Chapter 558: In One Thousand Years, One Person Can Reach Immortal Ascension

　　“How dare you!!” roared Patriarch Huyan. His body flickered as he shook off the power of the time reversal and then shattered Meng Hao’s Eighth Demon Sealing Hex.

　　Patriarch Huyan’s eyes were filled with scorn. He actually wasn’t worried about the snake bone whip being taken away. It had been refined from a bloodline ancestor of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe. Other than people of that particular bloodline, no one could use it.

　　Even back in the time before the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe had been eradicated, Patriarch Huyan would still have been the only one qualified to activate the bloodline power to use the precious treasure.

　　There was no need to even mention the current circumstances.

　　Therefore, Patriarch Huyan wasn’t anxious at all. In fact, he acted a bit playfully, ignoring the snake bone whip and instead raising his right hand to summon a divine ability which then shot directly toward Meng Hao.

　　Backlash from the Wheel of Time and the Eighth Hex slammed into Meng Hao, causing blood to spray from his mouth. His face was pale as his Blood Immortal Spirit Severing state vanished. The blood-colored mask fell off of his face, and the weakened mastiff appeared. Meng Hao’s Cultivation base dropped from Spirit Severing back into the Seventh Anima.

　　However, the expression of determination and resolve on his face did not lessen, but rather, grew more intense. He closed in on the snake bone whip and then grabbed it, the first person to have ever done so.

　　The instant he touched it, his heart trembled. An intense tremor ran through his body, the source being the snake bone whip. Having examined him and found that he didn’t possess the requisite bloodline to control it, it seemed to feel as if it were tainted. The entire whip filled with a shocking, explosive power of destruction.

　　“Looking to kill yourself, huh?” said Patriarch Huyan, his scorn deepening. His divine ability spread out, clearly on the verge of slamming into Meng Hao.

　　The surrounding Spirit Severing experts were all confused. When the Cultivators observing throughout the Black Lands saw what was happening, expressions of disbelief appeared on their faces.

　　“What is he doing?” thought Duo Lan. “Why would he possibly decide to do that?!”

　　Zhou Dekun was growing increasingly nervous, and was almost unable to restrain himself from shouting out. “Junior Brother, what’s wrong with you? Aiiiii, how could you be so insensible! Of what use is that whip to you?”

　　Xu Bai’s eyes were wide and Chen Mo’s pupils constricted. They exchanged a glance, and could instantly see the confusion in each other’s eyes.

　　“From what I know of him,” said Xu Bai in a resolute voice that could sever nails and chop iron, “he never takes action unless he’s confident of success!”

　　A tremor ran through Chen Mo’s heart. “Don’t tell me… he actually has a way to use the Heavenly Pursuit snake bone whip!?” Such a possibility seemed inconceivable. “Even if he does, how could he possibly evade Patriarch Huyan’s current deadly counterattack?”

　　Even as everyone was shocked, even as the backlash from the snake bone whip surged, even as Patriarch Huyan’s divine ability closed in… Meng Hao suddenly slapped his bag of holding to produce his Demon Spirit.

　　He violently crushed it, causing the Demon Spirit to explode into innumerable dots of glittering light that spread out to cover his body. As for the parrot and meat jelly, they had disappeared into the copper mirror as soon as the fight began, so the light also covered them as well.

　　It spread out to the mastiff too, and they all began to turn transparent.

　　The backlash from the snake bone whip pierced through the air, passing completely through Meng Hao. Patriarch Huyan’s divine ability actually reached him, but by that time, he was illusory, so it passed directly through.

　　The surrounding streams of Spirit Severing Divine Sense were thoroughly shaken. They watched as Meng Hao rapidly vanished, along with the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe’s precious treasure.

　　The experts from the other Black Lands Tribes who were watching on various screens all gasped. Strange light shone from their eyes. All of a sudden, they were struck even more deeply than before by Meng Hao’s methods.

　　“So, that was his plan!” said Chen Mo, his eyes narrowing. Inwardly, he had to admit that Meng Hao’s tactics were excellently planned.

　　Xu Bai said nothing, but inwardly, he mused, “Maybe he simply wanted the whip. Or, more likely, since he knew the battle was about to end, he took it as a means of ensuring the safety of the Golden Crow Tribe.”

　　Zhou Dekun breathed a sigh of relief. As for Zhao Fang of the great Cloud Sky Tribe, he was mentally shaken and his expression flickered. He looked down at his bag of holding as his own Demon Spirit flew out. It transformed into dots of flickering light which began to surround his body.

　　A Demon Spirit also flew out in front of Duo Lan. The glittering lights slowly spread out over her body, causing her to fade away. The power of teleportation emanated out all around her.

　　Meanwhile, back where Meng Hao and Patriarch Huyan were fighting….

　　As Meng Hao slowly disappeared, he looked at Patriarch Huyan and calmly said, “Patriarch Huyan, it would be impolite of me to refuse your gift. You also have a Demon Spirit. I’ll be waiting for you in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane to continue our battle!”

　　Patriarch Huyan glared at him with bloodshot eyes. His desire to kill grew even more intense. The Heavenly Pursuit snake bone whip was a precious treasure of the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe, and had been intended as a trump card for use in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane.

　　In fact, one of his main goals in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane had been to find a similar article that could be used alonside the whip. Together, those two items would help him to begin looking for clues regarding his Second Severing.

　　By now, Patriarch Huyan’s fury was at a pinnacle, and his hatred had seeped into his bones. Not only had Meng Hao stolen the Wheel of Time from his clone, but had also stolen this precious treasure from his true self.

　　For these things to happen to a Spirit Severing Cultivator, and in front of all those other Cultivators from the Black Lands, was a galling shame and a deep humiliation.

　　He suppressed his rage and coldly said, “Taking my treasure? I’ll eradicate your Golden Crow Tribe!”

　　“Too late,” replied Meng Hao coolly. Patriarch Huyan’s face flickered as, of its own volition, his Demon Spirit flew out of his bag of holding, radiating rapid pulses of light. It transformed into countless dots of glittering light which enveloped Patriarch Huyan and caused him to begin to fade away.

　　“By the way,” continued Meng Hao, “contact with the Demon Spirit makes the teleportation power activate faster.”

　　Patriarch Huyan breathed in deeply, his expression calm as he stared deeply at Meng Hao. Without another word, his body flickered as more power of teleportation surged. Then, in the blink of an eye, he activated the teleportation, transforming into a beam of light that shot upward and then disappeared amidst a surge of teleportation ripples that spread out in all directions.

　　The look he gave Meng Hao before disappearing caused Meng Hao’s brow to furrow.

　　It was at this point that a voice transmitted by Divine Will could be heard in Meng Hao’s mind. It came from the direction of the streams of Spirit Severing Divine Sense, and belonged to none other than the red-robed boy from the great Cloud Sky Tribe.

　　“Fellow Daoist Meng, please proceed without worry. I will watch over the Golden Crow Tribe for the time being.”

　　By this point, Meng Hao’s body was more than half faded. He was unable to control the speed with which he moved upward, so he was forced to look down toward the collection of Spirit Severing Divine Sense streams.

　　“I’ve grown old,” said the voice, “and I’ve long since given up on the thought of performing my Second Severing. I just hope that the great Cloud Sky Tribe will continue on as long as I live, and that I will have the chance to see someone else reach the Second Severing.

　　“I’ll help you by taking care of the Golden Crow Tribe. With me around, no one will dare to provoke them. However, you must promise me that while you are in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane, you will take care of my… Holy Son Zhao Fang!

　　Meng Hao was silent for a moment. Then, just before rocketing up into the Heavens, he responded via Divine Will: “I will take no responsibility for his death if the situation exceeds my capabilities!”

　　“Just take care of him as best you can,” responded the red-robed boy, his tone casual. “I trust that you will keep your word.”

　　Meng Hao didn’t respond. He would by no means refuse such an offer. A rumbling sound could be heard as he was propelled up at high speed into the boundless sky. In the last moment before he disappeared, he looked back down at the lands beneath.

　　He could see the Black Lands, including the area occupied by the Golden Crow Tribe. At the same time, he could also see four bright beams of light shooting up into the air at high speed.

　　One of those beams of light contained Zhao Fang of the great Cloud Sky Tribe. Another was Duo Lan of the Demon Butterfly Tribe, with whom Meng Hao was somewhat familiar. The third was an old man.

　　There didn’t seem to be anything special about the old man, but, shockingly, he was of the Spirit Severing stage. Strangest of all, he was not flying up from the Black Lands, but rather, a position in the Southern Domain where it bordered the Black Lands!

　　The fourth beam of light came up from some distance away in the Western Desert Violet Sea. Meng Hao couldn’t see who was inside, but in his estimation, it was most likely Zhixiang.

　　He looked away. It was at this moment, just before he disappeared, that a tremor ran through his mind as he looked toward the Southern Domain.

　　From that direction, Meng Hao could see a fifth beam of light. However, it was so far away, that he was unable to see clearly who was inside.

　　However, he had the faint sense that there was not just one beam of teleportation light rising up from the Southern Domain. There were more.

　　“I wonder who from the Southern Domain will be going to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane….” Meng Hao was curious, even excited at the prospect of encountering some of his old friends. It was at this moment that he completely vanished.

　　Although Meng Hao couldn’t sense it, people were teleporting from more regions than just the Southern Domain and the Black Lands. In the vast Eastern Lands, beams of light were also visible, shooting up into the sky.

　　Three came from… the Fang Clan!

　　In the beams of light shooting up from the Fang Clan were two men and one woman. The woman was none other than the one who had left a deep impression on Meng Hao. It was violent-tempered, overbearing… Fang Yu! 1

　　In the Ji Clan ancestral mansion, an illusory youth stood atop the highest point of the main temple, looking down at a group of nine people, five men and four women, all of whom wore expressions of deep respect. A sparkling Demon Spirit glow was currently beginning to surround them. The power of teleportation rumbled loudly, but the gaze of the illusory youth prevented them from moving upward even a bit.

　　“The Primordial Demon Immortal Plane opens once every thousand years,” he said. “Because of the Western Desert Violet Sea, only Cultivators from the lands of South Heaven can participate, not anyone from the other three planets. The opening of this ancient plane also indicates that the millennial struggle for Immortality has begun.

　　“According to the rules of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, on each planet, every one thousand years, one person is permitted to achieve Immortal Ascension!

　　“When the struggle for Immortality begins, the Immortality Bestowal Dais will slowly awaken. It will automatically suppress the various Dao Seeking experts, using the threat of death to prevent them from engaging in battle for the path to Immortality. Of course, there are always bound to be fish who slip through the net, people who risk their lives to fight for their goal.

　　“Although the path to Immortality exists in front of all of you, you will face opponents. Those opponents are not just fellow Cultivators of your own generation. There will also be members of the older generation, Spirit Severing and Dao Seeking experts. All of them wished to tread the path of Immortal Ascension during these thousand years.

　　“The coming millennium will be very interesting. Many people will fight. All will fail except for one. That one person will achieve Immortal Ascension!

　　“Those who gain fortune in the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane will be a step ahead of the others on the path to Immortality. It is my hope that during this thousand years, the person to achieve Immortal Ascension will be from the Ji Clan!” With that, the youth waved his hands. The bodies of the nine others trembled as power of teleportation exploded out, and they surged up into the sky.

　　All of the members of the Ji Clan who were on their way to the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane were Chosen. However, these were not Clan members like the one Meng Hao had killed that year, of the Quasi-Array. Rather, these were full Array Chosen.

　　Teleportation beams could also be seen above the Northern Desert.

　　Obviously, the opening of the Primordial Demon Immortal Plane was not exclusive to the Western Desert. It was a matter of extreme importance to all the lands of South Heaven. It was a grand gathering of Chosen from the Southern Domain, Western Desert, Eastern Lands, and Northern Reaches! 2

　　This indicated that as of this moment, the path to Immortality had opened!

　　1. Meng Hao met Fang Yu in the events surrounding the Immortal’s corpse in chapter 309. She reappeared in chapter 425 and 426, after Meng Hao’s Karma was almost severed by Ji Nineteen

　　2. I’m imagine there will be questions about this so I will answer right now. From this point forward, what was previously referred to as the Northern Desert will be changed to Northern Reaches. Er Gen changes the term in Chinese, with no apparent explanation for the time being