Meng Hao quickly decided to change the topic. “Senior, sir, I’m sure you didn’t just call me here to eat some White Dragon.” The way the man had looked at him just now made him feel like food, and had caused his scalp to go numb.

Only at this point did the man reluctantly look back up. From the look if it, it took quite a bit of willpower to do so. He tilted his head back to look up at the stars.

“These stars come from my memories of ancient times….” said the man softly, sounding a bit melancholy. “Unfortunately, I’ve been asleep for far too long…. When I woke up, I was here, in this land. I couldn’t tell if the starry sky was the same or not, or whether there were more stars or fewer.

“Listen up, kid. My surname is Choumen. I was born outside the Seventh Mountain, on Planet Tiger Cage. My full name is Choumen Tai! [1. Choumen Tai’s name in Chinese is 醜門臺 chǒu mén tái - This is a bit of a strange name. Choumen is a made up surname. As for the meaning of this name, each of these characters has multiple definitions. Instead of listing them here, I will just put links so that you can research it yourself if you wish. Chou, men, tai] The man looked back down from the stars and stared at Meng Hao with a solemn expression.

“Because I was on good terms with an old friend from the Eighth Mountain, I took part in the Dao War between the Eighth and Ninth Mountains. During the course of the war, I was seriously injured. I should have perished, but I had one breath left that has kept me going until now.

“I may die, but I will not allow my legacy to end with me…. As for you, the moment you saw me way back then, I acquired the coordinates to this planet, allowing me to fall here [2. This happened back in chapter 59]. You have a special bloodline. If you’re lucky, you should be able to leave this tiny Planet South Heaven, travel to my home and return the legacy….

“That is my hope. If you’re able to do it, well and good. If not, I still won’t have any regrets!” He studied Meng Hao for a moment. “I have three boons to bestow upon you, as way of repayment!

“The first boon is a mark that I created after I achieved enlightenment and gained Immortality. Its name is ‘Immortal Shows the Way.’ Only someone who has ascended to Immortality in the Nine Mountains and Seas, and who is willing to sacrifice some Cultivation base, can create something like this. It was supposed to be given to my descendants as a treasure.

“When you are of the great circle of Dao Seeking, you can use it to step from that peak toward Immortal Ascension. Someone will show you the way, and your chances of succeeding in Immortal Ascension will increase by thirty percent!

“Furthermore, you won't be using some local power, Immortal Shows the Way can cause a starry sky to descend!!” He lifted his hand up and pressed down on his forehead. A resplendent ball of light immediately appeared.

The glowing ball of light emanated an aura which did not belong to this world. As soon as Meng Hao sensed it, his mind began buzzing. He had the powerful feeling that this light contained a fearsome power. Were it to detonate, it could turn the entire Southern Domain into ash.

“This….” Meng Hao began to pant as he stared at the glowing ball of light in the man’s hand. Meng Hao could also sense that when the aura emerged, the man instantly grew weaker by almost half. The stars and the land around them seemed to grow more unstable, even blurry.

“Immortal Ascension is difficult… but with this Immortal Shows the Way, that difficulty will be reduced by quite a lot. All you have to do is continue to grow until you reach that point. When that time comes, you will most likely be able to make the final step!

“This item is the first boon I shall bestow upon you.” The man’s face was pale and his body was becoming less distinct. However, he gave a hearty laugh and, without hesitation pressed the glowing Immortal Shows the Way into Meng Hao’s forehead. Such an object could cause countless experts among the stars to engage in ruthless struggle, but the man handed it directly over. The glow of it fused into Meng Hao’s body.

Meng Hao trembled, and closed his eyes for a while. When he opened them, he felt completely different than before. However, he couldn’t quite tell what was different. The only thing he was sure of was that his head felt much clearer.

“The second boon I will bestow upon you is something you’ve likely heard of before: one of the three cla.s.sic scriptures, the Dao Divinity Scripture! Sublime Spirit, Dao Divinity, Heaven Severing. These three scriptures aren’t just pa.s.sed down on this planet where you reside. These three cla.s.sic scriptures are handed down throughout all the Nine Mountains and Seas!

“Unfortunately, what most people possess are mere fragments of the full scriptures. Up till now, only two people have ever been able to collect the full text of any one of them, and been able to acquire the Dao Realm t.i.tle. One of those was the Dao Divinity of the First Mountain!

“The other was Sublime Spirit from your Ninth Mountain!

“Only these two powerful experts were able to collect the complete Sublime Spirit Scripture and Dao Divinity Scripture respectively. Everyone else only possesses fragments. As for the most mysterious of all, the Heaven Severing Scripture, for countless ages no one has ever been able to collect it in its entirety, nor cultivated the great circle of that realm to acquire the designation Heaven Severing.

“As for my Dao Divinity Scripture, I only have one manual, which is actually far more valuable than the rest. Mine is the Divine Sense Manual! One of the main reasons why I didn’t die in the Dao War was because of this manual.

“My Divine Sense is about three times more powerful than anyone in the same stage as me. This… is the superiority which comes from cultivating this manual of the Dao Divinity Scripture. Triple is the limit; however, if you acquire other Dao Divinity fragments, then you can increase that number!

“This art, I pa.s.s to you!” The man raised his right hand and pushed down onto Meng Hao’s forehead. Immediately, a scriptural text began to float in Meng Hao’s mind. Each magical symbol radiated a black glow as it branded itself onto Meng Hao’s mind. Immediately, his body trembled as his Spiritual Sense experienced frenzied growth.

After the s.p.a.ce of a few breaths pa.s.sed, he found that his Spiritual Sense had increased by about double. As of this moment, he could easily send it out to cover everything around.

The stronger one’s Spiritual Sense is, the stronger the Core Qi will be. With Core Qi powering magical techniques, the result will be even more shocking; similarly, Meng Hao's ability to deduce the ultimate form of his techniques far surpa.s.sed others.

At the moment, it was only a simple branding, and Meng Hao had only received a doubling of Spiritual Sense. Through continued cultivation, that increase would be even greater.

Even this seemed like a huge stroke of good fortune to Meng Hao, though, and left him breathing heavily.

“What do you think?” laughed the man. “Just having it branded to you increased your Spiritual Sense by double. That’s because of the half dragon you ate. The power of White Dragons stems from Divine Sense. Your Cultivation base isn’t capable of completely a.s.similating it, though. That will take some time. When that happens, your Divine Sense will become vastly more stable.”

“White Dragon….” said Meng Hao without thinking. “You mean that wasn’t an illusion?” Feeling the increase in his Spiritual Sense caused him to be vastly more confident in being able to reach Core Formation.

“Who said it was an illusion!?” said the man as he glared, reached up and smacked Meng Hao’s head. “You gluttonous little punk! That was the last dried White Dragon that I had saved up. Its efficacy was rather low, but I still had planned to save it for my last meal before I died. Unfortunately, I gave you an entire half! Oh well, it doesn’t matter.”

The man seemed to be a bit jealous at the level of Meng Hao’s good fortune. He sighed and then reached into his robe. “Alright, I didn’t finish what I was saying. You have the first and second boons. Now, I’ll give the last boon…. Kid, I want you to remember something. If you aren’t able to deliver my legacy back to Planet Tiger Cage, then even if I’m dead I will definitely curse you!” From within his body, he dragged out a glowing white globule.

The glow carried with it a faint, delicate fragrance. Meng Hao gaped when he saw it; the glow contained a diamond-shaped object.

“This is….”

“This is my legacy,” he said with a whisper, “contained in a breath of my Immortal Qi. This is what you must take to Planet Tiger Cage. Dissolve the Immortal Qi, and you will be able to see the legacy. Only you! If you wish to study it, you may. Just get it to Planet Tiger Cage!

“To be honest, though, according to my calculations, it would be difficult for you to fully a.s.similate it within several hundred years.” Looking pained, he took the white diamond and pushed it into Meng Hao’s chest.

Meng Hao’s body spasmed. The white diamond suddenly appeared amidst his ten Dao Pillars. The white glow emanated out, connecting with his Dao Pillars.

At the same time, a boundless roar filled his Cultivation base, exploding outward throughout his body. His ten Dao Pillars shook and radiated ma.s.sive amounts of Violet Qi, which then interlocked over the white diamond. Meng Hao’s mind spun. He suddenly sensed a feeling that was similar to when he had consumed the Three Mortalities Pill in his attempt to reach Core Formation.

“I’m… approaching Core Formation!” Meng Hao said, panting.

The man’s body began to fade, causing him to speak in a rush: “You’ve reached the critical point leading to Core Formation. Dissipate some of my Immortal Qi, and it will help you to form your Core…. Look out for yourself. I’m placing all of my hope in you. Be careful of the Black Sieve Sect. Be careful of the ancient power which comes from the East in this planet. The Lord who controls that power has already reached the pinnacle of this planet.

“The uniqueness of your bloodline and my speculations regarding your past are contained in that breath of Immortal Qi. Some years from now, after you completely dissolve my Immortal Qi, you will be able to see. However, I can’t guarantee that all of it will be true….” The world around them began to crack and break. “I’m gonna make one last bet by entering your planet's Rebirth Cave. According to my a.n.a.lysis, the mysteries within have something to do with the Dao Sea beneath the Ninth Mountain. Look out…. yourself…. mental realm is collapsing. When it… everyone inside will be teleported out….” The voice came and went in spurts, and then finally disappeared. An intense rumbling filled the area around Meng Hao, and then… everything collapsed.

He was once again surrounded by walls. However, this time, the walls were filled with fissures.

Cracking sounds filled the air. Meng Hao looked around and took a deep breath. Everything had happened too quickly just now. As he thought back to it, it seemed like a dream. And yet, the Dao Divinity Scripture was there in his mind, and within his body was the Immortal Qi in the shape of a diamond. It was all real.

Furthermore, his ten Dao Pillars were rapidly beginning to melt, releasing an unprecedentedly dense Violet Qi. The Qi wrapped around the diamond, and was slowly beginning to take the shape of a Core.

Meng Hao knew that he was now entering Core Formation. The process would normally take a very long time; however, because of the a.s.sistance of the Immortal Qi, the process would be sped up. Right now, he had reached a critical juncture!

It was at this exact moment that a boom filled the air. The sound came from a nearby wall, which suddenly exploded. A potent aura suddenly poured through.

“Finally found it,” said a voice. “This is the place the Patriarch spoke of. That person’s Immortal will is slumbering in this… eh?” The young man surnamed Ji suddenly appeared, a look of surprise on his face. He wore a long, azure robe.

His eyes flickered as they fell upon Meng Hao. A mysterious light glowed therein. His expression suddenly turned grim. “Did you steal it?” he asked.

-----

This chapter was sponsored by Loc Pham and Gary