Circulating cross-legged in the air around the Demon Immortal Pagoda was the Paragon of the Fourth Peak of the Demon Immortal Sect's First Heaven, Ke Yunhai. White hair swirled around him, and his eyes shone with a radiant glow.

He seemed to be in high spirits; however, far back within the recesses of his eyes was an imperceptible exhaustion and ancientness. No aura of death emanated out from him; however, deep within his heart existed a sea of death.

Outsiders could not observe what was happening within the Demon Immortal Pagoda. Even the seven Paragons couldn't sense the ripples of what was happening. However, all of them were well aware of why the Demon Immortal Pagoda had been opened this time.

Their gazes swept over the pagoda, and, although they could not see what was happening inside, based on the aura coming from the dots of light, it was possible for them to determine who was who.

Ke Yunhai was watching the 2nd level, and his eyes shone with determination.

"Jiusi, your father can only do this much for you…."

In addition to the seven Paragons, the rest of the disciples in the Demon Immortal Sect's First Heaven were all congregated around the pagoda. One by one, the disciples flew up to enter the pagoda. Everything was in a great commotion. A few moments later, a dot of light appeared on the 7th level, leading to an outburst of discussions.

Meng Hao had no way to know about any of this. He was still on the 2nd level, looking at the enormous mountain formed of seawater that was hovering in mid-air. A bright glow shone from his eyes as the mountain shot toward him. He leaped upward, not in evasion, but rather, relying completely on the Second Anima, he charged in attack.

A massive boom rose up into the air. Meng Hao didn't destroy the mountain, but rather pierced inside of it.

Rumbling filled the seawater mountain, and countless ripples spread out, as if to seal Meng Hao inside. As the ripples surrounded him, he suddenly closed his eyes.

Then he waved both arms out in front of him. A boom filled the sea mountain as it exploded apart. Meng Hao shot out from within, his face pale, but his eyes shining with a strange light.

"Mountain Consuming Incantation…." he said, panting a little. By this point, Meng Hao could tell that if you looked at the enlightenment of the Mountain Consuming Incantation in terms of percentage, then he had mastered roughly five percent.

As the sea mountain fell apart, no magical technique appeared. Meng Hao looked up as a beam of soft light appeared up in the air in front of him. A mere glance and he understood that this dazzling light was the entrance to the 3rd level.

As the light neared, he shot up into the air. He entered the void, and when everything became clear, he was in the 3rd level.

The moment he appeared, a towering sea of flames could be seen, as well as ten enormous figures. Meng Hao shot out from within the flames, his eyes glittering.

"Third Anima!"

BOOM!

His fleshly body expanded and his Cultivation base began to transform. The power of four great circle Nascent Souls instantly exploded out from within him. Fearsome and intense power roared up from him, especially from his fleshly body, as he strode forward.

4th level. 5th level. 6th level….

Without hesitation, Meng Hao charged up all the way to the 7th level. By this time, he was in the Fourth Anima.

In the outside world, there were simply too many people participating in the event, so few people noticed Meng Hao's dot of light moving up. Most were focused on the 10th level.

There was only one dot of light there, attempting to break through.

At the moment, just about all of the disciples' eyes were focused there. Their eyes shone brightly as they watched to see what transformations might occur if the 10th level were passed.

After all, the Demon Immortal Pagoda had 99 levels, and every 10th level gave a chance at one of the top 100 Daoist magics. Any one of those could be considered a shocking magical technique, enough to cause anyone's heart to pound.

That was especially true for the Cultivators from South Heaven. They were completely focused on the 10th level, even more so than the other disciples from the Demon Immortal Sect. Han Bei and Wang Lihai, the Ji Clan, the Fang Clan, the Cultivators from the Eastern Lands and the Northern Reaches, all those who had not entered the Pagoda were observing closely.

Time passed. Apparently, the 10th level was quite difficult. The Cultivator who was there still had not broken through. With the exception of Ke Yunhai and Fang Yu, few people had noticed that there was one particular dot of light that had just disappeared from the 7th level and then appeared in the 8th. Then it was in the 9th.

Finally… everyone gaped, and their stares focused even more intently on the 10th level, because.... Suddenly, another dot of light had appeared there!

A second dot of light was now in the 10th level!

Of course, it was Meng Hao.

"Who's that…?"

"Who could that be? Whoever it was that just entered the 10th level, no one was paying much attention to him before!"

As the buzz of conversation filled the air, all gazes focused on the dot of light that represented Meng Hao.

Meanwhile, back in the 10th level, a golden glow filled the area. The sky was gold, the land was gold. Everything was the color of gold. Ten swords sped toward Meng Hao from all directions, filled with shocking power.

These ten swords exploded with the power of Spirit Severing. They were matchlessly brutal, and their killing intent rose to the Heavens.

In the moment before the ten swords reached him, Meng Hao's pupils constricted and he unhesitatingly cried, "Sixth Anima!"

BOOM!

His Cultivation base shot up and his fleshly body exploded with power. His battle prowess was now equivalent to thirty-two great circle Nascent Souls. As for his body, it was now more powerful than the Seventh Anima. According to Meng Hao's speculations, the level of power it now reached was equivalent to an Eighth Anima!

Such shocking power, especially when it was all synthesized together, made it so that Meng Hao could now attack with roaring power equivalent to the Seventh Anima.

Meng Hao unleashed divine abilities, one of which made a small, illusory mountain appear above his hand. The golden world he was in seemed to transform into a sea of rage, churning and seething.

A moment later, ghost images sprang up from the ten swords. The golden glow that filled the world swept toward them, changing the ghost images into something like a black hole that seemed capable of swallowing all light. All the light in the world was sucked in, leaving behind only the swords themselves. Surrounded by a shapeless glow, they slashed down toward Meng Hao.

Furthermore, they even began to emanate the ripples of a Domain!

Meng Hao's pupils constricted. The instant the swords began to near him, he unhesitatingly entered the Seventh Anima!

BOOM!

The Seventh Anima exploded out, filling him with sixty-four shocking levels of power. Sounds like cracks of thunder exploded out from Meng Hao's fleshly body, which did not grow any larger, but rather, more tight. The feeling of an Immortal Devil grew even more intense. In Meng Hao's judgement, he currently had a fleshly body that was equivalent to a Ninth Anima.

He was only a tiny step away from having a fleshly body that was actually of the Spirit Severing stage!

Meng Hao moved toward the descending swords and punched.

A huge explosion filled the air, causing everything to tremble and shake. Meng Hao coughed up some blood as he shot backward. Everything up ahead of him shattered into pieces; at the same time, countless magical symbols flickered out. Three thousand great Daos. Three thousand magical symbols. They swirled around Meng Hao for a moment before one of them sparkled and shot toward him.

The mark had the appearance of a small mountain. Meng Hao recognized it as soon as he saw it; this was none other than the Mountain Consuming Incantation which he already had partly gained enlightenment of.

His eyes glittered, and he did nothing to dodge the magical symbol. It neared him and then fused into his body, filling his mind with a roaring sound. Something like the shapes of countless mountain peaks filled his mind. It felt as if he was currently personally observing and emulating hundreds of millions of mountains.

At the same time, the glow of enlightenment filled his eyes. He sat down cross-legged for an hour before opening his eyes. Shockingly, the image of a mountain could now be seen in Meng Hao's pupils!

His aura also changed. All of the images and memories regarding the Mountain Consuming Incantation merged together into his mind to form a brand mark that was like a seed.

This was a seed of Daoist magic that he could take with him when he left the Demon Immortal Sect's Second Plane!

The appearance of this seed proved that Meng Hao had achieved initial enlightenment of this art!

"Consume the soul of the mountain, emulate the soul of the mountain; seize the body of the mountain, refine my own body!" Meng Hao stood up and waved his right hand. Instantly, the illusory shape of a mountain peak burst into being above it. A strange light appeared in his eyes as he looked up and then shot toward a glowing screen up above.

As soon as he touched it, a roaring sound echoed out within his body. He felt as if he were trying to move forward through water, as if there were something pushing back against him. The feeling lasted for the space of a few breaths before he pierced out of his current world. Everything in front of him grew clear, and shockingly, he could see an entire new world in front of him.

This world was an ancient battlefield. The instant he appeared, many of the figures on the battlefield suddenly turned and looked directly at him.

There were several dozen of them, each one a Cultivator. When he saw them, Meng Hao's pupils constricted. They instantly began to near him, whereupon, without hesitation, he slapped his bag of holding to produce a large amulet which he flung out in front of him.

Booming sounds echoed out, and half of the lands of this entire world quaked. Massive fissures appeared, with Meng Hao at the center. As they spread out, thundering booms could be heard, and countless bolts of lightning rained down. It was as if the entire world had turned into an armageddon.

Meng Hao took a deep breath. Although he had anticipated that the amulets given him by Ke Yunhai would be powerful, now that he could see one in action, he was shaken. The entire world of the 11th level vanished, completely toppled and destroyed. Everything was wreckage; the figures on the battlefield had been transformed into nothing but drifting pieces of ash.

Only Meng Hao remained behind.

"Force my way to the top?" Meng Hao blinked, and then a shy expression appeared on his face as he shot toward the 12th level.

12th level. 13th level. 14th level…. Meng Hao was surrounded by explosions as he proceeded onward. Everywhere he went, he shook Heaven and Earth, and was surrounded by the boundless glow of magical items. Even from the perspective of those on the outside world… it was starting to become obvious what was happening.

All of the disciples of the Demon Immortal Sect watched with wide eyes as, within the space of only a few breaths, a glowing dot rose from the 11th level all the way to the 15th level. Everyone gaped in astonishment.

That was especially true when a glowing aura appeared in the area around the dot, along with the clear, rippling aura of magical items.

"How many… how many magic items does that guy have?"