Chapter 206: The Huang Clan Five Immortals [1]
Meng Hao slapped his bag of holding to retrieve the blood-colored mask. He looked at it for a moment. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he didnât want to get tangled up with the meat jelly again.
It had reached a terrifying level in terms of being annoying, which Meng Hao had experienced first hand. After a moment of thought, he reached into the mask with Spiritual Sense.
It was dark inside, and as soon as Meng Hao entered, he sensed the mastiffâs aura. It was growing more and more powerful, causing Meng Hao to feel somewhat calm.
The Blood Mastiff was his most powerful and deadly ally. He couldnât wait for it wake to up and stand at his side like it had when it was a puppy. It would lift its head to the sky and roar.
Next, Meng Haoâs Spiritual Sense moved on, pausing for a moment on the flag of three streamers. After a moment, he moved on. It was obviously a precious treasure, but he couldnât do anything with it now.
When his Spiritual Sense reached the Li Clan Patriarch, he stared in shock.
The man was more thin and pallid than ever. He was incredibly weak, and it seemed as if his spirit might collapse at any moment. Despair filled his eyes. Meng Hao suddenly got the feeling that he had underestimated the fearsomeness of the meat jelly.
The meat jelly parrot was currently perched on the shoulder of the Li Clan Patriarch, its eyes glowing as it talked. Every few breaths, the Li Clan Patriarch would shudder.
Meng Hao hesitated, then gritted his teeth and slowly approached. The meat jelly suddenly looked up, having sensed Meng Haoâs Spiritual Sense. It cried out.
âEee? Youâre here! Why donât you join us? The old man and I were just discussing a sunset from seventy thousand years ago. We havenât finished yet, and he promised to listen until the end.â The meat jelly seemed very excited at the prospect of Meng Hao joining the discussion.
Meng Haoâs heart trembled, but before he could say anything, the Li Clan Patriarch looked over at him. His eyes glistened as if he were looking at a blood relative, and he emitted an excited shout.
It was a shout that seemed to be filled with reckless abandon.
âMy name is Li Xuefeng! Iâm a Patriarch of the Li Clan from seven thousand years ago. I possessed one of the Divine Watchmen within the Blood Immortal Legacy tournament. I beg you, please take the bird away. Iâll tell you everything. Ask me anything, what do you want to knowâ¦? I know techniques from the Li Clan, divine abilities. Whatever you want to do, I can help you. I can tell you anything. Please, take it away, Iâ¦â
âShut your mouth!â said the meat jelly indignantly. âYou show no respect for your elders! Am I really so annoying? Y-y-you, youâre too immoral! Youâre mine!!â He turned to look solemnly at Meng Hao. âHeâs mine! I still havenât brought him back from the path of wickedness. I still have seventy thousand years ofâ¦.â
âHeâs yours! Yours!â said Meng Hao hurriedly, in a voice which could sever nails and slice iron. Without hesitation he continued, âI guarantee it. Heâs definitely yours!â
âVery well, then. You seem to be in a lovely mood, so I wonât permit you to participate in the current discussion. I need to teach a lesson or two to this old man,â it said angrily. âI canât believe he tried to tattle on me. I hate tattling, itâs very immoralâ¦.â It spoke with fury, but excitement filled its eyes. The sudden introduction of a new conversation topic made it very enthusiastic.
Despair filled the face of the Li Clan Patriarch. He gazed pleadingly at Meng Hao, his eyes filled with regret. Why had he insisted on being so arrogant before? If he had just yielded earlier, he would never have been forced to face the torment of this frightening bird.
His life recently had been a living hell, a nightmare worse than death. His entire body suddenly shook.
Meng Hao cleared his throat.
Paying very close attention to his wording, Meng Hao said, âSenior, I was thinking about your ever-changing forms. Soon, Junior will be infiltrating a Sect. Is there any way Senior could possibly lend me some of your power of ever-changing forms?â Even as he spoke, he slowly edged backward.
The meat jelly turned and looked at Meng Hao in surprise.
âWhat are you going to do? Are you planning some evil deed!?â
âOf course not!â His voice filled with an air of righteousness, Meng Hao said, âYou see, there are some extremely wicked people in this Sect. I want to infiltrate them in an attempt to catch the evildoers. Then, Senior can educate them, and help bring them back from the path of wickedness.â
The meat jelly suddenly seemed very excited. âOh, so thatâs your plan! Very well, very well. Meng Hao, you are really doing the right thing. Such evildoers really must be educated by me⦠althoughâ¦.â Suddenly it seemed hesitant.
Meng Haoâs next words were spoken in a mesmerizing tone. âSenior, how about this: over the next few days, I will go capture some bullies for you to guide and help.â
âOh?!â The meat jelly seemed even more excited, and its hesitation began to wane.
It was time to strike while the iron was hot! âHow about two bullies?â said Meng Hao.
The meat jelly quivered and flapped its wings excitedly. However, it still seemed a bit hesitant.
Gritting his teeth, Meng Hao said, âFive bullies! It will take me a few days, but I can go find five bullies for you.â
The meat jelly let out a delighted squawk. Its entire body shook, and its eyes shined red with excitement. It stared at Meng Hao, panting. âBring me three bullies!!â it cried. It looked at Meng Hao nervously, as if it were worried he would disagree.
âHuh? Three?â Meng Hao stared in shock. At first, he had assumed the meat jelly would try to get even more out of the deal. Instead, it was the opposite.
âThree!â roared the meat jelly. âBring me three bullies, and Iâll help you. Less than three and the dealâs off!â It seemed it felt it was risking everything in its request.
Meng Hao felt that the whole situation was very strange, but he nodded nonetheless. âOkay, Iâll get you three bullies. Not one less!â With that, he retracted his Spiritual Sense. He took a deep breath as he looked at the blood-colored mask. A strange expression covered his face.
âCould it be that the meat jelly doesnât know how to count? I offered five, and then it demanded three, and looked like it was going all outâ¦.â Mumbling to himself, Meng Hao put the mask away, turned, and left the Immortalâs Cave. The rain had long since ceased. He turned into a white beam of light which shot off into the distance.
Two days later.
On a mountain path walked a muscular man of about thirty years of age. He wore a yellow gown, had small eyes, and a mustache shaped like the character å «. Next to him walked a young man, toward whom he smiled and said, âJunior Brother Meng, itâs not far now. Up ahead is where my older brothers and I reside. Once weâre there, youâll have to stay for a while. You and I hit it off immediately, didnât we? Weâll definitely have to become sworn brothers. You know, the Huang Clan Five Immortals are very well-known in these parts. We can really be of some help to you!â
The young man had a bashful expression on his face. His Cultivation base seemed to be at the eighth level of Qi Condensation, one level higher than the yellow-robed Man.
âThanks, big bro Huang,â the young man said shyly. âThis is the first time I ever left the Sect, so Iâm very fortunate to have met you.â
âOutside your Sect, you have to rely on friends. Itâs really no imposition. My older brothers and I are all very hospitable. Little bro, youâre so young, and yet have such a high Cultivation base. Your future prospects are limitless! Iâm sure that youâll soon be a very famous person in the Southern Domain. You might even be able to outshine Chosen. You know, my older brothers and I think that making friends is very important, and weâre happy to do so.â The yellow-robed man laughed heartily, then slapped Meng Hao on the shoulder. His eyes, however, glittered with contempt and greed. He glanced conspicuously at Meng Haoâs bag of holding.
He had never seen such a bag of holding before; it was obviously something beyond ordinary.
Of course, a man like him would never have a chance to lay eyes on such a bag of holding. This bag was none other than the bag of the Cosmos. And the young man was obviously Meng Hao.
They had run into each other just this morning out in the wild mountains. The instant the man caught sight of the bag of the Cosmos, he had coveted it. But once he saw the level of Meng Haoâs Cultivation base, he gave up any ideas of trying to steal it. Instead, he had engaged in lively smalltalk for quite some time.
The man smiled at Meng Hao and thought, âSome disciple from a Sect Iâve never heard of goes out on his own for the first time. A disciple like that must surely have some life-saving treasures from his Sect. However, someone like this doesnât have any experience. Only a few flattering words, and Iâve already won him over.â In the manâs mind, he had already figured everything out about his opponent.
Meng Hao looked more bashful than ever. However, in his heart, he was rejoicing. It had only taken him two days to find some local tyrant Cultivators. Even better, the man was leading him to a place where there would surely be more tyrants of the type that the meat jelly would like.
As they chatted, an Immortalâs cave suddenly appeared up ahead of them at the bottom of a mountain. Its sealed main door was enormous, made from solid limestone. From the look of it, the Immortalâs cave must take up half the inside of the mountain. On either side of the main door were two stone guardian lions, extremely lifelike in appearance. They didnât seem to fit in with the surroundings, as if they had been transported here from somewhere else.
There were also two towers near the entrance of the Immortalâs Cave. These towers were constructed, not from earth and wood, but from bones. There were bones of both humans and animals, all piled up. It all was very gruesome.
âHere we are, little bro!â said the yellow-robed man, laughing loudly.
Meng Hao frowned. âThis placeâ¦.â
âI know what youâre thinking,â said the man. He continued, his voice firm: âBut weâre out in the wilderness. Though we donât cause problems for others, we do have to take some precautionary methods. Decorations like this only serve to frighten off the thieves and miscreants.â
Meng Hao didnât respond, but a cold light gleamed in his eyes.
The yellow-robed man didnât notice Meng Haoâs look. He waved his sleeve, and a flying sword flew out. He jumped on, and transformed into a colorful beam of light which glided through the air toward the Immortalâs Cave.
Meng Hao followed suit, his eyes gleaming coldly.
As the two of them approached the main door of the Immortalâs cave, the yellow-robed man waved his sleeve. A bright beam of light shot out, landing on the door. It rumbled, and then slowly began to open up.
Almost as soon as the door began to open, three Cultivators emerged from within. They were all about forty years old, with Cultivation bases at the ninth level of Qi Condensation. Two had fierce bearings, while the other was lean and haggard, with treacherous eyes. He held a fan in hand. He smiled as his gaze swept over Meng Hao.
The yellow-robed man laughed as he landed next to the three others. He turned and looked at Meng Hao, smiling. âOlder brothers, I ran into friend Meng here on the road this morning. This is his first time outside of his sect. I invited him to spend some time with us. Please, join me in welcoming him!â
In this case, Huang is the Chinese character é» huáng, which is a common surname, but also means âyellowâ