The instant the sky became bright, Meng Hao opened his eyes. The floating head had vanished, and the dripping blood was gone. Everything returned to its normal state. Many people in the crowd opened their eyes to look at Meng Hao.
Zhao Yifan was the first person to stand up and approach Meng Hao. Fan Dong’er rose to her feet at almost the same time, and approached from a different direction. Li Ling’er looked coldly over at Meng Hao and also moved toward him.
In addition, Ji Yin stood, Karma swirling around him as he began to stride in Meng Hao’s direction.
There were other Chosen who also began to approach Meng Hao, angry looks on their faces.
“Stop right there!” said Meng Hao coolly.
The others said nothing in response, but rather, sped up. Zhao Yifan was the fastest, and he waved his hand as he closed in on Meng Hao, causing a stream of sword qi to appear. The dragon-like sword qi spread out, transforming into nine shocking Sword Dragons. Their roaring caused the air to vibrate as they twirled together to shoot toward Meng Hao.
“Fellow Daoist,” said Zhao Yifan, “I can sense the aura of South Heaven on you! You’re no groundskeeper!”
By the time he finished speaking, the Sword Dragons were almost upon Meng Hao.
“The Dao of the sword exists in the heart, and within one’s will,” continued Zhao Yifan. The nine Sword Dragons had transformed into nine swords that stabbed down toward Meng Hao.
Meng Hao’s eyes flickered as his desire to fight exploded up. As he rose to his feet, his right hand clenched into a fist that punched out toward the nine swords.
As he punched out, a mountain appeared in front of his fist, which rumbled through the air to slam into the nine swords. A huge boom rattled out, and massive ripples spread out in every direction.
“Your Karma is not that of someone from ancient times.” The cold voice belonged to Ji Yin. As it echoed about, his body went blurry, then reappeared behind Meng Hao. His right hand flashed in an incantation gesture and then pushed out toward Meng Hao’s back with lightning speed.
The motion caused Meng Hao’s soul to tremble. All the memories in his life seemed to appear, which transformed into Karma that stirred his mind.
Meng Hao’s expression was calm, and he snorted coldly. Since his act had been seen through, there was no point in continuing with the facade. His left hand flashed in an incantation gesture and he pointed toward Ji Yin.
The Withering Character Incantation erupted out, and the air between Meng Hao and Ji Yin seemed to collapse as a huge black hole appeared. It instantly exerted an incredible gravitational force that rumbled loudly. Meng Hao leapt backward as Li Ling’er appeared in front of him, her beautiful face twisted with the desire to kill.
“The memories of this land say you only got here a month earlier than us!” she said. Her graceful hands performed an incantation, and the willow leaf mark on her forehead flickered. Suddenly, a willow leaf appeared in her hand.
As soon as the willow leaf appeared, a boundless life force exploded out of it. When it reached its pinnacle, it suddenly began to show signs of death. The willow leaf turned black, and then flitted out into the air toward Meng Hao.
“Seal!” said Li Ling’er coolly. The willow leaf emitted a rumbling sound as it exploded. It transformed into a network of black veins that almost looked like a net, which then descended toward Meng Hao.
Seeing that he was about to be sealed, Meng Hao snorted coldly and then stretched out both arms. He lifted his head up and shouted, invoking some Daoist magics he had learned that enabled him to sprout feathers and grow hide. Shockingly, he transformed into a huge black roc, cruel and savage in appearance, that escaped the enveloping black veins.
As soon as he shot into the air, he heard a melodious voice speaking in his ear.
“Daoist Brother, you’re quite exceptional. You almost had Dong’er here fooled.” As the voice was transmitted to him, Meng Hao suddenly felt his hair stand up on end as a profound sense of danger filled him. Without hesitation, the produced the Lightning Cauldron. Lightning covered his body, and he switched places with Li Ling’er.
As soon as he switched places, he looked over at Fan Dong’er and saw that she had a Blue Lotus in her hand. A moment ago, a young boy could be seen standing on the lotus, beckoning to him as if he wanted to turn him into a lotus seed to pop into his mouth.
There was also a rusted black needle that emanated an aura of rot, which had been thrown toward him by one of the old men standing next to Song Luodan of the Song Clan. If that needle had stabbed into him, he would have been transformed into a puddle of blood.