This was Meng Hao’s Severing!
The power of the Severing came from his own will. Whatever he wished to Sever, this blade would Sever. If he gave up, then the blade would fade away, and his Spirit Severing would be a failure!
“SEVER!” he said hoarsely, through gritted teeth. Rumbling could be heard as the Mist Blade continued to slice down. It cut through his head, then his neck. The blade trembled. As for the ferocious, vile face that existed around Meng Hao, it was now possible to see a huge split down the middle of it, something that would never be mended.
Miserable screams could be heard coming from the vile face’s mouth. Then the face scattered and surged back into Meng Hao’s body. Now, everything below his head was completely black.
“My path is not incorrect!” he murmured. “True freedom and true independence! The Resurrection Lily was incapable of possessing me! I even awoke from death! My Dao… is not the Dao of the Devilish!
“Devilishness can be a type of obsession. That kind of perseverance is something that I need. What I don’t need is something that controls me. I am not a Devil. I am not an Immortal. I am me and nothing else!” He took a deep breath, and more power poured into the Mist Blade. Rumbling could be heard as it began to slice down once more.
RUMMMMMBLE!
The Mist Blade sliced through his shoulders, and then down to his dantian region. There was now only a moment left, and Meng Hao’s Severing would be complete.
Currently, black qi had merged together on either side of him to form the shape of two wings. Gradually, they took on the appearance of Meng Hao himself. One of the figures was roaring in rage at Meng Hao, the other was whispering to him silently.
They seemed unwilling to be severed away; they were born of his Devilish will, and were part of him. They wanted to exist within his mind, and were not willing to be severed.
Meng Hao sat there silently, a blank expression on his face.
As of this moment, he forgot that he was engaged in Spirit Severing. In his mind, he saw two images of himself, and they were fighting each other.
As the Devilish will raged, he thought back to the things he had seen the first time he had charged into the Black Sieve Sect. As the other Devilish will whispered to him, he thought of how he had held Xu Qing’s corpse, and the ruthless laughter of the Northern Reaches cultivators.
He paused.
In that moment in which his will paused, the Mist Blade also paused.
Everyone on the battlefield was watching him closely, as were the Patriarchs of the various sects in the Eastern Lands.
The Imperial Bloodline Clan Chief wore an expression of joy. Seeing that Meng Hao was hesitating, he joyously called out in his heart: “Stop! Just stop!”
In the Ji Clan of the Eastern Lands, the armless young man, the Patriarch, looked on with shining eyes.
In the Tower of Tang, the woman looked extremely anxious. And yet, there was nothing she could do. Anything she did to interfere could have a huge negative influence. Everything… was completely up to Meng Hao.
Ten breaths of time passed.
Even though it was a mere ten breaths, to everyone watching it seemed like a very, very long time.
Meng Hao sat there quietly, his eyes closed. When they opened, they were calm, so calm that it was impossible for anyone to tell what he might be thinking. However, the two Devilish images on either side of him appeared to be delighted.
“People say that there are two opposing concepts: good, and evil,” murmured Meng Hao.
“Rather than say my Third Severing is a Severing of the Devilish, it would be better to say that it is a Severing of the evil.
“But… is it really possible to completely Sever evil?
“If humanity was left only with goodness, perhaps that would make the world a more beautiful. Unfortunately, that isn’t realistic. Without the existence of evil, perhaps good… would no longer be called good.
“Good and evil are the desires of the heart. If I earnestly perform good deeds, evil can be suppressed. Likewise, if I malevolently perform evil deeds, good will be suppressed.