Chapter 745: Peak!

　　In Blood Prince Gorge, Meng Hao’s second true self sat cross-legged inside the log cabin. Moments ago, not a scrap of any sort of aura could be detected on him. He almost seemed dead, like a statue.

　　Now, though, his eyes snapped opened, and a shocking iciness could be seen within them.

　　Gradually, a feeling like that of an Immortal could be sensed emanating out from him. The look in his eyes was different from that of Meng Hao, but his body was clearly the same.

　　The soul was like a sword, and the body the sheath. The power hidden within… was the ‘self’ from the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao!

　　Cultivation base ripples suddenly exploded out from it.

　　In the blink of an eye, they filled all of Blood Prince Gorge. As the second true self took a breath, the ripples were once again drawn back, bottled up inside.

　　The body was the Dao, and the soul was blade. A sharp blade hidden in a great Dao!

　　In that same moment, all of the vegetation in Blood Prince Gorge withered up and died. A sinister coldness, along with a terrifying aura, circulated around the second true self.

　　He looked up and then slowly… raised his right hand toward the sky above Blood Prince Gorge.

　　In that moment, it seemed as if time itself stopped.

　　Outside the valley, Meng Hao sat with eyes closed, his consciousness spread out in all directions. Next to him, the wooden sword trembled, and then suddenly seemed to sense something. Next, it shot out toward the final remaining layer of the shield.

　　As it emerged from within the shield, it blossomed with a radiant glow that was… the power of Time!

　　Time was like a river that suddenly poured out from within the sword!

　　100 years. 1,000 years. 5,000 years…. 10,000 years!

　　Ten thousand years of time swept out from the wooden sword, transforming into distortions in the air. Time suddenly stopped, causing the incoming Dao Seeking sword to… come to a halt in midair.

　　Apparently, in order to pass through the river of Time, it would have to pass through 10,000 years!

　　The Blood Demon Sect disciples were shocked by what they saw, and the more than 100,000 cultivators outside the shield were equally astonished. All eyes were now focused on the wooden sword.

　　The eyes of the black-robed Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch were completely bloodshot. Fury was rekindled, and raged in his heart; this wooden sword was the precious treasure of the Solitary Sword Sect, and had been worshiped by the sect for countless years. Even still, he could never have possibly guessed that the sword actually concealed such incredible Time power!

　　Although he had seen signs of it when the bamboo sword split apart earlier, it had quickly changed owners, and he had been disinclined to consider the matter further. By now, his heart was consumed with frustration and rage.

　　Now that he could sense the power of Time on the wooden sword, the Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch was incapable of suppressing his fury. He roared and pushed his cultivation base even harder. Peak Dao Seeking energy, bolstered by the burning of his longevity, immediately surged out.

　　His entire person resembled a shooting star or, perhaps, a razor-sharp sword that flickered through the air to appear next to the wooden sword. Bucking directly against the river of Time power, he stretched his hand out to grab the wooden sword.

　　“Get back here!” he bellowed.

　　However, as soon as he stretched out his hand and touched the sword… Meng Hao’s second true self stood up in Blood Prince Valley. He took a step forward and then suddenly appeared outside the shield, next to the wooden sword. His hand slowly lifted up to grasp the sword by the hilt.

　　His robe was black, as was his hair, and he was very thin, but clearly had exactly the same facial features as Meng Hao. However, the feeling people got when they looked at him was not the feeling one got when looking at a person. This second true self was as cold as ice, and as he hovered there, he emanated a supremely haughty air, as if he looked down with contempt at every living thing.

　　His appearance on the scene immediately caused the Blood Demon disciples to be filled with shock. Panting, they looked back and forth between Meng Hao and his second true self, their expressions blank.

　　The more than 100,000 cultivators in the outside world were equally as astonished.

　　“A clone?” Those were the words that immediately appeared in everyone’s minds.

　　“A mere clone?” said the Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch, his eyes widening. “Die you trifling….” He was just about to unleash a divine ability when suddenly, he began to tremble, and his eyes went wide with disbelief and shock.

　　He wasn’t the only astonished one; the surrounding enemy cultivators were all dumbstruck.

　　Even the Blood Demon Sect disciples were thoroughly stunned.

　　Because….

　　The instant that Meng Hao’s second true self gripped the wooden sword, his cultivation base began to erupt out from within.

　　First Severing. Second Severing. Third Severing…. Early Dao Seeking!

　　Intense rumbling filled Heaven and Earth as the cultivation base of Meng Hao’s second true self roared up. Mid Dao Seeking. Late Dao Seeking…. It went all the way to the peak of Dao Seeking!!

　　This development sent the entire battlefield into chaos!

　　Merely stepping into Dao Seeking put one on the level of a sect Patriarch, and as for peak Dao Seeking… they were the truly powerful experts, the strongest force of even the largest sects!

　　They would even be considered part of that sect’s Dao Reserve!

　　In the entire Southern Domain, there were not even ten people who were at the peak of Dao Seeking!

　　In all of Planet South Heaven, less than a hundred peak Dao Seeking experts existed!

　　Any peak Dao Seeking cultivator could take a step forward and become a false Immortal!

　　As of this moment, Meng Hao’s second true self was firmly in the peak Dao Seeking stage, something that would certainly shock and astonish anyone watching.

　　The buzz of conversation immediately rose up.

　　“How is this possible!?!?”

　　“Peak Dao Seeking! That’s definitely peak Dao Seeking. This is the same feeling I get from our sect’s Patriarch! Except… even stronger!!”

　　“Meng Hao, Meng Hao…. No matter how this battle ends, there is a new powerful expert in the lands of South Heaven, and that is Meng Hao!”

　　“How did he create a clone like that? If his clone is at peak Dao Seeking, then his true self is definitely destined to have a peak Dao Seeking cultivation base!”

　　One change after another on the part of Meng Hao caused their souls to feel shocked. Everything that happened was something they would never be able to forget.

　　The Blood Demon Sect disciples excitedly began to call out.

　　“Blood Prince!!”

　　“Blood Prince!!”

　　At the same time, Patriarch Blood Demon and the others up in midair were also shocked, especially the red-haired Patriarch from the Golden Frost Sect and the 3rd Li Clan Patriarch.

　　“Dammit!! How can that kid have a peak Dao Seeking clone!?!?”

　　The eyes of the Dawn Immortal’s clone widened. She knew Meng Hao was no ordinary person, but this development left her deeply shocked. In fact, this was the first time he truly astonished her to such an indescribable degree.

　　Patriarch Blood Demon’s eyes swept over the land, and a profound look flickered within.

　　The black-robed Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch’s eyes flickered. Suppressing his shock, he gritted his teeth and said, “Peak Dao Seeking? What’s the big deal? I’m also peak Dao Seeking!”

　　He stretched out his hand in an incantation gesture, immediately causing more than 10,000 streams of sword light to swirl around him.

　　Heaven and Earth dimmed, and the clouds churned. The streams of sword light swirled about, making it seem as if the entire area were a world of swords.

　　The black-robed Patriarch pointed at Meng Hao’s second true self, causing the sword lights to all shoot directly toward him!

　　The second true self hovered in midair, his black hair swirling, his expression cold. He held the wooden sword gripped in his right hand, and his eyes flickered. Suddenly, he squeezed his hand down.

　　Immediately, the wooden sword trembled, and began to drone. In the blink of an eye, it began to emit endless amounts of Time power!

　　10,000 years. 20,000 years. 30,000 years….

　　The power of Time exploded out, accompanied by the excited droning of the wooden sword, to echo out in all directions. It was in this moment that, at long last, the true power of the wooden sword could finally be revealed.

　　What was happening right now was something that even Meng Hao could not do. Only his second true self, with its peak Dao Seeking cultivation base, could unleash the power of the wooden sword in this way.

　　40,000 years. 50,000 years….

　　Everything shook above and below. A river of Time swept out around the second true self, a sight completely shocking to the eyes. As for the 10,000 incoming beams of sword light, they suddenly stopped in place, incapable of moving forward even an inch.

　　What was blocking their way was the passage of time!

　　The black-robed Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch’s face fell, and a sense of danger welled up in his heart. At the same time, the more than 100,000 enemy cultivators were all flabbergasted.

　　Up in midair, the red-haired Golden Frost Sect Patriarch and the 13th Li Clan Patriarch, were equally shaken.

　　The second true self hovered in mid-air, black hair and black robes fluttering. The sword in its hand still was not finished!

　　Boom!

　　60,000 years!!

　　The moment the river of Time surged with 60,000 years of Time power, the second true self sprang into action.

　　He swiped the sword out, and the 10,000 streams of sword light instantly vanished. In the blink of an eye, they passed through 60,000 years, and no longer existed.

　　“Impossible!!” gasped the black-robed Patriarch. His astonishment had reached a pinnacle, and he finally backed up at top speed. However, the power of Time still brushed against him, and his body withered. In the blink of an eye, he seemed at least 10,000 years older. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his clothes seemed to decay. His face was waxen, his expression had turned from amazement to terror.

　　He could feel the shadow of death looming over him, as if he might die at any moment.

　　The second true self gripped the wooden sword, and its power was shocking. It could clearly battle the peak of Dao Seeking with no problem.

　　“Immortal’s soul!” exclaimed the Solitary Sword Sect’s Patriarch. “This clone is emanating the ripples of an Immortal’s soul!!”

　　Even as the words left his mouth, the second true self stepped forward, and Time turned into a wind that swept out like a river. Everywhere it passed, living things rotted and decayed.

　　RUMBLE!!

　　The sword slashed, and the Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body withered significantly, and his eyes shone with terror. He looked at the approaching second true self, and fell back again. He waved his hand and, astonishingly, tens of thousands of beams of sword light shot out in defense.

　　Rumbling echoed out as the sword lights were crushed like rotten wood in the face of the second true self. He raised his hand, and swung the wooden sword a third time. 60,000 years of Time power surged forth.

　　Everything shook, and the sense of danger in the Solitary Sword Sect Patriarch’s mind grew even more intense. He shot back toward the more than 100,000 cultivators, suddenly waving his hands down toward the ground. Immediately numerous cultivators were swept up, completely unable to control their own bodies as they were thrown back to block the wooden sword’s Time power.

　　—–

　　This chapter was sponsored by Rafael Ramirez and XKT