Chapter 796: Putting the North in its Place

　　“NO!!”

　　“I’ve practiced cultivation for thousands of years! I refuse to be suppressed!”

　　“Sealing the path to the Nascent Soul for Northern Reaches cultivators? Suppressing us with a mountain? Extracting our spiritual energy to bolster the Southern Domain?! I won’t allow it!” The five peak Dao Seeking experts from the Northern Reaches, including the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief, were in a rage. However, they were no match for Meng Hao, now that he had produced a Dharma Idol and was half a step into true Immortality.

　　The peak of Dao Seeking was simply not a match for him, not even when they joined forces like they had earlier. Roaring, the five transformed into prismatic beams of light as they attempted to flee.

　　In this war, the Northern Reaches had been defeated… completely and utterly defeated!

　　However, as long as the five of them remained alive, there was always the possibility that they could turn things around in the future. Therefore, they fled at top speed, each one heading in a different direction.

　　Meng Hao floated in midair, calmly looking on. He waved his hand, and the Ninth Mountain rumbled, shooting forward to appear directly in front of the obese woman.

　　The woman was moving with indescribable speed. However, as soon as the Ninth Mountain appeared, her body sank down and her Nascent Divinity flew out amidst the shattering air. She let out a miserable scream, and a boom rang out as the Ninth Mountain completely suppressed her, sealing her Nascent Divinity inside of it.

　　Then the mountain flickered again, reappearing off in the distance, where it began to suppress the old man who had looked like a hopping vampire. His cultivation base was the weakest of them all, and his Nascent Divinity had a look of despair on its face. He tried to attack madly, but was completely incapable of doing anything to the mountain. Rumbling could be heard as he was sealed inside.

　　After that, the mountain flickered again, to appear in front of the effeminate man. His body was covered with glittering magical symbols that made him look almost like a moon. Seeing that he would be incapable of escaping, a ruthless gleam appeared in his eyes, and he chose to self-detonate.

　　He would rather die than be suppressed!

　　However, before he even had time to self-detonate, the rumbling Ninth Mountain sealed his Nascent Divinity inside, filling the effeminate man’s eyes with despair.

　　After quickly sealing those three people in succession, the Ninth Mountain’s spiritual energy was incredibly strong. A droning sound filled the air as it moved once again, causing winds to stir and the air to distort. It was now in front of the old man who looked like a Demon Devil. He struggled, but it only made the situation worse. He was suppressed and absorbed into the mountain.

　　Finally… the mountain vanished for the final time, to appear in front of the Northern Reaches’ most powerful expert, the Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief. The man’s face was ashen, and he began to laugh bitterly. Turning his head to Meng Hao, he said, “We will replenish the spiritual energy of the Southern Domain, but you have to give the Northern Reaches a time limit… then I will help you!”

　　“Ten thousand years!” said Meng Hao, his voice neutral.

　　“Ten thousand years….” The old man laughed bitterly, but ceased his struggling and allowed the Ninth Mountain to suppress and seal him.

　　After suppressing five powerful experts, the mountain was now bursting with spiritual energy. It looked like a spirit mountain as it slowly descended down to the lands below. When it touched down, it would fuse with the Southern Domain, and use the spiritual energy coming from the five peak Dao Seeking cultivation bases to nourish the land.

　　These five people were now like five spirit stones; their spiritual energy would be slowly sucked away until the Southern Domain’s spiritual energy once again flourished like it used to.

　　It was then that, all of a sudden, a faint sigh echoed through the land. At the same time, a woman appeared, coming from the direction of the Milky Way Sea.

　　She wore a blue gown which spread out to cover everything beneath her, almost like a stretch of sky. She floated toward the battlefield from off in the distance, a swath of blue drifting between Heaven and Earth.

　　Dawn Immortal

　　Official ISSTH art of the Dawn Immortal (note the Resurrection Lily in the background)

　　As soon as she appeared, the natural law in the world faded. Even time seemed to come to a standstill. The Ninth Mountain hovered there in midair, incapable of touching down onto the ground. As for all of the cultivators on the battlefield, they stood there trembling.

　　Even the Dao Seeking experts could do nothing but stop in place. Everything was motionless.

　　The woman was the only one who was moving. She strode through the air up toward Meng Hao.

　　“He once said… when the vortex eye appears, the lotus transformation will be seen; in the gap between Immortal and Devil, the blue lotus will appear…. And now….” The woman’s voice was faint but profound as it echoed out through Heaven and Earth. Behind her, a faint image appeared, that of a Blue Lotus. It was… a Dharma Idol!

　　“Under the gaze of the countless stars, the blood of a million cultivators flows, and the vortex eye appears.

　　“The Western Desert Apocalypse created the boundless Violet Sea, within which was concealed the transformations of the lotus.

　　“The day has arrived in which the Heavens are numbed and filled with grieving ghosts. Now my Blue Lotus… can appear!

　　“The only thing I am missing is the gap between Immortal and Devil…. The Mist Blade descended, you severed the Devil and sought the Dao, and thus, the gap between Immortal and Devil appeared.” The woman’s gaze seemed somewhat distant. At first glance, her eyes looked calm, at second glance, insane, and at a third glance, profound. It was as if her gaze contained countless cycles of reincarnation.

　　“I will use the blood of millions as mud. The countless aggrieved ghosts as muddy stains. I will… emerge unstained from the blood-soaked mud, without a blemish upon me. I will… shed the Resurrection Lily and become a Blue Lotus!

　　“I sought the Dao on the day the Heavens were numbed. By dawn, I had already reached Immortal Ascension. I severed my goodness, and cut away my root of Immortality. Only when my evil reached the pinnacle, could I risk everything to make a transformation.” She strolled forward, and came to a stop three hundred meters in front of Meng Hao.

　　“I’ve been making preparations for a long time. Now that the gap between Immortal and Devil has appeared, I can assimilate you, and then be complete.

　　“I scattered countless roots years ago, so the gap between Immortal and Devil was bound to appear eventually. Originally, I wouldn’t have selected you, but you became part of the League of Demon Sealers. It seems you were fated by Karma. Now… I must thank you.” With that, she gave him a curtseying bow.

　　Meng Hao didn’t respond at first. The pausing of the natural law of Heaven and Earth, and of time, was all due to this woman. However, cracking sounds could suddenly be heard around Meng Hao, like that of something shattering. In the blink of an eye, Meng Hao was restored to normal. The Dharma Idol behind him began to shine with resplendent light.

　　“Mother of the Resurrection Lily,” he said. “Dawn Immortal.”

　　The woman nodded, and a faint smile could be seen on her face. It was a beautiful smile that contained reminiscence. As she studied Meng Hao, she suddenly looked a bit distracted.

　　“You don’t look like him… but your aura is the same,” she said softly. “From ancient times until now, the League of Demon Sealers… has been cold and heartless.

　　“I’ll assimilate you, and become a Blue Lotus. Karma will be fulfilled. What was sown that year will be reaped this year. From now on, I owe him nothing, and he owes me nothing.” She stretched out her hand and pointed toward Meng Hao.

　　Immediately, everything seemed to change. The world filled with shocking, illusory waves of seawater that swept toward Meng Hao from all directions, seemingly preparing to inundate him. However, it was at this point that the Dharma Idol behind him suddenly opened its mouth and roared.

　　It was one roar, but it caused everything to shatter. Cracking sounds echoed out, and the waves collapsed. The seawater vanished as if it had evaporated, transforming into endless dark clouds up above.

　　“Back in the Reliance Sect,” said Meng Hao coolly, “you were lurking in the shadows. When I was in the Milky Way Sea, you were there hiding. You even showed your face at the battle of the Blood Demon Sect. And yet again, here you are in this territorial war.

　　“I don’t care about your motive for all of this. You want to assimilate me…? Unfortunately, you’re not qualified.” His Dharma Idol’s eyes glittered; it then took a step forward and lifted its hands up. The Blood Demon Grand Magic appeared, an enormous vortex which shot toward the woman.

　　If you looked closely, you would see that the Blood Demon Grand Magic was similar to the vortex up in the sky. As it rotated, the clouds up above swirled and also surged toward the woman.

　　“When the Resurrection Lily blooms with seven colors,” the woman said softly, “the petals fall, Immortality in one thousand years.” She looked at the incoming vortex, then waved her finger. Shockingly, a seven-colored Resurrection Lily appeared in front of her. Instantly, it shattered, forming seven multicolored wisps that floated through the air like dandelion seeds as they collided with the Blood Demon Grand Magic vortex.

　　A shocking boom could be heard. As the seven multicolored wisps passed through the vortex, they trembled slightly. They might have seemed weak, but they didn’t pause at all. They transformed into beams of multicolored light that shot directly toward Meng Hao.

　　As they neared him, they became seven flower petals that resembled magical sealing marks.

　　Meng Hao’s eyes flashed with coldness. His Dharma Idol roared, causing the surroundings to distort, and the seven petals to stop in place.

　　It was at this moment that he raised his right hand, in which… the copper mirror appeared!

　　A glittering light could be seen within the copper mirror. If you looked closely, you would be able to make out… Demon Weapon Lonelytomb!

　　When Meng Hao merged the Demon Weapon into the copper mirror, he had been unable to use it. Only after he had entered Dao Seeking, had Immortal Qi, and could summon a Dharma Idol, was he finally able to sense Lonelytomb inside.

　　He pushed down onto the copper mirror and grabbed, and a huge roar filled the air. A gust of Demonic qi surged out, filling the air everywhere. It was at this point that a long, red spear appeared in his hands.

　　It was both red and white, the colors intertwined in a way that made it impossible to describe with any word other than Demonic.

　　With Lonelytomb in hand, Meng Hao didn’t hesitate for even a moment. He immediately struck out toward the seven petals.

　　The spear shot through the air, and everything rumbled. Demonic qi surged out, sweeping across everything. As Demon Weapon Lonelytomb surged through the air, shockingly, a tombstone suddenly appeared in front of Meng Hao.

　　The tombstone instantly suppressed everything in the area.

　　BOOOOMMMMM!!!!

　　The seven flower petals were destroyed, exploding into seven-colored motes of light that spread out into the air.

　　In this moment, Meng Hao stood there, holding Demon Weapon Lonelytomb in hand, and he looked like a Paragon of Heaven and Earth, undefeatable!

　　The woman’s expression was the same as ever, as if she didn’t care at all about Meng Hao’s grandiose aura. In fact, a look of pity appeared on her face.

　　“You are of the League of Demon Sealers, so I won’t lie to you. Nobody can save you. This planet’s branch of the Ji Clan owes me a favor, and they won’t do anything to stop me.

　　“Other than them, there are a few ancient beings on this planet, but none of them will do anything to obstruct my way either. Today… nobody can save you.

　　“The time has come, for you… to be assimilated.” As she spoke, she began to glow with boundless light. Behind her, the Blue Lotus began to sway and emit an indescribable, crushing pressure. For the first time, Meng Hao’s facial expression flickered.

　　Neither he nor his Dharma Idol were capable of moving even the slightest bit. Furthermore, it even appeared as if a Blue Lotus… was about to sprout out of his body!

　　At this exact moment… a cold snort echoed out like thunder, shattering the air as it rolled across the land.

　　“I dare you to touch him. Just try it!”

　　—–

　　This chapter was sponsored by Ahmad Tawfiq Ahmad Fuaad, Panov Roman, Isaac Martis, Cedric Serre, Leonardo Sampaio, Tanawut Pitchayaboonwong, David Obando, Dang Quang Tran, Jose Acosta Comas, Anon, Juan Hernandez, and Nyoman Angga Adwitya Kirana