Bab 1083: Ambisi Luar Biasa Tuan Kelima!
Selama bertahun-tahun di Dunia Dewa Sembilan Laut Sembilan Gunung dan Laut, posisi pertama yang paling banyak diduduki oleh satu orang adalah enam kali. Orang itu mendapatkan kehormatan dan kemuliaan yang bertahan bertahun-tahun sebelum akhirnya memudar. Bahkan hingga kini, mas masih ada jejak kemuliaan yang tersisa.
Satu-satunya jejak yang masih tersisa berada di papan peringkingan prasasti batu gerbang emas kesembilan. Orang itu adalah pemegang posisi pertama sebelumnya... Zong Wuya. Seribu tahun lalu, ia pernah menjadi Calon Terpilih nomor satu di Dunia Dewa Sembilan Laut. Meskipun ia telah menjadi legenda, misteriusnya, namanya tidak terlalu terkenal di dunia luar.
Namun kini, Meng Hao telah memecahkan rekornya. Ia memiliki delapan kemenangan pertama, yang pasti mengguncang seluruh sekte, dari para kultivator yang menyaksikan langsung hingga mereka yang mengamati dari jauh dalam meditasi terpencil.
Perbincangan langsung muncul di antara kerumunan orang.
"Ini membuatku teringat pada... Kakak Senior Zong Wuya dulu dahulu...."
"Penampilannya sama mengesankan dan megah. Begitu mendominasi...."
"Pencapaian Kakak Senior Zong Wuya perlahan-lahan pudar menghilang sepanjang seribu tahun. Adapun pencapaian Meng Hao... aku bertanya berapa tahun yang harus berlalu sebelum ia tertinggalkan... sebagai nomor pertama di prasasti kesembilan!"
Saat bisikan kerumunan semakin membumbung, Meng Hao tarik napas dalam, rapis tangan, dan membungkuk dalam-dalam kepada Nenek Sembilan dan yang lainnya. Lalu, ia berbalik dan meluncur ke arah Gua Abadi-nya.
Saat Meng Hao pergi, ia mendengar Nenek Sembilan mentransmit ke telinganya: "Tujuh hari. Dalam tujuh hari, Wilayah Windswept akan dibuka.... Susun akhirmu."
Ia berhenti sejenak, lalu berbalik dan membungkuk lagi, sebelum akhirnya menghilang.
Beberapa saat kemudian, ia muncul di Gua Abadi lembangnya, tenggelam melalui air.
Hampir sesaat kemudian, teriak-teriak tinggi-teriak terdengar mengelilingi, yang justru merupakan kicau-kicau bersemangatan burung tekukur.
"Dengar ya, sekarang waktunya inspeksi! Siap-siap untuk Lord Fifth! Ayo, ayo. Kami akan menyanyikan lagu saat padanku! Kebahagiaan masa depan Lord Fifth semuanya tergantung pada kamu!"
Meat jelly tidak ingin ketinggalan, lalu berteriak: "Dan Lord Third juga! Masa depan Lord Third semuanya tergantung pada kalian!"
Meng Hao melihat sekeliling, dengan ekspresi aneh di wajahnya. Hal pertama yang ia sadari adalah kelompok kultivator Iblis di kolam air terlihat sangat kurus dan tampak kehausan. Namun, ekspresi mereka penuh dengan kerendahan hati yang gila, seolah-olah burung tekukur benar-benah adalah dewi bagi mereka.
Lebih mengejutkan, Su Yan terlihat benar-benar berbeda dari sebelumnya. Wajahnya pucat, dan tampilnya bingung. Sepertinya, ujian berhari-hari yang tak terduga telah membawa kegigihannya sampai titik putus asa. Ia seolah melakukan segala sesuatu dengan insting semata.
Burung tekukur pun meneriakkan suaranya, dan nyanyian pun dimulai. Semua orang menyanyikan lagu dengan serak, mempertahankan irama yang aneh. Meskipun sudah siap secara mental, begitu mendengar lagu itu, Meng Hao hampir-hati tidak kuat untuk mendengarkan lebih dari beberapa detik.
"Aku adalah makanan laut kecilmu yang manis! Berapapun kamu mencintaimu, itu tidak pernah cukup! Aku adalah makanan laut kecilmu yang manis! Seeeaaaaffffoooood DISH!"
Burung tekukur melihat sekeliling dengan sombong, terutama saat versi terakhir dinyanyikan, dan nada lagu naik tajam. Dalam seketika, langit menjadi redup, dan angin besar terbangun.
Mata Meng Hao melebar saat melihat segala sesuatu yang terjadi. Ia tarik napas dalam, dan tidak bisa menahan diri untuk mengagumi burung tekukur dan meat jelly. Ia telah menyerahkan sekelompok kultivator Iblis yang menyebalkan kepada dua orang tolol ini, dan mereka kembali dengan kelompok penyanyi yang penuh semangat dan fanatik.
"STOP!" teriak burung tekukur tiba-tiba, mengepakkan sayapnya untuk menghentikan nyanyian. Tak sejenak pun terdengar dari penyanyi-penyai. Meng Hao bahkan tidak berani memikirkan apa yang telah mereka alami untuk berperilaku begitu baik.
"Lihatlah, teman-teman! Ingat apa yang pernah dikatakan Lord Fifth!? Kamu tidak bisa menyanyikan dengan cara ini! Kamu harus punya PERASAAN! Kamu harus BERGERAK MATA-MU!"
Dengan marah, burung tekukur terbang ke arah kura-kura laut dan mulai memukulnya dengan keras dengan sayapnya.
"Dan KAMU, kupu-kupu raksasa itu! Kamu harus bersinar! Dengar aku!? AHH! Bodoh kamu!
"Dan kalian yang lain, apa yang membuatmu tersenyum ceria? Apa yang kau lakukan dengan alamat terakhir ini, ya? Apa-apaan? Lord Fifth ingin agar nada naik. Paham!? NADA YANG NAIK!"
Setelah lebih banyak teguran yang marah, burung tekukur akhirnya terbang ke arah Meng Hao, tampil sangat mengaminkan, seolah-olah ia telah gagal dalam misinya.
"Haowie, beri Lord Fifth lebih banyak waktu. Orang-orang ini tidak mendengarkan dengan baik. Menurut pendapat Lord Fifth, jika kita mencobanya sekarang, kita benar-benar akan rugi. Biarkan aku yang menanggungnya untuk sesaat lagi. Lord Fifth punya sebuah mimpi, dan mimpi itu adalah untuk memiliki lagu lagu makanan laut yang benar-benar hebat. Aku akan memperkuat pelatihan ini segera!"
"Hari itu pasti tiba ketika aku akan mengeluarkan mereka di Sembilan Gunung dan Laut. Kita akan menouring seluruh Alam Gunung dan Laut! Kita akan menyusuri langit berbintang! Lagu mereka akan menjadi melodi seluruh Langit!" Setelah menemukan ambisinya baru, burung tekukur mulai bersinar dengan cahaya terang.
Meng Hao terdiam karena terkejut. Sebelum ia sempat berkata sesuatu untuk menanggapi, meat jelly melompat untuk menyela.
"Hei, kenapa tiba-tiba kamu bersinar? Wahhh! Bagaimana caranya?! Aku ingin bersinar juga!" Ia tiba-tiba menahan napas, menyebabkan wajahnya memerah. Kemudian ia mengeluarkan teriak hebat, setelah itu... ia tiba-tiba juga bersinar dengan cahaya terang.
Meng Hao merasakan sakit kepala datang. Ia dengan cepat mengangguk kepada burung tekukur yang tampak gila-gilaan itu, lalu buru-buru berbalik dan meluncur ke arah Gua Abadi-nya. Saat mendekat, ia mendengar suara meat jelly yang marah-marah.
"Dengar, kamu, burung tekukur yang kadang-kadang! Alat ini bersedia berkat kontribusi Lord Third! Lord Third ingin penyerang! Lord Third ingin alat ini dijual dan ditukar dengan penyerang! Aku harus mengubah penyerang!"
"Bodoh! Berapa banyak menururimu kamu bisa menjual mereka? Kamu punya otak? Ya, benar? Kamu bisa menghitung, kan!?"
"Lord Third punya otak! Lord Third memiliki seluruh tubuhnya adalah otak!!"
Ketika Meng Hao mendengar ini, ia menggigit bibir dan melangkah ke dalam Gua Abadi-nya. Beberapa saat kemudian, lebih banyak omongan marah terdengar dari burung tekukur.
"Bodoh! Tolol! Idiot! Alat ini hanya akan dijual dengan harga sepele! Namun, setelah mereka menyelesaikan pelatihan Lord Fifth, kita akan memiliki kelompok penyanyi yang luar biasa! Di mana pun kita pergi, kita bisa menjual tiket konser yang habis! Kamu tahu berapa banyak batu spiritual yang kita bisa dapatkan? Itulah yang terbaik untuk jangka panjang!"
"Kamu maksud seperti ketika Meng Hao mendapatkan banyak batu spiritual ketika ia pergi ke Pavilion Obat di Klan Fang?"
"Tentu saja! Kecuali Haowie itu kotoran burung. Jika ia bisa melakukannya, bayangkanlah betapa lebih baiknya yang bisa dilakukan oleh Lord Fifth! Sudah kudihitung semua. Ketika tiba saatnya, kita berdua akan menjadi penyanyi utama. Bahkan Haowie akan harus menyanyi juga. Ketika aku memikirkan gambaran itu, aku benar-benar sangat excited! Kita perlu memikirkan nama band! Ayo, mulailah memikirkan beberapa ide."
Meng Hao masuk dengan tenang ke Gua Abadi-nya dan mengibarkan tangan, menutup pisangannya sendiri. Ia benar-benar tidak punya keinginan lagi untuk mendengar burung tekukur dan meat jelly berbincang dengan masing-masingnya. Sedangkan lagu itu... Meng Hao yakin bahwa ia akan merasa kagum kepada siapa pun yang bisa mendengarkan seluruhnya.
Meskipun, jika burung tekukur benar-benar berhasil, dan lagu makanan lautnya populer, mungkin ia akan bekerja sama dan menyanyi bersama mereka... untuk batu spiritual.
Ia duduk silat dan menepuk kantong penyimpanan-nya. Sejumlah cahaya langsung meluncur keluar, yang merupakan Chu Yuyan. Saat ia meletakkannya di depan dirinya, ia menyadari bahwa wajahnya tidak lagi pucat, tapi memiliki sedikit warna. Meskipun belum bangun.
Ia menatapnya dalam waktu lama sebelum akhirnya menghela napas dalam. Lalu ia menyentuhlah forehead-nya, mengirimkan kekuatan dasar kultivasi untuk mempercepat proses mengeluarkan racun.
Darah jantung dari sepuluh naga laut memang mampu menghilangkan racun yang menghantui. Namun, racun itu tidak mampu melakukannya dengan cepat. Proses pembersihan qi pasukannya adalah proses yang lambat, di mana racun terus-menerus dihancurkan dan ditransformasikan menjadi sesuatu yang bermanfaat untuk dasar kultivasi seseorang.
Setelah memeriksanya dengan cermat, ia duduk dalam pemikiran sejenak, lalu memutuskan untuk tidak memaksa proses agar lebih cepat. Keadaan Chu Yuyan saat ini tidak berbahaya baginya, dan sebenarnya bisa dilihat sebagai sejenis keberuntungan baik.
Sebenarnya, racun naga laut adalah racun sekaligus tonic yang kuat. Tanpa antidotenya, racun itu bisa mematikan. Dengan antidotenya, sebaliknya.
"Kebencian ini sebenarnya akan membantu dia untuk membuat kemajuan besar dalam hal dasar kultivasi, dan mendekatkan dia dengan Alam Immortal."
Akhirnya, ia menarik jari-jarinya, dan Chu Yuyan terguncang. Matanya terbuka perlahan, dan ia melihat kosong ke arah Meng Hao. Lalu, matanya lebar sejenak sebelum ia menutupnya lagi, seolah-olah sedang berpikir.
Setelah beberapa detik berlalu, ia kembali membuka matanya, dan mata-matanya bersinar jernih.
Seolah-olah benar-benar tenang, meskipun suaranya agak lemah saat ia berkata: "Adakah kamu yang menyelamatkanku? Terima kasih. Apa ini tempatnya?"
Ketika ia melihat ekspresi di wajahnya, ia terdiam sejenak sebelum berkata: "Kesalahanku kamu terlibat dalam ini.... Kita berada di Dunia Dewa Sembilan Laut."
Lalu ia menerangkan segala sesuatu yang telah terjadi.
Chu Yuyan tidak berkata apa-apa.
Chapter 1083: Lord Fifth’s Grand Ambition!
For years in the Ninth Mountain and Sea’s Nine Seas God World, the most 1st place spots occupied by any one person was six. That person earned honor and glory that lasted for many years before fading. Even to this day, there was some trace of that glory left behind.
The single remaining trace was on the ranking list of the ninth golden gate stone stele. That person was the previous 1st place spot holder... Zong Wuya. A thousand years before, he had been the number one Chosen in the Nine Seas God World. Although he had become a legend, strangely, his name was not very well known in the outside world.
But now, Meng Hao had broken his record. He had eight 1st place spots, ensuring that everyone in the sect was shaken, from the cultivators watching everything that happened in person to those who were observing from afar in secluded meditation.
Conversations immediately broke out in the crowd.
“This makes me think of... Elder Brother Zong Wuya from all those years ago....”
“His performance was just as stunning and grand. So domineering....”
“Elder Brother Zong Wuya’s achievements slowly faded away over a thousand years. As for Meng Hao’s achievements... I wonder how many thousands of years will have to pass before he is surpassed... as 1st place on the ninth stele!”
As the buzz from the surrounding crowd continued to grow louder, Meng Hao took a deep breath, clasped hands, and bowed deeply to Granny Nine and the others. Then, he turned and shot off toward his Immortal’s cave.
As Meng Hao left, he heard Granny Nine’s transmitting into his ears: “Seven days. In seven days, the Windswept Realm will be opened.... Make your final preparations.”
He stopped in place, then turned and bowed again, before finally vanishing.
Soon after, he appeared in his valley Immortal’s cave, sinking down through the water.
Almost immediately, he heard shrill cries echoing about, which happened to be the excited squawks of the parrot.
“Listen up, it’s inspection time! Look lively for Lord Fifth! Come, come. We sing on my mark! Lord Fifth’s future happiness all depends on you!”
The meat jelly didn’t want to be left behind, so it cried out: “And Lord Third too! Lord Third’s future all depends on you!”
Meng Hao looked around, a strange expression on his face. The first thing he noticed was that the group of Demonic cultivators in the pool of water looked extremely gaunt and haggard. However, their expressions were that of mad piety, as if the parrot were truly a god to them.
Even more shocking was that Su Yan looked completely different than before. Her face was pale, and she looked dazed. Apparently, the ordeal of going through these days of indescribable torment had brought her willpower to the point of breaking. She looked like she was going through the motions on pure instinct.
The parrot gave a shout, and the singing began. Everyone belted out the song in harmony, maintaining a strange cadence. Despite having prepared himself mentally, as soon as Meng Hao heard the song, he could barely force himself to keep listening for more than a few seconds.
“I’m your little, dear little seafood dish! However you love me, it’s never too much! I’m your little, dear little seafood dish! Seeeaaaaafoooooood DISH!” [1. This latest seafood song is a direct reference to one of the most popular songs in China in recent years. You can find some information about it, and even hear the tune, here. I feel like I hear this song at least every other day here in China, and it makes me want to rip my ears out, so from now on I’m going to sing Lord Fifth’s version of it!]
The parrot looked around arrogantly, especially as the final verse was sung, and the pitch of the song rose up sharply. In the blink of an eye, the sky went dim, and a huge wind kicked up.
Meng Hao’s eyes went wide as he stared at all of this happening. He took a deep breath, and was unable to stop himself from admiring the parrot and meat jelly. He had handed over a troupe of hateful Demonic cultivators to the two dunces, and they had come back to him with an impassioned, fanatical singing group.
“STOP!” the parrot cried suddenly, flapping its wings to stop the singing. Not a peep could be heard from the singers. Meng Hao didn’t even dare to think about what they had experienced to cause them to behave so well.
“Look, bitches, don’t you remember what Lord Fifth told you!? You can’t sing that way! You have to have FEELING! You need to MOVE YOUR EYES!” Enraged, the parrot flew over to a sea turtle and began to beat it viciously with its wings.
“And YOU, you giant scallop! You need to shine! You hear me!? DAMMIT! You idiot!
“And the rest of you, what are you looking so happy for!? What the hell were you doing with that last verse, huh? What the hell? Lord Fifth wants the tone to rise. Do you understand? RISING TONE!”
After more enraged rebuking, the parrot finally flew over to Meng Hao, looking very apologetic, as if it had failed in its mission.
“Haowie, give Lord Fifth a bit more time. These morons don’t listen very well. In Lord Fifth’s opinion, if we try to sell them now, we’ll really sustain some heavy losses. Just leave them in my hands for a bit longer. Lord Fifth has a dream, and that dream is to have a really top-notch seafood song. I’m going to intensify the training immediately!
“The day will come when I take them out in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. We’ll tour the entire Mountain and Sea Realm! We’ll travel through the starry sky! Their song will become the melody of all the Heavens!” Having found its new ambition, the parrot began to glow with bright light.
Meng Hao stared in shock. Before he could even say anything in response, the meat jelly jumped in.
“Hey, you old pigeon, why are you glowing all of a sudden?! Waahhhh! How’d you do that?! I want to glow!” It suddenly held its breath, causing its face to turn red. Then it let out a mighty bellow, after which... it suddenly began to glow with bright light as well.
Meng Hao felt a headache coming on. He quickly nodded at the seemingly insane parrot, then hastily turned and flew toward his Immortal’s cave. As he neared it, he could hear the voice of the meat jelly calling out in irritation.
“Listen, you crotchety pigeon, these seafood dishes are obedient thanks to Lord Third’s contributions! Lord Third wants bullies! Lord Third wants these seafood dishes sold and exchanged for bullies! I must convert bullies!”
“Moron! How much do you think you could sell them for? Do you even have a brain? Well, do you? You can count, can’t you!?”
“Lord Third has a brain! Lord Third’s entire body is a brain!!”
When Meng Hao heard this, he cleared his throat and stepped into his Immortal’s cave. Moments later, more angry bickering could be heard from the parrot.
“Moron! Fool! Idiot! These seafood dishes would only sell for a trifling sum! However, after they’ve completed Lord Fifth’s training, we’ll have an incredible singing group on our hands! Whatever place we go to, we can sell out huge concerts! Do you know how many spirit stones we can make? That’s the best way to handle things long-term!”
“You mean like when Meng Hao got all those spirit stones when he went to the Medicine Pavilion in the Fang Clan?”
“Obviously! Except that Haowie doesn’t count for bird crap. If he can do that, just imagine how much better Lord Fifth can do! I’ve already figured it all out. When the time comes, the two of us will be the lead singers. Even Haowie will have to come sing too. When I think of that image, I just get so excited! We need to think of a band name! Come on, start thinking of some ideas.”
Meng Hao slipped into his Immortal’s cave and waved his hand, sealing away the outside world. He truly had no further desire to listen to the parrot and meat jelly speaking to each other. As for the song... Meng Hao believed that he would feel utmost admiration for anyone who could listen to the entire thing.
Although, if the parrot actually did succeed, and the seafood song got popular, maybe he would cooperate and sing with them... for the spirit stones.
He sat down cross-legged and patted his bag of holding. A beam of light immediately flew out, which was Chu Yuyan. As he lay her down in front of him, he noticed that her face was no longer pale, but had some color to it. She still wasn’t awake, though.
He looked at her for a long time before finally sighing inwardly. Then he reached out and touched her forehead, sending cultivation base power into her, accelerating the process of dispelling the poison.
The heart-blood of ten Sea Dragons was definitely capable of dispelling the poison afflicting her. However, it wasn’t capable of doing so very quickly. The process of cleansing her qi passageways was a slow one, in which the poison was constantly broken down and transformed into something beneficial to one’s cultivation base.
After checking her thoroughly, he sat in thought for a moment, and then decided not to force the process to go any faster. Chu Yuyan’s current state wasn’t a harmful one to her, and in fact, could be viewed as a type of good fortune.
Actually, the Sea Dragon venom was both a venom and powerful tonic. With no antidote, it would be deadly. With the antidote, it was exactly the opposite.
“This catastrophe will actually help her to make a huge advancement in terms of her cultivation base, and bring her that much closer to the Immortal Realm.” Eventually, he pulled his finger back, whereupon a tremor ran through Chu Yuyan. Her eyes opened slowly, and she looked blankly at Meng Hao. Then, her eyes went wide for a moment before she closed them again, as if she were thinking.
After a few breaths of time passed, she opened her eyes again, and they were clear and bright.
She seemed extremely calm, although her voice was a bit weak as she said, “Was it you that saved me? Thank you. What is this place?”
When he saw the expression on her face, he was silent for a moment before saying: “It was my fault you got dragged into this.... We’re in the Nine Seas God World.”
Then he proceeded to explain everything that had happened.
Chu Yuyan didn’t speak. She merely listened quietly. From the look of it, she was in a very fragile state, and would only be able to stay awake for a short period of time.
After hearing the story, she smiled slightly, as if she had forgotten about everything that had occurred between the two of them in the past, and now thought of them as merely friends. She gave a nod of understanding, doing nothing to reveal what she might actually be thinking.
“I never imagined that after all these years, we would meet again like this.”
Were it not for the words she had muttered back on Seajacket Island, Meng Hao would have had a hard time detecting that she was acting strangely. Now that he was looking for it, it was plain to see that she was putting on an act. Furthermore, within her slight smile could be seen a trace of both disappointment and pride.
Back on Planet South Heaven, she had made a decision. You have your glory, and I... I have my pride.
“It doesn’t matter how it all happened,” she said. “Thank you. I will remember the kindness you’ve shown. Maybe I won’t ever be able to pay you back, but I won’t forget.” She struggled to her feet, then gave Meng Hao a curtsying bow.
Seeing Chu Yuyan act so politely toward him caused Meng Hao to sit there in quiet reticence.
“I’ve recovered,” she said softly, “so... I’ll take my leave now. You... take care of yourself.” Supporting herself by leaning against the wall of the cave, she made to leave, but was too weak. After only a few steps, she staggered, face pale, and began to fall over.
Sighing, Meng Hao reached out to steady her.
Biting her bottom lip, Chu Yuyan smiled and said, “Well don’t I look silly. I can walk, Meng Hao. Thank you.”
Brushing away his hand, she took a few steps forward, but then her body weakened, and she toppled over. Her forehead smacked into the stone wall, and because of the weakness of her body, and her lack of any of the protection of her cultivation base, it gashed her skin and blood began to flow.
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