Bab 1266: Terlalu Lemah
"Bunuh mereka!" kata Nenek Meng dengan tenang. Begitu suaranya terdengar, dua kakek moyang Meng Hao berubah menjadi berkas cahaya melesat ke arah orang tua di luar ruang utama. Saudara-saudara dan sepupu-suapun Meng Hao juga melepaskan dasar kultivasinya sambil berlari ke depan.
Wajah orang tua itu gemetar, dan anggota garis kelima ketujuh berseru dan menyerang. Tak jauh kemudian, pertarungan sengit dan mengerikan mulai terjadi.
Gelombang tangan Nenek Meng menyebabkan gemerisau yang mengisi udara seperti terbawa dari mulut raksasa raksasa. Di bawah kendalikannya, formasi mantra pelindung besar Klan Meng berubah menjadi ribuan berkas cahaya meluncur ke arah kultivator-kultivator garis kelima ketujuh.
Teriak-teriakan penderitaan mengisi udara; meskipun formasi itu tak akan membunuh anggota Klan Meng, kultivator-kultivator garis kelima ketujuh yang kena cahaya itu mengalami penurunan drastis dalam dasar kultivasi.
Akhirnya, formasi perlindungan itu berubah menjadi cahaya tak terbatas yang menyelimuti seluruh garis kelima ketujuh.
Tidak peduli berapa pun mereka, mereka tidak bisa melawan. Jeritan-jeritan penderitaan masih berkobar, dan tidak lama kemudian, darah mulai menyala, mengisi udara dengan bau darah yang mengganjal.
Teriakan kaget dan kebingungan mulai beredar.
"Dia... dia benar-benar bisa mengendalikan formasi perlindungan!!"
"Itu formasi mantra Klan Meng! Dia tidak memiliki darah Klan Meng, bagaimana pun dia bisa mengendalikannya!?"
"Apakah formasi ini benar-benar milik Klan Meng atau tidak?!" Begitu teriakan kekhawatiran mengisi udara, para ahli tua tiba-tiba ingat sesuatu, dan wajah mereka pucat.
Orang tua di luar ruang utama mengaum kesumat, namun tak mampu melawan kakek moyang itu. Namun, ini adalah salah satu dari sembilan garis keluarga Klan Meng, dan mereka memiliki banyak ahli kuat, termasuk banyak kultivator di Alam Immortal. Mereka semua menyerang secara bersamaan, menyebabkan gemerisau yang hebat mengisi udara.
Mereka mungkin ditindas oleh formasi mantra itu, namun kultivator dari garis keluarga Nenek Meng Hao berada dalam jumlah sedikit. Tatkala sepertinya akan ditindas, tiba-tiba Meng Hao bersiap untuk langkah itu. Namun, Nenek Meng mendermak paksa dan menekan tangannya ke tanah.
"Pisau Dosa, hadirlah!" katanya. Ruang utama garis kelima ketujuh tiba-tiba bergetar, lalu retak besar terbuka, dari mana bersinar cahaya gelap. Mengejutkannya, di dalam cahaya itu ada sebuah pisau hitam!
Melihat pisau itu membuat para kultivator Klan Meng melayang, dan darah mereka mendidih.
"Pisau Dosa... tidak bisa percaya itu benar-benar Pisau Dosa.... Apakah memang benar-benar ada? Bagaimana mungkin!?"
"Pisau Dosa terbuat dari ribuan tahun darah klan, digunakan untuk menghukum anggota klan pengkhianat. Hanya tiga yang pernah dilulie, dan menurut legenda, mereka hilang di pasir waktu. Tapi, itu pasti Pisau Dosa!"
"Dia... dia bukan benar-benar kultivator Klan Meng, dia hanya menikah ke dalam klan. Tapi tidak peduli seberapa tua dia, seharusnya dia tidak bisa mengendalikan formasi dan juga Pisau Dosa!"
Orang tua dari garis kelima ketujuh itu menatap dengan mata lebar, tidak percaya. Dia tentu saja tahu apa itu Pisau Dosa, namun tidak pernah bisa bayangkan bahwa ada di antara wilayah garis keluafnyanya yang tersembunyi, dan bah bah bah bah
...bahkan bisa dikendalikan oleh wanita tua ini!
Nenek Meng menatap pisau hitam itu, dan sepertinya sedang mengingat masa lalu. Dengan napas lembut, ia meraihnya, lalu menghunusnya ke arah orang tua itu.
"Dengan otoritas dari aula pengekangan Klan Meng," katanya dengan tenang, "aku cabut kamu dari Klan Meng!" Begitu kata itu keluar, tanda segel warna merah menyala-nyala muncul di dahi perabunyanya. Begitu para generasi yang lebih tua melihat tanda itu, mereka mencuit serentak.
"Segel garis keluarga.... Sekarang sudah jelas. Dulu, kakek moyang Klan Meng, Meng Shan, yang berhak untuk memberikan segel garis keluarga seperti itu, untuk menyampaikan warisan kepada orang lain."
Saat itu juga, Nenek Meng menyerang orang tua garis kelima ketujuh dengan pisau itu, menyebabkan cahaya hitam bersinar dan menyenggolnya.
Ia mencoba melawan, namun langsung dipotong oleh kakek moyang-moyang Meng Hao.
Kepalanya terbang jauh dari bahu, dan tubuhnya meledak. Anggota lain dari garis kelima ketujuh, bahkan para Tetua, tercengang, dan segera mulai melarikan diri. Nenek Meng mengabaikan mereka. Tiba-tiba, Nenek Meng mendadak gemetar, yang tidak dilihat kecuali oleh Meng Hao. Ia tahu bahwa pisau yang disebut 'Pisau Dosa' itu benar-benar terbentuk oleh pertemuan akan.
Will itu berasal dari roh orang-orang yang mengorbankan darahnya untuk melepuk pisau itu. Karena itu, hanya seseorang dengan tanda segel garis keluarga yang bisa mengendalikan senjata itu. Meskipun tidak terlihat biasa, menyerang dengan pisau itu barusan saja melukai ibunya. Setelah semua, dia memang bukan benar-benar anggota Klan Meng.
Untuk bagaimana ia bisa mengendalikan formasi mantra besar itu, Meng Hao sudah mengerti beberapa petunjuk. Ia bisa merasakan sebagian aura ibunya dalam formasi mantra itu, dan juga fluktuasi dari formasi mantra pada ibunya.
"It bukan karena ada sihir Daois. Sebenarnya... formasi mantra besar itu sedang mengendalikannya."
Meng Hao memandang dengan cermat istana kuno Klan Meng, dan menara tertinggi di dalamnya... patung raksasa!
Itu bukan hanya tempat para Patriark Alam Dao yang tinggal dalam meditasi terpencil, tapi juga inti dari formasi mantra perlindungan besar itu.
Sekarang tidak ada lagi anggota dari garis kelima ketujuh di ruang utama di bawah. Mereka semua melarikan diri.
Meng Hao tersisa dalam posisi di belakang ibunya, mengamati segalanya terjadi dengan sunyi dan tidak mengganggu. Ia patuh pada keinginan ibunya dalam segala hal. Jujur, ia hanya peduli pada garis keluarganya; untuk sela-sela Klan Meng yang lain, itu tidak penting baginya sama sekali.
Nenek Meng berbalik ke arah Meng Hao, senyum hangat di wajahnya sambil berkata, "Hao'er, tempat ini dulunya tempat tinggal ibumu, dan hari ini, aku memberikannya kepadamu." Lalu ia berbalik, menatap sejamer dengan dingin ke arah garis kelima pertama yang ada di balik bayang-bayang patung raksasa itu.
"Itu adalah tempat kami dulunya tinggal," katanya sambil berjalan maju. Anggota lain Klan Meng yang berada di jalannya ragu sejenak, lalu mundur untuk memberi jalan, ketakutan jelas terlihat di mata mereka.
Ibu Meng Hao bisa mengendalikan formasi mantra dan Pisau Dosa, bahkan memiliki tanda segel garis keluarga. Semua itu memastikan bahwa tidak ada garis kelima lain yang ingin menyerang. Akhirnya... mereka yakin bahwa garis kelima kesepuluh tidak bermaksud memusuhati seluruh anggota klan.
Namun, saat Nenek Meng dan kelompoknya melampaati distrik garis kelima pertama, suara mengaum mengalun dari dalam patung raksasa itu.
"Cukup. Kita semua adalah anggota Klan Meng. Tidak boleh ada lagi pertarungan internal dalam klan. Garis kelima kesepuluh telah kembali, dan seluruh Klan Meng harus merayak itu. Tidak perlu lagi bertarung."
Sebagai tanggapan pada kata-katanya, semua anggota Klan Meng di sekitarnya mencungkil kepalanya. Nenek Meng adalah satu-satunya yang hanya menatap ke atas ke arah patung itu, ekspresi rumit di matanya. Setelah sekali lama, ia berkata dengan suara serak, "Adakah ini kamu, Patriark Meng Yan? Aku bersedia menahan diri dari membunuh, tapi tempat yang ditempati garis kelima pertama adalah milik kita. Beri tahu mereka untuk pindah, dan kita bisa menyelesaikan hal ini segera!" [1. Kakek moyang Meng Hao bernama 孟衍 mèng yǎn, sedangkan Patriark ini 孟炎 mèng yán. Seperti yang kamu lihat, ada dua karakter 'Yan' yang berbeda, dan jika kamu melihat tanda suaranya, kamu akan melihat pengucapannya sedikit berbeda.]
"Mustahil!" kata suara sejaman dingin dan serius dari dalam distrik garis kelima pertama. "Dasar kultivasi kamu berada di lingkaran besar Alam Kuno yang remeh. Jika tidak ada ahli generasi muda di balik kamu, tidak peduli apakah kamu bisa mengendalikan formasi mantra dan Pisau Dosa, kamu tetap tidak layak untuk membuat kekacauan!"
Pemilik suara muncul, remaja tua beruban putih.
Wajahnya berubah oleh kemarahan, dan ia memancarkan aura Quasi-Dao. Namun, aura itu penuh dengan sensasi kenegerian, seolah kehidupannya di Quasi-Dao hampir habis benar-benar.
Hal itu tidak membuatnya tampak lebih gila, dan saat ia muncul, niatan membunuh meninggi. Ia mengibasikan lengan lalu hampir akan melanjutkan bicara, tapi tiba-tiba Meng Hao mengintervensi.
"Diam!" katanya, suaranya sejaman dingin dan tenang. Suaranya berubah menjadi kekuat tekanan tak terlihat yang langsung menghalangi remaja putih itu berhenti. "Ketika orang dewasa sedang berbicara, remaja seperti kamu seharusya diam. Jika tidak, meskipun berapa ratus tahun panjang umur yang kamu miliki, aku bisa mengakhiri sekarang juga." Begitu suara sejaman dingin Meng Hao bergema, remaja beruban putih itu tiba-tiba gemetar, mata merah menyala memandangnya.
Nenek Meng tersandang dengan diam, sama punya Meng Hao kakek moyang, bumbu dan sepupunya. Mereka harus mengakui bahwa semua ini terjadi karena Meng Hao, dan jika tidak ada bantuannya, mereka tidak akan bisa bangun kembali.
Meng Hao menghela napas. Bagaimana dia tidak mungkin menyadarinya? Semakin jelas terasa saat dia menyadari bahwa ibunya terluka dalam serangan itu. Akhirnya, ia berbalik, mendoakan tangan dan membungkuk dalam doa dalam keras ke ibunya.
"Nenek Meng, apakah aku boleh mengatasi situasi ini?"
Nenek Meng memandangnya sejenak, lalu tersenyum.
"Kurasa tidak perlu lagi menahan kamu. Baik, silakan mengatasinya."
Meng Hao tersenyum, lalu berbalik, wajahnya tenang dan memandang remaja beruban putih itu. "Pergi saja!"
"KAU!!" teriak remaja itu, mata melebar, tubuh gemetar. Tidak peduli dia tidak bisa menya, dia tidak bisa tidak bertampar saat berada di hadapan seluruh klan. Bagaimanapun juga, hidupnya akan berakhir, jadi bagaimana pun dia bisa takut mati?
Sebelum ia bisa mengatakan sesuatu lagi, Meng Hao mencamtir dingin. Lalu, ia muncul seperti kilat dan tiba-tiba berdiri tepat di hadapan remaja itu. Di situlah, ia melambangkan tangan, menyebabkan badai hebat muncul, dengan remaja itu di tengahnya. Badai itu dengan cepat menjadi angin putih, yang menyebar dalam seketika untuk menutupi seluruh distrik garis kelima pertama, mengangkat para kultivator di sana dan berputar, menyebabkan teriak-teriak menakutkan mengalun.
Remaja putih itu berada di pusatnya semua. Meng Hao membakar amarah karena kata-kata kasar yang telah ia dengarnya dari ibunya beberapa saat lalu, jadi ia melambangkan tangan, menyebabkan remaja itu meraungan sakit. Tubuhnya gemetar, lalu mulai menghilang dalam kabut darah dan daging. Panjang umurnya yang sudah berkurang sekarang dipaksa untuk dihapuskan. Dalam hitungan beberapa waktu, ia berubah menjadi abu yang punya lalu.
Segalanya sunyi sepi; semua mata tertuju pada Meng Hao, penuh ketakutan.
Itulah hasil yang disamakan dengan apa yang ingin dicapai Meng Hao. Ia tidak bisa bertahan di Gunung dan Laut Kedelapan, dan jika Nenek Meng tidak bersedia pergi ke Gunung dan Laut Kesembilan, ia harus memakukan bahwa mereka memiliki posisi yang cukup kuat di dalam Klan Meng.
Jika posisinya cukup kuat, ketika ia berangkat, garis keluarganya akan aman. Siapa pun yang mencoba mengganggu mereka pasti akan
Chapter 1266: Not Strong Enough
“Kill them!” Grandma Meng said calmly. The instant her voice rang out, Meng Hao’s two granduncles transformed into beams of light that shot toward the old man outside the hall. Meng Hao’s uncles and aunts also unleashed their cultivation bases as they charged forward.
The old man’s face flickered, and the other members of the seventh bloodline roared and attacked. Instantly, shocking and fierce fighting broke out.
The wave of Grandma Meng’s hand caused a roaring to fill the air that sounded like it came from the mouth of an enormous giant. Under her control, the Meng Clan’s grand protective spell formation became numerous beams of light that shot through the air toward the cultivators of the seventh bloodline.
Miserable screams rang out; although the spell formation wouldn’t kill members of the Meng Clan, the cultivators of the seventh bloodline who were hit by the beams of light experienced an instant drop in cultivation base.
In the end, the protective spell formation became boundless light that covered the entire seventh bloodline.
It didn’t matter how many of them there were, they were incapable of fighting back. The miserable screams continue to ring out, and soon blood began to flow, filling the air with the reek of gore.
Cries of shock and disbelief began to echo about.
“She... she can actually control the protective spell formation!!”
“That’s the Meng Clan’s spell formation! She doesn’t have the blood of the Meng Clan in her, how can she control it!?”
“Is the spell formation actually the Meng Clan’s, or not?!” As the shouts of alarm filled the air, the older experts suddenly remembered something, and their faces fell.
The old man outside the hall roared in rage, and yet was no match for the granduncles. However, this was one of the nine bloodlines of the Meng Clan, and they had many powerful experts, including numerous cultivators in the Immortal Realm. All of them attacked simultaneously, causing massive rumbling to fill the air.
They might have been suppressed by the spell formation, but the cultivators from Meng Hao’s grandmother’s bloodline were few in number. Just as it seemed like they were about to be overwhelmed, Meng Hao prepared to step in. However, Grandma Meng gave a cold harrumph and pushed her hand down toward the ground.
“Sin Blade, come hither!” she said. The main hall of the seventh bloodline suddenly began to shake, and then a huge crevice opened up, out of which a black light shone. Shockingly, within that light was a black dagger!
The sight of that dagger caused the minds of the Meng Clan cultivators to reel, and their blood to suddenly surge.
“A Sin Blade... I can’t believe it’s really the Sin Blade.... Those things still exist? How could it be possible!?”
“Sin Blades are formed from thousands of years of clan blood, and are used to punish traitorous clan members. Only three were ever forged, and according to the legends, they were lost in the sands of time. But, that’s definitely a Sin Blade!”
“She... she’s not a real Meng Clan cultivator, she married into the clan. But it doesn’t matter how old she is, she shouldn’t be able to control the spell formation and also a Sin Blade!”
The old man from the seventh bloodline stared with wide, disbelieving eyes. He obviously knew what Sin Blades were, but he could never have imagined that there was one buried beneath his bloodline’s territory, and furthermore...
... could actually be controlled by this old woman!
Grandma Meng eyed the black dagger, and she seemed to be thinking about the past. With a soft sigh, she made a grasping motion with her right hand, causing the dagger to fly into her grasp. Then, she pointed it at the old man.
“By the authority conferred upon me by the Meng Clan torture hall,” she said coolly, “I hereby excise you from the Meng Clan !” As she spoke, a flickering, blood-red sealing mark appeared on her forehead. As soon as the members of the older generation saw that mark, they let out a collective gasp.
“A bloodline seal.... Now it makes sense. As the Grand Elder of the clan back then, Meng Shan would have been qualified to bestow bloodline seals like that, to pass on his legacy to others.”
In that same moment, Grandma Meng slashed the blade toward the old man from the seventh bloodline, causing black light to flare out and then stab down toward him.
He tried to fight back, but was instantly cut down by Meng Hao’s granduncles.
His head flew off of his shoulders, and his body exploded. The other members of the seventh bloodline, even the Elders, were shocked, and immediately began to flee. Grandma Meng ignored them. Then a tremor ran through her which no one except for Meng Hao noticed. He could tell that the so-called Sin Blade really was formed by a convergence of will.
That will came from the spirit of the people who had sacrificed their blood to forge the blade. Because of that, only someone with a bloodline sealing mark could control the weapon. Although nothing seemed out of the ordinary, slashing out with the blade just now had actually injured her. After all, she really wasn’t a true member of the Meng Clan.
As for how she was able to control the grand protective spell formation, Meng Hao had already picked up on some of the clues. He could sense some of his grandmother’s aura within the grand spell formation, and could also sense fluctuations from the spell formation on her.
“It’s not because of any Daoist magic. Actually... the grand protective spell formation is allowing her to control it.” Meng Hao looked thoughtfully at the Meng Clan ancestral mansion, and the tallest structure therein... the enormous statue!
That was not only where the Dao Realm Patriarchs stayed in secluded meditation, it was also the nucleus of the grand protective spell formation.
There were now no more members of the seventh bloodline in the main hall below. They had all fled.
Meng Hao remained in a position behind his grandmother, watching everything play out silently and not interfering. He would comply with his grandmother’s wishes in everything. Truth be told, he only cared about his grandmother’s bloodline; as for the rest of the Meng Clan, they didn’t matter much to him at all.
Grandma Meng turned to Meng Hao, a kind smile on her face as she said, “Hao’er, this is where your mother used to live, and today, I’m bequeathing it to you.” Then she turned, looking coldly in the direction of where the first bloodline lay, in the shadow of the enormous statue.
“That is where we used to live,” she said, proceeding forward. The other members of the Meng Clan who were in her way hesitated for a moment, then fell back to make way, the fear in their eyes clear.
Meng Hao’s grandmother could control the spell formation and the Sin Blade, plus had a bloodline sealing mark. All of that ensured that none of the other bloodlines were willing to attack. After all... they were confident that the tenth bloodline wasn’t out to exterminate all of the other clan members.
However, as Grandma Meng and the others neared the district where the first bloodline was located, a growling voice echoed out from within the enormous statue.
“Enough. We’re all part of the Meng Clan after all. There will be no more internecine strife within the clan. The tenth bloodline has returned, and the whole Meng Clan should be celebrating that. There’s no need for fighting.”
In response to his words, all of the surrounding members of the Meng Clan began to bow their heads. Grandma Meng was the only one who simply looked up at the statue, a complex look in her eyes. After a long moment, she spoke in a raspy voice, “Is that you, Patriarch Meng Yan? I’m fine with holding back from killing, but the place occupied by the first bloodline belongs to us. Tell them to clear out, and we can call an end to the matter immediately!” [1. Meng Hao’s granduncle is named 孟衍 mèng yǎn, whereas this Patriarch is 孟炎 mèng yán. As you can see, there are two different “Yan” characters, and if you look at the tone marks you can see that their pronunciation is slightly different]
“Impossible!” said a cold, grim voice from within the district occupied by the first bloodline. “Your cultivation base is in the piddling great circle of the Ancient Realm. If it weren’t for that Junior generation expert behind you, it wouldn’t matter that you can control the spell formation and the Sin Blade, you still wouldn’t be qualified to cause a ruckus!”
The owner of the voice emerged, a white-haired young boy.
His face was distorted in rage, and he emanated the aura of the Quasi-Dao Realm. However, that aura was filled with a sensation of decay, as if his longevity within the Quasi-Dao Realm was almost completely expended.
That just made him seem more maddened, and as he emerged, killing intent surged. He flicked his sleeve and was just about to continue speaking, when Meng Hao interrupted.
“Pipe down!” he said, his voice cool and calm. His words transformed into a powerful, invisible force which instantly stopped the white-haired boy in his tracks. “When the adults are talking, pipsqueaks like you should keep their traps shut. If you don’t, however many hundreds of years of longevity you have left, I can end them now.” As Meng Hao’s cold voice echoed about, the white-haired boy stood there trembling, eyes bright red as he glared at Meng Hao.
Grandma Meng stood there silently, as did Meng Hao’s granduncles, uncles, and aunts. They had to admit that all of this was happening because of Meng Hao, and if it weren’t for his help, their comeback would have been impossible.
Meng Hao sighed. How could he not have come to realize the same thing himself? It became especially apparent to him when he realized that his grandmother had injured herself in the attack. Finally, he turned, clasped hands and bowed deeply to his grandmother.
“Grandma Meng, may I please take care of the situation?”
His grandmother looked back at him for a moment, then finally smiled.
“I guess there’s no need to hold you back. Alright, go ahead and take care of things.”
Meng Hao smiled, then turned, gaze calm as he looked at the white-haired boy. “Scram!”
“YOU!!” the boy cried, eyes widening, body trembling. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t a match for Meng Hao. Considering he was in front of the entire clan, he couldn’t help but yell at Meng Hao in such a way. After all, his life would be ending soon anyway, so how could he fear death?
Before he could say anything else, Meng Hao snorted coldly. Then, he flickered into motion, suddenly appeared directly in front of the young boy. There, he waved his hand, causing a massive tempest to spring up, with the boy at the center. It rapidly became a tornado, which spread out in the blink of an eye to cover the entire district occupied by the first bloodline, picking up their cultivators and spinning them around, causing bloodcurdling shrieks to ring out.
The white-haired boy was at the center of it all. Meng Hao burned with hatred because of the insulting words he had spoken to his grandmother moments ago, so he waved his hand, causing the boy to let out a miserable scream. His body trembled and then began to disappear into a haze of blood and gore. His already reduced longevity was now forcibly being scraped away. Within the space of a few breaths of time, he transformed into ash which then faded away.
Everything was deathly silent; all eyes came to rest on Meng Hao, and they were filled with fear.
That was the exact result Meng Hao had been aiming for. He couldn’t stay in the Eighth Mountain and Sea for long, and if Grandma Meng wasn’t willing to go to the Ninth Mountain and Sea, then he had to ensure that they had a strong position within the Meng Clan.
If their position was strong enough, then when he left, the bloodline would be safe. Anyone who dared to think about provoking them would definitely consider the ramifications first.
“Unfortunately, their position.... isn’t strong enough yet,” he thought. Then he looked up at the statue, eyes flashing like lightning as his gaze pierced inside to stare at the five Dao Realm experts sitting there.
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