Chapter 1284: The Power of the Mountain and Sea Realm! (2/2)

The land that had been given to the Han Clan had an frosty lake in it, which was filled with Jadefrost Fish. Jadefrost Fish happened to have a lovely flavor that Meng Hao fell in love with as soon as he tasted it, so he often spent time at that lake, fishing with Han Qinglei.

It was a quiet respite from the brutal war which was being fought outside in the Eighth Mountain and Sea. Han Qinglei often grew absent-minded, and sometimes even forgot about the war outside.

“Brother Meng, mm... with the level of your cultivation base, why is it that you’re not helping the Eighth Mountain and Sea drive out the invaders from the Seventh Mountain and Sea?” It was a question Han Qinglei had pondered for some time, and had been refraining from asking for many days. But one day, as he sat next to the frosty lake with Meng Hao, fishing, he finally gave voice to it.

Meng Hao didn’t answer at first. He jerked on his line that had been cast out into the lake, and immediately a large, jade-colored fish was yanked out of the water. He reeled it in, and it turned out to be well over a meter long. He pointed at it, whereupon a nearby Meng Clan cultivator approached and wrestled with the struggling fish, pinning it to the ground and then placing it into the fish basket.

“Brother Han,” he said quietly, “this war... is not going to end. Furthermore, even if the Seventh Mountain and Sea hadn’t made a move, one of the other Mountains and Seas would have....” After entering the Ancient Realm, something had changed about Meng Hao’s voice, and it somehow seemed more ancient.

He sighed and looked up into the sky, toward the border of the Mountain and Sea Realm, the 33 Heavens. “I’ll make my move, but now is not the time.

“Did you ever notice that the starry sky seems to have a lid covering it? And that that ceiling is slowly getting closer?” Meng Hao’s words caused Han Qinglei to gape in surprise. He suddenly looked up into the boundless sky, and the endless stars, and began to breathe deeply.

“You mean... the 33 Heavens?!”

After a quiet moment passed, Meng Hao looked out at the frosty pond and calmly said, “I'm afraid that before too long, the 33 Heavens will likely descend.”

Han Qinglei’s face fell. He had been among the group that had gone to the Windswept Realm as Meng Hao had. He clearly remembered what the 33 Heavens represented, and knew that there were terrifyingly powerful experts there.

“Well... what are we going to do?” Han Qinglei asked bitterly. Before, he had taken the invasion of the Seventh Mountain and Sea to be some shocking and profound thing. But now he realized that it was merely a prelude. And yet, the Han Clan had almost been wiped away in that mere prelude, a prelude that to him already felt like the end of days. If war broke out with the 33 Heavens... then he wasn’t sure what he should do. He stared out into space, completely at a loss.

Meng Hao looked over at Han Qinglei, and then, his expression completely earnest and serious, said, “Get stronger! It doesn’t matter what war we’re talking about, the invasion of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, war with other Mountains and Seas, or even the arrival of the 33 Heavens. Even... the return of the two powers who destroyed the Paragon Immortal Realm oh so long ago. What you need to do in any and all cases... is get stronger!

“War cannot be avoided. Perhaps paradise exists somewhere, but definitely not in the Mountain and Sea Realm.

“The true war will come sooner or later. And we will all be fighting in it.” Meng Hao’s eyes slowly began to shine with a brilliant light. Finally, he tapped his finger down onto the ground, causing a ripple to spread out and eventually fill the entire continent.

It was something he had done frequently in the past months. Even when he was in secluded meditation, he had often sent his divine sense out, fusing his cultivation base with the lands, outlining an enormous spell formation.

Meng Hao didn’t actually know much about spell formations. However, the particulars of this underground spell formation wasn’t what was important, what was important was that the power that formed the framework of that formation was Meng Hao’s... power of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

“Almost finished,” he murmured to himself.

Han Qinglei sat there silently, with a bitter look on his face.

“I still don't understand, though,” he said finally. “You could do something in the war right now. With your cultivation base, you could stop it! If fewer people died, then the Mountain and Sea Realm would be more powerful in the future!

“Furthermore, right now there are enemies lying in wait for us on the Outside, and yet we’re at war amongst ourselves. There’s no point in fighting among ourselves!”

Meng Hao was silent for a moment, then finally said, “It’s not the right time. The right time is coming. Soon.”

He actually didn't explain the reason why he was not fighting in the war.

Only he knew that the reason he wasn't fighting was because... he wasn’t alone here in the Eighth Mountain and Sea. He had the Meng Clan to look after.

Even if he didn't care much about all the other members of the Meng Clan, he cared about his grandmother. And his grandmother and her people cared about the clan in general. If Meng Hao went out and fought in the resistance against the Seventh Mountain and Sea, he would definitely suffer retribution at their hands. And in the end... he was only one person.

In the end, he could choose to defend against the Seventh Mountain and Sea’s retaliation, or to escape , but the Meng Clan could not make that choice. As long as the Meng Clan existed, if Meng Hao stepped in... then the clan would be dragged into the conflict and be exterminated.

That was why he had not stepped in, and the Seventh Mountain and Sea surely realized that. Therefore... that was why they had chosen not to provoke him, and why he and they had been able to maintain a sort of fragile impasse.