Chapter 353: Grand Dragoneer!
The Western Desert Cultivator gave the young woman a vicious, greedy smile. “When neo-demons began to be raised in the Western Desert, the Frigid Blood Clan brought forth generation after generation of Grand Dragoneer. When I was small, I heard all of the legends about your clan.
“Grand Dragoneers wield power far greater than that of totems. They are the true pinnacle of the Western Desert. As for me… I’m a mere rank 3 Dragoneer. But, if I can seize the legacy of the Frigid Blood Clan… then I’ll have a chance to become a Grand Dragoneer! Hanxue Shan, what do you think of the neo-demons I’ve raised?” The Western Desert Cultivator laughed heartily as the black wolves in the area all lifted their heads up and howled. They seemed to bristle with ferocity. 1
The glowing shield surrounding the white-robed young woman was showing signs of breaking apart. Her face was pale, and blood oozed from her mouth. There was despair in her eyes but also determination.
Turning to the two Cultivators protecting her, she said, “Don’t worry about me, leave while you can!”
The two Cultivators looked nervous. They were about to say something when the young woman glared, indicating that they shouldn’t speak.
It was at this moment that the bodies of the howling black wolves suddenly began to expand, and they charged forward. They slammed into the shield, which was now more than half destroyed. From the look of things, one more attack would thoroughly shatter it.
The wolves were on the verge of attacking again, and the Western Desert Cultivator’s eyes were glowing with a bright light. At this exact moment, the sound of footsteps crunching on snow suddenly echoed out from within the forest.
The sound was extremely distinct. Mortals did not live in this area, so the instant the sound of the footsteps could be heard, it caused the white-robed young woman and her companion Cultivators to look toward where the sound was coming from. The Western Desert Cultivator also looked over with a frown.
What they saw was a young man wearing a long robe, with black hair flowing down past his shoulders. His features were refined, and he had a cultured air. This, of course, was Meng Hao; he walked out slowly, looking every bit like a scholar.
From his bearing, he seemed as if he were simply enjoying a midnight stroll in his own backyard, out to see the beautiful layers of snow that had fallen on his flower garden. He strolled out, carrying a scroll in one hand, which only lent further to his scholarly aura.
The Western Desert Cultivator’s eyes narrowed, as if he disbelieved Meng Hao’s profound aura were real. He waved his right hand, and immediately eight black wolves leaped toward Meng Hao, howling, their crimson eyes glowing brightly.
The white-robed young woman seemed to be upset at the sight of it, but all of her energy was focused on controlling the Frigid Snow Larva, leaving her powerless to provide any assistance. She could only watch silently.
“Excellent fur,” said Meng Hao lightly, glancing at the wolves. “If the parrot were here, he would probably like them.” These wolves were not illusory creations of magic, but flesh and blood creatures.
However, there was something different about them, as if totemic power also existed inside them. This was the first time Meng Hao had seen beasts like this. There were more than a hundred of them, and each one emanated a power similar to that of the late Foundation Establishment stage.
Back in the Southern Domain, this pack of black wolves would constitute quite a powerful force.
“Interesting,” said Meng Hao as he walked forward. He patted his bag of holding to produce a red medicinal pill. He quickly crushed it into powder, which he then dispersed into the air with the flick of a sleeve.
A wind picked up, spreading the powder toward the eight wolves that were charging toward him. As soon as they made contact with the powder, they began to howl miserably. A moment later, they exploded into a haze of blood and gore. The blood and gore instantly turned black, and then completely dissolved.
The powder continued to spread out, and more black wolves screamed and began to rot away, their bodies then exploding. The explosion of the bodies sent black blood flying about, staining the white snow and filling the air with the stench of decay. Any other wolves who touched the blood would immediately begin to squeal. Their bodies would shake, and it only took the space of a few breaths before they, too, collapsed.
It was a chain reaction. As Meng Hao walked forward, more and more wolves began to scream and collapse into death. Black blood sprayed about, floating through the air, spreading out like a dark mist, which rose up into the air to form a cloud.
It took only moments for half of the over one hundred wolves to be killed. The rest retreated, trembling, their tails between their legs. As they looked at Meng Hao, their eyes filled with unprecedented terror.
The white-robed young woman watched all of this with wide eyes. The two Cultivators next to her also gaped. Even the Western Desert Cultivator stared in shock.
“This…. You….” he stammered, his body trembling, his eyes looked like they might pop out of his head. “So, you’re looking to die, huh?!?!” He then let out a howl filled with ultimate fury. The veins on his face bulged out, and his eyes filled with savagery and blood.
He lifted his right hand, within which appeared a black stone. He crushed it, then waved his arm. A black smoke swirled out, which then transformed into a vortex.
“Rank 2 Reptodragon neo-demons, emerge!” Suddenly, roaring sounds poured out from within the vortex, followed by a bright red reptilian creature approximately three meters long. It was followed by another. Soon there were ten, then thirty!
Thirty red reptilian creatures appeared, emanating shocking power. Their roars caused everything around to tremble.
A strange light shone in Meng Hao’s eyes. He had long since noticed that there was something different about this particular Western Desert Cultivator. He had two totem tattoos on his body, one of a black wolf, the other, a reptilian creature. The totems didn’t appear to be any different from the type seen on other Western Desert Cultivators. However, Meng Hao sensed that there was indeed something strange about them.
“Senior, he’s a Western Desert Dragoneer!” said the white-robed young woman anxiously. She could tell that Meng Hao was unfamiliar with creatures such as these, and continued: “Dragoneers might not have high Cultivation bases, but they command neo-demons. Kill him, and the neo-demons will disperse!”
“After I exterminate this guy, I’m going after you, slut!” cried the Western Desert Cultivator viciously. He waved his hand toward Meng Hao, and the thirty crimson reptiles charged toward Meng Hao in a frenzy, their gaping red mouths emanating an odor of death.
Meng Hao took one more look at the crimson reptiles, then shook his head. He raised his right hand and extended a finger toward the black cloud which still hovered in mid-air. Immediately, vast quantities of black raindrops began to fall down. The rain sprayed over the crimson reptiles, and they began to howl miserably. Their bodies trembled and began to decay. Over the space of a few breaths, all of the reptiles underneath the three hundred meter wide black cloud had transformed into skeletons.
Meng Hao stood in the midst of the black rain. Not a single raindrop fell onto his green robe or his long black hair. The sight of it was shocking, causing the Western Desert Cultivator to gasp. His eyes filled with a look of disbelief.
“You’re… you’re a Grand Dragoneer!”
1. Hanxue Shan’s name in Chinese is 寒雪姗 hán xuě shān – Hanxue is the name of their Clan, which I’m translating as “Frigid Snow” in all cases other than the surnames of the Clan members. Shan is a character that’s almost always combined with other words such as “leisurely” or “lithe”