The parrot had once mentioned that as far as it knew, cultivating the three cla.s.sic scriptures of the Mountain and Sea Realm could lead to becoming a Doyen. Meng Hao had always wondered exactly how powerful Doyens were, as he had never met such legendary figures.

It had seemed... that they were figures who existed above the Mountain and Sea Lords.

However, that was merely what the legends said. In this battle, the appearance of the 8-Essences female Paragon enabled Meng Hao to finally see the three great Doyens, and now he could sense... the auras of Imperial Lords upon them!

Doyens were comparable to Imperial Lords!

In fact, Meng Hao couldn’t help but notice that there was something strange within the fluctuations emanating from the three Doyens. However, by the time he had shown up on the battlefield, the three Doyens were already in the midst of sealing the female Paragon. Plus, he himself was involved in a deadly struggle, and the intensity of the fighting made it impossible for him to study them closely. However, deep in his heart, that suspicion remained.

He distinctly remembered the Parrot saying that within the Mountain and Sea Realm, the Sublime Spirit Scripture had its Sublime Spirit Doyen, and the Dao Divinity Scripture had its Dao Divinity Doyen. However, the Heaven Severing Scripture... had never given rise to a Heaven Severing Doyen! [1. The parrot talked about the Doyens of the three scriptures in chapter 338]

And yet, it was very obvious that, as of this moment, there was indeed a Heaven Severing Doyen, although he seemed to be the weakest of the three, and apparently, had already withered away into death. In fact, it seemed that his death was causing the seal to weaken, and prompt the 8-Essences Paragon to probe for a way to break it.

Although Meng Hao hadn’t put too much thought into such matters back then, at least now he was able to bear witness to... the power of the Doyens!

The 8-Essences Paragon’s words were still echoing out when she reached out to touch the sealing mark. Instantly, the triangular seal began to collapse. As it did, the entire area around her was thrown into chaos, which was to be expected. Because of the power contained in the seal, as it shattered, the innumerable threads which held the Paragon in place began to shudder.

They couldn’t hold on for long, and as the seal crumbled, those threads began to vanish one by one. The area that was maintained by the Heaven Severing Doyen was the first to become devoid of such threads.

Next were the areas controlled by the other two Doyens, who were now in a state of extreme withering. In fact, the three young disciples behind each of the three Doyens were now virtual corpses as well.

RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE!

As the seal fell apart, the 8-Essences Paragon was preparing to step out into the open. Once she did, she would unleash her 8-Essences cultivation base, and considering that there was no one to stand in her way, the battle would quickly be over. The Mountain and Sea Realm would not even be able to last long enough to see the arrival of the Immortal G.o.d Realm and the Devil Realm. The Realm would be crushed, and all of its people eliminated.

However, it was at this point that the Sublime Spirit Doyen suddenly opened his eyes, and they shone with a bizarre light. The disciple behind him also opened his eyes, and his expression was one of complete calm, as though this was a moment which he had prepared for his entire life.

“Wei’er,” the Doyen said, “you took me as your Master when you were seven years old. I feel that over the years, I... never treated you as well as I should have.”

“Master, I have no regrets,” the corpse-like young man replied. “If there really is another life after this one, sir, then I hope I can still call you my Master!”

Without the slightest hesitation, he suddenly collapsed into pieces, sacrificing all of his life force, even his soul, to become boundless scripture power, which then fused into his Master, the Sublime Spirit Doyen.

In that instant, the Sublime Spirit Doyen’s flesh and blood once again grew strong, and his eyes began to blaze. He quickly returned to the peak state of his power. However, just as quickly, he began to wither again, as all of that qi and blood, all of his soul power and cultivation base, everything that was him, began to converge on his forehead.

A popping sound then rang out as his forehead burst open, and a blood-colored spike flew out!

Countless scriptural symbols swirled around that spike, which was none other than the Sublime Spirit Scripture. That spike was made from bone, and was the combination of everything that the master and apprentice has sacrificed. All of that formed together into... the Sublime Spirit Spike!!

As soon as that spike appeared, the Sublime Spirit Doyen closed his eyes in death. As he died, his expression was calm, although touches of sadness and guilt could also be seen....

Although the Mountain and Sea Realm found no fault with him, nor did his apprentice, he felt regret for how he had treated that apprentice.

“If there is an afterlife....”

RUMBLE!

The Sublime Spirit Spike formed by the Sublime Spirit Doyen and his apprentice then shot toward the 8-Essences Paragon with indescribable speed.

The female Paragon’s face flickered for the first time. Because of the chaos of the crumbling sealing mark which surrounding her, she was inhibited, and the terrifying spike had her completely cornered!!

She simply couldn’t escape!

Apparently, sealing her was only one aspect of the trap which had been laid for her. The truly explosive part of the plan was to be carried out when the seal was broken. That plan was... self-sacrifice!!

A ma.s.sive boom echoed out as the spike drove its way into the 8-Essences Paragon’s chest, in the region of her heart. The vicious stabbing of the spike elicited a miserable shriek, which was the exact moment in which the Dao Divinity Doyen opened his eyes.

As the Dao Divinity Doyen sighed, his apprentice behind him gave a carefree laugh. “Master, there is no need for you to feel regret. I am a caretaker of the scripture, and have known all along how things would end. I have long since prepared myself. Master, you gave me my life, and the only regret I have is that I won't be able to care for you any longer.

“Master, let me take the first step....”

The apprentice exploded, transforming into countless scriptural symbols which shot toward his Master, the Dao Divinity Doyen.

The Dao Divinity Doyen’s body instantly recovered. Sighing quietly, he nodded his head, and then without any hesitation, allowed his own body to wither as his qi and blood, his life force, his soul, his everything, converged on his forehead.

Rumbling sounds echoed out as a spike suddenly flew out.

It was... the Dao Divinity Spike!!

The spike contained boundless divine sense as it shot forth, causing Heaven and Earth to shake violently. The sky faded and a wind screamed as it shot toward the 8-Essences Paragon. She had first been pinned down by the effects of the sealing mark shattering, and had been unable to avoid the Sublime Spirit Spike. Now that the Sublime Spirit Spike was stabbed into her, how could she possibly avoid... the Dao Divinity Spike!?

A bang rang out as the spike stabbed into the Paragon’s forehead, directly into her brain!

A bloodcurdling scream rang out from her mouth, and a tremor ran through her. Her hair was in complete disarray as she fell back. She managed to break free of the sealing mark, and then rotated her cultivation base like mad to try to push the two spikes out of her, two spikes which filled her with a sense of extreme danger.

However, it was at this point that the completely withered Heaven Severing Doyen suddenly opened his eyes.

He was not dead!

As he opened his eyes, there was something very different within them, as though he was no longer the Heaven Severing Doyen, but rather, someone else!

He looked over at the fleeing 8-Essences Paragon, and sighed. As he sighed, the withered youth behind him transformed into countless scriptural symbols which then poured into the Heaven Severing Doyen.

The young man died without saying a single word. However, his eyes were filled with decisiveness and determination, and not the slightest bit of hesitation could be seen in his actions.

As the Heaven Severing Doyen absorbed those symbols, a sound like a sharp inhalation of breath could be heard. At the same time, the old man’s aura suddenly grew even stranger than before.

In fact, it seemed as if his cultivation base were rising, causing that strangeness in his aura to become more intense.

“I... am not actually the Heaven Severing Doyen!” he said softly, as if he were giving voice to his memories. An expression of sadness appeared on his face as he slowly turned his head to look first at the Ninth Mountain and Sea, then at the forces of the Fang Clan within the army, and finally... at Meng Hao.

That glance was one which contained a reluctance to part; as well as profound sighing and sadness. And when he looked at Meng Hao, it contained love, as if he were looking at his own progenity.

“Hao’er, you've grown up....” he murmured.

Meng Hao wasn’t sure why, but when he saw the eyes of the Heaven Severing Doyen, he felt his heart trembling. He began to shake, and even pant, as... a familiar sensation rose up sharply within him.

“That’s....” He felt like lightning was striking at his mind. This person should have looked like a stranger, but as of this moment, as those eyes seemed to pierce into his memories, he remembered images from when he was a child. He remembered an old man holding him gently, and that man’s eyes suddenly seemed exactly like these eyes.

“Grandpa Fang…!” he cried out.

As of this instant, everyone in the Fang Clan was reacting to the Heaven Severing Doyen looking at them. Their faces flickered, filling with disbelief and shock as they looked back at him.

Suddenly, the Heaven Severing Doyen’s face began to change. Now, it looked very similar to Fang Xiufeng's, and also similar to Meng Hao's. His face... seemed threatening without being angry!

He was none other than... Meng Hao’s Grandpa Fang. Fang Xiufeng’s father! The previous Grand Elder of the Fang Clan, a man who excelled in both terms of latent talent and powers of understanding. His name was... Fang Hehai! [2. Fang Hehai was actually first mentioned in chapter 899]

Years ago, he and Meng Hao’s Grandpa Meng had gone looking for an Outsider to help save Meng Hao. That Outsider had returned, but they never did. It wasn’t until Meng Hao went to the Eighth Mountain and Sea that he found out that his Grandpa Meng was the Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea.

At that time, he had always wondered... where his Grandpa Fang was. His Grandpa Meng had even told him that he wasn’t in the Realm.

Meng Hao had previously speculated that perhaps his Grandpa Fang... had been hiding somewhere in the 33 Heavens.

But as of this moment, after seeing the face of the Heaven Severing Doyen, his mind reeled as he realized... that this absolutely was the same man who existed in his memories. His Grandpa Fang!

“But why did Grandpa Meng say that he wasn’t in the Realm?” That was the question that immediately popped into his mind.

It was in this moment that Heaven Severing Doyen, Fang Hehai, looked away. Filled with ferocious determination, he looked at the retreating 8-Essences Paragon, and then his forehead exploded.

“Heaven Severing.... Spike!”