(click here for soundtrack)

"Meng Hao!" The muffled voice filled the starry sky, seemingly echoing out from the most ancient of times. At the same time, it was unmistakably clear, and boomed like thunder.

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Meng Hao watched as the huge image of Allheaven formed together; the blood vessels grew more numerous, bones appeared, and then flesh and blood. At the same time, a powerful energy radiated out, an explosive energy of almost indescribable power.

It was as if some giant who had once dissipated into the void was now re-forming.

Allheaven might only be capable of unleashing a single attack, but as of this moment, that impending attack filled Meng Hao with an indescribable sensation of deadly crisis.

He was well aware that if his opponent continued to grow stronger, it would spell certain defeat. Killing intent flickered in his eyes as he watched Allheaven forming together. He quickly spread his arms wide and roared, "Ninth Demon Sealing Hex! Seal the Heavens Hex!"

Wind screamed around him, and the statue appeared once again. Boundless light began to spread out, which then surged toward Allheaven with deadly force.

Meng Hao was going all-out with his cultivation base, his will, and his soul, fueling the Seal the Heavens Hex to the ultimate degree. Blinding light shone as power which could seal all existence bore down on Allheaven.

The starry sky inside the Vast Expanse withered some as Meng Hao drew upon it as a further component of power within the Seal the Heavens Hex.

The white light which closed in on Allheaven contained Heaven-Sealing power, power from beyond the starry sky, power which contained the natural laws of the Universe.

The battle was reaching a climax, with both parties unleashing unimaginable power. When the "seal" character landed on Allheaven, his hair rose up, and his eyes shone with unprecedented brightness. Although his body hadn't completely formed yet, he was surging with power that could shake Heaven and Earth.

Now that he had experienced the Seal the Heavens Hex, he looked at Meng Hao and smiled.

"If you hadn't used this Hex before, it would have been difficult to defend against. But now... I can use it too!" He extended his right hand, splaying his fingers wide. Shockingly, light began to shine out, a light that looked very similar to the light cast by the Seal the Heavens Hex. The only difference was that this light was black!

The black light instantly stretched out toward Meng Hao, like a wave of fury that slammed into the white light of the Seal the Heavens Hex.

The instant they touched, a deafening boom spread out, shattering the starry sky, destroying planets. Even Transcendors like Jin Yunshan would be completely destroyed by the force.

Anyone who was not within the Ancestor Realm would be killed in body and soul by the shockwave created when the white and black lights made contact.

There were no magics that could exceed this, not within this starry sky. In fact, even within the Universe as a whole, it was something uncharacteristically rare. This battle had reached the ultimate pinnacle.

BOOOOOOOOOMMM!

Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao's mouth, and Allheaven withered. Yet, even as the explosive energy continued to blast out in all directions, they continued to fuel their magic with all of the battle prowess they could muster.

Meng Hao let out a mighty roar, and his hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture. The white light surrounding him twisted, shrinking down rapidly as it transformed into a single character.

Seal! 封

The "seal" character glittered radiantly!

"I shall... seal the Heavens!" He threw his hands out above his head. Instantly, cracking sounds could be heard, as though his arms might shatter at any moment. He was shaking visibly, clearing using all the power he could muster to unleash the "seal" character.

In the blink of an eye, the character began to rumble toward Allheaven, seemingly backed by the power of the Universe itself.

Allheaven's eyes were filled with madness as he took a deep breath. The black light around him spun madly, shrinking down into his palm into a different "seal" character.

A black "seal" character!

Two huge sealing marks shot toward each other within the starry sky, and when they made contact, a boom echoed out that could shake all Heaven and Earth. Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao's mouth. Eyes completely bloodshot, he performed a double-handed incantation gesture, causing the sword to appear, which slashed down viciously.

A huge rift was torn open, which snaked through the starry sky toward Allheaven. Allheaven extended his right hand, and a black sword appeared behind him, which similarly slashed down.

"I am the true lord of this starry sky. I, Allheaven, call upon the power of that starry sky, and the laws of the Universe... I sacrifice everything to kill Meng Hao and take all that belongs to him!" The sword shone with resplendent light, growing larger and larger as it slashed out. When the two swords hit each other, the entire starry sky rumbled and even began to shatter.

As it shattered, the Universe beyond was revealed!

Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao's mouth as the sword formed by the Seal the Heavens Hex shattered and transformed into ash. However, the exact same thing happened to the sword created by Allheaven.

Meng Hao was shaken so hard that cracking sounds emanated out from inside of him, which were bones being broken. His flesh was shredded into a haze of blood, and he was sent tumbling backward like a kite with its string cut.

His vision swam, and the world spun. His cultivation base was thrown into utter chaos, and his will was shaken.

However, Allheaven was in similarly bad condition. He was trembling, his arm shattered, half of his body almost completely sealed to the point where it transformed into dust. With the exception of his left eye, the other parts of him which survived were almost completely withered away.

Even his left eye, despite being complete, was now gray, and an aura of death emanated out from it. As for the pupil of that eye, it was growing larger; clearly, once it overtook the rest of the eye, it would signify his complete death.

However, despite the situation, a smile appeared on Allheaven's withered face, and he began to laugh. Laughter rang out as he struggled to look over at Meng Hao, a strange expression on his face. Then, he started to breath in deeply.

Instantly, Meng Hao began to shake violently. His life force, his soul, everything about him, began to seep out through the pores on his skin, through his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. It became a white smoke that swirled through the starry sky toward Allheaven.

"The mistake you made was letting me see your Seal the Heavens Hex!" His voice was both weak and laced with madness. As the white smoke began to emanate out from Meng Hao and enter Allheaven, Allheaven's excitement grew. Slowly but surely, the white smoke began to converge inside of him in the location of the missing ninety-ninth Demon fruit!