The white and blue aura was none other than the true power of the essence of Frost Soil Demon Emperor’s clone. Now that he had sent out this power, the land mass below truly was the real Frost soil.
The land shook as it suddenly began to crumble in on itself and grow smaller. As it did, it quickly became more refined and pure. If you were able to stand far up above the Bridge of Immortal Treading, you would be able to see this process happening.
The Frost soil which had once stretched out to cover the entirety of the Bridge of Immortal Treading, shrank down in the space of a few breaths. In one moment, Meng Hao could see the edges of the land mass.
After the space of a single breath passed, it shrank down to a mass of blue soil only three hundred meters wide!
The whiteness was gone; it was now pure blue. This was the true Frost soil which had given birth to the Demon Emperor in the Ninth Mountain!
In the blink of an eye, three hundred meters became thirty meters. Thirty meters became three meters. Finally… the three meter wide clump of dark blue Frost soil shot directly toward the vortex on Meng Hao’s right arm, merging into it.
Roaring filled Meng Hao’s mind as his body slowly floated up into the air. His hair whipped about, and an increasingly intense aura rose up from him.
Zhixiang backed up, her expression one of shock. Considering that she knew Meng Hao was now absorbing true Frost soil, she was thoroughly astonished.
It was at this point that the vortex on Meng Hao’s arm completely solidified into a blue Earth character. As soon as it appeared, an enormous land mass of Frost soil magically appeared behind Meng Hao.
Upon the land mass was a huge tree, which blazed with raging fire. Above the tree was a great metallic, golden river. This was a depiction of Metal, Wood, Earth and Fire!
Meng Hao’s Cultivation base soared. By now, it had completely sloughed off the Gold core. Meng Hao’s aura merged with the magical image behind him as immense power roared through him. As of now, if Xu Bai and Chen Mo, those two late Nascent Soul Cultivators, battled Meng Hao, it was easy to imagine how difficult it would be to determine who would live and who would die!
“Take my legacy, take my sword, and take my flagon,” said Han Shan. “Leave this place. If ever the day comes in which you can shake this bridge with your Cultivation base, then don’t forget to repay my kindness. If my wife and I are still here when you return, then I hope you can rescue us.” With that, Han Shan laughed. He was aged and decrepit now, but his will once again surged, a will which despised Heaven and Earth. He flicked his sleeve, causing an azure sword to appear. This sword had never left his side during the past three thousand years. But now, it turned into an azure beam of light that shot toward Meng Hao.
He flicked his sleeve again, and the alcohol flagon, seemingly filled with boundless sword will, also flew into Meng Hao’s hands. Meng Hao felt his heart stirring. He looked up at Han Shan, somewhat in a daze.
What he saw was Han Shan’s back. It looked very much the way it had when Meng Hao first saw him. Lonely, bleak, and desolate….
Han Shan waved his hand, and a cold wind sprang into being. It picked up Meng Hao and the shocked Zhixiang, and carried them off into the distance.
The cold wind was incredibly strong. Neither Meng Hao nor Zhixiang could do anything to resist the power of the wind as it began to carry them off into the distance. Despite the force of the wind, Meng Hao managed to turn his head around for one last look.
Han Shan’s gentle voice could just barely be heard.
“Three thousand years ago, it was because of you that I refused to become a Bridge Slave. Three thousand years later, it is because of you that I make the opposite choice. I will accompany you in such a life. What harm is there in that…?
“I will lose my consciousness. I will lose any chance to return. However, as long as I can be with you, neither life nor death are of any consequence….
“During these three thousand years, I thought a lot. Legacies and Cultivation bases don’t really matter. What matters, are dreams…. Without you by my side, I have no world.
“You are my everything.
“I’m willing. I am perfectly happy… to exercise faith.”
When Han Shan opened his eyes, they shone only with confusion. All of his loneliness and bleakness were gone.
His wife stood next to him. The two of them turned and made their way off into the distance. They were followed by millions of Bridge Slaves, an army of specters… moving further and further away.
“When will the Bridge of Immortality reappear like new…? Sir, on what day will we again lay eyes on you…?”