Chapter 261: The Killing Heart is Still There!

　　Fleeing was far from the first of his thoughts!

　　Before fleeing, he must first make the enemy pay a price!

　　That was Meng Hao’s personality. Core Formation Cultivators were engaged in battle not far away and his decision was still… KILL!

　　As the black-robed men approached, Meng Hao’s eyes filled with coldness. He lifted his hands and waved them forward. As he did, no magic appeared. Instead, a cold wind sprang up.

　　The wind blasted over the dozens of black-robed men, causing a displacement force to spring up. Immediately, the corpses of the two men Meng Hao had just slain with the wooden swords began to expand.

　　It happened extremely quickly. In the blink of an eye they had expanded to the point of explosion.

　　BOOM!

　　Amidst the roar, chunks of blood and gore showered out in all directions, rapidly turning black. A rotten smell filled the air.

　　As the blood and gore flew out, miserable screams could be heard. The seven or eight black-robed men nearest to the corpses were clearly infected by the black blood.

　　The blood contained poison!

　　As a Furnace Lord who focused on studying the Dao of poison, he had long since coated the two wooden swords with poison that he himself had created. He had done this even when he was still in the Violet Fate Sect.

　　The black robed men looked on in shock for a moment. Before they could react, the ground exploded up as a mass of dark violet vines burst up. There were more than ten of them, which shot toward the crowd of people.

　　All of this happened in an instant. Blood curdling screams echoed out, and everything was thrown into a deadly chaos. The killing in Meng Hao’s eyes boiled, and his body flickered as he shot forward.

　　He cut a slice into his index finger with his thumb. Blood flowed down, and the Blood Finger appeared, something that hadn’t been seen in the Southern Domain for a long, long time. Meng Hao’s six Perfect Dao pillars glowed with a violet aura, and began to rotate. His seventh Dao Pillar was nearing completion, and was now around eighty percent formed.

　　Power invincible to the Foundation Establishment stage poured out from Meng Hao. A massive crushing pressure emanated out in all directions. These black-robed men were of the full circle of Foundation Establishment. However, their Dao Pillars immediately began to shake. Their faces filled with astonishment. Meng Hao’s fearsomeness exceeding anything they could have imagined.

　　How could they ever have predicted that this stranger who had charged into their trap looking like a weak scholar, was actually a divinity of death!

　　Meng Hao hadn’t fought for five years, and now that he did, he made only killing moves. The index finger of his right hand flashed like lightning, slamming down onto the mask of one of the black-robed men. It pierced through the mask, stabbing down into his forehead. Perfect Dao Pillar power burst out, transforming into a terrifying, all-encompassing explosive force. It immediately destroyed the man’s Dao Pillars and Core sea, crushing his will, exterminating his life.

　　Meng Hao’s face was cold as he took hold of the man’s corpse. He took a step forward, toward another black-robed man. He squeezed the corpse, which subsequently exploded. Blackened blood splashed out in all directions. A look of shock appeared on the other man’s face, and he wasn’t fast enough to avoid the blood. It drenched him, and immediately, terrifying screams filled the air. Meng Hao moved on toward another black-robed man.

　　His body flitted around like an evil spirit. Beneath his mask, the face of one of the black-robed men twisted. Without hesitation, he bit down on his tongue, spitting out a blood mist which spread out mysteriously to cover his body. He had to attempt to delay Meng Hao; there were still three other black-robed men nearby who were approaching with magical items in hand.

　　Meng Hao gave a cold snort, which echoed out like a clap of thunder. The sound pierced to the very hearts of the four remaining black-robed men. The three who were currently approaching suddenly stopped in their tracks. The man who had just employed the blood mist felt as if his mind was spinning out of control.

　　Meng Hao’s right knee flew into the air, slamming viciously into the blood mist. It immediately fell into pieces and scattered. His knee continued on, slamming into the black-robed man’s chest. Even as the cracking of bones rang out, Meng Hao’s right hand snaked out to latch onto the man’s neck.

　　He turned, and spit out the lightning mist, and a boom filled the air as it enveloped them all. Screams rang out, and after the space of a few breaths, Meng Hao emerged from within. The three men who had just been approaching were now dead, their eyes still wide with astonishment. Even up to the moment death took them, they couldn’t understand how an alchemist… could have such intense killing intent.

　　Originally there had been twenty seven black robed men. In just a few moments, their numbers were reduced to eleven. Their minds were shaken, and they backed up nervously. The person in front of them didn’t seem to be a single Cultivator, but an entire army.

　　Meng Hao’s hair swirled around his head. The dozen or so tentacles writhed in the air around him bizarrely as he stood there. He emanated the smell of medicinal pills, and the stench of blood. His cold face, his grim eyes, all of it, caused the black-robed men’s heart to shake.

　　“Who are you?!” asked one of the black-robed men, his voice quivering. It was a question that Meng Hao should have been the one to ask.

　　Meng Hao didn’t respond. His clothes fluttered in the wind. It was a north wind, blowing stiffly, as if it wished to wash away the reeking smell of blood. As the north wind blew, Meng Hao lifted his hand. There in his palm appeared a bit of red powder.

　　The powder lifted up into the wind, blowing about. The faces of the black-robed men twisted as they thought back to the hyper toxic poison from moments ago.

　　Without the slightest hesitation, the eleven men retreated. However, even as they did, Meng Hao made an incantation gesture and then pointed out with his finger. A mass of tiny Flame Globes appeared. As they floated in mid-air, they began to change into a green color.

　　The ignited, and suddenly a massive, green Flame Sea appeared. It was shocking, its heat impossible to describe as it expanded along with the wind, seeming to mix with the powder that was floating in mid-air.

　　The raging three thousand meter wide Flame Sea expanded out, and as it did, it seemed as if the surrounding valley couldn’t withstand the heat. It began to crack and melt.

　　The eleven black-robed men were moving backward quickly, but they simply weren’t fast enough to escape the ghostly, greenish Flame Sea, and were consumed.

　　It was at this same moment that a boom could be heard off in the distance. With a single blow, the azure-masked Cultivator lopped off the head of the Golden Frost Sect Cultivator. Then he turned, a grim look appeared in his eyes as he looked at Meng Hao, just barely visible behind the Flame Sea

　　Separated by the Flame Sea, Meng Hao looked back at the azure-masked Cultivator. Their gazes locked as the screams of the dying black-robed Cultivators drifted up from within the flames.

　　Glancing at Meng Hao’s clothing, the azure-masked Cultivator said, “Such a young East Pill Division Furnace Lord. There’s only one person like that…. You must be Fang Mu!” His voice was hoarse and muffled, yet filled with coldness.

　　“Cultivators with killing intent like this can only be found in one place in the Southern Domain,” replied Meng Hao coolly. “The Black Lands.” Actually, from the moment he had first laid eyes on the black-robed Cultivators, something about them had seemed familiar. It was the same feeling he’d gotten from that Cultivator in the Black Sieve Sect’s Blessed Land, the one who had told him about the usefulness of the Thunderclap Leaf to Black Lands Cultivators.

　　Meng Hao couldn’t tell what the azure-masked Cultivator was thinking. What he saw was the man take a seemingly leisurely step forward. In actuality, he was moving very quickly and was apparently planning to cross the Flame Sea. A wind sprang up, and it appeared as if he planned to carve a path through the flames.

　　The instant the azure-masked Cultivator shot forward, Meng Hao’s Furnace Lord garment began to flicker. Even as the man passed through the sea to arrive in front of Meng Hao, Meng Hao’s body began to fade away.

　　At some point, the azure-masked had called forth flying swords, which passed harmlessly through the disappearing image of Meng Hao.

　　“Fang Mu, prominent in the East Pill Division of the Violet Fate Sect, victor of the Dao alchemy debate in the Black Sieve Sect between the East Pill Division and the World Pill Division.” The azure-masked Cultivator’s voice was cool. He didn’t seem to be in a rush to pursue. As he spoke, his right hand slowly lifted and began to make an incantation.

　　“You are the ninth alchemist on our list. How fortunate to run into you. You won’t escape.” The man’s eyes flickered, and even as he finished speaking, his fingers finished with the incantation.

　　“Ahh, that direction.” The azure-masked Cultivator’s body flickered, and he shot off like lightning. His speed was far, far greater than that of the Foundation Establishment stage. They weren’t even remotely on the same level. Even more shocking was his Core Qi. Core Qi could only be employed by Core Formation Cultivators. Because the varying techniques and power levels of each Cultivator, the Core Qi they employ will be different colors.

　　However, even the weakest Core Qi is sufficient to crush the great circle of late Foundation Establishment. Even a group of late Foundation Establishment Cultivators wouldn’t have the hope of raising a hand to a Core Formation Cultivator using Core Qi.

　　Core Qi can make Core Formation magic reach the pinnacle. Afterwards, when the Cultivator reaches the Nascent Soul Stage, their magic will be half way to the point of divine ability.

　　This azure-masked Cultivator’s Core Qi was a light yellowish color, which indicated that he had an Orange Core. As the Core Qi emanated out, the indistinct shape of a roc seemed to exist inside of it.

　　Core Qi had ever-changing forms which can alter according to the will of the Cultivator. For example, the roc which appeared in the mind of this Cultivator added explosive speed to the Core Qi.

　　It was because of this characteristic that allowed Core Formation magic to employ its greatest power!

　　It was also why it only took about ten breaths of time before Meng Hao, who was fleeing at top speed, suddenly sensed an incredibly powerful aura approaching from behind him.

　　This was not the first time he had faced Core Formation Cultivators. He didn’t have much reverence for them. Even back in the State of Zhao, he had led Core Formation Cultivators to their deaths.

　　Just as the Core Formation Cultivator was almost upon him, the Furnace Lord garment flickered again, and he was immediately transported about forty kilometers away.

　　Without hesitation, he began to flee. In his palm was the good luck charm, which he hadn’t used in five years. It was flickering, but he could tell that it would be some time before he could activate it.

　　“My seventh Dao Pillar is almost complete. However, I’m still no match for a Core Formation Cultivator. However, I have enough Spirit Stones, enough medicinal plants, and enough medicinal pills…. I have to push forward without stopping until I reach the great circle of Foundation Establishment!” Resolve appeared in his eyes. Soon he would be able to employ the full accumulated knowledge of five years of studying the Dao of alchemy!

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　　This chapter was sponsored by Samaksh Gollen and Caleb Gleason