However, as soon as the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex appeared in his mind, his eyes, though they didn’t look any different, now viewed the world in a completely different way.
The mountains were still green; the land below was the same land as before. But, the greenness of the Hundred Thousand Mountains was now covered with a black aura. This black aura roiled up from all the mountains to circulate about in the air. In this moment, it looked to Meng Hao as if the Black Sieve Sect really had become a Sect of the underworld.
Strands of black aura drifted up off of Xu Qing’s body and swirled around her. Its nucleus seemed to be in the pit of her stomach, where a flickering globule of black mist existed. Deep within that black mist, Meng Hao could see Xu Qing’s soul, sleeping, as if it had been sealed.
The black aura emanated out constantly, and in fact, behind Xu Qing, it congealed together to form into the blurry image of a woman.
The phantom figure emanated a seemingly endless ghastly aura. It was bizarre, and emitted thick an aura of death as it looked at Meng Hao along with Xu Qing.
“Who are you?” said Xu Qing, her voice unhurried. From Meng Hao’s perspective, this voice did not belong to Xu Qing, but rather the gruesome discarnate soul which floated behind her.
As her words drifted out, Meng Hao suddenly sensed that the surrounding black aura was rushing toward them. It swirled around, forming into countless faces that grinned hideously as they stared at Meng Hao.
Of course, they were unaware that Meng Hao could see them as they floated around.
“I am Fang Mu of the Violet Fate Sect,” Meng Hao replied with a smile. “Elder Sister, are you a Conclave Disciple of the Black Sieve Sect? I’ve been here for a few days, but this is my first time seeing you.” As he clasped hands and bowed, he allowed the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex to dissipate, and the world around him returned to normal.
“Oh, so you’re Grandmaster Fang,” Xu Qing said coolly. “This is a prohibited mountain, please leave immediately.” She turned, ignoring Meng Hao and staring off into the distance. A blank look once again filled her face.
His expression the same as usual, Meng Hao bowed again and then turned into a beam of light that shot away from the mountain. He took his time going back, enjoying the sights along the way. By the time he got back to Black Welcoming Peak, the moon hung high in the sky.
He entered the building and immediately settled himself in the protective shield of the Furnace Lord medallion. His face instantly grew grim. He had been extremely cautious on his way back, careful to make sure nothing at all seemed amiss about him. However, there were still some discarnate souls who followed him. They had swirled around him the entire way, finally disappearing when he arrived at Black Welcoming Peak.
“To save Xu Qing, I have to get close to her,” he thought. “Furthermore, I can’t let anyone find out about it. This Black Sieve Sect is obviously an underworld Sect, with discarnate souls flying around everywhere….” Had he made an open move just now, not only would he have been unable to save Xu Qing, but he would also have broken his own cover.
He sat thinking, his eyes flickering. After some time passed, he closed his eyes.
Early the next morning, his eyes snapped open. He lifted up a jade slip, branded it with some information, then flicked his sleeve to send it flying out of the building.
His cool voice echoed out: “I have a matter to discuss with Patriarch Violet Sieve regarding pill concoction.”
As soon as the jade slip flew out into the air, a Cultivator appeared out of nowhere to grab it. It was impossible to determine his Cultivation base, but he wore a black robe. He immediately disappeared off into the distance.
Inwardly, Meng Hao gave a cold laugh. Ever since his alchemic showdown with Chen Jiaxi, he had sensed an aura outside of the Black Welcoming Mountains. Obviously someone was there watching him.
A few moments later laughter could be heard, followed by Patriarch Violet Sieve, who had come in person to discuss things with Fang Mu. He stood there with a smile on his face, clasping hands and bowing to Meng Hao.