“You truly live up to your reputation, Patriarch Reliance,” said Lord Revelation with a smile, his voice hoarse. “You could tell with a single look that I’m a clone. However, I’m not here to plot against you. Without me, these Core Formation Cultivators wouldn’t have dared to come here. Actually, there is a matter regarding Heavenly fortune that I wish to discuss with you.” His lips quivered a bit as he finished speaking.
Patriarch Reliance frowned, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Suddenly, something black flashed up above them. The flying skull reappeared. In its mouth was a three-colored Core. It flew to Patriarch Reliance’s side. He flicked his sleeve, and the Core flew to light the sixth oil lamp.
Having seen all this, Meng Hao’s heart trembled. He looked at Lord Revelation. It turned out, he was actually just a clone, and yet was at the Nascent Soul stage! Hearing what he said, Meng Hao realized that the goings-on here were more complicated than he had imagined.
“If his clone is at the Nascent Soul stage, then… what stage is his true self at?” Meng Hao took a deep breath, thinking of the three-colored poison pill, his face twisting.
“Patriarch Reliance,” said Lord Revelation with a smile, “the Southern Domain is doomed to fall into chaos. What are your thoughts on this matter?”
“You mean the crap about the Dawn Immortal? I couldn’t care less. But since you’re here with your Nascent Soul, I might as well take the opportunity to replenish myself a bit more.” His eyes glittered as he took a step forward and raised his hand toward Lord Revelation.
“Patriarch Reliance, you really should think things through more clearly. You’re a simple Spirit Severing Cultivator, do you really dare to defy the Dawn Immortal?” Lord Revelation’s face fell as he watched Patriarch Reliance lifting his finger. A boom resounded out as a powerful mist came into being and began to surround him. Patriarch Reliance let out a cold snort.
The mist seethed, and the roaring sound mixed together with the howls of Lord Revelation until it seemed that the Immortal’s Cave would collapse. At first, it seemed as if the restrictive spells nearby would disintegrate, but they began to repair themselves before that could happen.
Meng Hao watched on in shock as the restrictive spells fluctuated between collapse and repair. The mist lifted Lord Revelation higher into the air. He let out a blood-curdling scream as the mist squeezed, causing blood to squirt out of his body and drench his clothes. His eyes were filled with hatred.
“Demonic art, Wolf Smoke!” Patriarch Reliance’s grim voice rang out into the mist. The mist seemed to devour Lord Revelation. Deep inside, a brilliant light shone out, and the vague image of flames and smoke could be seen. Nothing could be seen clearly, though. Only blood-curdling screams could be heard.
“Patriarch Reliance, I can do without this clone, but don’t think it will be so easy to consume me!”
The images and feelings seemed to lash against Meng Hao. This battle could no longer be described in terms of magical techniques. He couldn’t even think of any words that would do. Patriarch Reliance’s powerful voice and the howls of Lord Revelation made Meng Hao realize how much beyond the Core Formation stage this battle was.
He stared blankly, his mind reeling, as if a new door along the pathway of life had been opened. This was what being a Cultivator truly was. This was the true path of defiance against the Heavens. This was the true all-powerful might of a Cultivator.
A short time passed, during which the booming continued to sound out. The mist suddenly contracted, then returned to surround Patriarch Reliance. When he looked closely, Meng Hao was shocked to see that Patriarch Reliance’s features now closely resembled Lord Revelation’s.
It was almost as if Patriarch Reliance had occupied Lord Revelation’s body. Then the features began to melt down until Lord Revelation was completely gone, fully absorbed.
An immeasurable amount of black sealing marks rotated around Patriarch Reliance. As he floated there in the air, he exuded an extremely bizarre air.
In his hand he held the small image of a person. Its face was twisted ferociously, but its eyes were shut. It looked … like Lord Revelation!
This was his Nascent Soul!
The mist dispersed, and everything was quiet. No more breakage appeared on the restrictive spells. They seemed to be in the process of restoring themselves rapidly. From the look of it, it wouldn’t take very long for them to recover completely. Patriarch Reliance flicked his sleeve, and Lord Revelation’s Nascent Soul shot into the seventh oil lamp. The Nascent Soul acted as oil, and Lord Revelation’s life force became flames as the lamp burned.
Lamplight filled the Immortal’s Cave, illuminating everything with a flickering light that felt both ghastly and horrific.
Patriarch Reliance looked around, and his gaze came to fall on Meng Hao. He gave him a slight nod, and then turned to head ba