Chapter 753: Destination – Solitary Sword Sect!

　　RUMBLE!

　　The lightning in the three hundred meter area rushed toward Meng Hao, thoroughly enveloping him. The Lightning Elder up in mid-air watched Meng Hao’s actions with sparkling eyes. By this point, he was thoroughly shaken.

　　It was then that, all of a sudden, the enormous bronze cauldron began to shudder. Within the lightning, Meng Hao seemed on the verge of being torn to pieces. His skin was ripped and torn, and was clearly on the verge of exploding.

　　It was at that point, when he was almost about to explode, that natural law descended and swirled around his head. Now, every inch of Meng Hao’s person… was completely in Dao Seeking!

　　This was a Dao Seeking fleshly body!

　　This Dao Seeking was not as obvious as a Dao Seeking cultivation base. The influence it had on natural law was not very intense. However, from this moment on, Meng Hao’s body was truly like a Dao Seeking treasure.

　　At this point, he could close his eyes and allow any Spirit Severing cultivator to attack him at will, and it wouldn’t harm his body in the least bit.

　　In fact, in all the lands of South Heaven you would be as likely to find a phoenix feather or a qilin horn as you would to find someone with a fleshly body comparable to Meng Hao’s. Not even in the Ji Clan could someone like that be found.

　　This was an extremely powerful fleshly body!

　　Meng Hao lifted his head back and roared. In a short moment, all of the lightning in the area was sucked into his body. It disappeared without leaving behind even the tiniest trace. Meng Hao flew up into the air, and although no lightning could be seen on him, if you looked deep into his eyes, you would be able to sense amorphous lightning deep within.

　　As he hovered there in midair, he cast his senses throughout his body, and could feel how terrifyingly powerful it was. He could even sense some of the natural law of Heaven and Earth. Because this was an ancient Blessed Land, the natural law in this place was different from that of South Heaven. Therefore his aura was now a bit more primordial and chaotic than before.

　　It seemed ancient, filled with the passage of years, and the air he let off was one of boundless time.

　　He took a deep breath and then looked back down at the enormous bronze cauldron, and his eyes flashed. Moments ago, when he had placed his hand onto the cauldron, he had felt a bit of his soul detaching and entering the cauldron.

　　As he looked at it now, he could sense some vague, mysterious connection to it.

　　“Rise!” he said, raising his hand aloft.

　　RUMBLE!

　　The enormous bronze cauldron trembled. Creaking sounds could be heard, and fissures spread across the surrounding terrain, as it slowly rose up into the air, causing vast amounts of dust to spread out in all directions like a cloud.

　　As the cauldron rose into the air, its primordial, ancient aura became more and more similar to Meng Hao’s.

　　The sight of it caused the old man hovering in midair to gasp. He looked deeply at Meng Hao, then glanced down at the second true self standing not far away.

　　“I am not the spirit of the cauldron,” he said lightly. “However, I am its guardian. The truly valuable thing about this treasure is the inner cauldron, which is mysterious in origin. As for the outer cauldron, my master forged it. Now, it belongs to you. Since you have acquired it… it means you are tied to it by destiny. Time will tell whether or not you can use the cauldron to achieve the same glory that my master did.

　　“Now that you have obtained the cauldron, my mission is accomplished….” His eyes began to grow dim, and his body started to fade away.

　　His voice cool, he continued, “I should have perished long ago. That year, I was the lone survivor of the Tribulation Lightning, and my soul did not disperse. Now that my mission is complete, I can experience rebirth….

　　“I will travel to the underworld of the Fourth Mountain and be reincarnated, be born once again as a human. Years from now, perhaps you and I will meet again on the road to Immortality….” He continued to fade away until he was nothing more than dots of light, which began to fly up into the sky, then disappeared.

　　Meng Hao looked in the direction the old man had departed to. He wasn’t sure who he was, but he couldn’t help but think of the tall man he had seen in the vision all those years ago.

　　For a moment, the two of them had seemed quite similar.

　　After a moment of thought, Meng Hao looked back at the enormous cauldron.

　　“Shrink!” he commanded.

　　The huge cauldron thrummed, and then began to shrink. When it was the size of a hand, it floated down to rest on Meng Hao’s palm. As soon as it touched him, lightning surged out from Meng Hao, and he was immersed in electricity.

　　Within the lightning, Meng Hao’s body trembled, and he was able to sense some of the remarkable abilities of the bronze cauldron. It seemed as if this knowledge had suddenly popped into his mind automatically as soon as he touched the cauldron.

　　“Form Displacement Transposition ….” He gaped for a moment, then suddenly pushed down on the cauldron and looked over at his second true self.

　　In that instant, everything suddenly went blurry for a moment. When he could see clearly again, he was shocked to discover that he… was still holding the cauldron, but was now down on the ground where his second true self had just been standing. As for his second true self, he was hovering in midair where Meng Hao had just been.

　　“Incredible!” he thought, his eyes going wide. Panting, he looked down at the Lightning Cauldron, and his eyes shone with a strange light. He could immediately tell that this cauldron would be extremely useful in magical combat.

　　In fact, its usefulness wouldn’t be limited to battle. He could use it in many circumstances. It truly was Heaven-defying.

　　“It has other abilities too,” he thought. “It can unleash lightning, and is also incredibly heavy, capable of carrying out true crushing!

　　“Furthermore, it was created in ancient times. The sturdiness of the materials used make it is such that other magical items can’t even compare!” His eyes flickered as he suddenly thought of the statues inside the Lightning Cauldron, as well as the inner cauldron.

　　“This is truly a precious treasure!” he thought, breathing heavily. He put the Lightning Cauldron into his bag of holding, then flew up into the air. Together with his second true self, he shot off into the distance.

　　Moments later, he teleported out of the ancient Blessed Land and found himself once again on the lotus-shaped platform deep in the recesses of the former Black Sieve Sect. The door was no longer operational, and broke into tiny pieces, which then vanished.

　　Meng Hao glanced back at the disappearing door, then shot up out from within the earth. The Blood Demon Sect disciples were waiting outside, and when they caught sight of Meng Hao, they clasped hands and bowed.

　　“Blood Prince, we welcome you back with deep respect!”

　　The two Ironblood Patriarchs could sense that there was something different about Meng Hao, although they weren’t sure exactly what it was. As for the Golden Frost Sect Patriarch and the 3rd Li Clan Patriarch, they were now Blood Clone puppets, and had no way to tell.

　　When it came to the hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators, not a single one could pick up on even the slightest clue. All they could tell was that Meng Hao… somehow seemed stronger, and more ancient.

　　“The Black Sieve Sect is destroyed,” declared Meng Hao, looking around at the crowds of people. “Next… is the Solitary Sword Sect!”

　　“The Solitary Sword Sect!” The forces of the Blood Demon Sect flickered with killing intent, and their desire to slaughter burned like wildfire. The hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators were also getting excited.

　　“He’s actually going to completely wipe out the four powers who allied against him!!”

　　“If the Blood Demon Sect does that, then they really will unite the Southern Domain!”

　　Even as the hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators expressed their shock, a glow like that of lightning appeared beneath Meng Hao’s feet, and he shot off into the distance, followed by countless beams of light that were the Blood Demon Sect disciples.

　　Several days later, the sky outside the Solitary Sword Sect began to rumble. The clouds collapsed as a mighty gale-force wind swept through the area. A storm seemed to be gathering above the Solitary Sword Sect.

　　The sect was completely sealed up. Disciples inside were not permitted to leave, and the entire sect was poised as if to face a mortal enemy. Everything was sealed to protect against reprisals from the Blood Demon Sect.

　　The mood in the Solitary Sword Sect was gloomy and distressed. Everyone was nervous. There were only a few tens of thousands of disciples left, and all of them were on edge. The sect’s Dao Seeking Patriarch was dead, and the strongest people in the entire sect were their three Spirit Severing Cultivators, including Sir Jian. 1

　　When they saw the beams of light flying through the air that were the Blood Demon Sect, they knew that they could do nothing to fight back. They could only hope that their grand spell formation, designed to protect the sect, would be able to stand up to the revenge-bent Blood Demon Sect.

　　The air outside the sect rippled as tens of thousands of beams of light approached. Meng Hao was in the vanguard position, and the murderous air around him was thick. His eyes flashed with killing intent as he glanced over the Solitary Sword Sect.

　　In this part of the Southern Domain, the mountains stuck straight up like swords. In the middle of the sect was a shocking mountain surrounded by thin mist. Looking through the mist at the sect, it appeared to be completely bleak and desolate.

　　Although the mist appeared to be thin, it was actually the first spell formation of the Solitary Sword Sect’s grand spell formation.

　　The Blood Demon Sect disciples behind Meng Hao joined their voices together into a raging sound that boomed like waves through the Solitary Sword Sect.

　　“SURRENDER, OR DIE!”

　　There was no response. However, the thin mist that surrounded the Solitary Sword Sect began to spin, transforming into numerous swirling dragons. The dragons rapidly merged together, shockingly forming… an enormous Sword Dragon!

　　The dragon was lizard-like, and gigantic enough to cover the entire sect. Its back was covered with innumerable great swords that stuck up like needles. It was green, and shocking to the extreme. As soon as it appeared, it raised its head up and roared at Meng Hao. 2

　　Meng Hao’s eyes flickered with coldness. He slapped his bag of holding with his right hand, and the Lightning Cauldron flew out. It thrummed, expanding rapidly until it was the size of a mountain. Endless bolts of lightning shot out from it, causing the entire sky to become a world of lightning.

　　A shocking pressure weighed down, and the sight of the cauldron caused Sir Jian and the other two Spirit Severing Patriarchs to become extremely nervous. As for the other disciples, they were shocked to the core.

　　However, there was one man off in a far corner of the Sect who did not seem nervous at all. He looked almost like an old man, but was in fact middle-aged. He had a stubbly beard, and looked lonely. Although he was a Solitary Sword Sect disciple, he wore no sword at his side.

　　The only thing he had was a flagon of alcohol from which he drank. He stared at what first seemed like an ordinary boulder that rested a bit further up the mountain from him. However, upon closer inspection… a person was visible inside the boulder. That same person existed for all eternity in his heart.

　　“Junior Brother,” the man said. “Kill them…. Kill everyone in the Solitary Sword Sect. Avenge my master, and pay for my crimes.” With a bitter smile, he took another long swig of alcohol.

　　As the shocking Lightning Cauldron expanded in size, more and more lightning appeared, causing everything to tremble.

　　The Blood Demon Sect disciples, as well as the hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators that came to observe, were all flabbergasted. They looked on in awe as the Lightning Cauldron sped toward the Solitary Sword Sect’s Sword Dragon.

　　RUMBLE!

　　“Stand firm!” roared Sir Jian.

　　“All disciples, pour full energy into the spell formation!” cried another of the three Solitary Sword Sect Patriarchs.

　　Tens of thousands of disciples gritted their teeth and poured all of their energy into the spell formation. Instantly, the Sword Dragon looked even more corporeal than before.

　　Everyone watched as the Lightning Cauldron descended toward the Sword Dragon, which roared and then charged up to meet the Lightning Cauldron in mid-air.

　　Shocking booming sounds rang out.

　　Gasps rang out in all directions when the Sword Dragon slammed into the Lightning Cauldron, only to begin to shatter into pieces! It was incapable of standing up to the Lightning Cauldron in even the slightest capacity, and its entire body collapsed into fragments in only the blink of an eye….

　　It was destroyed as easily as crushing dry weeds!

　　—–

　　This chapter was sponsored by Joseph Small, SongJaeGu, and LB

　　1. Sir Jian was introduced in chapter 715. He was among the people who ganged up on the Blood Demon Sect Patriarchs while Meng Hao was missing. After Meng Hao returned, he was quickly cowed. If you recall, in chapter 717 Meng Hao had a staring contest with Gu Tianxiang, and Sir Jian got caught in the middle, and was injured

　　2. “Sword Dragon” could also be translated stegosaurus. However, I have seen Chinese art in which such creatures are not stegosauruses. Although there is no way to know exactly what Er Gen envisioned (he did describe it as having swords sticking out of its back and looking like a lizard), I decided to go with the more literal translation of the characters. Also, there is an obvious connection to the name of the sect, so it seems apropos