Chapter 1152: An Act!
Paragon Sea Dream’s response to Meng Hao’s words was an icy face. She didn’t speak, and in fact, almost seemed indifferent.
“Perhaps the Door of Immortality collapsed because of the power of that black hole,” Meng Hao said, looking calmly at Paragon Sea Dream. “However, the moment it did collapse, the power of your convergence beam definitely grew stronger.” Clearly, Meng Hao had no intention of backing down. That was Meng Hao: you could use him, but you had to pay the price. He didn’t do things for free!
“In fact, when I decided to go after the Traitorous Sutra of the Rebel Dao, your main intention lay in obstructing my way!
“If you try to tell me that you didn’t know that the rebellion was going to happen, Paragon Sea Dream, well then let me tell you, I wouldn’t believe you for a second!
“Perhaps the Emperor’s betrayal was real, but don’t try to convince me that the Windswept Imperial Lord was also a traitor!” Meng Hao spoke with decisiveness that could sever nails and chop iron, and his eyes flashed like lightning. Even still, he carefully observed Paragon Sea Dream’s expression in response to his words. Although he spoke very decisively, he actually wasn’t completely confident. There had definitely been signs here and there that something strange was going on. In fact, Dao-Heaven had also picked up on them. In the moment before he left, when he looked at Meng Hao, both of them had understood the deeper meaning in his eyes. However, there was no hard evidence.
“Hogwash!” Paragon Sea Dream said. She extended her right hand, causing a fierce wind to pick Meng Hao up and carry him toward the teleportation vortex. Clearly, she meant to send him away.
As he was forced back, azure light sprang up, and his eyes glittered. His cultivation base erupted with power as he fought back. However, despite being an Allheaven Dao Immortal, when tangling with a Paragon, he was simply incapable of doing anything. As he was swept closer to the vortex, he roared and called upon the blood of Paragon Nine Seals. The Mountain and Sea Realm shook. The sun and moon trembled, and Meng Hao ground to a halt at the edge of the vortex. Even so, he was still being pushed inexorably back.
“It wasn’t just me who didn’t believe it all,” he continued immediately. “Even the 33 Heavens probably didn’t believe. That’s why, from beginning to end, they just sat around watching. Not a single one of them made a move.
“It wasn’t until the Traitorous Sutra of the Rebel Dao appeared that they got excited. That was when they started getting greedy. Considering their cultivation bases and how intelligent they are, the Windswept Realm will surely be put under strict oversight.” However, Paragon Sea Dream had already turned to head back into her Immortal’s cave. It was as if she was certain the flick of her sleeve would send Meng Hao into the vortex and away from this place, as if it were completely impossible for him to remain behind.
She saw him inching closer and closer to the vortex, and could sense the teleportation power building up. Meng Hao’s eyes flashed with determination.
“Battle Weapon!” he said, smacking his bag of holding and causing the copper mirror to fly out. Although the copper mirror seemed completely ordinary, as soon as it appeared, Meng Hao rotated his cultivation base, causing azure light to stream into the mirror. Instantly, the mirror… began to melt!
It became a bronze liquid which then began to flow out to cover Meng Hao’s hand. 1 Seemingly sentient, the liquid continued to expand until it reached his elbow. In the blink of an eye, his entire forearm and hand transformed into a meter-long blade!
It was bronze, and radiated an archaic air, as if it had existed for countless years. Gradually, it began to emanate starlight, almost like a gem, as if it were the most important object in the world!
The surface of the blade was as shiny as a mirror, and shone with icy light that seemed capable of slicing through all living things. It also emanated an air of incredible mystery.
An indescribable aura erupted from his forearm, a subtle aura that caused the teleportation vortex to emit cracking sounds, as if it were icing over and couldn’t operate.
All of the natural law and Essence in the nearby void was shattered. Invisible ripples began to emanate out, with the sharp blade being at the center. It was if wherever the ripples passed, the void was still the void, and yet, was also no longer the void!
The strangeness of what was happening caused Paragon Sea Dream to suddenly stop mid-turn. A tremor ran through her, and she turned back to look at Meng Hao’s right forearm. Her face flickered through several emotions.
“Allheaven Dao Immortal,” she murmured. “So you’ve already reached the point of activating the second state!” Her words caused Meng Hao’s eyes to flicker imperceptibly, although, he had long since come to suspect that she actually knew about the copper mirror.
Li Ling’er’s eyes were wide as saucers, and she slowly began to back up. The sharp blade on Meng Hao’s right arm filled her with shock. It was like looking at countless stars falling from the sky, and at the same time, hearing innumerable voices roaring angrily in her ears.
Meng Hao’s right forearm had transformed into a sharp blade, with nine serrations that looked like waves. It was a shocking sight, a blade that essentially had nine tips!
This was the second state of Meng Hao’s copper mirror, the Battle Weapon!!
As the parrot had said before, once Meng Hao reached the Allheaven Dao Immortal Realm, he could cause the copper mirror to reach its second state. Now Meng Hao had reached exactly that stage, although the fusion with his third Nirvana Fruit was only fifty percent complete, not one hundred percent!
An explosive sensation radiated out from Meng Hao’s right hand, something almost beyond his control. He began to pant as he suddenly realized that it now felt possible for him to slash open the 33 Heavens!
It was a feeling of intense and shocking power, a feeling that caused him to tremble, and made him feel like he was about to lose control. He forced himself away from the vortex, and then, the Battle Weapon vanished, transforming once again into a copper mirror which came to rest on Meng Hao’s hand.
He knew that although he could now turn the copper mirror into a Battle Weapon, he was still incapable of unleashing a single strike from the blade. Perhaps… that would only happen when he was equipped with the full power of the Allheaven Dao Immortal. Maybe then he would be qualified to wield the blade!
Perhaps swinging that blade would completely drain his cultivation base. However, a single swipe would definitely cause all the Heavens to lose their light, and would eradicate all life. It would shatter natural laws and crush Essences.
Meng Hao almost couldn’t wait for that time. Panting, he waved his hand, sending the copper mirror away and looking at Paragon Sea Dream, who wore a complex, confused expression.
Paragon Sea Dream had been staring at the copper mirror, and after he put it away, she continued to stand there silently.
Meng Hao took a deep breath. Eyes shining brightly, he once again spoke: “Paragon Sea Dream, I hadn’t finished speaking yet. Now that the Windswept Realm has entered the 33 Heavens, the person who will be most suspect is the Windswept Imperial Lord. In fact, I’m afraid he will lose any and all freedom. To him, having the Windswept Realm become the 34th Heaven is… a huge gamble!
“In fact, it seems almost a certainty that the gambit will fail. And yet, he still went through with it!
“And that’s because the entire thing was an act!
“Presumably, the reason you didn’t bring Xue’er back is because she is your ace in the hole!”
Paragon Sea Dream watched the copper mirror vanish, then looked at Meng Hao with a strange, complex expression. A long moment passed. Finally, she said, “Well then, why do you think I would have done all those things?” This was the first time she directly responded to his questions!
Meng Hao’s eyes narrowed slightly and he took a deep breath.
“The reason for your actions, Paragon Sea Dream, most likely has something to do with the plan you mentioned. I am quite confident that the Windswept Realm, and Xue’er, have been sent off for one purpose and one purpose only!
“To create a teleportation portal!”
After a moment of silence, Paragon Sea Dream said, “You are both right and wrong.”
She gave no indication as to which part of what he had said was correct, and which was not. However, despite the fact that she had only responded with a single sentence, it still went to show that Meng Hao had forced her to provide an explanation.
She could not ignore Meng Hao’s existence. Regardless of whether it was because of his status as Nine Seals’ successor, or because he was the future Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm, or because… the Battle Weapon had appeared. All of those things caused her to look at Meng Hao with a profound gleam in her eyes.
Although she didn’t care much about him in terms of cultivation base, there was too much Karma on him that forced her to provide a word of explanation.
Meng Hao didn’t ask any followup questions. He didn’t actually want to know what part of what he had said was correct, and what was incorrect. Eyes glittering, he clasped hands and bowed to Paragon Sea Dream.
Clearing his throat, and also looking a bit uncomfortable and bashful, he then said, “All of that was merely speculation on my part, Senior. I was acting a bit emotionally earlier, and said some offensive things. Please don’t take offense, Paragon Sea Dream. However, all of that was because I very nearly died on numerous occasions, and something like that is very difficult to deal with. Junior faced many life-or-death situations in the Windswept Realm, and each time, there were nineteen lamentations that flashed through my mind. Each time I thought of those nineteen lamentations, it felt like my heart was being stabbed by a knife. The first lamentation has to do with the fact that I haven’t been able to get a piece of the Ruins of Immortality to take with me. If I had, I could have died in the Windswept Realm without any regrets.” His expression now was completely different than before.
It was as if he had just traveled in a big, meandering circle, as if he had shown fury, indignation, and even allowed his energy to surge, all for this moment, all for setting up the words he had just uttered.
Paragon Sea Dream had a strange expression on her face as she said, “A piece of the Ruins of Immortality?”
Meng Hao cleared his throat again. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he sighed.
“Paragon Sea Dream, I would like to request that you help me with this first lamentation of mine. Every time I see the Ruins of Immortality, I can’t help but consider the past magnificence of the Paragon Immortal Realm. Then I started thinking that, if I could just have a piece of the Ruins of Immortality as a keepsake, then it would really be a big motivation in my cultivation. It would help me to progress, and to–” Before Meng Hao could finish speaking, Paragon Sea Dream waved her hand through the air, causing massive rumbling sounds to fill the air. At the same time, a giant rift was torn open.
That rift appeared to lead to another world.
It was one of the Ruins of Immortality. The Ruins of Immortality were huge, and were scattered throughout the Mountain and Sea Realm. Each and every part of was swathed in mystery. Right now, the piece Meng Hao was staring at looked almost like a continent. Suddenly, on one corner, it appeared as if an enormous hand were ripping off one section. Rumbling sounds echoed out as a 30,000-meter section of land slowly separated, and then flew toward the rift.
An ancient aura spread out, along with ripples of Time. There was also a one-of-a-kind Immortal air that caused Meng Hao’s heart to thump with excitement!
1. When you combine the character azure with copper, you get the word for bronze
