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Before Fang Xiufeng could complete his ninth step, cracks spread out across his body. At the same time, something enormous was happening in the Mountain and Sea Realm that n.o.body on Planet South Heaven knew anything about!
That matter would determine whether or not Fang Xiufeng stepped into the Dao. It was a secret, an enigmatic event that very few people in the entire Mountain and Sea Realm were aware of!
The only people who did know were the ones at the utmost peak of power. In fact... they were the people who actually controlled the Mountain and Sea Realm!
Before the Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm appeared, they… were essentially the collective Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm. They were... the Mountain and Sea Lords of the various Mountains and Seas!
Currently, the voice that echoed out through the Mountain and Sea Realm filled the minds of those Lords!
It was a cold voice, devoid of any emotion. It didn’t matter how far apart those nine people were, separated by the Mountains and Seas, they all could hear it.
“Citing the laws of the Mountain and Sea Realm, the Lord of the Ninth Mountain and Sea has requested that the Allheaven Immortal who is currently stepping into the Dao… be destroyed. This matter is not a priority to the Mountain and Sea Realm, nor can a decision about the matter be made by the Mountain and Sea Realm itself.
“Therefore… the Lords of the Nine Mountains and Seas shall make the decision. Lords, please state your opinions.”
On the majestic peak of the Ninth Mountain was an enormous eye, within which sat a cross-legged old man. Eyes gleaming with killing intent and decisiveness, he softly said, “As the Lord of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, I say... destroy the Allheaven Immortal who is stepping into the Dao!”
At the same time, all of the other Mountain and Sea Lords in the other Mountains and Seas quietly made their decisions.
After a moment of silence, the cold, emotionless voice once again rang out into the minds of the nine.
“Of the nine Mountain and Sea Lords, five agree to destroy the Allheaven Immortal. Three disagree. One abstained from voting.... In accord with the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm, the Allheaven Immortal will be destroyed!”
As soon as the word ‘destroyed’ rang out, Fang Xiufeng’s body trembled, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He appeared to be on the verge of collapsing into pieces.
“NO!!” Meng Hao screamed. Of everyone on Planet South Heaven, he was the only one who could hear that voice speaking. Suddenly, he charged forward, ignoring any possible danger as he shot up into the sky.
Meanwhile, back on Planet South Heaven, Meng Li trembled and likewise shot into the air. Although facing the Dao Stepping vortex involved extreme danger, she didn’t hesitate. Neither did Fang Yu, who also took to flight.
Sun Hai didn’t pause either, not even to think. As soon as Fang Yu sprang into motion... he also flew up.
If you go, so do I!
Within the vortex, Fang Xiufeng’s body was gradually breaking apart. He hadn’t completed the nine steps, and that final step would remain forever incomplete. He was breaking apart in a way that wasn’t necessarily lethal. If he wished, he could disperse the Dao mist, allowing it to be destroyed instead of his body. Then he would be left with an extremely limited lifespan.
Fang Shoudao’s face darkened, and he sat there without saying a word. He had already done everything he could; he had called upon the Dao, drawn upon his soul and asked the whole clan to join in the sacrifice....
The Dao bell had even been summoned. However, it appeared that none of that could change Fang Xiufeng’s fate.
“He should have been able to easily step into the Dao.... Allheaven Immortals, Allheaven Immortals.... An Allheaven Immortal regardless of success or defeat.” Fang Shoudao suddenly seemed to grow even older.
It was the same with Fang Yanxu. They looked at Fang Xiufeng in the vortex, and then saw Meng Hao desperately flying forward. This time, Fang Shoudao did nothing to stop him.
Because... there was no need.
Within the Heavenly vortex, Fang Xiufeng sighed. His face was covered in cracks, and his body was beginning to fade away, causing beams of azure light to s.h.i.+ne out from him.
The feeling of imminent death caused him to sigh. Seemingly emanating an aura of death, he turned and looked at the roaring Meng Hao. He also saw his wife and daughter charging toward him.
“Oh well,” he murmured softly. “It seems I won’t be stepping into the Dao. However, I have no regrets, except... that I won’t have more time to spend with all of you....” Just when he was about to disperse the Dao mist and cease his attempt to step into the Dao, all of a sudden, a cold snort echoed out. The sound was ancient, and filled with boundless pressure. It came through the teleportation portal, from... Planet East Victory!
All of Planet East Victory was shaking, as if its will were awakening. As the planet awoke, the lands shook, and within the Fang Clan’s Ancestral Land, in the necropolis, the first generation Patriarch sat there cross-legged, and... his eyes opened!
“As an Allheaven Clan, my Fang Clan fought for the Immortal World until I was the only person left!
“And now... the Fang Clan is on the rise again. Our blood has awakened, and the glory of an Allheaven Clan is once again on the cusp of appearing.... Why should we be subjected to this arrangement!?
“If this were an ordinary stepping into the Dao, I would not interfere, not even if he were to die. But now, things have changed because of the awakening of the blood of an Allheaven Clan. As for this tribulation… enough is enough!
“If Paragon Nine Seals had not perished, even he would respect an Allheaven Clan such as mine. And you... you are nothing more than a spirit automaton, formed out of natural laws. The Lords of the Nine Mountains and Seas all maintain a portion of those natural laws, and therefore... I will not hold it against the Mountain and Sea Realm itself. But as for the rest of you, Lords of the Mountains and Seas, I will personally rectify your mistake of attempting to destroy my Fang Clan!”
The voice echoing out was not audible to everyone. The only people who could hear it were the Lords of the Nine Mountains and Seas, and considering his ident.i.ty, Meng Hao!
Simultaneously, a beam of light shot out from Planet East Victory. It moved with explosive speed, rapidly transforming into nine beams, one of which headed toward the Ninth Mountain, and the other eight of which shot through the void toward the other eight Mountains and Seas!
The Ninth Mountain rumbled, and the enormous eye let out a roar of fury. However, blood spurted out from it and dripped down, causing the entire Ji Clan to be shaken.
As for what happened in the other Mountains and Seas, n.o.body knew. However... back on Planet South Heaven in the Heavenly vortex, Fang Xiufeng was suddenly pushed forward and... took his ninth step!
In the moment that his foot stepped down, Fang Xiufeng’s eyes went wide. Everyone watching gaped in astonishment. At the same time, the Dao mist above his head fully materialized into a sword!
A... blood-colored sword!!
The sword descended down into Fang Xiufeng through the top of his head, and suddenly... he erupted with the aura of the Dao Realm!!
Ripples exploded out from the vortex, sweeping across the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea before fading away to reveal Fang Xiufeng!
He was confused about what had happened, and he wasn’t the only one. Fang Shoudao and Fang Yanxu were shocked and panting. They almost couldn’t believe what had happened, and all of the other Dao Realm experts who had been watching Planet South Heaven were equally astonished.
“He clearly failed.... How could he possibly have ended up succeeding!?”
“What exactly happened just now!?!?”
“Inconceivable! This is completely impossible. Throughout all the years that the Mountain and Sea Realm has existed, n.o.body has ever mysteriously gone from a state of obvious defeat into one of utter victory!”
However, it didn’t matter what people thought or said. Fang Xiufeng... had successfully stepped into the Dao!
The cultivators from the Fang Clan weren’t sure what exactly caused it to happen, but after seeing that Fang Xiufeng had stepped into the Dao, they were ecstatic.
“Greetings, Clan Chief!”
“Clan Chief, congratulations on successfully stepping into the Dao!”
“Congratulations, Clan Chief!!” Calls of congratulation swelled up, and all of Planet South Heaven was shaken. Meng Li flew up and embraced Fang Xiufeng, tears streaming down her face.
Fang Yu and Sun Hai also approached, weeping.
“Dad... you did it!” Fang Yu said, weeping and laughing at the same time.
“Congratulations, Dad!” Meng Hao said, hovering off to the side. Seeing his dad safe caused him to sigh with relief. However, hidden behind that smile was something he didn’t want his parents to see, and that was the cold, murderous feelings he held because of what had just nearly occurred to Fang Xiufeng.
Meng Hao would never be able to forget the voices he had heard. He also gained a new understanding of his ident.i.ty, and how it pertained to the Mountain and Sea Realm as a whole. The rise of an Allheaven Clan was a threat to other Mountain and Sea Lords, and especially... to the Ji Clan. That was why the Ji Clan had taken such decisive, murderous action!
However, true threat of death actually didn"t come from any one cultivator, but from the Mountain and Sea Realm itself, from the powers of natural law that had tried to cut down Fang Xiufeng! From Meng Hao’s perspective, it must have occurred because the Ji Clan’s Patriarch Ji Tian had paid a high price to make it happen. If any Mountain and Sea Lord could blithely do such a thing, then no one would ever dare to challenge them to battle.
But that wasn’t the case. The Mountain and Sea Lords could be supplanted. Therefore, as of this moment, Meng Hao decided that he would make Ji Tian pay for what he had done.
“Ji Tian, one of these days, you shall die!” Meng Hao"s smile was as cold and sharp as a blade as he gazed up into the sky. He still wasn’t sure why exactly Ji Tian had chosen such a method to try to kill his father. But he had to ask himself whether or not some undying enmity existed between his father and Ji Tian.
“Is it because of me, or because Ji Tian can’t get to father because of him being on Planet South Heaven?” Meng Hao’s eyes glittered. The fact that someone had tried to kill his father took things over the line. To him, that was a violation of a huge taboo, and although he looked normal on the surface, his heart raged with fury and towering killing intent.
He had never experienced rage like he was feeling now, nor had he ever wanted to kill someone as much as he now wanted to kill Ji Tian. Therefore, he decided... that it was an enmity that absolutely must be seen to its end.
Fang Xiufeng looked at his wife and daughter, then at Meng Hao. Meng Hao might be able to hide his true feelings from Meng Li and Fang Yu, but not from his father.
He looked at the rage boiling in Meng Hao’s eyes, and his heart trembled. However, before he had much time to think about it, Meng Hao smiled and once again said, “Congratulations, dad.”
Fang Xiufeng smiled and was about to respond, when suddenly his face fell. Simultaneously, Meng Hao’s face also fell. Down below, similar reactions could be seen on the faces of Fang Shoudao and Fang Yanxu!
That was because... all of the clouds completely vanished from Planet South Heaven, to be replaced... by a ma.s.sive, illusory net!
That was... Planet South Heaven’s spell formation!
Chapter 1187: Father Achieves the Dao!