Chapter 920: An Exception!

　　“Ten percent of the power of a true Immortal!? Puny!” Completely ignoring whoever it was behind him, Meng Hao smiled coldly and clenched his hand into a fist. He punched out, causing a boom to echo out as the cauldron shattered. His fist continued on toward Fang Hong.

　　Another boom could be heard. Blood sprayed from Fang Hong’s lips as she doubled over in pain. Meng Hao’s punch was too fierce, and her qi passageways were shattered as she hurtled backward. It didn’t matter that she was a woman, Meng Hao was as cold as ever.

　　After punching her, he turned icily to to face the group that was speeding toward him in the distance.

　　“Meng Hao, you twerp! How dare you!” Six people were flying through the air. Three of them were white-haired old men with cultivation bases in the Immortal realm. The one in the middle was clearly more powerful than the others, and was at the peak of the Immortal Realm.

　　That was the one who had spoken just now.

　　Behind the three old men were two masked cultivators, one whose cultivation base was hidden, making it impossible to see how deep it was. However, he emanated a desolate, murderous aura that was especially strong, as if his only job in the Fang Clan was to kill people.

　　The last of the group was none other than Fang Yunyi!

　　He was the one who had yelled out to Meng Hao to stay his hand.

　　As for the old man who had just spoken, he appeared next to Fang Hong even as his words echoed out. He immediately picked her up in his arms and gave her some medicinal pills.

　　Fang Hong’s face was pale, and she was quivering. Blood oozed out of her mouth, and it was with difficulty that she swallowed the medicinal pills.

　　“Grandpa,” she said with a bitter smile, “my… my qi passageways….”

　　The old man had already noticed that Fang Hong’s qi passageways had been shattered, and he responded, “Don’t worry. Grandpa will fix this for you!” With that, he turned to glare at Meng Hao, his eyes flickering with killing intent.

　　“What gall you have! How dare you slaughter people within the clan! There’s no need to send you to the clan dungeon, I’ll execute you here and now!” With that, the other two old men who had accompanied him began to close in on Meng Hao.

　　“That crocodile too! Kill it!” The two masked cultivators immediately headed toward the crocodile. Sir Chen instantly fell back to Fang Hong’s side, his face anxious.

　　A cold smile appeared on Fang Yunyi’s face, and inwardly, he was going wild with joy at finally being able to catch Meng Hao off guard. This time, he knew that Meng Hao was going to be killed without a doubt.

　　“Sixth Grandpa, correct?” Meng Hao stood his ground, completely ignoring the two old men who were closing in on him. “Let me ask you, did you see me slaughter anyone?” He slapped his bag of holding to produce his identity medallion.

　　“I’m the eldest grandson of the direct bloodline. My dad is Fang Xiufeng, and the Grand Elder is my Third Grandpa. If you people dare to kill me, you’ll be violating clan rules. Anyone who violates clan rules will be put to death!” As his voice echoed out, the two old men who were moving toward him suddenly stopped in place, their faces flickering as they hesitated.

　　“I was flying happily through the air,” Meng Hao continued calmly, “when these clan members asked this foreign servant to suppress me. And after seeing who I was, they refused to greet me respectfully. Apparently, they aren’t familiar with the clan rules, so I set about to teach them a lesson. Sixth Grandpa, have you suddenly developed a vision problem?” He stood there, his expression stony.

　　“Kill him!” cried Fang Hong’s grandfather a second time, with a cold snort. Hearing his words, the two old men clenched their jaws and continued on toward Meng Hao.

　　Meng Hao’s face flickered, and he fell back. Even before the two old men could get close to him, he slapped his own chest with his palm, coughing up a huge mouthful of blood, and then letting out a miserable shriek. At the same time, he ripped open his bag of holding, causing the jade box that contained the Nirvana Fruits to fly out.

　　Next, he yelled out at the top of his lungs, “You want to steal my Nirvana Fruits! Grand Elder! Third Grandpa! Someone’s trying to steal my Nirvana Fruits!”

　　Using all the power his cultivation base could muster, he sent his voice echoing out in all directions.

　　When the Grand Elder gave Meng Hao the Nirvana Fruits, he had sworn an oath that anyone in the clan who dared to steal them from Meng Hao would be exterminated. As Meng Hao’s voice spread throughout the clan, many people heard it. The two old men who had been closing in on Meng Hao to kill him, suddenly stopped in place, and their faces fell.

　　Even Fang Hong’s grandfather’s face fell, and he gritted his teeth.

　　“I get it!” continued Meng Hao, backing up, and at the same time, crying out loudly. “You clan members of my generation pulled me out of the sky because you’re… you’re in collusion with that foreign servant to steal my Nirvana Fruits!!

　　“You Heaven-damned clan delinquents! How could you be so ruthless! How could you try to steal my Nirvana Fruits!

　　“Grand Elder, save me! Third Grandpa, if you don’t show up quickly, my Nirvana Fruits are going to be taken away! Third Grandpa, Grand Elder, SAVE ME!”

　　His bellowing caused the enraged three youths with the near-false Immortal cultivation bases to one again cough up blood.

　　“Stop talking nonsense!” cried Fang Hong, blood oozing from her mouth. She was also getting nervous. “We saw you flying toward us and just wanted you to go around us! We never brought up anything about your Nirvana Fruits!”

　　“You sharp-tongued troublemaker!” howled Fang Hong’s grandfather. “You’re not from the Fang Clan! DIE!” As he closed in on Meng Hao, it became apparent that the Grand Elder was nowhere to be seen.

　　Meng Hao’s eyes flickered coldly, and he suddenly lifted his right hand. The Lightning Cauldron appeared. In that critical moment, he looked over at Fang Yunyi, whose face instantly fell.

　　Rumble!

　　They instantly switched places, and Meng Hao watched from off in the distance as the old man’s palm descended onto Fang Yunyi, who let out a piercing scream.

　　The old man pulled his palm back at the very last moment, then turned to look at Meng Hao. He was just about to charge toward him once again, when suddenly, several dozen beams of light shot through the air toward them from various directions.

　　“6th Older Uncle, my Older Cousin entrusted Hao’er to me for safekeeping. If you dare to touch him, I’ll wipe out your entire bloodline. Worst case scenario, afterward I’ll take my entire family to stay with my Older Cousin on Planet South Heaven!” The speaker was none other than Meng Hao’s 19th Uncle, who came to a stop directly in front of Meng Hao. He looked over coldly at Fang Hong’s grandfather.

　　More beams of light descended. Two were middle-aged men, who intercepted the attacks of the masked cultivators against the crocodile, saving it from certain annihilation.

　　In the blink of an eye, the entire situation had changed. Meng Hao was surrounded by more than a dozen cultivators. However, the man who 19th Uncle had called 6th Older Uncle was also joined by quite a few newcomers.

　　As they faced off with proverbial daggers drawn, the archaic voice of Grand Elder Fang Tongtian suddenly echoed out from deep within the ancestral mansion.

　　“That’s enough. Fang Hong, Fang Tao, Fang Hai, and the rest of your companions, you disrespected the rules of seniority. You will be punished in the Fire Smelting Pit for ten days!

　　“Fang Hao, although clan members treated you disrespectfully, there was no need to attack so viciously. You will also be punished in the Fire Smelting Pit for ten days!

　　“The sentence will be carried out immediately!”

　　As soon as the Grand Elder’s voice rang out, Fang Hong and the others’ faces went pale. The Fire Smelting Pit was also called Hell, and to spend ten days there would be like being skinned alive.

　　The clan members in the area, both those of Meng Hao’s bloodline and 6th Older Uncle’s, didn’t dare to say another word. 6th Patriarch’s eyes flickered and he held his tongue.

　　However, Meng Hao opened his mouth immediately.

　　“Third Grandpa, Grand Elder, um… my Spirit Elixir is almost finished! I’m almost ready to absorb the Nirvana Fruits, so I really don’t have time to go to the Fire Smelting Pit. Look, if you make an exception, I’ll make up the punishment later. What do you think?”

　　Meng Hao’s words were met with utter silence. No one would ever dare to contradict the Grand Elder’s orders. Fang Hong and the others looked on with wide eyes. In their opinion, Meng Hao was really far too brazen. Even the other Elders in the area were gaping at him.

　　Fang Yunyi was elated, and inwardly, started laughing uproariously. In his hatred for Meng Hao, he rejoiced at Meng Hao’s words to the Grand Elder, and couldn’t wait for Meng Hao to experience even more misery.

　　“Be quiet!” hissed 19th Uncle. All of the other clan members surrounding Meng Hao also felt that his words were far too crude and rash.

　　“What?” said the Grand Elder. He had never imagined that Meng Hao would dare to speak up, and when his voice echoed out, it seemed to send a chill through the entire area. However, after the space of a few breaths went by, he spoke further, and the words he uttered caused everyone to gasp.

　　“Very well. Absorbing the Nirvana Fruits is a very important matter. As soon as you finish, go to the Fire Smelting Pit!”

　　“Many thanks, Third Grandpa,” said Meng Hao, looking very grateful. Everyone else looked on with shock and other strange expressions. In their memory, the Grand Elder had always been unswervingly just, which was how he had earned the clan’s respect over the years.

　　But now, he was clearly being partial toward Meng Hao.

　　“This… the Grand Elder actually just….”

　　“He called the Grand Elder by the address Third Grandpa…. Now that I think about it, the Grand Elder used to be part of the direct bloodline!” All of a sudden, thoughtful expressions could be seen on the onlookers’ faces. The 6th Patriarch’s face flickered, and he gritted his teeth. Finally, he let out a cold snort. His face extremely grim, he flicked his sleeve and carried Fang Hong away.

　　As Fang Hong was taken away, she looked back at Meng Hao, and she couldn’t help but muse about how terrifying he was.

　　“The Grand Elder actually showed partiality toward him….”

　　The youths with the near-false Immortal cultivation bases were trembling as they clasped hands and bowed toward Meng Hao.

　　“Cousin….”

　　Meng Hao grunted in response, then looked over at Fang Yunyi, who was gingerly attempting to sneak away, and gave an obviously fake smile.

　　Fang Yunyi’s scalp went numb, and the images of what had happened on Planet South Heaven flitted through his mind. Gritting his teeth, he bowed his head.

　　“Cousin….”

　　Meng Hao smiled, then turned to clasp hands and express his gratitude to 19th Uncle and the other members of his bloodline. All of them looked at him encouragingly as he transformed into a beam of light and shot away.

　　“When the Grand Elder looks at Meng Hao, he must be thinking of Meng Hao’s own grandfather. The two of them were brothers, and were very close!”

　　“Yeah, that’s right. The Grand Elder is always unswervingly just. In the past several hundred years, he’s never shown partiality toward anyone. He hasn’t made a single exception!”

　　“Hao’er is really a blazing sun of the Fang Clan. The fact that the Grand Elder is willing to make an exception for him illustrates that point!”

　　Even as they discussed the matter, Meng Hao disappeared off into the distance.

　　Eventually, he reached his Immortal’s cave.

　　As soon as he set foot inside, his eyes turned cold, and a grim expression covered his face.

　　“Grand Elder. Third Grandpa. Why do you want so badly for me to die…?”