Chapter 142: Black Sieve Sect (1/2)
Chapter 142: Black Sieve Sect
As Meng Hao’s body trembled within the mist, his eyes began to emit a powerful glow. Even his breathing grew rapid. His Cultivation base rotated rapidly, causing the mist to seethe.
Meng Hao didn’t notice any of that, though. He was staring intently at the Cosmetic Cultivation Pill and something that was etched onto its side: a mountain.
The mountain had obviously been etched by someone’s hand, not with magic. This was not a famous type of medicinal pill. It was ordinary. The etching was sentimental….
The mountain depicted was something that people outside of the Reliance Sect wouldn’t know about. It was the East Mountain of the Reliance Sect!
The shape of that mountain had been branded into Meng Hao’s mind, and he recognized it immediately.
Who would possibly have placed this image of a mountain onto this Cosmetic Cultivation Pill, which would then show up in the State of Clear Skies…? A clear image suddenly appeared in Meng Hao’s mind.
It was a beautiful, cold woman wearing white clothing. She had brought Meng Hao into the Cultivation World. Under the moon, she had glanced back at him…. Xu Qing.
Elder Sister Xu.
Meng Hao could not prove conclusively that this Cosmetic Cultivation Pill was the one he had given to Elder Sister Xu as a gift. But his intuition was telling him that it was.
He held up the pill in his hand, slowly closing his fist over it. He sat there quietly. Beneath the wide bamboo hat, a storm began to brew on his face.
“If she never used this pill, and even took it with her to the Black Sieve Sect, then… why is it here now? What has happened to her in the Black Sieve Sect? This is a picture of the East Mountain. Does she miss… the Reliance Sect, or does she miss a person…?
“What does this picture of the East Mountain mean? Did she give this pill to someone? Or did she sell it? The person I was just interacting with could not have been her.”
He loosened his grip and looked again at the etching on the side of the pill. His heart suddenly filled with a strong desire to see Elder Sister Xu. Deep inside, the answers to his questions existed already.
“Elder Sister Xu….” A sharp look glowed in his eyes and he took a deep breath. This pill told him that if she didn’t sell or give away the pill, then the only other possibility was….
He felt a stab of pain in his heart, and his eyesight grew blurry. In his mind was the image of Elder Sister Xu from all those years ago. So long ago. He slowly put the Cosmetic Cultivation Pill into his bag of the Cosmos.
“The Black Sieve Sect…. And then there’s this Classic of Time….” Meng Hao slowly lifted his head, staring at the glowing lights in front of him. This was not a place where he could attack; it was impossible to tell what would happen if he did anything impulsive. He didn’t want to beat the grass and startle the snake, thus putting his enemy on guard.
He thought for a bit more, and then his eyes filled with determination. His mind was now made up; he would definitely go to the Black Sieve Sect.
Meng Hao was in no mood to participate in the rest of the secret meeting. He kept thinking about the image of Elder Sister Xu from all those years ago. When the meeting finally came to an end, he let out a light sigh. The mist around him dissipated. Old man Qingshan nodded to the group and waved his hand. Then he turned and left. Those who remained in the pavilion didn’t stick around to talk. One by one, they disappeared, randomly being teleported away. Such methods were making the Secret Trade Alliance more and more popular.
When Meng Hao reappeared, it was outside the gate of another mansion within the city.
This location was halfway across the city from the place where he’d followed Lu Tao to. Meng Hao had already ascertained that the palace he’d been in was not located within the city at all. The place he’d followed Lu Tao to was merely an entranceway.
He walked down the moonlit street, looking up into the sky. His long, lonely shadow stretched out on the ground, seemingly filled with bleakness.
The moon above was the same, but the location was different. It seemed like years had passed since the previous day. Looking back in time, it seemed as if he had no place to call home.
He sighed and walked onwards.
He continued to walk until the sun rose, and then walking until he left this city of Cultivators. Finally, his body transformed into a prismatic beam which shot through the State of Clear Skies toward the Black Sieve Sect!
Several days later.
The Black Sieve Sect was located in the east of the State of Clear Skies, in the middle of the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Its main gate was vast and mighty. Its majesty would strike awe into the heart of any Cultivator who looked upon it.
The Hundred Thousand Mountains surrounding it served as a foil to the ninety-nine mountains within their center. Above these ninety-nine mountains floated a massive mountain, upturned to create something that was almost a continent. On its underside, willows draped down, some a few dozen meters long, others hundreds. Clouds curled up around this massive land, giving it a truly celestial feeling.
Richly ornamented buildings, pagodas and temples covered it. Beneath it, the ninety-nine mountains were all connected with colorful arching bridges. It was unsurprisingly beautiful.