Beneath the feet of each person was a mountain that was their own Dao Corroboration Mountain. One person 人, one mountain 山, that… was an Immortal 仙!
Eight people, eight Immortals, flying through the air.
The true Immortal Tribulation was not something that would eventually fade away. No, it would only grow more and more intense until, in the end, it would be strong enough to destroy any cultivator in the Spirit Realm. Even cultivators of the Immortal Realm or the Ancient Realm… would all be destroyed when facing that level of power!
The key to transcending the tribulation was attacking the Door of Immortality!
Only by breaking open that door could the tribulation be dispersed, and successfully transcended.
Almost in the same instant that Pill Demon and the other eight began to fly up on their respective mountains, the Immortal mist up above churned, and eight bolts of lightning shot down. Each bolt of lightning was as thick as an arm, and moved with incredible speed. They contained enough power to easily eradicate any normal peak Dao Seeking expert.
A ma.s.sive boom rang out from the direction of each of the eight cultivators. The ground quaked and the sky churned. Magical items were utilized and divine abilities unleashed. All eight cultivators roared and forced their way through the lightning as they continued on toward the Door of Immortality.
Meng Hao’s eyes glittered as he hovered there in midair. He could clearly tell that of the eight bolts of lightning, his master Pill Demon’s was somewhat different from the others.
That particular lightning bolt seemed to possess intelligence and personality. Although initially it seemed similar, upon closer examination, it was clearly different.
“That’s the main bolt of lighting, while the other seven are auxiliary!” he thought. “Right, father mentioned that the true Immortal destiny of this lifetime belonged to my master. Considering the level of father’s cultivation base, and his vast experience, he wouldn’t randomly say such a thing.
“It goes to show that the Immortal destiny of this lifetime has selected master. Therefore, the main bolt of lightning sought him out. However, the others could still seize the main position and take his place!” Killing intent flickered in Meng Hao’s eyes. He had experienced many things in his time as a cultivator, and had long since developed a decisive and ruthless personality.
He didn’t know these seven people, but since they were just about to fight his master over the true Immortal destiny, that made them Meng Hao’s enemies.
He snorted coldly, and killing intent glittered in his eyes. He flew out and began to head in the direction of one of the old men, circulating the Immortal qi which existed inside of him as he prepared an explosive attack.
Up in midair, Pill Demon was charging toward the Door of Immortality along with the other seven cultivators.
“Hao’er, get back!” he shouted, his tone serious. “Master will fight alone for the Immortal Destiny. Stand down!” Of course, he was also concerned that considering Meng Hao’s current state, partic.i.p.ating in this Immortal Tribulation might have an influence on him in the future. Therefore, he instructed Meng Hao to hold back.
Meng Hao stopped in place. He could hear the urgency and care in his master’s words, and he didn’t want to cause any distractions. Therefore, he clenched his jaw and ceased his charge. However, eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal surged out explosively. Instantly, a wind whipped up, and the seven old men who were about to contend for the Immortal destiny trembled.
“Listen up, you seven!” said Meng Hao, his eyes glittering. “Do your best to fight with my master, and I won’t interfere. But if any of you try any tricks, then don’t blame me for attacking.
“And let’s make another thing clear. Even if you succeed in getting the Immortal destiny… well, I’ve killed a few false Immortals and… I’m itching to try to slaughter a true Immortal.” The first statement was intimidating, and the second was outright threatening. His goal was to sow chaos in the hearts of the seven contenders, to thoroughly distract them on their path to fighting for Immortality.
Immediately, two among the seven spoke, their voices cold and sinister.
“The Immortal destiny is descending on Planet South Heaven, and anyone born here qualifies to fight for it. What the h.e.l.l gives you the right to say something like that!?”
“Hmph! You’re playing with fire, kid! Immortal destiny is good fortune, and anyone can get it! If you dare to interfere, then you’ll be fighting against the Door of Immortality. I’m also curious to know why the h.e.l.l you think you can interfere with Immortal destiny!”
Clearly, these two people had been in secluded meditation for far too long, and had no idea what had happened recently in the outside world. The only reason they emerged was because of the Immortal destiny, and they had no idea who Meng Hao was. Of the rest of the seven, four were from the Eastern Lands, and didn’t say anything.
“What the h.e.l.l gives me the right?” said Meng Hao, flicking his sleeve. “How about my father, who’s preventing people from all over the Ninth Mountain and Sea from returning to South Heaven to help the offspring they planted here on South Heaven!
“How about the fact that if they managed to return, you would have no chance of fighting for the Immortal destiny!
“How about the fact that the Southern Domain is my home!”
“Who cares about all that?” responded one of the old men among the seven. “Immortal destiny is in front of us and we all have the chance to get it. Your master has been waiting for a long time, but so have we. Even if we steal the Immortal destiny, what’s so wrong with that?”
Meng Hao’s face darkened. Looking over the seven, he continued, “You’re right, there’s nothing wrong with it. My mistake. However, even if I’m mistaken, I’ll still do exactly as I said.”
The old men who had just spoken made no retorts. Not only could they sense the ma.s.sive ripples of the huge battle being fought in the starry sky outside, they could also feel the determination in Meng Hao’s words.
Rumble!
A second round of lightning descended. Booms rang out as Pill Demon and the others were shaken, and came to a stop. A third round of lightning bolts then materialized and slashed down like flying swords. Rumbling filled the air as Pill Demon and the others unleashed divine abilities and magical items. Even still, blood sprayed from their mouths.
However, they continued to press on toward the Door of Immortality. By the time the sixth round of lightning descended, they were there. They arrived at almost exactly the same time, and immediately began to levy attacks against the Door of Immortality itself.
Ma.s.sive booms rattled out, and yet Pill Demon and the others, despite unleas.h.i.+ng the full powers of their cultivation bases, could not budge the door even the slightest bit. It didn’t even crack open, which caused all the hearts of all eight to begin to thump.
Down below, Meng Hao’s face was anxious.
More waves of lightning crackled down. The sky churned as the ninth wave fell. These lightning bolts were as thick as water buckets, and illusory flood dragons could be seen inside of them. As soon as they appeared, wild colors flashed, and a ma.s.sive pressure weighed down. The flood dragon that shot toward Pill Demon had a long horn, and was clearly different than the other seven flood dragons.
The booms that rattled out caused the land to quake and the air to shatter. Pill Demon coughed up blood, and the magical items he had just been using collapsed into pieces. He trembled and fell back a few paces. As for the other seven, they also coughed up blood. However, they seemed to have taken less damage than Pill Demon. They gritted their teeth and resumed their attacks on the Door of Immortality.
And yet, the door still would not budge!
It was at this moment that Pill Demon raised his head and roared. Immortal qi swirled around his body, almost as if he were on fire. Beneath him, the statue of Reverend Violet East was also wreathed in flames, and the statue’s eyes shone with bright light.
It almost seemed as if the statue were coming to life. As for Pill Demon, he stood on the head of the statue, performing a double-handed incantation. Then he pointed out at the Door of Immortality. Instantly, the statue trembled and, carrying Pill Demon with it, flew up directly through the lightning to appear directly in front of the Door of Immortality. The statue then clenched its right hand into a fist and punched out at the door.
Pill Demon also clenched his hand into a fist and punched out.
This was the combination of two lifetimes’ worth of cultivation, all coalesced into a single strike!
The blow coming from the statue of Reverend Violet East almost seemed to be coming from ten thousand years in the past, traveling through time to appear here to join with the power of his second life and create an indescribable force.
“Immortality!” shouted Pill Demon, and his voice echoed out in all directions. The other seven cultivators were shocked to see the punch… slam directly onto the surface of the enormous Door of Immortality.
Cras.h.i.+ng sounds filled the air as the Door of Immortality… finally moved! The combined attack of Pill Demon and the statue of Reverend Violet East caused the door to open by a tiny, tiny sliver!
In the instant that the sliver-like opening appeared, Pill Demon coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. Beneath him, the statue trembled, and almost looked as if it might collapse into pieces. However… in that moment, the Immortal qi within Pill Demon suddenly grew denser.
Tribulation Lightning descended again. As for the other seven cultivators, one lightning bolt descended on each of them. In contrast, three bolts of Tribulation Lightning fell toward Pill Demon. Seeing this caused the seven others’ faces to flicker, and their hearts to tremble.
“We can’t let him continue to attack! We have to kill him!”
“He’s already opened the door by a sliver! If he keeps going, the Immortal destiny will belong to him!”
“Stop him! Kill him! The only way for us to keep fighting for Immortal destiny is for him to die!”
Meng Hao’s threat had been somewhat effective before, but now that the good fortune was clearly visible, and everyone had the chance to get it, how could the other seven continue to act rationally?
Killing intent flickered in their eyes. They had practiced cultivation in hiding down to this very day; they were Paragons of their generation, and this caused determination to flicker in their eyes. There were three in particular who charged directly toward Pill Demon.
“He has the aura of Immortal destiny on him! Whoever kills him will be wresting away destiny!”
As the three closed in on Pill Demon, three lightning bolts also descended. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his face was pale; he seemed to be just on the verge of collapsing.
From his position down below, Meng Hao looked up, his eyes bloodshot. Eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal exploded out. His Dharma Idol materialized, and his energy rocketed up. He flickered, appearing in front of Pill Demon, and punched out at the incoming three cultivators.
“Don’t force me to kill you!” he said, his voice echoing like thunder. His voice, backed by eighty percent of the power of a true Immortal, transformed into a destructive attack that slammed into the three men. Instantly, their faces filled with shock, and blood sprayed from their mouths. There was even one among their number whose arms exploded in a haze of blood. A bloodcurdling scream echoed out, and a vicious gleam appeared in the old man’s eyes. His eyes began to bleed black blood, and two beams of black light shot out from them. The two beams seemed capable of defiling anything and everything as they shot toward Pill Demon.
“You’re looking to die!” shouted Meng Hao, his body transforming into something like a hurricane as he whistled forward through the air and let out another punch.
This punch shook the sky and rocked the land. The armless old man was simply too slow to dodge to the side. He didn’t even have time to produce one of the magical items he had prepared to help transcend the tribulation. In the end, he was simply at the peak of Dao Seeking; despite the fact that he was partic.i.p.ating in Immortal Tribulation, he had still not achieved Immortal Ascension.
“You dare to interfere with Immortal destiny!” he screamed as he died. “You will be punished!” Then he exploded, completely destroyed in body and spirit.
Meng Hao snorted coldly and turned away. In that instant, the mist up above seethed, and a sound like a roar of rage could be heard as a lightning bolt descended that was clearly different than all the other lightning bolts. This lightning bolt was crimson, and it tore a rift into the air as it shot down toward Meng Hao.
This was the punishment!
The punishment for interfering with Immortal Tribulation!