Chapter 1128: True Dao?
Both Meng Hao and the black-robed man unleashed the G.o.d-Slaying Fist!
It was the last of the three body cultivation fists, which combined the will of extermination, the voluntary self-immolation for the sake of bedevilment, and materialized the will of slaughtering G.o.ds. It was... the G.o.d-Slaying Fist!
Furthermore, because Meng Hao had the acc.u.mulation of the qi flow of the Windswept Realm, it also had some of the will of Heaven in it, making it the absolute peak fist attack of the Immortal Emperor Realm.
As for the black-robed man, his G.o.d-Slaying Fist came from having experienced countless b.l.o.o.d.y battles. He had honed his killing will to the extent that apparently... he had actually killed G.o.ds, and fused that will into his fist strike. When he struck out, Heaven and Earth crumbled, and a ma.s.sive wind kicked up.
The two of them shot through the tunnel like lightning, their fists on a direct collision course.
A ma.s.sive, shocking rumbling sound shook everything, and that was before their fists even touched. The tunnel appeared to be on the verge of being ripped to shreds, as if it were being torn apart by two enormous hands.
Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao’s mouth, but his killing intent was already raging. Roaring, he pushed forward until he and the black-robed old man actually made contact.
This was a G.o.d-Slaying Fist going directly up against another G.o.d-Slaying Fist!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!
The area around them exploded. Ma.s.sive vibrations ripped through Meng Hao, and blood sprayed out of his mouth yet again. An indescribable and yet familiar force surged back toward him from the black-robed old man. It flowed up his right arm and then filled his entire body, which seemed as if it were about to explode.
The two Ancient Realm fleshly body Soul Lamps in Meng Hao’s eyes flickered, and then emanated brilliant light. His Eternal stratum surged to life, and his cultivation base exploded with energy, all of it to counteract the G.o.d-Slaying power.
Amidst intense rumbling, blood oozed out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. The ma.s.sive power shoved him backward relentlessly before he finally ground to a halt in front of the entrance to the secret chamber.
However, the black-robed old man was shaken as well. Blood oozed out of his mouth as he staggered backward seven or eight paces. When he looked up, his eyes shone with a strange light, and he hunched over like a bow ready to unleash an arrow. Then he burst into movement, flying through the tunnel at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he was closing in on the entrance to the secret chamber, where Meng Hao was.
As he neared, he could see into the secret chamber; the parrot and meat jelly were in full view, as was the blood-colored ice block.
“So you"re here for that,” he said slowly, flicking his sleeve. Almost instantly, light streamed out of his sleeve, forming into a magical symbol which sped past Meng Hao and headed toward the blood-colored ice block.
Meng Hao began to pant, and his eyes glittered with a cold light. He waved his finger, unleas.h.i.+ng the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex toward the incoming old man.
The Eighth Demon Sealing Hex transformed into invisible threads which instantly bound the old man up. He lurched to a halt, but after a moment, his body began to expand, and he forced himself free of the Hexing magic.
In the instant that he did, Meng Hao performed an incantation gesture and unleashed a Daoist magic onto the flying blood-colored magical symbol. Before it could get close to the blood-colored ice block, it dissipated.
The old man’s eyes glittered, and he suddenly spoke in an archaic voice: “Daos can be cla.s.sified as true and false. There are fabricated Daos, and genuine Daos.... My Dao, is from outside the Mountains and Seas, a Dao above Daos!”
As he spoke, he traced a circle in the air in front of him with his right hand which, when completed, roiled with an air of chaos.
An intense power of expulsion appeared yet again. Simultaneously, a beam of light shot out from inside the circle; it was a violet light, something that seemed capable of smas.h.i.+ng all magics, and it sped directly toward Meng Hao.
Meng Hao"s Daoist magic was instantly crushed, and dissipated without a sound. Then the violet light began to fade. However, before it disappeared completely, it transformed into a violet hand that grabbed toward Meng Hao.
Rumbling sounds echoed out as Meng Hao fought back with all the power he could muster. Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and he fell back. Behind him, cracks were spreading out over the blood-colored ice block, as a faint roar could be heard from within; an urgent, enraged roar.
As he fell back, Meng Hao"s expression turned vicious. Throughout his years of practicing cultivation, he had faced many deadly situations. Most of the time, he was able to sweep through them and come out on top. It wouldn"t be proper to call him invincible, but you could say that very few opponents were a match for him.
After arriving in the Windswept Realm, he had likewise swept forward, virtually unstoppable. He had fought Han Qinglei, Lin Cong, and had even killed another Echelon cultivator. But then he had met the intensely powerful Dao-Heaven, and his previously unstoppable momentum faltered.
Then he arrived in the Third Nation, and during the course of the battle had been forced into his current predicament. Because of his pride and self-confidence, he was feeling a bit overwhelmed, even stifled. It almost felt unfair.
“I"m in the Echelon. I’m Meng Hao, Crown Prince of the Fang Clan!
“In my life of cultivation, I have experienced much enlightenment, and have benefited from a lot of good fortune. Even Dao-Heaven will only maintain his edge on me for a short time. I will defeat… everyone! Even you, Zong Wuya!” Meng Hao’s eyes were shot with blood as he ceased any thoughts of retreating, and instead began to charge the black-robed old man.
As he did, his body flickered, and he transformed into a huge golden roc which flashed like a streak of gold toward the old man, and then slashed at him with vicious claws.
The black-robed old man sighed, once again tracing a circle in the air and pus.h.i.+ng it forward. Violet flames burned, transforming it into a ring of fire that soared toward Meng Hao.
“Your Dao is a fabricated Dao,” the old man said coolly. “There’s no need to try to put on airs.” In the mostly destroyed tunnel behind him, the blood-colored cultivators and the other black-robed old men were approaching. Meng Hao was now completely trapped, without any avenue of escape available.
“Daos are inner paths of the heart, Zong Wuya,” Meng Hao said. “How could they possibly be categorized as fabricated or genuine?! How close-minded!” The golden roc sped toward the violet ring of fire. When they slammed into each other, the violet flames flickered brightly, and the Dao of Meng Hao"s golden roc body seemed to be dispelled. The golden roc rapidly vanished, and Meng Hao returned to human form, his face ashen as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
He was shocked to find that he was incapable of overpowering this type of violet Daoist magic.
“When a fabricated Dao encounters a true Dao,” the old man said, “the fabricated Dao becomes more illusory, and the true Dao becomes more corporeal.” He drew another circle, and it was once again violet. However, this time there were no violet flames; instead, it was a violet ring of lightning.
Rumbling could be heard as the two violet rings shot toward Meng Hao.
“Do you understand?” the old man asked Meng Hao.
Cracking sounds could be heard coming from the red block of ice behind Meng Hao in the secret chamber. More cracks had spread out across its surface, and the aura of Immortality was emanating out, and growing stronger. The roaring coming from inside was becoming more distinct, and more urgent.
A critical juncture had arrived. Determination filled Meng Hao’s eyes as he raised his right hand, unleas.h.i.+ng another G.o.d-Slaying Fist. This time, he seemed to be holding absolutely nothing back. Despite being seriously injured, he let out three successive punches.
The first two were sent against the two violet rings, and the third one was directed at the floor of the tunnel!
Intense booms rang out. The G.o.d-Slaying Fist was the most explosive power he could unleash with his fleshly body, and although the violet rings could cause Daos to vanish, they could do nothing about fleshly body strength.
The two violet rings were instantly shattered by Meng Hao’s two fist strikes. As for his third fist strike, when it struck the tunnel, everything began to collapse. Ma.s.sive amounts of dust billowed out, completely obscuring Meng Hao’s vision.
At the same time, Meng Hao dashed backward into the secret chamber!
Flickering light filled the chamber as it was apparently affected by the collapse of the tunnel outside. However, nothing had been significantly damaged. The statues were still there, and the blood-colored ice block was now completely blurry. The blood-colored bat was no longer visible inside; the only thing that could be seen was a turbid red haze.
Numerous cracks spread out across the surface of the ice block, and an intense Immortal Realm aura was emanating out. In fact, by this point, that aura was at the peak of the Immortal Realm. The howling grew more anxious, as if the mastiff were worried about Meng Hao"s safety.
The parrot and meat jelly were completely focused on a.s.sisting the mastiff in the possession process. They could spare no attention for Meng Hao, nor could they afford to let anything disturb their work.
When Meng Hao entered the secret chamber, more cracking sounds could be heard from the block of ice, and the aura grew stronger.
He began to pant. He had no time to examine the situation closely; time was of the essence. Because of all the chaos caused by the collapse of the tunnel, he had managed to buy a little bit of time. His second Nirvana Fruit appeared in his palm; due to his injured state, had been unwilling to absorb it again. However, he currently didn"t seem to have any other options.
Taking a deep breath, he lifted the Nirvana Fruit up and pushed it down onto his forehead. Immediately, rumbling sounds filled his body, and his energy spiked. He grew larger, and the azure light of the Allheaven Immortal Realm erupted around him.
Soon, the entire secret chamber was filled with the azure light, and his energy was rocketing up.
It was at this point that, back in the collapsed tunnel, the black-robed leader brushed the dust and rubble off of his clothing and began to stride forward in an attempt to reach the secret chamber.
Ten breaths of time pa.s.sed, and then a ma.s.sive boom could be heard. Dust flew out in all directions as the black-robed old man burst into the secret chamber in a flash of light.
In that exact moment, Meng Hao looked up. He was surrounded by azure light, and was now in the Allheaven Immortal Realm. His eyes were filled with the intense desire to fight; he took a step forward and once again unleashed the G.o.d-Slaying Fist!
That fist was now vastly more powerful than the version he had used only moments ago. Originally, the black-robed old man hadn’t paid much attention to it, but now, his face fell, and he stopped in place. Then, he also unleashed the G.o.d-Slaying Fist.
A huge boom rang out as the two of them slammed into each other in midair. This time, Meng Hao didn"t fall back. The one who fell back was the black-robed old man, his expression that of shock. At the same time, Meng Hao let out a roar like that of an explosive dragon as he charged into battle.
Once again, he relied on that same fighting style that he usually used; he seized the initiative and began to domineer his opponent!