It took only a moment for everyone from all of the various sects and clans of the Ninth Mountain and Sea to be sent into a blur of motion. They used a variety of techniques to lock down the mountain range. They used shocking divine will, secret magics, and various divine abilities as they spread out in all directions to search for Meng Hao.

This was especially true of Fan Dong'er, who cried out shrilly as she sped through the air. Normally she was surrounded with a calm, holy air. That was gone now; any beautiful woman would be incapable of doing so when being constantly followed around by a corpse.

She could imagine how soon, news of the matter would spread throughout the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea, which made her hatred for Meng Hao rise to new heights.

As for the Chosen from the rest of the sects and clans, they were proud people, and were the type who didn't like to show inferiority to anyone. Although they were used to the constant competition and fighting with other Chosen and the dangers that came along with that, they were not used to coming up empty-handed in their endeavors. Instead, they usually compared amongst themselves to see who ended up with more good fortune than the others.

But this time… in the lands of South Heaven, when meeting Meng Hao for the first time, they also encountered another first. They came face to face with incredible good fortune, but were unable to get even a scrap of it.

And when they thought of how Meng Hao had hoodwinked them all, had run a deadly con on them, it caused them to hate him so much that their gums itched.

"Too shameless! That guy is evil to the marrow!"

"For someone as extreme as that to NOT be famous in the outside world is simply impossible! He's most likely a cultivator from Planet South Heaven!"

"It doesn't matter who he is! We'll make him cough up the good fortune he stole from us!"

Whooshing sounds filled the air as hundreds of cultivators employed their top speed to spread out through the boundless mountains. They formed something like a huge web as they searched for Meng Hao.

Meng Hao proceeded along cautiously. Despite employing a variety of methods, he was unable to get the bronze lamp into his bag of holding. He was forced to just deal with it floating there, flickering above his head.

The land around him trembled, and divine sense swept about. Meng Hao increased his speed. These mountains were huge, and were also dotted with restrictive spells that, if accidentally triggered, would very likely kill him. Because of that, he wasn't able to maintain top speed.

As he proceeded along cautiously, his eyes gleamed brightly. Before, he had moved around in the area in front of the temple, but now the whole sprawling mountain range was open to him.

"Now that they'll be forced to come at me one by one, I'm curious to see which of these Chosen from the outside is actually the most powerful!"

Time passed by. Soon, it was midday. Meng Hao happened to be in a forested area, when suddenly his expression flickered, and he shot backward. A black arrow slammed into the ground where he had just been standing. The ground exploded, sending dirt and vegetation showering into the air. Then a cold snort could be heard.

"So, this is where you've been hiding!" someone said. A young man appeared, wearing a magnificent violet robe embroidered with dragons. He wore a crown on his head, and his cultivation base was incredible, beyond the peak of Dao Seeking. As soon as he appeared, his gaze locked onto the bronze lamp above Meng Hao's head.

"If I can subdue you, then I, Sun Hai, will achieve even more fame than before! The good fortune of the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite Temple will belong to me!"

Next to Sun Hai was an old man who radiated an archaic aura. He seemed extremely ancient, and although he was initially unprepossessing in appearance, his eyes suddenly began to shine brightly like two suns.

Sun Hai turned to the old man and said, "Subdue him!"

The old man looked at Meng Hao and smiled. His body then surged with energy, almost as if an Immortal were inside him, sitting in meditation. As he stepped forward, ripples spread out, distorting the air around him.

Meng Hao silently turned to face the two people, and his eyes narrowed. He remembered these two; the young man was one of the Chosen he had seen back at the temple, one of the group of seven or eight who had attacked him.

"Let's see if you've got the skill to suppress Meng Hao," he said with a slight smile.

As the old man stepped forward, the world in front of Meng Hao seemed to stretch out, and then suddenly shrink back to normal. When the interchange was completed, the old man was standing directly in front of Meng Hao.

"Die!" he said coolly, extending his right hand. Something like a sun appeared in his hand, which began to emanate brilliant light. As the light enveloped Meng Hao, Meng Hao snorted coldly. Not only did he not retreat, he actually advanced, and as he stepped forward, a shadow appeared behind him that turned into his second true self. It radiated a murderous aura as it headed toward the violet-robed Sun Hai.

"Kill the old one first, then cut down the young one!" said Meng Hao coolly. His Dharma Idol appeared, bursting with the energy of a cultivation base half a step into true Immortality. The Dharma Idol's hands lifted up and pushed out to fight back against the old man.

Rumbling filled the air, and the old man's arms trembled. A cold light appeared in his eye that was filled with a murderous aura. His body suddenly seemed to turn weak and skinny, but an incredible energy surged out from within him. He clenched his palm into a fist and then punched out toward Meng Hao.

Off to the side, Meng Hao's second true self was already fighting with the violet-robed Sun Hai. Booms echoed and ripples spread out in all directions.

In ten short breaths of time, Meng Hao and the old man exchanged over a hundred moves. Suddenly, a blood-colored vortex appeared beneath Meng Hao, and the old man's face flickered in response. Meng Hao then shot backward, and the vortex began to speed toward the old man, apparently capable of sucking in any physical object in the area.

The old man's eyes flashed and he performed an incantation gesture. Shockingly, the illusory image of an emperor appeared behind the old man, who then waved his hand toward Meng Hao.

A look of scorn appeared on Meng Hao's face, and in the blink of an eye, he shapeshifted into a huge roc. With shocking speed, he flew past the old man toward his second true self and the violet-robed Sun Hai.

The old man's face fell, and he immediately shot after him in pursuit.

Sun Hai's face flickered, and he roared, "Wherever the Emperor stands is sovereign territory!" He performed a double-handed incantation and spit out a mouthful of blood. An emperor identical to the one behind the old man appeared behind him and took a step forward, causing the entire area to be locked down.

Meng Hao didn't say anything. He slapped his bag of holding with his right hand, causing a beast claw to appear. Using his superficial knowledge of its workings, he sent it slashing forward.

Sky and land darkened, and the screech of a cat filled the air. A black illusory cat appeared, which then clawed at the sealing power that had locked down the area. A boom filled the air as the sealing power was shattered.

In that instant, roc-form Meng Hao moved like lightning to appear directly in front of Sun Hai, whose eyes narrowed. Even as he backed up, Meng Hao closed in and slashed a claw-like hand at him, and they began to fight.

The Ninth Mountain appeared next to Meng Hao, blocking an attack from the old man. At the same time, Meng Hao unleashed the Star Plucking Magic. An enormous hand appeared which grabbed Sun Hai. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and he struggled mightily, but Meng Hao closed in on him and pushed down onto his chest. The Blood Demon Grand Magic surged, and Sun Hai screamed as his body withered up. Then Meng Hao quickly sealed him and tossed him into his bag of holding.

As he turned, the old man let out a roar of rage. His eyes were completely bloodshot as he watched Meng Hao capture the Young Lord Sun Hai. He was instantly sent into a violent rage.

"Shouting isn't going to do you any good," said Meng Hao with a cold laugh. "You're not strong enough to suppress me, and yet you provoke me anyway? You've brought your death upon yourself." As Meng Hao sped backward, the old man shot toward him, howling furiously. The emperor image behind him let off a shocking pressure, causing Meng Hao's face to flicker. This old man was a Dao Protector and, despite his sealed cultivation base, was still incredibly powerful.

Meng Hao snorted coldly, and his eyes flickered. It was at this point that, all of a sudden, Wang Mu burst out from the forest behind Meng Hao. He had already been in the area when he sensed the ripples emanating out from the fighting. As soon as he appeared, his vision suddenly rippled, and electricity flashed all around him. In the next breath, he and Meng Hao had switched positions.

"Many thanks, little brother Wang," Meng Hao laughed. He instantly disappeared into the forest. His second true self transformed into a shadow and then vanished.

Wang Mu and the enraged old man slammed into each other, causing a huge boom to rattle out. Then they turned their heads in the direction Meng Hao had disappeared, and killing intent surged. Without another word, they shot after him in pursuit.

Meng Hao grumbled to himself in irritation, then gritted his teeth and sped onward.

Two hours passed in a flash. In addition to his incredible speed, Meng Hao also had the Lightning Cauldron. As he flitted through the forest, he sent his divine sense out. The forested area was not small, and although he was being pursued, it was relatively easy for him to make his way freely through the trees.

After a while, he slapped his bag of holding with his right hand, causing the crown-wearing Sun Hai to appear.

"I'm from the Church of the Emperor Imm—"

POW!

Meng Hao slapped him across the side of the face.

Sun Hai's eyes turned red and he glared at Meng Hao, panting. However, he didn't say anything further. Meng Hao completely ignored him, and instead looked through Sun Hai's bag of holding, and then patted Sun Hai down. In the end, his eyes went wide.

"You have nothing at all?" he said angrily. "What happened on your way here, did you get robbed or something?" He felt as if he had been fooled into snatching someone who was actually poorer than himself.

Sun Hai's bag of holding had absolutely nothing in it….

Sun Hai wanted to howl with rage. As a Chosen from the Church of the Emperor Immortal, he had come to South Heaven with vast quantities of magical items, and even some very rare items. In fact, some of the magical weapons were specifically useful because of his type of cultivation base, and could push his divine abilities to the peak of their power. However… before meeting Meng Hao, he actually had been robbed in a very humiliating fashion.

That was one reason why it had been so easy for Meng Hao to capture him.

"Are all of you people from Planet South Heaven bandits!?" said Sun Hai through gritted teeth, his heart dripping with blood.

Meng Hao stared in shock. All it took was one question, and Sun Hai revealed the truth. Meng Hao thought about it, and couldn't recall anyone in the lands of South Heaven who had tried to steal business from him. However, now that a competitor had appeared, he realized he needed to be on guard.

"Well, whatever," Meng Hao said with a slight sigh. "I guess it's just my bad luck. Now, write up a promissory note!"

"Y-you…. Forget about it! I'm not writing any promissory note!"

"You don't give me any magical items, and you won't write a promissory note?! You useless piece of crap! If it weren't for the fact that I don't want to cause any unnecessary problems for my dad and mom, I would just cut you down!" Glaring, Meng Hao reached out and grabbed him by the hair, then sealed his mouth and cultivation base, and finally, cast a minor magical spell on him that he had learned in the Ancient Demon Immortal Sect. Then, he sped off, dragging Sun Hai by the hair behind him on the ground….

Sun Hai was trembling. His cultivation base was sealed, as was his mouth. Whatever magical technique it was that Meng Hao had just used on him caused his sensitivity to pain to increase severalfold, making it so that being dragged across the ground felt like death by a thousand cuts….