Chapter 631: False Immortals and True Immortals

　　“Whose entire life, bitch?” said Meng Hao, his killing intent boiling. The Sword Qi descended, slashing down toward the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch, who was currently enveloped by the power of the Agarwood.

　　Rumbling climbed up into the sky as the Sword Qi neared. However, it was then that a black wind suddenly sprung up around the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch. The wind rapidly condensed into a shocking black dragon.

　　The black dragon opened its mouth and a roaring wind emerged that fought back against the power of the Agarwood. The cage appeared to be instantly diffused; at the same time, drops of rain appeared out of nowhere. More and more appeared, transforming into a rain that filled the entire sky and then shot toward the Sword Qi.

　　A massive boom could be heard that shook everything. Blood poured out of Meng Hao’s mouth, and he fell back. Without looking back to see what had happened, he retrieved the teleportation jade slip that he had acquired from Patriarch Reliance that year, and squeezed it between his fingers.

　　The jade slip had been on the verge of shattering years ago. Strangely, though, after not having used it for so long, it had slowly repaired itself, and was now much more solid.

　　Glittering light spread out. Because of the current level of Meng Hao’s Cultivation base, the time needed to activate the teleportation power was much less. It only took the space of seven or eight breaths to succeed, and then he began to teleport away.

　　After Meng Hao disappeared, the roaring and booming in the area faded away. The Wang Clan Patriarch slowly moved forward, his body gradually becoming more blurry, and occasionally glittering with light. A huge gash could be seen stretching from his head all the way down through the rest of his body, splitting him entirely in half. He seemed to be forcing the two halves to remain together.

　　He didn’t seem to recognize any sort of pain as he watched Meng Hao disappearing. His eyes glittered with a mysterious light, and he smiled. Because his body had been split in two, however, the smile looked exceedingly savage and horrible.

　　“I underestimated you, child. It turns out you have a real precious treasure….

　　“However, you can’t evade me.” Even as he smiled that horrific smile, the Wang Clan Patriarch’s body grew completely blurry. Gradually, it turned into a wisp of aura, which then dissipated into the surroundings.

　　At the same time, in the mountains of the Wang Clan in the Southern Domain, the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch’s true self lay in a coffin in the tomb underneath the 10th mountain. His eyes opened.

　　A strange light glowed within as he looked up at the cliffs stretching up above him. He began to chuckle hoarsely.

　　“If it weren’t for the fact that I used the power of my true self to interfere with the Ji Clan to hide that child’s Perfect foundation, they definitely would have noticed. At some point throughout the years, they would definitely have discovered him and successfully stolen him away. If I had been able to use the power of my true self this time, I would have succeeded.

　　However, the Perfect Dao foundation has matured, and is ripe for the plucking. Even though I still can’t venture out with my true self, a clone will still do the trick. That Sword Qi was obviously gifted by an outsider. How many times can he use it? Perhaps he’s already reached the point where he can’t.” The 10th Wang Clan Patriarch shook his head and smiled. A ghost image suddenly appeared over him. In the blink of an eye, an illusory body rose up to float in mid-air. As it grew clearer and clearer, it started to resemble the Wang Clan Patriarch in all respects.

　　The clone’s hand flickered in an incantation, and after a moment, he frowned.

　　“Near the Milky Way Sea….

　　“The Milky Way Sea is a restricted area for the Dao Seeking stage….” The 10th Wang Clan Patriarch’s Clone hesitated for a moment. Then his expression returned to normal. His eyes flashed as he slowly began to grow blurry.

　　On the edge of the Western Desert, between the Violet Sea and the Milky Way Sea, was a border region that stretched farther than the eye could see. That border region was actually nothing more than a wall-like mass of soil. On one side, the water was violet, the other side, the water was blue, making the difference between the Violet Sea and the Milky Way Sea clearcut!

　　In a particular area in that border region, a huge black vortex suddenly appeared in mid-air. Meng Hao staggered out from the middle of the vortex, blood spraying from his mouth.

　　The blood was pitch-black, and filled with rot. Meng Hao’s face was pale, and his entire body was covered by a thin membrane, which was nothing other than the meat jelly, helping him to prevent his body from completely exploding.

　　However, Meng Hao could still sense his body slowly decaying. The feeling of imminent death grew stronger and stronger.

　　“10th… Wang… Clan… PATRIARCH!!” Monstrous killing intent boiled in Meng Hao’s eyes. He gritted his teeth as more blood oozed out of his mouth. This was was virtually the worst injury he had ever sustained in all his years as a Cultivator.

　　“That bastard was just a step away from being a false Immortal,” squawked the parrot angrily, flapping its wings. “How could he be so shameless! Bitch! He actually attacked you, Meng Hao! Dammit! Lord Fifth was viciously sealed that year, otherwise, it wouldn’t matter that the bastard didn’t have fur or feathers, I would have popped him anyway!”

　　“What’s a false Immortal?” asked Meng Hao. His hand was pushed up against his chest as intense pain wracked his entire body. Gradually, a violet light appeared in his eyes as he drew upon his longevity to heal himself.

　　“False Immortals are low-lifes who can never experience the luck to reach Immortal Ascension!” raged the parrot. “They don’t have their own Dao, and yet, they refuse to die. In their unyieldingness, they conform themselves to the Dao of another, and use that to become Immortal. That’s a false Immortal!

　　“Some people would rather die than become a false Immortal who belongs to someone else. Others, in order to avoid death, will pay any price. The latter are basically betrayers of the Dao!

　　“In the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the greatest of the false Immortals are the Ji Clan. The Ji Clan changed the Heavens, and their Immortals are all false Immortals, and also the strongest of all the false Immortals!

　　“Next are all the various Clans and Sects. After gaining enlightenment of the Daos of their ancestors, they trod the path of the false Immortal!” This time, the parrot didn’t hold any information back.

　　Meng Hao silently considered all of this. He had come to find that the Violet Pupil Transformation was becoming less and less effective in healing himself, and didn’t heal as quickly as before. Although it still worked, it was far, far too slow. His heart sank.

　　“Some people with high aspirations, those who truly strive after the Dao, who live in the morning and die in the evening, would rather acquire their own personal Dao. Such people can face death willingly.

　　“When people like that succeed, they are true Immortals!

　　“However, after the Ji Clan changed the Heavens, true Immortals are seldom seen. Perhaps every thousand years, one might appear on any given planet. Only on the four great planets can the Dao be confirmed and Immortal Ascension achieved. Once someone reaches Immortal Ascension on a planet, then in the next thousand years, a second person may not. Therefore, to say that in ten thousand years in the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea, a few dozen true Immortals appear, would be an overstatement.

　　“When you add in True Immortal Tribulation, the number of true Immortals who can survive in the four great planets won’t exceed ten!” By this point in its speech, the parrot sounded grieved and indignant.

　　“True Immortal Tribulation?” asked Meng Hao. He sent his Divine Sense into the blood-colored mask. When he saw that the mastiff was there recovering, he breathed a sigh of relief.

　　“Those who wish to search for their own Dao and become true Immortals must face it. Succeed, and it is inconsequential. Fail, and they perish to become a natural law of Heaven and Earth.

　　“Success mean ascension to being a true Immortal. Afterwards, when any Immortal Tribulation falls, that person will rise to prominence. Other than another true Immortal, no one else could possibly be a match.” It was hard to tell what exactly the parrot was thinking, but all of a sudden, its tone was gloomy.

　　Meng Hao’s eyes flickered as he looked at the parrot and then asked another question. “That 10th Wang Clan Patriarch said something about a Perfect Dao foundation. What did he mean?”

　　“You cultivate the Sublime Spirit Scripture. Although I don’t understand too much about it, I do know that it’s one of the three classic scriptures. If you cultivate it to completion, you will be a Sublime Spirit Doyen!

　　“However, the Perfect stratum lies only beneath Spirit Severing. That is, Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul, four stages. As for how to cultivate it after that, nobody knows except for past generations of Sublime Spirit Doyens.

　　“As for the Perfect Dao foundation, that is something that only those who cultivate the Sublime Spirit Scripture are qualified to have. Furthermore, anyone with such qualifications will have a much, much greater chance of reaching true Immortal Ascension.

　　“As far as false Immortals are concerned, if they can acquire your Dao foundation, then it means they would have another chance to make a choice! With enough experience and preparation, they might be able to change their path from that of false Immortal to the realm of the true Immortal!

　　“Most importantly, possessing a Perfect Dao foundation means that if you fail in true Immortal Ascension, then you won’t perish! You can shed your Dao foundation and escape death that one time!”

　　After hearing this explanation, Meng Hao now understood everything that the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch had said.

　　He also understood why the Ji Clan had virtually never come looking for him. Most likely, many threats that he didn’t even know about had been resolved in secret by the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch.

　　He was like a Dao Protector. Except, his purpose in protecting Meng Hao was to steal his Dao foundation!

　　“What happens if my Dao foundation gets taken away?” asked Meng Hao slowly, a profound gleam swirling deep in his eyes.

　　The parrot thought for a moment, then replied in a low voice, “If a tower has no foundation, what happens?”

　　“It collapses,” replied Meng Hao coolly. “It’s unstable and is destroyed.”

　　“The same would happen to you. If someone steals your Dao foundation, then you’ll die.”

　　“Meng Hao, get out of here!” cried the parrot anxiously. “That bastard definitely got away. From what he said, he set you up as a Dao seed long ago. Flee! Flee until you’ve grown up a bit more!

　　“As for your aura, the meat jelly can conceal it. If the Wang Patriarch finds you any time soon, it won’t be a good thing!”

　　Meng Hao stood there silently, indescribable emotions stirring him into a somewhat vicious mood. Gradually, his lips twisted into a cold smile.

　　He knew that compared to the Wang Clan Patriarch, he was nothing more than a bug. However, his heart still thumped with viciousness. Now that this matter had been raised, it would not fade away. Instead, it had turned into something like a seed.

　　It was like a seed that was buried deep in the recesses of his heart.

　　“I came to understand the law of the jungle a long time ago,” Meng Hao muttered to himself. “One day, I will achieve my Dao, and the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch will die. If the Wang Clan gets in my way, then when I have my own great Dao…

　　“I will ensure that the Southern Domain has no more Wang Clan, ever!” Filled with determination, the viciousness in his heart once again surged.

　　He took a deep breath and looked around. Then, he looked off in the direction of the Milky Way Sea, his eyes glittering. He began to fly at top speed, healing himself at the same time.

　　Eventually, he reached the invisible wall that completely separated the Violet Sea and the Milky Way Sea. He slammed into it, and then pierced directly through it. A fishy, sea aroma filled the air. This… was the Milky Way Sea!

　　A boundless sea surged in all directions. Off in the distance, the sun was setting. In the glow of twilight, all that could be seen were beautiful waves and a deep orange glow.

　　“I need to be cautious in all matters, prepared for all contingencies….” He lifted up his hand, within which was the teleportation jade slip. It was definitely on the verge of shattering now. After a moment’s hesitation, his eyes filled with determination and he pressed down. Based on his understanding from previous usage of the item, he could tell that the teleportation distance was determined by how much Cultivation base power was sent into it.

　　He pushed down hard and, a moment later, a black vortex appeared around him. He was sucked in, and then disappeared.

　　After he vanished, enough time passed for an incense stick to burn. Suddenly distortions appeared in the air in the position he had just left from. A moment later, the image of the 10th Wang Clan Patriarch emerged. He looked around and then frowned.

　　“Very crafty, child,” he said coolly. “Your aura disappears from here. However, I’ve already determined that you are in the Milky Way Sea.

　　“You can’t evade me. Your Perfect Dao foundation belongs to me. You may enjoy hiding yourself, but I will find you.” With that, his body flickered, and he vanished.

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　　This chapter was sponsored by ExtremeGTP, Metalduck, and Zameel Mejia