Segera setelah aura pembunuh yang intensif muncul, ia bergolak ke segala arah, menimbulkan awan debu. Petir terus-menerus menghantam, dan seluruh dunia ternoda oleh aura pembunuhan hingga menjadi hitam.
Seolah-olah patung di gulungan itu bukan lagi lukisan. Selain itu, Alam Windswept tidak lagi tampak seperti Alam Windswept, melainkan, dunia di dalam lukisan gulungan itu.
Segalanya benar-benar hitam pekat, baik tanah maupun langit. Namun, entah bagaimana, Meng Hao dapat melihat segalanya dengan jelas.
Patung itu duduk bersila, mengenakan jubah hitam. Tiba-tiba, ia berkedut, dan kemudian perlahan mulai mendongak.
Gerakan sederhana itu menimbulkan gemuruh yang memenuhi seluruh dunia. Alir waktu seolah-olah terhenti, dan hukum alam tampaknya dilemparkan ke dalam kekacauan massal. Di hadapan orang ini, Esensi-Essensi seolah-olah sujud dan bersujud dalam penyembahan.
Aura pembunuh yang intensif menusuk mata Meng Hao seperti panah tajam, menembus ke dalam pikirannya, menyebabkan seluruh tubuhnya bergetar. Wajahnya muram saat ia tiba-tiba dipenuhi oleh perasaan krisis mematikan yang intensif.
Perasaan bahaya ini tidak berasal dari Dao-Heaven, melainkan dari figur berjubah hitam di dalam lukisan.
“Siapakah dia?” Meng Hao berpikir, jantungnya berdegup kencang. “Apa sebenarnya sihir Paragon ini!?” Setiap kultivator Eselon memiliki sihir Paragon yang berbeda, dan dari berbagai jenis yang pernah dia temui, hanya milik Dao-Heaven yang meninggalkannya begitu terkejut.
Ekspresi Meng Hao sangat serius. Ia berada di Alam Immortal Allheaven, dan tahu bahwa dirinya dipenuhi kekuatan. Faktanya, tanpa sihir Paragon ini, Dao-Heaven tidak akan setara dengannya.
Tidak penting bahwa Dao-Heaven telah memasuki Alam Kuno sebelumnya sebanyak sembilan kali. Setiap kali itu, ia telah menempuh jalan yang salah. Jalan Meng Hao adalah jalan Immortal Allheaven, jalan kuno, dan yang paling kuat di Alam Immortal!
Dao-Heaven menatap Meng Hao, matanya menyala dengan niat membunuh. “Kau katakan sebelumnya bahwa jalanku salah....
“Jalanku memang benar-benar salah. Dari itu aku sangat sadar. Yang kau tidak tahu adalah alasan mengwhy aku terus menempuh jalan yang sama, salah, dan kemudian kembali ke Alam Immortal. Itu karena jalan yang kuinginkan... adalah jalan yang dibina oleh pria di dalam lukisan sihir Paragonku!”
“Aku tidak tahu nama dia, dan aku juga tidak tahu apa yang sebenarnya dilukiskan oleh lukisan ini.... Tetapi yang aku tahu adalah lukisan itu biasa, kertasnya biasa, dan bahkan penggulung kayunya pun biasa. Satu-satunya hal yang tidak biasa daripadanya adalah figur berjubah hitam di dalamnya.”
“Karena dia, kertas biasa dan penggulung kayu biasa berubah menjadi sesuatu yang ajaib dan luar biasa.”
“Dia mewakili pembantai, dan dipenuhi dengan aura pembunuh yang tak pernah kualami di mana pun dalam hidupku. Karena itu, aku menamainya Slaughter, dan di hatiku, aku melihatnya sebagai... Guruku!”
Safr kata-kata Dao-Heaven bergema, ia berlutut di depan lukisan gulungan itu, matanya menyala dengan semangat saat ia bersujud dalam-dalam. Setelah bersujud, patung itu selesai mendongak, dan wajahnya akhirnya terungkap.
Wajahnya pucat, tanpa ekspresi, dan tampak biasa. Namun, di dalam fitur wajah biasa itu, bisa dilihat kedinginan yang tak terkatakan saat ia menatap dingin ke arah Meng Hao.
Cukup sekali pandangan saja membuat tubuh Meng Hao bergetar. Ia merasakan tekanan yang tak terungkapkan menekannya, sesuatu yang lebih unggul dari tekanan Laut Kesembilan. Darah menyembur dari mulutnya, dan meskipun berada di Alam Immortal Allheaven, ia mulai tersandung mundur.
Ia tidak ingin mundur, tetapi pandangan pria berjubah hitam di dalam lukisan gulungan itu tidak memberinya pilihan lain.
Saat ia mundur, tekanan dari pria di lukisan itu menekannya hingga tampaknya ia tidak tahan lagi, dan akan dipaksa berlutut, dipaksa menyerah, dipaksa untuk menyembah!
Dengan setiap langkah yang diambilnya ke belakang, Meng Hao mengaum. Akhirnya, setelah tujuh langkah diambil, dan matanya benar-benar berdarah, ia memaksa dirinya berhenti. Harga yang harus dibayar adalah awan darah menyembur dari mulutnya.
Lututnya bergetar sangat hebat hingga terasa seperti akan patah.
“Aku tidak percaya aku dipaksa mundur hanya oleh sebuah lukisan!” pikirnya. “Bahkan jika orang di dalam lukisan itu pernah berada di posisi yang sangat kuat, mungkin bahkan seorang Paragon, sekarang ini... dia hanya sebuah lukisan. Kenapa... dia bisa memaksa aku mundur!?” Meng Hao berjuang untuk mengangkat kepalanya, dan ekspresi jahat muncul di wajahnya. Darah mengalir keluar dari mata, telinga, hidung, dan mulutnya. Namun, pada saat yang sama, auranya melonjak dengan kekuatan besar.
“Dao-ku adalah kebebasan dan kemandirian!” geramnya. “Selain ayah dan ibuku, tidak ada orang di dunia... yang bisa membuat Meng Hao bersujud! Siapa kau sebenarnya!? Ia menyelesaikannya dengan sebuah teriakan, dan dasar kultivasi Allheaven Immortal-nya berputar dengan cepat. Satu-satunya meridian Immortal-nya dengan cepat mengembang, membentuk kerangka sebuah jembatan di dalam dirinya!
Ia melambaikan tangan kanannya dengan ganas, dan meridian Immortal berbentuk jembatan itu tiba-tiba meledak dengan kekuatan. Gemuruh tak terhingga bergema saat ia terwujud... sebuah jembatan yang benar-benar nyata, tepat di depannya!
Jembatan Paragon!
Sihir Paragon Meng Hao adalah Dao yang kuat sejak awal. Meskipun kekuatannya tampak biasa pada awalnya, itu bukan karena sihir itu sendiri, melainkan karena dasar kultivasi Meng Hao tidak cukup kuat untuk memanifestasikan sebagian besarnya.
Namun, sekarang, di Alam Immortal Allheaven, pelepasan Jembatan Paragon benar-benar berbeda dari sebelumnya. Gemuruh memenuhi udara saat jembatan megah turun tepat di depan Meng Hao, membuat langit bergetar, menghancurkan tanah.
Ia tidak tampak ilusi, melainkan, jembatan yang benar-benar nyata. Itu mengejutkan, tidak terkatakan besarnya, seolah-olah seluruh dunia hanyalah sudut kecil dari situ.
Jembatan itu memenuhi langit, meliputi segalanya, dan memancarkan aura tertinggi dari seorang Paragon. Dunia bergetar, dan tanah-tanah gentar. Dengan menggunakan Alam Immortal Allheaven, Meng Hao akhirnya... mengungkapkan sebagian keindahan dan kekuatan sejatinya!
Dan masih ada lagi! Figur-figur ilusi muncul di atas jembatan. Meskipun tidak mungkin melihatnya dengan jelas, mereka ada di berbagai lokasi di jembatan.
Figur-figur itu memancarkan kekuatan menakutkan, dan tampaknya, adalah orang-orang dari masa lalu yang memenuhi syarat untuk melangkah di Jembatan Paragon. Meskipun mereka tidak berakhir berjalan melintasi seluruh jembatan, sebagai figur-figur almighty di Langit dan Bumi, mereka mampu meninggalkan kehendak ilahi tertentu.
Pada saat yang sama Jembatan Paragon muncul, patung berjubah hitam di dalam lukisan itu menatapnya, dan ekspresi nostalgia muncul di wajahnya. Ia tiba-tiba berbisik... “Jembatan Penginjak Langit....” [1. Catatan kaki ini berisi spoiler untuk Renegade Immortal, namun relevan dengan alur cerita dari cerita ini. Pada titik ini, sebagian besar penggemar Er Gen sudah akan mengumpulkan beberapa potongan teka-teki mengenai siapa orang ini, atau setidaknya, siapa yang terhubung dengannya. Singkat cerita, Wang Lin dari Renegade Immortal memiliki sebuah klon (khususnya Klon Slaughter), yang nama sebenarnya mengandung karakter Tionghoa "Pembantai". Ia mencapai tingkat kultivasi yang sangat tinggi di RI, tingkat yang disebut "Penginjak Langit", yang melibatkan sembilan jembatan. Jika Anda ingin detail lebih lanjut tentang tingkat kultivasi di RI, cerita Wang Lin, cerita kloneyna, dll, silakan lakukan di thread spoiler yang sesuai.]
Suara penuh dengan kenangan, namun, sama dinginnya seperti sebelumnya.
Peristiwa ini menyebabkan bahkan wajah Dao-Heaven penuh dengan kejutan total. Kepalanya mendongak di tengah-tengah sujudnya, ekspresi ketidakpercayaan terlihat di wajahnya. Lukisan gulungan itu miliknya, dan sihir Paragon itu miliknya.
Dan masih... bahkan dia sendiri tidak pernah mendengar figur berjubah hitam di dalamnya berbicara satu kata pun!
Seolah-olah penampakan Jembatan Paragon memicu transformasi yang tidak terduga. Bahkan ketika jantung Dao-Heaven bergetar, pikiran Meng Hao mulai berputar-putar.
“Jembatan Penginjak Langit?” pikirnya, menatap Jembatan Paragon-nya sendiri.
Mengejutkan, patung berjubah hitam di dalam lukisan itu tiba-tiba berdiri dan mengambil satu langkah ke depan, rambut panjangnya mengikuti di belakangnya.
Saat ia mengambil langkah itu, jantung Dao-Heaven bergetar. Meng Hao berdiri langsung di jalurnya, dan bisa melihat hal-hal bahkan lebih jelas. Seolah-olah langkah yang diambilnya mengandung semacam Dao, sesuatu yang bisa melengkungkan ruang dan mempersempit jarak yang luas menjadi inci, sesuatu yang bisa menciptakan sesuatu dari ketiadaan. Dengan langkah itu, ia keluar dari lukisan, memasuki realitas dan muncul... di atas Jembatan Paragon Meng Hao.
Pikiran Meng Hao berputar-putar saat ia melihat figur berjubah hitam berdiri di atas Jembatan Paragon. Wajah pemuda itu dingin, tetapi juga dipenuhi dengan kenangan. Ia mulai berjalan melintasi Jembatan Penginjak Langit, langkah demi langkah, melewati banyak figur lain, seolah-olah ia ingin berjalan ke ujung jembatan.
Tapi kemudian ia berhenti berjalan. Ia melihat ke bawah ke jembatan di bawah kakinya, dan tampaknya menjadi sedih.
“Jembatan Penginjak Langit ini tidak lengkap....” bisiknya.
“Aku... juga tidak lengkap....
Tahun itu... aku berdiri di depan dia, dan dia, misiku selesai. Kemudian aku berbalik, hati penuh dengan rasa sakut yang aneh, dengan kesedihan, dan aku menghilang....
Jadi kenapa...? Kenapa aku masih di sini...?” Kemudian ia mulai tertawa, tawa yang penuh dengan kebekuan, dan aura pembunuh.
“Aku lebih mencintainya daripada kau!!” Tertawa dengan gila, figur berjubah hitam mengayunkan lengan bajunya. Gemuruh terdengar saat Jembatan Paragon runtuh. Saat itu terjadi, figur berjubah hitam bergetar dan menghilang bersama Jembatan Penginjak Langit, ekspresinya penuh dengan kenangan dan penderitaan.
Safr ia muncul kembali, ia kembali berada di dalam lukisan gulungan itu, sekali lagi sebuah patung, kepalanya tertunduk.
Safr itu terjadi, Dao-Heaven mengeluarkan suara garbled dan memuntahkan setumpuk darah. Kabut darah meledak di sekitarnya; tampaknya, lukisan gulungan itu memiliki gravitasi yang menyerap hampir setengah kekuatan hidupnya. Dao-Heaven bergetar, dan wajahnya pucat putih.
Ia telah menggunakan sihir Paragon ini dalam banyak kesempatan, tetapi tidak pernah mengakibatkan reaksi balik seperti sekarang.
Meng Hao juga batuk setumpuk darah dan mundur. Ia bisa merasakan waktu sebagai Immortal Allheaven-nya mencapai kesimpulan. Mata berkilat, ia mengangkat dan menepuk kepalanya, secara sukarela meninggalkan Alam Immortal Allheaven. Buah Nirwana muncul dari dahinya dan jatuh ke telapak tangannya. Auranya turun, dan wajahnya pucat keabu-abuan. Ia berdiri di sana, tidak bergerak, menatap dingin ke arah Dao-Heaven.
“Masih mau terus berperang?” tanya dengan tenang.
Dao-Heaven mengembus napas sengal-sengal saat lukisan gulungan itu menghilang. Kemudian ia melihat ke arah Meng Hao, senyum dingin, dan berkata, “Apa, takut? Sekarang kau lemah sekali! Aku bisa membunuhmu semudah membalik telapak tangan!”
Namun, di dalam hati, ia ragu. Ia masih tidak sepenuhnya yakin apakah Meng Hao bisa terus berperang dalam keadaan yang sangat kuat itu.
Ratusan pikiran berlalu di pikiran
Chapter 1122: I Call Him Slaughter!
As soon as the intense murderous aura appeared, it roiled out in all directions, kicking up clouds of dust. Lightning crashed repeatedly, and the entire world was stained by the aura of killing until it was black.
It was as if the statue in that scroll was no longer a painting. Furthermore, the Windswept Realm no longer seemed to be the Windswept Realm, but instead, the world inside the scroll painting.
Everything was pitch black, both the land and the sky. And yet somehow, Meng Hao could see everything clearly.
The statue was sitting there cross-legged, wearing black robes. All of a sudden, it twitched, and then slowly began to look up.
It was a simple motion, but it caused rumbling sounds to fill the entire world. The flow of time seemed to cease, and the natural laws seemed to be thrown into massive chaos. Before this person, Essences seemed to prostrate and kowtow in worship.
An intense killing aura stabbed into Meng Hao’s eyes like a sharp arrow, piercing into his mind, causing his entire body to shake. His face fell as he was suddenly filled with an intense sensation of deadly crisis.
This sensation of danger did not come from Dao-Heaven, but rather, from the black-robed figure in the painting.
“Who is he?” Meng Hao thought, his heart pounding. “Just what kind of Paragon magic is this!?” Every Echelon cultivator had different Paragon magics, and of the various types that he had encountered, only Dao-Heaven’s left him so astonished.
Meng Hao’s expression was very serious. He was in the Allheaven Immortal Realm, and knew that he was bursting with power. In fact, without this Paragon magic, Dao-Heaven would not be a match for him.
It didn’t matter that Dao-Heaven had entered the Ancient Realm nine times before. Each of those times, he had been treading an incorrect path. Meng Hao’s path was that of the Allheaven Immortal, an ancient path, and the most powerful in the Immortal Realm!
Dao-Heaven looked at Meng Hao, his eyes blazing with killing intent. “You said before that my path was wrong....
“My path was most certainly incorrect. Of that I am well aware. What you don’t know is that there is a reason why I continued to tread the same incorrect path, and then return back to the Immortal Realm. That is because the path I want... is the path cultivated by the man in my magical Paragon painting!
“I don’t know his name, nor do I know what this painting truly depicts.... But what I do know is that the painting is ordinary, the paper is ordinary, and even the wooden rollers are ordinary. The only thing beyond ordinary about it is the black-robed figure inside.
“Because of him, the ordinary paper and the commonplace wooden rollers transformed into something miraculous and extraordinary.
“He represents slaughter, and is filled with a murderous aura the likes of which I have never encountered anywhere else in my life. Because of that, I call him Slaughter, and in my heart, I view him as... my Master!”
As Dao-Heaven’s words rang out, he knelt in front of the scroll painting, his eyes burning with passion as he kowtowed deeply. After he kowtowed, the statue finished looking up, and its face was finally revealed.
It was a pale face, expressionless, and seemingly ordinary. However, within those ordinary facial features could be seen an indescribable iciness as he stared coldly at Meng Hao.
A mere look caused Meng Hao’s body to shake. He felt an unspeakable pressure crushing down onto him, something superior even to the pressure of the Ninth Sea. Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and despite being in the Allheaven Immortal Realm, he began to stagger backward.
He had no desire to fall back, but the gaze of the black-robed man in the scroll painting gave him no choice.
As he fell back, the pressure from the man in the painting pushed down on him to the point where it seemed he couldn’t take it anymore, and would be forced to his knees, forced to capitulate, forced to offer worship!
With every step that he took back, Meng Hao roared. Finally, after seven steps had been taken, and his eyes were completely bloodshot, he forced himself to come to a stop. The price he had to pay was that a cloud of blood sprayed out of his mouth.
His knees shook so violently they felt like they might break.
“I can’t believe I’m being forced into retreat by nothing more than a painting!” he thought. “Even if the person in that painting was once an almighty figure, perhaps even a Paragon, right now... he’s just a painting. Why the hell... can he force me to fall back!?” Meng Hao struggled to hold his head up, and a vicious expression appeared on his face. Blood oozed out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. However, at the same time, his aura surged mightily.
“My Dao is that of freedom and independence!” he growled. “Other than my father and mother, there’s nobody in the world... who can make Meng Hao kowtow! Who the hell do you think you are!?” He finished with a roar, and his Allheaven Immortal cultivation base spun rapidly. His only Immortal meridian rapidly expanded, forming the framework of a bridge inside of him!
He waved his right hand ferociously, and that bridge-like Immortal meridian suddenly erupted with power. Endless rumbling echoed out as it materialized... a real bridge, right in front of him!
The Paragon Bridge!
Meng Hao’s Paragon magic was a powerful Dao to begin with. Although its power had seemed rather ordinary early on, that was not because of the magic itself, but rather, because Meng Hao’s cultivation base had not been powerful enough to manifest much of it.
Now, though, in the Allheaven Immortal Realm, the unleashing of the Paragon Bridge was completely unlike before. Rumbling filled the air as the majestic bridge descended right in front of Meng Hao, causing the sky to vibrate, shattering the land.
It didn’t appear to be illusory, but rather, a true and actual bridge. It was shocking, indescribably large, as if the entire world was but a mere corner of it.
The bridge filled the sky, sweeping across everything, and it emanated the supreme aura of a Paragon. The world trembled, and the lands were terrified. By using the Allheaven Immortal Realm, Meng Hao had finally... revealed some of its true splendor and power!
And yet, there was more! Illusory figures appeared atop the bridge. Although it was impossible to see them clearly, they existed on various locations on the bridge.
These figures radiated terrifying might, and apparently, were people from the past who had qualified to stride upon the Paragon Bridge. Although they did not end up walking across the entire bridge, as former almighty figures in Heaven and Earth, they were able to leave behind some divine will.
In the same moment that the Paragon Bridge appeared, the black-robed statue in the painting looked at it, and a look of reminiscence appeared on his face. He suddenly murmured... “Heaven Trampling... Bridge....” [1. This footnote contains some spoilers for Renegade Immortal, but they are relevant to the plot of this story. By this point, most Er Gen fans would have put some puzzle pieces together regarding who this person probably is, or at least, who he is connected to. Long story short is that Wang Lin from Renegade Immortal had a clone (specifically a Slaughter Clone), whose actual name had the Chinese character “slaughter” in it. He reached an extremely high cultivation level in RI, a level called “Heaven Trampling,” which involved nine bridges. If you want further details about cultivation levels in RI, the story of Wang Lin, the story of his clone, etc., please do it in a proper spoiler thread.]
His voice was filled with the sensation of memories, and yet, the same coldness as before.
This turn of events caused even Dao-Heaven’s face to fill with utter shock. His head jerked up in the middle of his kowtow, an expression of disbelief could be seen on his face. The scroll painting was his, and the Paragon magic was his.
And yet... even he had never before heard the black-robed figure within speak a single word!
It was as if the appearance of the Paragon Bridge had provoked some unpredictable transformation. Even as Dao-Heaven’s heart trembled, Meng Hao’s mind began to spin.
“Heaven Trampling Bridge?” he thought, staring at his own Paragon Bridge.
Shockingly, the black-robed statue in the painting suddenly rose to his feet and took a step forward, his long hair trailing behind him.
When he took that step, Dao-Heaven’s heart trembled. Meng Hao was standing directly in his path, and could see things even more clearly. It was as if the step he took contained some type of Dao, something that could bend space and shrink a huge span to the distance of an inch, something that could create something from nothing. With that step, he emerged from the painting, entered reality and appeared... on top of Meng Hao’s Paragon Bridge.
Meng Hao’s mind spun as he looked at the black-robed figure standing atop the Paragon Bridge. The young man’s expression was cold, but it was also tinged with reminiscence. He began to walk across the Heaven Trampling Bridge, step after step, passing numerous other figures, as if he wished to walk the bridge to its very end.
But then he stopped walking. He looked down at the bridge beneath his feet, and seemed to grow melancholic.
“This Heaven Trampling Bridge is incomplete....” he murmured.
“I... am also incomplete....
“That year... I stood in front of him, and her, my mission accomplished. Then I turned, heart filled with a strange pain, with sorrow, and I vanished....
“So why...? Why am I still here...?” Then he began to laugh, a laughter filled with icy coldness, and a murderous aura.
“I loved her more than you did!!” Laughing maniacally, the black-robed figure swished his sleeve. Rumbling could be heard as the Paragon Bridge collapsed. As it did, the black-robed figure trembled and faded away along with the Heaven Trampling Bridge, his expression one of reminiscence and pain.
When he reappeared, he was back inside the scroll painting, a statue once again, his head bowed.
When that happened, Dao-Heaven made a gurgling sound and vomited a mouthful of blood. A mist of blood exploded around him; apparently, the scroll painting possessed a gravitational force that absorbed nearly half of his life force. Dao-Heaven trembled, and his face went pale white.
He had used this Paragon magic on many occasions, but never had it resulted in a backlash like just now.
Meng Hao also coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell back. He could sense that his time as an Allheaven Immortal was reaching its conclusion. Eyes glittering, he reached up and patted the top of his head, voluntarily leaving the Allheaven Immortal Realm. The Nirvana Fruit emerged from his forehead and dropped down into the palm of his hand. His aura dropped, and his face turned ashen. He stood there, unmoving, staring coldly at Dao-Heaven.
“Still wanna keep fighting?” he said calmly.
Dao-Heaven panted as the scroll painting faded away. Then he looked over at Meng Hao, smiled coldly, and said, “What, are you scared? You’re beyond weak now! I could kill you as easily as turning over my hand!”
Inwardly, though, he was hesitant. He still wasn’t completely sure whether or not Meng Hao could continue fighting in that incredibly powerful state.
Hundreds of thoughts ran through Meng Hao’s head. Originally, his plan was to try to intimidate Dao-Heaven through his calmness. But then, he realized something, and came up with a new plan. Frowning, he looked over at Dao-Heaven and then held his Nirvana Fruit fruit out in the palm of his hand, where it glittered with brilliant light.
“To kill you would cost me quite a bit,” he said. “I would end up heavily injuring myself, which would make it a lot harder to get anything more out of the Windswept Realm.
“However, if you’re intent on dying, then I can help you reach your goal.”
Dao-Heaven’s eyes went wide as he looked at Meng Hao. Had Meng Hao remained calm, he would immediately have assumed he was trying to pull a fast one. However, to see Meng Hao frown the way he did made it seem like he was making this decision because he had no other choice. Suddenly, Dao-Heaven wasn’t quite sure what was the truth.
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