Meng Hao would never forget all of that. He had watched as the mastiff, its body broken and nearly destroyed, crawled over to him and then exerted all the effort it could muster just to lick his hand.
Then he thought about how it had saved him during the encounter with the Li Clan Patriarch, using all its power to fling him out of the portal. Innumerable hands had stretched out to grab it, and it was pulled down into the sludge. Just before it disappeared, it had stuck its tongue out, as if in a final attempt to lick its master.
How could Meng Hao… possibly forget such things?!
“Blood Mastiff,” he said softly, looking at the gigantic, ferocious mastiff. He saw the shocking spurs, and the astonishing aura it emanated.
His voice was soft, but the instant it left his mouth, the mastiff suddenly trembled. It turned its head and looked in confusion toward Meng Hao. But then, its expression turned gentle, even happy. It slowly lowered its head, allowing Meng Hao to rub its nose. It carefully extended its tongue to lick Meng Hao’s hand.
As Meng Hao rubbed its nose, it emitted a contented growl, just like it had when it was tiny.
Meng Hao smiled as he gently pet the mastiff. He thought about that time outside the Rebirth Cave when the mastiff, despite being asleep, had exerted all the power it could to extend a single paw.
“Hey buddy, I haven’t seen you for more than a hundred years….” he said softly. “Let’s go wipe out that damned Heavenly Pursuit Tribe!” His killing intent suddenly boiled up. At the same time, the mastiff’s killing intent exploded to the sky. It roared, the sound of which was like thunder. Meng Hao leaped up into the air, flying up to stand on the mastiff’s head. He waved his right hand, causing a massive wave to sweep out and pick up the Golden Crow Tribe members, as well as the bodies of their dead.
Under Meng Hao’s control, the Violet Sea’s power of extermination was restricted, ensuring that the Golden Crow Tribe members would not be harmed in any way.
Meng Hao looked at Wu Ling and the others. “We’re going together. There’s a debt of blood that can only be paid back… with blood!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the mastiff roared again and then shot up into the sky, taking Meng Hao with it. Wu Ling and the other old-timers felt their blood beginning to grow hot, just like it had in the old days. They and the other Tribe members shot forward within the wave.
They did not leave for the Black Lands. Instead, they went to the nearest outpost, the ninth.
Under the orders of Patriarch Huyan, the Heavenly Pursuit Tribe had gone to war with the Golden Crow Tribe in order to force Meng Hao out. It had cost them quite a bit, but in the first battle, they had managed to capture five hundred prisoners. Those captives had been subjected to endless forms of torture. Their Cultivation bases had been ruined, and they were then sent to the ten outposts in the Western Desert Sea to be strung up!
They were hung out in the open, exposed to the elements. The entire purpose… was so that Meng Hao would see it. In Patriarch Huyan’s estimation, once Meng Hao saw, he would be forced to appear.
If he didn’t, then his totems would be severely weakened and he would lose his faith power. In actuality, Meng Hao had long since reached the point where he didn’t need either of those. He had successfully formed his Nascent Soul. As such, he was both a totemic Sacred Ancient, and… wasn’t.
In any case, Patriarch Huyan had severely miscalculated. Meng Hao… would definitely appear.
However, the reason was because of sentiment, and because of the Golden Crow Tribe!