Chapter 43: The Sole Heir (1/2)
Chapter 43: The Sole Heir
Patriarch Reliance sat in his secret chamber in the Reliance Sect catacombs, his hair disheveled, his eyes red. He looked as if he had gone mad. His plans were about to go awry; in moments, everyone would leave, and if that happened, they wouldn’t come back. He watched in sorrow as the Golden Frost Sect Cultivator began to make a move towards his only remaining Inner Sect disciple. Fury rose in him, and without holding anything back from his Cultivation base, he sent his voice thundering out.
It shook the Heavens and stirred up a gale-forced wind which swept back and forth. In the wild mountains surrounding the Reliance Sect, trees were uprooted as the tempest battered the land. Many other trees were simply splintered into pieces until the tempest became a dark green color, filled with flashing lightning. The experts from the State of Zhao floated in mid-air looking on, dumb with amazement.
Even Zhou Yanyun from the Solitary Sword Sect looked confused. Carrying Chen Fan’s unconscious form in his arm, he retreated. The massive sword began to hum, and then he was surrounded by multitudinous sword auras.
The beautiful woman from the Black Sieve Sect also looked surprised. She retreated, reaching down to slap the surface of the Feng Shui compass. It suddenly expanded to twice its original size.
As for Zhao Shanling from the Golden Frost Sect, he took a deep breath and retreated backward, his fingers moving in incantation patterns. The golden sword flew out from behind him, and his entire body glowed with a golden light, making him look like some sort of celestial general.
The three of them stared around at the Reliance Sect, as if they were facing a deadly opponent.
Meng Hao, who still stood on the East Mountain, looked at this change of events, at the dark green tempest which filled the sky with its deafening roar, filled with unparalleled might. He found it difficult to breathe. His eyes wide, he moved backwards, his clothing whipping in the frenzied wind. He grabbed onto a boulder and held on, lest he be sucked up by the wind. And yet, his eyes shined. Patriarch Reliance’s words just now had reminded him of what he had read on the first page of the manual all those years ago when he had first arrived at the Reliance Sect.
He Luohua and Grand Elder Ouyang also looked surprised. This turn of events was too sudden, shocking them to the extent that it almost seemed as if their Cultivation bases would crumble under the might of the tempest.
“Let it be known, the Patriarch is still here!” roared Patriarch Reliance, deep in the catacombs. “No one is permitted to touch the kid surnamed Meng! He is my only Inner Sect disciple left. If he dies, I will have no hope!!” Gritting his teeth, he slapped the top of his head, and his body shook. He spat out a mass of blood, then continued to hit himself over and over again, spitting out more and more blood. His body began to spin.
A look of hatred appeared in his eyes. After hitting himself seven or eight times, a massive amount of blood had been spat out. It congealed together, then shot toward the stone wall with a resounding boom. It banged against the wall, and nearly half of it was gone by the time it was able to punch through.
Having accomplished this, Patriarch Reliance’s head tilted to the side and he slipped into unconsciousness. He almost seemed dead, as if only the refined blood contained his awareness.
The refined blood burst out from the secret chamber and through the catacombs. Outside, in plain view of the awestruck bystanders, it spread out to cover the entire Reliance Sect into a roiling red fog. Within the mists of the fog boomed the sound of lightning as it continued to expand. In an instant, it had covered the surrounding mountainous region for countless kilometers in every direciton. From the outside, it appeared as if the entire area had turned into a red sea of fog!
The fog churned and the roaring sound lifted into the skies. All of the Cultivators present were stunned, and their shock was visible on their faces, even Zhou Yanyun and the others.
Within the red fog, the Reliance Outer Sect disciples all lapsed into unconsciousness, uninjured. On the other hand, Sect Leader He Luohua and Grand Elder Ouyang were pushed away, out of the fog. Their faces went pale as they watched on in astonishment.
The fog roiled ceaselessly, and the thunderous roar continued on until it seemed there was nothing in the world except its resonant booming. The land was like an ocean of fog, the sky colorless. Then, the fog began to move, forming together into a gigantic face.
The size of the face left everyone filled with fear.
The face was that of an old man, calm, powerful and domineering. His eyes were closed, but as soon as He Luohua and Grand Elder Ouyang saw him, their heads began to spin. They recognized this as none other than… Patriarch Reliance
“Patriarch…” said Grand Elder Ouyang, his eyes wide, filled with excitement.
“He… He’s not dead after all!!” The experts from the State of Zhao cried out in alarm, their faces draining of blood. One after another, they fled, their hearts trembling.
Suddenly, Patriarch Reliance’s colossal red-fog face opened its eyes a crack. They opened just a sliver, and yet they emitted a trembling power which seemed as if it could crack open the earth.
He glanced up at the Heavens, and they seemed to be bloodshot. As his gaze swept around, the dark green tempest smashed into the red fog, seemingly transforming into Patriarch Reliance’s long, dark hair.
As he watched this, Zhou Yanyun’s face went pale and he spat out a mouthful of blood. As he retreated backwards his massive sword suddenly split in two, leaving behind only a stump of a blade. His eyes filled with dread, and his heart pounded. His Cultivation base was at the Nascent Soul stage, but caught underneath this gaze, his Nascent Soul began to wither. He retreated even faster, pulling out a blue-colored talisman, which he activated. It covered his body, as well as unconscious Chen Fan, as he sped off into the distance. A powerful voice seemed to echo in his heart, telling him that his opponent was not at the Nascent Soul stage, but rather, the almighty Spirit Severing stage.
As the beautiful woman from the Black Sieve Sect saw all of this happening, the Feng Shui compass beneath her suddenly began to emit popping sounds, and was riddled with cracks. Then it exploded into pieces. This woman had never been so afraid. Spitting out blood, she retreated with an unconscious Xu Qing. The only thing that filled her mind was: flee!
As for tall, hulking Zhao Shanling, his body seemed as if it were being attacked by a falling mountain. He retreated backwards, coughing up blood. The golden sword in front of him shattered into fragments. His face pale, he turned and dashed away, fleeing toward the immaterial crack.
The experts from the State of Zhao all spit up blood. The Foundation Establishment stage Cultivators felt the spiritual energy in their body snapping, and they knew their longevity had been damaged. Their faces grew wan.