Chapter 762: 10th Patriarch

　　Wang Tengfei’s hysterical screaming did nothing more than cause Meng Hao to frown slightly. However, the other two cultivators’ faces went deathly pale, and their hearts began to pound with fear.

　　They suddenly recalled an event that had caused a minor stir in the Southern Domain, the matter of the love triangle involving Meng Hao, Wang Tengfei, and Chu Yuyan.

　　“Not good! These two used to be rivals in love!!”

　　“Dammit, we happened to run into both of these guys, and then heard some things we weren’t supposed to….” The two cultivators’ faces fell, and they backed up nervously. Seeing that Meng Hao wasn’t paying attention to them, they fled at top speed, cursing the fact that they couldn’t sprout wings.

　　“Come on, kill me! KILL ME!” raged Wang Tengfei, his eyes bloodshot. He even began to approach Meng Hao, until he was right in front of him.

　　“Didn’t you want to kill me back in the Reliance Sect, Meng Hao? I remember your fingernails sticking into the flesh of your palms, and the blood dripping down. Back then you were an ant, and I was Chosen! 1

　　“Now look at me! I bet you’re happy, aren’t you. Very happy, right? Come on, kill me!!

　　“I’ve lived enough already. My clan is gone, my clan members are gone, my family is gone. My older brother gave his life for me, but what’s the point? At least dying at your hand will release me from my worldly cares!

　　“Why haven’t you made a move yet? Kill me!!”

　　A complicated expression could be seen on Meng Hao’s face as he looked back at Wang Tengfei. He had long since learned of what had happened to the Wang Clan. As for everything from the past, it was nothing more than that, the past.

　　“I’m a Wang Clan Chosen. When I was a child, a drop of blood from a Flying Rain-Dragon fell from the skies. I followed my instincts and intuition, and after paying a huge price, finally found the Reliance Sect!

　　“The Flying Rain-Dragon legacy belongs to me!! But you took it away! You took away my legacy! And you took away my Inner Sect qualifications in the Reliance Sect too! You destroyed any chance I had of getting the Sublime Spirit Scripture!

　　“Then you even took my fiancé away from me! Chu Yuyan was MY fiancé! But she dissolved our engagement… all because of YOU!

　　“Do I owe you a debt from my previous life or something, Meng Hao? Why? Over and over again, you took away EVERYTHING!!” As Wang Tengfei screamed and yelled, tears began to stream down his face.

　　“Now you have everything that belongs to me. I should be the number one person in the Southern Domain. I should be on top. And you… you should be like I am now!

　　“Everything you have… was taken from me! And now, here you stand in front of me, the winner again. You’re gonna save me?! You’re not saving me. I don’t need your pity or compassion, I just need you to kill me!!

　　“Don’t give me that look, Meng Hao,” he said, tears streaming down his cheeks. “I’m Wang Tengfei!” After the destruction of the Wang Clan, Wang Tengfei had been the subject of endless ridicule. It was a pain that he could handle. There was only one thing in the world that he couldn’t abide. A single person.

　　Meng Hao!

　　He would rather die than see pity and perplexity in Meng Hao’s eyes. He was Wang Tengfei! If he had to die, fine, but he would die with pride!

　　Meng Hao sighed, then shook his head. When he recalled everything that had happened between him and Wang Tengfei, he knew that he had acted a bit impulsively.

　　He had been young and hot-headed, and now that he looked back, he realized that… many of the things he had done were a bit excessive. For example, the matter with Chu Yuyan…. Perhaps… if he hadn’t deliberately sabotaged Wang Tengfei and Chu Yuyan, the two of them would still be together today, happy and content.

　　At least they would be better off than they were now.

　　Meng Hao didn’t say anything. He produced a jade slip and imprinted it with some divine sense, then tossed it over to float in front of Wang Tengfei.

　　“Take this,” he said softly. “If you get into grave danger, it can save your life a single time. You and I… are old friends. I truly hope… that you can find your way.” With that, he turned to leave.

　　Wang Tengfei stared in shock at the jade slip hovering in front of him. Then he lifted his head up and began to laugh madly as more tears poured down his face. He didn’t want goodwill from Meng Hao. He didn’t want to be weak in front of the person he had once hated more than anyone in the world. After the destruction of the Wang Clan, he had experienced many things, and had come to experience the hypocrisy of the world.

　　Former good friends kicked him when he was down. Past companions avoided him as if he were a poisonous vermin. Such pain was something he could accept. If past enemies tried to kill him, at least he could self-detonate and end in common ruin with them.

　　How could he ever have imagined that the person he hated the most… would be the only person to treat him kindly after his fall from the top?

　　He didn’t want to accept it, and could not accept it. His hysteria was a way to vent. His tears were an expression of sorrow.

　　He waved his hand, sending the jade slip clattering to the ground.

　　“I’m Wang Tengfei! I don’t need your sympathy!!”

　　Meng Hao stopped and looked back, then sighed again. He was just about to leave when suddenly, he heard a long cry coming from within the nearby forest.

　　The cry caused colors to flash through the sky, and sent the clouds churning. A figure emerged from the trees who emanated an aura that exceeded the peak of Dao Seeking.

　　“Hahaha! Immortal Ascension, Immortal Ascension…. Hahaha! I will become Immortal!” It was a deranged old man with unkempt hair, tattered clothing, and filthy skin.

　　Meng Hao’s pupils constricted, and killing intent flickered in his eyes. His second true self suddenly materialized next to him, and took a step forward.

　　The deranged old man look very different from before, but Meng Hao could still tell that he was… the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch!

　　Meng Hao had previously made some inquiries about the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch. He knew that the Patriarch, in his madness, had destroyed the Wang Clan, then gone completely insane. However, this was the first time he had personally encountered him in the Southern Domain.

　　“Patriarch!!” cried Wang Tengfei.

　　“10th Wang Clan Patriarch!” growled Meng Hao grimly. He raised his hand and pointed a finger, causing his second true self to shoot through the air toward the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch.

　　Rumbling explosions filled the air as the two of them instantly began to fight. As for the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch, Immortal qi swirled around him. His hair was completely disheveled, and his aged face was filled with a confused expression.

　　“Immortal Ascension. I will become Immortal….” Laughing foolishly, he waved his hand, causing the air to distort. Powerful cultivation base ripples spread out as he battled with Meng Hao’s second true self.

　　Meng Hao gave a cold snort and flew out. He had a Dao Seeking fleshly body, as well as the Lightning Cauldron, which he produced as he closed in on the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch.

　　Booms echoed out as Meng Hao and his second true self fought back and forth with the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch. The wind screamed, and the land quaked.

　　“Sever!” Meng Hao’s second true self let out a cry and sent the Wooden Time Sword slashing out. Tens of thousands of years of Time power swept out like a great river. However, the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch was no ordinary peak Dao Seeking cultivator. He had Immortal qi, and an Immortal aura which he sent out to resist the Time power. A boom echoed out, and the second true self fell back. The 10th Wang Clan Patriarch’s face went pale, and all of a sudden, the confusion in his eyes began to be replaced with clarity.

　　“Meng… Hao….” he said, staring fixedly at Meng Hao. His voice was hoarse, and he spoke haltingly as he regained his senses.

　　“Patriarch!!” shouted Wang Tengfei urgently, flying toward the 10th Patriarch.

　　“Teng… Fei….” said the 10th Patriarch, looking over at Wang Tengfei. Suddenly, his expression was one of extreme pain. He lifted his hands up to clutch at his head, and then let out a miserable shriek. “Don’t come near me!

　　“The Wang Clan…. I’m guilty, guilty…. I killed everyone in the Wang Clan. I killed everyone…. All to become Immortal. All for Immortal Ascension. Was it worth it…? WAS IT WORTH IT?!?!” The 10th Wang Clan Patriarch lifted his head and let out a mad howl, and his face was distorted by intense bitterness.

　　Meng Hao’s eyes flashed as he stood off to the side with his second true self. They did not attack, but simply looked on, eyes flickering with killing intent.

　　“I’m guilty… I was the one who personally slaughtered all of my fellow clan members….” The 10th Wang Clan patriarch howled, and tears streamed down his face. He felt as if his heart were being crushed. He felt regret, helplessness, and insanity swirling around inside his head. The faces of the clan members he had personally killed began to appear around him, and he trembled. His face was awash with indescribable agony.

　　He suddenly turned to look at Meng Hao, head in hands and his eyes bright red. “You. It was all because of you!”

　　Every so often, the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch would regain clarity. Whenever that happened, it was a time of unspeakable guilt and pain. His heart would fill with horror and regret, and the madness that arose from knowing that his hands were stained red with the blood of his fellow clan members, made him want to die.

　　But his cultivation base had reached the point that dying… was not easy.

　　He made to charge Meng Hao, but Meng Hao dodged to the side, his eyes flickering with coldness. He did not attack, and yet the enmity in his eyes grew deeper. A cold smile appeared on his face.

　　“Want to die?” he asked. “It won’t be that easy! How could I let you die? Death squares all accounts, so letting you die would simply be releasing you from your pain and bitterness. I think I’d rather just let you continue living in your madness. Every so often you will wake up and be wracked with guilt and pain! That is the vengeance you deserve!”

　　The hatred in Meng Hao’s eyes burned. He detested the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch. If it weren’t for him, Xu Qing would not be in her current situation. He would not have faced so many deadly crises. In fact, considering what had happened in the Rebirth Cave, he truly had died already.

　　Such enmity was not something that a mere death could wipe away. To force the Wang Clan Patriarch to live a life of suffering… that was true vengeance!

　　Meng Hao laughed coldly as he backed up. However, it was at this point that the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch’s face once again began to fill with a blank look. He began to smile foolishly, as if amnesia was beginning to wash away all the pain.

　　But Meng Hao couldn’t allow him to so easily forget.

　　He raised his hand and pointed out his finger.

　　The Seventh Demon Sealing Hex. Karmic Hexing!

　　He didn’t fully employ the art. Instead, he just used the Karmic magic to cause the 10th Patriarch to be tormented by Karma even when he was in a state of senselessness. He infused the Karma Threads with the lives of the clan members that had been killed. Now, they would constantly pester him, reminding him of his bloodstained hands. He would now always be plagued by the memories of what he had done.

　　Rumble!

　　The 10th Wang Clan Patriarch’s Karma Threads were thrown into chaos. His body trembled, and his eyes filled with tears. Although his expression was blank, he let out a roar of madness. Pain stabbed at his heart, and he lost control.

　　“Immortal Ascension…. D-d-don’t get near me! My soul…. Kill…. Kill…. Kill you all…. Little brother, don’t get near me…. AGGHHHHHH!! Immortal Ascension….”

　　—–

　　This chapter was sponsored by Aaron Dewitt, Daniel Parkes, QD BUI, Nick Foley, Aaron Embry, Kim Ward, and Bahati Gitego

　　1. When Wang Tengfei almost killed Meng Hao in chapter 18, Meng Hao’s fists clenched so hard that his fingernails dug into his palms and then broke off