Chapter 191: Defeat after Defeat!

　　The Wang Clan Nascent Soul Cultivator turned his head and stared at Eccentric Song. Meng Hao continued to stride toward the retreating Wang Tengfei. He lifted his hand and grabbed Wang Tengfei’s index finger.

　　“So, this is the finger I decimated that time,” he said coolly. Wang Tengfei’s eyes flashed with hatred, as well as pleasant surprise.

　　He had developed this poison finger at great cost. He could have re-grown a normal finger, but had instead mastered perseverance and endured the pain necessary to grow a poison finger.

　　In his estimation, it was a metamorphosis. He had reached this conclusion in a flash of enlightenment; he would take his defeat and transform it into brilliant glory.

　　The pain had caused him no small amount of torment, but he had suffered through it and created a poison finger which was like a personal precious treasure.

　　Wang Tengfei knew that all people will endure setbacks in their lives. However, to transform a setback into a treasure can make life truly glorious.

　　Maybe he was right, but sometimes, fate can be cruel. Today… he ran into Meng Hao.

　　There were some things that Meng Hao didn’t do intentionally. Like it or not, though, the three-colored Resurrection Lily not only made him immune to all other poisons, it also made his body hyper-toxic.

　　When Wang Tengfei saw Meng Hao grab his poison finger, he began to laugh. The laugh contained both hatred and carefree cheer. He could just imagine how Meng Hao, in mere moments, would begin to wither up and then transform into a pool of blood.

　　However, even as his laughter began to ring out, it screeched to a sudden stop. A look of absolute disbelief appeared on his face. His finger disappeared within Meng Hao’s hand, and then after the space of a few breaths, a popping sound could be heard. A black mist appeared that seemed to be sentient, it trembled, as if it didn’t dare to near Meng Hao.

　　Meng Hao loosened his grip. Wang Tengfei’s entire body shook, and blood sprayed from his mouth. He staggered backward, gazing numbly at the space his index finger had once occupied. He suddenly thought back to the scene from seven or eight years ago, when he had been defeated. He had always thought that he was Chosen, and his opponent was a mere insect. His defeat before had been an accident, and now he had reached Foundation Establishment. His opponent was far beneath him.

　　But today….

　　“You’re right, you and I aren’t archenemies,” said Meng Hao indifferently. He had a bit of that same old bashfulness in his expression as he looked at pale-faced Wang Tengfei. “That term is too meaningful. It doesn’t suit our relationship.” He made no attempt to kill Wang Tengfei. It’s not that killing him wasn’t worth it, but rather, to kill him in this situation would cause too many complications.

　　The most important point in the whole thing was that Meng Hao always seemed to end up with the things that belonged to Wang Tengfei. It left him with a strange feeling that suddenly made him even less willing to kill him.

　　Everything surrounding them was quiet. The invisible woman was gazing tenderly toward Meng Hao. A smile appeared on her face, and when she saw Meng Hao dissolve the poison finger, it transformed into a look of love.

　　Seeing Meng Hao’s shy smile, the woman laughed and shook her head. The loving look grew even stronger.

　　“This kid has always been a player….” the woman said quietly. “He just can’t help but make girls like him.” She glanced at Han Bei and then Li Shiqi, as if she were sizing them up as potential daughters-in-law.

　　“The Han Clan bloodline… not up to standard. She won’t do. As for this other one… she seems interesting. She’s powerful enough, at least.”

　　Smiling shyly, Meng Hao returned to his place beside Chen Fan. Fatty ran over, giving Meng Hao a wink.

　　His face pale, Wang Tengfei wordlessly returned to his spot next to Wang Xifan. He laughed bitterly, seemingly having lost any will to fight. Wang Xifan said nothing. He looked over at Meng Hao, his eyes radiating killing intent.

　　Meng Hao looked up, his eyes locking onto Wang Xifan. When their gazes met, Meng Hao thought back to that year when he sat on top of the East Mountain in the Reliance Sect. Today, however, he was not someone who Wang Xifan could kill with a single glance.

　　“I wonder if I’ll be able to fight against the Core Formation stage after I form my ninth Perfect Dao Pillar!?” He had been wondering this for some while. After seeing the incredible power of his Perfect Dao Pillars, it caused him to feel even more anticipation for the Perfect Core. In addition, he truly wanted to know if he could battle against the Core Formation stage while he was still in Foundation Establishment!

　　He wasn’t sure. But as of this day, Wang Xifan was someone who Meng Hao decided must be killed.

　　Seeing the coldness in Meng Hao’s eyes, Wang Xifan’s killing intent grew more intense. He had the feeling that if he didn’t kill Meng Hao soon, he might lose his chance to do so.

　　“This Meng Hao is progressing too rapidly….” Wang Xifan had to admit he had overlooked Meng Hao.

　　It was at this time that the sound of bells rang out, filling the capital city. Suddenly, multicolored beams of light filled the sky. The entire Song Clan passed from night into morning.

　　In the outside world, it was now night. As the change occurred, the spiritual energy within the Song Clan suddenly grew thicker. However, other than the members of the Song Clan, no one was able to absorb it through breathing exercises. Except for… Meng Hao. His eyes glittered. He actually didn’t need to do anything to absorb the spiritual energy; it naturally drifted into his body strand by strand, slowly replenishing his four Perfect Dao Pillars. In addition to restoring his nearly empty four Dao Pillars, it was causing the outline of his fifth Dao Pillar to appear.

　　Of course, it wouldn’t be possible to completely solidify the fifth Dao Pillar. That couldn’t happen in a short amount of time. Perhaps if he stayed in the Song Clan for a long period of time, it would.

　　The bells rang out, and the moon and sun alternated their positions. As day and night mixed together, a colorful glow appeared in the air. Suddenly, three figures emerged from the glowing light.

　　As this happened, numerous members of the Song Clan looked up at the multicolored glow with looks of veneration. This in turn caused the Cultivators from the other Sects and Clans to look up as well.

　　The three figures gradually grew distinct. They seemed to be solidifying out of nothing. One was an old man who wore white robes. His smiling face did not reveal the slightest bit of panic because of the events which had just occurred in the Song Clan.

　　Next to the old man were two middle-aged men. They were handsome, and had profound Cultivation bases.

　　The old man said, “I am so grateful that all of you could join the Song Clan in our search for a son-in-law! Please, let’s begin!” He laughed heartily, and then waved his right hand. The entire square trembled, and countless banquet tables appeared out of thin air. Simultaneously, time seemed to swirl about them, and suddenly they were no longer in the square or even the Song Clan, but floating somewhere up in the sky.

　　They were surrounded by clouds, and everything looked celestial in nature. Maidservants appeared, their features indistinct, but their figures graceful. They danced and flew about as they reverently placed alcohol and Spirit Fruits onto the tables.

　　The sound of wind, flowing waters, and birdcalls filled the air. It all seemed extremely graceful and elegant. Neither Meng Hao nor any of the other Foundation Establishment Cultivators had ever seen anything like this before. Some people looked around, others stared at the maidservants.

　　The Nascent Soul Cultivators who led the various Sects and Clans broke out in smiles and words of admiration. “Elder Song Tian’s Cultivation base is profound 1. This cosmic time shifting truly is of the highest degree of perfection.”

　　The old man was none other than Patriarch Song Tian of the Song Clan. According to the rumors, he had long since reached the Spirit Severing stage. However, it was really impossible for anyone to tell for sure, or even ascertain any clues.

　　Song Tian laughed and then sat down cross-legged, followed by the two middle-aged men who accompanied him.

　　The Wang Clan Nascent Soul Cultivator flicked his sleeve. Grim faced, he sat down next to Song Tian, glaring at Eccentric Song. Obviously, he was still brooding at the fact that he had been obstructed by Eccentric Song earlier.

　　Meng Hao sat at one of the banquet tables next to Fatty. Now that Meng Hao was here, Fatty refused to sit with the Golden Frost Sect, instead demanding to sit next to Meng Hao. He chatted energetically about his experiences in the Golden Frost Sect. He seemed exactly the same as he had been back in the Reliance Sect. Occasionally he would pull out a Spirit Stone and crunch it to pieces between his teeth.

　　Suddenly, Fatty pulled out what was clearly an extraordinary flying sword. It glittered brightly as he began to use it to grind his teeth.

　　“One of my friends in the Sect gave me this sword to protect myself,” he said. “But when I grind my teeth with it, it doesn’t feel very good. If you want it, it’s yours.” He handed the sword toward Meng Hao.

　　It just so happened to be covered with Fatty’s saliva….

　　Meng Hao hesitated. Next to Fatty, Zhou Daya’s eyes went wide. “Little Patriarch,” he said, “that sword is a magical Legacy weapon of the Nineteenth Bloodline….”

　　“So annoying! A magical weapon is a magical weapon. Ah, never mind. I guess I can’t give this one to you. But I have some other things.” He pulled out another large magical weapon, whose bright glow instantly attracted quite a bit of attention.

　　“Do you like this one?” said Fatty, looking pleased. His expression caused Meng Hao to smile.

　　Chen Fan sighed, looking enviously at Fatty. He knew how important Fatty was to the Golden Frost Sect. He could only shake his head.

　　Han Bei drifted over in her men’s clothing. She smiled lightly at Fatty.

　　“Fellow Daoist Li, would you mind scooting aside? I’d really like to sit here.”

　　Fatty stared at Han Bei and then looked at Meng Hao. Lowering his voice, he said, “Meng Hao, this chick has pretty good skin. Between her and Chu Yuyan, who do you think is better?”

　　Meng Hao lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip of alcohol, then cleared his throat.

　　Fatty laughed loudly, then moved over to make room for Han Bei. She sat down, clearly not offended at all by Fatty. She looked at Meng Hao, blinked, and then laughed.

　　She slid a bit closer to him, and then gently whispered into his ear, “Brother Meng, how exactly are you going to thank me for the matter regarding Xu Qing?”

　　—–

　　This chapter was sponsored by Hein Haugeberg

　　1. Song Tian’s name in Chinese is 宋天 sòng tiān – Song is a common family name. Tian means “heaven” or “day”