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Back in their original encounter, Meng Hao had promised to eventually release him from being sealed. Now, he was making good on that promise. With the wave of a finger, he created something from nothing, providing a new fleshly body for the Ninth Paragon’s soul.

The others were shaken by what they saw, and their desire to reach Transcendence themselves became even stronger.

“Many thanks, exalted one!” cried the Ninth Paragon, his heart filled with both excitement and bitterness. Long ago, he had smugly a.s.sumed that he would rise to glory after descending. How could he ever have imagined that his soul would have been sealed by Meng Hao, who would then a.s.sume his ident.i.ty to rise to power?

In the two thousand years which had pa.s.sed, Meng Hao had Transcended, while he himself remained in the 9-Essences level.

However, he felt no resentment. Instead, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed over and over again.

Meng Hao looked around at the group of Paragons and said, “Any of you who wish to join me can meet me half a month from now outside of Planet Vast Expanse.”

With that, he swished his sleeve, took a step forward, and vanished.

Everyone rose to their feet and exchanged glances. All of them were visibly moved by what had just occurred. A moment later, they transformed into beams of light which shot off in the direction of Planet Vast Expanse.

Meng Hao made his way alone out into the starry sky. Following his memories, he returned to the location near the Mountain and Sea b.u.t.terfly where he had been teleported away by the meat jelly.

Based on the parrot’s memories, he then began to search for the location where he had fully fused with the bronze lamp. What he wanted to find... was the place where the meat jelly’s aura had finally dissipated.

That location was where he was most confident that he could reverse what had occurred in the starry sky of the Vast Expanse, and... resurrect the meat jelly!

He would essentially grab the meat jelly’s soul from within the will of Allheaven and drag it out.

Several hours later, Meng Hao reached his destination, where he looked around for a moment in both grief and antic.i.p.ation.

He could tell that this was the location where the meat jelly, still in armor form, had died in the midst of defending him.

Meng Hao made a grasping gesture with his right hand, and a fossilized suit of armor appeared. The parrot flew out, its expression the same as Meng Hao’s, that of grief and antic.i.p.ation.

Meng Hao carefully laid the armor out in front of him in the exact spot where the meat jelly had died. Eyes glittering, he performed a double-handed incantation gesture and then placed both hands down onto the armor.

The starry sky filled with rumbling sounds as ripples spread out in all directions.

Meng Hao’s eyes shone with a strange light, and his expression was very serious as he unleashed Hexing magics, one type after another. Eventually, the Ninth Hex appeared, whereupon he lifted his right foot up and then stamped it down.

“By the power of my name, I hereby alter natural law, reverse time, and overturn the starry sky. Meat jelly, I call upon your soul to return from the stream of time!” His voice seemed to be filled with strange, magical power. Instantly, the surrounding laws of magic and nature began to twist and distort. It was as if the area in front of Meng Hao was being wrenched out of the control of the will of Allheaven, and conforming to Meng Hao’s Dao.

The natural and magical laws in the area all transformed into spiralling threads, which merged together to form a mighty river. It was a river formed, not from water, but from the fragments of time which existed in the starry sky of the Vast Expanse. Within that flowing river were numerous vicious beasts, one of which was a crocodilian creature fully 30,000 meters long. As it rose up from within the river, it looked like a hulking island.

“Who has the gall to unleash Hexing magic to disturb the flow of time!?” it roared in a voice like thunder. “Anyone who commits the sin of altering with time shall be imprisoned for all eternity!” It looked like a paramount celestial being, radiating pressure in all directions. However, when it saw Meng Hao, its eyes went wide, and it s.h.i.+vered in terror.

This creature was the embodiment of countless souls fused together, and could control the river of time. It had never seen Meng Hao before, but was aware that there were four people within the starry sky of the Vast Expanse who had Transcended, and could fight with the will of Allheaven.

As soon as it laid eyes on Meng Hao, it realized who he was, and instantly changed its tone of voice.

“Ex-exalted... exalted one... your humble servant didn’t see you just now, um... what are your orders, exalted one? I will go through h.e.l.l or high water to fulfil your every request.”

Meng Hao looked calmly at the crocodilian creature, then waved his finger at the river of time. Instantly, the entire river slowed down and stopped.

That affected the flow of time everywhere within the starry sky of the Vast Expanse. All beings and ent.i.ties, regardless of their nature, were suddenly rendered immobile.

The crocodilian creature s.h.i.+vered. A divine ability like this which could suspend the flow of time was something that surpa.s.sed any and all natural laws. Even this creature was incapable of moving, and could do nothing more than watch as Meng Hao reached his hand out into the river of time.

It seemed almost like a casual gesture. Instantly, countless motes of time appeared in front of him within the starry sky of the Vast Expanse. They were events which had occurred in a previous life, numerous images that would cause even the mind of a 9-Essences Paragon to reel. Only a Transcendent cultivator would be able to do something like this, to reverse fate and alter reality.

Meng Hao didn't pause for a moment. He quickly found the meat jelly’s soul within the river of time, two thousand years in the past. He could see himself, and the meat jelly in armor form. He saw the meat jelly die.

He watched as the meat jelly's soul flew away. Just when it was about to vanish into the void, he reached out and gently laid ahold of the soul.

The entire process only took a few breaths’ worth of time. A moment later, he held a soul strand in his hand.

When the parrot saw the meat jelly's soul, its eyes lit up with hope.

A warm look could be seen in Meng Hao’s eyes as he placed the meat jelly's soul onto the fossilized suit of armor. Instantly, a howl echoed out through the starry sky as the will of Allheaven tried to interfere.

To the will of Allheaven, Meng Hao’s actions were a brazen provocation. He was interfering with something that belonged solely to that will.

Souls of ent.i.ties which had died were supposed to return to the starry sky of the Vast Expanse, but Meng Hao was completely defying that arrangement.

As the howl echoed out, the formerly still starry sky of the Vast Expanse suddenly returned to normal. The river of time flowed once more, and the crocodilian creature s.h.i.+vered and sank back down into its depths, not daring to even show its face.

It was well aware that it could not partic.i.p.ate in a battle between Meng Hao and the starry sky itself.