Chapter 1349: The Unyielding Soul of a Paragon

　　Paragon Sea Dream’s eyes flickered as she looked at the misty figure in front of Meng Hao. Waves of shock battered her heart; not even she would ever have imagined that Meng Hao would be able to call upon assistance such as this!

　　He could actually turn a Paragon into a puppet!

　　Enslave… a Paragon!

　　Although Eegoo was only in the 7-Essences level, that was a level that was considered powerful even in the days of the Paragon Immortal Realm. In those days, there had been one 9-Essences paragon, one 8-Essences Paragon, and one 7-Essences Paragon which was Sea Dream herself.

　　The current 33 Heavens had five Paragons, and although Sea Dream couldn’t be sure of the exact cultivation base of each and every one, she did know that they had no 9-Essences Paragons. If they did, then the war would have broken out much earlier. In fact, the 33 Heavens had been holding back for that specific reason. 1

　　As such, a 7-Essences Paragon would clearly be an immense asset on the battlefield. If Meng Hao could turn one into his slave, then it meant the war with the 33 Heavens… wasn’t a hopeless struggle!

　　“A full 7-Essences Paragon is comparable to the combined power of five of the Heavens!” Sea Dream was panting. Despite the level of her willpower, and how incredibly long she had lived, even she was shaken, and a gleam of anticipation appeared in her eyes.

　　Ksitigarbha had the same reaction, and his eyes were shining with a strange light. The sudden reversal in events left him both shocked and yet intensely excited.

　　As for the other Mountain and Sea Lords, their hearts all surged with excitement, with the exception of Ji Tian, who sat there reticently.

　　Then, there was Shui Dongliu. Startled, he slowly lowered his right hand. Were it not for this sudden change, he would have been forced to intervene. By now, it was clear that Meng Hao was absolutely critical to the Mountain and Sea Realm.

　　“That is good fortune which belongs solely to him….” Shui Dongliu murmured, a wide smile visible on his face.

　　At the same time, cultivators in other parts of the Mountain and Sea Realm were able to deduce what was happening, and they began to go wild with joy and disbelief.

　　“Enslave… a Paragon!?!?”

　　“Heavens, Meng Hao actually… actually figured out a way to enslave a Paragon!!” As the cries rang out, even the Mountain and Sea cultivators who weren’t able to see exactly what was happening were shaken, and could hardly believe what they were hearing.

　　As for the Outsiders, their blood connections made it much easier for them to discern what was happening up in the starry sky. The terrified cries of their Paragon caused expressions of despair to appear on their faces. Although they might otherwise have gained desperate strength from their grief and rage over the loss of their homeland, at this moment they had lost all hope and were doomed!

　　They could sense the Imperial Lord fleeing, and could hear the screams of the Paragon. When you added in the fact that their home had been destroyed, the shadow of defeat instantly enveloped their hearts.

　　They… had been defeated.

　　Thoroughly and utterly defeated. They were defeated, and had nowhere to retreat to. The invasion of the 1st Heaven had turned into a complete disaster!

　　Before invading, they had scorned and disdained the Mountain and Sea Realm. But now they had to admit that, even if the Mountain and Sea Realm were weaker than it was now, the 1st Heaven would never have been able overcome it.

　　This was where the Paragon Immortal Realm lived on, the same Paragon Immortal Realm which had once been the Higher Realm, far above them!

　　Rumbling sounds echoed out as the Outsiders trembled and began to fall back in retreat. However, the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm had the exact opposite reaction. Exuberant shouts rang out as their blood began to boil.

　　The 1st Heaven had collapsed, and the spirits of the Mountain and Sea cultivators had risen up!

　　Seeing a Paragon on the verge of being enslaved gave them hope! At long last, the slumbering Mountain and Sea Realm was opening its eyes. It was awakening!

　　RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE!

　　Up in the starry sky, Meng Hao’s eyes shone with a strange light as he looked at Paragon Eegoo slowly approaching him. At the same time, his Green Emperor’s Eternal Incantation was rapidly healing him.

　　It was then that an unyielding roar erupted out of Paragon Eegoo’s mouth. He had finally managed to suppress the terror inside of him, and his unyielding heart was now bursting with power.

　　“I am a Paragon!!” he howled. A tremor ran through him as he tried to fight back against the gray threads which had him bound up. Then, he ground to a halt and stared at the misty figure in front of Meng Hao.

　　Although he had stopped moving toward Meng Hao, he was trembling, and then blood began to spurt out all over his body. However, he remained in place, unmoving.

　　He turned to look at Meng Hao, and a blazing pride erupted out from inside of him. “I’ve practiced cultivation for tens upon tens of thousands of years. I have a longevity the same as that of Heaven and Earth. I am a Paragon, subjugator of countless worlds, worshipped by innumerable living beings. How… could I possibly let you enslave me!?”

　　He was shivering, and blood oozed out all over him, and yet he remained in place, relying on his life force and his very dignity to resist the illusory figure in front of Meng Hao that was attempting to enslave him.

　　His right hand trembled as he lifted it up and waved his finger viciously toward Meng Hao, and yet that simple movement caused his face to go deathly pale as he discovered that the gray threads were interfering with his cultivation base, making it impossible for him to unleash its power.

　　That grayness, and that figure in front of Meng Hao, caused his heart to be filled with terror.

　　Suddenly, he chuckled bitterly, and then threw his head back and let out a bitter howl.

　　“I am Eegoo. I watched the destruction of the Paragon Immortal Realm. I helped the 33 Heavens rise to prominence. I witnessed the sealing of the Mountain and Sea Realm. I fought in this bloody battle to wipe out all life in the Mountain and Sea Realm!

　　“I’ve lived for tens upon tens of thousands of years! I have practiced cultivation to the level of a Paragon!

　　“I am a Paragon. Paragon Eegoo!” The deafening sound of Paragon Eegoo’s bitter laughter pierced out to fill the entire Mountain and Sea Realm, and even higher up into the 32 Heavens above.

　　Ripples filled the starry sky, which was caused by the attempts of the other 32 Heavens to break through the barrier and enter the Mountain and Sea Realm.

　　“Heaven can’t make me bow, Earth can’t make me drop to my knees, and the starry sky can’t make me lower my head. My will is the Dao of the Heaven, and my body is limitless in the Vast Expanse!” Paragon Eegoo roared as his body rapidly grew in size. In the blink of an eye, he was 3,000 meters high, then 15,000 meters, then 30,000 meters!

　　As a 30,000-meter giant, he looked like a deity. Meng Hao’s pupils constricted as he sensed the unyielding will of this Outsider Paragon, a willpower that apparently could not be wiped away by either Heaven or Earth. Suddenly, the gray threads of Choumen Tai’s magical technique began to unravel.

　　To enslave a Paragon might sound easy, but the truth was that all Paragons were blazing suns within Heaven and Earth. They represented the convergence of luck and destiny… and thus could not easily be made slaves!

　　Their willpower, their thoughts, and their hearts, surpassed the Heavens!

　　Rumbling sounds could be heard as more and more of the gray threads began to snap. Deep in his heart, Meng Hao couldn’t help but admire this Paragon’s willpower, his fighting spirit, and his unyielding heart.

　　With all of that, he truly deserved the title of Paragon!

　　It was at this point that the blurry figure in front of Meng Hao let out a cold snort. Suddenly, ten times as many gray threads as before exploded out, then a hundred times more than that. They began to wrap around the 30,000-meter-tall Paragon in an even more complicated fashion than before. It took only a moment before the Paragon was not only back under control, but also beginning to kneel toward Meng Hao.

　　“I refuse!” Paragon Eegoo shrieked. Blood oozed out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and he was shaking violently. And yet, he remained standing, as if not even the vast Heavens and Earth could force his legs to bend.

　　Cracking sounds rang out, and blood sprayed out of his mouth. And yet, he still didn’t bend a knee. A vast quantity of scales appeared all over him, each one of them radiating intense ancientness. He seemed to be on the verge of transforming into an ancient and archaic lizard!

　　However, the gray threads continued to bore into him, causing magical symbols to appear, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

　　Meng Hao was visibly moved, but remained silent, mixed emotions playing out in his eyes.

　　“If the Mountain and Sea Realm and the 33 Heavens weren’t at war… then this Paragon would truly be deserving of worship by all life.” Meng Hao sighed, and then addressed Paragon Eegoo directly.

　　“If you will support the Mountain and Sea Realm, then I will spare the lives all of your people from the 1st Heaven!”

　　Paragon Eegoo shivered, and despite the pain coursing through him, the look in his eyes was as unyielding as ever. He even began to laugh.

　　“The Mountain and Sea Realm will definitely be exterminated. As long as only one of my people remains alive in the end, then years from now, we will make a comeback!

　　“I am Eegoo! I am a Paragon now, and I will be a Paragon in death!

　　“You want me to submit? You want me to be your slave? The only slave you will have is my body, not my soul!” As he laughed uproariously, the signs of an imminent self-detonation appeared.

　　There was no madness in his eyes, only endless pride. He would rather die than bow his head and lose his dignity!

　　Rumbling could be heard as destructive fluctuations began to emanate out from him. However, because he could not unleash the power of his cultivation base, the destructive blast would not sweep out into the Mountain and Sea Realm to wreak mass destruction. He would only be able to harm himself. But that way, even if he died, his body would be useless to Meng Hao.

　　Even as Meng Hao frowned, Choumen Tai’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind. “Paragons can’t be forced to submit unless you erase their souls.”

　　“Then erase his soul!” Meng Hao said decisively, staring at Paragon Eegoo.

　　In the moment that he opened his mouth, the gray threads which bound Paragon Eegoo suddenly turned black, and began to emanate a strange light. It turned into a destructive power that poured into Paragon Eegoo, a power of soul annihilation. In the very moment in which he was about to self-detonate, massive rumbling sounds echoed out as some unknown method was used…

　　To erase his soul!

　　Muffled rumbling could be heard as the threads faded away. The blurry figure in front of Meng Hao now seemed weak beyond compare. Finally, a faint voice spoke. “I’ve fulfilled my promise…. I shall sleep now, until the moment when my master is resurrected…. I hope that you can keep your end of the agreement….”

　　Gradually, the weak voice faded away into nothing.

　　The blurry, misty figure also vanished. In the same moment, Paragon Eegoo’s body shivered, and his eyes went completely and utterly blank.

　　The ripples of self-detonation faded away, and he lowered his head as he knelt in front of Meng Hao.

　　1. In a previous chapter it said that the 33 Heavens had six Paragons. Actually, in that chapter, Er Gen used six AND five as the total number of Paragons. I changed one of the “fives” to “six,” because I thought that was the total number. However, in this chapter and in a few later chapters, “five Paragons” are repeatedly referred to. I went back to chapter 1319 to adjust that part from six to five