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Actually, that vortex had not truly been created by Paragon Sea Dream. It had long existed within the Mountain and Sea Realm, a teleportation path that, theoretically speaking, could be opened by anyone in the Dao Realm. The caveat was... that the price to open it was staggering.

In fact, only Paragons could arbitrarily pay such a price. Even if an ordinary Dao Realm cultivator were to overdraw on their cultivation base, they would not be able to open that ancient teleportation path.

Therefore, most of the time the path was safe. For example, when Meng Hao and all the others used it, nothing untoward happened. However, the path was not under the protection of one of Paragon Sea Dream’s magical techniques, it was merely a teleportation path. Therefore... accidents could happen.

Also, certain accidents could occur which not even Paragon Sea Dream would be aware of.

Originally, nothing bad should have happened to Chu Yuyan. Although her soul was in a state where it could be split, as long as she returned to the Ninth Mountain and Sea and spent enough time recuperating, she would return to normal.

Unfortunately... during the process of her teleportation, someone unleashed a soul gathering magic!

Although many cultivators could use such techniques, all of them were different, leading to different results. Some could affect an area only 3,000 meters wide. Others... could actually cover an entire Realm!

Its purpose was to find departed souls and collect them together, where they could then be used by certain cultivators to craft magical items.

In the second vision, Meng Hao saw a huge land ma.s.s and a sect. That sect was built into a black cliff, upon which were written three huge characters.

Blacksoul Society!

Meng Hao saw countless souls there, converged into a ma.s.sive river that flowed toward the black cliff, and an incense burner into which the souls were being absorbed.

A cultivator sat cross-legged next to the incense burner. He looked middle-aged, but had a pale face. His expression was arrogant, and from the fluctuations of his cultivation base, it was possible to tell that, shockingly... he was a 2-Essences Dao Realm expert.

As Meng Hao looked on, he caught sight of one particular soul among the others which was... Chu Yuyan!

The key to it all was not the Dao Realm cultivator, but rather, that incense burner; that was how Chu Yuyan’s soul had been extracted from the teleportation tunnel.

The incense burner was surrounded by thousands of other cross-legged disciples of this sect. When they waved their arms, black bottle gourds would fly out of their bags of holding, which would then belch forth innumerable souls.

Unexpectedly, most of those souls... belonged to mortals!

Miserable screams then rang out as the souls were refined by the cultivators. Slaughtering mortals was something absolutely forbidden within the Mountain and Sea Realm, something that most people would condemn!

After all, the mortal world was the foundation of everything. If cultivators were allowed to wantonly ma.s.sacre the mortals which made up their foundation, then the Mountain and Sea Realm would eventually collapse.

In fact, the laws of the Mountain and Sea Realm expressly forbade such a thing. If something like that happened, Heavenly punishment would be rained down. And yet, there was no Heavenly punishment being inflicted on this Blacksoul Society!

The vision shattered into pieces, and everything was over. Killing intent flickered in Meng Hao’s eyes, transforming into a tempest as he rose to his feet.

“The Blacksoul Society of the Eighth Mountain and Sea!” he thought. “So the laws of the Mountain and Sea Realm do not send Heavenly punishment your way. Regardless of the reason, I... will become your Heavenly punishment!” His eyes glowed coldly, both from what had happened to Chu Yuyan, and also what the Blacksoul Society was doing to the souls of mortals. Such brutality was something that Meng Hao could not accept.

Even death could not wipe out the vileness of such crimes!

A murderous aura exploded out from him, causing all of the cultivators around him to tremble. Even the Dao Realm Patriarchs of the Kunlun Society looked on with serious expressions.

None of them had any idea why such a murderous aura had suddenly sprung up from Meng Hao.

He took a deep breath, causing the murderous aura to fade away, then gazed down at Chu Yuyan. As he looked at her, he could tell that the spiritual energy of Mount Kunlun had been gathered in the coffin, ensuring that Chu Yuyan’s fleshly body would not be destroyed.

The spiritual energy of the Kunlun Society was different from that of elsewhere. It was abundant in life force, and had existed in this place for a very long time. It inherently caused life force to flourish, and would significantly reduce the decay rate of the flesh itself.

The coffin itself was also a treasured item that was in harmony with the Kunlun Society, and would further slow the process of decay. However, if it left the Kunlun Society, that could harm Chu Yuyan.

Meng Hao was well-aware that he could not take her corpse away. It wasn’t that he was fundamentally incapable of doing so, rather, it would be best for Chu Yuyan to stay here.

Eyes flas.h.i.+ng with determination, he extended his right hand and rested it on the coffin, silently unleas.h.i.+ng numerous magical techniques to seal it. Glittering marks appeared all over its surface, imbuing it not just with Meng Hao’s aura, but more importantly... the will of the future Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

That would ensure that Chu Yuyan’s corpse would not be defiled.

At the same time, Meng Hao waved his sleeve, causing a huge amount of Immortal jade to fly out and pile up around and over the coffin, forming a mountainous grave mound!

The grave mound of Immortal jade left Chu Yuyan completely protected. Coupled with the unique aura of the Kunlun Society, it would ensure that she remained preserved for quite some time.

Having done all this, Meng Hao waved his hand again, causing... an equally towering mountain of Immortal jade to pile up next to the first pile!

Clasping hands, he turned toward the Kunlun Society’s Dao Realm Patriarch and bowed deeply. “Kunlun Society, I hope it will not be too much of an inconvenience to ensure that Chu Yuyan’s body remains preserved. Please take this mountain of Immortal jade as a token of my deep thanks!”

The ancient old man looked at the mountain of Immortal jade. Even he was moved by the sight of so much wealth. Actually, as far as the old man was concerned, Chu Yuyan was a disciple of the Kunlun Society, and it wouldn’t have consumed much of the Kunlun Society’s spiritual energy to keep her body preserved in the first place.

Now, with all this Immortal jade added in as compensation....

The old man looked back somberly at Meng Hao and nodded. Then he said, “Young friend Meng Hao, please set your mind at ease. You have my word that as long as I live in this world, this place will be a restricted area in the Kunlun Society. n.o.body will be able to step half a pace into it without Pill Demon’s express permission!”

Meng Hao once again bowed deeply to the ancient man. He knew well what was expected in return for this promise.

“Many thanks,” he said quietly. “I... owe the Kunlun Society a great favor!” Meng Hao rarely owed other people. But now, for the sake of the safety of Chu Yuyan’s corpse, he was willing to do just that.

“Well then, young friend Meng Hao... did you find Chu Yuyan’s spiritual soul?” The old man smiled in response to Meng Hao’s words. In fact, to him the most important aspect of the whole exchange was to sow the seeds of a good relations.h.i.+p with Meng Hao.

“I did,” Meng Hao replied, eyes s.h.i.+ning coldly.

“Where is it?” the old man asked.

“The Eighth Mountain. Senior, I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave. I will do everything I can to bring Chu Yuyan’s soul back as quickly as possible!” He looked over at the grave mound of Immortal jade, then turned and left.

He knew that he owed far, far too much to Chu Yuyan. So much so, in fact, that he could never pay her back....

His journeys through the Ninth Mountain and Sea were now at an end. He was not in the mood to think about where his next destination was, nor did he need to. Filled with the desire to slaughter the Blacksoul Society of the Eighth Mountain, he turned, transforming into a beam of light that shot out of the Kunlun Society.

His heart was torn to pieces, and his mood was foul as he headed directly toward the Ninth Mountain!!

The Ninth Mountain was the home of the Ji Clan, but was also... the home of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite!

His plan to leave the Ninth Mountain and Sea had originally involved flying alone through the starry sky. But now, time was too short. Xu Qing was currently healthy and safe in the Fourth Mountain, and could wait for him. Unfortunately... Chu Yuyan’s soul could be refined at any moment at the hands of a cultivator of the Blacksoul Society....

When he thought about that, Meng Hao’s heart ached even more, and the killing intent in his eyes grew more explosive....

As he shot off into the distance, he murmured, “Mountains have no worries, ’til hit with snowy flurries; waters feel no woe, ’til the winds do gust and blow….”

The peak of the Ninth Mountain was occupied by the Ji Clan. Further down from them was the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite. Apparently, the Dao Realm Patriarchs of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite had long since predicted the fact that he was coming, even down to his exact time of arrival. By the time he arrived, all of the cultivators of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite were seated cross-legged in a public square, chanting scriptures.

A huge cauldron was located in the middle of all of them, fully 300 meters tall, filled with swirling streams of smoke that formed the character ‘Immortal’.

The character was faintly visible, radiating a feeling of ancientness that made it seem as if it had been transported from ancient times into the modern era.

Closest to the cauldron were five old men, all of whom were in the Dao Realm. The centermost of that group had white hair, and was the very Patriarch who had paid such close attention to Meng Hao during the trial by fire so many years ago. [1. The Patriarch mentioned here popped up several times during the trial by fire in the Ruins of Immortality. Two key parts were in chapters 852 and 854]

He was also the one who had calculated... that Meng Hao would eventually join the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite. He had already prepared the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite grand spell formation, to help Meng Hao... open the path to the Eighth Mountain!

“I know why you've come....” he said.

“The Immortal Ancient will build a bridge connecting from here to the Eighth Mountain. Walk across that bridge... to pierce through the void, traverse the starry sky, and on the other side… will be the Eighth Mountain.

“I hope that your trip there... goes smoothly.” When he finished speaking, he waved his right index finger toward the huge cauldron. Instantly, the other Dao Realm experts performed incantation gestures and pointed at the cauldron as well. The chanting of scriptures from the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite disciples grew louder, echoing about in all directions, transforming into a strange power that shook the entire Ninth Mountain. It was almost as if there were some ma.s.sive power within the Ninth Mountain itself that was complying with the cauldron....

To explode out!

To become a bridge!

It was a bridge that pierced through the void, a majestic vortex which connected the Eighth Mountain and the Ninth Mountain through the barrier that separated them. It was a majestic bridge, s.h.i.+ning with boundless, scintillating light.

Meng Hao took a deep breath, then bowed deeply to everyone in the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite. He was very appreciative of what they were doing, and even felt deep affection that caused him to hold the bow for several breaths of time. Then he looked up and stepped forward onto the bridge!

He followed the bridge up into the vortex in the starry sky, which he entered, taking him... far, far away!

This was... Immortal Ancient building a bridge!

To leave the Ninth Mountain!

End of Book 7: Immortal Ancient Builds a Bridge Leaving the Ninth Mountain!