Han Qinglei stood there silently, sighing inwardly. Once again, the desire to fight burned in his eyes.

He kept telling himself that he was in the Echelon, a Chosen among blazing suns. He could accept being defeated in battle, but he couldn't accept being humiliated!

From the moment he had entered the Eighth Nation, he had parted ways with his clone, using it to distract Meng Hao so that his true form would be able to evade detection. Then he had used a secret magic to stifle his aura and escape to this place.

Without the clone to distract Meng Hao, his secret magic alone would not have been enough to escape undetected. One of the unique aspects of this technique was that the longer he used it, the more difficult it would be to see through it.

What he had needed was time, which was why he had sent his clone to take his place.

"Lin Cong is the second most powerful among the Echelon, and I'm no match for him. Meng Hao might have been able to beat me, but to defeat Lin Cong... will be extremely difficult!

"Seven current members of the Echelon stepped into the Ancient Realm in the past, but after realizing that their paths were incorrect, they intentionally lowered their cultivation bases with the purpose of breaking through again later. Each successive time they break through, they become more powerful!

"Lin Cong is so strong that it's impossible to determine how many times he's broken through into the Ancient Realm, only to drop back down....

"Those things don't have much to do with me, though. Since I can't keep hold of the Eighth Nation's seal, it would be better to curry favor by handing it over someone else, than to give it to Meng Hao. This also means I won't be hunted down, so one of these days, I'll have a chance to make my comeback!" Han Qinglei's eyes glittered, and he took a deep breath. Finally, he bowed his head and continued to hide his presence. He wanted to use another secret magic to observe the battle between Meng Hao and Lin Cong, but after some consideration, decided against it.

He felt sure that Meng Hao was no match for Lin Cong, and yet, wasn't completely certain. Meng Hao's calm face hovered there in his mind's eye, and after a moment of thought, he made up his mind.

Although he chose not to observe the battle, the Echelon cultivators in the other nations all used various secret magics, and utilized significant resources, to be able to observe the battle.

This fight was not just a chance to see how strong Lin Cong was, it was also an opportunity to see Meng Hao's battle prowess, which would help them be prepared for future encounters.

Glowing screens appeared in front of each of the various members of the Echelon. Those screens all depicted the National Aura Mountain in the Eighth Nation!

Currently, Lin Cong bore down on the mountain in shocking fashion, causing everything to shake. As he neared, his rage erupted.

"Dammit! All of that... should be mine!!

"You're stealing the qi flow of the Windswept Realm that belongs to me. Well then... I guess I'll just have to kill you!!" Lin Cong's voice echoed out, and his war chariot rumbled as he bore down on Meng Hao. He extended his hand and waved a finger at Meng Hao.

Immediately, the 1,000,000 souls leading the chariot issued intense screams, then spread out like a sea of dead souls, covering everything. They transformed into a gigantic hand, which then smashed down viciously toward Meng Hao as he stood there on the mountain peak.

Meng Hao looked up, and his eyes snapped open. The invisible wind which surrounded him split apart, and despite the fact that Meng Hao clearly didn't make a single move, dozens of lightning bolts suddenly appeared in midair. They stabbed down, smashing into the ground in front of Meng Hao, blocking the enormous, pitch-black hand of dead souls.

This... was one of the benefits Meng Hao received after acquiring twenty percent of the qi flow of the Windswept Realm!

Protection provided by Heaven and Earth!

Booms echoed out as the lightning slammed into the 1,000,000 dead souls. They screamed as the enormous hand collapsed into pieces in front of Meng Hao, incapable of even touching him.

Almost in the exact moment that the 1,000,000 souls fell apart, Meng Hao's energy spiked through the roof!

"Killing you... will only take seven steps!" he said.

In accompaniment with his domineering words, his cultivation base rocketed higher and higher, and a domineering aura spread out in all directions. He did not retreat. He did not dance about with fancy fighting moves. He just went in for the kill!

However, when his words entered the ears of the other Echelon cultivators in the other nations, they were met with cold laughter.

"This Meng Hao is way too arrogant and conceited. He thinks he can kill Lin Cong with only seven steps? Not even the Echelon cultivator from the First Mountain could do that! What makes Meng Hao think he can!?"

"Lin Cong is powerful. He might be quite a bit beneath the Echelon cultivator from the First Mountain, but it's real grandstanding for Meng Hao to claim that he can kill him with seven steps!"

In the First Nation, the most powerful Echelon cultivator, the white robed young man from the First Mountain, coolly said, "It's good to be confident, but reality won't match up."

Of course, Meng Hao couldn't hear the words being spoken. However, even if he could, he wouldn't pay them the slightest heed. His path was that of the legendary Allheaven Immortal, and in his heart, he knew that to be the most powerful path. To tread such a path required unflinching determination. Furthermore... he would crush anything that stood in his path, walk to the peak, and smash all the other Echelon cultivators. He would use his actions... to show that he was the most powerful in the Echelon!

BOOM!

Meng Hao stepped forward to begin the Seven God Steps.

Lin Cong in his war chariot threw his head back and laughed. It was an icy laughter, filled with both killing intent and fury.

Never had anyone in his generation dared to say anything like that to him before. Only seven steps... were needed to kill him? The domineering air of those words prompted Lin Cong to laugh maniacally.

"Not even the Echelon cultivator from the First Mountain would be confident enough to say something like that to me. Meng Hao, you're the first!" By the time Lin Cong's words finished echoing out, Meng Hao had taken his first step!

That step took him from the peak of the mountain to a position in midair. He was now in front of the chariot, causing the scattered remnants of the dead souls to tremble and flee in all directions. They were screaming, as if there were some powerful energy exploding off of Meng Hao, something that, if it struck them, would exterminate them for all eternity!

As the dead souls screamed, Meng Hao unleashed a punch.

The Life-Extermination Fist!

That fist slammed into the war chariot, unleashing a massive force onto Lin Cong. Lin Cong was just about to use some divine abilities and magical techniques, but the force interrupted him. His face fell when he heard a muffled boom coming from his war chariot, which was then shoved backward by 300 meters!

Boundlessly domineering!

In the same moment that the war chariot was thrown back, Meng Hao took a second step. His energy once again erupted, making him multiple times more powerful than before.

Heaven and Earth shook as the step landed him in front of the war chariot once again, whereupon he unleashed yet another punch!

Yet again, the Life-Extermination Fist! As boundlessly domineering as before!

Booms rang out as the war chariot, with Lin Cong inside of it, was shaken violently. Yet again, his magical techniques were interrupted. From the very beginning until now, he hadn't even had a chance to fight back!

"He's not just getting in lucky shots!" he thought, inwardly shaken.

You couldn't blame him, really. Anyone who ended up fighting Meng Hao would encounter the same domineering battle tactics. He destroyed opportunities to attack, and would always aim to seize the initiative, and the first blow!

Everyone back in the Ninth Mountain and Sea had experienced that, and now, it was time for other cultivators to learn exactly how domineering Meng Hao was!

Three steps, three punches! Booms echoed out continuously as the chariot was again shoved backward!

Four steps, four punches! Massive rumbling filled the air as Meng Hao dazzlingly set out to prove that he could back up the domineering nature of his words and kill Lin Cong with only seven steps!

If he could, then his self-confidence would grow even greater, his momentum even stronger. His name would rocket to the very top of the Echelon!

Even if Lin Cong didn't die in the end, in the future, his mental state would collapse whenever he saw Meng Hao.

Lin Cong was flabbergasted at how he was being completely subjugated!!

"This is impossible! No one in my generation has ever completely suppressed me during a fight!!"

Booms shook the sky as Meng Hao attacked with frantic madness. Four steps. Four punches!

Each one of those punches was the Life-Extermination Fist, which continuously interrupted Lin Cong's magical techniques, making it very difficult for him to unleash any magic at all. The fourth punch caused cracks to spread out over his war chariot, which then exploded into pieces.

Lin Cong let out a bellow of rage and waved his hand, using the opportunity to try to release a divine ability. The will of death swirled around him, as if the Yellow Springs themselves were rising up from the underworld.

He had to go all-out with everything to fight back. He couldn't allow Meng Hao to build up any more momentum, or for himself to be any further suppressed. He was suddenly shocked to realize that if things kept going the way they were, then it wasn't necessarily impossible... for Meng Hao to actually kill him with seven steps!!

However... just when he was on the verge of unleashing his divine ability, Meng Hao took a fifth step. His energy shot up explosively, far past anything from before. The Heavens flickered, and a huge wind screamed up, making the qi flow of the Windswept Realm even more evident.

When he took that fifth step, he appeared directly in front of Lin Cong, whereupon he... unleashed yet another punch!

This was a different strike, not the Life-Extermination Fist, but rather, the blow of Self-Immolation, the Bedevilment Fist!

It was an insanity the likes of which could sacrifice anything, even one's own life, to enter a state of mad Bedevilment, which was then materialized into a punch. As of this moment, only one thought existed inside of Meng Hao's head.

Because he was Bedeviled, that fist possessed both form and will!

Lin Cong's eyes went wide, and his heart filled with astonishment. He was aware before that Meng Hao was not weak; after all, he had defeated Han Qinglei. However, he had never imagined that Meng Hao would be this powerful!

From his view, Meng Hao's power didn't come from his cultivation base, but rather his style of fighting. It was a style that used a completely domineering momentum, it left the opponent incapable of even breathing, all the way until they were destroyed.

Meng Hao's way of fighting was something completely unique, something he had never before encountered.

RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE!

One shocking punch destroyed Lin Cong's divine ability as if it were a rotten log. The mad, Bedeviled fist exploded on toward Lin Cong, bursting with power.

Blood oozed out of Lin Cong's mouth as he was shoved backward. He let out a miserable shriek, feeling completely and utterly humiliated as Meng Hao took a sixth step!

When that step landed, the world crackled with thunder. Countless lightning bolts exploded up around him as his energy flew even higher. Even the mountain down below was shaking violently; cracks appeared as if it would fall apart at any moment.