As Meng Hao sat at the bottom of the Violet Sea, the world around him continued to move forward. To some, Meng Hao quickly became a distant memory while to others his presence lingered. To some he had long become a figure of legend, an idol whose very being is to be revered. But to the few whose lives were touched by Meng Hao, he would forever be in their hearts as a friend, as a disciple, or as a lover. Of course, there were a few who loathed Meng Hao, hated his guts because even if he was dead, their everlasting memories of him would still inspire fear and dread, causing them to shake in their boots.

For instance, within a far off sea there was an ever moving island. Beneath this island was a massive turtle the likes that none has ever seen before. This turtle of course was the patriarch of the Reliance Sect, Patriarch Reliance. Of the many people whose fates intertwined with Meng Hao’s, Patriarch Reliance could be said to have made the biggest influence.

Had it not been for the Reliance Sect then Meng Hao would have walked on a different path, a simpler path that was free of bloodshed and violence, but a path that was marked with an ending. Unlike the current path that Meng Hao is on, a path that could go on endlessly, perhaps until the ends of time.

Atop Patriarch Reliance’s shell, the state of Zhao had undergone a massive transformation. Now that it was no longer threatened by any other states or influences, the state of Zhao thrived. Also due to Patriarch Reliance’s influence, it could be said that everyone within the state of Zhao has become a cultivator. Although the majority of them were only at the qi condensation stage, it could be said that there is no other place with so many cultivators within any of the regions or seas.

“Haha, that little monster will never find me out here.” A familiar looking man laughed as he looked out into the horizon. This of course was Patriarch Reliance’s human body, who happened to be within a tall tower that overlooked the entire state of Zhao.

“All I have to do is wait a few hundred years and that little monster will be long gone, then I can live out the rest of my days worry free. But if he manages to reach a high level of cultivation, that won’t be too bad either, considering that he is the last disciple of my Reliance Sect.” Patriarch Reliance said with a mixture of emotions as he poured himself a cup of wine.

Meng Hao being the last disciple of the Reliance Sect while being a Demon Sealer, made it so that Patriarch Reliance could neither like him nor hate him. A master cannot help but care for his disciple, but as a Demon Sealer, Meng Hao is one of the few people who pose a threat to him, making it hard for Patriarch Reliance to make up his mind on whether to truly hate Meng Hao or treat him like a proper disciple.

“Not that it matters to me if he dies or not because there’s no way in hell that he’s ever going to find me. Someone as dull-witted as him can’t possibly catch someone as smart as me.” Patriarch Reliance’s laugh soon flood out of his tower and echoed throughout the state of Zhao.

“The future is unknown, maybe one day you’ll drift toward where he is rather than him searching for you.” A little girl laughed as she appeared not too far from where Patriarch Reliance was.

“Me go find that brat? As if that’ll ever happen.” Patriarch Reliance replied with a chuckle as he drank a cup of wine. As he chuckled, the state of Zhao continued to move through the endless sea and further away from Meng Hao.

While Patriarch Reliance, prayed to have nothing to do with Meng Hao, there were others who hoped to meet him once more. One of these people being an unparalleled beauty who spent a vast portion of her time concocting pills within the Violet Fate Sect’s East Pill division, Chu Yuyan.

“Stupid Meng Hao…Where did you run off too…” Chu Yuyan would often curse as Meng Hao’s image appeared in her mind. A flurry of grieves and a barrage of joy would often blend itself in her mind as she recalled the time she spent with Meng Hao. A part of her hated him while another part of her longed for him, only one thing was certain about her feelings about Meng Hao was that he was unforgettable and would always linger within her thoughts. From the time they first met at the auction, the time they were trapped within the temple of Doom, the moments she spent admiring Grandmaster Pill Cauldron, and countless other memories she shared with him made it extremely difficult to forget him.

At first, it was a deep sense of hatred, but many say love and hate is only separated by a thin line. Her hatred for him eventually turned into a sense of longing accompanied by a hint of curiosity, but her pride continues to prevent her from accepting her feelings for him.

Today like many other days, Chu Yuyan could be found within the former residence of a man who went by the name Fang Mu. After returning from her trip to the Violet Sea, Chu Yuyan had moved into Meng Hao’s residence that he had occupied during his time in the Violet Fate Sect.

“Dam that Meng Hao…” Chu Yuyan cursed once more as she began putting various herbs into a pill furnace. It had become somewhat of a ritual for her to at Meng Hao as she concocted pills strangely enough she found that whenever she did this the success rate for concocting pills would go up. Of course, this was all in her mind and she was simply finding an excuse to think about him.

It seemed as if every single time she concocted a pill, it would remind her of Meng Hao because he would forever be the one figure that she hoped to become equals with. Be it in terms of cultivation or pill concocting, he vastly outstripped her, causing her to feel inferior to him. But this would only serve as fuel for her to try her hardest to better herself, for her pride did not allow her to be inferior to him. She felt that only when she somehow managed to catch up to him that she would be worthy of having him.

So with every pill Chu Yuyan made, she ever inched closer to Meng Hao. For every pill she created while remembering him, a trail of tears would run down her delicate face. It was only after returning from the Violet Sea and not being able to find Meng Hao that her emotions began to swell, because what does it matter if she caught up to him but he was no longer of this world.

Thus, as Chu Yuyan’s tears continued to flow, black clouds appeared in the air and a single bolt of lightning snaked down from the heavens, smashing into Chu Yuyan’s pill cauldron. As she wiped the tears off her face a golden colored pill came into view, a pill the called forth the wrath of the heavens, a pill that went against heaven’s will.

A pill that would allow Chu Yuyan to step onto equal grounds as Meng Hao if a day ever came where he returned. Cupping the pill and pulling it close to her chest, Chu Yuyan felt a mixture of emotion swell within her heart.

One could say that Meng Hao was both a blessing and a curse to Chu Yuyan, had it not been for him she would have happily married her betrothed and lived her life in joy, but because of him she was able to reach what she had never been able to reach before. She was able to attain her long sought after dream of becoming a furnace lord and stepped ever closer to reaching the heavens.

While Chu Yuyan embraced the one thing that could prove to herself that she was no longer inferior to Meng Hao, elsewhere within the Violet Fate Sect an elderly man could be seen standing in front of a raging fire. A fire that never ceases to burn, a fire that is everlasting.

“Hao, be it the path of the demon or the path of heaven, no matter which you tread, your master will be forever awaiting your return.” The elderly man said with a sigh as his wrinkled face was embraced by warmth from the raging flames in front of him.

This elderly man of course was the renowned Grandmaster Pill Demon, Meng Hao’s master. After going to the Violet Sea and see what has become of his disciple, Pill Demon returned to the Violet Fate sect with a heavy heart. Within knowing when his disciple would wake up, Pill Demon could only sigh.

As master and student it could be said that they were like father and son, like any father, Pill Demon prayed for Meng Hao’s success and safety for he knows what Meng Hao is undergoing right now beneath the ever-churning waves of the Violet Sea, will make a massive impact in Meng Hao’s path.

He will either awaken thousands of years later as a greater demon or absorb the Violet Sea and gain unimaginable powers that the world has never seen. The power to control the sea of death, the power to extinguish countless lives at a mere thought. But no matter what path Meng Hao ends up taking, as his master, Pill Demon would forever support his disciple.

“Had it not been for Ji, then you would still be here…” Pill Demon said as he looked out toward the eastern lands of Tang, where the Ji clan resides. Had it not been for the Ji Clan then Meng Hao would still be within the Violet Fate sect.

“Never will I be an immortal of Ji…never…” Pill Demon said as the anger within him swelled, the thought of the hardships that his disciple had to go through because the Ji clan caused his insides to boil and the sea of flames in front of him begin to dance about in rage.

As the sea of flames raged on, entire Eastern Pill Division began to shake, causing countless cracks to appear within the earth expressing Pill Demon’s anger at the Ji Clan. Although one would expect there to be panic and chaos as the earth continued to rumble, those who resided within the Eastern Pill Division seemed to be used to this phenomenon.

The rumbling of course would soon cease and with a sign Grandmaster Pill Demon would sit down in front of an ancient looking pill cauldron and began concocting pills. He knew that there was nothing he could do but silently loathe the Ji Clan because openly going against the masters of the Ninth Mountain alone was an idiotic idea, so all Pill Demon could do is concoct pills and prepare for the future.

For he knew that would come a day when he could openly oppose the will of Ji. Although Pill Demon did not know when this day would come he knew that when it did he would be prepared to welcome it with open arms because the strong do not always stay strong and the weak do not always stay weak.

Everyone has their time of greatness but if they do not sow the right seeds of karma when their time of greatness passes they’ll be met with great misfortune from the people that they had stepped on and mocked.

While some lived in longing and others lived in anger, there were others who lived a life filled with enjoyment. Of all of Meng Hao’s friends and acquaintances, Li Fugui could be said to be the embodiment of joy and luxury.

Within the confines of the Golden Frost Sect, Li Fugui enjoyed the finest that the Southern Domain could offer. Wealth, women and practically anything else that he wanted was given to him. Many words could be used to describe Li Fugui, such as overbearing, lustful, gluttonous, but no one would ever pair him with the word lonely. With dozens of road companions to live out his days with, being lonely would be the last anyone would ever think about Li Fugui.

But unknown to everyone else, Li Fugui lived in constant loneliness. Although he was surrounded by beautiful women and countless guards around the clock, there was not a single person who he could call a friend. He knew deep down inside that if he did not possess the status that he did within the Golden Frost Sect then everyone around him would leave.

“Meng Hao, you are my only true friend.” Li Fugui sighed as he placed a chicken drumstick into his mouth and began chewing it, even the bones. Eating chicken often reminds him of the time that he and Meng Hao had spent within the Reliance Sect.

“Honey, what are you thinking about?” A beautiful young maiden said as she brushed against fatty’s side.

“I’m thinking about my brother.” Fatty said with a sigh a he continued chewing on the chicken drumstick.

“Honey you never told me you had a brother, is he has handsome are you are?” The maiden said with a grin.

“Well he’s not as handsome as me but his cultivation is many times higher than mine, he had always taken care of me back in the Reliance Sect, but before I ever got the chance to repay him for his kindness he disappeared.” Fatty frowned as he continued to reminisce about the past.

“I’m sure that he’ll turn up sooner or later.” The maiden said as she poured herself and fatty a cup of wine.

“Yea, I’m sure he’ll show up soon, in the meantime I’ll get back at that Wang Tengfei guy…” Fatty said as he downed a cup of wine before embracing the beauty sitting beside him.

Soon after a few more cups of wine, Fatty was welcomed into the embrace of a dozen or so beautiful women. Since it was his task to get as many women to bare his children as possible, Fatty never spent a single night alone.

Although drowning in pleasure served to temporality relieve him of his loneliness, fatty would soon be reminded of Meng Hao and reminisce about the old days. The days when friendship was pure and love were not the same fleeting feeling that it now.

Besides missing his only true friend Meng Hao, fatty would often also contemplate about his father and his fiancée that he had very much longed for. The father he never was able to care for and the women that he was never able to obtain or grant happiness to.

It could be said that within this world there were no other three people who meant more to Fatty then Meng Hao, his father, and his fiancée who lived in the state of Zhao. But because his father and fiancée were no longer of this world due to the passage of time, his longing for the past had all been focused solely on Meng Hao.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Unlike Fatty who longed for the past and sought after companionship, another one of Meng Hao’s friends, Chen Fan continued to step forward and promote his cultivation. As one of the Seven Solitary Sword Sons, Chen Fan’s status was extremely high, however, he did not act haughty or prideful when around others. Rather he continued to live a righteous life that revolved around understanding the Dao.

With only his sword as his companion and with only his hunger for knowledge to drive him, Chen Fan’s cultivation had risen by leaps and bounds. To those around him, Chen Fan could be said to be a perfect cultivator, one who only sought after the dao, but unbeknownst to them he possessed two fatal flaws.

The first being that he could talk for days on end without rest, much like the meat jelly, the other flaw was that he could not help but to care about others. Though most cultivators were coldhearted, Chen Fan cared deeply for his friends, one of which being Meng Hao.

“Junior brother, I hope that you are living well and have not run into harm's way.” Chen Fan thought as he looked out into the starry sky. Chen Fan had always viewed Meng Hao as a younger brother and truly hoped that no harm would befall him.

After thinking about Meng Hao, Chen Fan withdrew his sword and began practicing his swordplay underneath the moonlight. As his blade reflected the moonlight, Chen Fan looked like an otherworldly being, displaying an awe-inspiring dance. But before long this dance would be disturbed.

“Chen Fan, you're still here?” A voice drifted into Chen Fan’s ears. Looking back, he could see an out of this world beauty gazing at him.

“Sister Shan Ling.” Chen Fan said shyly as his face reddened.

“You’re always training; you should rest or else you might injure yourself.” Shan Ling said as she walked up beside Chen Fan.

“Ye-yes. I’ll go rest now.” Chen Fan said before running off. Shan Ling could only shake her head and laugh as she watched Chen Fan speed away.

Chen Fan did not know why but every time he was around Shan Ling, his heart would beat uncontrollably and his face would become flushed. As someone who lived to further his understanding of the Dao, Chen Fan was at a lost and the only solution he could come up with was avoiding Shan Ling altogether.

“What I do not see or hear cannot affect me.” Chen Fan continued to mumble as he continued running away from Shan Ling.

But very much like Chu Yuyan’s situation with Meng Hao, the more he tried to avoid and get away from Shan Ling, the more he began to think of her. It was not until running into his courtyard that Chen Fan stopped running.

“Sigh, why am I doing this.” He thought as he produced a jar of wine he had received from his master. Confused, Chen Fan did not know what to do, this could be deemed the first time that he had such feelings toward anyone.

“Junior brother, I pray that when the time comes, you will possess more courage than your elder brother because there are no greater troubles in the world other than women.” Chen Fan said with a sigh as he drank cup after cup of wine.

After downing the cup of wine Chen Fan crawled into his bed and tried to sleep, however whenever he closed his eyes Shan Ling’s face would appear in his mind. Her radiant smile would prevent him from falling asleep.

So without anything to do and no means to fall asleep, Chen Fan picked up his sword and walked outside.

“I need to clear my mind. I need to get away from here.” He thought as he walked away from the Solitary Sword Sect.

He continued to walk without purpose and without thought for many moons until his path was intruded upon. Surrounded by dozens of rogue cultivators, Chen Fan was forced to draw his sword and engage in battle.

“Kill him! He’s one of the Seven Solitary Sword Sons, he’s bound to have a lot of treasure in his bag of holding.” A cultivator with a large scar running across his face yelled.

Without saying a word, Chen Fan’s sword gleamed under the moonlight as he shot forth into battle.

It was unsure how these people had come upon and decided to attack him, but Chen Fan was hopelessly outnumbered. While there was only one of him, there were close to a hundred assailants after his belongings. These people were not simply regular robbers either, they were all rouge cultivators who were roughly on the same level of cultivation that Chen Fan was.

As Chen Fan displayed a dance of death, a shower of blood rained wherever his blade went. But everything came at a price, although Chen Fan was able to slain dozens of his attackers his body had received countless wounds.

Blood seeped through his white robes and dyed it red as the battle went on. As if to add to the epicness of this battle, water began to trickle down from the heavens.

“Everyone move in at once! We almost have him!” Someone yelled as Chen Fan began to struggle.

But you do not know how strong someone really is until they are at their weakest moment. Using his life force Chen Fan continued to slash about bringing death wherever he went.

Sadly, there was only so much a person could do, after slaying about thirty opponents Chen Fan’s legs gave out from under him requiring him to stab his sword into the ground to keep from falling over.

Seeing this opportunity, the remaining seventy or so robbers launched a barrage of attacks.

“Brother Hao, Sister Xu, Master, Shan Ling… If we are fated to I’ll see you all in the next samsara…” Chen Fan thought as he closed his eyes and embraced death. There was nothing he could really do and no one to blame but his own carelessness. Had he not ran away from his feelings, had he chose to accept them then death would have been a distant thought.

As Chen Fan closed his eyes and awaited death, the rain suddenly ceased and a cool breeze blew past him. Breathes passed as an eerie bone chilling silence filled what had been a bloody battlefield a moment ago.

“Brother Fan, are you alright?” A familiar voice sounded out from behind where Chen Fan was.

Opening his eyes and turning back, a smile crept onto his face.

“Shan Ling…” He managed to say before losing consciousness and falling to the ground.

An unknown amount of time had passed Chen Fan’s eyes slowly opened, after scanning his surroundings he found himself in an old ran down looking building with a tattered roof that was leaking water.

“Are you alright?” Shan Ling’s voice filled his ears and made his heart thump.

Pushing himself up and trying to get to his feet, Chen Fan quickly found that his body was sapped of strength as he began to fall back onto the ground. However, before his body crashed onto the floor, a delicate set of arms came to his aid and soon he found himself in the bosom of an otherworldly beauty.

“Don’t move, your wounds haven’t recovered yet. Although they were masquerading as rouge cultivators, you fought a group of a hundred disciples from the Demon Blood Sect.” Shan Ling said as Chen Fan was in her arms.

“Shan Ling.” Chen Fan said slowly.

“What?” Shan Ling replied, as her twinkling eyes gazed at Chen Fan.

“I love you.” Chen Fan said as his lips pressed against Shan Ling’s.

While Chen Fan’s love story began to bud, stories of Meng Hao’s greatness was being worshiped within the Golden Crow Tribe.

Within the Black Lands, the Golden Crow Tribe had flourished. With the addition of the Black Dragon Tribe and the Church of Golden Light, the Golden Crow Tribe had become a force to be reckoned with. Living by the rules and beliefs that Meng Hao had planted within them, the members of the Golden Crow Tribe had quickly been able to distinguish itself from the other tribes despite no longer possessing Meng Hao’s battle prowess.

The tribe grew stronger each day as children were born or by allowing outsiders to join them. What had been a group of no more than a few hundred survivors had now become a force of thousands.

Although the Golden Crow Tribe was no longer the tribe that it once was, there was one thing about them that would never change. Their reverence of Meng Hao could be said to be eternal as countless statues of him were erected and countless more people came to offer him their worship.

Their blind faith in Meng Hao was only further strengthened each time two certain individuals visited.

“Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!” A certain parrot would say as it flew into the lands belonging to the Golden Crow Sect.

Lord Fifth and Lord Third would often visit the Golden Crow Sect as they roamed about, waiting for the day Meng Hao would wake up.

Each time they visited all of the members of the Golden Crow Sect would gather and undergo rigorous training.

“Start running in the way I taught you. Use the steps of the Immortal Execution Formation. Three circles to the left, three circles to the right. Shake those butts…. Go as fast as you can! Now, call it out with me….” Lord Fifth would say as he made every member of the Golden Crow Sect practice the Immortal Execution Formation.

“Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!”

“Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!”

“Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!”

Every member of the Golden Crow Sect would chant as they invoked the formations power, each time they did this many of the members of the tribe would be reminded of the otherworldly strength and power that Meng Hao possessed.

Meng Hao had left a great impact in many lands, ranging from the State of Zhao, the Southern Domain, the Black Lands and lastly what used to be the Western Lands, some places more than others but nonetheless his fame had spread far and wide. On the other hand, no one knew about the person who had certainly left the greatest impact on Meng Hao was from Xu Qing.

After her tears had become a part of the Violet Sea and her search ended without anything to show for it, Xu Qing decided to settle on a small island in the middle of the Violet Sea.

On this small island, she lived out her days quietly, often wondering where Meng Hao could possibly be. She could feel it in her soul that he was somewhere very close but sadly somewhere she could not reach.

So all she could do was wait for him. Building a small home for herself on the island Xu Qing lived peacefully. She would occasionally look out into the vast violet colored sea while imagining that Meng Hao was looking right back at her.

This feeling alone filled her with unbelievable warmth, something that she longed for ever since Meng Hao had departed from the Black Sieve Sect. An indescribable yearning had been imbedded in Xu Qing’s heart ever since then.

Unlike Chu Yuyan she did not feel unworthy nor prideful, unlike Fatty she did not simply sit back and drown out her sorrows and unlike Chen Fan she did not choose to run away from her feelings. Xu Qing was not the prettiest nor the smartest of all the people that have interacted with Meng Hao but she could be said to be the most decisive.

Her feelings did not waver and she did not question herself because she followed her heart.

The days went on and the peaceful days continued, Xu Qing would continue to look out into the vast sea while holding a cosmetic pill in her hand. To anyone else this pill would be worthless but to her it symbolized her past, her present and her future with Meng Hao.

For if it had not been for this pill then her story with him would have been very different. The feelings that had sprang into her heart would have never come to light nor would it bud into the burning passion that it is now.

Whenever she looked at this pll she would see the face of the scholarly like young man who was hanging dangling off the side of a cliff. She would see a cunny disciple of the Reliance Sect. She would see a powerful man who could stand against the Black Sieve Sect, a man who can stand against the world. She would see Meng Hao for all of his flaws and all of his virtues.

Thus she continued to look out into the sea of death with a single pill in hand until the day came when she was ordered to return to the sect. Even when the order came Xu Qing still wished to linger on the island and not go back but delaying the inevitable would only bring trouble.

Had the sect not requested her to return then Xu Qing would have continued watch the sea and live out a peaceful life on the island. As she departed from the violet sea she would often look back in the hopes a certain someone would appear before her but all she saw was the sea sending her off with a display of it’s power. Countless waves that towered into the skies smashed into one another as Xu Qing moved ever further from the small island that she had called home for many moons.

“We will meet again one day, but it in this life or the next.” She said with a smile. As if it was responding to her words the Violet Sea calmed and became as still as the waters within a pond. The Violet Sea no longer trembled in rage nor raise torrents of death into the skies, it seemed like her words had soothe it.

Beneath the Violet Sea, Meng Hao’s eyes slowly opened.

Disclaimer: This is an ISSTH Fan Fiction Story. I do not own ISSTH or any related products.