurately speaking… this was the complete Allheaven!

Rumbling sounds echoed out in all directions, as well as sounds like howls of rage. Meng Hao began to pant; he suddenly felt completely unstable, as if the mere energy radiating off of Allheaven was enough to beat him back over and over again.

Chapter 1606: Hex Versus Hex!

(click here for soundtrack)

“Meng Hao!” The muffled voice filled the starry sky, seemingly echoing out from the most ancient of times. At the same time, it was unmistakably clear, and boomed like thunder.

Meng Hao watched as the huge image of Allheaven formed together; the blood vessels grew more numerous, bones appeared, and then flesh and blood. At the same time, a powerful energy radiated out, an explosive energy of almost indescribable power.

It was as if some giant who had once dissipated into the void was now re-forming.

Allheaven might only be capable of unleashing a single attack, but as of this moment, that impending attack filled Meng Hao with an indescribable sensation of deadly crisis.

He was well aware that if his opponent continued to grow stronger, it would spell certain defeat. Killing intent flickered in his eyes as he watched Allheaven forming together. He quickly spread his arms wide and roared, “Ninth Demon Sealing Hex! Seal the Heavens Hex!”

Wind screamed around him, and the statue appeared once again. Boundless light began to spread out, which then surged toward Allheaven with deadly force.

Meng Hao was going all-out with his cultivation base, his will, and his soul, fueling the Seal the Heavens Hex to the ultimate degree. Blinding light shone as power which could seal all existence bore down on Allheaven.

The starry sky inside the Vast Expanse withered some as Meng Hao drew upon it as a further component of power within the Seal the Heavens Hex.

The white light which closed in on Allheaven contained Heaven-Sealing power, power from beyond the starry sky, power which contained the natural laws of the Universe.

The battle was reaching a climax, with both parties unleashing unimaginable power. When the “seal” character landed on Allheaven, his hair rose up, and his eyes shone with unprecedented brightness. Although his body hadn’t completely formed yet, he was surging with power that could shake Heaven and Earth.

Now that he had experienced the Seal the Heavens Hex, he looked at Meng Hao and smiled.

“If you hadn’t used this Hex before, it would have been difficult to defend against. But now… I can use it too!” He extended his right hand, splaying his fingers wide. Shockingly, light began to shine out, a light that looked very similar to the light cast by the Seal the Heavens Hex. The only difference was that this light was black!

The black light instantly stretched out toward Meng Hao, like a wave of fury that slammed into the white light of the Seal the Heavens Hex.

The instant they touched, a deafening boom spread out, shattering the starry sky, destroying planets. Even Transcendors like Jin Yunshan would be completely destroyed by the force.

Anyone who was not within the Ancestor Realm would be killed in body and soul by the shockwave created when the white and black lights made contact.

There were no magics that could exceed this, not within this starry sky. In fact, even within the Universe as a whole, it was something uncharacteristically rare. This battle had reached the ultimate pinnacle.

BOOOOOOOOOMMM!

Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao’s mouth, and Allheaven withered. Yet, even as the explosive energy continued to blast out in all directions, they continued to fuel their magic with all of the battle prowess they could muster.

Meng Hao let out a mighty roar, and his hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture. The white light surrounding him twisted, shrinking down rapidly as it transformed into a single character.

Seal! 封

The “seal” character glittered radiantly!

“I shall… seal the Heavens!” He threw his hands out above his head. Instantly, cracking sounds could be heard, as though his arms might shatter at any moment. He was shaking visibly, clearing using all the power he could muster to unleash the “seal” character.

In the blink of an eye, the character began to rumble toward Allheaven, seemingly backed by the power of the Universe itself.

Allheaven’s eyes were filled with madness as he took a deep breath. The black light around him spun madly, shrinking down into his palm into a different “seal” character.

A black “seal” character!

Two huge sealing marks shot toward each other within the starry sky, and when they made contact, a boom echoed out that could shake all Heaven and Earth. Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao’s mouth. Eyes completely bloodshot, he performed a double-handed incantation gesture, causing the sword to appear, which slashed down viciously.

A huge rift was torn open, which snaked through the starry sky toward Allheaven. Allheaven extended his right hand, and a black sword appeared behind him, which similarly slashed down.

“I am the true lord of this starry sky. I, Allheaven, call upon the power of that starry sky, and the laws of the Universe… I sacrifice everything to kill Meng Hao and take all that belongs to him!” The sword shone with resplendent light, growing larger and larger as it slashed out. When the two swords hit each other, the entire starry sky rumbled and even began to shatter.

As it shattered, the Universe beyond was revealed!

Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao’s mouth as the sword formed by the Seal the Heavens Hex shattered and transformed into ash. However, the exact same thing happened to the sword created by Allheaven.

Meng Hao was shaken so hard that cracking sounds emanated out from inside of him, which were bones being broken. His flesh was shredded into a haze of blood, and he was sent tumbling backward like a kite with its string cut.

His vision swam, and the world spun. His cultivation base was thrown into utter chaos, and his will was shaken.

However, Allheaven was in similarly bad condition. He was trembling, his arm shattered, half of his body almost completely sealed to the point where it transformed into dust. With the exception of his left eye, the other parts of him which survived were almost completely withered away.

Even his left eye, despite being complete, was now gray, and an aura of death emanated out from it. As for the pupil of that eye, it was growing larger; clearly, once it overtook the rest of the eye, it would signify his complete death.

However, despite the situation, a smile appeared on Allheaven’s withered face, and he began to laugh. Laughter rang out as he struggled to look over at Meng Hao, a strange expression on his face. Then, he started to breath in deeply.

Instantly, Meng Hao began to shake violently. His life force, his soul, everything about him, began to seep out through the pores on his skin, through his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. It became a white smoke that swirled through the starry sky toward Allheaven.

“The mistake you made was letting me see your Seal the Heavens Hex!” His voice was both weak and laced with madness. As the white smoke began to emanate out from Meng Hao and enter Allheaven, Allheaven’s excitement grew. Slowly but surely, the white smoke began to converge inside of him in the location of the missing ninety-ninth Demon fruit!

Chapter 1607: Are You Coming?

(click here for soundtrack)

Meng Hao’s face was pale as his energy flowed out. However, his expression didn’t change at all. Even as he began to wither up, he quietly said, “Oh really…?”

Endless amounts of life force, soul power, and cultivation base energy, everything that made up him, were all flowing into Allheaven in the form of a white mist. It poured into Allheaven’s eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, where it began to transform into a resplendent Demon fruit.

All of this takes some time to describe, but happened in the briefest of instants. Meng Hao became like a dessicated corpse, and a popping sound rang out as he transformed into dust, seemingly killed in body and soul.

Allheaven was trembling in excitement as his body began to reform, and the Demon fruit in his chest shone with dazzling demonic light.

“Nirvanic Rebirth. I live again!” He threw his head back and roared as his innards shrank, then began to reform. Meng Hao, the ninety-ninth Demon fruit, seemed to be on the verge of collapsing. Even as Allheaven’s eyes were shining with excitement, his expression suddenly flickered.

“Impossible!” he said, focusing on the aura of Nirvanic rebirth inside of him. That was the very aura that he desired, that he required, and yet, he suddenly realized that the Nirvanic aura was not his, but rather, was coming from Meng Hao, the ninety-ninth Demon fruit!

Allheaven’s face fell as the Demon fruit filled with cracks, causing boundless red light to seep out like threads. It was light abundant in demonic aura, and boundless Nirvanic rebirth. It spread out wildly through Allheaven, reaching his limbs, his face, his whole body, and even his eye! As it filled him, it sealed everything about him!

This was Nirvanic rebirth, but it was the rebirth of the Demon, the rebirth of Meng Hao!

In that moment, it became obvious that within the glowing red threads, the First Demon Sealing Hex could be detected. Then the Second Hex, and the Third Hex… all the way down to the Ninth Hex. All of them were there, completely sealing the body of Allheaven, completely preventing him from doing anything! His foundation was being cut away!

“Meng Hao!!” he shrieked. It was at this point that Meng Hao’s voice spoke out inside of him.

“Your mistake was being so sure that my ultimate Hexing magic was the Seal the Heavens Hex.

“Tens of thousands of years ago, I already came to the conclusion that after the Ninth Demon Sealing Hex… there is a Tenth Hex!

“This Tenth Hex exists in a realm that I cannot grasp. Only in the right circumstances could I unleash it, for example, when the Ninth Hex is available as the foundation, with the power of Nirvanic rebirth to catalyze the Hex.

“I needed to borrow your body to unleash it!

“Tenth Demon Sealing Hex….

“My fate is to… seal the Heavens like a Demon!”

Allheaven roared in fury, and yet had completely and utterly lost control of his own body. He could only watch as his right hand lifted up and performed an incantation gesture. A sensation of terror filled him as he felt power exploding out, a power similar to the Seal the Heavens Hex, and yet different. It was infinitely domineering, something that commanded the ultimate level of respect within Heaven and Earth.

Just as Meng Hao had said….

My fate is to… seal the Heavens like a Demon!

Demons are full of multifarious transformations!

As of this moment, Meng Hao was using those multifarious transformations as the heart, and Allheaven as the body, to unleash the ultimate divine ability. As his right hand lifted up, the starry sky outside the Vast Expanse began to shrink down, smaller and smaller, until it was a dimly shining globe hovering above his palm!

There was no longer any such thing as the starry sky outside the Vast Expanse. Only the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas remained. Outside of that was the boundless Universe, within which Meng Hao now hovered.

Allheaven’s left eye was no longer struggling. It seemed lonely, fading away. It even appeared to be relieved somehow as it looked out into the depths of the Universe….

Meng Hao was now looking out of Allheaven’s left eye. Allheaven’s right hand slowly lifted up, and he could do nothing as it clenched into a fist and punched at that very eye!

BOOM!

A tremor ran through him, and his eye began to shrink. Despair could be seen, a bitter refusal to accept what was happening. Then, it began to transform into ash….

In the moment before he died, Allheaven looked into the depths of the Universe. No one could possibly know what he was looking at. Perhaps just the infinite darkness of the Universe. Or perhaps he was looking at… where he came from.

Allheaven’s body shivered as it transformed into ash. Cracking sounds emanated out, and he withered away until he was nothing.

Countless streams of white mist poured out, transforming into the shape of Meng Hao. As he hovered there, mixed expressions could be seen on his face, and eventually, he sighed.

The truth was that in the past, it might have been very difficult to kill Allheaven. But considering how much Allheaven had been weakened, killing him wasn’t really a very difficult thing for Meng Hao. In fact, were it not for the curse, Meng Hao would never have had such a difficult time, and would never have been forced into such deadly circumstances.

The only difficult part had been fighting the three Transcendors, which really had been dangerous. That was the only thing which had occurred that exceeded his powers of prediction.

Everything else, every action he had taken, everything he had done, had been part of his plan.

He made sure that Allheaven had the wrong information, and always believed the Seal the Heavens Hex to be the ultimate Hexing magic. Using that Hex would ensure that Allheaven would actually appear in person, thinking that he had gained the upper hand.

The truth was that Meng Hao had only used a fraction of the full power of the Seal the Heaven Hex. If he had used its full power, he could have killed Allheaven directly.

However, killing Allheaven wouldn’t be enough to break the curse. Meng Hao had come to realize this tens of thousands of years ago. The answer actually lay within the jade slip he had been given by Shui Dongliu.

It was because of that information that Meng Hao did everything he did, leading him to this point.

“I now know how to break the curse,” he said softly. “I just need time….” With that, he closed his eyes for a very long moment before opening them again and looking far off into the distance.

He almost felt as if he could see three individuals. One was Patriarch Vast Expanse, one was a young man in a black robe, and the other was the same person he had seen on the Immortal God Continent.

It was almost as if they were traveling along somewhere far off in the distance, then suddenly stopped and looked back through the Universe until their gazes fell on Meng Hao. They smiled warmly, as if they were all friends.

He suddenly heard a voice in his mind. “We’re waiting for you. Are you coming…?”

Chapter 1608: The End Of An Epoch

(click here for soundtrack)

Meng Hao had thought long and hard about whether it was true that the starry sky of the Vast Expanse had only ever had three Transcendors. The answer to that question came to him when he saw Jin Yunshan.

Perhaps the actual number of people who had Transcended wasn’t important. The key was that those three particular Transcendors had destroyed fingers of Allheaven, and were thus the perfect examples of what it meant to Transcend.

As Meng Hao looked at those three figures, he suddenly realized that there were other people like them, deeper within the Universe….

He knew by now that his true destination was that very Universe. That was the world of the Transcendors, a place where they could search for that which existed beyond the Ancestor Realm.

The path of cultivation went on and on forever. It was like the Dao, boundless. It was like the Dharma, limitless. It was like magic, neverending….

Meng Hao had learned that from Allheaven, and he could only imagine how incredibly powerful and terrifying Allheaven must have been back in his prime.

“It isn’t time to leave yet,” he thought, continuing to peer into the depths of the Universe. After a long, long moment passed, he sighed. The truth was that his connection to the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas had already grown very weak. And yet, he couldn’t simply sever that connection. He had to break the curse of Allheaven, and return the soul seeds of everyone he knew back into the cycle of reincarnation.

Smiling, he gave a farewell nod to the depths of the Universe, and then turned and headed back into the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas. Soon, he was back in that unfamiliar home of his, in the Mountain and Sea Realm, on the Ninth Mountain. When he reached the ice mountain where all of the soul seeds were stored, he looked over at the two coffins.

One of them contained Xu Qing, who was in a deep sleep, and the other contained the butterfly, which almost seemed alive.

He looked at them quietly, then sat down cross-legged. He seemed desolate, lonely, and yet filled with determination and focus.

“I know the way,” he murmured softly. “I just need time….” With that, he closed his eyes and sank into meditation.

The only way to break the curse of Allheaven… was to become Allheaven!

Allheaven was dead, but in that very moment before he ceased to exist, Meng Hao had merged with him. In that moment, he got what he needed, the seed of a memory.

Perhaps it would be better to call it a discarnate will, something that he would slowly feed until it grew whole….

Meng Hao’s face was very calm as he sat there quietly, allowing time to pass. He was absolutely motionless, his will completely retracted from the starry sky. He completely ignored everything around him, paying it no heed.

Time flowed by. 30,000 years….

Within the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas, generations upon generations of cultivators came and went. War broke out over and over again between the Mountain and Sea Realm and the Vast Expanse School. The old lizard returned to the dust. Next was the huge head, and the termite. Eventually, even the enormous flower wilted and died.

The parrot and meat jelly seemed to have unlimited longevity, and yet even they were showing signs of age. Eventually, they took to traveling out in the starry sky, leaving behind one legend after another in their own unique style….

The Church of Lord Third appeared, and then the School of Lord Fifth. Things had been boring and dull for many years in the starry sky, but now new and amusing legends were spread.

Another 30,000 years passed. The parrot returned, looking very tired and old. Meng Hao glanced over at it for a moment, then sealed it into an ice coffin he had prepared.

The meat jelly drifted about in loneliness for a few thousand years before returning. It sat with Meng Hao, talking incessantly for a while before finally joining the parrot.

When Meng Hao broke the curse, he would call them back…. Guyiding Tri-Rain and Patriarch Reliance had held on all the way down to this point, but they were reaching their limit. With Meng Hao’s help, they entered an even deeper state of sleep, which would help them endure for even longer.

Meng Hao looked over at the ice coffin containing the parrot and meat jelly, and suddenly realized that his final connections to the world were almost gone.

He was now completely and utterly alone. There he sat on the Ninth Mountain, meditating, alone.

100,000 years went by. Drastic changes occurred in the starry sky. Jin Yunshan’s appointed time of confinement passed, and he emerged. Once again, he led the Vast Expanse School to sweep across the starry sky, although he didn’t dare to even get near the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Despite that, he became a figure of respect and veneration among all cultivators. Time passed. After another 100,000 years, Jin Yunshan was getting bored. He still hadn’t reached full Transcendence, and thus, was still subject to the effects of the curse. Eventually, he decided to do as Meng Hao had suggested, to leave this starry sky and travel out into the Universe.

Before departing, he went to the Mountain and Sea Realm, where he stood outside the Ninth Mountain and looked up toward the peak. Eventually, he clasped hands and bowed deeply.

He was the last person within the starry sky who could be considered an old friend of Meng Hao. His departure indicated that not a single person within the starry sky remembered who Meng Hao was.

Or perhaps it was he that had come to forget the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas. No one could say for sure what the truth was.

100,000 years. 200,000 years. 300,000 years. 400,000 years….

Eventually, 1,000,000 years passed. Powers rose and fell within the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas. Powerful experts were born and died. There was even someone who reached the same level as Jin Yunshan.

It was a woman, someone with spectacular latent talent. Unfortunately, she was never able to Transcend in soul.

She led an army against the Vast Expanse School, which had stood as the peak sect for a million years. It fell, becoming a thing of the past. Now, the only thing which had existed since ancient times was the Mountain and Sea Realm.

It almost seemed foreordained that nothing connected to Meng Hao would be able to last for all eternity. Not even the Mountain and Sea Realm. After another 1,000,000 years passed, another powerful Transcendor appeared, who attacked the Mountain and Sea Realm.

There was a huge war, which the Mountain and Sea Realm managed to win, and yet at great cost. The casualties were enormous.

Years went by. The Mountain and Sea Realm came to be something of a symbol. Every 1,000,000 years, someone would step half way into Transcendence, and would try to take it. Sometimes more than one person would make that step. On one occasion, there were three.

All of them set their sights on the Mountain and Sea Realm. All of them were completely convinced that it was only by means of the Mountain and Sea Realm that they could elevate their souls and reach full Transcendence.

However, none of the successive attacking Transcendors ever managed to destroy it. That happened after 50,000,000 years passed, and the Mountain and Sea Realm rotted from the inside as it descended into civil war.

Schisms arose among the cultivators there, and eventually many of them left to wander the starry sky. Gradually, the Mountain and Sea Realm fell into ruin. In the end, it hovered there alone in the starry sky, broken, fading away into time. The First Mountain and Sea vanished, then the second. Eventually, the only thing that remained was the Ninth Mountain and Ninth Sea.

By the time that happened, Meng Hao had been secluded in meditation for… 100,000,000 years.

That year, something catastrophic occurred within the starry sky. It was something completely and utterly mysterious in nature, a wind of destruction that blew across everything, taking all life with it….

It was the end of an epoch.

Chapter 1609: Becoming Allheaven!

(click here for soundtrack)

It was a black wind that not only destroyed life, but gave it. After it blew past, the starry sky was completely silent. But then, planets emerged, worlds were born, and new forms of life appeared.

Things started out very primitively, but soon reached the point where the practice of cultivation began. The relics and remnants of the past epoch were what the hosts of new living beings used as the basis for their growth.

Around this time, Meng Hao opened his eyes from his meditation. His gaze was somewhat blank as he realized that he couldn’t remember exactly who he was. He seemed to have forgotten everything from the past. It was simply too far away, making it impossible to recall.

The only reason he had even come to awaken was that he realized that his body was beginning to waste away…. Although the progress was extremely slow, the signs of it were there.

Time passed within the new epoch. One generation after another came and went. Powerful experts arose, becoming dazzling flowers floating along down the stream of time. They created a spectacular and magnificent era, and at its height, there were actually seven cultivators who stepped halfway into Transcendence.

But then things began to decline. Another 100,000,000 years had passed. The black wind once again appeared, and everything began again.

One epoch ended, and another began.

Meng Hao opened his eyes again, and found that the decay of his body had become more pronounced….

During the following epoch, the Ninth Mountain and Sea was discovered. It became a place that countless cultivators looked toward with hope, believing it to be a Holy Land for cultivation. During this epoch, everything centered around the struggles and fighting to control the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

That epoch ended, and another began.

It was like a cycle, an endless cycle. Reincarnation flowed constantly. Soon the fourth epoch passed, and the fifth. Then the sixth epoch…. Eventually, ten epochs passed, then twenty, then thirty….

Meng Hao eventually lost track of how many epochs had actually gone by. He forgot about the flow of time, and only knew that a very, very long time had passed…. As that time passed, his body showed more and more signs of decay. That decay filled him, until eventually, some parts of his body began to fade away.

It started with his feet, slowly moving up his legs until his torso began to vanish.

By that point, it was hard to say exactly how many epochs had passed for the living beings in the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas. It was a cycle that seemed as if it would go on and on with no end.

It was nothing cruel. That was simply the natural law of the Universe, and a part of the cycle of reincarnation.

Eventually, Meng Hao’s body had almost completely faded away. Only five fingers and an eye remained. At that time, Meng Hao suddenly felt fear. It was a sensation of terror which he hadn’t experienced for a very, very long time. But there it was. He instinctively wanted to prevent himself from fading away completely.

Perhaps it was because of how his body was fading away, and because of the power of his own Essence seeping out into the starry sky, that in one particular epoch, a certain person appeared. He was a powerful expert who surpassed all of the other powerful experts from the previous epochs. He eventually absorbed some of Meng Hao’s Essence, and became… a full Transcendor!

In the moment that he Transcended, Meng Hao, in his confusion, attempted to consume him. Unfortunately, he was too weak, so weak that he couldn’t even fully awaken. Before he could prepare himself fully, that Transcendor destroyed one of his fingers and left to travel the Universe.

Meng Hao felt pain, and began to tremble, a trembling that affected even the starry sky. Despite the fact that he wanted to, Meng Hao couldn’t awaken. He needed more time.

Another epoch went by, and another person appeared who absorbed some of his Essence and destroyed a second of his fingers. The pain nearly drove Meng Hao mad, and he was left howling in rage.

Eventually, a third Transcendor appeared, who destroyed a third finger. At long last… Meng Hao awoke. The third Transcendor was able to flee, but the important thing was that Meng Hao was now awake.

He began to plan a way to live once again. He needed… Nirvanic Rebirth!

After coming to this conclusion, he began to scheme…. Unfortunately, he was too weak, so he sent his blood out in an attempt to gather enough power to perform Nirvanic Rebirth.

Eventually, someone came along who was perfect for his plan. He absorbed that person, who became the first Nirvana Fruit inside of him.

He could tell that he would need ninety-nine such Nirvana Fruits to become complete, and have his Nirvanic rebirth.

Time passed, and he eventually got his second, third, and fourth Nirvana Fruits…. He was very patient, and continued to wait for the blood he had scattered to be gathered back in.

After collecting his ninety-eighth Nirvana Fruit, the very last person he had been waiting for finally appeared.

A Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering battle resulted. The people who had severed his three fingers even managed to interfere surreptitiously. But in the end, they all failed. He successfully transformed that final individual into his ninety-ninth Nirvana Fruit, and the power of Nirvanic rebirth was unleashed.

Rumbling filled his mind, causing him to shake as he opened his eyes. When his voice spoke, it filled the entire starry sky.

“I am Allheaven!” said the muffled voice. But then, sharp pain stabbed through his mind as he recalled a memory which had been buried deep, deep within. It was something he had almost completely forgotten!

He was Allheaven, and yet, he was not complete!

He turned his head to look out in the Universe. There, somewhere deep within the Universe, he could sense an indescribably powerful aura that left him trembling. That aura contained incredible amounts of immeasurably dense Immortal qi, so much so that it was terrifying. It was the aura of… the Immortal!

The difference between himself and that aura was like the difference between a firefly and the sun!

It was an aura that seemed capable of fighting against the Universe as a whole, something so powerful it defied explanation!

Somehow, he could sense that he was connected to that entity in some ways. It was at this point that he remembered where he came from. He… came from the depths of the Universe! A war had been fought, and he was actually a clone of that incredibly powerful individual, a clone who had been severed away!

He was a clone who had been exiled to this location, where he had instinctively consumed a starry sky, becoming its lord.

Deep within his mind, he could tell that Allheaven possessed intense and incredible fear of that original entity!

RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!

All of those memories flooded up, and he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt the general location of Allheaven’s true self. That person was in the center of the Universe, a place that was flourishing and radiant. In comparison, his current location was remote, barren… like a distant corner.

Chapter 1610: Whose Clone?

(click here for soundtrack)

Meng Hao’s mind was shaken, and he was also shaken visibly. At some indeterminable point in the past, a sealing mark had appeared in his brain, which now flickered with the will of Heaven-Sealing. Radiant light spread out, and Meng Hao instinctively extended his right hand and waved his finger.

“I hereby… break my curse!” The words coming out of his mouth seemed strange, but for some reason, he felt as if they needed to be said.

Instantly, rumbling like that of thunder filled the starry sky. It was especially intense in the region where Meng Hao sat. A huge rift appeared on the ice mountain where all of the soul seeds were stored.

Instantly, the soul seeds, which had long since grown dim and dark, seemed to pulse like beating hearts. All of a sudden, they brimmed with life force.

It was as if the gateway leading into reincarnation, which had once been shut tight, was now blown wide open for them.

As the countless soul seeds were restored, Meng Hao’s mind experienced something like two huge hands ripping it apart. The pain was so intense that he screamed, and his eyes went completely bloodshot. He was shaking as countless memories suddenly flooded up inside of him.

He remembered the Mountain and Sea Realm, his parents, Xu Qing, Chu Yuyan, Fatty, Wang Youcai, Patriarch Reliance, Guyiding Tri-Rain, and everything else….

He remembered his battle with Allheaven, and he remembered going into meditation. He remembered Shui Dongliu… who, in the moments before dying, had handed Meng Hao a jade slip with a plan detailed inside.

Rumbling sounds filled Meng Hao’s mind, and blood oozed out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He slowly looked up, and spoke out in a voice that was hoarse, and yet filled with determination.

“I am not Allheaven. I… am Meng Hao!

“I am… MENG HAO!” With that, he threw his head back and roared. His roar filled the starry sky, shaking it, causing the Ninth Mountain and Sea to tremble.

He began to pant as he recalled the truth about everything. He remembered the brief moment in which he had possessed Allheaven during their final battle. He remembered making contact with Allheaven’s thoughts, and he remembered that discarnate will, which he had placed in his own mind like a seed. Gradually, that discarnate will from Allheaven grew, making something like a duplicate of Allheaven that Meng Hao intentionally allowed to possess him.

That had been Shui Dongliu’s plan. It was an insane plan, and the slightest misstep could have led to Meng Hao losing himself forever, to fully transforming into Allheaven. But that was the only way to break the curse. That curse… could only be broken by Allheaven. Not even killing him could accomplish it. Allheaven had to do it of his own accord.

Therefore, the only way to break the curse… had been to become Allheaven!

And that was why everything played out the way it did.

Trembling, Meng Hao looked over at the broken ice mountain. He saw the awakening soul seeds, and then started to laugh, a clear, crisp laugh that spread out in all directions. He knew that he had finally… succeeded.

“I did it. I finally did it!” Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he struggled to stand up. With every breath he took, the starry sky trembled, and his body recovered itself. His divine sense, his soul, his will, and his cultivation base were all recovering from their state of being withered.

Eventually, he managed to recover his composure. At that point, he looked out into the depths of the Universe, and remembered how Allheaven had done the same thing in the last moment before dying. Then he recalled what he had experienced after becoming Allheaven.

After recalling that memory, his heart began to pound. Although he could remember clearly what had occurred, he had a hard time believing it was true.

Back when Allheaven had been whole, he had had a profound impact on the entire starry sky. It was only by gaining enlightenment of his Essence that the Ghost, the Devil, the God, and the Demon appeared….

Those powerful Transcendors all came to be because of Allheaven. And Allheaven… was only a clone of some other entity!

That entity existed somewhere else in the Universe, and had existed for countless, countless years. The clone’s connection with its true form had been severed, and he had become Allheaven.

Mixed emotions could be seen in Meng Hao’s eyes as he looked out at the Universe. He knew that somewhere out there, Allheaven’s true form existed as an entity of unimaginable power. Furthermore, who was it that had managed to sever a clone from someone that powerful?

It was in that moment that Meng Hao finally came to understand the meaning of that ancient saying.

Allheaven fears the Immortal!

He feared the Immortal because he feared his true self? Perhaps Allheaven’s true self was… the real Immortal!

Therefore, it was actually impossible for Meng Hao or any of the others to truly become the Immortal. Even if Allheaven did nothing to stop them from doing so, they still would have failed to become the Immortal!

It was a secret unknown to the God, the Devil or even the Ghost. Perhaps they had come to have certain speculations, which was why they were traveling out in the Universe. Meng Hao was the only person to have glimpsed the truth.

“The Universe….” After some thought, a look of unprecedented anticipation appeared within his eyes. He didn’t fear the truth. In contrast, it filled him with incredible hope.

He looked forward with keen anticipation to traveling out into the Universe, to reaching its center. Perhaps one day, he would have the chance to fight that so-called Immortal!

“Now that I think about it, I bet the other three Transcendors would want to do the same thing!” With that, he waved his sleeve, wiping away all of the vestiges of Allheaven, and suppressing his desire to go out into the Universe. Now was not the time.

He took a deep breath, and looked over at the ice coffin where Xu Qing lay, his eyes filled with love. He walked over and looked at her beautiful face, then slowly leaned down. As he did, the ice melted, causing mist to roll out. Then his lips touched her forehead as he kissed her gently.

It was impossible to count how many years had passed since he last kissed her. It was a kiss which carried profound longing, a kiss which contained a focus that had lasted for epochs upon epochs.

“Qing’er… my wife,“ he said softly. “You’ve been sleeping for so long. It’s time to wake up.”

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. A blank expression could be seen at first, but her gaze quickly focused. She looked at Meng Hao, and then smiled. Her eyes were like deep pools of placid water.

Smiling, Meng Hao lifted her out of the ice coffin and helped her to her feet. Then he turned to look at the ice coffins containing his parents, and the parrot and meat jelly. It was only in that moment that he realized that the coffin containing the parrot and meat jelly had already melted, and they were standing there, looking at him with shocked expressions on their faces. Suddenly, miserable shrieks rang out.

Scared out of their minds, the parrot and meat jelly embraced each other and began to cry out at the tops of their lungs.

“Don’t try to kiss me! Dammit! That’s disgusting! Stop right there! Lord Third doesn’t even like you! You have no fur! Don’t even think about touching me!!”

“Back the hell away from me, Meng Hao. Lord Fifth’s chastity won’t be sullied by you, you bully! You can’t do that! That’s wrong! That’s immoral….”

Meng Hao laughed. He was happier now than he had been in ages.

Chapter 1611: Untitled

(click here for soundtrack)

Xu Qing stood there next to Meng Hao, looking at the parrot and meat jelly, and she started laughing. It was a laughter so warm and beautiful it could melt ice.

Meng Hao took a deep breath as he looked over at the coffin containing the Mountain and Sea Butterfly, and his parents. As the coffin melted, the butterfly transformed into countless motes of colorful light, light that was bursting with life force. Gradually, the light formed together into a man and a woman, who stood there embracing each other.

At the same time, rumbling sounds could be heard as an enormous open door descended. It was the door leading to the cycle of reincarnation, which would ensure that the souls who were part of it never died.

The ice mountain was melting, and as it did, the awakening soul seeds inside became countless figures who floated up toward the door.

They had been waiting to be reincarnated for a very, very long time. From a distance, the soul seeds became like a river that swept into the door of reincarnation, Meng Hao’s parents included.

Within that river of souls, he saw Fatty, Wang Youcai, Li Ling’er, Zhixiang, Taiyang Zi, Fang Yu, Sun Hai, his Master Pill Demon, Perfect, as well as many other faces. They were all people who existed within his memories. They included Paragon Sea Dream, Ksitigarbha, Shui Dongliu, Grandpa Meng, and Grandpa Fang….

Meng Hao stood there watching, his heart filled with warmth, clasping Xu Qing’s hand tightly.

After all of the soul seeds disappeared into the cycle of reincarnation, Meng Hao could sense them being born again, and he smiled.

It was also in this same moment that water once again began to bubble within the Ninth Sea as Guyiding Tri-Rain began to recover!

Atop the Ninth Mountain, Patriarch Reliance, who by this point had been reduced to nothing more than a turtle shell, suddenly began to emanate signs of life. Eventually, a head emerged from inside the shell. He took a deep breath, then looked up and roared, “The Patriarch is back!”

On his back was the State of Zhao, which also began to show signs of life. Rumbling echoed out in all directions.

Beauty was blooming everywhere!

**

Decades upon decades passed in a flash.

It was a new, unknown epoch in the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas. Although the Mountain and Sea Realm itself didn’t exist any more, powerful organizations of cultivators were already sweeping through the starry sky.

It was hard to say which of them was more powerful, but it didn’t really matter. On all the planets and worlds, mortals and cultivators alike were rising to new heights.

Some people said that this was an era which was destined to rise to the very pinnacle of glory. More powerful experts would appear in this time than ever had before, the reason being that in the recent decades, all of the powerful organizations had given rise to cultivators with shocking latent talent. There were even some legendary Chosen who appeared that only came along once in ten thousand years.

Because of such Chosen, the world of cultivation in the starry sky was reaching a dazzling pinnacle.

No one knew exactly why this was happening. As for that group of Chosen, it was almost as if they had all agreed to be born at exactly the same time.

Although they all came from different places, and didn’t know each other, as soon as they met the other Chosen, they felt an instant connection. Because of that, they didn’t devolve into fighting, but instead, worked together to seek out their destiny.

Now that the curse was broken, many of those who had been cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm chose to once again walk the path of cultivation. However, not everyone did. There were many… who chose to become mortals, to live peaceful and ordinary lives.

And yet, regardless of the decisions they made, they seemed to benefit from the blessing of the starry sky. That was of course the blessing of Meng Hao, which ensured that no matter how long they lived, or how many lives they experienced, their souls would never be destroyed. Even when the epoch ended, and everything faded away, their souls would continue on.

In some ways, they had become eternal. Given enough time, they would eventually Transcend, and then they would be able to remember everything from their previous lives.

A golden age was starting in the starry sky.

One day, on one particular planet, a young man stood proudly in front of a young woman, holding a spear in his hand. He had a freckled face, and was quite fat, like a ball of flesh.

The young woman was slender and beautiful, but her brow was furrowed as she glared at the young man.

“Are you going to agree or not?” asked the young man. “If you don’t agree to become Grandpa Fatty’s Daoist partner, well then….” With a mighty roar, he placed the spearhead into his mouth and bit down, whereupon a cracking sound emanated out as the spearhead shattered.

Then, he proudly continued, “Don’t you know? Grandpa Fatty has some of the best latent talent in the entire starry sky! And I understood why because of a dream I had. I’m actually the brother of the will of this starry sky! Be with me, and both of us can become immortal together!”

He was trying to sound elegant and refined, but the chunks of the spearhead in his mouth hurt quite a bit, and he was even starting to tremble involuntarily. Inwardly, he grumbled to himself that this habit that he picked up in the dream was entirely unbearable.

The young woman’s jaw dropped, and she stared at the young man with wide eyes. She was a disciple of the Godplume Sect, and this was her first time leaving the sect on training. She had never imagined that she would run into a fat kid like this. Even more unbelievable was that he had been following her around for months pestering her.

“You’re crazy!” she said. The way that he was trembling actually frightened her a bit, so she snorted coldly, turned, and walked off.

“Hey, wait for me!” the fat young man cried, and immediately hurried after her, pasting an ingratiating smile onto his face.

After they left, the sound of chuckling could be heard from the spot they had just been standing in, as Meng Hao and Xu Qing materialized. Xu Qing was covering her mouth with her hand, and a wide smile could be seen on Meng Hao’s face.

Naturally, that fat young man was none other that the reincarnated Fatty, Li Fugui.

The parrot and meat jelly were perched on Meng Hao’s shoulders, disdainful looks on their faces.

“Shameless. Completely shameless!”

“So that was how he got all those Daoist partners back in the day.”

Meng Hao shooked his head and looked off into the distance.

“Come on, let’s go check in on everyone else,” he said softly. “After that, we can leave this place….” He seemed reluctant to part with all of his friends, but the determination in his eyes was clear.

Chapter 1612: Missing Clues

(click here for soundtrack)

Meng Hao and Xu Qing traveled among the powerful organizations in the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas, checking in on all the familiar faces who were rising to glory after having been reincarnated.

Zhixiang had become a princess in one of the mortal kingdoms. Li Ling’er had joined a powerful sect and become their only Legacy disciple.

Wang Youcai was a rogue cultivator with an intense, murderous aura, who had fought and killed his way to fame. Dong Hu was his younger brother, and the two of them were the most famous of all the rogue cultivators!

Taiyang Zi and so many other familiar faces all had their own stories to tell.

Paragon Sea Dream had been a powerful cultivator in her previous life, but this time she chose the mortal world. She got married and had children, and was very happy….

Then there was Ksitigarbha. He also chose the mortal world, becoming an upright and plainspoken local magistrate, who brought justice to the common people!

Pill Demon was innately skilled in the Dao of alchemy, and that didn’t change because of reincarnation. He joined the largest alchemy sect in the starry sky, where he became the most illustrious of Chosen.

Fan Dong’er became the leader of a group of rebels in one of the mortal worlds. She led the people in revolt, overthrowing the tyrannical government. Although she was merely a mortal, she shone with a brilliance that inspired trust in anyone who laid eyes on her.

Fang Yu and Sun Hai were eternally connected as husband and wife, a connection that remained even in the cycle of reincarnation. Although they started out in sects very far away from each other, as fate would have it, they ended up meeting….

Meng Hao arranged for Ke Yunhai and Ke Jiusi to once again become father and son. Ke Yunhai was the same loving father, and Ke Jiusi was a filial son.

Meng Hao traveled through the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas to see everyone he remembered from the past.

Some of them lived in the mortal world, others chose cultivation. Regardless of their choices, they all received blessings from Meng Hao. They were doted upon by the starry sky itself, and were all happy.

Sounds of laughter and joy could be heard everywhere. All of the soul seeds which had entered the cycle of reincarnation found happiness. In turn, that happiness brought a smile to Meng Hao’s face.

It was a happiness that stayed with him constantly now that the curse had been broken.

He eventually found Chu Yuyan’s daughter, Perfect. After reincarnation, she once again chose the path of cultivation. She became the Heavenly Chosen Daughter of the most powerful organization within the starry sky. Meng Hao graced her with a fatherly love, and as such, she truly could be considered Chosen by the Heavens. After all, her father was the will of the starry sky.

The mastiff grew up with Perfect, her loyal, lifelong companion.

When Meng Hao saw the smile of happiness on Perfect’s face, his eyes shone with the warmth of love. He reached out and waved his hand, leaving a sealing mark on her soul. It was a mark that would forever connect the two of them as father and daughter. After Meng Hao left, it wouldn’t matter how far away he went, that connection would always remain.

The depths of the Universe might be a bustling, thriving place, but it would also contain untold dangers. Meng Hao was confident enough to take Xu Qing with him there, but he also hoped that the friends and relatives he left behind in his starry sky… would be protected.

This was his home, and these people were his family.

“They’re happy,” Xu Qing said softly, clasping his hand. He nodded, and the two of them made their way off into the distance.

**

On one particular land mass within the starry sky, the weather was very strange. According to the legends, many epochs in the past, this place had been a huge flower, divided into two worlds, one of ice, the other of fire. Eventually, a Heaven and Earth came to exist here, and yet, there were only two seasons. Half the year would be filled with snow and ice, and the other half would be scorchingly hot.

That sort of environment affected the personalities of the people who were born there, and most of them cultivated magic that had to do with ice and fire.

In the very center of that world was a mountain, half of which was freezing ice, the other half of which was covered with burning flames. However, the peak of the mountain was always as cool as spring.

A young man sat cross-legged on the mountain, smiling, a profound gleam in his eyes as he looked off into the distance. His name was Shui Dongliu. He had not been born with that name; he had given it to himself. He had simply told people that it was his true name…. Shui Dongliu.

He was a disciple of a small sect, and instead of practicing cultivation, he preferred to sit on this mountain and look off into the distance, as if he were waiting for something.

People had asked him what he was waiting for, and his answer was always the same: “I’m waiting for an old friend. He’ll be leaving soon, but he’ll come to say farewell before he does.”

The days passed, icy coldness swirling on one side of him, burning flames on the other. One day, a bright light flickered in his eyes, and he turned and smiled.

“It’s been a long, long time,” he said.

As the words left his mouth, Meng Hao and Xu Qing materialized in front of him. Smiling, Meng Hao clasped hands and bowed deeply.

That bow was one of thanks, thanks to Shui Dongliu for discerning how to break the curse. It was also a bow of deep respect.

Shui Dongliu started laughing, a loud, clear laughter, filled with happiness.

“Meeting with old friends is always one of the greatest happinesses in life,” he said. “I’ve already looked into your fortune, and I can tell you… that your trip into the Universe will lead to magnificent glory. As for this place, don’t worry, I’ll remain behind to watch over it.”

“Many thanks, Senior,” Meng Hao said. It was no surprise to him that Shui Dongliu had somehow recovered his memories. Shui Dongliu was a legendary figure. Whether it was his identity as Nine Seals, or that part of his soul which came from even further back in time, when it came to the Mountain and Sea Realm, and to this starry sky, he was as attached to it as Meng Hao was.

Xu Qing gave a curtseying bow to Shui Dongliu, for whom she also felt deep respect and veneration.

Shui Dongliu smiled and shook his head. He looked deeply at Meng Hao, then Xu Qing, and finally at the parrot.

Although he bore the semblance of a young man, when he spoke, his voice seemed completely ancient, filled with the power of Time.

“That parrot… comes from the same place as Allheaven. It has forgotten the past, sealed it away. Take it with you into the Universe. You have already reached the highest peak. And yet, long ago, someone told me that the Dao is boundless.” Shui Dongliu once again shook his head and smiled. Rising to his feet, he turned and walked away, away into the Heavens, into the void, far, far away….

A tremor ran through the parrot, and a blank look could be seen in its eyes, as if it had just recalled something, something vague and difficult to fully grasp. After a moment, though, it heard Meng Hao speaking.

“Don’t think about it now,” he said. “Later… I can help you search for those missing clues.”

Chapter 1613: A New Life For Father And Mother

(click here for soundtrack)

In one part of the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas was a planet that, if you examined it carefully, closely resembled the old Planet South Heaven from the Mountain and Sea Realm.

When Meng Hao and Xu Qing materialized on the planet, a slight tremor ran through Meng Hao. Considering the high level of his cultivation base, there were few things in the world that could shake him mentally. This planet was different though. This place was too important.

It was on this planet that his father and mother had been reincarnated.

They had been transformed into the Mountain and Sea Butterfly, and had borne the weight of all of the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm. They had slept for countless epochs, and then entered the cycle of reincarnation after the curse was broken. Their love for Meng Hao could not be topped.

It was the type of love that was completely selfless….

On one particular continent on that planet, there was a city through which a wide river flowed. Many people lived in the city, and because it was also located on a major highway in the country, it was a place where business flourished.

The city was a hubbub of voices, especially in one particular location in the southeast of the city, where a seven-story pagoda rose up above the rest of the buildings. The public square in front of the pagoda was packed with people, all of whom were boiling in excitement. Cheering and joyous laughter rose up into the air.

Young people were hurrying toward the square from all corners of the city, filled with anticipation and excitement.

“Did you hear? Grand Philanthropist Meng is marrying off one of his daughters today!”

“I heard that she’s a real beauty! Even the prince wanted to marry her! But the leader of the Meng Clan, Meng Bancheng, refused his offer.”

“Grand Philanthropist Meng is almost as rich as the entire empire itself! He can even go into the Forbidden Palace any time he wants. The only reason he still lives in this place is because he can’t bear to part with his ancestral home….”

“Come on, hurry up! Their plan for the betrothment ceremony sounds a bit silly, but it’s no joke! It’s all up to fate, not family background. Whoever catches the silk ball will become a son-in-law of the Meng Clan!”

Everyone was in a complete uproar. In fact, outside of the seven-story pagoda, there were plenty of princes, dukes, and famous scholars from the mortal kingdom, all of whom had staked out their spots and were waiting with nervous anticipation, staring up at the top of the pagoda.

The atmosphere had reached a fever pitch. On top of the seven-story pagoda was a young woman with a gauze veil covering her face, making it impossible to see her facial features clearly. However, even from a distance, it was possible to tell that she was spectacularly beautiful.

She had eyes like deep pools of water, but as she looked down at the crowd below, her gaze gradually went blank. She wasn’t sure why she felt the way she did, but she was sure that somewhere down below, someone very important was waiting for her. For some reason, she felt like it was her husband from a previous life.

In that previous life, the two of them had been a butterfly, and after flying into the cycle of reincarnation, they had been waiting for each other.

It was at this point that a voice drifted out from inside the pagoda. It was none other than Meng Bancheng.

“My daughter’s groom will not be selected by family background or status, but by fate.

“The silk ball will be thrown out, and whoever catches it will become her husband.” Meng Bancheng’s voice was laced with age, and his words seemed to be spoken a bit begrudgingly. This betrothment method did seem a bit silly to him, and he had originally he had refused the idea. However, his daughter had stubbornly insisted.

As soon as his words echoed out through the air, a wave of excitement rippled through the audience down below.

Not too far away from the crowd, a scholar was passing by who happened to be berating his apprentice for laziness. Their original plan had been to leave the city, but because of the apprentice, they missed the departing horsecart, and were now forced to find lodging for the night.

At first, the scholar didn’t even notice the commotion of the betrothment, but then a sudden gust of wind blew past him, and his eyes glazed over slightly. He looked up, and the first thing he saw was the young woman on the pagoda, wreathed in sunlight, staring down at him. Their gazes met.

It was a gaze that could endure anything….

That seemed to spring from a past life….

That could stir the soul….

That seemed to come from a past incarnation….

The scholar saw a vague image of something like a tall tower. He was standing there, and that young woman was next to him.

He saw a vague image of himself and the young woman becoming a butterfly that fluttered through the starry sky.

He saw a vague image of the two of them growing old, smiling together, always there for each other, no matter how many lives passed….

He saw a vague image of the two of them embracing each other as they entered the cycle of reincarnation.

All of the hubbub and excitement faded into calm silence, as though the scholar was suddenly not a part of the world any more. Nothing else existed except for that young woman, whose face seemed to be imprinted deep in his heart.

The scholar shivered.

He wasn’t the only one. The young woman on top of the pagoda trembled the instant her gaze met the scholar’s. Then, her eyes began to shine with unprecedented brightness.

There was a voice inside of her telling her that the reason she had demanded this type of betrothment, the reason for all the choices she had ever made in her life, was because she was waiting for someone, and that that person was… this scholar!

She smiled, and threw out the silk ball with all the strength she could muster.

The beautiful, multi-colored silk ball became a crescent streak of light that soared through the air….

Meng Hao and Xu Qing were standing there in the crowd, observing. A smile could be seen on Meng Hao’s face, and his heart was calm. The young woman, of course, was his mother, and the scholar was his father.

The scene playing out in front of him filled his heart with gladness. But then, even as the silk ball began to descend, he noticed a cultivator in the crowd who wore a cold smile on his face as he manipulated the ball to head in his direction.

Of course, that cultivator had no way of knowing who he was actually offending….

Meng Hao’s expression turned grim. For a cultivator to do something like this was far worse than wanton killing and slaughtering, as far as Meng Hao was concerned. He waved his finger, and the silk ball continued to fly toward the scholar. A moment later, it landed in his arms.

The scholar stared in shock, grabbing onto the ball and then looking back up at the woman on the pagoda. A shy smile could be seen on her face as she ducked her head down and hurried back into the pagoda.

At the same time, servants poured out from the Meng Clan and clustered around the young scholar, bowing respectfully. Under the annoyed and jealous glares of the crowd, the scholar was hurried into the pagoda. He would soon be a son-in-law of the Meng Clan, husband to one of the clan’s daughters.

Meng Hao’s expression softened even more. A few days later, the scholar and the young woman were married. The wedding feast was a grand celebration that filled the entire city with joy.

Meng Hao and Xu Qing both attended.

It was a strange feeling to attend the wedding celebration of one’s own parents, but it was a happy thing. He and Xu Qing even prepared a gift, which was a wall scroll.

It read, “Eternal happiness through all lives….”

Chapter 1614: A Ship Approaches From The Horizon!

(click here for soundtrack)

A few days later, Meng Hao and Xu Qing left, having left his parents with his eternal blessings.

As for the cultivator who had tried to interfere with the silk ball, it goes without saying that he met a bad end. He had offended Meng Hao, the lord of the starry sky, and had done so in a way that was no better than slaughtering a sect or even wiping out a world. To Meng Hao, it was actually worse than any of those things.

The cultivator vanished without a trace. He was completely wiped out, along with the memories of him which existed in the minds of people who had known him. It was as if he had never even existed within the starry sky to begin with.

Considering Meng Hao’s status and position, he normally wouldn’t do such a thing. However, that insignificant cultivator… had encroached upon the most precious place in Meng Hao’s heart.

The cultivator was destroyed in body and soul, never even aware of the monumental disaster he had brought upon himself.

There was one last thing Meng Hao did before leaving. He took Xu Qing down the river to a fishing village.

There, they caught sight of a fisherman, a burly fellow who was in the middle of tossing out a fishing net. The river was teeming with fish, so the man was shocked when he pulled the net in to find only a gourd inside.

He looked curiously at the gourd, wondering why it would be lying at the bottom of the river. It seemed almost like it was brand new, but the top was stoppered up, turning it into a storage container.

The fisherman stood there, curiously examining the gourd, and was just about to open it when he noticed Meng Hao and Xu Qing.

“You’re Mr. Zhou from the Zhou Clan, right?” Meng Hao asked, eyes glittering as though he was very happy to be talking to this man. He smiled. “Would you mind selling me that bottle gourd?”

The burly man stared back in shock for a moment, apparently surprised that this person even knew his surname. He looked at the bottle gourd and grinned. “It’s just a bottle gourd. It’s hardly worth anything. If you want it, big bro, you can have it.” With that, he handed the bottle gourd over to Meng Hao.

Meng Hao took it, but shook his head, and his eyes sparkled. Xu Qing stood off to the side, watching in surprise. It almost seemed as if this burly fisherman were an old friend of Meng Hao’s. However, she always felt a sense of familiarity toward Meng Hao’s old friends, and this man seemed like a complete stranger.

“I insist on buying it,” Meng Hao said. “How about this: I’ll give you ten pieces of silver for it. Okay?” With that he extended his hand, within which were ten pieces of silver.

The burly fisherman’s eyes went wide. Apparently, he thought this young man was a complete imbecile. He took a deep breath and then accepted the silver, looking a bit embarrassed. Then he scratched his head and said, “Uh, this….”

“Don’t mention it, Mr. Zhou.” With that, Meng Hao took out three more pieces of silver and put them into the fisherman’s hand. “Here are three more silver pieces. Take them. All of this is to pay for a debt I owed to the Zhou Clan years ago.”

This time, the fisherman’s jaw dropped.

Meng Hao wasn’t finished. “Here are some medicinal pills. Boil them in water and drink the resulting elixir. It will bring blessings to the Zhou Clan for all generations to come in this starry sky. I wish you health and good fortune, sir. This… is the interest for a debt of three silvers, incurred countless epochs ago.” After Meng Hao gave the silver and the medicinal pills to the burly fisherman, it seemed as if a great weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Apparently, even his cultivation base had inched closer toward a breakthrough.

It was as if a Karma Thread stretching back countless ages into the past had finally been satisfied.

Meng Hao laughed heartily, then clasped the bottle gourd in one hand and Xu Qing’s hand in the other as he took a step forward. That step took him out into the Heavens, into the vast starry sky.

Out there among the stars, Xu Qing looked quizzically at Meng Hao and asked, “Who was he?”

“Back when you pulled me into the world of cultivation, I was a scholar,” he said, chuckling. “I owed Steward Zhou from Yunjie County three pieces of silver…. After all the epochs which have passed, I’ve finally managed to pay back the debt, principal and interest!”

Xu Qing’s eyes went wide with disbelief for a moment, then she started laughing. Eventually her eyes came to rest on the bottle gourd.

“I threw this same bottle gourd off Mount Daqing, all those years ago. I guess we’ve come in a big circle. Now that I have it back, I might as well write down a new ambition, and toss it out into the Universe.” Meng Hao’s eyes shone brightly with anticipation as he gazed out into the far reaches. His expression was actually a bit bashful, and when Xu Qing noticed that, she couldn’t hold back from laughing out loud. She could only imagine the scene… of Meng Hao traveling the depths of the Universe… bashfully handing out promissory notes.

There was now nothing holding him back. He had resolved all pertinent matters, and now, his old personality was finally showing through.

“It’s about time to go,” he said. “Somewhere out in the Universe are the Ghost, the God, and the Devil. They’ve been waiting out there for ages now…. I wonder if I can get any of them to write me a promissory note.” Heart bursting with ambition, face filled with pious ardor, he took another step forward. Xu Qing was laughing so hard her sides hurt, and the parrot was squawking up a storm to the babbling meat jelly. They vanished, and when they reappeared, they were no longer in the starry sky of the Mountains and Seas, they were out in the boundless Universe.

In the majestic Universe, there were unending possibilities. There were infinite mysteries, and countless worlds, like seeds, filled with limitless life.

Up ahead, a ship appeared, which also happened to be heading toward the deeper parts of the Universe. The deck of the ship was covered, making it impossible to see inside. It was an old, dilapidated ship, and yet somehow, it radiated boundless power.

An old man sat cross-legged at the prow, and at the stern was a young man in a black robe, with an icy cold expression and a murderous aura swirling around him.

The man at the prow was Old Man Extermination!

The youth at the stern was Slaughter!

When Meng Hao saw them, he smiled. “Fellow Daoists, would you mind if my wife and I join you on your travels?” He took another step forward, and he was on the ship.

Slaughter opened his eyes, looked over, and nodded. Then his eyes closed again. However, the faintest of smiles could be seen on his face.

Old Man Extermination opened his eyes, and they shone with a strange light. He looked at Meng Hao for a long moment, then smiled.

Turning his head, he called out, “Apprentice, we have some new guests on board. Please bring out two cups of wine.”

A female voice could just barely be heard inside the cabin, acknowledging the words spoken by Extermination. Then the screen hanging at the cabin door was pushed aside, and a beautiful young woman appeared, upon whose face was a faint, enigmatic smile.

She looked at Meng Hao, and then at Xu Qing, and her eyes began to shine. At the same time, her cheeks seemed to flush with embarrassment.

“Elder Brother Fang Mu, Big Sister Xu Qing, I’m not here to cause trouble,” she said. “This is my Master’s ship, and… my Master wanted me here.” She smiled.

Meng Hao’s eyes went wide.

Xu Qing looked at her, then covered her mouth and laughed. Stepping forward, she clasped the young woman’s hands in her own.

If that beautiful young woman wasn’t Chu Yuyan, then who could she be?

The End of I Shall Seal the Heavens

Note from Deathblade: Have we really reached the end? The answer is: yes and no. This is the official end, but Er Gen wrote three “other tales” which I will be posting shortly. That’s right, there is a bit more to the story, and in fact, at least one of these “other tales” has some bombshell information in it (assuming these “legendary” tales are true)! Stay tuned. P.S. The “other tales” do not count as part of the contest!

Other Tales 1: Foster Father Ke

A soft wind blew through the sky as the setting sun tinged the clouds with red light. The glow of evening turned the lands saffron, and wheatfields rippled with orange waves.

Everything was very beautiful.

The wheat stalks drifted in the wind, creating a splendorous scene that would fill anyone with wonder. It was like a celestial paradise.

The land here was fertile, the type that made it easy to harvest crops. As a result, the people who farmed it were rich. It was inhabited by mortals, the population was widely spread out through the lands. Everyone lived in their own manors, and cared for their own families.

In the highlands was one particular manor inhabited by a father and son. The son was very filial, and despite the wealth their family had accumulated, he did not act like a silkpants. The respect and love he showed his father could not be matched.

The father wasn’t very old, only about forty, but he was already spectacularly rich. Every day at dawn, he loved to go out into the courtyard and look up at the sky, or out at the fields of wheat. In the evenings, he would go out again to look at the warm, evening sky.

He was happy. The lush fields meant that his family had plenty to eat. Yet, what made him most happy was his son.

All of their neighbors knew how filial his son was; it was the type of attitude that seemed to seep out from his bones, something that was a part of his very soul. It was as if regardless of the time or place, his love for his father would be unsurpassable.

That man was Ke Yunhai, and his son was Ke Jiusi!

Because of Ke Jiusi’s deep desire, Meng Hao had ensured that he was reunited with his father after they were reincarnated.

They couldn’t remember much of their past life, but in this life, both Ke Yunhai and Ke Jiusi were very happy.

They were mortals now. When Ke Jiusi got married, a huge banquet was thrown, and all the friends and family were invited. It lasted for several days, and filled the manor with bustle and excitement.

Time passed by for them. Day after day. Year after year.

Ke Jiusi grew older, and soon a new generation appeared in the family. Ke Yunhai grew older. No matter how much time passed, the manor was always a warm and loving place. Ke Jiusi always loved to go outside and look at the sky. He never changed that habit.

“Grandpa, what are you looking at?” His grandson would often ask this question, and Ke Yunhai would never answer. He would always just smile and shake his head. Ke Jiusi would tousle his son’s hair, but deep in his eyes, it was obvious that he knew the answer to the question.

Twenty years went by, and the grandson was now a young man. Ke Yunhai was even older, but his eyes were as clear as ever. In fact, they were clearer than before, as if he were now able to see back into his previous life.

One day, when his grandson asked him that same old question, he sighed.

“I’m waiting for your uncle.”

“My uncle?” replied the grown grandson, looking a bit shocked.

“I’ve always had the feeling that your father has a younger brother. He left a long time ago, and still hasn’t returned.” Ke Yunhai seemed to be thinking about the past, but deep in his eyes, a bright glow could be seen.

His grandson didn’t understand, but Ke Jiusi did. His eyes were glowing in the same way. It was the glow of… deep focus.

**

Many people who lived in this world were old friends and family of Meng Hao who had been reborn in the cycle of reincarnation.

Before leaving with Xu Qing, Meng Hao came to check in on all those people, visiting one planet after another, gazing once again upon all the familiar faces….

Wrapped up in his thoughts, he eventually brought Xu Qing to one particular land mass which floated out in the starry sky.

“You have old friends here?” she asked softly, looking out at the land mass.

He smiled and looked at the land mass for a moment. Eyes flickering with memories, he said, “There is someone here who I look up to. Someone I will never be able to forget. I need to go see him before we leave.”

It was winter. The sun was setting, illuminating the lands with redness. A gentle breeze blew as Meng Hao and Xu Qing appeared in the courtyard of a certain manor.

Apparently, the reincarnated Ke Yunhai couldn’t see Meng Hao. He stood there, looking up into the sky, accompanied by Ke Jiusi and his grandson.

Meng Hao looked at them, then walked forward and dropped down to kowtow to Ke Yunhai.

Although they couldn’t see him, he kowtowed nonetheless, touching his head to the ground. Memories flashed through his mind. He remembered how his Foster Father had cared for him in the Ancient Demon Immortal Sect. He remembered feeling fatherly love for the first time. Those same feelings filled his heart now.

He would never forget how his Foster Father Ke had cared for him. Back then, he had assumed Ke Yunhai thought he was Ke Jiusi, even though that wasn’t true.

He would never forget how his Foster Father Ke had been willing to pay any price for him. His hair had slowly turned white, and eventually he passed away. It was only in that final moment that Meng Hao realized Ke Yunhai had known all along that he wasn’t Ke Jiusi.

He would never forget what happened when he was sucked into the illusion outside the Vast Expanse. His Foster Father Ke had killed himself, all to help Meng Hao awaken from his stupor.

As Meng Hao kowtowed, these thoughts filled his mind.

Xu Qing stood off to the side, and when she saw what was happening, she understood. Walking forward, she also knelt to kowtow, as a daughter-in-law should.

“Foster Father,” Meng Hao said, “I just came to see you one last time….”

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Ke Yunhai suddenly looked down. The glow in his eyes intensified, and he smiled.

Ke Jiusi had a similar reaction, and a wide smile appeared on his face.

Ke Yunhai’s grandson, the young man who was Ke Jiusi’s son, seemed confused by the smiles on the faces of his father and grandfather.

“I can feel it,” Ke Yunhai said, smiling. “Your uncle is here….”

Other Tales 2: Chu Yuyan

It’s spring, and everything is dark. Perhaps that’s not because it’s nighttime, but because my heart is filled with darkness.

I choose to remain in the dark. I don’t want to open my eyes. I don’t want to feel the world around me. I want to live in my own world. I don’t want to awaken….

I can still remember the first time I saw him in the Reliance Sect oh so long ago, but I don’t want to remember that! I don’t want to think about it.

Spring is when things are supposed to come back to life. But now, spring is gone. It’s getting hot. I can hear people talking, including my Master, the incarnation of a medicinal pill…. He sighs as he spends the summer watching over me.

I don’t want to think about everything that happened in the Violet Fate Sect. Why can’t I forget it? Why? Why…?

It’s cold now. Not the iciness of winter, but the crispness of autumn. It’s raining. The world I live in is dark, without even a scrap of light. I should be able to forget everything. I can almost forget the Reliance Sect, the roc, the Violet Fate Sect. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t forget what happened in the Windswept Realm.

Why is it so hard to forget…?

Everything is freezing now. I can tell that it’s snowing outside. After the snowflakes land on the ground, they’re like me, cold and unmoving. But the snowflakes eventually find their way home. Unlike them, I don’t know where to go from here.

Years pass. I’ve lost track. Even if I manage to forget the Windswept Realm, I won’t be able to forget what happened on Planet Vast Expanse. I can’t forget the Ninth Sect, and my Master there.

Time is passing by. I feel like I’m lost in the darkness. But then I hear a voice speaking next to me. It seems as if someone is looking at me. I can’t see that person, but I can sense the melancholy in that gaze.

I want to forget everything, but the image of Little Treasure mixes with his face, and I can’t forget him. I can’t forget Perfect….

I want to cry, but I won’t open my eyes. I feel the tears seeping down the sides of my face.

Days pass. Years. Times change, and I’m not even sure how long it’s been. Maybe a thousand years. Maybe ten thousand. Maybe even untold tens of thousands…. The voices slowly fade away until everything is quiet.

I am the only person left. I’m lonely. A part of the night. Enveloped in darkness.

Time passes. Eventually I reach the point when I think I might have forgotten everything. But then I hear someone talking, a hoarse voice speaking in my ear.

“Foolish girl, do you really think you can forget it all?”

That voice pierces into my soul, causing it to tremble. All of the memories I pretended to have forgotten suddenly erupt. It turns out I haven’t forgotten about them at all.

In fact, I remember everything even more clearly now, as if they have been engraved upon my soul.

I am Chu Yuyan!

**

“I… I can’t forget,” she said softly. As she opened her eyes, tears streamed down her cheeks. The world was no longer dark. An old man was standing in front of her. His face was covered with wrinkles, and she didn’t recognize him. However, there was something about him that seemed familiar, as if she had known him in a previous life. It was almost as if she had been destined to eventually meet him.

“Then stop trying to forget,” the old man said, his voice so decisive it could sever nails and chop iron. “I’m called Extermination. I achieved my Dao countless epochs in the past. Ever since then, I’ve spent my life looking for answers. I still haven’t found them, so I’m going to continue my search in the depths of the Universe.

“Are you willing to become my apprentice, foolish girl?

“If you are, I can take you with me into the depths of the Universe.

“It’s possible… that you might meet that certain person along the way….”

Chu Yuyan closed her eyes and lay there for a long moment. Then she opened her eyes and climbed out of the coffin.

“Greetings, Master,” she said, kneeling before him.

Extermination looked at her with warmth in his eyes.

Years ago, when he had been pursuing his own Dao, he had eventually succeeded. However, the only thing which remained was his Dao. Along the way, he had given up everything, sacrificed everything. Although he remained focused, he could never forget his destroyed homeland, his old friends and family, and everything he had lost.

During the age of Meng Hao, he had observed the lives of many people, and the only one who made an impression on him was this girl, who reminded him of a certain someone from the past.

After seeing everything that had occurred between Chu Yuyan and Meng Hao, he finally decided to come here to help her.

A long moment passed. Extermination smiled, and then waved his sleeve. A dilapidated old ship appeared up in the sky. He took a step forward, and was on the ship. Chu Yuyan looked around at the world for a moment, and then followed him.

Also on the ship was a cold-faced young man in a black robe, sitting there cross-legged. He looked over at Chu Yuyan and nodded, then closed his eyes and went back to meditating.

“Let’s go,” said Extermination. “To the depths of the Universe.”

The ship began to move forward, making not the slightest sound. It pierced through the void into the Universe, bathing in the light of the countless seed-worlds that existed there.

Chu Yuyan sat there on the ship, and after a long moment, she thought back to what her new Master had just told her, that she might encounter that very person she had been trying to forget.

“If I ever see him… what should be the first thing I say?” she thought, suddenly nervous.

Time passed differently on the ship.

One month there was like an epoch out where Meng Hao existed.

It was impossible to say exactly how much time passed. One day, Chu Yuyan suddenly heard someone talking outside the ship.

“Fellow Daoists, would you mind if my wife and I join you on your travels?”

As soon as she heard that voice, she shivered, and started to get more nervous.

“Apprentice, we have some new guests on board. Please bring out two cups of wine.”

She took a deep breath. Trying to remain calm, she bit her lip and parted the curtain. When she stepped out, she saw the shocked Meng Hao, and Xu Qing standing next to him.

“Elder Brother Fang Mu, Big Sister Xu Qing, I’m not here to cause trouble,” she said. “This is my Master’s ship, and… my Master wanted me here.”

Because she was beautiful, her smile was radiant.

Because she was nervous, it was also a bit stiff. In fact, that was why… it seemed like such an enigmatic smile.

Other Tales 3: The Parrot And The Meat Jelly

The Universe was both pitch black, and also filled with scintillating light.

It was a bit of a contradiction. The dazzling light came from the innumerable worlds that existed, scattered about like seeds. They were like countless glowing pearls, sending their light shining out in all directions.

The darkness came from the fact that the Universe was immensely large. In fact, the distance that existed between even two of those seed-worlds was almost impossible to describe. Within that space, there was no bright light, only deathly stillness and pitch black.

The passage of time wasn’t very obvious in the Universe. Perhaps that was because the power of the Universe was something difficult for even those in the Ancestor Realm to comprehend.

Time passed. One day, a bright beam of light appeared, moving along through the Universe at shocking speed.

Closer examination would reveal that the beam of light contained a person. He was a middle-aged man whose soul appeared to be very weak.

He wore a green robe, and his face was ashen. Apparently, he was being chased. Although his expression was grim, there was something crafty flickering deep within his eyes.

As the man sped along, a second beam of light appeared within the darkness. A woman could be seen, her face also a bit ashen as she flew along at top speed. Apparently, both of them were being chased by something.

These two people knew each other, although they obviously didn’t have a very good relationship, and were even enemies. As they fled, they occasionally attacked each other in an attempt to slow the other down. The man frequently managed to get the upper hand, and yet could never do anything to permanently reduce the woman’s speed.

As they pierced through the silence of the Universe, a third beam of light appeared behind them, a radiant and majestic light, within which was…

A parrot!

Its feathers were glistening and colorful, and it sped along like a shooting star, majestic and beautiful. It seemed like some sort of consummate Battle Weapon as it pursued the man and the woman.

Suddenly, the parrot unleashed a burst of speed that rapidly closed the distance between itself and the man and woman. In the blink of an eye, he slammed into them, causing blood to spray out of the woman’s mouth. At the same time, blood oozed down the man’s chin.

“Daoist Fifth, don’t push things too far! That emperor of yours won’t necessarily be able to defeat my true form. I’m the Immortal! The Immortal of the Universe!” Although the man seemed to be raving hysterically, a clever flicker existed deep within his eyes, almost completely imperceptible.

The woman’s face was now thoroughly ashen. Gritting her teeth, she shot off at top speed.

The pursuit continued until one of the seed-worlds appeared up ahead. It was like many of the countless worlds that existed in the Universe, except that this one had not yet become fully ripe. The will of its starry sky was still growing, and the living beings there had not yet become civilized.

As the group closed in, the parrot’s voice rang out, cold and detached. “My master is definitely going to slaughter your true self! And I was given a mission by my lord to kill you, clone! You are your true self’s attempt to give himself a chance to rise again! And I am definitely going to succeed, just like my master! And then there’s you, Ancient-Immortal spirit! The two of you will never escape me!”

The parrot’s expression was icy, and the words it spoke were even colder. As they echoed out into the Universe, they seemed to cause everything to freeze over.

Suddenly, a spell formation appeared around the parrot, spreading out in all directions, covering over even the man and the woman. Before either of them could react, colorful light sprang up, transforming into countless magical symbols. Mysterious chanting sounds could be heard as the spell formation began to spin. A murderous aura rose up as the magical symbols began to explode, transforming into destructive attack power that bore down on the man and the woman.

In that critical moment of crisis, the man roared, unleashing a divine ability that caused his body to expand rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he was a giant, with an enormous battle-axe in his hand. Without a moment’s pause, he swung the battle-axe at the magical symbols, unleashing all of the power he could muster, power that could topple mountains and drain seas.

Massive booms rang out, and the enormous giant coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body was already on the verge of collapsing. A vicious expression on his face, he howled, “Daoist Fifth! You’re pushing things too far!!”

Even as the words left his mouth, ten drops of golden blood emerged from his battered body. The blood drops immediately merged together, becoming a gigantic, blood-colored hand.

The hand radiated a terrifying aura, something that caused the parrot’s eyes to widen. It immediately recognized that aura. Those ten drops of golden blood were the very reason why the parrot’s lord was attempting to slaughter Allheaven’s true self! It was… Universe Blood!

Suddenly, Allheaven’s eyes glittered with bright light, and he began to laugh uproariously.

“Ancient-Immortal spirit, it’s time to execute our plan. After that, you’ll be free!”

The woman only hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth decisively. Instantly, countless scales spread out over her skin. Her legs merged together, and a moment later, she had the body of a snake. She spun in place, and instead of fleeing, shoved her hands out violently. Her body withered rapidly as she drew upon her life force to unleash some sort of Daoist magic.

As soon as the magic was unleashed, a powerful aura exploded out.

It was a strange aura, ancient and filled with the sensation of countless years. That power instantly shot toward the parrot and the spell formation.

In the blink of an eye, the spell formation began to wither up, and the parrot lurched to a halt, a cold light gleaming in its eyes.

Then its energy began to rise up as it prepared to break through by force. The middle-aged man’s hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, causing the hand formed from the ten drops of blood to grow larger and larger. Soon, it was a huge sea of blood that rocketed toward the parrot.

The woman was now severely weakened from using her Time aura, and began to back up.

“Daoist Fifth, did you really think that the Immortal would be unprepared? How naive are you? You chasing me here was all part of my true self’s plan! Wiping you out would be like cutting the arm off of that emperor of yours!” Allheaven threw his head back and laughed uproariously. Apparently, all of his weakness from before had been a sham, a trick to get the parrot to follow him to a remote part of the Universe, and then join forces with the woman to kill it.

As the sea of blood reached its pinnacle, and was bursting with power, it transformed into a sealing mark that spread out over the parrot. Not a bit of panic could be seen in the parrot’s eyes, however, only icy calm.

“You tricked me into coming here, but you don’t know the price I’m willing to pay to help my master slaughter your true self! Have I fallen into your scheme, or have you fallen into mine?!” The parrot sighed, as if it didn’t wish to part with the world. But then, its eyes flashed with determination. As the sea of blood closed in, the parrot suddenly began to emanate terrifying fluctuations. They were the fluctuations… of self-detonation!

Shockingly, it was choosing to self-detonate in order to kill its opponents.

Perhaps an ordinary self-detonation wouldn’t do anything to the terrifying aura it was facing, but the parrot had clearly prepared ahead of time. It was using some domineering technique to augment the power of its self-detonation to surpass the force it could ordinarily unleash.

Allheaven’s eyes widened, but then he let out a cold laugh.

“So, you’re willing to go that far. Unfortunately for you, my true self has made even more preparations.” As he spoke, his hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, causing the fleeing woman to suddenly stop in place. Suddenly, something sealed inside of her was released, and her blood began to boil. Moments later, the fluctuations of self-detonation began to rise up within her.

Shockingly, Allheaven was forcing her to self-detonate in order to give himself a chance to escape.

The woman looked over at him furiously. This was not part of their agreement, and the fact that he was willing to sacrifice her at this critical moment left her eyes bloodshot. However, a cold smile then twisted her lips.

Even as the two powers of self-detonation rose up, the parrot’s voice rang out as cold as ever.

“What are you waiting for, Ancient-Immortal spirit? I told you this was going to happen! Do something! Don’t hold back! If you want freedom, you have to fight for it!”

The parrots words caused Allheaven’s face to flicker.

Smiling coldly, the woman took a deep breath. Back when Allheaven made his original deal with her, the parrot had secretly contacted her and had told her that things would end up this way. Now, it was without hesitation that she began to laugh.

“You were right. You can only have freedom if you fight for it. I can give up my position as Ancient-Immortal to gain eternal freedom!”

Allheaven’s face fell, and he was about to say something, but didn’t have the time. Even as the words left the woman’s mouth, she suddenly fell apart.

It was not a self-detonation, it was a complete and utter collapse. Flesh and blood poured out from her withered frame, spreading out, staining the starry sky bright red.

“Nirvanic Rebirth Curse! Life leads to death, death leads to life. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Send the will into oblivion. Destroy the mind. Everything that exists… shall now begin again!

“Henceforth, there is no Ancient Immortal….” As the woman’s voice rang out, the starry sky began to shake. Then, a huge explosion occurred.

Intense pressure erupted out that crushed the parrot into dust. At the same time, it also crushed the sea of blood and caused Allheaven to let out a miserable scream. He tried to escape, but was unable, and was instantly crushed by the pressure. The woman’s body exploded, and yet, she did not die. Her soul did not disperse.

The final magic she had unleashed was something that could start a new epoch. Everything was crushed, but then, from within that destruction, everything was formed again.

The seed-world that had existed near their battle was affected by the waves of power. The will of its starry sky trembled, and then was mostly wiped away. At the same time, a gaping hole was opened leading into the world.

In the moment that the hole opened, the ash, qi, and blood of the man, the woman, and the parrot, were all sucked in. In the blink of an eye, they were absorbed into the seed-world.

Many years later within the starry sky of the seed-world, a new life form came to exist among the other lives that teemed therein. It was the soul of a parrot, who looked around at the boundless world, a blank look in its eyes.

Another soul appeared, which gradually came to supercede the will of the starry sky. It forgot about its past, and acted only on instinct. It was the will of Allheaven.

Among the countless other living beings in that world, a woman appeared in the cycle of reincarnation. She wasn’t aware of her previous life, and was actually reborn over and over again, experiencing countless lives and innumerable epochs.

Later, the parrot met someone who transformed it into a magical device, a copper mirror.

One day, the woman met a person in one of the countless tinier worlds which populated the larger world she existed in. It was called the Paragon Immortal Realm.

The person she met was one of the inhabitants of that smaller world, who had come to be called… the Lightning Emperor.

The Lightning Emperor fell in love with that woman, and she became the love of his life. His wife. Later, the Lower Realms of the Paragon Immortal Realm rebelled, egged on by the influence of Allheaven. The Lightning Emperor fought for his home, and fought for the woman he loved. In the end, he died in battle.

When he died, countless lightning bolts spread out from his body, shaking the entire area.

After he was no more, the woman sat with his corpse, wracked with grief, weeping. In that moment, the memories inside of her which had been sealed away were unlocked. She looked down at the Lightning Emperor, and her tears fell onto his armor. Eventually, the tears vanished, and apparently, they took with them her feelings for the Lightning Emperor. Her eyes were now cold and blank.

“We aren’t even from the same world,” she murmured. “This is just a temporary stop on my journey through life. Now, I have awakened, and the time has come for me to depart. I… am free.” With that, she left the world, returning to her travels through the Universe.

She had no desire to ever again meet the will of Allheaven, or the parrot.

After she was gone, the corpse of the Lightning Emperor continued to float in the starry sky of the Paragon Immortal Realm. Gradually, it withered up. The armor on the corpse melted, and eventually, the corpse became translucent. All of that happened because of the tears of that woman in the moment that she awoke, tears which contained the power to fuse past and present lives.

Because of the tears, the armor became fused with his soul, with the soul of the Lightning Emperor, who should have died.

Eventually, the corpse decomposed, fully fusing with the armor. Many years later, it awoke. At that time, it knew that it was essentially undying. It also knew that it should never become armor again, and should not risk its life to protect someone.

If it did so, it could lose that undying nature.

Other than that, its memories were a blank. It began to wander the Mountain and Sea Realm, and gradually came to realize that it loved to chatter, and that it loved to civilize bullies. Eventually, it also discovered that it couldn’t count….

One day it ran into a parrot which had just flown out of a copper mirror….

“Hey there, mister armored-looking fellow. Come, come, allow Lord Fifth to have a look at you. Why don’t you have any fur or feathers?”

“Screw the hell off, you bully! I’m gonna convert you!”

Note from Deathblade: And that’s a wrap. It’s been a wild ride, Fellow Daoists, it’s hard to believe it’s all over. I will be posting some closing thoughts shortly….

Dear Fellow Daoists,

I thought long and hard about what to say when we finally reached the end of I Shall Seal the Heavens. I think the obvious place to start is with you, the readers. Without you, none of this would have been possible. Although I didn’t create this story, it has been a huge honor to be able to translate it into English so that so many people outside China could enjoy it. I have to especially thank those of you who took the time to express your own thanks within the comments section of the chapters, and those of you who shared speculations, theories, and even criticisms. For me, seeing all those comments was a big motivating factor to keep cranking out the chapters. Of course, there are also many, many, many of you who supported me via the sponsored chapter system and also Patreon. That extra support proved invaluable, and was the main factor which played into my decision to start translating full time.

There are so many other people to thank it’s hard to start a list. At the very top would be Madam Deathblade, and of course RWX. I also had a great team who helped out in terms of editing, proofreading, translation checking, memes, etc., all of whom have been credited in the various chapter release posts over the years. Of course, there are silent heroes too. For one, the many fellow Wuxiaworld translators and staff members who have provided invaluable assistance, camaraderie, and support over the past two years. In addition, a sizeable group of readers consistently communicated with me via email or private message to report typos or mistakes that made it into the live chapters. There are also many readers who took the time to report mistakes in the thread in the Wuxiaworld forum. To them, I offer profound thanks. For those of you who plan to re-read the story on Wuxiaworld before the fully edited version is available in ebook format, please feel free to report any mistakes or inconsistencies you see.

For me, translating ISSTH has been a life-changing experience. Back when I started, a little over two years ago, Madam Deathblade and I had a relatively slow-paced life. I was teaching full time at a school, managing a staff of about 15-20 other teachers, and translating about 5 chapters per week in my spare time. Then, one thing led to another. I increased the number of chapters to 7 and then 10 and then 12, and at almost the same time, Baby Deathblade came along. It didn’t take long before we were taking care of a new baby, while at the same time, I was still working full time at my other job, and also translating about 14 chapters per week. Now that I look back, I find it hard to believe that I managed to do all of those things at the same time and not collapse from exhaustion. Gradually, I handed over my responsibilities at my old job and focused full time on translating.

People often ask how long it takes to translate a chapter. For me, the answer is a bit complicated. When you add in the time it takes to read the chapter ahead of time, do the actual translating, review proofreading changes, do a final edit, then actually upload and release the chapter, it could be anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours or more per chapter. In terms of raising and caring for Baby Deathblade, we don’t have any family in the city to help, so for the most part, Madam Deathblade and I do it all. With that in the equation, I can honestly say that I’ve worked harder in the past two years than ever before in my life. I’ve been completely immersed within the world of ISSTH, and within the process of translating; it’s hard to believe it’s finally over.

Every translator has their own theory, or maybe you could even say their own Dao of translation. When I had a chance to sit down and talk in person with the author, Er Gen, I was pleasantly surprised to find that his ideas about what is important in translation coincided perfectly with my own. To him, the feeling is what counts. He wants English readers to experience the same feelings that the Chinese readers do, whether it’s the humor, the profundity, or the “feels” that everyone talks about. The nuances of language are a tricky thing, and it can be easy for a translator to focus on speed and accuracy to the detriment of the emotions that can be evoked by the writing itself. I’ve worked hard throughout the translation to provide you readers with an experience as close as possible to that of someone reading it in Chinese, and I hope that effort has shone through.

As far as my thoughts about the story, how it ended, and such things, I’ll save that for another occasion. By the way, I wrote my own “Other Tale” regarding the fates of some of the other minor characters; maybe I’ll share that later on.

After two intense years of translating, and seven straight years of life in China, the time has finally come for me to make a trip back to the United States. When I return from vacation, I’ll be focusing on A Will Eternal as my translation project. That story is bound to be a fun and enjoyable ride. While I’m on break, I’ll still be working a bit. I’ll be reading ahead in the story of AWE, which will be of immense help once I focus on translating it full time. Another thing I will be working on is my original comic book Cultivation Blues.

Don’t forget that you can follow me on Twitter, and BDB on Instagram. I’ll be at San Diego Comic-Con in a few weeks, if you’re interested in coming to a meetup, please let me know here. If enough people are in town around that time, I’ll try to coordinate something.

Contest winners will be posted in an announcement sometime in the next few days.

As of this moment, I’ve been up for almost 30 hours straight, so in a few minutes I will crash. I’ll try to respond to comments in this thread when I wake up, but the first leg of our trip to the U.S. starts tomorrow, and I’m already way behind on sleep.

I did my face reveal a few weeks back on the video with RWX and Er Gen, but there is one last person who you have never seen, and that is Madam Deathblade, so I’ll finish off with a picture of the two of us that you might find… interesting.

Thank you again for your support!

(clasps hands and bows deeply)