The first Violet Fate Sect Spirit Severing Patriarch was silent for a moment before saying, “I’ve received a message from the Sect Leader. Fang Mu of the East Pill Division has forsaken the Violet Fate Sect. We do not know whether he is alive or dead. If he is alive, he has nothing to do with the Violet Fate Sect. Similarly, If he is dead, it similarly does not have anything to do with us.”

His eyes glowed brightly as his words echoed out one by one. To speak such words caused him to feel utter humiliation, as well as intense sorrow.

The other Spirit Severing Patriarch said nothing, but a slight frown appeared on his face. There seemed to be a fury in his eyes that was just on the verge of exploding. However, he knew that they could not under any circ.u.mstances offend the Ji Clan.

They were the only people present who knew about the matter of Fang Mu, and in fact, they really had just received an urgent command from the Violet Fate Sect. The wording in the command was simple. It didn’t mention the death of a member of the Ji Clan, but it did say that momentous changes were about to occur. It said that Fang Mu had voluntarily forsaken the Sect, and that if any mishaps were to occur, the two Patriarchs were to explain this immediately.

The two of them had a.s.sumed something important had happened, and with the developments just now, it was obvious exactly where the problem lay. Each had lived for a thousand years, so it naturally took only a moment for them to ascertain the crux of the matter.

Regardless of whether his name was Fang Mu or Meng Hao, the kid apparently had been faced with no other choice than to attack, and had killed a member of the Ji Clan. In order to not implicate the Sect, he had voluntarily crushed his Violet Furnace Lord medallion, making a clean break.

Such a choice caused the two Spirit Severing Patriarchs to feel pain in their hearts. This was a disciple of their Sect, a Legacy Apprentice of the East Pill Division. In a moment of crisis, he had taken steps to prevent any trouble for the Sect.

Unfortunately… they had no way to protect him. No one in the Violet Fate Sect could do anything for him now. The two Patriarchs had no choice but to coldly distance themselves from him, in front of all of the Cultivators in the entire Southern Domain.

His life didn’t matter. His death didn’t matter. He had nothing to do with the Violet Fate Sect.

The words they had spoken led to instant silence in the area. Shocked and perplexed looks filled the faces of many of the Cultivators from the other Sects. They could hear the helplessness within the words, and when compared to the domineering power of the Ji Clan, it caused them to instantly feel sympathy.

The Spirit Severing Cultivator from the Ji Clan stared coldly at the Violet Fate Sect disciples for a moment, then snorted. Other than that, however, he did nothing.

Silence reigned. No one spoke. Everyone was waiting for the disciples who had disappeared to return.

Restrictive spells had already sprung up all around. As of now, there was absolutely no way for anyone to use the power of teleportation. After a moment, however, within the Black Sieve Sect’s pillar of light, Patriarch Violet Sieve’s eyes began to glitter.

Finally, he spoke up. “Fellow Daoists from the Ji Clan, and other members of the senior generation. I happen to know that Meng Hao possesses a good luck charm from the ancient Good Luck Sect. I’m afraid your restrictive spells….” He smiled, but didn’t finish speaking.

Hearing these words immediately caused the eyes of the Ji Clan Elders to flicker as they exchanged glances. The Spirit Severing Cultivator waved his right hand, and a jade pendant appeared.

“Place this within the restrictive spell. It can block the good luck charm.”

The faces of the two Violet Fate Sect Spirit Severing Patriarchs grew dark. They glared at Patriarch Violet Sieve, ill intentions flickering in their eyes, barely concealed.

The disciples of the various Sects were so shocked that they were like cicadas in the dead of winter. Various thoughts ran through their heads. They thought of Fang Mu, and then Meng Hao, and their expressions flickered through various stages of astonishment.

Fang Mu was thoroughly famous in the Southern Domain. It was said that he was like the sun at high noon amongst the others of his generation. No one could compare to him. He was Grandmaster Pill Demon’s Legacy Apprentice, Dao Child of the East Pill Division, one of the four Grandmasters of the Southern Domain… Pill Cauldron….

As for Meng Hao, the appearance of the Blood Immortal mask caused everyone’s hearts to be filled with a roar of shock.

He possessed the Sublime Spirit Scripture, was son-in-law of the Song Clan, and now, recipient of the Blood Immortal legacy!

Amidst the silence, the faces of the Song Clan members were somewhat unsightly as they sat in their pillar of light. Eccentric Song was there too, frowning and sighing inwardly.

All of the Cultivators present, including the Spirit Severing Patriarchs, were oblivious to the fact than an old man had suddenly joined the crowd. He was emaciated and unimposing in appearance. However, no one noticed that he was there, almost as if he weren’t part of the world.

The old man smiled. “You entered the realm of Perfection, kid,” he said lightly to himself. “There’s a thing called Karma in the world, and today, I will help you to sow it. In the future, I will seize your Perfection, that will be the reaping of the Karma.” No one, of course, could hear him. This was none other than the ancient tenth Patriarch of the w.a.n.g Clan.

Everyone continued to wait silently.

Meanwhile, at the very edge of the Southern Domain, near where the State of Zhao used to exist, past the numerous mountain ranges, was a vast sea.

This was none other than the Milky Way Sea, which separated the West and South from the North and East.

Suddenly the air above the Milky Way Sea outside of the Southern Domain began to ripple and distort. A blurry image appeared, a person, who suddenly stepped forward. The figure was indistinct at first, but it rapidly coalesced into an old man.

This was none other than the old man who had been fis.h.i.+ng Karma on the peak of White Mountain in the Eastern Lands, Ji Clan Patriarch Ji Fang!

He hovered in mid-air above the Milky Way Sea, looking out at the Southern Domain. Then, his body flickered, and he shot forward. However, even as he neared the border of the Southern Domain and was about to enter, he frowned and let out a cold snort. He raised his right arm and flicked it out ahead of him.

A boom filled the air, spreading out in all directions, causing the ocean water beneath him to seethe and roar. The land comprising the border of the Southern Domain quaked, and the great boulders lining the seash.o.r.e cracked and disintegrated.

As the land crumbled and the seawater churned, an old man appeared in front of Ji Fang. He wore a long gray robe upon each sleeve of which was the image of a pill furnace.

The old man’s hair was long and white, and he was very thin, with dark blotches on his skin. His expression was placid, yet filled with power. His eyes glowed brightly, and a Heavenly aura seemed to be concealed within them.

The strong aroma of medicinal pills wafted out from him to fill the area.

Ji Fang gave him a cold look and then said, “Should I call you Violet East, or Pill Demon?!”

This old man was none other than Meng Hao’s Master, Pill Demon!

Pill Demon was silent for a moment, then looked back at Ji Fang. "Violet East has perished, I'm Pill Demon."

“Well, it doesn’t matter if you’re Pill Demon or Violet East,” he said coldly, lifting his head slightly, “if you want to prevent the Violet Fate Sect from being destroyed, then get out of my way. Anyone who kills a member of my Ji Clan must die!”

Pill Demon shook his head. “I’m his Master. He kowtowed to me three times, now it’s time for me to do something for him.” He waved his right arm, and suddenly a bronze pill furnace magically appeared in his hand. It immediately emanated an ancient Qi, which spilled out in all directions. A bluish mist poured out from the pill furnace, circling around, making the entire area into a world of fog.

“If you were really Violet East, then I might have some misgivings,” said Ji Fang with a harrumph. “But as for you, you're clearly… looking to die!” With that he raised his hand, and the mist grew thicker, immediately inundating both himself and Pill Demon.

It was impossible to see them now. Only explosion after explosion could be heard, echoing out from within the mist. Beneath them, the Milky Way Sea seethed. The border lands of the Southern Domain quaked. Each and every attack made by either man contained enough power to shake the Heavens and rock the Earth.

A grim voice echoed out from within the mist. “Pill Demon, is it really worth it to do something like this for your apprentice? You might be able to stop me, but can you stop the entire Ji Clan?”

“He chose to become my apprentice, and I chose to become his Master. That’s not something that can be erased by forsaking a Sect. I believe it’s worth it. All of it! I can’t stop the Ji Clan, but I can hold you off for a moment. That’s enough!”

Another explosion shook the heavens. The battle shook this remote area where the Southern Domain met the Milky Way Sea.

The mist churned, lightning crackled, thunder boomed; the battle rose to a climax.

The walls within Choumen Tai's illusory mental realm were now collapsing. As Meng Hao disappeared, Xu Qing bit her lip and closed her eyes.

Meng Hao left. He was no longer Fang Mu, but instead looked like he had when he’d left the State of Zhao, although now his Cultivation base was at the Core Formation stage. He transformed into a beam of light and shot off into the distance.

He wasn’t leaving the maze, he was leaving Xu Qing.

He didn’t look back.

The green mark on the back of his hand flickered. It had appeared after he had formed the Violet Core, and the blood began to circulate through his veins.

It appeared to be a magical symbol. Of course, he had seen it before, back when he reached Foundation Establishment, as well in the Violet Fate Sect when Choumen Tai had called out to him.

As he proceeded forward, more and more walls began to crumble into pieces. The entire maze seemed to be collapsing, and many of the Cultivators stranded within were now able to see each other. They quickly began to form groups based on whichever Sect or Clan they belonged to.

However, anyone who wasn’t fast enough to regroup became the subject of attack, causing the entire place to begin to dissolve into chaos.

Meng Hao whistled through the air, moving faster and faster. No one could make out his face, only the shape of his figure as he shot past.

The rumbling roars grew more intense as the walls continued to collapse. Meng Hao suddenly paused for a moment. Based on the collapse around him, he knew that it would only be moments before the entire place was gone.

“Because of the deaths of Li Daoyi and Ji Hongdong, the outside world has been sealed down. It seems my good luck charm… is not going to help me.” A glow appeared in his eyes. The instant he had made his move on Ji Hongdong, many thoughts had been racing through his mind.

“My only chance… will be the Rebirth Cave, fifty kilometers away!” He took a deep breath, and then suddenly, his expression flickered. A mist suddenly covered his body, and he shot off in a new direction.

It didn’t take long before up ahead of him appeared Chu Yuyan, Ye Feimu, as well as some other Violet Fate Sect disciples. They were surrounded and under attack by Western Desert Cultivators.

“Fellow Daoists from the Violet Fate Sect,” cried one of them in a grim voice, “hand over the copy of those inscriptions you just made, and we’ll leave you alone. If you don’t, then we don’t care if you belong to a great Sect of the Southern Domain, we will exterminate you nonetheless!” The totem tattoos on their bodies began to ripple. Chu Yuyan, Ye Feimu and the other disciples, who were from the Violet Qi Division, were doing their best to defend themselves.

Ye Feimu was seriously injured, and his face was pale. However, he continued fighting doggedly. Blood oozed out of the corners of Chu Yuyan’s mouth, and her right arm dripped with gore. Her face was pale, and her jaw clenched.

Everyone else was also injured, and were clearly fighting for their lives.

Next to them, two Violet Qi Division disciples slumped against the wall, although it wasn’t clear whether they were dead or alive.