Chapter 458

: A Faint Sound!
Two people, one chasing the other through the air at top speed.
Meng Hao wore the blood-colored mask, and his eyes glowed with coldness. Eyeless Larva silk circulated around his body, emitting a droning sound. Occasionally he would employ minor teleportation to get closer to Yi Chenzi.
As for Yi Chenzi, he shot forward with all the speed he could muster. His Cultivation base was at the mid Nascent Soul stage, and he possesed extraordinary divine abilities. He had a vicious personality, and was actually quite infamous throughout the Western Desert.
He was once a member of the Gryphon Tribe. Through a chance bit of good fortune, he had acquired an evil magic. In order to cultivate this evil magic, he had secretly begun to sacrifice members of his own Tribe to the totems on his body. The enticement of this secret technique was impossible to resist. When the matter was discovered, he confessed his guilt and managed to acquire the forgiveness of his fellow Tribe members. However, he then secretly used a ruthless method to kill the Greatfather of the Gryphon Tribe, who was none other than his own father!
After that, he cold-bloodedly slaughtered the rest of the Tribe. Regardless of young or old, they were all cut down and sacrificed to mutate his totems. It was in this fashion that he was able to acquire an early Nascent Soul stage Cultivation base.
When all of those things happened, a full sixty-year cycle previous, it had caused a huge sensation throughout the Western Desert. The Gryphon Tribe was a small Tribe, but such matters of Tribe betrayal were appalling to the extreme. Because of that, Yi Chenzi immediately became infamous throughout the Western Desert.
During the following sixty-year cycle, he appeared three more times in the Western Desert. Each time, he slaughtered a Tribe. The first two times had been small Tribes, but the third time was a mid-sized Tribe. It was that occasion which allowed him to step into the mid Nascent Soul stage. After that, he disappeared without a trace.
As he shot through the air like lightning, Yi Chenzi thought to himself,
If I get enough Celestial soil, I can use it with my secret technique to stimulate the power of my totems. After that, I’ll need a hundred thousand blood sacrifices! That will give me the chance to enter the late Nascent Soul stage!
Each time Meng Hao used a minor teleportation, so did he.
As time progressed, he was able to maintain the distance between himself and Meng Hao, making it impossible for Meng Hao to catch up to him!
The giant face around Meng Hao suddenly expanded to an even larger size and then shot forward, radiating attack energy. Yi Chenzi’s face flickered, but he didn’t slow down in the least. Instead, he actually started to go faster.

Dammit, how can this guy be so fast!?
he thought. Howling inwardly, Yi Chenzi continued to flee. It had been a long time since he had gone all out like this.

Want to catch me? You’re still not qualified!
Yi Chenzi gave a cold harrumph and then employed the pride of his divine abilities to increase his speed once more.
At the same time, however, Meng Hao suddenly lifted his hand to employ the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex. The instant it appeared, Yi Chenzi suddenly stopped in mid-air. This sudden stop scared him out of his wits. Although he quickly recovered, by the time he did, the rippling power of Meng Hao’s Without a Face had arrived.
A boom filled the air as blood sprayed out from Yi Chenzi’s mouth. However, five fish scales suddenly appeared, which then exploded, giving him a burst of speed that allowed him to escape once more.

Dammit, what divine ability was that?!?!
thought Yi Chenzi, his face pale. Lowering his head in determination, he continued to move along at the fastest speed he could muster.
Time passed by, and soon it was a day later.
Meng Hao was frowning. He looked up ahead at Yi Chenzi, who moved with increasingly greater speed. The killing intent in Meng Hao’s eyes grew even stronger. This Yi Chenzi was one of the fastest Cultivators that he had ever encountered. He also seemed to excel in one particular escape art which allowed him to merge into the air. When coupled with minor teleportation, its power was even further increased.
Seeing the distance between them once again grow greater, Meng Hao caused a bloody glow to surround him. A Bloodburst Flash caused his speed to increase dramatically. His body blurred until it looked like a ghost, and then he used a minor teleportation to close the distance again.
Unfortunately, as soon as he neared the man, Yi Chenzi would once again disappear, transforming into a green smoke that moved a hundred times faster than before.
In the midst of this incredible increase in speed, he used teleportation, causing the effect to be even greater.

That art again!
thought Meng Hao. Now the distance between them was once again increased. Meng Hao was shocked, and his killing intent grew even greater. He continued to alternate between Bloodburst Flash and minor teleportation. He was now around three thousand meters away from Yi Chenzi, who was just about to use his escape art.
Meng Hao slapped his bag of holding to produce a series of magical items. Many of these he had acquired after coming to the Western Desert. Some were from the Five Poison Tribe’s war of invasion, and quite a few were from the Goldenroar Tribe Cultivator.
He waved his arm, causing the items to turn into beams of light that shot forward.

Boom!
growled Meng Hao, his eyes flickering coldly. Instantly, the dozens of magical items began to tremble and then explode. Meng Hao hated to lose such valuable items. However, now was not the time to sit around thinking about such things. As the magical items exploded, a roaring sound rose up and intense ripples spread out in all directions.
As the power of the explosion spread out, Meng Hao caused the Lotus Sword Formation to appear. Spinning Wooden Time Swords transformed into a beam of light that shot forward.
Meng Hao could have borrowed the momentum of the exploding magical items to increase his speed. If he did, he would instantly have been propelled hundreds of meters closer to Yi Chenzi.
However, even using that method, he would not have been able to catch up. Therefore, Meng Hao did not use the blast to increase his own speed, but rather… the speed of the Lotus Sword Formation.
The Wooden Time Swords within the formation were already fast. However, with the additional momentum from the explosive attack, the three thousand meter distance was closed in the blink of an eye. Even as Yi Chenzi was utilizing his escape art, the sword formation appeared behind him, rotating out with the explosive power of Time.
The power of Time caused ripples to spread out in the air. Then Meng Hao frowned. Yi Chenzi’s escape art was truly bizarre; even the power of the Time Sword Formation could do nothing to prevent Yi Chenzi from turning into a green stream of smoke that began to shoot off into the distance. That was when the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex suddenly activated.
In the sudden pause it caused, a miserable shriek could be heard. However, the green smoke continued off into the distance nonetheless, whereupon it transformed back into Yi Chenzi.
As soon as he appeared, he coughed up a huge mouthful of blood. His face was ashen, and his hair had suddenly turned white. His body was clearly older, and shock covered his face. He trembled violently, his eyes filled with dread.

That bizarre divine ability again!
he said, his scalp going numb.
And… another magical item!!
He had just suffered a loss of three hundred years to his longevity. This fact left him completely terrified, scared out of his mind. He coughed up another mouthful of blood and then surged again in retreat.

Dammit, dammit! This is only half a piece of Celestial soil. Is it worth it? Well, is it?!?!
Yi Chenzi ground his teeth as he whistled through the air.
Meng Hao’s eyes were cold and hard as he frowned.

The power of the Lotus Sword Formation is indeed much greater here than in the outside world, but not as much as it is in the void. It’s about seventy percent weaker.

Could it be that the Time power in the sword formation will only reach the terrifying amount of one thousand years when it’s out in the void?
Meng Hao was lost in thought as he once again continued in pursuit of Yi Chenzi.
Time passed; another day went by.

How come it’s not here yet,
thought Yi Chenzi.
According to my calculations, it should be right here, right now!
Yi Chenzi looked haggard. That was especially so considering that Meng Hao was continuously consuming medicinal pills. Yi Chenzi had an mixed feeling; however, when he stole something, he would die before giving it back. That was his rule. Gritting his teeth at Meng Hao’s continuous pursuit, he once again used his escape art.
It was at this moment that off in the distant sky, a beam of light appeared. This shooting beam of light was no Cultivator, but rather, a one thousand meter wide rock. This rock was moving at high speed along its orbit. From the look of it, it was near the edge of this particular land mass.

It’s here!
thought Yi Chenzi, his eyes filling with delight. Even as Meng Hao frowned, Yi Chenzi suddenly leaped up into the air. Meng Hao watched as he performed an incantation gesture, preparing to employ who knew what magical technique. Suddenly, the flying rock off in the distance changed direction and shot toward him.

So, he can control the rocks in this place!
thought Meng Hao, his pupils constricting. Seeing Yi Chenzi heading toward the rock, Meng Hao’s eyes suddenly filled with a bright glow. At this critical moment, it was without hesitation that he pointed out with his finger and, just as Yi Chenzi was about to land on the rock, employed the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex.
It happened just as Yi Chenzi was about to transform into green smoke. Yi Chenzi had long since guessed that his opponent would most likely use this bizarre divine ability. Therefore, he transformed into the green smoke and then reappeared on the surface of the rock.

Hope to see you again someday, Fellow Daoist!
he cried, laughing uproariously. However, it was at this moment that his expression suddenly filled with shock as he noticed that the rock beneath his feet… had suddenly stopped moving.
Meng Hao’s Eighth Hex had not been aimed at Yi Chenzi at all, but rather, the enormous rock.
The moment the rock stopped moving, Eyeless Larva silk suddenly began to spin, binding up the rock. A moment later, the rock recovered its momentum and shot forward. As it did, it pulled Meng Hao in tow.
Being pulled at the same speed as the rock, Meng Hao instantly landed on its surface. He lifted up his right hand and punched out with an explosive fist. Yi Chenzi’s face flickered and he clenched his jaw as he prepared to fight back.
A boom filled the air. Yi Chenzi was sent tumbling off of the rock, blood spraying from his mouth. The Eyeless Larva silk loosened, and Meng Hao teleported off of the rock. When he reappeared, he was directly next to Yi Chenzi. His right hand snaked out to exterminate the man.
However, it was at this moment that the entire sky suddenly turned gray, and a gray mist rolled out to cover the land. Everything became a sea of gray.
At the same time, Meng Hao was astonished to discover that his entire body… was completely incapable of moving. Yi Chenzi was in exactly the same situation.
It was as if everything in the entire world had suddenly been rendered motionless.
At the same time, a crowd of figures could be seen moving through the mist. They had blank looks on their faces, and they carried chunks of Immortality Bridgestones on their shoulders as they trudged through the mist.
Faint, odd voices could suddenly be heard echoing throughout the world.
When will the Bridge of Immortality reappear like new…? Sir, on what day will we again lay eyes on you…?