Chapter 822: From Now On, Call Me Li’l Hai!

　　Off to the side, Sun Hai’s eyes were wide with astonishment as he watched Meng Hao tuck Li Ling’er into his bag of holding. The attacks he had seen just now left his scalp tingling.

　　“This guy’s just one of those aboriginal local cultivators, how… how could he be so powerful!?!?”

　　Meanwhile, a roar of rage drifted out from some distance off. The voice belonged to Fan Dong’er, who was followed by a large group of people.

　　Meng Hao’s body flickered as he once again put Sun Hai into his bag of holding. His second true self turned into his shadow as he then sped off into the distance.

　　The burning lamp floating above his head let off a weak light as Meng Hao proceeded forward. He wiped the blood off of his mouth and then produced some medicinal pills to consume. His eyes shone with a brilliant gleam as a beam of sword qi flew down from a nearby mountain peak, where a single silhouette could be seen.

　　It was Zhao Yifan, who was separated from Meng Hao by a mountainous valley. The airspace in this area was restricted, so he was incapable of flying directly over. However, his sword qi could slice through the air, and its incredible energy caused huge ripples to spread out in all directions as it descended on Meng Hao. Everyone to whom it was visible found it completely shocking.

　　Meng Hao looked up at the incoming sword qi, and couldn’t help but recall the nine sword forms taught to him by his father. Although the incoming sword was nothing compared to his father’s, he could see some clues regarding the Dao of the sword within it.

　　His eyes shone with a strange gleam as he took a deep breath, then extended his left leg. His body bent like a bow, and in his mind, he could visualize the breathing technique his father had passed down to him. In that instant, multilayered ripples spread out, and the ground seemed to shrink. Meng Hao himself suddenly seemed to grow rapidly.

　　As he breathed, it seemed as if all the energy in the entire area were being sucked into him. Popping sounds could be heard as, although his hand did not hold a sword, shockingly… scattered bits of sword qi appeared!

　　Meng Hao felt like his body was about to explode. He knew that the next movement involved moving his right foot forward, and that it must be executed rapidly along with a powerful gust of wind. Unfortunately, he wasn’t capable of executing the movement properly. His body was already at its limit, filled with incredible, and in fact too much, power.

　　He decided not to go into the second movement, and instead, swept his arm up into the sky like an arrow. Immediately, all the hair on his body stood on end and the incredible energy within him, along with all the power of his cultivation base, exploded out.

　　Rumbling filled the air as the onlookers saw a shocking sword qi on the mountain Meng Hao stood on. Although it was unfocused, it was still able to surge out and meet the incoming sword qi from Zhao Yifan.

　　Cries of surprise instantly rang out throughout the mountains.

　　“The Dao of the sword!”

　　“What?! He’s… he’s proficient in the Dao of the sword too!?!?”

　　“The sword!? Only people with benevolent hearts can cultivate that Dao. This guy is shameless to the extreme! How is it possible for him to utilize the Dao of the sword!?”

　　Rumbling filled the air as the two beams of sword qi slammed into each other. Brilliant, resplendent light flashed in the air, brightening the entire area.

　　On the mountain opposite Meng Hao, Zhao Yifan stood there trembling. Although he was not injured, he was excited. His eyes gleamed more than ever with the desire to do battle.

　　“It’s you…. You are the grindstone to polish my sword!!”

　　Zhixiang was off in the distance, and when she saw what was happening, her delicate mouth went wide with shock. The more she learned about Meng Hao, the more enigmatic he seemed to be. In fact, he almost seemed to be completely different than the Meng Hao she remembered.

　　“How could he… have changed so much!?” she thought, gasping. It was at this point that Fan Dong’er’s enraged voice could be heard echoing off in the distance.

　　“Meng Hao, I’m gonna kill you!” she screamed, seemingly on the verge of going mad. The female corpse floated behind her like a shadow. During the day it wasn’t so bad. It was frightening, but at least it didn’t make any noises….

　　However, at nighttime…. The corpse’s hair would fly about, and its eyes would shine with a strange light. It would begin to weep with choked, horrifying sobs that penetrated deep into Fan Dong’er’s soul. When she sat down and mediated, the weeping would wrench her out of her trance.

　　The Mount Sun Holy Land and the Song Clan especially wanted to kill Meng Hao. However, they were worried because he had taken their Young Lords captive, and they weren’t sure whether they were alive or dead. Therefore it was with both great anxiety and deadly intent that they pursued Meng Hao.

　　The three members of the Fang Clan had spread out in different directions to search. Fang Donghan was somber, and rarely made any moves in public. In fact, many people actually overlooked him. However, were it not for the inhuman Fang Wei, the blazing sun of the Fang Clan would actually be Fang Donghan.

　　Fang Yunyi saw nothing unusual about Meng Hao’s sword qi, and as for Fang Xiangshan, she was completely focused on cultivation and didn’t pay much attention to the outside world. If it weren’t for the fact that the Patriarch had made the request, she would not have come to this place. Therefore, although she didn’t have negative feelings toward Meng Hao, neither did she have a good impression.

　　However, Fang Donghan was currently staring at Meng Hao disappearing into the mountains, and his mind was buzzing. He… actually recognized that sword move! It was a mysterious Daoist magic recorded in the ancient records of the Fang Clan. The Heaven Severing Sword!

　　In all of the Fang clan, the only person who had mastered the Heaven Severing Sword and forged his own Dao, was Fang Xiufeng!

　　“Meng Hao…. That kid from all those years ago would actually be my older cousin…. He was the oldest grandson of my generation…. His name was Fang Hao!

　　“Fang Hao. Meng Hao….” Fang Donghan took a deep breath, and his eyes glittered brightly.

　　By the time everyone rushed over to the mountain where Meng Hao had just been seen, he was long gone and nowhere to be found.

　　However, it didn’t take long for the members of the Li Clan to discover that their Holy Daughter Li Ling’er… was missing.

　　Soon, people from the Church of the Immortal Emperor realized that their Chosen had also vanished….

　　After double-checking, they came to the conclusion that Li Ling’er and Sun Hai had in fact disappeared. Obviously… the person responsible for this was most likely Meng Hao!

　　“Heavens! Taiyang Zi, Song Luodan, Li Ling’ler, and Sun Hai were all captured by Meng Hao!”

　　“Don’t forget Fan Dong’er. Although she wasn’t taken captive, she’s actually in a much more bitter position than if she had.”

　　“This Meng Hao… wishes to defy the Heavens!”

　　Few words were spoken for the rest of the night. There were many people searching for Meng Hao, but the mountain range was simply too vast. The various sects and clans even used some secret powers at their disposal, but because they couldn’t utilize flight, they were unable to find Meng Hao, at least temporarily.

　　Mysteriously, the restriction on the airspace actually did not decrease when the ancient temple disappeared, and actually, grew more intense, and covered an even wider area.

　　Soon it was dawn. Meng Hao stood beneath an ancient tree, his eyes gleaming brightly. After resting for a few hours, his energy was completely restored, and he was just about to continue onward when suddenly he decided to slap his bag of holding and take out Li Ling’er and Sun Hai.

　　Their cultivation bases were sealed, so all Li Ling’er could do was glare at Meng Hao. Her hair was a mess, and she was grinding her teeth; as of this moment, there was no aloof pride to her whatsoever.

　　Sun Hai was shivering, and when he saw that Meng Hao was about to grab him by the hair, he immediately wailed, “I’ll write the promissory note!”

　　He did not dare to oppose Meng Hao any further. His clothing had long since been torn to shreds, and his flesh had become a mass of scrapes and wounds. After that, he had witnessed Meng Hao’s fight with Li Ling’er, and he immediately decided to yield.

　　“Why didn’t you say so earlier!?” said Meng Hao, smiling happily. He immediately produced a paper and pen and handed it to Sun Hai, who sighed and then began to write down a huge sum. He looked sullenly at Meng Hao, and then inwardly swore that if he survived this ordeal, he would never forget Meng Hao’s face for the rest of his life.

　　Having taken care of Sun Hai, Meng Hao next turned to look at Li Ling’er. She stared back at him furiously, causing him to clear his throat.

　　“Don’t look at me that way,” he said. “I really am married already, and my wife is way prettier than you.” With that, he took a look into Li Ling’er’s bag of holding, and instantly, his eyes began to shine brightly.

　　“You Chosen… are… really stinking rich!!” He took a deep breath as he glanced over the vast quantities of spirit stones in the bag of holding. There were also rare medicinal pills and a jade box.

　　Inside the jade box was a deep-gold shortsword, upon which was affixed a magical talisman.

　　The pressure it exuded was comparable to the sunstone he had acquired earlier. It was definitely a very precious item!

　　The sword was something that required advanced preparation to wield; Meng Hao’s incredible power had put her in such a bad position during their battle that she’d never had time to focus on using it.

　　“I really hate to say it, but I’m going to need to take this sword,” he said, clearing his throat. Flames seemed to be on the verge of bursting out of Li Ling’er’s eyes. Meng Hao put her bag of holding away, then reached out and put his hand into her robe, and after searching for a while came out with a jade slip and a few other miscellaneous objects.

　　Off to the side, Sun Hai looked on wide-eyed, feeling a bit envious of Meng Hao.

　　Li Ling’er’s face went bright red, and her murderous intent and rage burned even harder. Even as Meng Hao took away all her miscellaneous items, her body suddenly flashed. Shockingly, she still had a bit of cultivation base accessible. She leaned to the side and then reached out toward the bronze lamp. She moved with lightning speed, having waited patiently for this one moment to make her move. As her hand closed in on the lamp, the flame dimmed, as if it were about to be extinguished.

　　“What a patient little wench,” Meng Hao said coolly. He then lifted his right hand up and spanked her rear end.

　　A slapping sound rang out, and Li Ling’er let out a miserable squeal. Her entire body went numb, and she crumpled to the ground in pain, completely incapable of reaching out to touch the ancient bronze lamp. Her face went pale, and cold sweat began to drop down her forehead. Meng Hao had struck her… far too viciously. In fact, from Sun Hai’s vantage point, it was obvious that… Li Ling’er’s buttocks were now uneven….

　　“You’ve been bad,” Meng Hao said somberly. He lifted his right hand up into the air again, and as Sun Hai looked on in shock….

　　SMACK!

　　Sun Hai’s mind was now completely blank as he realized that Li Ling’er’s rear end… was now even once again.

　　Li Ling’er was in such pain that tears rolled down her face, and she couldn’t see clearly. Somehow, that made her look even more beautiful than before in a way that could cause people to fall in love with her. Meng Hao looked like he was smiling, but actually, his eyes were completely calm. After everything he had experienced in his life, he wasn’t the type of person to be moved easily by those kinds of things.

　　After thoroughly sealing Li Ling’er, he put her back into his bag of holding and then looked at Sun Hai.

　　“Let’s see, you’re Fellow Daoist Sun, right?”

　　Sun Hai began to shiver when he realized Meng Hao was staring at him. His heart trembled, and he put a very fawning expression onto his face.

　　“Elder Brother Meng, I still haven’t introduced myself. In the future, you can just call me Li’l Hai….

　　“Elder Brother Meng, you know, as soon as we all caught sight of you for the first time outside the temple, I could tell that you were a dragon amongst men, a Dao child amongst Chosen, a prodigy amongst Dao Children! Your eyes are like two seas of stars, and from the moment I saw you, my esteem for you was burned deep into the recesses of my soul!

　　“In fact, I, Li’l Hai, could not be more grateful for the painstaking instruction you have provided me with these past few days. That gratitude is etched upon my very heart, filling its every nook and cranny. Every bit of my soul is filled with respect for you, sir!”

　　Meng Hao gaped at him.

　　“Please,” Sun Hai repeated somberly, “from now on, call me Li’l Hai!”